Tiberious lay out in the faint spring sun. The air still bore a bit of a chill, but it was nothing like the winter winds and felt warm in comparison, sometimes downright hot as he still wore his thicker winter coat. Flowers bloomed around him and he snapped lazily at a fly as it buzzed past it's ear. It was a lethargic type of day, there was just no way around it. He had spent his morning splashing around in the nearby lake, chasing after crayfish and minnows. Drying out had turned into a nap, one he was slowly rising out of at that moment in time. The pesky fly returned, irritating the fine fur inside his ear and with a grunt he sat up to scratch at it with his long, gangly hind paw. He had grown into his height, but not yet his bulk. Motion was getting trickier and trickier. Well, now that I'm up... He thought to himself, yawning out a tongue curling yawn that ended with him shiver-shaking up to his feet. He wobbled towards the shore once more, trying to regain his balance. His head spun pleasantly from a long rest. The young male lay at the edge of the water and looked deep into it, as deep as he could see, trying to see any fish lurking beyond. Until this point he hadn't seen anything larger than minnows, so it surprised him to see a large walleye skulking about in the murk. Tiberious had never tasted a fish before, but he knew they were made of meat. With the idea upon him there was no turning back. Tiberious crouched down with a grin on his face, raised his rump and wiggled it, preparing himself for the the leap. He checked his bearings just once and then his long hind legs propelled him into the water. He gleeful howl turned into a startled yelp as his body crashed through the surface. It's a lot deeper here! He thought to himself in a panic, clawing his way back to the surface. "S-s-so cold!" An image of all the waterways clogged with ice flashed hatefully through his mind. "I know," he grumbled to himself. He dragged his sodden body back to the shore and onto dry land, finally letting out a relieved chuckle at his own actions, hoping no one had seen his blunder. Speech, Thoughts.

>

As spring fell over the land, the rain slowly began to subside, which Arella felt eternally grateful for. The near-yearling had almost lost her life being washed away by flood waters, but she'd been pulled from the rapids just in time. She made a silent vow, as Gideon pulled her to safety, that she would leave each day as though it was her last. Despite how much she loved her brother, she hated seeing him grow spiteful and cold. Why did he have to be like that, when there was simply so much good in the world? So with a light heart, Arella once again found herself leaving Valhallan borders, which a hop in her step and an unmistakable gleam from her blue gaze. She would live fully, she promised herself -- she would not ever be bogged down by sadness or hate. It wasn't like she hadn't been already living this way, but she'd finally begun to realize that there was a lot of bad stuff in the world, and she wanted no part in any of it. The fighting, the sadness -- nope, not for her. The lank ebony girl loped over the vast plains that surrounded the territory with ease, feeling free as her pace increased and the warm spring breeze rustled her coat. Even as she wandered by her lonesome, the girl was clearly just excited about life in general. A grin toyed constantly on the corners of her lips, and her tail wagged behind her incessantly, as though it had its own mind. Running was fun, but as she continued on, she grew tired. Water! She should get some water. Her nose lifted to the sky, searching for signs of the wonderful liquid; surprisingly enough, as she searched further, she saw in the distance a rather large lake. Perfect. With little hesitation she approached it quickly, not thinking that she ought to be on guard in case other wolves were about. But within sight was another creature, a male with light fur who was soaking wet. A bark of greeting escaped her throat as she bounded forward, with perhaps too much excitement. "Hey there!" she shouted happily, her grin spreading from ear to ear.

To Tiberious' mild horror, a voice called out to him. It was a friendly, bubbly call so instead of fearing for his life, he feared only for his dignity. He winced and sighed, shaking out his fur thoroughly before turning to gaze upon his visitor. Luckily he found not a grown wolf but a pup, about his age by the looks of things. It was a girl too, and he liked talking to those. A wag struck up in his tail and he grinned a little bit, trying to take on a suave persona and banking on a hope that she hadn't seen him shouting at the sky. "Hey there, yourself. I'm Tiberious. Here for a swim, the water is pretty refreshing." A voice inside his head grumbled, Yeah, that's one way to put it... He gave this young, dark furred shewolf a once over and smiled to himself. She seemed to radiate a happy energy, and an infectious one at that. Everything from her posture to her voice to even the glint in her eyes shone with a life-loving vivaciousness that he appreciated. His nose picked up on the hints of a pack, and the thought crossed his mind that other wolves might be near by, and he could only hope they were as cheerful as she was. He shook once more, gently this time so as not to get any water on his companion, and sat down smoothly on his haunches, waiting for a reply. Speech, Thoughts.

>

He'd just went for a swim! It was obvious, by the way the water clung desperately to his fur -- did she see him shiver for a moment? Shrugging a bit, she drew herself closer to him, maintaining her smile that seemed unlikely to ever fade. Her own tail wagged behind her unabashedly. She was slowly approaching him, eager for company on such a lovely spring day. "Nice to meet you, Tiberious! My name is Arella." She was often too excitable, but she struggled to contain her exuberant nature and instead remember the things her mom had taught her about meeting strangers, especially wolves from other packs. Many of them had different customs, and some might even be upset if she wasn't formal with them upon first meeting. As she crept closer, she dipped her head low between her legs, as though bowing to him deeply for a brief moment. He shook himself then, and she examined him for a long moment. His fur was rather light -- just like her mother's fur. Arella had always been envious of her nice and soft it looked, compared to her own pitch black pelt. But oh well, it wasn't something worth dwelling over, since she couldn't change it. "It's a nice day for a swim," she noted. The glimmering water certainly looked refreshing. As she drew up alongside the lake, a respectable distance from her new acquaintance, she slid a paw into the cool lake. It was a bit colder than she expected, and she withdrew her paw quickly. "... a little cold, but." She laughed gently, turning to him with a laugh visible on her gentle features. A soft sniff of his scent told her that he, too, was a pack wolf... but which one? "Where are you from, Tiberious?"

The exuberant shewolf approached him and bowed, a custom he thought slightly strange seeing as they were both rather young. Still, figuring he'd better be polite if she was he bowed right back. He watched as she padded to the water's edge and dipped in a paw. As she remarked on the temperature he wavered between keeping up his false brovado and giving in, and in the end her deflated a bit and said, Yeah, it was kind of awful," with a silly grin on his face. He watched Arella with keen eyes as she spoke again. He was captivated by her energy, and felt himself growing more vibrant as well. It was as if, despite her dark cloak, she was a tiny sun filling him up with light. He snapped back into reality, realizing belatedly that she had asked him a question. "Oh! Sorry. Well I was born in Glaciem, but Crusade watches after me now." He shrugged, the very mention of his birth bringing him down a notch. The circumstances of which had haunted him for his entire life so far. He was loath to let go of this joyous energy though, and moved quickly to recover it. He dropped down onto his front paws, rear in the air and grinned. "Well, I need to warm up after that, wanna race?" The lake shore was flat if not a tad rocky, but surely he could work with that. After all, getting his blood pumping would work out the chill in his skin and in his mind if he played his cards right. He only hoped this young female was in the mood to help him out. Speech, Thoughts.

>

What else could she ask for today? The weather was rather pleasant -- even if the water was a bit cold -- and she met a cute boy! Tiberious really was quite pleasant on the eyes, with his soft white fur. Not that she knew it was soft... it just looked it, even though he was still quite wet. His fur was longer than her own, too; maybe he was from somewhere a bit colder than her own home? Curiosity burned in her vibrant blue eyes as she watched him, unblinkingly for a moment. "I've heard of Glaciem," she noted eagerly, leaning forward ever so slightly, ears swiveling in the other wolf's direction. Arella wracked her mind, trying to recall what she'd heard about them. But she was at a loss -- her sudden excitement was a bit sudden, for she drew back just as quickly. "I actually don't know much about them. Guess I've just heard the name before." She shrugged suddenly, hoping he didn't mind that she didn't remember much about his pack -- or former pack? He did say someone else watched after him now, but it didn't seem like something he was eager to discuss. But he seemed to distract himself, sliding his lower half to the ground, grinning at her -- and inviting her to run! Her tail began to wag behind her, and she followed in suit, crouching down a bit as though she might pounce. But she withheld her energy, grin growing from ear to ear. "I'd love to race!" She answered him with enthusiasm. "You count down!"