Fall fell over the land, but the north remained cold, nearly frozen. Perhaps the only real change to the land was the lack snow and ice over the land that used to cover a dry valley. Of course he knew this only from tails his mother had told him and his brother, he was far too young to have witnessed the massive flood. As the great beast wandered the edge of the water, the terrain underneath his feet giving a satisfying crunch with each step, he noted that the edges of the water were ice coated, but the center was still unthawed. How disappointing that must be for most. They had to go the long way. Not him.

Thick waterproof fur and a healthy amount of insulating fat kept him warm enough in the frigid waters. Webbed paws and strong limbs gave him the energy and tools he needed to swim confidently in the icy waters without issue. For now, he would wander instead of swimming, looking for signs of his brother. First their mom had left them, and now it seemed his brother had disappeared as well. It was lonely being alone, and while polar bears were largely solitary, Tornjak did enjoy the company...sometimes...which was why they weren't attached at the hip...and why he was searching their favorite hunting grounds for his sibling.

to be honest, she was a bit nerved from her last bout with a polar bear. the creature had swatted her aside so easily, only adding to her determination to get stronger. it was why she did a pause when she spotted the beast. though not on Winterfell's land now, it would be trouble if it followed her back. she kept out of sight best she could but the landscape was vast and flat. she would be spotted quite soon. Heloise needed a bit of a breather since the meeting. all the eyes on her... not judging, just happy for her. but she was still not used to large amounts of wolves. it had been her first meeting and there would be many more hopefully. how unlucky was she to have found another polar bear? with the one she and Acere slew with Valkyrie, not many of them seemed to be around. though winter was coming up, so she suspected it had to do with the climate. her eyes narrowed at the beast as it submerged itself in the water though she kept a wide berth of it. with her gaze fixed on the bear, she would try to move away from it. but she was quite sure it would spot her. they were the only ones around for miles. which was also a concern; if she could not fight off this one, she could die out here. they all could die out here. protecting her unborn children was top priority.

The chill of the water did not effect him as he slid into the water, he didn’t feel the painful shock of how cold it was, in fact it felt relieving to him to be in the icy water. Head barely above the water, he swam with powerful strokes of his legs, nostrils flaring to bring in scents as he breathed. It was because of this that he smelled the wolf before he saw her. Lips twitched, lifting slightly as his dark eyes found the white wolf. The last thing he wanted to do was ask a dog if they had seen another bear like him. He recognized, however, that he was running out of options he could wander for days in the vast expanse of the north and perhaps never find his brother. A low growling sound would rumble in his throat, more of a grumble really, as he turned towards the wolf and swam back to shore. She was small for a wolf, well…maybe not but compared to him, she was small- and he wasn’t even fully grown. Tornjak towered over the wolf, but perhaps to make her more comfortable with his presence he lowered his head to her height. It was also strategic in protecting his throat from the smaller predator…should she be dumb enough to attack him. Paws still in the water, he came to a stop giving her a respectful space…even though he lacked respect for the smaller creature. It was more out of necessity, he didn’t want to have to chase her down to ask her questions. He was not that motivated to ask her. “Have you seen another polar bear, Wolf?” He asked, tones sharp, impatient, laced with a low grumble that made his words far rougher (and perhaps threatening) than that of any wolf.   "speak."

Heloise felt herself hesitate as the beast approached her. her hackles raised slightly, eyes narrowed and her body prepared to fight if needed. she had turned at its approach despite best efforts to remain out of sight. the bear, however, would speak to her. it asked about another bear and if she had seen it. her already narrowed eyes squinted slightly, wondering what to say. there were plenty of polar bears in the north, surely. it didn't have to be the one that attacked her. still bristling, she'd reply honestly. "I have" it was not in her to lie about things "one attacked me within my pack's lands." her gaze briefly shifted to the bear-sized claw marks on her right shoulder before shooting back. the bear had been looking for food from what she recalled, and many of Winterfell's pups played in the ship. an easy snack for a polar bear. she left out the part where the body was given to another wolf. she had to, for the sake of a girl's freedom.

Her hiding hadn't worked, a keen nose and sharp eye had spotted her but she did not run...as he somewhat expected. Instead she stood readied and bristled, waiting for a fight. Tornjak was amused by her display, though he hadn't yet decided if she was brave or stupid. Rounded ears pulled in her words, his brow and head raising slightly with interest. A polar bear had attacked her? Tornjak took a closer look at the tundra wolf, noting the healing wounds on her shoulder...surely if it had been his brother he would have mailed the dog and devoured her... Unless the pack fought him together. A rumble vibrated lowly in his chest. It couldn't be his brother. He wasn't that stupid.

"must have been different bear. Brother isn't that stupid." He nodded slightly, but as an after thought he'd ask more questions...just to be safe. "Where did this bear wander off to?"

"that bear is dead." Heloise was not going to lie about that. this bear had seen the wounded shoulder and saw that she had put up a fight. Acere had run to her rescue and for that she was thankful. she was not sure if she could have handled the bear alone, and made plans to re-train herself once her pregnancy was over. she was not going to endanger this litter or any other litter, she might have. but she did wonder why the bear felt the need to speak to her. typically his kind did not speak to wolves. perhaps it was time to bridge that gap. starting with this bear and his troubles. "you look for your brother?" perhaps there was some sympathy in her tone as she addressed him. she knew something about trying to cling to what you had lost. the alabaster woman frowned at the polar bear. "where did you last see him?" Heloise could never turn away someone's cry for help. even if this one hadn't cried about it, he mentioned it. it was enough for her to show concern.

Her answer surprised him. His brow rose further, eyes widening slightly before he chuckled. The sound vibrated through his chest, a deep guttural noise, lips pulled back in a grin, she was bluffing…right? That small thing couldn’t take on a bear…then again, she had a pack…a pack could take on a bear even one of his size or larger. As his humor faded, “by your teeth, or many?” He asked, he simply had to know, did she kill it on her own or did she have help. It was uncommon for bears to speak to wolves, they typically stole their pups or their kills, but they rarely- if ever- asked for help. Perhaps that was what separated Tornjak from others of his species, while he didn’t enjoy asking for help he wasn’t above it either. Her question held an obvious answer, his rather short temper immediately pulling up a snappy response, but he pushed it down. Be nice to the wolf, maybe she will cooperate. He silently reminded himself. Instead of a snappy response, he merely nodded. She asked where he’d seen his brother last and he hesitated, pondering the question. Where had he seen him last? It would have been between here and the Redwood Forest… it had to be. They had parted ways to try and find better hunting grounds to survive the winter. “By the big tree forest.” He didn’t know they were special trees, he only knew they were huge. “Mother had told us about how the ocean ices over near the big boat, but with wolves there we were trying to avoid hunting on the ice.” He would speak plainly; it was possible the bear that she’d killed was his brother. Perhaps he hadn’t found anything south and had tried his chances near the boat…where the pack lived. Maybe his brother was an idiot. "speak."

he asked if she had done the deed, and she had no formal glory where it was concerned. Heloise lifted her chin, recalling the way the king had rushed in to save her and how afterward she had recovered from her wounds slowly but carefully. though she had assisted in crushing the windpipe, it was largely by Acere that the bear had fallen. but she did not miss the amusement the one before her had with the idea that a wolf her size could take on a polar bear. if not for her situation, the woman would have challenged the bear to a spar to see her skills in action. "I assisted with killing it, though our king - my mate - did the killing blow" she replied almost defiantly though soft, her ego briefly wounded by his merit. the woman recovered quickly enough, the subject moving from the dead bear to the living one. she was unaware the one they had killed may have been the brother of this one. from the way the male spoke, it was clear he was younger than she was. he still referred to listening to his mother. either he had not left the nest yet or he was young. she bet on his youth. "I cannot go far, else I would assist you in looking." she told him at last. she was already stretching it, moving this far north with her pregnancy. the threats were too great in this direction. "though I wish you luck in your search" Heloise would say, giving a polite dip of her head.