Basilia had made her way through the snow and ice and then more deeper snow and ice. She was sick and tired of the cold and it had almost driven her to insanity, she had taken to mumbling to herself to stave off noticing the effects of the cold on her body. "Damn winter, always getting in my way. Can't even bother to benefit me." Basilia asked herself why she even bothered coming all the way up here. Was it to prove something to mother nature or herself? She decided it was the first and in her madness yelled to the heavens "Suck it mother nature! I'm the boss!"

After declaring her opinions to the sky she felt a gust of change. It wasn't cold this time, it was warmth. Heat even. As she got closer to the source of the heat her lavender eyes fell on a glowing chasm in the ground. Lava, it was lava! Finally a break from all the freezing cold and annoying wind. Basilia laid her body down on the ground and felt a joyous laugh rise from her throat. Warmth, she was warm again at last. Who knew how much effort it would take her to leave from this spot.

The reek of sulfur did little to dissuade Circe from her mission. She'd heard whispers of a place where fire ran through a trench in the earth like a river. With a word picture like that of course she had to come investigate. Hell's River did not disappoint. The heat that rolled off if it in waves forced the giantess to keep her distance and she found herself walking parallel to the lava with her shoulder pressed a cave wall. The ground beneath her paws was the kind of hot that threatened to become too much if she stood still for long. It reminded her quite strongly of her reunion with Archon on the mountaintop. Her eye was caught by a furry lump on the ground up ahead. Circe could just barely make out the shape of it but the ears gave the wolf away. Of course she had to investigate. Few wolves would willingly lay down beside a river of fire. Adopting her do-good facade, Circe called out, "Everything alright, friend?" "Circe" "Gwydion"

The warmth was all Basilia could have asked for. As she lounged by the river of lava she saw another wolf, one much larger than herself and equally muscular. Now this, this was a wolf she could respect. They seemed to stay close to the wall though. Is it possible that they were a northern wolf? Was the heat too much for them to bear?

She stood up to address the other wolf who had asked her if she was alright. She made sure that her voice was at a volume so that they could hear her. "Yes! everything is quite alright!" She would inquire as to why the wolf wasn't any closer to the lava. "Isn't the heat wonderful? This place is a haven compared to the snow and ice. Why aren't you any closer, you must be tiring of the winter."

With little bits of laughter interspersed throughout her words her case of minor insanity was still quite apparent. Her senses might have been dulled by the prolonged period she had spent outside in the cold, therefore the heat was no matter for her. After she left the river though she might in fact find herself quite lacking in comfort.