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

Natha worked her way carefully down the descent to the new land that waited below just to the east of where they'd been. The snow had stopped but the clouds still lingered. On the horizon she could see the sunlight seeking to peek thorough the clouds and she hoped it would be successful. Natha paused at the end of a trench and frowned, bending her head to sniff at it. The water was blue and deep, frozen completely through to preserve the various green plant life, including some massive trees. She wanted to get closer to see the trees but she was wary of the trench.

"It looks like this place flooded some time ago. I think we might have to leap the trench if we want to get a closer look." She padded along it a little ways until she got to an area where it was thinner. She glanced back at Lyulf to see how he felt about this. She of course would be happy to go first.

It took him awhile to reach the bottom of the glacier again, his paws slipping a lot more than Natha's had before him. He was thankful to back on solid ground, his ears pulling forward from where they had been pressed against his skull. A deep sigh left his chest, an escape of the breath that he had been holding until now. Emerald eyes lifted up to see that the feline was well ahead of him, picking up an easy lope to close the distance once more. When he reached her side, he saw her sniffing at the water below him, her features pinched slightly. Lyulf's own gaze followed hers, head falling wayward as he inspected the deep trench. It was full of water, that much was obvious, but what was more curious was the fact that it had frozen completely, encompassing the forest that had once been alive and well. The canine hummed in thought, reaching out to gently tap the ice with his fore paw. It seemed solid enough, but the gap between this side and the next was much too vast. It was fall after all, and not all things remained frozen in the center. It would seem that Natha's thoughts were parallel to his own, suggesting that they find a better spot to make it across. He nodded in agreement, returning all four limbs to the safety of the bank. "I agree, I'm not sure I quite trust the ice..." He said slowly, moving alongside the lynx in search for a better spot to cross. A few feet away, they both paused at a thinner intersection of the two sides. It was quite the jump across, but very doable. Hopefully... Curious to know if these woods remained forever frozen, he backed up a few paces before kicking off the snow dusted ground, racing towards the other side. Just as his toes teased the edge of the trench he jumped, hurling himself across. In a show of his lack of grace, his front paws landed perfectly, while his back half kept soaring through the air. He had stretched himself pretty far to make it across, and his back half apparently was having troubles stopping. Soon enough, Lyulf was laying flat on his back in the snow, blinking in confusion up at the cloudy sky. His back end had toppled over his head, landing him in his current position. He lay in silence for a moment, before carefully picking himself up with a muted chuckle. Red coloured his cheeks in a show of embarrassment, body shaking to rid the snow that had cushioned his fall. "Well.... at least I made it across!" He commented with a shake of his head, rolling his eyes at his own display of complete tomfoolery. "SPEAK!"

Art by Evelyn

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

"That's what I was wondering about." She crouched down and eyed the ice, tail twitching as she thought. "It seems pretty thick." She watched as Lyulf backed up a few steps and she grinned. He really was quite brave in her opinion and she moved a bit to the side to give him room to jump cleanly. He leapt but as he landed he flipped tail over head and Natha couldn't help but burst out laughing. She nodded quickly. "True! And I would give those amazing acrobatics a 10!"

Ok, now it was her turn. She took a few steps back herself, toes spread across the ice as she tested her grip. She then ran and leapt in the graceful way of cats but as she landed she it a slick spot and went sailing further than she intended. A startled cry slipped from her lips as she slid on her belly before coming to a slow stop. Her fur was on end, eyes wide as she turned to stare at Lyulf. Embarrassment flooded her and she quickly sat up then bent her head to lick one of her paws. Yea, she totally meant to do that.

As her eyes caught the sight below her she let out a gasp. "Whoa! You can see all the way down just about." The trunks of the trees grew clear down into the ice. What she thought were tiny trees were actually the tops of very large trees.

Usually he would have been embarrassed at the laughter from the other, but in Natha he found an odd sense of comfort in the sound. He returned her laugh with a chuckle of his own, standing and shaking the snow from his coat. Lyulf had no doubt that the lynx was about to show him up now, holding a lot more poise and grace than he. Green eyes remained trained on her as she backed up and soared over the chasm, waiting for her neat landing. To his surprise though, she slid on her belly, soaring forward like a penguin would. He blinked in shock, only bursting out in laughter when she picked herself up and licked at her paw like it was all part of the show. The wolf trotted over to her, playfully, but gently, butting his head against the cat's shoulder. "Still more graceful than my landing," he commented thoughtfully, before pulling himself away to see where they had landed. Just as he was about to venture deeper into the slick, icy area, he heard Natha gasp. His coat stood on end for a second, thinking that she might have gotten herself hurt, only to turn to hear her words. Curious, he tilted his head and trotted back over, looking down to see what she was referring to. Sure enough, he could see miles below the surface, massive trees expanding below their paws. A sound of wonderment left his parted jaws, emerald eyes scanning the area below them. "It's like a whole forest down there!" Exclaimed Lyulf, very much stating the obvious. How were they suspended so high above this massive trees though, frozen so perfectly that it was almost like peering through a looking glass into a whole other world entirely. "How old do you think those trees are?" He asked, pulling his gaze off the frozen land below just long enough to peek at his companion. This really was an incredible find! "SPEAK!"

Art by Evelyn

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

Natha padded across the ice as she gazed at the trees. "I have no idea but to be that tall they must be very old." She wondered if she was looking at something prehistoric. Had there been some great rise in the ocean levels? She was curious if this was salt or fresh water but ultimately she decided it wasn't worth trying to stick her tongue onto the ice.

She walked a little further, eyes continuing to scout the strange world that lay below her paws. "Do you think there are any fish in there? I mean surely it can't be solid all the way through." The wind started to pick up and she glanced to the north to see the clouds growing even darker. "Well, looks like we should get a move on. Are you up for one more territory before we part ways? I've been thinking of denning in the Redwood Forest. It's just south of here."

Lyulf nodded thoughtfully at her reply, sticking his nose as close to the ice as he dared. It looked like they went pretty far down there, they must have been already old when the area flooded and then froze, and who knew how long ago that was. His tail wagged back and forth a few times, excited at the prospect of what wonders could be hidden beneath the ice. If only there was some way to get down there... When Natha asked him about fish, he perked up, head tilting to the side as he thought about it. "I'd think that the trees would rot if there was free flowing water somewhere below, they don't look like the kind of trees that grow happily in lakes," he chewed out, thinking over every word as he said them. If it was salt water, it probably wouldn't freeze this solidly, and it would for sure eat away at the trees. However, it could be moving, but further down than his eyes could perceive. He hummed softly, trying to figure out how all of this could have transpired. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Natha's voice, asking it if he had it in him to explore one last land together. He paused for a moment, a flicker of a more somber emotion crossing his tan marked features. He hadn't really thought of parting ways, even though he knew that it was unrealistic to stay with the lynx forever. It had just been so long since he had had easy company, that the idea of losing it settled like a rock in his belly. Carefully he nodded, resetting his face to his more stoic look. She spoke of finding a den in that area though, if he came with her, at least he would know where to find her if he ever was feeling terribly lonely again... that is if she would allow that of course. "Sounds like a plan," he said, albeit softer than his previous wonderment. He would be sad to part ways with Natha, but would forever be thankful for the past few days that she had given him. It was a good heads up on exploring all of the north, after all, and most were places that he couldn't have gotten to without her assistance. "SPEAK!"

Art by Evelyn