There were perks to being small, Levi would admit-if pressed. Another wolf, a heavier and larger one, like those of his brother and sire, would no doubt crack the ice. Might even fall in to their demise, with little hope of warming up enough even if they did manage to crawl to safety. He supposed that's why this place was so quiet then, most thought it wise to not even run the risk. To leave this place well alone. But not him, not today.

It was as cold as always, but the wind was surprisingly quiet and still. Almost demure in the way it ruffled his coat, like it knew it was unwelcome, that Levi had come here to be alone. Solitude was hard to find in the Armada, he was always part of a whole, part of something more whether he liked it or not. He did not mind the leadership of his sire, found it no less agreeable than Sirius, but still found the Armada...a lot these days. Sometimes wondered if he'd prefer to be a loner, whether being the master of his own helm would satisfy him more than his lot here.

Azure blamed it all on his lack of ambition, that he didn't boot lick like Bas tended to do, but Levi couldn't really agree with that. Levi already knew his worth, had little interest in trying to prove it to anyone else. He didn't want power or the crown, didn't want to be named as an heir alongside his brother. Wasn't that why Azure and Mortis had never gotten along? Cause they had been forced to view one another as opposition. Now, Levi wasn't overly close or affectionate with any of his siblings, but he didn't want to be shoved into disliking Bas either.

Coming to a standstill, Levi looked up at a fir tree that towered ahead of him, cracked its way through the ice as though nothing could hold it back. Was stubbornness a strength? In the tree's case it certainly seemed so.

The girl had become directionless, her family was scattered to the wind as her father and grandfather faded into obscurity. Her siblings flitting to and fro, no one part of a cohesive group anymore. She still adored Kore and Kal, they were her true family and she knew she could always count on them. However, they didn’t need to be around each other every day anymore. Ao let her paws carry her where they wished, and that wasn’t always beside her brothers. She was as much their sister as she was her own wolf, and as they grew older she was discovering that part of herself.

So her golden gilded paws carried her northward, a place she had no experience with. The further she traveled the colder it became, and she was ever more thankful for her luxurious coat. There wasn’t much in the way of a breeze, something else to be thankful for as delicate paws stepped out onto… ice. Surprise caught her as her brilliant golden eyes scanned the horizon, certain she was about to step into a forest. That wasn’t quite right. All around her was a lake, frozen over the tops of tall evergreen trees. This was no place for an easy stroll. Her instincts were screaming to tread carefully here, so the twinkling girl would do just that.

She ventured out onto the frozen lake, her senses all alight, revealing to her that she was not alone out here. Surprise crossed her features as her gaze fell on the small fire marked wolf. There weren’t many who could boast being smaller than her own stature, but this one was easy. "Hello, stranger.” She offered softly as she approached from behind him, taking in the massive submerged pine before him. "You wouldn’t happen to know much about this place, would you?”

Usually Ao wasn’t much of a socialite, but she had enjoyed making Sitri stutter not so long ago. Perhaps this boy would be similar.

"Aoede Regni"

Submerged Woods

Levi turned, eying the stranger with squinted eyes. She was small, but larger still than him, with a coat dappled like a night sky. She moved light on her feet, her steps careful and purposeful as she moved along, the ice didn't even groan beneath her weight. Levi wasn't sure what she wanted or why she thought he'd be good company, but whatever, he didn't care enough to argue. To snap and snarl, to get her to leave. More effort than it was worth.

At her question he tipped his head slightly. Did he know anything about this place? Not really, nothing more than their eyes could already make out.

"Not really. No one seems to come here." That's about all he had surmised so far. "Aren't you...too dainty to be wandering around on your own in a place like this?" The north had massive bears that could rip her in two with a single swipe of a paw. She should know better.

He had to be about the same age that she was, but Ao had more than a half foot of height on him. Being taller was far from the norm in her world. All of her family towered over her, as did most of Boreas. This kind of place was where she excelled. Her paws were indeed light, carrying her form with the grace and accuracy of a sly fox. Her sensitive toes, while cold, could feel the thickness of the ice. Most of it was thick, but her step was reactive when it felt uncertain beneath her.

The unknown young man gave her his attention, tilting his head curiously at the question. He answered honestly, if not blandly that he had little more information than what she herself could glean. The boy went on, and Aoede tried to decide if he was being condescending or considerate as he questioned her whereabouts and who she was. Which was quite amusing considering his own stature. She decided not to call him on it.

"Don’t worry about me out here.” She retorted softly. She could tell that the boy was part of a pack. "I’ve been wandering on my own for a long time.” She could always count on her brothers to be there if she needed, but they hadn’t walked the same path since everyone started going their own way.

"Aoede Regni"

"I'm not worried about you." He was quick to counter, as though such a thing hadn't even occurred to him. "In fact I couldn't care less. I just think it's stupid of you, that's all. If you died here no one would know." It wasn't meant to be a threat, he wouldn't hurt her unless she really asked for it. But this was just how he was, harsh in words and dry in temperament.

He turned slightly, ears flicking as he eyed the dark clouds on the horizon. There wasn't any shelter out here, or at least none that he could see.

"What's the point of wandering anyway, what do you hope to find?" Was there anything out here worth the risk? He didn't think so.

"I don’t know about that...” She retorted with a raised brow, curious now. The way he spoke caught her off guard, or maybe it was his height. She expected the innocent retort of a child but that was far from what this young man was. He turned his attention back to her, point of factly questioning her. Like she thought, if he didn’t care he wouldn’t have asked at all. Ao didn’t feel insulted, mostly she was intrigued. He was bold enough to question her, and unlike the Ashen boy’s cute and innocent confrontation. However, both were quite enjoyable.

"Where else do I have to go? What’s the point of staying still when I can keep moving?” Answering a question with a question was bad etiquette, but she didn’t think there would be any protest from a boy like this one. "There is nothing to find, the journey is the destination.” She explained to him, watching as his gaze shifted to the tumultuous clouds gathering in the sky. It wouldn’t be the first storm she had outrun.

"Aoede Regni"

Oh she was one of them, a free spirit who came and went as she pleased. She had that look about her too, her way of speaking had a wistfulness to it, like she knew more than he did. Whatever. There wasn't much to be found out here, not amongst the cold and the ice, a place where few chose to wander. Least of all in this weather, storm looming on the horizon. He harrumphed quietly, ears flicking to the sides. The air was cold to breathe, even to him as he was used to the northern climate. Few places could be as desolate as this, as though intentional, to keep others away with winds as prickly as Levi's words and gaze.

"I'm not staying here. You can come or not, doesn't matter to me." To linger too long would be a bad idea, but if she wanted to freeze to death then fine, he wouldn't cry a river.

The young woman was indeed a free spirit, much like both of her parents. Though she hadn’t ever met her mother, and her father had been gone for a long time, they both made their mark on her life. Resulting in the ghost of a girl she was. Never lingering in one place for very long, her loyalties were strictly to her littermates. However little she saw them these days all they had to do was ask and Ao would be there for them. This man however.. He certainly hadn’t earned her trust but he did easily beg her interest. She couldn’t help to wonder how much of his disinterest was for show, and how much was real. The shorter wolf, down right midget wolf honestly, didn’t seem like he’d be one to reveal the true inner workings of his mind.

"I told you, I don’t stay in one place for very long.” She reminded him with amusement as her midnight paws carried her over the snow and ice. Like a little arctic fox, Ao adapted to her environment. "Where are we headed?” The nomad asked with a tilt of her head as she loped along at his side.

"Aoede Regni"

He glanced over his shoulder as she followed, a note of curiosity in her voice. The outskirts of the woods were surrounded by looming rocky hills, he was sure they would be able to find a little alcove or crevice that they could hunker down in till the worst of it passed. Then they could split up and go on their own merry little ways. He was quick to spot one with his keen eyesight, azure squinting a little as he gestured with a flick of his boxy snout.

"Get in." He said once they were closer, it was going to be a tight, uncomfortable squeeze but better than remaining out in the inhospitable openness of the Submerged Woods. He smushed himself in after her, curling up and using his own tail as a sort of makeshift blanket. It helped, a little.

She didn’t put up much resistance in vomiting to follow the smaller man through the worsening blizzard. Ao wasn’t worried about the storm, she had been through and seen worse. A rogue like herself had to be experienced within survival tactics, and while shelter would be preferred, her fur was thick enough that if she curled up on her paws and pulled her tail over her nose she could have been buried in the snow for a long warm nap until the storm was over. Levi wasn’t going to chase her off though, so she happily followed him.

Sharp eyes eventually detected a little ice and rock crevice that he gestured for her to squeeze into as the wind began to pick up. Ao was about to second guess him, judging by the size of the hole they would be getting to know one another very well. She gave him a swift mischievous glance before she lined the walls with her small form. He didn’t take a second thought to squeeze in beside her. There was absolutely no personal space between them now. "Well, this is cozy.”
"Aoede Regni"