But Forever Said, Tomorrow
Since entering this land, Ootat had discovered a kind of fear. Not the fear that usually held her hand, whispering wise warnings and drawing her away from danger, no... this was a brand of fear for which there was no name, a fear she had yet to properly meet. But it was there, a bud of darkness lurking in the dungeons of her mind, twisting with every step, feeding on every shadow that might be something more. Days were becoming harder, a nights rest was not so much restful anymore as a wakeful nightmare. Ootat was afraid and she was slowly coming to terms with that, very slowly. Even alone the she-wolf was wan to admit such fallacy's in herself, a character that she had spent the last year and a half of her life building in an effort to become better. Here though, amongst the ice and snow it was incredibly difficult to be anything short of terrified. |
Annoyance flashed in his eyes at his thoughts - what was he, some weak man? He was certainly acting like it, with all this moping he was doing. All this regret. What was done was done and nothing could or would change it; why couldn't he just accept that already? Truly, he already had in his mind, but his heart still had troubles accepting the truth. Accepting that the cosca was gone, that their brothers were dead. It just... he felt so lost without the cosca. His life had revolved around it; where was he now that it was gone?
Well, apparently in a land that was freezing the fur right off his ass. Snorting, he gingerly stepped across the snow. Scratch that, not just his butt was freezing, but everything else as well. It was cold here, that was for certain. It was certainly more so than he ever expected to see in his life. While it snowed where he used to live... certainly... not this amount. His land was not a desolate tundra which had ice jutting up from the depths. Nope, it was a nice, green land that got covered in white on occasion.
Still, it was stunning. The mafioso could more than appreciate the cold, stark beauty of the ice darting into the sky, overlooking the ocean. It was peaceful, as well, though tough to survive - he would travel to more populated and hospital areas soon. This was only a sight-seeing trip, to see all these wondrous lands the best he could. Why? What else did he have to do?
Regardless, he was not expecting company. When the crunch of ice behind him sounded, he turned his head, blinking in surprise at the female that was trudging through the land. "Perdere? Stai bene?" he questioned, his deep baritone unaffected by the long days of silence he had held. What was a woman doing so far out into this cold? Was she alright?
Her thoughts were her own, rattling about in the back of her skull as dark eyes narrowed at shapes beyond the archway. There was no telling for sure what it might have been, but the occasional ripple against the ice made her think there could be water in that direction. Water? Out here in the cold boonies of the North where nothing survived. It was a laughable thought, but becoming more palpable with every step she took, paws tired and pads torn against the sharp, icy floor. |
"Oh..." Ootat did not move, even as he explained - very badly mind you - that he did not speak the common tongue. Suddenly she felt the soft tinges of humility creep up her neck, filling the base of her jaw with heat. In her moment of shame she lowered her guard, ears swinging low and tail sweeping in vague irritation. Just not with him. "Then, hello, I am Ootat. You?" She could stand there being childish or try to find a way to communicate. He claimed not to speak the language well, but he could understand it yes? His responses so far had been largely physical, keeping himself blessedly neutral despite her misgivings. |