It was time to explore, she had explored and explored the territories but now it was time to venture out. The youth lingered at the border, hesitant, what if Acere thought she had left like her mother and brother? Would he look for her or leave her to her own devices like had them? Taking a deep breath, the black and white pup stepped over the border, one foot in front of the other and she was slowly led away from the territory that she had grown up in. Her wandering would eventually lead her to…well..she didn’t know what it was, a bright pale ravine like strip that led towards the ocean and ice. Carefully, she would wander down the slope until she was once more on flat ground, looking at the marble stone beneath her paws curiously. It felt different then the stone in her home, claws scraped against it, but it did not leave the bright white marks that the stone she was used to did. 
 
The youth licked the rock, it still tasted disgusting, so it wasn’t special in that way… walking to a piece that jutted out of the ground, she tried to bite it. She was met with hardness and unable to break it, she figured as much. Huffing, she looked around. It had to have a use…there was so much of it…

He had tried escaping he world in the south and it hadn't worked. He'd run into wolves left and right. That was far from ideal. So the boy wondered if he might have better luck in the north. The emaciated youngling crossed the land with a wobbly, distance eating lope. The further north he went, the colder he became. Why hadn't he thought to bring a fur or something? Probably because he lived on an island where it was always nice and sunny. Dumb. He was dumb.

Beat thought about turning back. Shiver wracked his slender frame. the boy curled his tail upwards against his stomach, trying to keep himself warm. This place was too cold. It was the ideal climate to stay away from others, but it was just too damn cold. Hunkering down within what appeared to be an old riverbed, Beat did his best to block his body from the chill wind that pushed towards him. The young man wedged himself into a crevice and curled his body into a tight ball, burying his face in his tail. He wouldn't be able to last here, but he was too tired to go back just yet. He needed a rest. Just a little rest.

And then he heard the scrape of claws on stone... The boy groaned and curled up tighter, hoping that whoever approached wouldn't see him and would leave.

This stone was quite confusing. As she investigated and went through her tests, the rock groaned. No, that wasn't right, someone else had made that sound. Fur bristled as she looked around, mismatched gaze searching for the new threat. She nearly overlooked the clump of fur as a dead animal, but it moved. The steady rise and fall of it's chest and vibration of shivers told the youth that the creature was not dead, not at all. Orca looked around one more time, making sure they were alone before creeping forward slowly. "Hello?" She called, before lifting a long leg and trying to poke the head of the bundle of fur from a short distance. Thank God for long legs right? 

"A-are you cold? I can help...if you want..."  She trailed. How would her father feel about bringing some lost soul into the packlands? Momentarily her mine went back to her mother and brother. She hoped if this were them, someone would help them. In that moment she decided, she was going to help the bundle of fur, no matter what.

Beat curled in on himself more. Purple and teal eyes stared ahead, waiting to see if the approaching form was some dangerous cold climate creature out to get him. It turned out that it was just a wolf. A young female. The boys eyes widened slightly and if he could have curled himself into oblivion, he would have. She was pretty and he was awkward. He didn't even know how to greet her. The only females that he knew were in his pack.

Words met large ears and the boy finally found his voice. "C-c-c-coooold." His teeth had begun to chatter with the chilly discomfort. With no meat on his bones, he was frozen through. This was definitely one of the worst choices he'd ever made. It hadn't even been a good choice. Here, in the middle of nowhere, wolves still found him. For the moment, he forgot his curse, concerned only for his freezing form. If he died here, his family would never know what happened to him. That filled the boy with determination. Squaring his jaw, he nodded to the girl. "Please."

The shivering pile of fur slowly transformed into a living boy, his mismatched gazed focused straight ahead, as if unable to shift to find her. Slowly they did, however, and upon resting on her form they widened. Orca offered a friendly smile to the other youth, hoping to show that she wasn't going to hurt him...the weather was doing enough of that- it didn't need any help. Finally, he would speak. A stuttering, shiver filled voice that told her he was cold. She nodded, looking around once more. Searching for anything that could help keep the boy warm but in the dried river bed there was nothing. 

Finally, as he said please she gave up on finding something else. Instead she would tilt her head back and with a deep breath she would howl for help and then step close to the boy. Laying down so that she pressed against him, careful not to squish him...despite them being close to the same size she worried that she'd hurt him in his fragile state. "Don't worry, I'll get ya warm and then we can get some food. Sound good?" Ever the optimist she didn't realize he wanted to be away from his own kind, that perhaps bringing the pack to their side wasn't what he wanted. "I'm Orca, by the way."

He was working on some trinkets for his kids as well as thinking up some new ideas for the pack when Finn suddenly came to him and quickly informed him that Orca had left the pack lands. Concerned, Acere quickly rose and followed the fox to where her scent had gone and the alpha was dismayed to learn that she had indeed gone beyond the border. He had hoped for a moment that maybe Finn had been wrong and had mistaken her scent trail going out and that maybe she had been walking along it, but no. Her scent led out towards the nearby riverbed. As a father, he was worried. As an alpha, he was dismayed to know she ignored the orders that no pups were to leave pack lands without an adult until he was sure the events from the eruption had settled. Until it was safe again.

With urgency he followed her trail, and shortly after heard her howl. Fear spiked through him, his fur rising and his heart beat faster as he hurried. Was she okay? Was something trying to hurt her? His fears only increased as he practically charged across the ground until the riverbed came into view and almost like a bullet he rushed to the top of the rise and hurriedly looked around until he spotted her. "Orca!" He cried out as he half ran, half slid down into the riverbed. Upon approaching, however, he realized she wasn't alone. Crimson gaze found another body. Another pup. This one smelling of Abaven. He slowed until he stood before them. "Orca! You know you're not supposed to go outside of pack lands without an adult!"

His voice was stern, almost upset but not quite. But it softened when he noticed she was trying to keep the boy warm and that she appeared unharmed. Sighing, he crouched down to their level and peered at them both. "You worried me..." He whispered to his daughter. He couldn't say he wasn't proud...she wasn't in danger and it seemed she was trying to help someone...but still. Despite his feeling proud of her offering a helping paw, she could have gotten into danger. He turned his attention to the boy then, "You're from Abaven? What are you doing so far from home?" At this point, his voice was softer. How had this boy gotten so far? Weren't they still occupying the island? Or had they returned to their homelands?

A howl. A call for help. Beat winced against the sound. His curse... more people would die. The girl squeezed herself into the space with him and the warmth of her thickly furred body made him forget all about his curse. He greedily soaked up the heat from her frame, his swirled teal and purple eyes closing to relish the feeling. Beat hadn't realized just how cold he had been until the heat began to return to his toes. The girl gave her name and white ears flicked forward to catch it. "Beat. I'm Beat." The offer of food wasn't very appealing since Beat didn't eat often, but the offer of warmth was very appealing indeed.

The boys eyes closed as his body warmed. He buried his icy nose against the girl's body. Every now and then, another shiver would run through him, but they were few and far between. Soon he was warm enough that all shivering ceased. He had almost fallen asleep when the scrabbling of claws upon hard ground pulled him awake. A giant grey and white beast blocked the opening of the crevice and Beat's jaw literally dropped open. His eyes widened in shock. He'd never seen a wolf so large. Beat tasted fear and hunkered down. If this wolf wanted, he could easily kill the young wolf.

Ears flattened against the boy's skull, but the severity of their angle softened when the wolf appeared to be Orca's father. He was worried about his daughter, that much was evident. As the giants tones softened, Beat relaxed a bit. The tension returned when he was questioned. The giant knew where he was from. It took Beat a minute to find his voice. "H-hiding." A shudder ran through him. "Cursed. I'm cursed." He remembered the curse and instantly began scrambling away from Orca, lest he infect her with it. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Paws too large for his body slipped on the marble and he went crashing to the ground, emaciated bones knocking together audibly.

It hadn’t been her intention to worry her father; she only wanted someone to help her with the cold pup. They lay there, cuddled up for warmth at first he sapped the warmth from her own body it seemed but not so much that it would cause more than the occasional shiver. The girl grinned as he eventually said his name. Beat. “That’s an interesting name.” As he buried his nose into her fluff she jumped slightly and giggled. “That was cold!” She grinned, showing she was teasing; it wasn’t her intent to upset him. The boy would slowly relax as his body warmed up and Orca relaxed as well, waiting for someone from Winterfell to arrive.

When the sound of her father rang out, she turned her head towards the sound, grinning as the massive wolf appeared. “Daddy!” She called, hoping her cheerful tone would tell him that she was unharmed as he sprinted towards her. His chiding tones would cause her smile to fade slightly. “But if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have found Beat. He would have froze.” She argued, not really wanting to explain that she left the territory because she was rebelling, acting out and exploring all in one. Still, she felt she did a good job of sounding concerned as she spoke to Acere. She was worried about the other pup that just hadn’t been why she had left.

Next to her, Beat’s jaw dropped at the sight of Acere. She smiled slightly, hoping to reassure him that the mammoth wolf was a friend. Acere would question the boy and she did her job of keeping him warm for the moment. Although when Beat answered her head cocked to the side curiously, wondering what he meant about being cursed. Beat scrambled away from her, as if she had burned him and her smile faded, her feelings hurt. His scrambling did him no good, however, as he slipped and fell to the ground, bones popping against each other. The girl grimaced. Glancing to her dad momentarily before getting up. “Well, that couldn’t have felt good. Come on, Beat, lets get you somewhere warm…our home has lots of rooms you can sleep in- where you don’t have to touch anyone.” She paused; hoping she hadn’t offered something her father would refuse. “Don’t be sorry, curses get frozen up here. So you can cuddle up all you want.” She’d smile, hoping it was enough to convince her new friend.

His daughters tone implied she was safe and well, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something dreadful could have still happened. He couldn't be mad at her. Not really. Not when she explained what might have happened had she not disobeyed orders. But he also didn't want her to think it was okay. "I appreciate that you are concerned, Orca. But rules are in place for a reason," He wanted them to be safe, and to know what to do when danger presented itself. They were young still. His only litter. He didn't know what he would do if something happened to either of them, and he didn't want to lose anymore of his kids. While there was nothing he could do for Whittaker, and while he hoped he was safe and well with Heloise, he would protect his children here until his last dying breath.

Turning his attention to the boy then, he gazed curiously at him and remained in a relaxed position to show he wasn't going to harm him. His massive head tilted slightly to the side at the boys answer, and he was confused when the boy suddenly jumped up and said he was cursed. As the boy slipped and crashed to the ground, his daughter chimed in and offered him a place with them, and even reassuring him that whatever the boy thought cursed him would freeze here. He watched her quietly for a moment, feeling proud at how much she was trying to help and how kind she was being. Perhaps it was simply a child's innocence, or maybe he was doing something right in raising them. Whatever the case, he was proud regardless.

Reaching forward, he gently set his nose under the boy to help him to his feet, offering his support should he need it. "Orca is right, curses are no match for the North." He said gently. He moved back a pace or two to whisper to Finn for a moment, and then the Fox dashed off back to pack lands. "My name is Acere, I'm Orca's father and the alpha of the nearby pack. You have nothing to fear with us, we're friends with Abaven."

Confusion spread through the boy. He was so... so confused! No one had ever said anything about curses being frozen in the north. He wasn't sure at all if he believed it but both of the wolves before him had said so. The child's brow furrowed hard, a look that should be far from a wolf his age. If curses were frozen here... why would he ever want to leave? He could be normal. He could actually be normal!

As Acere reached out and helped to steady Beat, the boys ears tucked back against his skull. Suddenly, he was rather embarrassed at his behavior. "I'm sorry. I just..." He couldn't even find the words at first, so he sputtered and choked out an explanation the best he could. "Everyone around me dies. Everyone important." He hunkered in on himself, his confidence clearly nonexistent. "I stay alone to keep others safe." He didn't want to be responsible for more deaths...

The wolves had given him an invitation to come back to their pack and rest. There would be food and warmth, Orca had said. At that, Beat's stomach gave a loud, complaining growl and he grinned sheepishly. The boy merely offered a nod to the pair, accepting their invitation. Not without manners, he stammered. "Th-thank you." His teeth had begun to chatter once more.

Unfortunately for Acere, his word of caution was lost on the girl, bearing only the praise she received. How could he scold her when she was saving someone in the process? It made no sense and thus, she simply ignored the negative and focused on the positive. She only nodded slightly to his word of caution, though the look on her face clearly said she either did not understand or did not care.

The black and white youth grinned when her father backed up what she said about curses freezing in the North. She could tell it confused Beat though by the way his brows pulled tightly together. The boy would apologize, explaining that everyone around him dies, well everyone important. She resisted the urge to say that he had nothing to fear, Acere and herself weren't important to Beat. However, she kept that bit to herself and instead looked up to her father, unsure what to say to that. Orca felt she could relate to the boy, her mom and brother were gone... Though there was no proof they were dead.

As his teeth began to chatter, Orca scooted closer to the boy, offering him a bit of warmth as they travelled back towards Winterfell.

-exit with Beat and Acere?-