What the hell was he doing here? This place was treacherous at best, a vast expanse of glaciers and ice for what seemed like miles. Kai had decided to avoid the familiar frozen lake as he journeyed on, instead hugging the frigid coastline. Slowly the landscape morphed, though, icy beach slowly fading as sand became ice. Kai, his pace much more cautious than usual, ascended onto tall and uneven columns of glaciers and ice. His paws felt weirdly like they'd been turned to liquid beneath him, giving him little traction on the frigid and slick ground. Maybe coming here had been a mistake. Maybe. But then again.. maybe not? It was surprisingly hard for the normally optimistic man to find much at all enjoyable here, especially as he almost lost his footing near the edge of a sharp drop-off. He felt his stomach lurch almost to his throat and redirected himself, his legs quivering from the remaining adrenaline as he continued on. Once he found a safe enough runway, and was certain here were no other sharp falls he could take, he increased his pace and then halted suddenly on the icy runway - sending him flying ahead on the slick ice. Sadly, though, he hadn't quite anticipated how he might stop himself. Instead of ceasing his sliding gracefully, he hit a jagged corner of ice on the ground and was sent sprawling forward, head over paws, and he let out a loud yelp of surprise and pain at the sudden flip.

OOC: Nyx and I talked this thread is now PRIVATE, thanks for understanding!

Spreading her legs wide, her limbs bent, her tail waving, Aerndis carefully steadied herself as she shimmed along the ice, intent on climbing even higher up the glacier if she could. What was she saying, if? She totally could! She wondered if Jupiter had already explored this land or if she would be the first. She wanted to bring back all kinds of stories to her family. They were going to be the best explorers in the world! She just knew it. Between the three of them they would become legendary.  Scrambling to regain her balance as she slipped, she skidded forward to a slow stop.  Her heart was hammering in her chest.  Whoa! That was close! As she started again she noticed a man up ahead and she eyed him warily until he went skidding forward and somersaulted with a yelp.  Aerndis let out a laugh. Giggling she skidded toward him. "That was funny! Do it again!" "Talk" "You" Think

Kai was so focused on his little adventure in sliding, and subsequently getting flipped over onto his back, that he'd hardly noticed anyone else nearby. why would he need to be on alert, anyway? He couldn't think of many who would find this place an enjoyable spot to hang out, though then again.. he was here, which said something, if not for the pleasantness of the landscape (which was highly debatable) than it surely said something about himself. Perhaps about his foolishness, or his complete lack of awareness of imminent danger? His yelp was muffled as soon as he heard something nearby. The shuffling was followed by a sharp laugh, and he quickly rolled onto his side with a start. "Ack! Funny!?" His initial react was indignation, and he blinked slowly to make tout the form of the young girl nearby. His annoyance was short lived, replaced easily with a beaming smile as he rolled more fully onto his stomach, claws clutching at the ice. "Actually, you're right, it was pretty funny. Here--" He stood on all fours, slowly shaking out his coat of stray ice and snow before taking a few long strides backwards. With all his might, he started to push himself forward, unsurprisingly gliding on the slick surface and - with another surprised yelp - he was sent sprawling again forward, slamming back down on the ice. Ow. He'd probably regret this tomorrow..

Aerndis continued to giggle as she watched the man flail around, eventually rolling onto his side. He blinked slowly as he looked at her and she grinned back. For a moment she was a little worried he was going to be super mad and attack her but when he grinned back sincerely she felt much better. He rolled onto his stomach and stood on all fours shaking out his coat. Snow and ice went soaring through the air covering her! "Eeee! Hey!" She laughed. Her laughter soon turned to amazement as she watched him start to push him forward, sliding along the ice as smoothly and gracefully as a swan gliding atop a- He crashed. Aerndis started laughing, and she laughed so hard that suddenly her hindlegs slipped out behind her and sent her crashing onto her belly. "Ow! Oh, this is hard. Why is ice so slippery? My name is Aerndis by the way. What is yours?" "Talk" "You" Think

Her laughter was contagious, and sent him into gentle peals of laughter as she reacted to him. Kai couldn't deny that he loved the attention - he craved it far more than he anticipated he ever would, and he suddenly wanting to get the young girl laughing again. That was why he repeated his silly flip, rushing forward and spinning forward and landing with a hard grunt. Even the sharp pain that radiated through his forepaws, and then down his back as he flipped over onto the hard ice, was easily set aside as he heard more laughter. It was even harder now, and he rolled onto his side as he watched her legs give out from under her. "Ah! Careful!" He chuckled, finally steadying himself on the ice. He was beaming widely as she introduced herself. "It is hard, and I have no idea why it's so slippery," he spoke up with a nod. "Don't be stupid like me and try that! My name's Kai, by the way. It's nice to meet you, Aerndis."

ooc:  ARG I HAD A REPLY WRITTEN AND TOTALLY THOUGHT I POSTED THIS  sorry about that  xDD

Aerndis hopped up and down, nearly falling over on the ice. To her surprise and utter delight he repeated his flip, rushing forward and landing with a thud.  She kept laughing.  "That was awesome, that was-" Aerndis' luck ran out as she slipped again, her paws flying forward out from under her as she skidded forward on her belly. "Oh, haha, ow!" She couldn't stop wincing and laughing for a good minute. She opted to just lay there for a bit. "It's nice to meet you Kai.  Are you an explorer? Would you like to go exploring with me?" Exploring was more fun with a partner. Carefully she worked her paws back underneath herself and turned to him with a grin on her face, anxious to go exploring. "Talk" "You" Think

Kai knew as well as any that minor pain was merely temporary, and to endure a brief fall on the ice to see a youngster laugh like that, well.. it was definitely worth it for him. Not that Kai was one to really go out of his way to please others, but he had a soft spot for kids and she was already bringing him joy. Especially as she, too, slipped on the ice, more amused than anything else now. She stopped on the ice, and so would he, plopping down to his stomach to face her. "An explorer.. I suppose you could call me that," he agreed, his grin broadening, tail slapping against the ground. "What about you? Would you consider yourself an explorer?" Kai lifted a brow curiously as he eyed her, wondering what sort of life she might live. "I'd be happy to explore with you. Shall we check out more of this place?" Without waiting for an answer, Kai rose up and urged her to follow. Who knew where this might take the two of them? - exit Kai -