Winter was coming. Kirsi, a wolf deeply familiar with the most brutal of winters, could feel the winter's approach deep within the bones. The autumn was turning out to be quite a mild one, but the telltale signs of winter's approach were here; from the way that the days were already beginning to grow shorter, to the morning frost that often lingered until midday. The cold didn't bother her, she wouldn't allow it to. Despite her small stature, she was born of a line of wolves well-adjusted to the bitter climate of lands far north of here, and likewise she was blessed with their thick undercoat. That thick fur no doubt made her look a touch more solidly built than she really was.

Pausing to lift her slender muzzle, she sniffed at the breeze that whisked past, disrupting the few stray pine needles beneath her paws that hadn't been embedded in the dirt, frozen under the spring thaw. There was nothing to note on the breeze, which was a good thing.. wasn't it? While part of her was comforted by her relatively quiet life within Winterfell, a much smaller - and frustratingly quite loud, at least lately - part of her craved something more. There was a certain boredom that lent itself to this life; though she was sure there were more ways she could occupy her time, from participating more in pack affairs, to working on progressing her own skills... there was still the aching feeling that something was missing.

No, something would always be missing. For the briefest moment she was reminded of her children, but she forced the thought away as quickly as it arrived. Time to move. Veering around the nearest pine tree, she redirected her path toward the borders, on high alert as she moved. Maybe scouting for a bit would help distract her restless thoughts, if only briefly.

He was on his way back to packlands after an excursion in one of the underground territories. He had to admit, he liked the feeling of solitude in places like that. It allowed him to think. And it allowed the voice to speak to him more clearly. He still hadn't told his uncle that he was hearing it...and he didn't intend on telling him, either. There was too much at stake if he told Acere how he'd been feeling. He knew his uncle would watch him like a hawk to ensure he didn't turn out like his father...but Ignis felt that if he could embrace this, he wouldn't end up like his father, no. He'd end up stronger. More controlled. Perhaps even unstoppable. While the latter was his ego talking, he knew he'd surpass what Elias was, and what Acere used to be.

It was certainly an entertaining thought.

As he approached the border, he spotted the pretty blue woman, Kirsi. He hadn't really talked to her. Which was a shame because he thought she was a pretty woman, albeit small. He also knew that she and Song were a couple, but...he couldn't find it in him to care. He continued his path towards her, the crimson male appearing almost aloof save for the small smirk on his lips. "You're Kirsi, right? We've never met officially, but it's hard to not know who you are when you stand out."

It was a difficult feat to direct her thoughts on her own, without anything to help aid her - oftentimes the harder she tried to pull herself from those thoughts, the harder it was to redirect them at all, her mind as tumultuous as any storm could be. Fortunately she heard someone's approach, not far from her. An ear swiveled in his direction, listening patiently as he drew closer. He moved like a packmate would, without the reckless abandon or eerie calm of someone trying to sneak up on her, so there was no immediate cause for alarm. Kirsi was slow to turn and face him as he closed the distance between them. This was Ignis, she knew that much, but beyond that she knew little else about him.

He towered over her, but she didn't seem bothered by his height. She returned his greeting with a nod of acknowledgement, a faint ghost of a smile touching her lips - visible, but just barely. "And you're Ignis, if I remember correctly," she regarded him with a raised brow. "And I could say the same for you. I think you might stick out here even more than I do." Quite the vibrant coat he had there. She let out a soft chuckle at the thought of his brilliant crimson coat against a layer of freshly fallen snow, which was no doubt just around the horizon. For a moment she was reminded of Ignatius and she silently cursed herself for her thoughts running rampant. Even their names are similar. How strange.

He nodded to confirm, though he supposed it wasn't hard to know who he was. He was the only red wolf in the pack, so anyone mentioning his name along with a quick description would immediately know who he was, same with Kirsi since she was the only pretty blue girl he knew of. "Haha, yeah I guess you're right about that," He wasn't sure that he liked sticking out so much. The snow wasn't exactly the best thing to try and hide in...he didn't blend in at all here, and it was rather annoying. He could see why his uncle picked the lands as his own, but...if Ig had the choice, he probably would pack up and move somewhere warmer at least. Turning his attention from those thoughts and back to her, he wondered how she felt about living here and stuff. He never really talked to his pack mates, but he supposed now was a good time as any to start...but what would she think of him should his...alter self...come out? Honestly, he didn't know what the hell to call it when his mind shifted. He didn't particularly have any control over it. And it was often like he blacked out or something when he wasn't in control, but...sometimes...he managed to coexist with the other part of him...but thinking about it made him feel crazy. No. It was best nobody knew about it for now. "So hey, if you're not busy or anything...do you wanna patrol or something with me? But like, outside?" Did that make sense? He wanted some companionship so he could get his mind off his thoughts, and she was the only one around at the moment. But he also didn't want to patrol within the borders in case they ran into his uncle or something...he wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to do, but maybe he could glean some advice from Kirsi or something. "Ignis"||"Blödhgarm"

It was only expected that she eventually get to know all the wolves within the pack, even if some took longer than others to become acquainted with. This was one of the alpha's son's, if she wasn't mistaken. She let out a little chuckle at his words. They both were wolves that didn't go easily unnoticed thanks to their coats; especially here, compared to her homelands - where blue wolves were hardly uncommon - though she certainly had a slight advantage in stealth, at least in comparison to his bright red coat. She tilted her head slightly as she studied, noting the scars that ran clear across his face, wondering briefly what had caused them. Maybe a question best left for another day though.

He invited her to patrol with him and she nodded. "I don't see why not," Kirsi agreed easily. She'd been searching for a distraction from her thoughts today and here was Ignis, providing her just that. She'd be foolish to decline. Beginning a slow walk toward the way she'd been heading, toward the borders, she cast a sideways look at him. It was a good idea to see if anything unusual was going on outside their borders - maybe unwanted intruders, or possible prey sightings. As they got closer to winter prey would no doubt become more and more scarce, and it was best to be prepared ahead of time. Maybe Ignis was thinking along those lines, or maybe, like herself, he was just wanting a distraction from his thoughts; it was impossible to be sure. "Which direction were you thinking?"

"Talk" Walk His tail wagged a bit and a small grin showed itself when Kirsi agreed to accompany him. "Hmm...I think...a little further out, and we can walk around the boundary," He led the way further beyond the border, at least far enough where if someone else was patrolling, they wouldn't be able to hear them talking. He couldn't shake the thoughts that had been forming over the last few weeks, but honestly, they were hardly his own thoughts. He sighed quietly before glancing back and letting her catch up so he could fall in step with her. He was hesitant on letting a stranger in on his thoughts...but she wasn't a complete stranger when he thought about it. They'd been living in the same pack together for quite a while now, but even so...while others knew his name, it didn't mean they knew him, nor did he really know them. And it didn't help when he withdrew further after his blackouts started...and Corvus... "Hey so uh, how have you been liking the pack? I've been meaning to ask everyone since...well for quite a while now, but I guess I've been too busy to get around to it," Lies. When he wasn't training, he was moping. When he wasn't moping, he spent the time keeping himself secluded when he blacked out. It was only thanks to his companions' efforts that nobody had seen...whatever it was that happened. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that sometimes he heard a voice, and when that voice spoke...he would feel genuine fear before anything else. He had a feeling that whatever had been wrong with his sire, was wrong with him...and he was afraid that if he told his uncle, then...well...of course he thought the worst. And he didn't particularly want to end up like Elias...