she awoke a little after what seemed to be the afternoon. due to the fact it had been nearly dawn when they slept, she was not surprised by this. Zola yawned, her saber fangs clicking against her tongue, and forced herself to all fours. the muti seemed to have worked and she was feeling less pain than before, though there was still some stiffness. glancing at Eliphas' sleeping form, she walked around him to go back to the fallen grizzly bear she had slain. in her jaws was the iklwa, but she did not quite need it. her fangs were enough to cut the belly fat of the beast. blood began to pool around the body, but she did not stop until she removed the stomach and liver.

adding a small slice of meat from the stomach, she returned to where the fire from last night burned still. both wolves had eaten their share of the tough meat previously, yet it was important to keep strength up. she dragged the meat and intestines to the fire, throwing it on the flame to cook. then she turned back to the small pool Eliphas' owl had found, washing free of fresh blood. with her back turned to the boy, she was not aware if he awoke yet or not. Zola did not pause. she made sure to wash all the blood and grit off her so not to attract any predators in the area. by now the pool of water was almost at the end of its life. she hardened the stomach on the fire before removing it, leaving the liver behind.

she quietly filled up the container with water and tied it at the ends so not to spill. this would do for now. Zola had to preserve the rest of the bear for their travels, but that could wait. she huffed air through her mouth, approaching Eliphas' sleeping form. "sanibonani" she uttered, pressing her muzzle against his head to wake him up. the sun has risen, and so should they.

- - "Talking!" Walking. 'Thought/Others!' - -

Daylight was usually when he slept, always finding a nice cave or dense forest to keep out of the sun. His sensitive skin could only take a little bit before he started burning, which quickly led to blisters. He didn’t get along well with the sun. He preferred its tiny wife the moon. So he wasn’t disturbed at all as Zola stood and made her way from their little camp. Merlin cast her a quick glance, but didn’t even make a sound as he snuggled back into his plush feathers and resumed his sleep.

Eliphas didn’t move a bit as she worked, and only when he felt her touch did he awake from his deep slumber. He startled softly, but relaxed as he looked up into her protective golden gaze. Dual colored eyes blinked back the brightness of day as he looked around unawares. He wasn’t threatened by the sunlight yet, but it was a good thing he’d been disturbed as it would be directly on him soon. He yawned heavily and rolled back over, he lifted his arm and pawed at her massive frame.

”Good morning, Zola.” He offered as he blinked back his sleep. ”Just a few more minutes of sleep.” He tried to convince her as he lowered his limb and closed his eyes in emphasis.

mm. she did not know if this Eliphas was lazy or just uneducated with routine. she said nothing to him at first, content to peer down and know she had kept him safe throughout the night. no wounds littered his coat and no bruising had shown up. the bear had not touched him. she grunted, however, after a few huffs of air escaped. tucking her chin under his head, she unabashingly nudged him a few times to get his attention. "not know if safe here" Zola stated, her amber gaze on the lingering eruption. her people were no strangers to volcanic eruptions and she was wary of the gods' wraith.

though they did seem far away from the blast, she was still right to be worried. it would take time for the land to heal. the food would get scarcer and tensions high. she did not want to impose on the people that lived here if she could help it. "rest when we go there" she meant the mainland, her eyes focusing entirely on the distant shore now. as a pale-skin, Eliphas would have a hard time swimming under the full sun. she did not want him to smolder and burn. it would have only suffering. "then find proper den. set up. hole up. then after rest, we find family."

the smell of burning flesh caused her to turn and remove the liver from the fire. "eat though. this Eliphas' meal" Zola edged the delectable smelling meat toward him.

- - "Talking!" Walking. 'Thought/Others!' - -

He wasn’t even given another sixty seconds before Eliphas was disturbed by her touch once more. His dual toned gaze opened in surprise as she shoveled her nose beneath his head. He couldn’t argue with her, but he really wasn’t ready to get moving for the day. ”Awe, c’mon. You can lay down too, it’s cold we could snuggle..” He muttered while reluctantly making his way to ivory paws. He was getting up as she looked to the mainland. Eliphas gave her a quick glare.

”You don’t mean today? You’d surely rip open your wounds again if we swam today.” He protested as she gave him the rundown of her plan. Even if he wanted to go back to sleep he wouldn’t be able to with the sudden protective flare he felt over his patient. He sighed heavily as she offered him breakfast, and making sure he positioned himself in the shade, took his meal. It smelled divine. He wasn’t sure if he’d voluntarily eat bear after this, but at least Zola could make it palatable. ”Speaking of rest, did you get any this morning?” She was going to need her sleep if her body was going to heal enough to get them back to the mainland.

Zola huffed again as he stated he'd rather snuggle. walking up to the young wolf, she had already noticed he had shorter fur. staring down her nose at him, she watched as he settled in the shade before grunting, taking a seat next to him. she pressed her now blood-free and dry coat against his side. if the boy suddenly dropped dead due to the temperature... then again, she took some things quite literally. she fully expected him to drop dead.

"no. not swim today" she tried to say it as clear as possible, even if he had no trouble understanding her so far. he shot her a look that told her 'no' but she didn't expect to get to the other side of the island anyway today. she flexed her muscles briefly, testing their resolve. they didn't protest much and she took it as a sign to at least start walking toward the west. "we march. make camp near island edge. then rest. two days pass, we swim. yes?"

"yes. did rest" she was not sitting here for a whole season, waiting to heal. she could still move, gods' be praised. Zola lowered her snout, her eyes on the ground as it began to snow. the apprentice had seen this before when she entered this realm, but the volcano's eruption had turned the white substance to soot instead. she made a face as the snow fell on her muzzle, rearing back from the cold. "what is... white flakey things? is cold. make land cold." it was clear she'd never seen snow before.

- - "Talking!" Walking. 'Thought/Others!' - -

However offhand his comment was, Zola took him seriously kind of. She sat close and pressed against him, freely offering her warmth. He gave her an uneven grin as she reassured him that she did not in fact intend to swim today. The corners of his lips pulled back at her confession before dipping into the food provided. He looked back up to her as he swallowed his first large bite. ”How about we stroll?” Eliphas interjected as she laid out more detail for their next couple of days. The mystic conceded.

She said she’d rested, and the boy had to take her word for it. He leaned into her as dual colored eyes watched with curiosity as the ash filled snow fell. She hadn’t seen snow. He grinned wider, the forest he’d lived in was very much seasonal. They experienced spring, summer, autumn, and winter. ”Well, take away the ash and its water. When its cold the rain comes down as snow instead.” He told her simply, watching her bright eyes as they took in the new experiences.

Zola had no shame when it came to affection. she was an unmarried woman and in her culture, they were more open to physical affection during the period of not being spoken for. besides, she did not seem to enjoy contact in an emotional way outwardly. yet she did. she could say once she got comfortable with someone, she showered them with affection. Eliphas was leaning toward that. he asked if they could 'stroll', and she was not sure what that meant. instead, she nodded. "long as get to place" she replied to him.

he seemed amused by her reaction, but all she wanted to do was skirt away from the 'snow'. Did rain turn to... snow? what witchcraft was this? she frowned in displeasure, not really understanding but unable to do much about it. the 'snow' happened. it was real. she could not reject it entirely. "why" she asked simply, her brows furrowing. he may not have an answer for that, but she wanted to know why it happened. why did this land have snow, when her land did not? did her gods protect the people there from it?

- - "Talking!" Walking. 'Thought/Others!' - -

Eliphas was not raised in the Klein culture, where close relatives often had relations or married one another. The thought was to keep the bloodline pure, albinism was sought after not shunned. Affection freely given to your kin, but Eli was raised far away from the main bulk of Klein wolves. He was brought up in the ways of his druidic father, primal but honor bound. There weren’t many large gatherings of wolves to learn from. The young mystic enjoyed her company and the warmth she provided.

Zola seemed unamused by the snow and though she believed him she needed to know the why of it. Eliphas shrugged as he contemplated his answer. ”Water turns solid when its cold. Rivers stop, lakes turn into huge flat fields. I suppose this is what a frozen water droplet looks like.” His bicolored gaze turned up to the sky as the precipitation fell. ”So it doesn’t snow where you’re from?” He questioned her as he turned his gaze back to her close features.

"no" she raised a giant paw and gestured to her thin coat. it lacked the cold's embrace until now, a virgin in its own right. Eliphas would explain even if it made her confused. she shook her fur out, giving a little start and refusing to let him know she was puzzled. though it could be say she did look like it. "flat land. little cover. mountains though. if 'snow' on them, I not see. dry and hot. little water found." her beloved realm was far away, kept safe by the warriors that patrolled it daily. when she returned to it, it would still be there.

but as much as she stated the facts of her realm, Zola knew it would not seem ideal to some wolves. people came from many different places. she had met only a pawful of them so far. their thoughts and beliefs their own. their own ideas of freedom and want. "good land. builds strong people. rich culture" she grunted. but to her surprise, if she ever learned, the mountains in her realm did have snow. just at very, very high elevation. too high for her to travel to and be able to survive comfortably though. "I come to learn. grow mind." she added in, knowing why he came.

- - "Talking!" Walking. 'Thought/Others!' - -

She was certainly not from somewhere that experienced snow, as he should have realized from her short coat. Hopefully she would be able to adapt to the harshness of winter, another reason to be quickly gone from this place. The land she described was nothing like where he grew up, everything sounded like a stark contrast to the lush forests his parents spent their lives tending. She spoke fondly of them, and likely would feel more comfortable there than his home. Zola talked a little of her people, and why she’d left in the first place.

Eliphas leaned more heavily against her, his head cocked to watch her with his bright pink eye. ”What have you learned so far?” He asked curiously, unaware of how intrusive he might seem. ”Do you miss it?” He wasn’t sure if he’d heard longing in her voice or not. Either way, he was grateful for her presence. Eliphas might not even still have a hold of his life if she were not.

she did miss her home, but she also welcomed the opportunity to be allowed out of it. not many warriors had ever gone beyond their tribe's borders. only merchants did. it was considered a bad omen if one could not find their way back to the tribe and they assumed the worst if the person left and never returned. eaten by lions. trampled to death by a herd. it was always important to go out with a warrior or two. Zola had gone out alone. she had survived alone. "we not have 'grizzly bear'. that new" her people would be gladdened to know there were none in their homeland. lions posed enough trouble.

she scrunched up her facial features, twisting them around to show thought. "but manage. they die much as other things" they were no immortal beasts. a good thing. she bent her head to snack on her share of the bear meat, chewing thoughtfully before answering Eliphas. "snow manageable too. wish to bottle some. take back to tribe, but this melt" even if it was terribly cold, she could feel her fur getting wetter against the melting. she huddled closer to the boy. "I miss, yes, but not allowed back. not until reach five year old."

there was plenty to learn until that time came, anyway. it gave her the opportunity to expand her horizons even more.

- - "Talking!" Walking. 'Thought/Others!' - -

She answered truthfully and spoke about the grizzly she defeated. Eliphas nodded enthusiastically. Zola had performed a huge feat of strength, and walked away. He was already highly impressed with her. He remained quiet as she spoke, and smiled warmly as she pressed herself against him in the biting cold. It felt good to share her warmth.

”That’s a long time. You can’t be older than I am.” He looked at the fire, but he had one pale ear twisted in her direction. At least it was warm, and thankful she knew how to control it. ”What would happen if you went back before that time?” Not that he expected to be in her presence for that extended period of time.

she wasn't much older than he was, this was true. Zola nodded a few times, pinning her ears against her skull. "am year old" so she would be six years old before she was allowed to return. hopefully then she would prove herself in the eyes of her people. that was not even an elder's age; she could still perform safety for the pack. she watched as Eliphas looked toward the small fire, and she bent her head to poke her iklwa's tip into the flames. moving a log around before continuing to speak, she narrowed her eyes at his question.

"I fail" she growled, the fur along her neck prickling in anger and unease. she did not know how to explain it to the boy. no female had ever attempted to be a warrior before. Eliphas had more rights than she or any other woman had. for that, she hated the male gender. "men not like female warriors. we only used to marry and have pups. create new cycle of tribe" if she did not become a warrior, her family would marry her off to the first fool man they saw. she would be made to have children. "I want more. they tell me... to go out, learn. come back in many year. then apprenticeship complete, and they accept me."

- - "Talking!" Walking. 'Thought/Others!' - -

Eliphas wasn’t a stranger to an apprenticeship, he had originally planned to learn the druidic way from his father. Their training had only gotten started when Eliphas left his parents and journeyed out to find his extended family. He hadn’t found anything yet, and already wondered if the Klein name still lived on beyond himself. He let the thoughts dissipate as Zola confessed her year of age. Like himself. He nodded softly as she poked at the fire and continued with her answer.

She would fail her quest, in their culture it seemed that women were shamed against taking a warrior’s path. Eliphas found the thought ridiculous, he wouldn’t make a good warrior just because he was a male. ”Well, you’re a thousand times the warrior that I could ever be.” He offered the compliment, he already respected her and was a bit in awe at her raw power. He leaned a little more heavily against her. ”I can’t imagine any of your men being more brave than you were against the bear.” He told her encouragingly, his eyes shyly avoiding hers by gazing at the flames in front of them.