On his journey north to find his sister, Scald stops to venture into some mines for a night of rest. The landscape's varying topography made traveling exhausting. Even climbing the slopes to reach the entrance of the mine had been tiring for someone who didn't quite exercise as much as he should. Nearly breathless and ready for a nap, Scald made his way through the mine until an off shoot into a smaller room caught his attention.

A small lamp was easily lit with rock and flint. Just enough light so he wouldn't run into anything dangerous. The room itself was cozy enough for a few wolves and appeared relatively stable. Large wooden beams crossed the ceiling to hold up giant slabs of rock and granite. Thankful that it was summer and the inner drafts from the mines kept the room at a pleasant temperature, Scald settled himself down to relax. Stretching out his long legs, he leans against the wall and closes his eyes for a moment.

PAVIN' MY OWN PATH

As fate would have it, Zoey had done an offshoot of her own adventuring, as well. Since leaving the other band behind, she found she was more independent than believed -- not so anxious about the tides of change, the girl welcomed it instead. She no longer clung to a mother or father figure so much as she used to, now realizing she was, in fact, an adult; an adult who was more than capable of caring for herself. With or without any help. Upon this revelation, Zoey was able to explore new lands and new territories at ease, ready for action and quick on her feet to get away from dangers she couldn't handle (which were minimal, by the way - danger was practically her middle name).

Zoey pressed the goggles tighter upon her head as she found the mouth of a long mine, something she'd never seen before. "Now this is fascinating," She murmured to herself, entering the dimly lit shafts. Over her head she saw faint sparklings of shimmery rock -- she presumed it to be a type of quartz or other precious stone, perhaos another metal was harvested here as well. A treasure trove of old relics dotted her path as she examined each piece, and as she fumbled with a particularly strange object (a hammer. it's a hammer.) she noticed a faint ball of light catching her eye in a smaller alcove of sorts from the main mine shaft.

Curious, the scent of a wolf drew her in even more, and the girl suddenly found herself standing at the mouth of a small but comfortably spaced room. There was, in fact, a wolf there -- a strange fellow, mottled with colorful gradients of orange, magenta and indigo, and..were those quills lining his back? Oh, cool! She couldn't help herself. Wagging her burr tangled tail, she paid no mind to the fact that her appearance is rather scruffy as she gently whispered, "Hello? Are you alright?"

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Scents, strong and old, faded in and out as he dozed. It wasn't entirely uncommon for a wolf to pass through the mine, but it appeared most would ignore the small room that he had found. He didn't mind either way. He was in the middle of introvert and extrovert. Enjoyed the company, but didn't mind the solitude either. So he continued to doze until the quiet click of nails against granite forced his body to instinctually react.

Lying still, eyes still closed, muscles tensing, quills flaring slightly, and one ear turned to listen to the other approach, he wouldn't move until her soft whisper reached him. Unable to not smile at her question, Scald finally opens an eye to peek at who the "intruder" is. A girl around his age with burrs and mud stuck in her fur as she had not a care in the world. Her pelt is a lovely orange-auburn color and her face adorns... something that goes her eyes. Nothing he'd ever seen before.

"I think I'll be a'ight now that I laid my eyes on such a pretty lady," Scald replies, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position as his tail thumps against the cool stone a few times. Fully turning his face now to peer at her, he lifts a paw to motion her to come all the way in. "I won' bite, I promise," his smile lifts higher as he then moves to turn the lamp up slightly so the flame brightens the dark room.

ZOEY & SCALD

The shape stirred to reveal opposite colored eyes, and she blinked - he had heterochromia too, how utterly fascinating! When he glanced up at her, and she at him, something clicked. Something..she hadn't felt either. Geez, was that a stomachache from whatever she ate earlier today or was it..butterflies? No, not Zoey. Zoey wasn't the apple of anyone's eye. Or was she?

He then used a line that proceeded to make her entire face flush, and she giggled almost reflexively. "I think I'll be a'ight now that I've laid my eyes on such a pretty lady."

"Gosh, sounds like you were waiting to use that line on somebody!" She said cheerfully - but clearly she was quite taken to his immediate charm. Something about the way he looked at her, not just seeing her but through her character as well was just so lovely. She couldn't even describe it. He then proceeded to mention that he didn't bite, and lit up the lamp a little more so more of him was visible. He was quite tall, even when laying down, and she padded all the way into the lit room, tilting her head as she adjusted her goggles with one paw. "So uh..what brings ya here? Do you like exploring old relics too?" She wasn't really a romantic, and her favorite pasttime was her relics and studying the ancient remnants of the civilizations left behind. Would he be interested in that type of stuff, too?

"Speech!"

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Scald lets out a hearty chuckle. "I got a whole list of 'em saved up for the perfect someone," he comments back as she makes her way into the room. His eyes never leave her as she steps closer. She's not terribly small nor large, rather average, but her russet coat is something he doesn't see every day. Some of that same chestnut color lies on his own coat, but it's in such a place that he literally can't see it unless he's staring at the mirrored surface of water.

He notices too that she wears googles. Interesting. He'd never seen a wolf before wearing such a thing. His own head tilts out of curiosity as she requests why he's here. Another smile shown in her direction as he adjusts himself into a seated position. A slow shake of his head at her question. "Nah, I'm actually on my way to go fetch my sister," Scald comments, his eyes finally moving away from the girl toward the flickering flame of the lamp. "Ol' relics ya say? What're those?" He can't help but ask. As much as he wants to deny that he's not curious like his father, he had a streak of it hidden in him.

ZOEY & SCALD

Zoey practically beamed at the boy as he mentioned how many lines he had waiting for the perfect someone. Yeah, that feeling in her stomach was definitely butterflies, no doubt about it. "Well, my name's Zoey, by the way. What can I call you besides 'Mr. Saved-For-The-Perfect-Someone?" It was her best attempt at a flirt back, but perhaps it would fall flat; she wasn't the type to work any kind of charm on anybody, really. Or at least, that's how she perceived her own interactions. She was no introvert, truly, but her social skills were less than polished. Oh well. Perhaps this handsome man would see it differently.

Her tail wagged behind her more eagerly as he mentioned he was searching for his sister, and she added, "Oh, cool! Do you know where she is?" It seemed he had a plan and wasn't too concerned, which led her to believe he knew where his sibling could be -- all the better for him then, not having to search all of Boreas. Now, speaking of relics, he'd inquired as to what exactly they were. Ah, this was her expertise! Grinning from ear to ear, Zoey explained with such excitement that bled into her chirpy tone. "Relics are objects left behind by civilizations that once existed. For example, this mine wasn't naturally formed - it was built by the last species that once resided here." She spanned one paw over the roof of the room they were both in to emphasize. "I like to study these objects, and see how they may be of use to us, as well." It was her best effort to not get too sucked into an explanation the boy likely wouldn't follow, and she knew how far her infodumps could go, sometimes.

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Scald lets out a humored chuckle. Mr. Saved For The Perfect Someone was quite fitting, wasn't it? He smiles, his heterochromatic gaze lingering on her and those goggles she wears that in a way... are actually cute. "They call me Scald," his lips curl a little more, his words insinuating that perhaps it's not his real name. It is, he's just a shit head sometimes.

"I have a tip that she's been lingerin' up north somewhere with her lil' boy toy," he shrugs his shoulders as he adjusts and tries to get comfortable. Couldn't really manage that in a small cave with only rocks to lay on. He's thankful though that she's a talker and it keeps him interested. Not that he really has much interest in anything, but her enthusiasm is oddly infectious.

Her explanation has Scald tilting his head. Previous civilizations that don't exist anymore? What in the world was she gettin' on about? Did that mean that whoever built this shift system could be the same ones that built the isle? The castle? That other mass of buildings down south in Auster? His brow scrunches as he follows the movement of her paw. Interesting.

"So how do ya know what any of it means? Can ya read books or somethin'?" His face is clearly confused, but interested, genuine interest that he doesn't often show anyone else.

ZOEY & SCALD

Zoey tilted her head at mention of his name. "Scald? Sounds like quite the dangerous name," She remarked, clearly light in tone and smiling all the same. He tehn added where he’d gotten knowledge of his sister’s whereabouts — a vague-ish description, somewhere up north and she supposed with another boy as well. "D’you think she’s joined another pack, possibly? There are some up north, no?" She didn’t know exactly which packs there were around this region, but there had to be at least one. Maybe his sister linked up with them? Or maybe somewhere else..the pursuit of a crush could be a strong factor in where his sister could’ve gone.

She could tell her explanation of past civilizations lost him a bit. Zoey had that affect on many wolves; very few of them could grasp what she spoke of. With an eager grin, she pushed up her goggles a bit before adding, "My parents knew how to read some, but I can maybe only grasp a few words from what little I remember them teaching me. Mostly, I just think of theories; educated guesses based on what an object may have been used for, or what a place like this might’ve served for what purpose. My whole life has been dedicated to this sort of study." She definitely inherited her parents’ studious streak, and a constant thirst for knowledge and a healthy dose of curiosity only spurred her further.

With a pause, she glanced behind her, then back at Scald with an expectant look. "Well..would you like some help searching for your sister? If you don’t mind the company, of course."

"Speech!"

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Scald grins, his ego definitely boosted a bit with her comment at his name. Yes, definitely dangerous, it was his middle name! It's not. He's rather harmless, not enough effort to go causing unnecessary harm. Before he can make another comment, Zoey questions if she's joined a pack up north. He can't help but scoff and give a shake of his head. "Deluge ain't really one to be a follower, she's more of a leader," he replies, his nose wrinkling at the idea of Deluge joining the Armada. Yeah, over her dead body.

He shifts some more, interested in what she has to say about reading, finding the way she pushes up her goggles to be cuter than expected. Something about her girlish charm and earnest interest in learning was different. A type of girl that would be wholly interested in him and no one else. Her explanation though doesn't sit quite well with him, but he doesn't argue it. Educated guesses? On something she hadn't lived through? Sounded odd, a little egotistical, but nonetheless, it was something she found interest him and he knew quite literally nothing about so who was he to argue it?

Noticing how she looks back and then forward at him, his head cants to the side. She wanted to help look for his sister? He can't help but wag his tail a few times. Stretching up into a stand, he nods, a smile on his lips. "What're we waitin' for then? Let's get a move on," Scald brushes by Zoey, making sure to press his leg against her shoulder as he makes his way out of the small cavern. "We can start north of here in that one place with all those weird shiny lookin' things," he calls back to her as he heads up a northern pathway led only by dim lighting.

ZOEY & SCALD