I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Try as he might Álarr just could not get back to sleep. Nightmares had been haunting him since the volcanic eruption and sleep was now a difficult quarry. He'd failed in catching much tonight. With a sigh he got to his feet and slipped out of his den into the cool winter air. Spring was around the corner. When it arrived he'd be a full year old but in his heart he still felt like a little pup. More than anything he wanted to find Valentine's den and snuggle up next to his father. However, he also feared this would be seen as weakness, especially at this age. He wasn't sure he could really talk to any of his siblings about how he felt and Afi was so focused on his training he doubted the cat would give him more than a 'its not that bad, suck it up.'

He turned his head to look back at the opening of the den. Maybe Brynhildr? He supposed he could try asking her tomorrow. The moon hung in the sky but like always it was hidden behind a veil of clouds and ash. Muted. Dim. Álarr's gaze shifted to his paws and he started working his way across the basin. He felt like he'd been walking for hours when he noticed that his paws seemed brighter than usual. His head flicked up to see the moon break free from the dim cloak that had smothered its light for so long.

Álarr inhaled sharply as he stared at the light. Spirits above it had seemed like it had been so long since he'd seen the sun or the moon wreathed in their full beauty, their light shining unhindered, bright and true.

Okay, so Lili was absolutely not supposed to be doing this. But the girl had never exactly been one for rules... she'd always been one of the more energetic of her siblings. And well, frankly she often thought of herself as invincible, her parents had warned not swim by herself but what was the worst that could happen really?

And now that she'd explored every inch of the island they'd evacuated to, some with Lachland and some without, she was bored! So she'd done the worst thing she could have, she'd left the island. Swiming back towards the mainland. It hadn't looked quite so far away from the shore of the island but now.... well she was exhausted.

As the girl pulled herself up to the shore, she was shivering from exhaustion and the chill of the ocean. Her legs ached and as she could feel her balance wavering she forced herself further forwards, not wanting to be swept back into the sea. She didn't really see the depression until she was practically tumbling down into it, luckily for her she'd found a path down so that when she finally collapsed onto her side she was at most a little bruised but otherwise fine. She allowed the grass to tickle he nose and paws as she panted, simply letting her young body recover from what she'd put it through.

"Speech"

Art by ulfeid3

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Moonlight flowed around him and Álarr continued to stare, knowing full well that the moon could be covered again at any moment. Already clouds seemed to be moving in from the north and he tried to will them away. He wasn't ready yet for the light to go. The sound of movement caught his attention and then a thump. "Hello?"

He quickly got to his feet and headed in the direction of the sound and when he arrived he saw a wet, shivering girl laying on her side. "Oh my! Hey, are you ok? I'm a healer if you need anything." Álarr quickly slipped his pack off and opened it before pulling out a piece of deer hide. Maybe it would help the girl get warm.

A voice called out but Lili was a bit busy taking catalogue of her pain, or lack therefove. Her limbs were arching and her back where she'd hit the slope was a bit sore but otherwise she was probably fine. She certainly wasn't in enough pain for a borken limb but she was shivering violently and though she managed to tuck her paws close to her chest she could tell she wouldn't have the strenght to stand yet.

A wolf appeared before her, at first she struggled to make him out, seeing only a blue white glowing outline in the sparse moonlight, but as she blinked and forced herself to focus she could make out a young wolf, probably only a few seasons older than herself though with the clear signs of a yearling in his frame. He asked if she was okay. Lili nodded, trying to roll herself onto her stomach but finding she couldn't summon the strength in her limbs needed to do that.

"Mostly cold and tired."

She said simply, watching as he pulled a hide out from his bag.

"Probably shouldn't have tried the swim, but... Hey! I'm here now!"

Lili was actually pretty happy about her acomplishment. It helped to take her mind off the fact she'd have to make the return trip at some point. She cast her gaze around, eagerly drinking in the lands around her, it had been such a long time since she'd been on the mainland and despite her physical condition the girl was thrumming with excitement to get to explore.

"Speech"

Art by ulfeid3

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

The girl blinked at him and for a moment Álarr was wondering if she'd hit her head. Did he need to try and check for a concussion? Thankfully, though, she responded to his question, stating that she was ok apart from being cold and tired. In that case the hide was definitely warranted. He carefully draped the hide over her to help her warm up. If he had some buffalo hide on him that would be warmer but he didn't really carry that around with him. He had one good sized buffalo hide but it was too big to really pack and he kept it in his den to for a nice sleeping surface in the cold winter months. Eventually he'd fold it up when spring returned to the land.

"That must've been quite a swim. Where did you swim from? Oh! I should introduce myself. My name is Álarr Imperialis. What's yours?"