Sapphire orbs would scan the are surrounding. His neck was held low with a sharp gaze and ears limp to each side. Only a small part of him would desperate for his mother, but almost in an instant his search was over. He knew she wouldn't be here, he knew he would never see her again.
He would start up the path, the sun going down from noon. Clouds had threatened the sky with flurries, but it was too early for that to start. It was only a little chilly but his thick coat that had grown little enough to keep him from shivering. His pelt was naturally thick anyway.
Why was he even going up here? He had nothing left. Zaria was dead, he left Titania, both his parents had vanished. But he had met up with Isolde, that of which had her own life going with a man. There was no reason to follow her around for all eternity.
The sun was set high enough that he could probably make it to the top. That or freeze to death, he didn't care much anymore.
Slowly Bevroren was rebuilding, it wasn't at the strength Glaciem had been in its prime, though even Talvi couldn't recall such an era, too young to have experienced Isardis' reign before his illness and infection had taken hold of him, before her mother had departed from his side as Queen only to get herself pregnant and that would be the start of Talvi's life.
The Leraar rarely took time away from her pack, aside from meeting with her half siblings. Every now and then however she would take a break for herself, whether to travel to the battlefield or simply roam the area. Long ago she had banished the idea of searching for her litter mates, all three of them had vanished now slipped away from her life much in the same way her mother had. Even if they were to return, it was unlikely they'd be greeted with the warmth they once had.
Her travels had taken her to the waterfall that day. Her climb had begun earlier in the day and now she settled herself upon it's peak. The sky was getting darker, the Summer had been stolen away and Autumn was clearly settling in to shorten the days. She would mentally curse herself now, foolish for not ascending earlier still in time to climb back down. This certainly wasn't as cold as the weather would get though it would certainly be cooler come night and now she had nowhere to shelter or keep herself warm. It was fortunate at least she was used to the Northern weather, but that didn't make this situation any less stupid.
He could feel as the air drove cooler, every second he could feel the change. Maybe it was just his imagination. Maybe he wanted to feel a bristling inside him. He wanted to freeze to death, he wanted to die.
No.
He thought that if he were in his last moments of death, his mother would come running to his side. And then he would live. Then they would never be separated ever again.
He sounded so much like a child, crying "Mommy! Mommy!" and he couldn't help but snicker to the thought. He had grown from that long ago, he had left with Zaria so long after he had already became a man. Well at least he would almost become a full grown man in many things. Inside he was, and that's what matter to him then.
As his mind went off the cold and onto his gibbering within his head, he failed to realize the young woman that had sat at the falls. He realized her presence well before he could be spotted, but of course is scent could never fail to make him noticed. Sure he had been everywhere, but he had been everywhere.
He would stop in his tracks, looking the corner about to turn away before the girl did see him. But then he thought other wise. He was just thinking of how well his death would do him, so maybe it was time to meet someone new; make new friends.
But he had just left Titania, his best friend who could have been a lot more to him. Why would he go out and meet new people? It didn't matte now, he was already in view. Hopefully he wouldn't startle her, but he wouldn't say a word through every step he took.
Talvi's own thoughts now lingered on the best thing to do. It'd be foolish to sit here and freeze alone all night, perhaps there was still enough light that she might find somewhere to shelter within the rock face itself, a cave somewhere. It too was perhaps a foolish idea, there was no definite that she would find anywhere and then be stuck upon narrow paths and ledges to try and rest for the night, far more dangerous.
A scent would enter her nose then and as she turned, she would catch sight of another. The russet coloured coat certainly stood out, her own was perhaps not the greatest for blending either though more so than the male before her now. He was about her age she would guess, and continued to walk closer, staring silently all the while.
Uneasy from his silent approach her hackles would prickle slightly as she watched him, she would stand her own ground and not back away from him though there was still space to do so. "What do you want?" She would enquire bluntly. He had given no introduction, not even a hello and she would remain on edge until he showed a remote bit of friendliness rather than this blank expression he now wore.
Soon the girl would notice him, he wasn't trying to hide after all. But once she wore a tense stance he would stop with one paw hanging in the air a second. His ears were limp, flopped as he moved but horizontal as he stilled.
She was strong enough to hold herself, almost defensive. She would brutally move her vocals and Caeto would only grin on the inside. He wasn't much of an emotion. A smile here and there was normal, but he almost had this overused straight attitude of himself. His eyes could easily tell how he was feeling though.
"Well, Uh..." He would lean backward to sit onto his rump, keeping eye contact with the girl so long as she approved. "Nothing." He may have shrugged his shoulders slightly, thinking that maybe he should have just turned away when he had the chance. The young fae had shown no signs of aggression, but no sign of wanting company. He would pull his sapphires off her, but would gently take a round back.
Caeto was absolutely horrendous at having any sort of social ability. Even a natural "Hello" was completely struck from his mind. He may have seemed more like a walking vegetable if anything at all. He continued to look blankly at the girl, not wanting anything more than eye contact whether that was odd or not.
Clearly noticed he would come to a halt now. Talvi would keep his gaze, she would not be the one to look away first, she would not be intimidated by him. It seemed that he wasn't after any sort of trouble though, lowering to seat himself as he began a rather dimwitted reply. Nothing.
He didn't appear to be a particularly bright fellow in that moment, he had resumed his silent staring now and Talvi would huff slightly, her tension fading slightly with her exhalation. She still wouldn't be too hasty to run over and make friends with this stranger, she wouldn't relax herself fully just yet in case all was some sort of trap.
"You might want to try a different way of approaching people." She suggested, her tone still not light and friendly though it had lost the edge from moments before. She honestly wasn't quite sure what to make of him and it was that more than anything else that would unnerve her slightly, he had after all done nothing wrong really.
Try a different way of approaching people? Caeto would let out a low chuckle under his breath, not loud enough to interrupt the girl while she was speaking. "Heh, Whoops." A grin was held for a second as he flicked his eyes to the darkening sky and regained the gaze as if natural. But he couldn't help but think of one thing in that second of happy.
Not his mother, not his sister.
Titania.
And even more than that, Zaria. Anytime he thought of Titania, he thought of his dead girlfriend. Which may have seemed completely weird but maybe that was something telling him he wasn't ready. Soon he would go to Arcanum and talk to Zaria's mother.
His mind would listen to the falls as he thought, and he would almost disappear into that noise, not hearing anything that the grey girl may have said. Once there was Zaria, there was nothing. He shouldn't be here, he should be with Titania. But he shouldn't have been with Titania, he should have been with Zaria to be sure she made it through whatever held her down. Whatever killed her.
And in her attempts to prompt a normal greeting out of the other all he could do was let out a low laugh to himself and say 'oops'. Did this boy have a fully working brain on his shoulders or wad there some crucial part of it missing? She had never thought of herself as a particularly skilled individual for social concepts but she was at least somewhat adequate, enough so to know to greet others properly and not silently sneak up and then proceed to simply stare.
She had no idea why she bothered to try and help this wolf out but try she would all the same. "Maybe you should start again." Once more sh would try to prompt a greeting and a name out of him. "Hello." She would begin simply voice still neutral in tone. "I am Talvi."
Caeto would snap from his thoughts and took eye to the girl's silvers. It would take him a moment after she spoke to recollect anything she said but he would show her a simple grin in a greeting, "Caeto."
He had come to realize that speaking that last of his name held no more meaning to him. He was getting used to speaking his first without his last. Adravendi and Mathias were both excellent names to show off, but without either one of his parents it all felt useless.
"So...," He would raise his eyes to the sun that had started to golden the heavy, grey clouds, continuing to speak for once. "What brings you out here? You don't seem to be rouge."
He was still a little slow, but after a moment Talvi would finally find herself with a name for the russet man. She too often was rather lax with the use of her own last name, it was there for formalities sake though family wasn't about blood or even a name at the end of the day as she had come to realise. As for Caeto, perhaps it was best for the man not to have given his own name. Part of the Armada family herself, the Adravendi's didn't exactly have the greatest track record. The details of all weren't quite understood by her though the hatred of the families was enough that Syrinx had challenged Isardis to a death match.
Perhaps that little nudge was enough for the other to finally find his feet in the conversation. Though he still wasn't completely smooth with his delivery, his question would follow rather swiftly in comparison to his previous comments and with no prompting at all from Talvi herself. "You are right there." She would respond. "But sometimes a chance to get out and see some other lands is a refreshing change of pace. It doesn't do anyone any good to remain cooped up in one area all the time."
Her words would ring to him, his chin turning slightly back in her direction with a flick of his eyes, but they would soon return to the sky. "Heh, I get that." He had left his family at a very young age. He had met Zaria before his leaving, but his parents had let all of their children decide where their hearts would take them. Unfortunately, Caeto's choices had shattered him.
"I've been everywhere but claimed lands." And it was truth. He had been in every direction. Of course he hadn't visited every rouge land named, but he had been to all four cardinal points of the map. His tone may have held an almost proud ring to his voice, but not so much. Traveling the world wasn't all new and awesome, but little did he know there was a whole nother one below them. There was so much more for him to find, and no drive to do so.
Perhaps he was shy or something, had difficulty talking to new people. Already Talvi was starting to get the impression that she had misjudged him slightly. He was talking, offering her little bits of information enough that although not the most in-depth conversation ever, it actually had a chance of continuing rather than those blank stares he had initially cast her direction. She refrained from pointing out that this was better, willing to let those initial awkward first moments fade away for now.
"That is some feat." She would comment, words somewhat admiringly. Her own life had been spent mainly in the Northern Lands. Once or twice she had ventured further South and of course she had in fact been born in one of the Islands towards the South. She certainly couldn't boast the same achievement for her own explorations, it was nothing really. "Tell me, what is your favourite land?" Something to encourage him to speak some more as well as hearing about some of the other places in Alacritia.
"Hm," Caeto would turn to body again to face Talvi, grabbing for her gaze once again. "I'd say East. The beaches probably." His chin would swing around to face out, the sun turning red and easy to look at now. Time was nothing to him, he had no where to go. He was fine with staying here, but a thought about the girl's plans wouldn't cross his mind.
"It's probably all under water now."
A dramatic change in his expression may have been noticable. More of a disappointing attitude and facial remarks. But instead of drowning in what he didn't have, he would keep his voice moving.
He would comply with her request, thinking upon it for a moment before answering her. The Eastern Beaches. She was sure that they were lands she had never seen before though she had no idea where the island she'd been born on was, for all she knew it could have been towards the East somewhere. The only information he would offer as to what they looked like now though was a rather depressed stated fact that the beaches could all be claimed by the sea and then the question would be turned to her.
"Mostly." She would respond. "I was born on an Island somewhere in the south but my mother brought my siblings and I back to the North when we were still young. I've explored a little of some of the other lands since, but never the East." Why she had bothered telling him of the island she wasn't entirely sure but she had answered his question now. Once she had longed to return to the place she couldn't name, it had been her first home and for a while she hadn't felt at home in a pack in the North, that had certainly changed.
The setting sun had been forgotten to her now, allowing her attention to focus upon Caeto, still attempting to decipher him. He was no threat it seemed though certainly not the fool he had initially appeared to be either.
His haunches would raise slightly off the ground, returning put a curve in his back. He was getting comfortable.
After shifting his weight, he would turn to Talvi to listen to the rest of her statement. The south would probably be his next choice. When she was done, his eyes would roll around before coming to her and speaking, "Well I can take you to the beaches." A snarky grin would put to his maw, "And maybe you could take me to the southern islands."
He was really offering to take her south, maybe help her regain some memory of the place. He just almost in his own kind of charming way. Or maybe he really was just looking for a friend. Either way.
Caeto's offer would certainly take her by surprise, for starters she didn't know him at all, only his name and that he travelled a lot and all he knew of her was that she was Talvi and from one of the Northern packs. There was a part of her tempted by the thought of exploring and yet there was another part of her that was sensible knew she shouldn't go wandering off with some stranger especially not when she was the Leraar of Bevroren, she had responsibilities now.
Athena was pregnant however, her stomach starting to show the roundness of growing pups. Perhaps if she offered to visit their allies on the way, a chance for her to meet the fellow leaders of the packs maybe she would be allowed? This truly was crazy. What on earth was she thinking? Did the idea of travelling with this stranger who she had initially thought was an idiot really appeal to her? It was the journey more than anything she decided and the more she thought of meeting and visiting allies the better that idea sounded.
"I'd have to speak with my alpha." She responded. "But that might be possible."
i want to travel the world but i just can't do it alone
"Alpha?" He would laugh to the thought. "I've never had one of those."
He had a father, he never really had a "place" in the pack other than being prince. Who tells a prince what to do? A father, not a King.
"Who needs anyone to boss them around?" He would smile to her, giving her a joking eye. Actually he was part of a pack, part of Arcanum. But before he could have any actual meaning to the pack. But all of it meant something to him. And that's why he wanted to go back.
It was starting to get dark around her figure, and as Caeto looked away to see the sun, it was half gone on the horizon. "It's getting late. You need to be anywhere?"
"Speech"
so i'm just waiting on fate to come and wrap around me
He had never had an alpha before? She perhaps would have found it rather strange had she not recalled the fact that she had been born a rogue and initially suffered struggles to settle into life in a pack. Now look at her, a Leraar and rather proud to call the lands of Bevroren her home. She was certainly not the same little pup that had initially been dragged to Bevroren with her mother and siblings.
"She is fair to me, its never quite bossing me around." Under Isardis' rule she had been rather ignored by all adults but the teachers, under Athena's rule she had been granted with a high rank and powers to boss of her own. Still she wouldn't reveal her importance to the pack yet.
As for if she needed to be anywhere. Home. She still wasn't sure descending in the dark was the greatest idea, not for those narrower ledges or loosened rocks she was bound to come across. She now needed to get back and ask for Athena's permission to leave before the journey could begin, she was somewhat eager for that now. Exploring was something she never often got the chance to do after all. "Home at some point." She responded simply.
i want to travel the world but i just can't do it alone
A small chuckle would let from his vocals. She is fair to me. But either way, it wasn't like he could drag her from her pack forcefully. Well at least he wasn't that kind of man. Maybe she was even partially accepting to be nice, maybe she didn't even want to see him again.
No matter.
She would say that she needed to go home, at some point. Caeto would look to the sun for a few more seconds before jumping up and looking to Talvi, "Well I guess we should get going then before it's completely dark."
He would start to walk toward the decline but stop to turn around and eye her, "Come on, I'll take you home." A smile laid to his maw.
"Speech"
so i'm just waiting on fate to come and wrap around me
No, Caeto certainly wouldn't have had much success in trying to force her to leave without a word at all to her sister. There weren't many wolves that she would happily announce as family, Athena was one of the few worthy enough to keep the title of sister and Talvi wouldn't simply abandon her as their mother and other siblings had done.
Her comment would undauntedly prompt some more manners from the russet boy. Swiftly he would take the initiative that they should move now and rather than simply leave her to clamber down and back home alone he offered instead to escort her back. She knew the way of course, likely far better than Caeto though she wouldn't deny his offer. His company continued to get better it seemed far from the slow male she had initially met. "Alright." She would respond with a soft smile of her own, moving forward to join him for the descent from the peak.
