It had been awhile since she had last made the swim to the nearest island between the coastlines of Auster and Boreas. It had been the island where she had encountered the lone castaway, Absinth. In the days following her discovery, she had often gone to check if the obsidian fae had for some reason returned to her state, though that had been almost two seasons ago. Talyssa wasn’t even sure if the other girl had made it off the island alive- after all, it was wondering what happened that had become the worst of her concerns. The Carpathian princess had kept her distance through the winter and spring- not really interested in fighting hypothermia to spend the afternoon on a vacant stretch of sand with a few trees on it. But now that summer- though mild as it may be- was in full swing, the ocean had the opportunity to absorb some of its warmth. It was on that day that Talyssa decided she’d go out and see if anything of interest had washed up on the edge of the archipelago- though she had never been brave enough to travel to some of the larger isles.

She had always been an apt swimmer, so it took her very little time to cross the stretch of ocean that divided the land masses. As her paws once again touched sand, she hauled herself out of the tide, only to take a few strides towards shallow water and sink back on her haunches. With a few labored breaths, her tongue lolling out of her jaws, she turned her back on the island to find the land bridge in the distance- where she had kicked off from at the beginning of her brief adventure. Today was an attempt of speed, and that may very well have been the quickest she had ever crossed the channel. She certainly felt the burn in her legs and lungs. The ebb and flow of the torrent continued to crash into her lower body as she remained sitting against it in resistance. Or at least until a particularly powerful surge hit her more-so in the chest- forcing her to turn around to catch herself to avoid being pulled under the riptide.

"Talyssa Carpathius"

*psssst* Hover over the image to make it go opaque.

Life was on a roll. A really quick roll. Between the changes of paw, to moving, to new siblings, to the potential future of leaving all of it behind, Scald felt... apprehensive. What did he want in life? Did he want to settle down or keep going? Was it adventure he sought after? Or did his young bones already feel old and creaky? Unsure if he would ever be sure, Scald pushed off from the isle toward the archipelago in one of the rickety rafts his father had procured. Teetering on the edge, nearly falling off, he safely it made to the larger of the archipelago's islands. Milling about were the usual flock of doves which ultimately did nothing for him. Besides, he was still feeling rather sour about not seeing Ely again. His hope to come across the midnight girl had nearly broken his pitiful heart. Following the shore, until he could see the cluster of smaller islands a bit southwest of the main one, Scald began his journey away from the cold winds of Boreas toward the warmer waters of Auster. At least on this side of the archipelago, he wouldn't be freezing his butt off. While swimming wasn't one of his favorite pastimes, it was something he was proficient in. Something he was required to be proficient in. One might think his father wanted to live in the damn ocean at times. Near exhausted and ready to touch the land, Scald was thankful once he felt sand beneath his paws. Pushing through the tide as it tugged and pulled at his legs, he made his way up onto the beach. The small island seemed all but deserted when the wafting breeze carried a feminine scent to his nose. One of his brows pulled up in a curious manner as he began to stroll toward the stranger. Unlike most packs, his father left the archipelago open to anyone who needed or wanted to explore. There were too many islands to put out patrols anyway so it made sense. While Scald wouldn't be protective of his pack's terrain, he would still be cautious as he spotted the white and brown hues of the girl sitting in the water. Strange, but he had seen stranger. "Y'know the water will easily pull ya in, right?" Scald teases as he closes the distance between them. His heterochromatic eyes scan over her frame and he's not disappointed in what he sees. Smiling in a friendly and almost flirtatious manner, he stops a few feet away from her when his toes begin to feel the water as it rolls in. "Would be a shame if somethin' as cute as you ended up drownin'," his smile grows as he waits for her to reply. S C A L D

It wasn’t until she was turned around by the crash of a wave did she see that she suddenly was no longer alone on the island. Talyssa quickly straightened her legs from beneath her, emerging from the shallows, and slowly moving towards dry land at the acknowledgement of her company. The girl allowed her attention to settle on the stranger- a boy, not a whole lot older than herself. Overall, rather dark in appearance, but with vibrantly colored markings throughout his lanky frame. She didn’t have time to address him first before he opened with a warning. It almost seemed like friendly concern, until he followed it up with something that sounded like a compliment and a threat at the same time. Even still, his grin was contagious, and while she mirrored it with one of her own, she made no attempt to conceal the roll of her eyes. As she came to a standstill in the surf that rolled over the tops of her paws, Lys was quick to answer. “Hey, It’s okay if you’re afraid of the ocean. No one’s going to make you get your paws wet if you don’t want to.” She answered with a bit of her own teasing. Judging by the look of him, he must have just pulled himself out of the water seeing that his fur was still saturated. Though, if he wanted to give her a hard time, she’d give him one right back.

The tawny and white fae broke their line of sight, glancing down as the water as it surged beyond the point where she stood. After it reached its apex, it was promptly swept back out to sea. “Besides, I’ve been swimming since I could run. I think I can manage.” Talyssa added, looking back up to the boy who stood in front of her. “Though, I appreciate your concern.” She finished, pulling her grin a little tighter on one side matched with an amused narrowing of her pale blue gaze.

"Talyssa Carpathius"

*psssst* Hover over the image to make it go opaque.

A singular brow raises slightly as he watches her quickly stand and move out of the water. Did she think he was going to hurt her? Because he definitely wasn't in the business of doing that. He wanted others to fall in love with him, not bleed by his own paws. And as stupid as that sounds, it's merely Scald's tacky way of saying he was a pacifist before anything else. Well, and he made it pretty obvious he was eyeing the girl in a not-so-shameless way. She was pretty, okay? He wasn't so full of himself that he couldn't admit when someone else was attractive. Ok, he thought a lot of females were attractive, but when they were more naturally colored... Hm, yes, he did admire them a tad more. Anyway, Scald was standing there, obviously looking at her. He noticed how she smiled in return but also rolled her eyes. That he was used to. It at least earned a quiet chuckle out of him as she quickly retorted back with her own style of teasing. Ah, he could like a girl like her. "Ah, shucks miss, ya got me. Gettin' wet ain' quite my thing," his smile curls and his expression is cheeky as he tilts his head slightly to the side as if to challenge her for another retort. Games were something he did enjoy. It's when she breaks eye contact does he also look away. They were standing out on the island with hardly a soul around them. Where had she come from? When he twitches his nose, he can kind of scent something familiar. Was it... the castle pack? His gaze shifts toward the southwest where the looming shadow of the castle beyond the plains lay. Hm, if she was one of theirs, he'd have to be careful. Scald's thoughts roam slightly until her words catch his attention. "Not every day I can say I saved a damsel," his eyes crinkle at the corners, finding humor in his joke. "Now tha' you're here, you plannin' on stickin' round?" Scald asks, his weight shifting slightly to stop the sand from rolling out from under his paws. "I can give ya a tour, if ya'd like," he turns his chin to nod toward the grove of palms that dot the landscape around them. Not that there was much to discover, but it would at least keep him in her company a bit longer. S C A L D