The water came up to his elbows, and kissed at his chin. The buzzing of flies and the croaks of frogs rang in his ears to the point of insanity. What had drawn him there in the first place? In the back of his mind he knew what it was, the fight between his whelp of an adopted brother and the great king Isardis had drawn him from the west and he had gotten lost along the way. If he won, Neo would pledge his undying loyalty to the Ice King, there was no doubt in his mind that this would be the final battle between the two, and he prayed to every god there was that Syrinx would fall. At the side of the ice king he would wipe out the Adravendi line and be rid of them once and for all. Only then would he rest, only then would he be at peace. He clamored onto a small island and shook the mud and dampness from his fur. His jaws snapped down on a snail and he devoured it, shell and all. He despised this waiting, waiting for news of his family's rapid decline into oblivion. But they weren't his family anymore were they? No, he was Gorecki now, and he would not rest until his line became known, and his name feared. But first, the Ice King, his king, had to win. Walk this way Talk this way

Her ebony pelt was hidden well in the darkness of the swamp. The dark colored sky surrounded and engulfed the swamp and herself like a shadow, the only light being the small specks of stars that dusted across the vast sky. The moon was hidden and showed no signs of being seen due to the fact that many trees collided with one another, making it impossible to see or notice anything. She was a good five years old, and, she had not seen Chrono for a while now. Her mate would be nowhere. She was starting to show signs of being pregnant, and she hoped her mate would make it for the birth that would happen in a while.



Her emerald optics scanned the area for any signs of life. The mud clumped to her legs, making the fur matted and smelly. A look of disgust formed across her eyes as she would soon stop in her tracks, red eyes was all she could see right now in the darkness. The moving of her paws in the water made it loud and impossible to keep quiet, so her presence would be known to the other wolf that was across from her. She could tell he would be more on the rough side, and when she got closer, she could tell that he had to be a year older than she, his fur a mix between light and dark.



"Pardon my trespassing, but, may I lay here for a little while before I be on my way?" Esperanza would ask the brute. She didn't know how he would react to her presence, but she had met many wolves who were rough on the edges like he was, and waited for a reply from him.

He lifted his head to look at the woman. Pregnant, and showing signs of whelping. "You may." He muttered, breath low and edged. His jaws closed around another snail,and pulverized it quickly before swallowing. "Who are you?" he asked, his eyes cold and hard as they rested on acid green optics. She must have been scared, all alone in the swamp, heavy with pups. It reminded him of his own long gone mate Luce, and how abandoned he must have felt after his capture. He softened slightly " I am Neo" He introduced with a mutter. He often found himself wondering what had become of Luce, had she simply died of a broken heart? Or had she left? Abandoning him and leaving him for dead. He may never know, and that, more than anything else, hurt. Walk this way Talk this way

Her green optics shown kindness and sincerity to the male wolf. She stepped out of the water and placed her paws onto the soft island. It was still damp, but, was clean nonetheless. She smiled and licked the mud off of her legs and paws, trying to get the matted fur back into its straight position. She lied down and placed her head upon her paws. Neo. That was a unique name, and she liked it. "My name is Esperanza, but most just call me Esper. You can call me whichever you prefer," she would grin and looked around.

A fish came into view as she licked her chops, quickly bringing her head down like a spider to a fly and brought it up with her jaws, snapping down onto the bone and cartilage as it soon lay dead in her jaws. It was slightly muddy, but she had to eat in order to replenish food for her young pups. She also didn't want to show that she was mean. She snapped down upon another fish when it came into view, and she pushed another fish over to Neo, a small smile upon her maw.

He sneered at the fish and pushed it away slightly, choosing instead to feast on snails. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't really like fish. He said. He paused, allowing her to eat in silence before he spoke. "Where is their father?" He asked, canting his head slightly in curiosity. It was a habit he had never fully outgrown from his puphood. The same went for his brother Preston, but on him it felt right, seemed natural. On Neo it seemed a veil for more sinister intent. He chewed on another snail, eyes boring into her swollen belly as a mixture of pity and shame rose in his gut. Walk this way Talk this way