The old wolf still had a few adventures left in him. Enough that when he heard about the strange new land, he grabbed a bag, kissed Isa on the cheek, and was about to go out the door. When his strong-willed mate made it very clear that if he was going, he wouldn’t be going alone. Alas, if the strange event was to kill any of them, it would probably be him. So he agreed, and the two of them left the Hallows and made their way to the strange red land, to investigate the spires and see what was to be seen. A part of him was looking forward to the excitement. A part of him… a part of him wondered if this wasn’t another thin veil between their world and the other. If he wouldn’t be granted the gift of seeing her once more. "Speech"

A thick feeling of unease sat in Isa's belly like a rock. Something was wrong and she couldn't quite tell what. Not until she woke and the world was... wrong. The sky was wrong. The air was wrong. The light was wrong. The feeling of the unknown made the old blue fae nauseous with worry. So, when Sirius said that he was going to investigate, you bet your ass she was going with him.

The smaller wolf stayed tucked in close to her mate's side. She wasn't a coward, but that deep feeling of foreboding was gnawing hard at her stomach. She took what comfort and strength that she could from the giant man beside her. Dark ears flicked this way and that, anxiously waiting for something to happen. "I don't like this," she whispered softly, icy eyes darting back and forth, scanning their surroundings.

"Speech"

Sirius glanced over to Isa, whose unease was clear to see. He raised a paw and placed it around her shoulder, squeezing for a moment. Offering her a moment of silent comfort, though he would not be convinced to turn back. His ageing life had been a series of one day after another. Monotone. Apparently retirement could be boring to a wolf accustomed to so much more. “I’ll keep you safe.” He promised Isa, meaning the words. He would always fight to keep her safe. They were too old wolves, shipwrecked together in a sea of pain. They had found comfort at each other's side. “What do you make of all this?” he asked as they stepped through the strange pillars. "Speech"

Despite the anxiety welling within her, Isa still held her sense of humor. As Sirius pulled her in close and promised to keep her safe, the cobalt fae huffed softly and smiled. "I was going to tell you the same." She would keep him safe.

They moved closer, coming to the strange pillars that shot up into the red sky. Sirius questioned her and Isa gave her head a shake. "The will of the gods? It doesn't make sense otherwise." Lifting one paw, she reached out and gently touched one of the pillars. Quickly, she drew her paw back. It felt wrong. Everything here felt wrong.

"Speech"

Sirius smiled gently at the blue wolf. There were few wolves he would allow to protect him, but he understood that the old blue wolf needed it, just as he did. She was one of the few wolves in his life that he would allow to do so. Just as he in turn would fight for her. At her mention of gods, Sirius curled his nose a little. He didn’t believe in such things. He’d always been scornful of gods, through lately, with some of the strange things that happened in the world. From the Long Night, to Samhein, he sometimes began to wonder if there wasn’t something out there. “Not gods, but perhaps something that lives between.” He said, thinking of the firefly man. "Speech"

"Well, we can't expect to know all of the worlds mysteries," the woman mused, half to herself and half to the man beside her. Things had indeed been strange in this land from time to time. That was the way of the world, however.

The pair moved through the stone towers and Isa paused here and there to inspect the strange etchings on them. They seemed to be coming out of the stone instead of painted upon them as though something was trapped inside. Lifting one paw, Isa gently touched the cheek of one screaming face. "What could cause such agony and why put a reminder of it on the stones?"

"Speech"

Sirius paused when Isa did, taking the time to see what she saw, and find a few strange carvings himself. When she lingered over a particularly gruesome drawing, he frowned. Stepping closer to inspect it himself. “Strange.” he muttered, which described pretty much everything around him. “A warning perhaps?” He suggested. He would have hoped his experience with so many strange events in this land would help him here. But as he looked about the strange, tall pillars he realised he had absolutely no idea what was going on. He had no insights to this strange place, though the red sun made him think a little too much of the strange night, which had also affected the sky. Just in a different way. "Speech"

Sirius gave his opinion on the matter and Isa shuddered. "A warning against what?" Just then, the wind picked up again, blowing through the spires and creating an unearthly howling sound. At first the blue woman winced, then, as if something within her was begging her to do so, she raised her muzzle and howled along with the sound. She joined in on the pained wailing until it stopped, though her voice seemed to echo amidst the towers of stone. It was then that the first sense of... something... struck her. Acceptance. Finality. They were all going to die here.

"Isa"

Sirius frowned, treating the question thoughtfully for a moment. “If there's supposed to be a message here, it's a cryptic one.” He said, shaking his head. Nothing was ever simple, was it? He raised his head to the howl in the wind, and a moment later Isa joined in. matching her song to the sombre temper of the wind as he rushed through the spires. Once she was finished, he could feel goosebumps on his skin, and he could see… something in Isa’s voice. Are you alright, my love?” He asked her softly, pressing closer to her. Offering the smaller wolf a little bit of support and courage. "Speech"

Was she alright? No. Far from it. Suddenly Isa felt smaller than she ever had. Insignificant. Pointless. A single grain of sand on an endless beach. That finality was terrifying but it was also something else. She couldn't quite explain it. When he asked if she was okay though, Isa turned her face up to Sirius and smiled. "Everything will be okay." Better that he didn't worry. She would shoulder the worry for both of them.

Peeling herself from the dire brutes side, Isa moved deeper into the city of towers, looking for any sign of what exactly was going on here. She still had no idea. None of the clues seemed to point in a definitive direction. The towers, the faces upon them, the difference in dirt, the screaming howl of the wind through the holes in the stone... What did it all mean?

"Speech"

He could sense her feelings, feel it on the wind as much as he could the wrongness of this place. But despite it, despite everything, when Isa turned to him she smiled. She smiled against the fear, and the worry. She was so incredibly strong, his Isa. He leaned down, and kissed her. Pressing his lips to hers was always distracting, and he did not linger. He couldn’t afford the loss of attention. She moved away from him, and he let her go with great reluctance. Following her after a short moment, and letting her take the lead. “You weren’t in these lands for Samhain or the Long Night, were you?” "Speech"