There was a stillness as the winged man padded along under the pale light of the moon. He could hear his own heartbeat in his ears with each delicate step. His paws pressed lightly into the earthy ground, nose twitching as he tested the scents in the air. The area seemed somewhat familiar and yet, at the same time, he couldn’t place why… He couldn’t remember much more than his own name, and unfortunately, his companions couldn’t shed too much more light on things other than the name of the continent they were on.

   Boreas…

   “It is a beautiful night,” Gavroche whispered softly. “Though… this fog seems to be getting even thicker… It’s making it hard to see what’s ahead…” The small male came to a stop, turning his head so that he could see his two companions resting between his wings. “You guys warm enough? Though spring has arrived the evenings can still be a little on the chilly side.”

   James gave a nod, cradling Jessie close as the tiny bat clung to his fur. “We’re fine, Gav.” He said. “Though I can’t help but wonder what has you up at this hour. It seems a bit… strange.”

   “I’m sorry.” Gav lowered his ears and glanced towards one of the trees. His ears lowered slightly and the winged male furrowed his brow. “I found I couldn’t rest… so I figured that walking around Boreas couldn’t hurt, right? There is a whole world out here… surely someone, somewhere, has an idea of who I am, or who I was…?” He thoughtfully lifted his head skyward.

   “...and maybe… Maybe I’ll find out something more…”

Chrystelle never wandered far from Ocean or Aslatiel, especially not now that the world had depended into this constant darkness and eerie glow, but as long as she was still within the forest that they called home she still felt safe enough. She kept away from the crystals and mushrooms that grew on the trees and rocks and was grateful that she had spent so much time collecting herbs before all this began so she had a good stock of them without feeling the need to collect from the plants that had an odd, otherworldly glow to them. For the most part she kept to the den they lived in, occasionally wandering through the forest as she continued to build up her strength and fortify her immune system, spending time with Aslatiel's children now that they had all moved in together officially. She knew the plan was for them to begin traveling through Boreas and Auster at some point, but she hoped that perhaps they would wait until things went back to normal.

The rest of her chosen family had laid down for the night, but she was having a difficult time sleeping. It wasn't uncommon for her. Since she still didn't have much physical strength or endurance she didn't expend a lot of energy during the day and because of that she had a hard time sleeping through the night. She was up again, slipping through the now familiar, misty forest, casually wandering between the trees. It was very, very rare she found anyone else out here, especially not this late at night, but the sound of voices made her stop and listen for a moment. They were far enough away that it was hard for her to pick up exactly what they were saying, but she caught snippets about asking the other if they were okay and some questioning statements about finding who they were. Chrystelle was certainly not a social wolf by any stretch of the imagination, but the words she caught had her curious and she found herself drifting toward the voices, straining to see who it was through the dense fog.

Peeking around a tree, she finally found them. Her amber eyes went wide with surprise at what she found—a very small wolf with multicolored wings growing from his back with a pair of companions with him. It was almost as if a small wolf and a large bird combined into one being and made a wolf entirely unlike anyone she had ever seen before. She thought that if she simply saw who it was that she heard talking she could be satisfied and go back to the den, but now she was even more curious than she had been before. She hesitated behind the tree that had become her hiding spot, watching the winged wolf uncertainly and trying to gather up the courage to approach him.

"Chrystelle"

James fell quiet for a long moment. Neither he nor Jessie had known much about Gavroche when the storm hit. They had all been lost to a flurry of snow and debris… It was a miracle that any of them had survived. He looked upon Gav with his blue-gray eyes sympathetically. "I'm sure you will, my friend. I'm sure you will."

Gavroche kept his gaze fixed on the stars above. He flicked his ears a couple times, appearing as though he was in deep thought, before lowering his head and sniffing at the ground before him. He shifted his shoulders a little, the bag he wore sliding down over his right wing, and took in some deep breaths.

"Maybe we could gather some herbs here before we try to find somewhere to make a camp." The winged male looked around. "Though… it'll be touch and go in the dark, won't it? Hmm…" Gav flicked his ears thoughtfully. What to do? Could he really rely on his nose alone in a land that he was unfamiliar with in the dark…?

"If only there was someone around that knew this part of Boreas…"

Chrystelle watched the unusual little wolf as he spoke to his companions a bit, sniffing at the ground and musing about how maybe he should search for some herbs. Her ears tipped forward at that. Herbs and healing were about the only thing she was comfortable and confident in and even that wavered from time to time in her inexperience. But the fact that he wanted to look for herbs told her he was a healer and that was enough of a common ground for her to slowly begin to not feel so wary. She glanced around them when he talked about the dark, agreeing with that assessment from her hiding place. If she didn't already know where the plants she usually harvested from were it probably would have been far more difficult to find them in these conditions.

When he made a comment about finding someone that knew this part of Boreas, she slowly stepped out from her hiding place. She was still wary and uncertain, but she had never met a healer that had mean or ill intentions so she was hopeful that this was the case with him. "Um... I know this forest pretty well," she said as she took a couple steps toward him, still leaving a bit of space between them until she was sure she could trust him. "I'm Chrystelle... Who are you?"

"Chrystelle"

The man did not have very long to wait to receive what he wished for. He hadn’t noticed anyone else in the area just yet, so focused on his companions that it wasn’t until the younger wolf had emerged and spoke that he turned towards her with surprise. She kept a healthy distance between the two of them, whether out of respect or caution Gav couldn’t yet say. If it was the latter, well, Gavroche knew he was hardly a threat. An oddity, yes, with his wings, but after meeting Mortis he knew he wasn’t the only one in Boreas with the unique trait. All he could do was convey to her that he didn’t have ill intentions and show his true nature.

Gav dipped his head as the maiden gave her name, Chrystelle, and tucked it away into his brain for future reference. Her name, unfortunately, didn’t stir any memories within his mind however. She was a stranger, that or he had hit his head harder in that store than he realized. It was almost a wonder how he hadn’t wound up dead. Dismissing the thought Gavroche offered Chrystelle a smile and then gave his own name. “Gavroche.” He said in a soft tone. “And the two on my back are my friends, my companions, Jessie and James.”

At their introduction James waved a hand. “Lovely to meet you, Miss Chrystelle.” And Jessie turned her gaze towards the woman with a thoughtful look in her eyes. “It’ll be nice to have a guide. Gav doesn’t have the best luck with wandering into unfamiliar territory.” Her words caused the calico-patterned wolf to feel his cheeks heat up. “They’re right, as much as I’d rather not admit it.” He lifted his head, keeping his gaze on the she-wolf in front of him, and tilted his head to the side.

“I’m mainly just searching for any sort of herbs that may be useful. I’m not part of a pack or anything or...rather… if I was… I don’t remember.” Gavroche furrowed his brow. “So any help at all is greatly appreciated. I can assure you I’m not here to hurt you. I’m sure you could just swat me over pretty easily anyway.” He let out a lighthearted chuckle. “I’m not exactly all that big.”