The island was empty. Great walls of stone rose on all sides, giving few glimpses of the life within. The cliff edges were sharp and threatening, like massive plates of armor. Adelaide remembered hearing stories of this place. Atlantis Island. Her parents met each other here. A lovely story, of course, but the young female knew what a coward her father was. The words were like a distant dream to her now.

Why had she traveled all this way? At a glance, it seemed ridiculous. The swim had rendered her soaking wet, her black markings even darker in comparison to her strangely white coat. The strips of color on her face looked like ruined mascara. She was a mess. Adelaide let out a bark of laughter, her low seductive voice lost in the open air. Who cared what she looked like? There weren't any wolves for miles around. She'd come here as tribute to her mother. This was one place she felt close to her.

Her shining blue eyes closed as a sweet gust of wind came down from the clouds, drying her fur. The air was sweet-smelling here. There were probably many beautiful flowers in the jungle. All she needed to do now was find them. Adelaide's eyes snapped open and she squinted, searching for any flaws in the stone armor. Her gaze found a gap in the stone, and she began walking to it. The sounds of birds fluttered in her ears, making her smile. She was glad to be alone today.

The fair little maiden lifted her pace to a trot as she moved across the beach. Her foxlike tail swung happily in the breeze. Her coat was only dampened now. Her smile grew as she leapt into the gap, easily fitting through with her graceful frame. Sometimes, in moments like these, she felt like her mother. So lithe and elegant, with a warm smile and a curious mind. Even their eyes had been the same brilliant shade of blue. Adelaide knew that her mother was always with her. She always would be, too. Forever.

She felt the pain of tears and struggled to force them back. This was no time to mourn. She had come to celebrate happy memories, and that was what she would do. Adelaide smiled into the sun, relaxing in the heavy scent of tropical flowers.

She wasn't around too much while Valhalla was on Nephilim, so exploring the islands seemed like a good way to waste a bit of time. She wanted to be near the water, and she was curious about the floating chunks of land that surrounded Alacritis. Atlantis island was a bit further north, but still on the western coast, so she didn't need to worry too much about running into any Glaciem wolves as they supposedly resided in the heart of the north. There were whispers of an island being located around here, but narrowing her eyes as she looked out at the water, there didn't seem to be anything there.

Imagine the woman's surprise as the mists slowly faded before her eyes.

Rock cliffs stood tall enough to look dangerous, but she would approach them with an explorer's resolve. She would be careful in her ascent, but not intimidated. The swim was a nice way to cool off after traveling here, but the climb was one that was a bit harder than Lyric had thought it would be. Yet as she climbed ever higher, she was met with a sweet scent - most likely that of the flowers that grew within the rock dome. As she got closer to the top she found herself excited to see what she would find - and she would scamper to the rock's peaks, only to gawk at the jungle that lay before her.

She would take a tentative step forward, only to pause, realizing that she had not been the only one to journey to the island today. Lyric couldn't tell too much from the scent other than the other was another female, but she would follow the trail, letting the water drip off of her fur as she went. Her feet crossed sandy terrain, and the sound of fluttering birds and the animals that lived further in the jungle echoed around her ears. Her footsteps were gentle, her stance that of a curious stranger - not a threat in the least - and when she found the lupine that she had been trailing, her lips would lift into a good sized smile. Friendly, despite not knowing who this lady was.

"I didn't think anyone else would be here, but here we are." The woman would say to the other. Her voice was honey, sweet, but smooth enough to be soothing to some. "Do you mind a bit of company?" It hadn't crossed her mind until then that she might have come to this little fortress of an island to be alone. Lyric herself had come to explore, and she would always accept another's presence when she did so.

Adelaide opened her eyes after a few moments of soaking in the sunshine. It really was a beautiful day. The only blemish to be seen was the occasional mist that drifted throughout the island. But the mist, too, was beautiful in that it shrouded this place in an air of mystery. Delicate white paws danced through the wildlife, looking for a lovely flower. Finally she found a small patch of lady slippers and dipped her nose to take a whiff. As the satisfied sigh passed her lips, a rustle came from behind her. Adelaide reacted quickly, first twitching her ears at the sound and then whirling to see who had stumbled upon her on this fine day. Her initial reaction was never hostile, but it was sometimes cautious. This was unexpected company.

Her eyes took on a hardened gemstone quality as she surveyed the forest around her. It was easy enough to spot the stranger. The female's coat was a gleaming white, much like her own, and she had two differently colored eyes. One was a bright yellow and the other a thoughtful blue. Adelaide grinned at the sight of another explorer. Her smile was returned. "Yes, here we are," she replied, all of her sadness diminishing. "And I don't mind at all. It's wonderful to see another wolf in this fortress of solitude."

With this last comment, she dropped a wink. Company could be just what she needed. She had come to pay tribute to her late mother, of course, but it would never be her place to banish another from the island. The white maiden nearly laughed at the thought. Of course not. Memories of her mother rested here, but other memories could still be made. This would forever be a happy place.

"Your wet coat looks ravishing, by the way." Another wink. Where was this sudden burst of energy coming from? She felt giddy at the idea of making a new friend, she supposed. "My name is Adelaide, but you can call me Addy - if you'd like. What may I call you?"

She hadn't expected the other to take to company so quickly - and seeing the other's rather charming grin, she would place aside any doubts that her presence wouldn't be wanted and take in the lady before her. The lupine had a pretty alabaster coat, and eyes as bright a blue as the sky above them - save for the black markings on her face. As she winked, Lyric would nearly blush with a bit of embarrassment - her company was not usually so playful! This woman was unlike anyone she had met thus far, and Lyric couldn't help but decide right off of the bat that she enjoyed her. "Do you come here often? I've never seen a place on this - I've never even been on an island before today." She had been feeling quite adventurous - and she was glad that she had, so far, it had really seemed to pay off. Her visage would reflect that, her eyes warm and accepting, her lips pulled into an effortless smile. With a touch of good natured laughter she would stride over to the other fae and plop down beside her.

"You are lovely as well, Addy." She would respond to her teasing, her tail lightly thumping against the ground behind her. Lyric rather liked this woman's nick name, she was surprised that she could give it to people so quickly. Was she always so friendly? Or had she seen something different in Lyric that made her react this way? With questions flitting about her head making her wonder about her current company, she would introduce herself - thoughts about exploring this beautiful island temporarily put on hold. As much as the little healer enjoyed exploring she seemed to be a social creature before all else. "My name's Lyric, it really is a pleasure to meet you." The phrase was often tossed about when lupine really didn't mean it, given to strangers as something polite but not true.

Adelaide continued to smile as the female trotted over to sit by her. She still didn't know where this excitement was coming from, but she decided to ride the wave for all it was worth. "No, actually, this is my first time on an island as well. Her smile was effortless, but it began to waver as she explained her reason for coming. "My parents met here. I never knew my father, but my mother was very close to me. She taught me everything I know about healing, and she was my best friend." Her crystalline eyes darkened a bit. "Then she got sick. I did everything I could, but she passed away two weeks ago. I came here to... I don't know, honor her somehow." Her sultry voice trailed away, and she let out a trembling sigh. This would not be the thing to bring her down. She kept her head held high. She listened with a fresh smile as the other white maiden complimented her. "Thank you, m'lady." She flipped her head crazily for a moment, releasing the last remaining drips of moisture from her swim. She secretly hoped the droplets would find their way to the other wolf. As soon as her vision refocused, she grinned again. "It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Lyric. Truly." Her tail swayed across the forest floor. "You have a beautiful name." Walk."Talk."Think.

Lyric was surprised and pleased that it seemed they had both decided to go adventuring on the same day - but listening to the reason the other was here, she realized that she had come not to adventure - but to keep a memory alive. Her parents, she could relate with her story, not knowing much of her father and loving her mother dearly. The difference though - was Adelaide had experienced the loss of her mother, and recently. "I'm so sorry." She would say, hesitating for only a moment because she had never comforted another about something so serious before. And yet she would dive right in and try, because Addy was her company here and she had been the one to ask why she came. Lyric would move to gently nudge the woman's cheek. "I'm sure she would be happy to know you came here."
Lyric was impressed despite her attempts to make the other more comfortable, that she could keep her head held high despite the recent loss. The Valhallan would laugh a moment as a bit of water was spritzed on her from Adelaide's flip of her head, and return the woman's grin with a smile. "You're very strong, to come here so soon, and to be able to talk about her." She wasn't sure that she would be the same in her situation. The compliment was also a thanks for the one given for her name. Lyric would smile in return to Addy's comment, a light blush tinging her cheeks. "Thank you, Addy. I like yours too - and your nickname." Being able to call the woman by her nickname made her feel like they were already friends.

"Speech."

The sadness was all but forgotten now. Only happy memories, she reminded herself. Don't forget the good times you had with her. The laughter, the smiles, all of those wonderful things you learned... Adelaide just kept grinning at Lyric. At this point, she didn't care if the other female thought she was insane. Every piece of grief and mourning would be tucked away, if only for today. She let her gaze soften as a gentle nose brushed her cheek. Kind words entered the air. Tentative words, like the kind spoken in an uneasy silence. But this would not change anything. There were adventures waiting to be had. "Thank you for your sympathy, Lyric, and it means a lot that you should call me strong. I've never felt particularly strong before." Her deep blue eyes shone with genuine gratitude as she stood and bumped her shoulder against the other maiden's side. "While we're here, what do you say we do a little exploring? I think I heard the sound of water over that way-" Her ebony nose pointed to the west. "Perhaps there's a waterfall! We can sniff at these gorgeous flowers along the way." The white maiden trotted off in search of a grand discovery, pausing now and then to tilt her head toward a cluster of blossoms. Every flower smelled so sweet, and the sun was shining so bright - had there ever been such a wonderful day? Walk."Talk."Think.