To say the trip had been more difficult for her than she had anticipated would have been a vastly understaded sentiment. But the excitement and anticipation of exploring was certainly doing a lot carrying her forward. Perhaps there was truth to the impact of a positive mindset. It was a little out of their way, but before they took a deep turn to the south, Mariah couldn't help herself and insist that they peek into the territory just a bit to the west of Alias Island. She had seen it on clear days in the distance. Often thought about what would be like to explore- though having only left Elysium's territory a few times, the opportunity had never presented itself. Crossing the Rock Garden hadn't been too bad, but even as they pushed closer toward the boundary, she reached a point where she didn't recognize even their own territory.

The neighboring valley were the ocean cut inland was beautiful. She felt the draw to go down and explore, but didn't want to chance the struggle overcoming her will on the climb back out. So, for now, Mariah lingered at the edge, scanning their surroundings with great interest. "I'm glad we stopped here before going south," She murmured to her brother, before returning her attention to him all together. Putting the steep drop off behind her, she put some distance between herself and the edge. "Are you in agreement that we should head toward Valta first?" She asked, ensuring that they were both on the same page before going any further.

"Mariah Mendacium"

Mariah had wished to explore the territory just to the west of Elysium before they began their trip south and Malico could not deny his own interest in the grand idea. As they had made the short trek out of the Rock Garden and into the Polar Sound, the purple boy keeps stealing glances at his emaciated sibling, worry clearly written into his form even as he attempts to pretend the opposite. The boy knows that his sister is a strong, independent wolf and she hates being made to feel that she is weak… even if it is her body’s fault and not her own. Even knowing that, he cannot stop his innate concern that he carries for her and her condition.

They stand side-by-side, at the edge of an overlook, gazing out at a valley where the ocean had cut a path inland. Blue eyes appear to look out over the land but really, he is gauging Mariah’s exhaustion from his peripheral vision. As she murmurs to him, Malico turns his head to face her so that his crystal clogged ears may better catch her words and, what they miss, his eyes might decipher from her lips. Head dips in agreement as he offers a small smile, softly saying, “I am glad we get to see it. Perhaps we can go down there, one day.”

Even as he talks, the boy is formulating a plan as to how he can help give her more freedom to explore without expending so much of limited energy. At her question, he dips his head agreement and says, “Yes, Valta first. Do they know we are coming?” The more intricate pieces of this trip were left out when she had convinced him to come along and he is curious if their sister had sent word to Valta that they would be arriving soon.

Suddenly, an idea strikes the boy and he decide to ask Mariah a little later, when she is a bit more tired, how she would feel if he got a cart to help carry her around in. Mal knows that he will need to wait for the right time to pose that idea to his headstrong sister.


"Malico Mendacium"

Lingering around the entrance to the Polar Sound, Rhazien wasn’t doing anything in particular. He had already made a deal with Sephiran’s little plaything, and fully intended on using her for their reunion. Hell, if he put enough time into it, he could probably find the boy himself- but Rhazien wasn’t the type of man to barrel in and do things haphazardly. He was a strategist, a man of manipulation and he was proud of his work. So, why not linger around for a bit, put Sephrian on his toes, ignite a fire inside of him? It was all meant to ready the boy for a leadership role… and what better way, than to infringe on his territory?

Leaving his scent on some of the foliage, Rhazien was about to leave the Polar Sound, intent on returning to his brood of yearlings holed up in hells river. But something peculiar stopped him from leaving. The scent of two wolves appeared, almost identical in smell, with a slight variation. Pack mates maybe? Rhazien couldn’t help his curiosity. He decided to follow their trail, honing in on their location, until he found them.

Two wolves appeared along the horizon. Even at a distance, he would tell one was much smaller than the other. He caught the tail end of their conversation… something about Valta, and if they knew they were coming? Well now, Rhazien just had to know what that meant. Coming closer, he could tell they were both much younger than him- in fact, they were Sephiran’s age. “Stopping by for the view?” He said, announcing his arrival, if they hadn’t noticed him already. He wondered why they weren’t trying to traverse down into the valley. Did they already know of Sephiran then? “There’s an amazing beach down there- lots of seals and fish to fill your bellies.” Once he was within their proximity, the brute’s trot came to a halt, and he peered down at the two wolves. Inspecting them, forming an assessment. “But you have to be careful- some say there's a monster who lives in this valley.” One of them had a pelt strikingly close to the normality of the Saxe family… which made Rhazien even more curious.  

"Speech"

Mariah's ears flicked as she heard her brother's words, a subtle grin playing on her lips at his suggestion of exploring the valley below. The breathtaking view certainly tempted her, but the practical side of her cautioned against descending without a clear plan for the climb back up. "One day, for sure," she responded, her gaze lingering on the picturesque landscape below. Maybe on their return trip home? Who knew when that would be.

As they prepared to continue their journey, Mariah's ears perked up at the unexpected voice that broke into their conversation. Turning her head, she locked eyes with the stranger- a large, monochromatic brute- her initial surprise giving way to a cautious curiosity. The mention of a monster in the valley intrigued her, though she couldn't help but roll her eyes at the thought. "Stopping for the view, indeed," she replied with a tone that was sickly sweet, yet guarded all the same. Glancing at Malico, she noted his reaction before returning her attention to the stranger. "Seals and fish, you say? Sounds tempting. And a monster, too? Well, are you trying to scare us away, or entice us in?" Her voice carried a playful cadence, but her her gaze was flat as she tried to read the man's expression for what his intention might be.

"Mariah Mendacium"