After he was finally forced to part ways with Void again, he found himself avoiding going back home. Somehow it felt like going back to Ashen meant that the next period of waiting had officially began. As long as he didn't go back to his usual, mundane duties then he could pretend that time didn't have to pass... or at least that's what he told himself. Every time he had to go back to Ashen without Void at his side hurt more and more, but he refused to show that to the star spangled man. He never wanted Void to worry about him, especially not right now when he already had so much to deal with. As Plague moved around the coast of Auster and slowly began to work his way back up to the small islands that made up the archipelago, he kept eyeing an island that was a short distance off of the shore. There were curious structures and buildings obscured by the trees, though with how the weather currently ways the typically lush and vibrant plant life was wilted and browned if not completely gone or covered in snow. Still, it made him curious enough to use it in his continued excuses. He found a point where the curve of the main land went out to the farthest point possible toward the island before he set out across the short stretch of icy water. He was only in the water for a handful of minutes before he was pulling himself up onto the opposite shore. He gave himself a hard shake and then started moving deeper into the island, keeping himself moving to warm his legs back up. His head turned from one side to another as his emerald gaze slowly drifted over the various structures around him, letting his unusual surroundings act as a distraction. Talk

This was it. His Atlantis, his Rome, his Babylon. All of his smaller adventures and wanderings had led him to this very moment, standing on the precipice of one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time! Milo's paws touched cold sand as he stepped onto the shore, shivering with the chill the icy waters had left in his bones. A quick tousle of his coat freed him of some excess water, but he knew he would have to find shelter and warmth sooner rather than later if he didn't want to freeze to death. What on earth was going on with this weather? Where was spring?! The unseasonable cold did little to dissuade the excitement and joy that swelled in his heart like a crescendo in the middle of a symphony as dark teal eyes gazed in wonder at the empty city that took over most of the island, shells of buildings and homes now reclaimed by foliage and covered in snow. Ships and smaller boats floated lazily in the churning sea, moored to a weathered and algae-covered dock. Somewhere out in the surf, a bell rang on top of a long-forgotten buoy, filling the cold air with an unsettling and ethereal ringing. The island was a ghost town, left to rot and die alone. But it would not be forgotten, not so long as he had anything to say about it. His passion would keep this world alive if only for a little bit longer. Milo made his way up the shore, the paw prints he left behind in the sand gradually fading away with every wave that washed over them. He turned to peer back over the water towards Auster one more time before setting off past the city limits. He was alone now, as he had spent most of his time wandering. Nausicaa had gone her own way to find her uncle or something along those lines. He hoped he'd see the girl again sometime soon; he was quite fond of her. But he couldn't bring himself to be too upset, not when he was literally walking into a piece of history! Incredible... Simply incredible...! So lost was the brute in his amazement that he failed to notice the lingering scent of another wolf just barely on the gentle coastal breeze. He carried on down broken and mossy paths, claws clicking gently in an otherwise silent world, sounding like sledgehammers on concrete with his quiet everything was. What could have happened to cause such a massive and grand metropolis to become abandoned so suddenly and without any trace of its inhabitants? Mysteries abounded like locks missing their keys, and Milo was going to find their answers. He had just turned down another street when movement down the road caught his eye. It was another wolf! Milo froze, pausing long enough to take a deep sniff of the air. There was no heavy scent of a pack, so he wasn't intruding anywhere he shouldn't be. Was this wolf also a loner, a wanderer, a scholar perhaps? There was only one way to find out... Raising his muzzle, Milo gave a short howl to the other wolf in greeting, raising a paw when the other wolf would turn to notice him. Now came the moment of truth... would the wolf approach in peace or try to attack him? Milo stood there, shivering occasionally, waiting to see if he needed to run yet. "Speech" | Thoughts

Plague wandered the streets, weaving in and out of the buildings while he took in the sights. His mind was so far away, but at least this created an interesting backdrop for him to look at while he thought about things. His wandering focus kept him from noticing the presence of another until a short howl pulled his gaze down the street to his right, emerald eyes landing on a mostly caramel brown male. He honestly hadn't expected to cross paths with anyone else in a place like this with the weather being this poor, but here he was. From first impressions the stranger seemed like the friendly sort since he called out to him in greeting and gave a wave. While Plague wasn't sure he would be the best company, he had to admit that having someone else around to distract him from his own worries didn't seem like a bad idea. He gave a nod to the man before he turned and started trotting down to meet up with the stranger. "Hello," he greeted simply as he slowed to a stop a comfortable distance from the other man. He didn't smell any sort of pack scent on him, deciding pretty easily that he was a loner. Well, at least there was no pack relations to worry about then. "I'm surprised anyone else is out here," he commented as he cast another glance at the buildings around them. This place was so unlike anywhere else he had ever been. The only thing even close to this was the castle that The Hallows currently occupied, but that was just one large structure. This was far more wide spread with many, many smaller structures dotting the island of all shapes and sizes. "I'm Plague." A simple introduction, but it did the job. Plague | Viridis | Procella

Cautious teal eyes watched the stranger from the moment he took notice of him to the moment he strode up. Fortunately, the stranger greeted him quite innocuously, and though his words were terse and his tone neutral, Milo didn't take the man for any sort of threat just yet. "Hello there," he greeted in reply, shooting the alabastrine brute a friendly smile that flashed pearly white teeth. Following the wolf's gaze to the vastness of the abandoned city, he nodded assent. "It is quite a disconcerting place, yes... But I'm far too interested to be turned away." Maintaining his friendly disposition, Milo bowed his head to the larger wolf. "A pleasure, Plague. My name is Milo Everec. Adventurer, scholar, and archaeologist!" Well, amateur archaeologist at best... but he didn't need to throw in that little caveat to his introductions. Fighting back the shivers the cold wind was drawing from him, Milo glanced around at the ghost town once more. "I've never seen anything quite like this place before... Well, I mean, I've seen ruins like this before, but never any as vast as this place..." He fixed Plague with a curious gaze. "Do you happen to know anything about this place? Are you out exploring the ruins for science and study too, or merely out of boredom?" A sudden strong gale whipped up across the island, tousling both wolves' fur violently. Milo grit his teeth and winced against the wind; damn this unnaturally long winter! If the weather kept up like this, they'd need to find some decent shelter to hunker down in, and soon. "If you're not otherwise occupied and have any interest in the matter, I could use some help scouting out some of the buildings," he said to Plague. "I'd like to take a look around in some, and having a wolf who's on the more..." He looked over Plague briefly. "...burly side could be helpful in case any predators have decided to make this place their home." "Speech" | Thoughts

He supposed he had to agree when the tan and white male labeled the abandoned city as disconcerting, though he mostly didn't expect anyone else to bother making the short swim when the waters were so frigid. He was curious what would make him so interested in a place like this, but a moment later he got his answer as the stranger enthusiastically introduced himself as an adventurer, scholar, and archeologist. So he came out here to study the old buildings then? He'd never heard of anyone doing such a thing, but he supposed they were interesting enough. There was plenty to explore at least for someone that was interested in that sort of thing. Now certain that this new acquaintance was not a threat, he relaxed a bit and returned his gaze to Milo when he questioned what he knew about this place and why he was here. He gave a little shake of his head and replied, "This is the first time I've been out here and I don't know much about it, unfortunately." He have the buildings around them another glance as he added, "I like to know what lands are near where I live and I haven't been out here until now. So a mix of curiosity and boredom I suppose." He didn't think he could claim to be a scholar like this man did, but he wasn't opposed to learning more about this place either. The strong gust of wind made him turn his head away from the cold while it buffeted against them and ruffled his pale, speckled fur. The moment that this cold weather finally passed could not come soon enough as far as he was concerned. He sighed as the worst of the wind passed for a moment and he looked back up at Milo again. At the invitation to join in on the building scouting and requesting his "burly" assistance as protection, Plague chuckled and smirked slightly. He certainly didn't have anywhere to be right away and the more Milo spoke of the city the more curious he became. "Lead the way," he replied after a moment with a nod of his head toward one of the near by buildings. Plague | Viridis | Procella

His new companion confirmed that this was also his first time visiting the island and that he knew nothing about it as well. Excellent, then they were both on even ground! Even more excellent, the man offered to accompany him through some of the ruins and protect him from any looming threats in the shadows of the ghost town. "Splendid! Follow me then!" he replied with gusto and set off down the street, cringing against the wind when it buffeted him and tousled his coat. He led the way down a large road that cut down the middle of the buildings, looking between the old derelict structures on either side of them. Some shapes seemed familiar from locations he had visited in the past, while others were brand new. "Usually, the ruins with the most glass or empty holes where glass was are the most important," he said over his shoulder to Plague. "I'm not sure why though. The Lost Species tended to have a great love for glass. Heaven knows why..." Milo continued to scope out the empty buildings until he came across a large single level structure with the entire front made of foggy and cracking glass. He beamed in anticipation; this building must be especially important! "See? Glass! And lots of it!" Milo explained to his companion, trotting up to the sliding double doors that were partially ajar just enough for the two wolves to slip inside. The interior of the structure was silent and smelled musty, but it was dry and safe from the wind. Milo peered around at the rows of large metal dividers that formed long rows stretching to the other side of the structure. Shelves on the metal dividers held the scattered remains fo boxes, tins, and other packages. A desk near the doors was littered with posters showing those same packages with highlighted numbers in garishly bold fonts, though what they meant he couldn't tell. "I've seen places like this before, but never one this big!" awed the tawny brown wolf while he began to step over debris to navigate around the empty store. Teal eyes gazed in wonder around him, pondering just what this place once carried to need so much storage and display hardware. "I say we look around for a bit, see what we can find. If you spot anything interesting, let me know! We'll try to figure it out together!" Milo set off down one of the aisles, booking tin cans with a curious snout along his way. If only he knew how to open them and see what was inside... "Speech" | Thoughts