The young descendent of Maija and Taurig Artenie was lost. Yup, the only word to describe her current situation: lost. If she also considered the emotions that tied into that word - anxious, panicky, distrustful, scared - then it would paint a better picture for her place of mind. Whimpers escaped the young girl's lips as she walked across the unfamiliar landscape. She had only left the island a couple of times, but it was always with one of her litter mates or her parents. Instead, she was by herself and the majority of her lithe frame wished she had kept her butt home. Too late to turn back now!
She stopped to pause at one of the overhanging trees. Branches weighed down by numerous pounds of fruit hung above her head and she didn't know what to make of the weird structures. Panic and anxiety slipped from her mind as she sniffed at the nearest piece in front of her. The air was heavily sweet, making her want to climb into the trees to grab to the clear breeze above. Tough beans, though, she was stuck. Instead, she licked the air with a pale pink tongue before she took a small nip of the apple. Its texture was tough and hard against the roof of her mouth, but the juicy fruit within the exterior was worth the bite.
She lowered her head and blankly stared as she tried to chew and swallow the bit of apple she had eaten. Once it was down her throat, she took a second to register how it tasted. The result: "YUM!" she exclaimed, eyes flashing with delight. Being away from home wasn't so bad. Pandora then grabbed the rest of the apple and tugged, snapping it off from the branch. She lowered her prize to the ground and began to snack, enjoying each bite she took. "Yum yum," she muttered, happy tones echoing through the heavily laden orchard.

Since arriving in the North this was the furthest Talvi had actually strayed from her home, come to think of it, she wasn't sure she'd ever ventured beyond the Glaciem borders, certainly not alone anyway. The return of half-siblings and strengthening bond with her sister Sol certainly had put a mission in the girl's mind that she should have ventured out on far sooner. She had to find Kasai and make sure that her sister was at the very least ok. She would have liked to drag her back to Glaciem and the rest of the family but given the fact she'd completely vanished from the pack lands without even a word of goodbye it seemed unlikely that she might be able to achieve that goal. It was rather unlikely that she'd find her at all at this rate. Travelling across Alacritia as a young pup the lands had certainly been big to her then. She'd had her mother to simply follow and guide her though and she assumed now she'd grown the lands would seem smaller. No such luck, as big as ever and Talvi had no idea where she was actually going. She was almost sure she could search forever and still never find her sister; there'd been no scents and no sign at all of Kasai, a rather disappointing revelation. She was certainly considering giving up now and upon reaching the orchard her plan was to rest for a while before continuing with her journey home. Perhaps she should have brought Sol with her on the journey for company at the very least and maybe even a better chance of bringing Kasai home if by some strange coincidence they managed to find her. She'd rushed off swiftly though before she'd had the chance to change her mind; stupid move Talvi. The happy yummy noises of another would catch the girl's attention. The scent that she now noted seemed somewhat familiar, though she couldn't for the life of her place why. More out of hope than anything else would she move through the trees but it was not the red and white form of her sister she would see but yet another blue toned wolf. They seemed far to popular in Glaciem and by now she'd certainly come to think of the strange cobalt shade as completely normal. This girl had gold markings across her as well, a strange colour and pattern that Talvi had never seen before.

Pandora Selene Artenie had become so wrapped up in her treat, enjoying the taste and texture so much that she was not aware of anything else. When she became honed in on just one thing, it was hard to pull back and focus on the big picture. At the moment, she was moving the apple to the left and right. Her small mission was to try and get as much apple as she could before reaching the middle. The middle was what she wanted to avoid, for she had taken a bite out of it without realizing the nasty taste that seeds left. A few of them had been spit out on the cool grass, left to be forgotten.
As she was getting closer to her mission's end, a cool autumn breeze struck the piece of orchard she stood in. In mid-bite, Pandora's nose caught the scent that followed with the wind and her senses heightened. Slowly, her turquoise-blue eyes rose first to look around. Nothing was seen at that level of ground, so she raised her head to make it easier. Tail flicked behind her in slight anxiety as she took another bite of the apple still in her mouth. When her head finally reached its majestic height, she saw her.
The female was not someone she knew, which made her panic level start to rise. She took another bite and finally swallowed the last bite of her treat. Curiosity heightened as well in her body, but Pandora didn't know whether to run or remain in place. She took a couple of steps to her right, unintentionally showing off the glorious, golden zebra stripes of her hind flanks and the tattoo-looking swirls on her shoulders and upper arms. Golden-dipped paws tenderly stroked the ground as she then took a couple of steps backward, for her mind had been made up to flee. Her plan wasn't going to work properly, for there was one setback.
As Pandora took a few more steps backward, these more promising and firm, she ran smack into one of the orchard trees. Her bump vibrated from the trunk and onward to the top, causing many apples and figs of combined neighboring trees to cascade around her. Pandora squealed, immediately falling to the ground and covering her head with her golden-dipped paws. Apples and figs continued to fall until the drizzle of fruit was over. Slowly, she peaked through her toes and realized more snacks had surrounded her cobalt frame. Her gaze moved back to Talvi, but she didn't seem unabashed by her movements. Instead, she slipped out her tongue and grabbed the nearest apple. Her teeth bit into it with a sickening crunch, and as she chewed she watched the girl with baited attention.

Truth be told Talvi wasn't all that comfortable meeting someone new either. She'd met plenty of new people in Glaciem, but they were members of her pack for some reason she couldn't explain it did feel different out here. This wolf was a complete stranger, could be anybody with any kind of personality but those in Glaciem for some reason or another had all been accepted and welcomed by the King and Queen. All the same however, the blue and silver girl wasn't about to turn and run for the hills, she stood there still simply waiting and watching as the golden marked girl would lift her head and recognise that neither was alone now. The reaction was not what she had expected. One moment she lay there quietly eating something and the next she was up and attempting to run. The sudden change certainly shocked Talvi and as a moment of worry and surprise gripped her, hackles would prickle slightly, uncertain quite what to do. The other had turned to run away though, something that would only cease her worrying for a moment, though loud thud as she hit a tree would soon bring another kind of worry altogether to her. Once the apples had finished falling Talvi would take a couple of steps forwards. She was no healer, had only had the one lesson but still she would be a little concerned for the other who now sat there as though nothing had happened at all. "Are you ok?"

She watched with reproachful eyes as the cobalt and silver girl walked towards her. Pandora wanted to run, but the solidity of the ground and sweetness the apple had on her taste buds prevented her from leaving. The only movements she showed were when she moved her hind legs beneath her haunches and her ears slightly pricking to the girl's question.
Pandora didn't know what to make of the other girl. Her siblings - particularly Freya - would have barked at her, wanting to defend the territory that she had stepped on first. Rather than cause a commotion, Pandora simply took another bite of the apple as she figured out what was in the girl's words. Concern, curiousness...a tiny bit of eagerness, maybe? There was no malice, no secondary reason why she approached her, and the general question held nothing bad about it, either. So much observation by just one girl. Who knew her mind worked like that?
After she swallowed the apple piece, Pandora licked her lips and continued to watch her. She never considered herself below anyone, and she didn't want to start now. Slowly, she rose to her haunches, gold markings shimmering with the rolls of her shoulder and pelvic joints. "Y-yes, I am okay," she voiced. Her tones were rich with the Romanian accent Maija had passed down to her children, something that not many wolves could claim. "I didn't have my head hit or anything...just...just surprised." She blinked softly, showing off the turquoise-blue eyes that were unintentionally twinkling in their sockets.




"Speech"

No, there was certainly no malice at all in her words. Whilst Isardis may have wished her to never have contact with what unbeknownst to her was actually a half-sibling from her father's side, Talvi certainly had qualms herself with the family she didn't even know existed. Still now she wasn't entirely sure how to react with the stranger, the concern was genuine, head bumped or not it hadn't looked or sounded particularly nice and Talvi doubted any collision with a tree was one that should be considered 'good' or 'fine'. Cautiously she still kept some distance, not wanting the other to suddenly run and crash into the next line of trees behind her. She was still again now, aside from a small shift and the movement of her head and jaws as she ate another of the strange fruits that Talvi had never seen before. They smelt rather sweet, though she wouldn't be tempted to try the mysterious food herself, not yet anyway attention focussed mostly upon the blue and gold girl before her. She'd move again suddenly, though this time only to lift herself to her paws so the pair now stood before each other. The other would now explain that she was fine, her head was intact at the least and the fact that she'd stood up with ease did suggest there was no major injuries that would need them to seek out a healer, although quite where the idea of 'them' had come from Talvi wasn't sure, this wolf wasn't her responsibility after all. "Oh. Good." She responded, not entirely sure what else to say if she was completely honest.

Pandora was at a loss for words with the stranger. She didn't know what to say in front of someone who wasn't her immediate family. Awkwardness was something she didn't like, but when you are raised on a private island, what else do you take with you when you leave? Her safety bubble had been popped and she wasn't sure how to keep herself floating. All she could do was watch the other girl in fascination.
Turquoise-blue eyes blinked, showing innocence and wonder etched in the sweet girl's conscience. Her gaze didn't stay latched on Talvi for long, however. The fruit she had temporarily forgotten was being consumed by black ants. Her brow furrowed and she side stepped the bunch of insects that were eating her formerly claimed prizes. "Ugh." She said, tongue sticking out from mere irritation of having her food taken. "I don't like ants...They sting when you squish them." Ears flattened against her head as she watched them in curiosity, hoping that the other girl wouldn't find her weird. Actually, Pandora didn't care, but she still had a strong belief that first impressions made differences.




"Speech"

Things certainly were considered a little awkward between the two girls at the moment. Talvi wasn't overly certain what to say herself and with the lack of conversation prompts between either of them it seemed rather unlikely that they would get anywhere at all. She remained there, watching the other wolf carefully though it seemed that the blue and gold girl had the exact same plan. After a few moments, that certainly felt like longer than they'd actually been, the other finally looked away once more, returning her gaze back to the fallen fruit around her. Little crawly things had now formed a trail and were crawling over the piece she had been eating though Talvi couldn't recall ever having seen an ant before and was certainly confused by their sudden presence. The gold marked girl would comment upon them and at the mention of their sting she decided she didn't like ants all that much either. "Right, well if you're ok I think I'll go now." Talvi responded taking a few steps back. She wasn't entirely certain that the other girl actually wanted her there in the first place anyway. She still had to either try to find Kasai or find her way back home and stood there trying to work out this wolf wasn't helping either goal.

Pandora's eyes watched as the stranger began to walk away. For some unspoken reason, the young princess wanted to stop the girl. She couldn't explain why, but she felt it was necessary. A hurricane of internal battles of fighting over the next action swirled in various directions of Pandora's mind. After all, her name stood for the woman who had the box of horrible things that had been opened because of curiosity. Pandora took the plunge... She waited until the girl was a good three yards away from her when she stepped away from her spot beneath the tree. "You smell like my papa," she cried, tones rich with Maija's Romanian accent and her own spin of the words. For some reason, tears lightly glistened in her eyes as she watched and waited for the stranger's reaction. Her tail twitched behind her in a slightly impatient manner as golden backed ears perked intentionally forward. Pandora's mind was still swirling, but she didn't show the mental turmoil as she stood, unintentionally showing off the golden swirls of her designs. "I don't know why, but you do..." Talk like this

Talvi had turned her back on the other now as she continued to move away, doubting that the other would have much to say, she'd fallen into silence again after all. To her surprise however words would suddenly leave the others mouth though certainly not anything that the blue and silver girl could have expected. She'd pause once more, swiveling back around to face Pandora once more as the other girl continued to speak with teary eyes. Had something happened to her papa? There was only one explanation that Talvi could think of for smelling anything like this male, although she'd never seen the blue and gold girl before it didn't mean her father couldn't be part of Glaciem, siblings and half-siblings alike had wandered away leaving their family behind in the pack, it didn't seem to be too far-fetched an idea to her. "Is he in Glaciem? It's the pack I belong to."

The blue and silver girl turned to face her, voicing her scent belonged to a place called Glaciem. Pandora had heard that the place was where nightmares existed, where a King so proud and pompous did any and everything he chose to do without being stopped. She wouldn't voice the rumors that had been around the pack's name. Instead, she ignored all of it and simply shook her head.
"No...no, that is not what I smell." Her light Romanian accent became obvious due to the emphasizing she did. "I mean, I smell it, but there is something else...hidden, deep beneath that scent." The tears disappeared back into her eyes and she blinked to push them back further. "What's hidden is what smells like Papa, and I don't know why, but you carry his fragrance." Her mind was starting to work, for she was wondering why a stranger she had never seen would hold Taurig's primary scent.



"Speech"

Never having met anyone from outside of the pack, Talvi had no idea about Glaciem's bad reputation amongst others in Alacritia. Come to think of it the blue and silver girl knew nothing really of the rest of the packs around, all she knew was Glaciem and what little she could remember of the family's brief, solitary life on the island. If he wasn't part of Glaciem then Talvi was just as confused by the fact as Pandora. So used to having no father in her life, the absence of the man was one she'd grown to accept and spend very little time pondering it. And so despite the similarities of their blue coat, the possibility that there were sisters had never occurred to her. Now that she thought about it though, that was the reason why Pandora's scent seemed vaguely familiar as well, it reminded her of her own siblings, but still the truth wouldn't quite be acknowledged. "I don't know why..." She responded thoughtfully, now stepping closer again as though somehow the stronger scents of each other would cause the answer to leap out at them.

She continued to walk towards the stranger, more sure than ever that something was vaguely familiar about her. The way she looked was no coincidence. She had the same cobalt fur that Taurig had, even though hers was not as dark as her father. Pandora's mind was clicking away, like an author who was consumed with a story idea on a typewriter. She got to the bottom of the page and the bell signifying the end went off. It was there in front of her, but Pandora was afraid to read the result. Pandora looked over the girl's frame, noticing the differences and similarities in comparison. She was, in no way, related to Maija. The gold was only noted from her Romanian mother and her littermates. Silver was indeed different from her little family and she pondered where the girl's silver accents had come from. Questions would be pushed to the back of her mind as she slowly answered Talvi's unsure response. "I think I may know now..." Her eyes met Talvi's, the shade exactly like Taurig's before he was blinded. Of course, Pandora had missed knowing her dad when he could see. Maija had told them what color his opts were before his blindness and that color was in the stranger's sockets. "You have Dad's eyes...and his blue fur..." Her nose wiggled again for good measure, ensuring that the scent was still there. "We are family." Talk like this

Although the facts were very much there before her the truth seemed so unlikely that Talvi couldn't even possibly begin to fathom it. She'd had only her mother growing up, and before his illness had gripped the man, Isardis had stepped in to accept her as family. Pandora however would catch onto and accept the truth far quicker and continuing forwards now would voice her idea. Talvi shook her head slightly in response. Whilst she had half-siblings from her mother she hadn't considered that her father also had other children. He had been no part in their lives so why would be be in any others anyway? Isardis had basically described the man as a waste of space, and whilst it may have been nice to learn about him for herself, his absence and Isardis' acceptance left the girl content enough with the family she had around her to not bother with those that she had never and probably never would know. Many of the wolves in Glaciem had the blue coats as well, she'd never bothered to question what seemed so normal to her. It may have been quite a rare trait really but given her lack of knowledge about the wide world it was something else she'd never thought to question. Her eyes may not have matched her mothers, but still it wasn't anything the girl had bothered to think about. It perhaps seemed logical but still Talvi was torn and confused by this new possible revelation. A part of her wanted to simply accept it, cling to this new family that she possibly had though the other, hurt by her abandonment, had a sudden urge to run. "No" She responded, now taking a few steps backwards once more. That urge to run was winning it seemed, normally confident but this situation was simply one that she didn't know how to even begin coping with. "I don't have a father. I've only got my mother my siblings." Even if they weren't all quite so prominent in her life they'd at least acknowledged her existence at some point. The scents told differently, she knew that, but she truly didn't know what to do or think. Who was this man? The one that had ignored her and her litter mates, living up to the description Isardis had given him and yet was still a father to some other children who certainly didn't seem to have an issues with him.

Pandora was just as lost about this as Talvi was. She was so sure that this girl was related to her, even if she didn't know the link. The connection was right there in front of both girls, but Talvi denied having more than just her mother and siblings. For some reason, it hurt Pandora to be denied the joy of finding another family member. Something inside of her wanted to prove her point. Scent was one thing, but genetics couldn't lie. Her eyes maintained their gentle solace, something she was born with, thanks to Taurig. Maija's eyes were more solemn, wordless. Despite Talvi denying her birthright as Taurig's family, Pandora wanted to pursue the issue. Front paws tenderly molded the earth beneath them in small mounds, indicating her antsy thoughts. When she realized what she was doing, she stopped and let her dainty, gold-dipped feet smooth over the soil. She looked up at Talvi and met the young girl's eyes. "How else could you have been brought into this world?" She softly asked. "Your mother wasn't the only one responsible for your existence." She rolled her haunches down to the ground, perfect fur meeting the cool ground's touch. "I don't know how and why, but there is something that connects us. You do smell like my father, even if you don't mean to...That is one thing I cannot deny." She slowly blinked, still being blown away by the facts that had revealed themselves. Talk like this

Her words apparently silenced the other for a moment. She didn't really mean anything personal by it, but this conclusion that her mind had leapt to left Talvi feeling rather hurt herself, she just couldn't understand the situation, how unfair it seemed to her right now. There was distance between them once more as the gold marked girl played with the dirt, though soon she would lift her head to speak once more before Talvi could flee completely. Her words may have been the truth, but on a technicality Talvi still wouldn't accept this new family that had never been a part of her life. Pandora was around the same age, she couldn't be faulted for it really, but to claim their connection on a stranger just still didn't quite cut it in her eyes. It was tough, she adored her family, had accepted her half siblings on her mother's side but this, could she really count her father's side as family? "Whilst that may be true she's the only reason I've continued to exist." Argent had been swift to make sure she understood she was defenceless as a pup, too small to look after herself alone. She'd grown now, but only thanks to that early care from her mother and later the pack, Glaciem was more her family than this stranger that she was only linked to through blood. It was a fate she assumed now that he'd brought upon himself and now the rest of the family would simply have to suffer for it. "I've never met my father, he abandoned my mother and siblings. That is not how you treat family." Admittedly her sister had vanished without even a goodbye, but surely there was a reason for that, their early connection had her searching for now at least.

She watched the other girl as her doubts overruled the facts. Pandora could see why she was continuing to deny Taurig's relations. Having a stranger spring an idea that was pretty much ludicrous against how you were raised would make you paranoid about anything that would be said afterward. It would happen to Pandora, who was anxious enough without having her family nearby. To consider this girl her long lost sister or other type of female relative was enough to make her head spin. However, she maintained the solid head of her mother on her shoulders, and decided that even though it was a very risky choice, she believed in it.
Pandora wouldn't try to push the idea on the yearling's mind any longer. She didn't want to continue to pursue a topic that would make both of them aggravated in the end. A soft sigh slipped through dark kissers as Talvi continued to say that her father abandoned her, her siblings, and the woman who had given her life. Pandora didn't know what the details were of the woman's past, so she didn't voice the protesting words that wanted to be screamed. Instead, she rolled her shoulders into a shrug, unintentionally showing off the radiant, gold designs that were blessed in her fur. What else could she do?
"I do not know what happened with your mother and how you came to be, but I know that my father isn't the kind to leave without good reason." Talvi didn't know this, but Taurig had disappeared awhile back, due to an illness that could have spread and endangered his family's health. "He strives to do the best for his family and his heart is too big for his own good." That fact was true in itself. "I cannot make you believe me, but just know I don't lie." Pandora had never let a fib leave her lips, despite possibly thinking of one.
She slowly rose to her hind paws, making her weight become evenly distributed to all fours. "I know that family should not leave each other behind. If one of my siblings did something like that, I don't know how I would take it." She blinked and continued to watch Talvi as she continued. "Facts are facts, even if they seem impossible." Pandora felt like she had said enough. She turned to leave, but paused to look at Talvi one more time. "I guess I should go home now..." She then continued to walk between the two nearby trees, wondering what kind of reaction her father would have if he found out about her meeting.


"Speech"

If she had at least known Taurig, Talvi may have been able to accept Pandora as a sister, she had after all accepted Vereux and Athena easily enough and they her as well. Their mother probably would want nothing else of her two litters regardless of who the father was to each of them. This was different though, there was no other way than to explain it than with how she truly felt; that family shouldn't leave you like that. It was why she sought answers from Kasai now, though with her father never even having tried, she'd simply never been bothered with him before. Amidst the growing chaos of the situation, Pandora remained calm despite Talvi's denial. In a mature manner she'd further describe her father but Talvi couldn't decide whether the words made her angrier at him for never trying or just as indifferent, desperately wanting to feel nothing at all for this man who had played no part in her life. No matter what Pandora said though it wouldn't make the blue and silver girl any more accepting of this new knowledge. How could he have such a big heart and pretend that they didn't even exist? If he couldn't find her, surely he could have even at the very least told his family of the one he longed to meet one day? Apparently not, he surely couldn't be the man that Pandora imagined him to be. She would say nothing else though until Pandora mentioned she should head home. Home was all that Talvi wanted now as well, the comfort of her family would be rather welcoming. "Me too." She responded simply. "Goodbye." With that she turned once more, unsure whether she'd bring this news to her family or not. Perhaps she would need to find her mother and speak to her about it before anyone else. She'd never sought them before, content with what little explanation she'd been given but suddenly she craved answers.