He was well beyond the borders of Glaciem, of even the northern region. The nipping chill that was custom father North didn't reach the east, making the climate in this region a bit more comfortable than in the North. Although warmer than in Glaciem, the east was a bit more humid than the young Blood was used to it, making the acclimation a bit more difficult, but not impossible. He wasn't too sure why he was out so far today. With still no assignments from his father, Taurig had done nothing but wander Glaciem, tracing and retracing his steps across the snow dotted landscape. And that had quickly become boring. He was aware that Isardis was continually recruiting more women in order to bulk up his numbers. Obviously, not all of these women were going to hail from the Glaciem region or the surrounding areas. Some must have come from farther across the land and with nothing to do, the young man had set out to explore these other lands, to see what else this new land held. It was later in the afternoon, the summer sun beating down on the young man's back, warming up his core to a rather uncomfortable temperature. His grey-blue coat was beautiful in coloring and very useful in the cold, but a pain when it came to summer. At least when he was in the full blast of the heat. Even the extremely tall grass, even surpassing a titan like him, could completely block out the penetrating rays of the fire ball beating down on him. Salmon tongue lolled from inky jowls, icy eyes scanning the grassy plain, trying to locate some form of shade. There, not to far up ahead was a large tree, its branches reaching out far enough to provide a comfortable enough respite from the searing heat. Powerful limbs were quick to propel the knight towards the shade, relief becoming immediate as he ducked into the shelter of the shade. It was several degrees cooler beneath the tree than it was in the grass and the young man was glad to be out of the sun. Turning back to face the grass, Taurig let his icy gaze dance over the greenery, looking for anything that would alert him to someone approaching. Talk like this[/b]

Serpentine limbs propelled the covetous viper through the labyrinth of vegetation that branched out far beyond her apex, secluding the child away from the torrid rays of sunlight that beat down heavily upon the briars and elongated grasses that made up the thicket. The developing tyke had rebelled against her mother?s desires of remaining within the premises of Tortuga?s domain once more, abandoning the company of all of her family and pack members in favor of exploration to fuel her childish curiosity with the world surrounding her. She possessed a certain ambition to view what she could while she could, and although she held equal desire to abide to her mother?s commands, she had breached an awareness that the only way to sate her curiosities was to flee Tortuga?s domain undetected, and so she had done so numerous times while her mother was otherwise occupied with the cumbersome duties of an imperial queen, far too distracted to keep track of her troublesome trio. There was guilt to weigh upon her conscience but the child found that the more frequent her visits had been to the outside world, the less remorse flooded her system ? all was well until she managed to venture into dangerous turf and get herself slaughtered or enslaved by wicked madmen. But until then, she was content with her risky endeavors for the amazement she received from performing them outweighed her fears by far. Minuscule skull remained tilted back so that her mismatched gaze could consume the fascinating sights of the twittering birds and pesky bugs fluttering about far out of her reach, causing a genuine smile to temporarily stain her porcelain visage even though the tyke hadn?t the faintest idea of where she was or how she would escape. Her anxiety was minimal and her amusement overfed, only switching roles as the familiar scent of a canine writhed through her flared nostrils. She halted in her tracks, panicking for just a moment before she pivoted in the opposite direction of the domineering aroma, desiring nothing more than to flee the presence of whomever the scent belonged to even though it disturbed her adventure. Her pace hastened into a brisk trot, grasses slapping her muzzle as she maneuvered through the foliage with complication, breaching a clearing in the vegetation after about ten minutes of blindly travelling. Lids concealed her amethyst and metallic gaze as the child heaved raspy breaths, attempting to slow her heart rate and steady her breathing that had gone haywire during her sprint. Unfortunately for the tyke, she had done a complete 360, blissfully unaware that the stranger she had attempted to avoid now occupied the clearing with her, a few meters away from where she had collapsed out of exhaustion.

For a while the thicket was quiet, the quiet chirping of distant birds the only thing heard. It was rather odd to the young man that no one was around. The area had been clear of rogue scents when he'd first arrived, but the area was close to a pack territory, which meant that there had to be some pack wolves wandering out from their borders, right? It didn't take long for his prediction to become true. A loud ruckus emanated from the thick brush before him and his icy gaze was riveted to the spot from where it was coming from, the elongated grasses quivering with the passing of the creature that was coming in his direction. Dark brows furrowed together, velvety nostrils quivering as he tasted the scent of a lupine, a female pack wolf by her perfume. Her small, ivory figure emerged from the greenery, stumbling about as she collapsed, unaware that he was very close by. Onyx limbs pulled the man back up onto his paws as he slowly moved closer to the young babe, large crown head in alignment with his spine in an attempt to look as non-threatening as possible. He didn't want to spook the young thing when all he wanted was to try and help her. Miss? He called out tentatively, stopping at a respectable distance from her, his dark coat still protected by the outreaching shade. Talk like this

Raspy pants cascaded from leathery lips gone awry, minuscule skull descending to fall to its perch atop her outstretched and oversized forepaws as the babe gathered energy for the tiresome journey back to her mother?s domain, lids continuing to obscure her mismatched gaze from view. A singular ear upon her crown lurched forward as a faint crunching sound graced the otherwise stagnant atmosphere, alerting her to the presence of an unwelcomed creature. Lids snapped open to reveal the amethyst and metallic depths that lurked beneath, her skull instinctively elevating to a proper height as her pupils scavenged for the approaching canine, locating the gargantuan physique of an unknown male immediately. Intimidation encompassed the tyke but the emotion dared not manifest upon her porcelain countenance, instead maintaining her typical vague fa?ade even as the behemoth continued his approach, closing the distance between them with tentative strides. Despite the protest from her aching limbs, she hauled her mass back upon all fours, adopting a defensive stance as she stared at the goliath, pupils dancing across the canvas of his coat while her skull oriented itself in alignment with her spinal column and her tail drooped to lick at her heels. The male was an interesting creature to look at, and the babe found that the design embellishing his fur was rather intricate and contrasted her own pallid, beauty amplified in the male?s appearance more than her own, causing a wave of insecurity to breach her ever-churning mind. Once the examination of the foreign canine was completed, and a greeting voiced in baritone vocals, her pupils traversed to greet his own, searching his cerulean eyes for any trace of aggression or poisoned intentions. Thus far, she found none, but still she would refuse to drop her defenses, instead inclining her muzzle in the direction of the male to offer a curt and wordless greeting, indicating that she had heard him and accepted his presence for the time being. Silence shrouded the duo and tension ensued, but in the reserved tyke?s eyes, the awkwardness of the encounter was entirely normal. Thoughts consumed the wench and she wondered whether or not her mother would want her to flee in this situation or not, deciding that she would be brave for the iron lady just this once. Attention briefly flickered to Mount Volkan where her family was situated, neck craning in its direction as she contemplated how to go about this meeting with the unknown and potentially dangerous creature, turning back to face the brute as a newfound confidence gurgled within her system. ?Who are you?? she inquired after a few moments of silence, polite behavior escaping her in her youth, failing to offer her own given moniker first.

Upon noticing his approach, the young babe was quick to pull herself to her paws, taking on a defensive stance. It was understandable that she would feel rather threatened by him, given the fact that he was like a giant compared to her and male of course. Those two combinations weren't exactly the kind to instill feelings of comfort and safety with a stranger. He tried his best to look as non-menacing as possible, keeping his massive crown held low, tail swinging between his hocks, ears folded back against his skull, icy eyes portraying a friendly look, a gentle smile curling inky lips. The young babe was a pretty little thing, cloaked in a pelt of alabaster, much more full of pigment compared to his father, her eyes dual shades of metallic and amethyst running over his grey-blue figure assessing him. He made no sign of disapproval, allowing the young girl to make her assessment of him, having already done his own. Only when she felt comfortable enough to somewhat assume that he wasn't a threat did the youth throw out a question. Who are you? The most logical question to be expected. My name is Taurig, son of the King of Glaciem, up from the north. Who are you little miss? Ever the polite Knight, he threw the question back to the pearly babe, satisfied that he had introduced himself sufficiently enough. Talk like this

Mismatched gaze remained trained to the unfamiliar form of the behemoth, dissecting his movements and posture for the telltale signs of maleficence, but his stance was rather cordial and lack of tension, instilling the faintest trace of comfort within the pallid prodigy. However, her defensive posture would remain relentless and her mass would shift to her toes to enable a swift getaway if the situation permitted it; after all, the viper could never be too cautious ? especially at such a vulnerable age and state. Triangular ears tipped forward as his deep vocals yet again penetrated the air, granting her the information she had initially sought and then some, voicing the kingdom he hailed from as well as a piece of his bloodline. Involuntarily, her skull would cock slightly to the side to portray her childlike curiosity with the fact that there was yet another establishment outside of Tortuga that her mother did not possess full authority over. Curiously, her mind wandered, pondering over whether or not her mother had obtained knowledge on this proclaimed king of Glaciem and if she favored or wished to eliminate him. ?Artemis Elysius,? she stated proudly, deep chest cavity puffing out with a wave of confidence, directed towards her surname that she suspected he would recognize. Her mother was famous here, wasn?t she? Surely the gargantuan creature would recognize her importance now. ?My mom?s queen of Alacritis, but we mostly just stay in Tortuga, ?cause you can see everything from there.? Taking a few steps sideways to grant the male a better view of her home, she gestured towards it with her muzzle, admiration dancing behind her metallic and amethyst gaze as it settled upon the domain she had fled, greedily consuming the beauty of the mountain with hungry pupils before they flicked back towards the cerulean depths of the male?s, expectant of amazement.

He could feel her becoming more comfortable with him, her body posture relaxing ever so slightly, but still the defensive stance would remain. This child was not stupid. She knew it was better to be on one's toes rather than let a potential attacker catch them off guard. Even though he presented no danger to the young babe, he would allow her to stay on guard until she felt that she was in no danger from him. Artemis Elysius. She would finally introduce herself, her name completely unfamiliar to him, though he supposed that it fit her. My mom?s queen of Alacritis, but we mostly just stay in Tortuga, ?cause you can see everything from there. She would continue on, stating that her dam was the queen of Alacritis, revealing that her pack was Tortuga and that they stayed there most of the time. Confusion was evident in the creasing of his brows as he looked in the direction the pup motioned. Queen of Alacritis? That didn't sound right. As far as he knew, there was no one that ruled the entire region single handedly. There were many packs here that controlled their own pieces of territory, but none that reigned over the entire land. Could this pup just have a wild imagination? Nice to meet your Artmemis. Looks like you have a pretty cool place to live in. He was cautious to stay away from the topic of her mother supposedly being queen, knowing that it was most likely not true, not wanting to upset the young babe with the knowledge that she was wrong. He had only just met her after all. Talk like this