I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha scrambled over ebony rocks, shaking out her fur. A spray of water splashed around her and she grumbled to herself as she turned to look behind her. There had been a pathway that lead from the mainland to the island but it only stretched halfway. Too stubborn to turn back she took to the water to finish the trek. It was possible the pathway appeared fully during other seasons but autumn was apparently not one of them.

Turning her gaze to the path before her she beheld tall mounds of ebony rock stretching up into the sky in a manner that reminded her of those on Atlantis Island. She hoped this wasn't another dormant volcano but the similarities were eerie. Only one way to know for sure. Natha got to her feet and began to climb, her large paws carefully navigating through the rocky terrain.

Kai had never been to this island before, and.. while he'd wondered precisely why before, upon arrival he knew exactly why. The waters were bitter cold at best, despite the fact that the lands as a whole had warmed up since the volcano's initial eruption, though Kai wasn't sure why he'd expected much else. He paused as he stood at the edge of the shore, noting the way the land jutted straight into the ocean... at least for a distance. He debated crossing over at all, but the breathtaking landscape that lay just across the water was too intriguing to pass up.

From a distance it was hard to tell just what sort of terrain the island was, but as he drew closer it became more apparent. A deep green forest rose from the rocky slopes of the island, but beyond that it was hard to tell what sort of place it was. By the time he reached the edge of the water it was too late to turn back, now matter how chilly the water was... and by the time he emerged on solid ground once again the tusked male was shivering as he shook out his coat, letting out a few choice words at his decision. Too late now to truly complain though, and at least the sun's position overheat was giving him enough warmth to dry him quickly enough, despite the chill that seemed to sneak across the ocean's waves.

A huff left his lips as he navigated deeper onto the island. Unlike most islands the terrain wasn't flat for long, rocky shores rising sharply to a steep cliff that he was determined to conquer. Though rocky, trees still grew here, sparse near the bottom where he started - but further up they seemed much thicker. A cluster of them nearly obscured the figure of someone else until he drew much closer, and instantly he let out a bark of greeting. "Thought I was the only one stupid enough to head out this way," Kai called out gruffly, his voice friendly enough though hardly what you'd call jovial. Wait... that wasn't a wolf at all, was it? He squinted as he tried to get a better look at her, moving a few strides further up the slope toward her.

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha continued working her way up, picking through forest as she climbed higher and higher. It was interesting to her to find the forest growing in such harsh terrain. The terrain had to be particularly nutritious as the forest seemed to get more dense the higher she went. Her ears flicked forward at the sound of movement and she looked over to see a large wolf. He greeted her and she grinned. "I was thinking the same thing. The name is Natha. Have you been to this island before?" She wouldn't mind chatting with someone who had a bit more knowledge about this place but if he didn't that was fine to. They could figure it out together.

She continued on her climb allowing the male to follow if he wished. Natha noticed that many of the trees seemed particularly young, their roots climbing down into the dark soil. When she reached the top she found herself peering down into a bowl full of water. "Huh, that's interesting. This makes me think a bit of Atlantis Island. I wonder if this was once a volcano to."

It became quickly obvious that this was no wolf at all, but some kind of feline. Well, he'd seen stranger things, and he wasn't really in the mood to question it. Better her company than none at all, so long as she was mildly entertaining to him. He continued his own way up the forested incline, twisting to follow closer toward her direction. Her tone was friendly enough that he assumed company wasn't something she opposed currently. He returned the smile she flashed him, offering a lazy one of his own in return. "I'm Kai," he introduced himself, grunting as he kicked off to lope forward a great distance, ascending quickly to catch up to her.

"Nope. This is my first time here," Kai admitted. "I'm assuming it's yours too?" The north was the sort of environment he preferred, though swimming was not among his list of favorite activities... in fact, it was quite far down the list. But to explore an island like this, perhaps it was worth it. He considered that thought as he climbed higher, lifting his head to gaze at the deep green needles of the spruce trees around him. They weren't as tall, nor as old, as the trees that made up Winterfell's lands.. but they were lovely in their own right. "I'm not big on exploring islands, to be honest. Water and I aren't the best of friends. This place is beautiful though," he breathed, finding no shame in admitting that he found beauty in the world around him.

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha gazed through the young arctic forest that lay in the heart of the island. Now that looked a bit more hospitable but Natha had already decided that she didn't want to live anywhere she had to swim to. The male introduced himself as Kai and stated that he hadn't been to the island before. She nodded. "Yea, it's my first time here too." She chuckled and nodded swiftly in agreement as Kai mentioned that he wasn't the water loving sort. "Me neither! If it weren't for my bloody curiosity I would've left well enough alone."

She padded to a nearby tree and leaned against it as she peered down into the bowl of the island. "It is pretty, I'm gonna get a closer look at the water I think." She started the descent, figuring she ought to at least make the trip worth it. When she reached the lake and bent her head for a drink she was surprised to see it was made of fresh water. "Uh, it's not salty. Must've collected from the rain… say Kai, you an explorer at all? I'm thinking of exploring the Polar Sound if you wanted to join me."

Settling down in one place had never appealed to Kai, so he wouldn't even begin to imagine calling a place like this home... not in the sense most wolves did, at least. In Kai's mind, the world was his home, every inch of it if he so chose, even the parts that had been claimed by packs. He'd been raised to think the concept of borders and territories was a foolish notion, and while he still believed it, he hadn't been up for testing his limits when it came to that sort of thing lately... maybe once this whole Winterfell mess was over. But for now staying out of trouble seemed like a decent course, at least until he could get his life back in order.

He chuckled at her admission, nodding in agreement. "Might be my last too, depending," he added with another soft laugh. It really did depend on what lay ahead of them beyond this incline, whether the journey was worth it or not. Maybe in the peak of summer the swim would've be quite so frigid, but then again it was the north and he doubted the sea warmed considerably even then. He reflected on this as they neared the peak of the island, keeping up easily with Natha though maintaining a respectful distance still. He merely grunted in audible agreement to her plans, having already decided to see how far they could travel below.

The landscape wasn't too tricky to navigate; if anything it was easier to descend than it had been to climb the outer ring, though by the time Kai neared the lake at the island's center he was panting nicely from the journey. It hadn't been a small jaunt but then again, he was always up for the challenge of whatever landscapes he happened across. Which.. was why he was intrigued by her offer. It wasn't really like him to accompany anyone anywhere upon request, but he'd been doing a lot of things that weren't like him, and he was more lonely than he cared to admit, at least when it came to adventuring like this. He paused to drink a bit himself before answering, surprised at just how fresh this water really tasted. "Explorer may as well be my middle name. I suppose I could join you to your next stop." After that? Kai would have to see if he was still interested in this little feline, but for now he was willing to be entertained.

Natha debated whether or not it was really worth it trying to clean out her coat and decided she may as well wait. She was likely to get wet again on her way back to the mainland and she didn't need to clean salt water from her coat twice in one day. The land was pretty but she figured she'd wait and see how the sea levels moved in this area before trying to go back. There was a partial land bridge after all and if the sea would just lower a little bit more it would be much easier to get across.

The man accepted her offer and Natha started heading back. "Sounds like a plan! Hopefully this next territory will be just as interesting and a little less wet."

-exit-