Well Glacier saw Anais every day, he hadn't really had time for her of late. It seemed life always got in the way, even with them being in the same pack now. At least Lior finally had a mentor, that was something to be grateful for at least. But with Voltage, and their parents, and just everything.. well, he felt a burning need to show his appreciation to Anais more. Perhaps Voltage's pup on the way also inspired the romantic touch, but not in the way that most people might think. It wasn't to woo her, and it definitely wasn't to start pups of their own, it was just a simple little touch to show Anais that she was the most perfect wolf in the entire world. It started with seashells. He would find the ones he loved the most, they didn't have to be perfect, some had little chips and there where plenty of flaws, but that was a part of natures beauty. They where each unique, and completely different in color. He started leaving them at her den entrance each morning, before he moved on to flowers. He picked a different flower each day, starting with another Sea Holly, similar to the first one he had brought her. Then he brought her a bright Sunflower the day after that, the long stalk had dangled out from his mouth and he had almost tripped on it as he brought, head held high to her cave. He also did it early and earlier each day so she wouldn't catch him in the act. Today, for the first time, he brought her a rose. It was a sunny orange shaded rose, the closest he could find to the color of her eyes, and he sneaked quietly up to the entrance of her den and placed it gently against a spot to the side of the entrance, and turned to sneak away again. "Speech"

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Walk | Talk | Think She tried so very hard to appear soundly asleep in peaceful slumber, her back to her den's entrance. Each breath she took was done with measured care, attempting to mimic the rhythmic motion that her body made on its own while she was unconscious. Behind her eyelids, Anais's eyes twitched and her mind whirled, so alert she thought her guise would be easily seen through. She had to fight the natural reflex of her ears to turn upon her head and fix themselves toward the entryway, clearly listening for noises from beyond. Surely she would hear the sound of steps soon? He had to arrive around this time, right? It had started off as a pretty sound hunch, and now the golden brown hunter was practically convinced. Small tokens had been left on her doorstep the past few mornings, seashells that varied in look and now sat in a neat pile within her den. Flowers, too, rested beside them, the Sea Holly being all the confirmation that she needed to know how it was that all these presents were finding their way to her den each morning. All she needed now was to catch the glacial blue wolf in the act and the secret would be revealed! A soft shuffle outside of the den caused her ears to instinctively perk and with some effort Anais managed to relax them again even as her expression, thankfully hidden, twitched with her concentration not to move. Was it him? Was he dropping off another flower? The girl waited, impatient as she strained to hear, and thought she heard another soft shuffle. Afraid that she might miss her chance her lemon-gold eyes flew open and her head swung up and around to glance behind her. Was that a piece of a blue tail that she saw retreating? She scrambled, all pretense of sleep gone, and got to the entrance of her den. A wide grin stretched across her face, her eyes narrowing on the hulking figure that was impossible to miss as he attempted to stealth his way out from her den, and triumphantly she called out, "Aha!" Almost forgetting his purpose there, Anais dropped her gaze to the floor as an afterthought and spotted the brilliant golden shade of the rose where it lay at her feet. "Oh." The smile upon her face softened as she stared at the bloom, touched by the sweet gesture and the beautiful token he had brought for her this time. He seemed to outdo himself with each new gift. If she could have picked it up and clutched it to her chest, she would have. She inclined her head and delicately sniffed at it, scenting its sweet, subtle fragrance and practically sighing as she exhaled. It really was a beautiful flower. Looking up and over at Glacier, she continued to smile. "I knew you were my secret admirer," she answered gently but with every confidence.

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It would appear that Glacier's attempt to arrive earlier and earlier each morning to throw her was unsuccessful. Little did he know how resourceful and determined she would be to prove it was him who left the little tokens of affection at her door step. As he turned and fled the scene, her eyes would snap open and she would leap from her spot to spy him mid-exit. He froze, his dark form attempting to melt very unsuccessfully into the shades of the den before he grinned sheepishly at Anais, giving up any last attempt to distance himself from the crime. His eyes didn't move from the beautiful form of his love, and he would catch her expression as she looked down and spotted his latest gift. This one he had had to travel to find, there where no such flower on the harsh beaches of their pack, nor the Prairie they had claimed later. He enjoyed the little scavenger hunt he took to find her morning gifts, and the harder they where to find, or the rarer the gift, the more he enjoyed leaving it at her door in secret. Well, no doubt it had never been that much of a secret to begin with but it had been fun all the same. Even better then knowing he had done a little secret thing for her, would be the sight of her leaning down and sniffing his flower, clearly enjoying its fragrance and he glowed with the acknowledgement he had done something to make her happy. Instead of hesitating awkwardly in the corridor of the cave he moved forward towards her, leaning his head until he could nuzzle it to the side of her own. “Drat, I thought I had covered my tracks” he teased her gently. “Perhaps its hardly very secret, but i'm definitely an admirer” he promised her as he kissed her cheek tenderly. “You know... with Voltage back I can take a break from my duties for a while. We should have a day out, away from the pack, go explorer for a little while... if your up for it?” he would ask softly. "Speech"

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Walk | Talk | Think She had seen the guilty sort of look that had crossed the hulking wolf's face as he turned to smile her way, at last caught in the act. Her yellow-gold eyes traveled downward to alight again on the new token that had been left for her, admiring the color and the shape of the rose. She could not recall seeing any like it anywhere during her excursions through Donostrea, nor could she admittedly place it within any territory beyond. Had it taken long to find? Had he needed to search through many just to find the perfect one? Without even needing to ask, Anais knew that if either were possibly true then they were without a doubt. Glacier was just that type of wolf. Looking up again, he was much closer now, and her heart gave a little leap at his proximity as a bright smile lit up her face, her tail wagging as she leaned into his nuzzle and returned it with a little kiss to his cheek. His jokes made her chuckle while the soft kiss he pressed to her cheek stilled her, slowing herself as if to prolong the moment. "You hid it really good for a while," she admitted, in a way praising his efforts, "I've tried a few times to catch you, but I was always too late." She was really sure it was only by luck, or chance perhaps, that she had even managed it at all this time. Definitely by no slip up on her not-so-secret admirer's part. He was full of surprises today. While Anais loved and wanted to spend all of her time around Glacier, she knew it was impossible to and had begun to walk on her own through the territory, trying to find a place for her to fit in that was not simply as his girlfriend. She expected today to be just like any other day, when the daily functions would push them in their separate ways and allow for meeting up later. But he brought up a good point. Voltage was back, which allowed for a little more freedom... Her eyes lit up as he suggested stepping beyond the boundary of Donostrea for a while. While she was growing to love the coastal land, she was beginning to miss the adventures that the two of them had started to make a habit of taking when they had still only been friends. It was long overdue that they went somewhere new, exploring a new territory together, and already Anais's expression showed she was more than up for the challenge. "Where will we go?" she asked, practically bouncing on her feet in her excitement. There was no need even to voice an agreement that she wanted to do this; she was absolutely sure he knew what her answer was going to be even before he asked the question.

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There was no regret in Glacier for being caught – he knew that that had only ever been inevitable and he had stretched out the game as long as he could. Nor did he think this capture would keep him from leaving her the gifts. Anais was the most beautiful, wonderful creature in his life and he would do everything in his power to show her how he saw her. As the two showed their affection through gentle cheek kisses he would chuckle at her own words. “I did, didn't I?” and even that was a soft tease. Anais, like Voltage, could thaw his heart and bring emotion from his calm features, brightening them in wonder and delight or darkening them in worry. “I kept changing the time so you couldn't guess when” he admitted, nuzzling her soft cheek again as he explained how he had kept her from finding him. He pulled away only to look into her eyes, to cup her chin gently with a paw, locking her eyes to his. Eyes that would lit up with joy at the mention of adventure. He knew Anais, his little wanderer, knew her love for exploring even if she didn't have the courage to do it alone. There was no better way he could imagine passing the time then to explore by her side. “Anywhere you want to, my Little Mouse. I know there's a cave to the West of our pack, an island to the South that can only be reached when the tide is right, and by strong swimmers. Or we could simply walk to wherever our feet take us. The day is ours little Mouser, and I would be honored if you let the way” "Speech"

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Walk | Talk | Think Quietly and patiently, Anais listened as Glacier told her of the places he had scoped out. The fact there were options was even more thrilling since it meant even if they only managed to see one of the places today there would be others to visit later. And, oh, did she love adventuring with Glacier. She had never realized how much she had missed the exploration until he had decided to draw her out of her home on the Fjord all those months ago, and not even moving here to Donostrea to live with him had dampened that need in her to wander. She was very glad they still had moments like this to do it too; there was just too much of the world out there not to try and see as much of it as she could. Caves, islands, the possibilities were endless! But the second of Glacier's suggestions was the one to catch her attention. In all her travels across the continent of Alacritia, she had only ever stayed on the mainland, finding enough there to appease her need for newness and travel. She had never really given thought to what lay beyond the ocean borders, but now that such an opportunity presented itself the golden brown wolf was immensely curious and completely set. Her tail began to wag again, and as if already itching to set off in search of this water-bound land she shifted her weight between her forepaws with a smile and a brightening of her lemon-gold eyes. "How far away is the island?" While she liked to think of herself as strong and fit, she was not at all sure how she would fare against ocean tides. "Do you think I can make the swim?" Glacier was a mountain of muscle, sure, but she felt awfully tiny in comparison. She wanted to try the trip either way, but she figured the more prepared she was for it before they began the better off the whole expedition would go.

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Her tail would begin to move her, bright golden eyes upon him and he knew one of his suggestions ha caught her attention. She would ask after the island, and he couldn't help but grin. Of course, she was asking after the more difficult one. He would have to make sure Locha was at least near by in case they got caught out. He was a strong swimmer, if a heavy weight to keep up. Once he got started he was difficult to stop, same as it was for him on land. He could easily anchor her smaller body against the tide, even if he wasn't sure he could hold up her entire weight the whole way if it happened to be needed. In other words – the best way to cross would be team work. “Its one of the closest islands to shore that I've seen so far, but its current looks pretty strong. You would have to keep beside me, but I have no doubt we could do it with ease – together” he promised her, grinning into her bright expression. That it had caught her attention was all the confirmation he needed that it would be their destination. He hadn't been to the island before, through he had been out against the currents near by it, enough so to know he could handle it fine and could shelter Anais from it. It would be a new place for both of them to explore, and he was also eager to set off and explore by her side. He started to move towards the exit of the cave network, hesitating to see if she would follow before moving himself to the shore closest to the island. They had to move to the very end going South of their island, to the point where they would have to West or into the water in order to keep straight. here he stopped, raised his head, and howled to Locha - not asking for her presence, just warning her they where going for a difficult swim, it would be good for her to be near by if they hit trouble. “We go straight East across the water, see the shore?” he asked, pointing out its position in the water. "Speech"

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Walk | Talk | Think There appeared to be an element of danger to this trip that Glacier had devised for them that Anais was sensing as he described the route they would need to take to get there. Across the ocean they would go, fighting a tide that was stronger than elsewhere even though the trek would be shortest where they would cross. She was nervous - she would have been a fool not to be! - but in the same breath she was still excited. This newest adventure of theirs was sure to be a challenge for the both of them, testing their ability to work with one another as well as their strength in the water. Anais hoped that all her mother's attempted training at making her daughter a skilled swimmer and fisher would help pay off now, despite acknowledging her lack of prowess at either. Glacier will be there, she assured herself, taking comfort in that. He would always keep her safe. She nodded her head swiftly, repeating his statement with a smile. "Together." Knowing what was ahead of her, the golden brown wolf was eager to set off in search of this close by island, and her big, silver-eyed companion did not keep her waiting. He turned and began to lead the way from the cavern system, and Anais was right on his heels, hurrying so that she could fall into step beside him as she kept up with a bouncing, excited gait. A smile beamed from her face as she followed Glacier out of the caves and into the daylight, along the dark shoreline of the Obsidian Beach and toward the southern edge of their territory. She could not recall being out quite this far when she had done her own exploration of the beach, but she spotted the island even before the male beside her could point it out. It was clearly visible from the shoreline, and only now did she offer it an appreciate, curious stare. As Glacier stopped upon the shoreline, Anais did too, glancing at him as he reached his head back and called out in his deep voice to his sister, Locha. Knowing the expert swimmer would be aware of where they were headed was a relief since it meant they had backup here at home should anything go wrong, but she had high expectations that things would go smoothly during their crossing. Once more she smiled and offered a wag of her tail in her eagerness as Glacier let his attention redirect to her and attempted to get her attention on their destination. Anais turned her head and danced a little on her paws as she spotted the island again, nodding her head as she continued to look out past the waves at the distant shoreline. "I see it," she assured him, wondering to herself exactly how much distance separated where she stood now and the beaches of the island. It hardly looked like that big of a swim, but the tides and undercurrents were stealthy adversaries. In a sudden show of her nervousness, she stepped a little closer to Glacier's side, reminding herself again that he would be there every part of the way.

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He couldn't imagine wanting it any other way then an adventure that required the two of them to work together. Well they would trek in relative silence to the perfect spot on the beach, it was a comfortable one where they could admire the view and the beautiful day, revel in each others company and the knowledge that they could rely on each other. When they reached the right point they would stop and look out at the island, Anais's eyes finding it easily even before he offered his assistance. Anais seemed eager and excited, her tail wagging behind her and her paws light upon the earth. It wasn't hard to spot her nerves as well, as her eyes surveyed the distance and perhaps wondered what hidden dangers might await them. She skirted a little closer to the larger male and he lowered his head to nuzzle easily against her own. “are you ready?” he asked her, already moving to the shallow water, his paws moving easily into the surface. It was pleasantly warm here in the shallowest part of the water, where the sun had warmed more then just the surface and it was pleasant to the touch. He turned to ensure Anais was beside him every step of the way as he moved slowly into the water. With every step it became deeper, through of course Anais would be forced to swim earlier then he, but he would easily offer himself to lean against in any way or form if she needed. So far, the water barely had a tug, and that was just the gently rolling tide to the beach and back out into the deep again. The undercurrents wouldn't be found until further out, so Anais wouldn't get a feel for them immediately, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad – allowed them to adjust to the water and the feel for swimming before it got challenging, or if it would have been better to be presented immediately, where it would be much easier to turn around and head back to shore if she became uncertain. Regardless, they would take this at an easy pace and the moment they felt the undercurrents he could drag her back to quieter waters in a heart beat if she looked like it was too much of a struggle. He turned, back to her, and flicked his tail against the surface, skimming it over the water until it created a small wave to crest over Anais's face. Grinning at the smaller wolf as he did so. He was paying close attention to her to know the moment the water became to deep for her to simply walk. "Speech"

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Walk | Talk | Think A little nervous chuckle slipped through her lips as Glacier reached down to nuzzle her, and as much to reassure him as it was to reassure herself Anais nuzzled him back. If it had been walking across the entire continent she would have felt less nervous than she did now. It was only because of the unknowns of the water that she felt nervous at all, though nothing was going to make her change her mind. Already she was thinking of what they might find on the beach, what they might find inland, how much fun getting to explore the place would be with her big blue protector at her side. Even as the butterflies took flight in her stomach, Anais grinned. This was just another challenge to overcome, and she would do it the same as she had all the others behind her. He asked if she was ready, but even before she could nod her answer he was moving. Without hesitation, the golden brown wolf stepped after him, allowing her attention to shift from him and toward the water that they would be entering with a serious, focused stare. She drew in a breath and released it slowly as they approached the water, and watched it wrapped up and around her paw with the first step. It was not cold, or at least not exactly, and for that she was glad. Getting that shock of cold water to her system on top of needing to swim all the way to an island through water that she had no idea she would be able to navigate surely would have been an entirely bad idea. This way, at least, she had one less thing working against her. And one more thinking working for her. Though easily could have left her behind, Glacier hung back, matching his stride to her own as he entered the water with her. Her attention remained fixed on the ocean's waters as she entered, but she was still conscious of him there, and got the reminder she needed to acknowledge him as his tail slapped some of the water toward her, in an arch that just perfectly captured her head. It was more from surprise that she gasped, almost stopped, and turned her attention toward him with an open mouthed stare to see him grinning back at her. Quickly Anais shook her head, driving as much of the water from her face as she could, and determined to pay him back for the playful gesture, she took a hurried few steps after him. Only as she did, she felt the soft, pliant sands beneath her feet give way and her body suddenly became buoyed by the water. A little sliver of panic went through her mind at the suddenness of the ground disappearing out from under her paws, but instinctively she began to paddle through the water, and with another nervous chuckle and a reassuring smile Anais began to swim alongside her longer-legged companion.

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The moment the ground fell away beneath her and she was forced to swim, Glacier would be there beside her. Not that he had been more then a step away from her regardless, but this better lent her his support if she needed it. For him, the tiring part of swimming was yet to begin. The ground had fallen away suddenly but he could still touch the ground - just, with just his head free from the surface, but his back was only shallowly under if she desired support. Of course, the next dip in the earth would definitely take away his own footing. He could already see the island more clearly however and knew the swim would not be a long one. He began to take each step more careful, watching out for where the tides crossed and the pull would be felt for them.

Only a few steps more and he would begin to feel a tug, only gently for him who had a sure footing on the earth, but he leaned closer to anais, keeping her close enough to grab if he thought for even a second that she needed it. His inner belief was always to let people find their own way - but only to as certain extent, he would take on any danger for his beloved and his family, even if there where many lessons in life they could only learn for themselves. Not that this was meant to be a danger, only as challanging adventure. "How you doing? " he asked gently, keeping his head clear of the water as he spoke - he already had enough of a salty taste in his mouth just from being near the ocean. The water was also definitely more cooler here, through it had helped they had eased into it from a warmer side. Not that the cold bothered him mind you - it was rla refreshing change from the beaches heat. In that moment he would lose his own footing and he sound of his paws digging through the water would be more noticeable then anais's own. His strokes through the water where strong and sure, if held back to ensure he never strayed from anais's side. He could definitely feel the pull of the undercurrents now, a gentle tug for the moment, tempting him to move off alignment from the straight-cut path to the island. He defied it, ensure he stood a steady becon for anais to guide the quickest way to shore.

Walk | Talk | Think With the support of the sandy shoreline gone and her swimming skill the only thing stopping her from being drawn out to sea, Anais felt the pressure of the task at hand finally settle in. While she knew she was not alone in this adventure - Glacier managed to keep pace with her despite his longer legs and greater strength - she stubbornly did not want to rely too heavily on him for support or assistance. As her paws churned below the surface of the ocean, drawing her steadily further out and toward their island destination, she was mindful of him there at her side but continued to try and steer herself along, tried to fight the pull of the undercurrents that she could feel threatening to pull her off course, if only slightly. To some extent, they did influence her direction, but Glacier prevented anything more than an occasional bump between the two of them as he acted as a barrier, and despite her self-reliance she was still glad he was helping quietly. Over the soft splashing of the water and the rush of the coastal winds, she heard his voice call out to her and question her progress. How was she doing? They were still on their chosen course, they were still together, and though the temperature of the water had dropped, she still felt comfortable. "Okay," Anais called back, once more bumping softly into his side before she adjusted her paddling to add a small space between them. "We're getting closer, right?" It looked that way to her, but getting a second opinion seemed the safest option, particularly given the slight dangers adherent with what they were attempting to do.

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Glacier hid his grin at Anais's determination. He could see it in the stroke of her swimming, the way she pulled away when the tide pushed her into him – it was clear she was determined to make it on her own strength. Glacier could respect that, and would keep his aid subtle unless something happened that required more drastic action. For example, the tide sweeping her away, or her head vanishing beneath the waves. So long as she kept on a steady course beside him, he was content. The undercurrents didn't get any stronger, and well he could see how doing this for long periods would be disastrously painful, their short swim would easily be manageable. Anais would answer him, her voice easily rising against the softly sweeping winds and he beamed at her. “Not far now Anais, we are over half way, and we should feel the sand beneath out feet before we reach the shore” he said, there was a nice level of flat sand around the island, perfect for easy swimming, or playing. The giant continued to put one paw before the other, tugging his giant way through the ocean. His rhythm would be broken however when he gasped and pulled back, his face a mask of surprise before laughter changed it. “A fish touched my paw.. look Anais” he said, nodding his head towards the water, as he started to swim again, there where some swam a little closer to the edge and you could see their scaly bodies, he laughed softly. “Looks like we have some swimming companions” he pointed out, looking back to the island to see they where almost there, just another minute of swimming would see them to a shallower end where their feet could touch sand once more. "Speech"

Art by Arin

 

Walk | Talk | Think It was a small relief to hear that they were getting close, and even while a majority of her attention was given over to keeping her legs moving in the waters toward their destination Anais managed a smile. Almost there now, she repeated to herself as she redirected her gaze toward the island looming ahead across the water. It did look closer now, and with Glacier's confirmation she knew they were closing the distance now. Just a little more. Swimming might not have been her strong point, but she was still grateful for her mother's lessons now. They might have been conducted in still lakes and calm rivers, but the determined golden brown wolf felt sure that they were helping her now, as was the big figure next to her that she still occasionally bumped into despite her best efforts to keep herself on a straight path that did not involve being drawn into his side. She was so resolute and focused in her actions that the unexpected gasp of her companion startled her, and with a noticeable stall in her paddling, she turned her head to regard him through wide, yellow-gold eyes. "What?" He laughed, surprising her yet again, though he managed to explain himself through his sudden humor. Fish! Curious now, Anais spun just a little in place, paddling in a half circle so that she could peer around them and into the water from the surface. They were a little hard to make out what with the waters all around them moving from their paddling, but she thought she saw their little dark shapes zipping by below them. Instinctively her thoughts went to fishing, but given the state of the water they were currently swimming through she knew attempting to catch one here would be unwise. An answering smile stretched across the little hunter's face, and with a laugh she resumed paddling forward to try catching up with the big blue wolf who had gotten slightly ahead of her. "They do feel funny, don't they?" she commented, and her smile took on a more humorous look. "I hope they don't want to race." No matter her confidence in her ability to swim, Anais knew she was no competition for the creatures who lived below the water's surface.

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He hadn't meant to startle Anais or ruin her rhythm, he had just been so surprised himself when something quick and slimy battered against his paws. He had almost sunk himself, stopping in surprise until he realized what it was. His giant form had sunk a little, till only his head was out the water until he had realized what it was that had startled him and began to paddle again, laughing and pointing out to Anais what it was. He would watch her as she turned a half circle on the spot, grinning at her own curiosity. It showed how brilliant the water was, how fearless the island's fish was, and the clear sparkling water somehow seemed more complete now as he looked beneath the surface to bright scales of their friendly companions. He snorted at Anais's words “Lets save racing the fishes to our little Loch-Ness-Locha” he teased, he wasn't exactly speedy in the water himself – powerful and sure, yes, but speed in a situation like this wasn't in him. The agile, beautiful creature beside him could surely outpace him if she tried. His swimming rhythm changed as the bottom of his paws touched sand, he couldn't quite reach it without stretching out his paws yet, and it was another few strokes before he was walking once more and not swimming. A fish darted between his paws, drawing a little figure eight before it moved over to Anais's ducking beneath her still paddling paws and vanishing from sight. He watched its path before lifting his gaze to Anais's face. “We made it, my little adventurer.” he said as he made an easy pace across the shallowing water and in no time they where in water so shallow it only encircled his ankles. “I vote we sunbath for a breath to warm up and rest, then we can explore the island?” he questioned, through his gaze already sought out the perfect spot. There was a little grassy cliff, only twice his height just on the edge of the sand, it had a perfect view of the ocean, the sky, and the land they had left behind. "Speech"

Art by Arin

 

Walk | Talk | Think She could tell Glacier was in agreement with her regarding the potential racing fish and the chances the both of them had with giving the fish actual competition in the water. The mention he made to Locha drew about a laugh from the little hunter as she continued to paddle resolutely forward, and inwardly she agreed wholeheartedly. Locha, at least from what she knew, was like a fish herself, as comfortable in the water as the rest of her family was on land. Anais could not help thinking that her mother would have enjoyed meeting the Elementas fisher and exchanging tactics if not sharing demonstrations of their skill, but her own could not compare with either of them. Not even with a head start did she stand a chance at posting any sort of challenge for the creatures of the sea. The moment Glacier touched the shoreline went unnoticed to Anais as she continued to paddle along, too focused now on simply getting there herself to notice that he already had. So close, so close, she thought as she stared upward at the looming island, able to see now in greater detail the layout of the shoreline that they were very rapidly approaching. Almost there! She struggled just a little against the backward pull of the tide but managed to finally feel the first grazing brushes of sand against her paws, which only fueled her determination more. As her feet finally gained purchase, a bright smile of relief and triumph spread across her face as she walked further up the beach alongside Glacier, her wagging tail sending splashes of ocean water to either side as she went. "We did it!" Her words echoed those of Glacier as the golden brown wolf practically pranced clear of the water and stopped, taking a moment to shake and rid her coat of as much ocean water as she could. It caused the fur to stand up in little spikes, to ruffle a bit and lack much of its usual calm fluff, but she neither cared nor knew of her appearance after their swim. The suggestion was made that they allow a little time to sit in the sun and dry off from their swim, and though she felt perfectly comfortable here on the shoreline, standing under the sun's rays, a quick glance over her shoulder and toward the more densely vegetated terrain of the island convinced her that strolling through the cool shade while soaked through would make for a very uncomfortable trek. "That sounds like a good idea," Anais answered, nodding her head affirmatively. She glanced to either side along the shoreline and asked, "Should we move further up the beach first?"

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Had Glacier known Anais's thought he would have wholly disagreed with her. His little adventurer was sure footed and agile. He had seen her hunt and had witnessed her swimming all the way out here. They had had a slight pull of current and no place to rest until they had reached from one side to the other and she had not faulted, through she had to push her shorter legs twice for every stroke he made. She was stronger then she gave herself credit for, and he had no doubt she could give Locha a run for her money in fishing. Perhaps Locha was born to the sea, but Anais was the most skilled hunter they had. The only thing Anais lacked was confidence, she was too hard on herself, but if Glacier had his way she would see herself through his eyes and would know that she was the most stunning creature in Alacritis. Still beside Anais, with his taller frame already well placed on the sandy earth beneath the waves he would watch Anais. He watched her struggle, but also saw the bright determination in her eyes and decided against helping, he wouldn't take away from her achievement. His grin split wide across his face as she found the earth beneath her paws, the radiant smile on her own face simply adding to the pleasure in his own. “We did” he agreed, moving to gently nudge his shoulder against her own. They where leaving behind their fishy friends and marching onto the sandy shore when Anais cleared her coat of water, he ducked and cried out in joking alarm, before, with an extremely mischievous smile, he fluffed up his huge coat, towering above her, and shook it loose, cascading droplets of water everywhere. Still chuckling, he looked over at Anais sheepishly. His own coat had fluffed up to twice its size and he was a walking puff ball. Stray hairs drifted over his eyes obscuring his view, not enough that he couldn't see Anais's own spikes of course. He laughed softly at the sight and side-stepped a little closer to her before he moved his head over the back of her neck and groomed down a few strands going towards her back. He glanced down at her once then, and if she had seen the lock in her eyes she might have known there was trouble to come. He moved his head further up her head towards her forehead and got to grooming again, grooming against the fur until half her forehead hair stood on end. He stepped back to admire his work, shaking with laughter before he kissed her cheek. “Lets” he agreed to the shoreline comment, and took off running across the sandy beach to the grass bank at the edge of the beach before the tree line. "Speech"

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Walk | Talk | Think She should have known that shaking her fur out beside Glacier would get her the same sort of treatment, and yet she still cried out with a laugh as he did so. Her golden eyes closed against the spray as she continued to grin, side stepping quickly to avoid the worst of it and succeeding for the most part. As much as she did not mind the water, she had realized that he had the right idea about drying off, and the more water that returned to her coat the longer it was going to take for her to be ready to venture further into the island. Opening her eyes again, she stifled another burst of laughter. Glacier looked almost double his typical size, his dark blue fur spiked and fluffed in a comical way that immediately tickled her funny bone. She wanted very much to laugh but knew better than to think her mischievous boyfriend would let her get away with it without enacting some sort of payback of his own. She had to bite the inside of her lip, but managed to keep her laughter to herself, and only smiled with a humorous gleam in her eyes as he strode toward her. Her tail wagged excitedly as she reached for him, inviting him close with a nuzzle to his shoulder while he smoothed down a bit of the fur on her neck. A few giddy giggles escaped her as she drew back to peer upward into his face, and having missed the telling glint in his silver eyes was caught unaware as he groomed the fur atop her head the wrong way. Anais could feel the way it stood up, awkwardly against the grain, and drew her expression into an accusatory stare that only lasted a few seconds at best before it fell away with another peal of animated laughter as he kissed her cheek. With her confirmation already given to seeking out a place for them to sun on the beach, Glacier wasted no more time in beginning that search and with only a word of warning he was off. Still on her feet, Anais turned and swiftly raced after him, grinning as she pursued the larger wolf. Did he have a spot in mind? Maybe he traveled with a destination planned, but the golden brown wolf was content merely to follow along.

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Glacier couldn't have felt more at ease in the world as he enjoyed the perfect day with Anais. Having partially caught her with the spray from his coat and her surprised laughter, he couldn't keep his eyes from dancing. Pressing his fluffy fur against her as he groomed out his coat only added to the mayhem of his current appearance, the static as they touched set his fur on edge and he knew it would be a long while before he got his coat sitting right. He could only imagine what Voltage would say if he saw him now, no doubt there would be some comparison to puffer fish. His innocent girl invited him closer, put to ease with his few careful licks of her coat. He had intended to leave it at that, but he just couldn't help himself. He stepped back to take her in, all puffed up and erratic, and knew he would tuck that memory away for safe keeping. There would be no lasting accusations from his antics, her peel of laughter was honest and sweet, wiping away the accusations in her eyes. The two wolves raced across the sand, the Titan's steps where heavy, a dull thud sounded with each landing and well his stride was sure and strong, Anais's light build gave her an advantage over him. Even with his head start she could catch up to him if she tried. He laughed gently into the wind, giving a little push off with his back legs and a leap as he ran, landing heavily on his fore paws and barely missing a stride as he continued along the sand. They reached the grass in moments and he pulled himself up the tiny sandy cliff onto the grass and collapsed there with an 'omph' looking back to ensure Anais could get up alright herself. "Speech"

Art by Arin

 

Walk | Talk | Think While Glacier thundered along the sandy beach, Anais was fleet of foot and quieter except for the laughter that she still could not quite control. She beamed as she traveled along beside and just behind the blue wolf's lead, understanding as she ran that she very well could have gotten around him if she put her mind to it but that, if she did, she would not have the same direction that he appeared to. Besides, it was more fun to keep pace with him anyway and glance at him from the corner of her eye while she ran. He seemed to be enjoying himself about as much as she was, and it only boosted her good mood to see it so visibly upon his handsome features. They definitely needed to do this sort of thing more often. As she had suspected, Glacier did have a destination in mind from the start and he brought them to it now, climbing with his swift and surefooted gait up a sandy cliff to a grassy area that was exposed to the sunlight and offered a more comfortable and less sandy place to rest and dry off. Though she lacked the Ferax's long stride and muscle power, Anais only hesitated a little as she attempted to scale the cliff after him, taking it slower and just a bit more cautiously. It was certainly a test of strength, but stubbornness won out and she managed to drag herself to the top with a satisfied grin and a victorious wag of her tail. With the big blue wolf already collapsed on the grassy spot, the little hunter strode over to him and nuzzled into the side of his neck with her forehead, offering him a bit of affection while casually smoothing down the fur atop her head that he had mussed up earlier. Still beaming a bright smile, she plopped down onto the grass beside him.

Art by Dancing Crows