It wasn’t the lulling ambiance of paradise that brought her around, but rather the pounding in her head and the burning down her throat that roused her. All the discomfort of dying, but the reminder that death hadn’t actually taken her yet. The fickle bastard. With a sudden start, her body fought for life by expelling ocean water from her chest in a coughing fit that shook her to her core. Cassiela’s emerald gaze illuminated -though initially blinded by the abundance of natural light- as she mentally took stock of all her parts. She flexed her toes into the sand where she lay as she attempted to pull herself together. Though, as her attention drifted from herself to the environment, she was met with immediate confusion. What in the name of the First … The white sandy beach glittered in the sunlight as the breeze rolled in over the tide that ebbed and flowed against the unfamiliar land. As her vision focused and the observation of detail returned to her, she recognized tree cover just a little further inland. Greenery meant freshwater, and while she would devote time and effort to considering her predicament … survival came first. It was only at the failed attempt to try and haul herself up did she feel the ache in her dainty frame. However, on the second try, she fought her way upright and braced herself for a feeble shake to rid herself of the excess wetness that clung to her fur.

It didn’t take her long to find a puddle that was safe to drink from beneath the chartreuse canopy of the island forest. It did little to extinguish the fire in her gullet, but she was appreciative of it nonetheless. After nearly getting her fill, her gaze lingered in her surroundings as stray droplets fell from her jaw. Thick tropical undergrowth as far as the eye could see surrounded her, with only the saline humidity and echo of the retreating tide to remind her of where she had just come from. She wasn’t sure exactly how long she had been unconscious, but she was obviously a long way from the Winterlands now. A long way from home- and the weight of realization settled on her shoulders like a ton of rocks. Now what?

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

He’d decided to try something new, and possibly crazy. He’d spent the better part of three days building the raft from dry logs Taliesyn had helped drag home to season and dry out for firewood. They had plenty of them in supply, so Ardyn felt no guilt in trying this out. It could be a boon to the pack if it worked. The first launch was a little hair-raising. He was reminded of his mother’s story of encountering a strange water-borne den made of wood, and how it had pitched beneath her paws and nearly carried her off into the ocean before she’d jumped off and swum back to shore. He had fashioned paddles according to Cairo’s mandrill Enito’s descriptions, and they were working pretty well in keeping him going in one direction and not off-course. The raft had been bound tightly with sinew cordage, and pine tar painted over the undersides of the logs and in the creases to ward off the water. Compared to his usual time swimming, the trip to the island was remarkably swift, and he couldn’t help the bark of laughter between puffs of breath in the rhythm of rowing oars. Sädir handled the left and Ardyn the right, and between the two the large raft glided and swooped between waves. He had a feeling they could make even better time, as Lyr pointed out, they could try adding a wing of hide to pull it forward with the wind. The raft scraped against the shore of the island and Ardyn stumbled a bit, before jumping free and hauling on the rope to drag the raft to short. He jammed a stake into the sand and moored his vessel before stretching the kinks out of his shoulders and neck. In all the action he’d missed the grey form on the beach, but a feeble rattle of a wet coat caught his attention and he found himself about fifty feet away from a woman who looked bedraggled and possibly disoriented. “Are you alright, Lady?” The fun of the voyage was forgotten as he padded a few steps closer, concern sparking over his black, light-masked features. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

It was easy to get lost in the rhythm of the waves rushing the sandy cove. The voice of the ocean was a loud one, but in its consistency, it easily faded to the background. However, the impact and sound of scraping against sand quickly caught her attention. Jerking her gaze in the direction of where it came, what she saw … she wasn’t convinced she was actually seeing. Cassiela blinked rapidly as she tried to recover herself from what she perceived as a hallucination. However, the massive obsidian brute didn’t fade from her vision. Neither did his companions or the raft that he was securing in place. The scene left her gawking, but only until his voice echoed in the space between them.

“.. I-I …” The charcoal fae grasped for her own voice, but from the lack of use it evaded her. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “I-I’m alive.” I suppose. She wasn’t entirely sure of that. But for the sake of what may or may not be a delusion, she would operate on that assumption. “I guess that’s a pretty good start to being alright.” Cassiela would reiterate, allowing a faint and exhausted smirk to tug at the edge of her lips before quickly fading with a throb of her head.

As the man came closer, she began absorbing more detail of the situation. His interest seemed of genuine concern, which was reassuring in its own way. Not that she was in any shape to defend herself, anyways. He seemed far more put together than what she could even pretend to be at the moment, which lead her to conclude his arrival on the beach wasn’t as perplexing of an event as hers had been. “You … you wouldn’t happen to know where exactly we are, would you?” Cassiela asked tentatively. It was a vulnerable question to ask, branding herself as an outlander in open conversation. But, she felt that the information gained would be more important in this instance. And if this interaction was a figment of her imagination, she had literally nothing more to lose in the first place.

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

Her response was a blank gawking look before she stammered out, paused, then tried again. Ardyn lowered himself to the sand, tail flicking habitually to one side, flickering with firelight as he brought himself down to a less imposing level and offered a grin, nodding. “Being alive is a very good start.” She must have washed up, considering her condition and remark. He twisted around to flip open one pouch on his armor and tugged out two items. One was a beeswax-soaked packet of dried meat, and the other a waterskin. Shortly after came a wooden bowl which he poured the water into and nudged toward her, setting the packet beside it after slicing a claw through the seal and unfolding the packet to reveal the meat. Her question he answered with a nod, smiling as he gestured northward toward the mainland. “This is an island south of the western end Boreas, one of two main continents in the area. This island is known as Silver Island.” He plucked one strip of jerky indiscriminately from the packet and chewed, showing the woman that it was untainted and safe to eat. “I’m Ardyn Adravendi, Ard Rí of Valhalla. How’d you happen to wash up out here, if you don’t mind me asking?” Depending on where she’d originated from, she was probably extremely lucky to be alive. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

A grin played across the larger wolf’s face, one that mirrored her own but wasn’t being regulated by the bodily aches that resonated with her. A momentary silence settled between them, but it wasn’t uninterrupted for long. She watched with an exhausted curiosity as he manuvered himself to rummage in his belongings. Purposefully withdrawing something of his own interest. “You’re full of surprises.” She remarked softly- more as a verbal acknowledgement in observation than anything that was meant to be taken in offense. She was grateful to accept the water he offered her, though she lingered at its edge for a moment before lapping at its surface. It didn’t smell tainted, and it aided to quell the burn in her throat, which is all that could register at the moment. “Thank you.” She hummed, wanting to ensure that her appreciation was known. Though, when he began describing their location, she forgot the bowl altogether.

Silver Island off western Boreas. None of that rang a bell. She couldn’t even recall tales mentioning these places from childhood. The truth of the matter being, she had no idea where she was in relation to where she had been. And with that information, she briefly lost herself in thought. Only to return at the rolling tones of his introduction. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Ardyn Adravendi.” She said lightly, doing her best to fend of the despair that threatened to pull her back inside her head. She vaguely noted the title he had given her to his pack but wasn’t sure exactly what status it was equated to. “I’m Cassiela-” Her voice caught in her throat as memories flashed before her eyes. Kolbeck wasn’t her name, and she certainly had no reason to identify herself as such now. “Forgive me. Cassiela Impératoria.” The sound of her maiden name sounded far more comforting in her own ears as it cadenced off her tongue.

Now for the difficult questions. “Honestly, I don’t really remember.” She admitted. “I was chased out on thawing ice, and a piece of it broke off underneath me. I was trapped on it for a while … and I guess I was knocked off … that’s all I remember.” She said softly, trying her best to regain any insight as to how long ago that had been.  

Another thought entered the back of her mind. If this was an island, she wasn’t sure how long-term it would be able to sustain her. Another question presented itself to her lips. “How far of a swim is it to the mainland from here?” She asked curiously. She dreaded the thought of getting back in the ocean. But perhaps after a day or two of recovery, she would be a little more considerate of a plan to get off said island.

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

Her soft remark brought a soft chuckle. She wasn’t far from the mark. From the fiery glow that flickered through his ink-black fur at every move and under every buffet of wind to the surprise that ran through his veins, he definitely wasn’t short on surprises. She drank after a brief inspection, and he nodded at her thanks, intoning lightly, “Of course.” His description garnered no response of recognition, and he decided it must have been a long way away that she’d come from. As she returned the introduction, Ardyn noted the pause, but the comfort in the surname she did give told him it wasn’t just made up on the fly. What memories had just flashed in those green eyes just then? Ardyn listened with interest as Cassiela did her best to recollect the events leading up to her arrival on this island, a frown of concern touching his mask-marked features. Chase by whom? And would they be stupid enough to try tracking her down all the way here? Or, perhaps they were stupid, or logical, and thought she obviously would have perished in the ocean? He didn’t press. It was clear that the memories were foggy, and they might come with time. He nodded in acknowledgement of her efforts, smiling gently. Her query broadened the expression into a brief grin, the thrill of his first raft venture returning as he answered cheerfully, “Normally, it’d be a couple of hours of swimming or so, unless the currents were working with you. On the raft, it took me a short time, and no swimming.” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

A couple of hours of swimming. The thought brought a sense of dread to the pit of her gut. The thought of being tossed about by the roll of the tide any more than she absolutely had to left a bitter taste in her mouth … or perhaps that was just the sea salt that hung heavy in the air. Getting lost in the thought process of committing herself to a long-distance swim, it took a moment longer than it should have to register the rest of his statement. The raft. Her emerald gaze drifted beyond the blaze of the obsidian brute’s shoulder towards the direction he had come. The tone of his voice was bright. Excited. Proud, even. His joy was contagious and it tugged at the corner of her lips as well. Even still, it didn’t quell the gears that were constantly turning in her head. “Is it safe, though?” She asked in light-hearted disbelief. Obviously, he made it to the island just fine- and in a lot better shape than what she had. But she wasn’t sure how much more adrenaline her system could handle today.

She supposed that the worst-case scenario would be that his vessel would capsize en route, and be swallowed by the ocean. She in particular wouldn’t be out anything … unless it drug them to the bottom of the ocean with it … but she suspected there was a low risk of that. Cassiela realigned her attention to the captain, not sure what to make of this entire predicament. Surely this wasn't real.

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

Her light-hearted query brought a brief laugh. “Probably not, but life is inherently risky either way. I think I may add railings at some point to lower the risk of falling overboard. I’m happy to give you a ride to the mainland.” He considered the raft thoughtfully, head tilting as he envisioned the changes he’d mentioned. “Certainly will make taking some Island Pork home after a hunt here much easier. Or herbs for our healers.” His sisters and cousin, as well as Eramaya, Noelle and Viviane, would all be pleased with the ease of transport and lowered risk of waterlogged supplies. Imagine if they could track down that great water den his mother had encountered. That would be something but… perhaps too difficult to steer. How would one even manage it? “If you need a place to stay until you get your bearings, I welcome you to Valhalla. You need not stay if you don’t want to in the end, but it would give you a chance to gain your feet in a safe place with food, shelter and clean water.” There were no strings attached in his offer, and his tone was genuine as he studied the small woman and her castaway appearance. He left it open for her to decline, and he would accept her decision. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Probably not. A soft grin spread across her features that echoed the tones of his laughter. She would have been less trusting of him had he insisted it was perfectly safe. She had full intentions of spending a few days on this island while she regained her strength. But the thought of being able to forgo a miles-long swim seemed too great of an opportunity to pass. She glanced past his shoulder once more as she quietly deliberated. It came to her pushing the last bit of doubt to the side before she slowly began to nod. “That is a very generous offer, and if you are certain it is something you’re okay with, I think I will take you up on that ride.” She finished, realigning her attention back to Ardyn.

As he painted a picture of the raft’s intended use, it did sound like a pretty handy means of getting around and transporting supplies. “It sounds like it will be a great asset.” Cassiela agreed, silently wondering if she should offer to help him collect things to take back. But with the exhaustion encompassing her, she was afraid she’d make herself even more of a liability by overdoing it.

Those thoughts were set aside as he made his next offer. One that genuinely surprised her and took her off guard. “You are so kind …” She started, attention drifting towards the sand beneath her toes. In the moment, she somehow felt more vulnerable than she had initially. She hated it. Cassiela quickly came to accept the fact that there would be no going back to the Winterlands. There was nothing there for her even if she could. It would be all too easy to lean into this stranger's goodwill … but her pride. “But I’m not sure I can allow that though. I don’t want to impose or take advantage of your hospitality, and even more so I wouldn’t want to cause any friction with you and your alpha.” She said tentatively as she tried hard to read his expression through her response. The last thing she wanted was to get Ardyn in trouble for taking in weakened strays.

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

Her acceptance of his offer for a ride across to the mainland came after a moment of consideration, and he nodded lightly in return, eyes twinkling faintly. She was deliberate and careful with her decisions. “We can set off when you’re ready; I only came this way to test the raft.” His second offer took her by surprise, it seemed, and after a brief remark, she trailed into one of her careful considerations, before continuing. A grin flashed over his features, and he remarked cheerfully, “Well, I don’t tend to get in arguments with myself very often. Now, if it were someone else bringing you in for a place to stay a while, I’d be asking more questions unless I trusted my pack-mate’s judgement, and I trust them all.” His mismatched fire and ice gaze twinkled at her as he added, “And it wouldn’t be entirely freeloading. We do generally ask that our guests find some way to give back, even if it’s just a piece of useful information and nothing else. Knowledge and stories are just as good as bringing in food or defending the borders.” His eyes softened from their jovial twinkling as he finished gently, “However, if that is your decision, I won’t force you into my pack.” His voice was earnest, and he held her gaze long enough to make it clear he meant his words. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

It took her a split second to connect the dots as the amusement in his voice casually rolled with the dry-humored confirmation that he, in fact, was the alpha. She felt like a fool. And the heat that rushed to her face couldn’t be helped. Cassiela quickly glanced away in a poor attempt to mask her embarrassment as she went on to try and recover. “Apologies, I did not realize …” but he continued, offering an ‘out’ of sorts. The opportunity to feel as if she could pull her weight and to make her stay worthwhile. That was slightly more comforting, and one that her pride would allow her to contemplate.

The charcoal-colored fae stifled a sigh through tight lips as she returned her attention to the gentleman before her. “Again, I appreciate your kindness. Thank you for it. I promise I’ll make myself useful while I pull things together.” She vowed as she met that mismatched colored gaze of his, which she may have allowed to linger a moment too long. But quickly corrected it back to the raft and his earlier statement. She was ready as she was going to be. Merely the thought of getting back out in the ocean brought a feeling of sickness to her gut. But now, it probably always would. “You’ll have to tell me what to do though, in order to help get that thing back out on the water.” she said, allowing a playful light to return to her voice as well. She didn't quite know what she could do to assist Ardyn and his companions ... but if he had any ideas, she trusted him to assign her a task.

Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi

She did her best to mask her embarrassment as he revealed himself, and Ardyn chuckled softly, lifting a long-digited paw-hand to assuage her concerns. “It’s no issue. It’s usually a surprise to find anyone who speaks the Old Tongue of my family and our allied Nomad friends. Ard Rí means ‘High King’, but just you try introducing yourself as High King and not sounding bloody pompous as you say it.” His voice was touched with earnest amusement as he spoke, brow-points lifting. His assurance that she wouldn’t be freeloading seemed to bolster her in some way, and Cassiela accepted his offer of a place to stay. A smile touched his features and he nodded, stating smoothly, “Then, Lady Cassiela Impératoria, welcome to Valhalla. For now, you will be ranked as an Aoi, or Guest.” She seemed ready to leave, so Ardyn nodded at her words, rising to his paws and gathering the bowl and waterskin, tucking them away and then folding the packet of jerky and slipping that back into his pouch. Lunira and Sädir padded to the raft ahead of them as Ardyn strolled to the raft at a pace a tired castaway could keep up with and not fall over. “Really, all you need to do is sit back and rest. Sädir and myself have the rhythm down pretty well for rowing.” He stood at the raft, one paw resting on the log while Lunira yanked the mooring stake and rope free to be tossed on the raft. “Once you’re on, we’ll push off.” His voice was cheerful as ever, and he scanned the waves to the north, scouting the mainland visible across the water. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think

His assurance did help make her feel like she wasn’t a complete idiot. And in time with his laughter, she chimed in with her own. She did, however, commit his proper title to memory, certain that she would recognize it again in the event it ever came up. “I see. Well, you’ll have to teach some of it to me. Or at the very least the important parts to your hierarchy.” Cassiela answered lightly.

A grin crossed her features as he issued a more formal welcome, which she dipped her head in thanks. “I can’t wait to see Valhalla- I’m honored to be a guest.” She answered in a similarly polite tone. Really … she couldn’t wait to be the hell away from the ocean. But away from the ocean with a safe destination in mind, made it all the more appealing.

Her conversation with Ardyn had been a pleasant distraction and a good one at that. She went to correct her posture and take those first steps in the direction of the raft, but on the shift of weight, the trembling weakness reared its ugly head. Cassiela staggered, but quickly caught herself. And while not perfect, the more strides she took, the more her control of her own legs returned to her. She grit her teeth in concentration to keep her forward momentum. And when he did give her instruction, she answered him with a stiff nod. “That I can do.” She responded, edged in relief that he didn’t expect much assistance from her- which was another source of gratitude. Even crossing the beach as they had left her lightheaded.

Upon the invitation to board, Cassiela hesitantly obliged. Giving herself the opportunity to find a grip on the rough surface of the logs beneath her pads. Once situated, she looked between Ardyn and the felines that accompanied him. “Alright. I think I’m as ready as I’ll be.” She said, voice riddled in tension. But perhaps in time, it would become more comfortable. And in the end, there was only one way to find out.

-Exit via Fade to Black for Rafting to the Mainland-