Walk | Talk | Think Spring was nearing its close, just a month or so now from transforming into summer and heralding in a new season. While that meant the temperatures would very soon be rising - which made their cool ocean territory even more invaluable - the summer heat was sure to be a blessed relief from the one Gale and her sisters were currently forced to endure. Not that it was causing her entirely too much grief, but she was more than ready to be done with the restlessness that came along with it and even more ready to start trekking beyond Donostrea's borders without the risk of temptations. Her carefree nature combined with her heat was a dangerous mix, and while she wanted to believe she had enough self-control not to allow anything compromising to happen the stakes were simply too high to place that bet. However, it did not stop her from eyeing the border and pondering just how far her paws could take her in one good sprint. The grey and lavender wolf padded smoothly as she walked the border, another one of her outlets that she had taken as a means of appeasing the restlessness she felt. In fact, she had possibly become an even more active member of the pack because of it, redirecting that energy into things more constructive and productive like hunting, tracking, and navigating. They'll be so disappointed when I go back to business as usual, Gale joked to herself, smirking a little at the thought. Donostrea and the Elementas clan were home and family, but the wind always tended to have a life of its own. Gale

Ixionn had traveled far from Sonticus after deciding he'd leave and return to life as a loner. It wasn't easy being alone like this, unable to take down big portions of food on his own. But he'd adapt...eventually. Plus, he wanted to be free to roam, at least for now. He wanted to see his siblings again, especially his little sisters, who he eagerly wanted to speak to. They were probably angry with him for ditching them...but it wasn't like he had a choice. Becoming the alpha of a pack called Isokan had been his primary goal in life until Arian announced that she was pregnant. He decided he'd have to give that dream up. Arian was a friend...he wouldn't ever challenge her. Especially not now, when she had a family to take care of. So instinctively, he had made his way toward Donostrea to see a friend. To cheer him up, in a way. But he didn't know what he was in for...

When he neared the border, he spotted her standing there, turned away from him. But close by nevertheless. Ixionn's lips parted into a weak grin, when suddenly, a foreign aroma wracked his body. He shut his jaws instantly and stared at Gale for a few moments. This...it wasn't a bad smell. It was like a rope, curling around his neck and yanking him forward. It was both frightening and...tempting? Quelt had explained everything about girls going into heat and how hard it'd be to turn away from them without having any weird thoughts. So maybe Gale was in heat? If so, this encounter would be quite awkward. He hoped someone else nearby was in heat, but didn't have any business with him. Ixionn frowned and lowered his head slowly, paws bringing him toward the pale girl.

"Long time no see, Gale." He said quietly, his ears pinning back against his head. It was her. It was all her. His tail sunk in between his legs and he shot Gale a nervous smile, his insides screaming at him as if he were about to jump off a cliff. He couldn't do this...at least, not for long. Ixionn seated himself and kneaded his paws into the sand anxiously, the fur along his shoulders and neck sticking out in all directions. It was quite obvious that he was uncomfortable.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Walk | Talk | Think She stopped upon the border, taking a moment to really look beyond the territory. Soon, very soon, she would get to travel out that way again, get to know the terrain that bordered her home. Gale sighed as she considered it, hoping that she would be able to wait that long, and just before she could resume her walk a voice from behind her, safely on the side of neutrality to avoid trespassing, called out with her name. The lavender-marked Aertus's ears perked as her eyes sparked with recognition, sure that she knew that voice though she could not quite place where. Curious, and aware that she was currently the only one on the border to intercede rogues, she turned in place, her head already angled to the side in curiosity as her attention landed upon the black-masked face of a familiar individual. Her lips slowly drew upward at the corners in a surprised smile. "Ixionn!" It was hard not to remember the ruby-eyed wolf that she had accidentally met during one of her excursions outside of Donostrea. Though, as she looked him over, there was something decidedly different to his bearing that she could not recall from their last meeting. He fidgeted, looking anxious or nervous though his greeting had been friendly enough. Gale's eyes narrowed just slightly as she tried to place it, though it only took a second for her to realize where the trouble stemmed from. Her heat. Of course. Though she should have acted a little more maturely about it, there was no denying that she found the situation rather comical. Just seeing the look on his face, and knowing she had inadvertently caused it, made her almost giddy with amusement, and the smile upon her face suddenly became more mischievous because of it. This was something new for her - not her heat, no, but this effect on another. After the wrinkled noses of her brothers she found this much more entertaining. And was perhaps a little too curious not to test it a little further. "What brings you out this way?" she asked, trying her best to keep her voice neutrally friendly and not colored by humor as she turned and strolled a little closer to him, watching him closely through her smiling face for another reaction. Gale

When he ran into ladies, they were usually in their normal stage. Some of them, like Chione, were a little more attractive than the others...but this was completely different. Gale was both physically and mentally attractive, and now that she was in heat, his body was having a tantrum. It was both horrifying and pleasing, however, he was glad this was happening with a friend and not some random woman. Or...maybe that was a bad thing. He wasn't sure...he has never been in this position before. But at least she had been happy to see him! Her mood would probably change once she realized what was going on with his body and his state of mind, but he was glad she remembered him nevertheless.

Before he knew it, her bright, cheerful expression faded, slowly shifting into a more or less mischevious one. At that instant Ixionn felt his throat swell and his mouth dry up from being so nervous. What was so funny? She might be relaxed, but this was basically torture for him! The boy dug his claws into the ground, holding himself in place as she spoke. Her voice sounded calm, still friendly and neutral. What was she planning? He didn't want to hurt her at all...so how was he supposed to control himself? Block out the aroma? Ixionn bit his lower lip, eyes widening as she moved closer to him. Instinctively, he stood to his paws, eyeing Gale.

Maybe, instead of focusing on how good she smelt, he could focus on how pretty she was. It wasn't too bad of an idea, once he thought about it.

His ruby gaze traced the soft purple markings that adorned her face, then her ears, and her eyes. Fortunately, it was working. His mind began to shift, but there was still a nagging voice in the back of his mind. Ixionn swallowed hard and stepped beside Gale, at this point getting closer to her rear end. When he realized it, he let out a weak whine and circled around so he was beside her again, just with his face away from her rear. "I wanted to see a friend," He began, forcing himself to focus on her face. "What? Am I not allowed to visit you?" He smirked, brushing his tail against her rump playfully. But at that moment his focus swayed, and he instantly regretted the movement.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Walk | Talk | Think She could practically feel the tension radiating off of the nervous, black-masked wolf as he looked at her, obviously uncomfortable and at odds with the apparent reactions his body was giving in such close proximity to her. Oops. A pang of guilt surfaced through her amusement, softening the expression of mischief that had settled upon her face as she considered the situation further. Maybe Gale was layering things on a little too thickly for Ixionn. After all, he had already been a little wound up when he had approached her, and certainly she was just going to make things worse by pushing his buttons and seeing how much more she could make him squirm. It would have been amusing, undoubtedly, but her conscience was beginning to break through and warn her about limits and boundaries that were better left untested in these conditions. Only Ixionn surprised her before she could back off. He took her approach and doubled it, getting to his feet and closing the distance that remained between them. Surprised, the grey-lavender Aertus stopped and let him steal away the last of the ground that separated them, her green eyes suddenly curious as they met his face. Was he past the border now or was she? Somewhere during their brief interaction Gale had stopped paying attention, and now that he was close she seemed only able to focus on him. Could tension be contagious? She was sure she felt it beginning to coil within her gut now, a nervous, excited sort of energy that caused her to eye Ixionn as he traveled around her side. She smiled when she heard his soft whine, adding another point scored in her favor, before she turned her head and glanced upward into his face as he stopped to stand at her other side. He must have been getting bolder now, though Gale could not fathom where it came from or how long it would last. He still looked uncomfortable to her, and she could only assume that it would be a momentary thing. She rather liked it though as he admitted to seeking her out, and she was touched that he now considered her a friend. Their previous conversation might have been brief, but it was clear they had made an impression on each other. And maybe it was just her good looks - which she was aware of - that were making things particularly trying for him. She answered his playful tail bump with a sudden quiet laugh, the tension in her spiking just a little over the contact, and though he smirked the look on his face after made her wonder if he was not making things worse for himself by doing it. "I never get visitors," Gale admitted, feeling very conscious of his closeness but flattered that he had taken the time out to visit her here on her home territory. Especially since, as she recalled, he lived quite a distance away. "Must have been some trip. How are you liking it down here compared to up north?" she asked with casual curiousness, doing her best to keep things neutral and to steer clear of anything teasing as she had decided a second ago to finally behave. But as she seated herself, she subconsciously began to lean just a little his way, as if expectant of his answer. Her tail wagged a few times, still tickled over actually receiving a visitor in her own home, and at least once her wispy appendage bumped softly against him entirely by accident and not all using his closeness to excuse it. Gale

Standing right beside her, he could easily see her face soften. That mischievous look she had faded away, and Ixionn's heart stopped racing for a brief moment. All his naughty thoughts disappeared and he was completely transparent to her alluring aroma. Was she okay? Had he said something stupid? The boy thought back onto what he had said to her before, lowering his eyes to the ground and thinking hard. Perhaps she thought they weren't quite friends, but acquaintances? The masked boy rolled his shoulders back and parted his lips to speak, when she let out a smooth bit of laughter. Ixionn's face instantly became bright with joy.

It came to him that he was himself when he was distracted. Whether it be worried about Gale, laughing with Gale, anything with Gale. After all, she was a great friend, despite their brief meetings. He would never do anything to her, no matter how much his body insisted on it. Of course, unless she allowed it. He was still very inexperienced though...and he suspected she was, too. Ixionn shook his head and let out a growl, stepping in front of her and seating himself. He perked his ears and focused all his attention on her despite the aroma that still hissed violently in his ear.

"I never get visitors," She began, turning his gears. He frowned and tilted his head. Why not? She was so cheerful, pretty, fun to be around! She needed more visitors...or, at the very least, more visits from him. Everyone needed to feel special once and awhile. The boy stood to his feet and backed up a few steps, lowering down and outstretching his forelegs forward. He let out a loud yawn, looking up at Gale and grinning crookedly.

"I guess I'm your first, then! And I won't be your last, that is for sure." He joked, sitting up with wag of his tail. He seated himself once more, focusing on her, not that smell that emitted from her. Fortunately he was getting used to it, and he was beginning to train his gut not to have a fit when the aroma got strong. The worst he would do if the aroma got too strong would be to stand and press himself against her, to soothe a bit of his needs at least for that moment. But right now, it wasn't too bad. So he didn't need to worry about it. "Actually, I like it down here a lot better. It is warmer, plus, you live down here. It got boring up north without you." He admitted, shrugging.

The man slowly lowered down to his stomach, feeling much more relaxed and calm. But his neck would soon get tired from looking up at her. Eh...he smiled sheepishly, his tail patting the ground gently. "How are you and your family doing?" He asked, actually pretty curious. She had mentioned during their last visit that she was part of a large, loving family that basically made up the entire pack. Which, he thought was pretty neat. So he wanted to know! Plus, his mind was beginning to drift from Gale to the heat smell.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Walk | Talk | Think To Gale's untrained eye, it looked to her like Ixionn was taking part in some internal monologue that she could not hear, only able to watch as he seemed to think to himself as he looked her way. Even the growl he made as he moved from his standing position so close at her side to seat himself directly across from her did not appear to be directed her way, which she was grateful for. The last thing she wanted to do was make him frustrated with her, even if she could not help the scent that her body gave off. Apparently she had a lot to learn about her body's own way of communicating that went beyond what she could control, and would need to be more mindful of it in the future. Though as she now looked across at the ruby-eyed wolf rather than sidelong at him she almost missed the closeness, even knowing it was likely just a product of her condition. She was finding him hard to read as he began expressing signals of comfort, watching in a curious sort of puzzlement as he stretched and smiled in a roguishly attractive sort of way. Maybe he was growing more accustomed the scent of her and its effect on him was lessening? That was probably a good thing; she had decided not to unnecessarily tempt him with it already, so this took away that temptation. And yet she still felt a little twinge of disappointment in realizing it, as if she had not quite given up her game completely. It did not stop her from smiling and chuckling again as Ixionn sat up and spoke of the visitors that she would be having here in Donostrea, though she did not believe him. Most of her interactions so far had been with family, not loners. But maybe if she did a little more exploration once it was safe Ixionn's words would be proven true? With expectations of a longing for home already set in her mind, Gale was pleasantly surprised when Ixionn spoke praise of the south. She had always assumed that wolves tended to settle in areas that they preferred living in, places that they enjoyed as much as the wolves that they associated with there, but she was not getting that sort of attached feeling in what her friend was telling her. And of course his mention of her layered on even more flattery that caught her off guard, her smiling expression becoming just a little more awestruck with the revelation. "Such a charmer," she teased, trying not to appear fazed by the compliment though her tail betrayed her with a wag. Had she really made that much of an impact on him when they had first met? She liked to think she left a good impression on others, but, like the wind, Gale tended to be there one second and gone the next, always following a whim of her own. To know that someone who was not family thought so highly of her, and had more importantly made it a point to seek her out in her own home, was more than fascinating. It was strange and unfathomable. She was still reeling a little from this news as her companion relaxed further and lowered himself to the ground, appearing much more at ease. For just a second Gale deliberated before she followed suit, shuffling a step back before easing herself down onto her stomach as well and crossing her lavender paws in front of her. What would her family think if they stumbled upon this unplanned, unchaperoned visit? She could practically hear her elder brothers chastising her for not following border conduct, but even worse knew they would have been worried sick to know their heat-prone sister was visiting rather comfortably with a male that she had only met once before. But Gale was on her home turf, and she knew better than to entirely put herself in a risky situation. After all, she had stopped herself from blatantly tempting Ixionn further, right? She just wished that voice in the back of her head that continued to suggest more tempting things would have listened and stopped. He remembered about her exceedingly large family and was kind enough to ask about them, and since the lavender and grey wolf was sure most of the wolves out there had an idea her pack was there now she did not hesitate in answering with an easy smile. "The family's great," she answered, "Everyone's doing well, and we've even had to expand to fit a couple new additions. Which is good because at the rate everyone keeps bringing boyfriends and girlfriends home, we need the extra room," she half-joked, smiling mirthfully to lessen the seriousness of the statement. Maybe it was not quite so prevalent a problem as she made it out to be - there were only three significant others living with them currently - but the idea had been set. More could very well be incoming in the future. "Also means we get more food options than just ocean fish, so I'm happy. I'm a horrible fisher." Gale

Thankfully, she had lowered down as well, giving his neck a break. This probably wasn't the best position to be in when they were in the middle of no where, unguarded and unaware of what was going on around them. But he was trying to relax. He'd much rather be attacked then end up doing something awful to Gale. She didn't deserve that at all. She was an amazing girl that would grow to meet a great man, have pups...he didn't want to ruin her life because of his ridiculous, manly needs that were going ballistic and making knots in his belly. The thought of something like that happening made him cringe.

Besides, they were friends. However he felt a bit disappointed when Gale had stopped teasing him. Even though he was afraid of hurting her, the mischief in her voice made him go crazy. The masked man let out a long sigh, blinking quickly as she complimented him. Ixionn smirked easily, his tail thumping in rhythm with hers. "Why, thank you." He hummed, slowly pushing his hind legs out. For some reason, he was convinced her heat smell was getting stronger. Maybe it was the breeze, blowing it right into his face? Either way, it was bothering him. The man groaned and leaned his head back, his ears flicking back. But before he was suffering for long, Gale continued to speak, distracting him.

She explained that her family was doing well, which was relieving to him. She also mentioned that the pack keeps expanded due to everyone bringing boyfriends and girlfriends home. Ixionn smirked again, eyeing her mischievously. Before he spoke, he let her finish, shocked to hear she was inexperienced when it came to fishing. He wanted to help her...but first...  "Huh! Do you ever plan to bring someone home and scare them with your big family?" He asked, lifting a brow slowly. "Also, if you want to, I can give you some pointers for fishing. I used to do it all the time during winter." He offered, a goofy grin stretching over his face.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Walk | Talk | Think No matter what turn their conversation took, it seemed Ixionn was still finding trouble being calm in her presence. Up until now she never would have guessed her season could have been as irritating for others as it was to her, but she suspected if she pointblank asked her current company if it was a bother he would have said yes. Or even if he managed to say something else, Gale felt confident that it would have been a lie to cover up the fact that it really did make things difficult for him. While it was entertaining in a way - she was still horribly tempted to push buttons: get closer, smile at him a certain way, add little remarks that might add ideas, anything - it was aggravating to know there was nothing either of them could do to take away the scent and the effect it was having on them both. It was really just a waiting game, though which kind was anyone's guess. Surprisingly - or maybe in a way she had been hoping he might comment on it as she said it - the black-masked wolf picked out what she had said regarding boyfriends and girlfriends and questioned what her own plans were on the matter. Although she was sure bringing a flighty guy home to meet her big brothers and extensive list of siblings, she had to laugh, not only because of how silly but true the idea sounded but because it felt entirely unnecessary. "I don't know," she remarked, her mischievous smile returning along with a challenging spark to her grey-green eyes while her tail beat twice against the ground, "I think I could scare them just fine by myself." After seeing the way Ixionn reacted to her, she was beginning to believe she actually spoke the truth in her teasing statement. Though she knew next to nothing about the wolf, it still startled her to hear him offer up fishing lessons after admitting she was a terrible fisher. Somehow she had never equated Ixionn with being a fisher, and even though he claimed to know enough to give her pointers the picture still did not quite add up for her. "You're a fisher?" she asked, trying to keep the blatant disbelief from her voice though even she could hear it there below the honest curiosity. "Sorry, I just didn't take you for one." Learn something new every day. And speaking of learning... "How do you fish in winter?" she asked, inclining her head toward him slightly as she asked, once more honestly curious. "Aren't the waters all frozen up around that time?" Winter did not seem like the ideal fishing season at all, but then again, what did she know? Gale