He breathed in deeply and let out a sigh in a plume of steam, padding through the slog of mud on the eastern edge of the Estuary. His circuitous extended patrol had taken him here, where he’d brought down a moose with the help of Halla, Nolan, and Wyndelin, collected honey for a bear – which had been particularly bizarre – and found his first relocated bee hive. Said bee colony was safely tucked in a large woven basket, hibernating. This end of the Estuary was less pleasant, a well-like place for crocodiles and other large reptilian predators. Luckily, during winter most such creatures were dozing and less active. His ears swiveled almost constantly, even so, because while reptiles weren’t so active in the cold months, mammalian predators, barring most bears, weren’t so compliant. He didn’t want to be caught off guard by a big cat or anything else out there that might want to eat him just as keenly as he might want to eat a moose. Coyotes were particularly bold in the winter, when food was leaner, and when in packs they had a bravado to them, raiding packs and loner kills. They didn’t have so much trouble with them in Valhalla—probably because Regulus had, at a much younger age, led a sort of crusade and annihilated most of the nearby population in revenge for the murder of his first companion, the cat Cinder. He paused, taking in the scents of a bush, eyes scanning around him. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Cosette Amour

Cosette had never been on her own before, not really. She’d always been surrounded by her sisters, and her mother especially had always been hovering nearby. For the first time in her life, she was realizing how big, and intimidating, the world really was. She wasn’t afraid, exactly, but uncomfortable at the very least. She was not built to be a solitary creature. She craved company, even if that company was less than kind to her. She found she even missed the boy who used to pick on her. Even when she came home with cuts and scrapes because of him, she was glad for the attention her cousin would give her afterwards when tending to the wounds. The healers gentle touch had always been so soothing, even when the herbs she used stung. Now, out in the vast world with no one to return home to, she felt like the cold of winter was that much colder.

This place was especially unpleasant, the ground wet and soggy and the tell-tale signs of predators that could be lying in wait. Her mother wasn’t there to swoop to her rescue anymore if she got caught in a prickly situation, and while she had always felt embarrassed when the woman scolded her for being so careless afterwards, she still missed the older woman's harsh voice. Her tail swished at her hips as she saw someone ahead, and she changed her course to head in his direction. She was unsure if he would be friendly or not, but she was desperate enough that she was willing to take her chances. Anything had to be better than being lost on her own at this point. "Excuse me?" She called out softly, hoping he would be able to point her in the direction of a place that wasn’t so dreadful. "Do you know what this place is? Or where I might find a more suitable place to rest?" She wasn’t tired at the moment, but eventually she would be, and she did not want to find herself stranded here when she decided to take a break.

"Speech."

Crystal drifted on the wind above, silent and ghostly, and it was she who spotted the wolf first, and she glided ahead of the wolf, drifting to land on Cairo’s withers, talons clutching the edge of his armor and the thick folds of his hood, beak clicking. He turned to face the much smaller woman – no, he realized, as she came closer, girl – ears flicking forward. She was small, slim, and had none of the physique brought to a warrior’s bones. And, clearly, as she spoke, he found she was lost. Deep sapphire eyes twinkled down at the girl as he looked her over, assessing her condition. Her coloration gave him very little pause, having grown up around Aurielle, her father, and now her husband and children. Even Viviane was a particularly saturated cream color, though it was far from a canary color. “Of course. This is the Avian Estuary, along the southwestern edge of a continent called Boreas. You’re in the less pleasant end of the Estuary, but farther west it’s better. Migratory birds like it, so it gets pretty noisy at times. To the north of us is Valhalla, my pack, and next door to the east is Aerie, another pack, and our neighbor.” He shifted, Crystal balancing easily with him as he turned, head tipping northward toward Valhalla’s southern border. “My Spirit, or Alphess, may well grant you a place to rest and get your bearings.” His features held his usual genuine smile, and he made no move to pressure the girl, leaving the choice open to her. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Cosette Amour

The man was much larger and taller than her, but he seemed kind enough. He answered her question with far more detail than she would have expected, but she was grateful for all of the information. This land was completely forgin to her, and the more she learned about it the better. He even went so far as to tell her about the nearest packs, one of which was one he belonged to. More helpful information, and while he said he alphess would likely offer her help, Cosette was hesitant to take up the offer. While her mother was gone and no longer a direct influence in her life, she had a hard time shaking the lessons she’d been taught, and if word got to her mother that she’d gone to a stranger pack and asked for help, she’d be furious.

Despite that thought echoing in her head, she smiled at the man, nodding along. "Thank you, that’s all really helpful to know." She would remember the pack name he’d told her, and if she became desperate she would have the knowledge tucked away to refer back to. "If this is the unpleasant end, what brings you here?" She was lost, and hadn’t intended to end up here, but she was quite sure there weren’t many things that could cause her to willingly come back now that she knew what was here.

"Speech."

She absorbed the information with a thank you, and he nodded, smiling easily with an, “Of course.” There was a sense of slight hesitation at his offer of a place to rest, so he didn’t pressure the girl, instead grinning at her query, eyes casting around the murky land and slogging mud. He’d be up late cleaning off his own legs and belly, not to mention his bracers. “Patrolling the outer lands. It’s good to know the whole area, not just the land you live on, after all. Moose often browse in this particular area, and I’m a hunter as well as a warrior. If I find a particularly weak or injured individual, I can call the pack hunters together to bring it down and get it processed.” His head cocked as his deep sapphire eyes regarded her, and he added, “I’m Cairo Adravendi, by the way. Sentinel of Valhalla, or one of its betas.” He still couldn’t quite believe that he could actually say that already, but his tone held the comfortable, humble pride of his origin. He was born and raised in Valhalla, and he couldn’t dream of life anywhere else. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Cosette Amour

He explained further why he had come out here, and the explanation made sense. She’d heard her mother make similar comments about patrolling once, though she couldn’t imagine why any living creature would want to be in a place like this. She nodded quietly, her thoughts drifting towards what her mother might have thought about having to patrol such a muddy place like this. "Is it always this muddy and awful?" It was winter, after all, and she knew that some areas could be okay in summer and turn into a nightmare as soon as the weather started to turn.

"I’m Cosette. Cosette Amour. No fancy titles for me, though." The last part was probably more than obvious, given her youth and the clear fact that she was alone out in the world. She’d had a pack once, and her mother had been important there, but even when she was there, the girl had been looked down on by most and the chances of her making much of a name for herself there under her mothers looming shadow were slim to none.

"Speech."