Icy hooves led Luminosa on her next adventure. Before her, a white expanse rolled for what seemed like miles. From the ice, a massive structure emerged, frozen in time. Its grey and rust colored exterior clashed with the pristine ivory around it. It took some effort to travel the uneven terrain to get close to the tremendous ship. The back part dipped lower- or perhaps the ice rose higher- so Lumi decided that would be the point of entry. It was precarious for a deer to walk on ice so she and her companion had wrapped strips of cloth around her hooves for any added traction they could get. She took the climb slowly, reassuring herself in a whisper after every step.

Despite the arrival of spring in areas this far north the wind still had a bitter and icy bite to it. Which was something Val quite enjoyed compared to a warmer climate. Her thick black coat protected her from most of the onslaught that the weather, as sly as it was, could toss her way. The black wolf stood out against the lighter climate, something that would concern some but being the creature she was it did not bother her. She had nothing to fear from standing out.

Her dull grey eyes fell on something in the distance. The large structure was not something she had seen before and her head cocked to the side as she studied it in the distance. Her steady gait coming to a stop as her eye narrowed as she tried to get a clearer view.

She broke her stare and shook out her coat as she decided to head towards the structure. She wasn't sure what it was but she was curious. Perhaps there would be something there to entertain her.

With a soft grunt she continued her slow and steady gait, approaching the mountainous structure. She did not have the words to describe it, it was to her like a mountain covered a deep redness. It had a strong metallic smell to it, similar to blood yet not quite the same. It peaked her interest and the scent of course got stronger as she approached.

She was so absorbed with the structure itself that she did not notice the other two creatures ascending the strange mountain. It was only when she was almost atop them that she came to a sudden stop. Her face freezing into a neutral emotion as she stared at the prey animal.

Such an opportunity did not come often, dinner was right in front of her.

Clothed hooves landed softly on the frozen ground. The ship loomed above, daunting, cold, as if daring her to stay away. Each step was taken with precaution. Each step tapped out to test the ground before landing fully. Each step taken with a baited breath. She was focused, only the chitter of her monkey drawing her attention to the small black wolf eyeing her. She froze, as if a part of the ship. This wolf was not barking, not wagging its tail. Its eyes leveled with her, its face devoid of emotion- a hunter's mask.

Luminosa tried to push the feeling away. She didn't need to think herself the victim. She flicked her tail as if to try to break the spell that held her, using that small amount of strength to bring in a deep breath.

"Am I in your way?" she managed to wheeze out, still sounding somewhat pleasant. She clicked her back hoof, not a full stamp. It was a habit- a deer telling other deer there was a potential problem. But here there was no herd to warn, no one to come to her defense if the wolf sprang on her.

She steeled herself, shutting her eyes for a hard moment to break eye contact. It was unthinkable in the situation for an herbivore to shutout the sight of a predator so near. "My name is Luminosa," she managed on choked breath as she once again opened her eyes, praying the wolf was just as stunned as she was.

She was not an expressive creature but dinner’s outright addressing of her proved to be a surprise. A seemingly lack of fear from dinner... or perhaps dinner was a bit different from other dinners? It was not every day that your dinner spoke back to you, and it made her feel rather conflicted and confused.

The emotion that did show was gone as quickly as it came. Her ears flicked, one of her eyes narrowed and she was silent for a moment longer than socially acceptable. All almost imperceivable clues to her emotions unless one was rather observant.
Luminosa…

Okay so now dinner had a name.
Which quite frankly meant it… she couldn’t be dinner anymore. In her longer-than-socially-acceptable pause her mind fluttered, trying to remember what to do when one introduced themselves. It was quite overwhelming to try and consolidate the fact that this creature was not only not dinner but also expecting a response.
”I am Valkeyrie” She said simply, her voice monotone and dull, not betraying the bevy of emotions that she felt. She paused again, forgetting that a question was asked before she stuttered to answer. Coming up with a ruse on the spot and not admitting to the fact that she had planned on treating the creature as dinner.
” No, no not at all” she said in her calm and monotone voice. Her repetition of the word no a cover up of her stuttering. ” I was simply interested in this strangely shaped mountain and wished to explore.”

The monotone wolf hesitated, the silence stretching out between them. Lumi didn't think she'd fare too well trying to run away on a slickened ice surface, and debated if she could slide down past the wolf. If she got on the ship, there would be no easy escape. The wolf seemed to contemplate, which was at least better than straight out attacking. The doe gave a wobbly smile that was likely not all that convincing. She eyes the deck of the ship, being able to just see over the rim. It was wooden, a little icy, but probably less slick than the ground. If she needed to make a stand, that would be the best place for it.

"I am Valkeyrie," the voice said, and Luminosa's honeyed eyes slid back to her. She waited for the wolf to finish, still not at ease. Not completely. Not yet. She said Lumi wasn't in her way at all and that she was interested in the weird mountain. The doe nodded, "It's interesting. In my homeland, we have these, but only in water or places where water dried up. We call them ships. They're like weird islands that can move sometimes, but I don't really get it."

Honeysuckle eyes met steely greys, and she offered a soft wag of her tail to Valkeyrie, settling her own nerves. "Shall we explore together? In case one of us slips or something," she suggested.

Val was still feeling rather flustered even though outwardly she didn't show it. She seemed to listen calmly to the doe's words. She was impressed at the creature's knowledge. Grateful that she now had a name for the behemoth that they stood upon.

At Luminosa's suggestion she nodded her head and took a few steps forward, she paused and asked "Perhaps it would be best if I led the way?" Not being particularly subtle about the obvious reason as to why letting the prey animal lead was a possibly dangerous idea. She did not wait for an answer as she continued to walk forward. Keeping a slow pace with the creature's delicate paw... Claw... Feet? In mind. Goodness she felt ridiculous not know the names of all these new things. Had she truly lived under a rock her whole life?

"So tell me, in your homeland have you ever climbed one of these behemoth ships before" the new word tasted weird on her tongue and despite her monotonous tone she hoped it was not too apparent.

The wolf suggested she lead the way and Lumi shrugged, not thinking about the reasoning too much. Wolves were often just like that and it was something the doe was quite used to. Lumi softly click clacked up the slippery slope behind the monotone woman. She asked about the ships, and if Lumi had ever been on one. The doe nodded, then realized the wolf couldn't see behind herself. "I have," she stated lightly, "Though not maybe so big or as... fully stone like as this. Many of wood. Some of the monkey tribes use them, but sometimes we can hitch a ride if we ask really nicely."

Lumi smiled as her hooves finally reached the deck. Now on more stable ground, and with the wolf facing away from her, she felt more sure of herself. "I rode on one when I went to get this little guy," she nudged her companion. "It's common where I'm from to pair a long legs- an herbivore or larger carnivore- with a set of hands, like a monkey or raccoon or something." Her companion chittered in response, and Lumi nodded, "But he doesn't speak this language well, so I can translate if you need."

The deerling walked around the ship, taking in the view around them for a while, never fully turning her back on Valkeyrie. "Have you ever been on one?"

The land that this deer originated from sounded particularly interesting. Val had never heard of a monkey tribe, but perhaps it was because she herself was not a prey animal. Perhaps the food had its own life as full and as interesting as the hunters? It was a particularly interesting concept and not one that she wanted to dwell on for too long as she was not too keen on the implications.

She hadn’t noticed the creature on Lumi’s back and her eyes widened slightly in momentary shock. A show of emotion that was once again barely perceptible to any who were not paying attention and it was gone as quickly as it was there. She had thought the lump was a deformity of the deer and had not paid much attention to it… Or rather she had ignored it in an effort not too be rude.

”Honestly I have never been on a structure such as this” she said calmly, she was growing curious now that they were aboard the ship. The deck was filled with all manner of interesting things. She walked and sniffed at a few things before noticing an open door. She stared at it for a few moments before shifting her gaze to the deer. ”Should we?” she asked, her voice calm but with a hint of curiosity and caution.

Skill claim: Met a new Character

Skill Claim: Explored a new land