The sun shone brightly down on the plains, it seemed like it always did out here, though perhaps he just noticed it more without the cover off trees. In any regards, despite their northern location the lowlands were plenty hot, causing the black wolf to pant, even in his thin summer coat. He knew it was a short pleasure though, and tried to enjoy it as best he could, even if it slowed him down to stop so regularly for rest and drink. And the later was not exactly easy to find out here, his time on the plains had taught him just how lucky they had been to stumble upon the pond in the rye fields. There were a few, sprinkled across the grassland and tundra, but it took a lot of searching to find them.

He was out today, like always, to look for food. But it hadn't been easy to drag himself away from his family, if he'd found it hard to leave @Jessie alone while she was pregnant, that had increased tenfold since the birth of their daughter. Already he loved the dark pup more than he'd ever thought it possible to love anyone, especially someone who couldn't do much more than eat and sleep. Leaving her broke his heart, but he knew he had to, in order to keep her alive. Her mother was with her, and there was Askan too now, to look after them both. They still had to fight for survival, the two men going out regularly to hunt. Quite a few new calves had been plucked from the herds by their tag-team, but even more had escaped, two might be much better than one, but it still wasn't enough to ensure success, or take down anything substantial. If only Jessie could go out with them, but obviously that was out of the question. The dark man sighed, straightening up from where he had slumped in the semi-shade of a few, crumbled bushes, catching his breath and cooling down. His new family still wasn't secure; Onwards!

Surprisingly, he noticed the lands sloping up ahead, an unexpected incline in the otherwise flat landscape. Jumping at the chance to reach higher ground and get a better view of the surroundings, the graying wolf eagerly began the climb, his mountain-born legs making light of the small hill. He soon rounded the hill, prepared for the vast expanses to open up before him, though what he saw was something else entirely. Now, the sight of bone was nothing new to a wolf, in fact he saw way worse on a regular basis, but this was different, the perfect circle of antlers at his paws making him freeze in place.

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He'd seen plenty of, more or less intact, antlers around the lowlands, dropped by the masses of caribou that passed through the plains each year. They dotted the landscape of grass, moss and heather like white teeth, jotting out of the earth. But they usually didn't come in groups, maybe two or three close together, but never this many, and certainly never arranged so meticulously. If he had been a more spiritual wolf, Drestig might have felt shaky, as it was he was simply puzzled. He wondered who might have gone through the trouble of gathering all the antlers and dragging them up on the hilltop, it seemed like an awful lot of effort; To what possible end?

He was left no more time to wonder as movement on the opposite side of the ring drew his attention. The stark white almost made it look like the antlers themselves were moving, but the contour of fur soon became discernible, along with peculiar, and easily recognizable, touches of pink. The dark man's ears perked, surprise widening his eyes as he surveyed the young man rounding the crest of the hill. This was about the last thing he could have expected after so long in the lowlands. Really when the pale wolf hadn't come to him in the fields a few days after their first meeting, he'd assumed the boy had decided not to take him up on his offer, had made other arrangements. And yet here he was, looking as alone and skinny as back in the Ghastly Woods. "Icicle?" The elder wolf caught, voice light and airy, clearly showing his surprise. There was a slight question to the name, even if there was hardly any doubt that this was the same wolf, the unusual look marking him clearly. The scent carried on the wind confirmed as much, that same oddness to it as he remembered.

Eyes narrowing slightly, Drestig looked the younger wolf over, brows furrowing as he noted the protruding ribs and slumped shoulders. He seemed to be even worse than last time they met. Clearing his throat, the dark man looked to meet those odd-colored eyes;  "You've come a long way."

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Hopeless was to positive a word for the air oozing of off the pale boy. He was crushed, head hanging low and every bone sunken, a defeatist sigh falling from his lips as the only response to Drestig's presence. He hadn't exactly been a pretty sight the first time they met, but out here Icicle looked down right miserable, squinting against the sunlight, his bones even more visible through the shabby fur than they had been in the shadows. But it was more than just that, as their eyes met the older wolf saw a darkness in those odd, pink depths, one he didn't recall from their first meeting, and yet it was eerily familiar. Then they closed, blocking his view into the young wolves mind. But he had seen enough.

Icicle spoke hesitantly, reluctantly, simply agreeing to the statement but giving no further explanation. It made Drestig furrow his brow, ears flattening back as he looked at the down beat lad; What's happened to him..? What more, that was. Even at their first encounter, the albino wolf had been reticent, clearly used to unfriendly reactions to his unusual appearance. But this was still miles from that, this was darkness that only came after great loss; The graying man knew that all too well. "I'd given up on you," He tried, tentatively, not wanting to push the boy in his, clearly fragile, state; "When you didn't show up in the Fields, I figured you'd gotten a better offer… What's… Happened to you?" That was the only way he could think to put it, the most pressing question in his mind; What happened, kid? Removing his eyes from the skinny youngster, trying to keep himself together as much as giving the boy some space, Drestig stared at the off-white antlers, still forming a circular barrier between them. There was something about the mysterious ring that added to the dark atmosphere, putting an almost supernatural spin on a situation that already seemed bizarre in itself.

Quite frankly, Drestig had never expected to see the unusual wolf again, certainly his choice had already been made? And yet, looking at him now, the elder male instantly felt that same urge to protect him, shield him from the world that had already been so cruel. Icicle was no ideal pack mate, certainly not for a group like theirs, just starting out. But it didn't matter to Drestig, he saw that haunted look, that apprehensive attitude of one who only expected hardship, and he knew that he was still more than ready to offer the kid a home, a safe haven where he would be known as, and respected for, the wolf he was; Just say the word!

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The sun beat down hard over the open land, reflecting off the mountain tops in the distance with a sharp glare. I would make everyone's eyes water, and Drestig kept his lids lowered, gaze dwelling on the points in front of him. He'd never seen anything like it, positioned so particularly; By who? And WHY? He was not a superstitious wolf, but it did strike him as an odd coincidence, that he should run into Icicle right here, over this ominous circle of bone.

The tentative sound of the younger wolves voice drew his attention away from the antlers, fiery gaze lifting to study the boy again. He was so skinny, every bone in his body visible, the hunch of his shoulders making it appear like he might tumble over at any second, collapsing into a heap on the ground. Every ounce of him spelled defeat, the way he slumped against the ground, the frail sound of his voice. Drestig's ears flattened back, brows furrowing as he watched the pale wolf slowly crumble in on himself, his tale sending a chill through the older man. Pity and anger mixed in him as he listened, eyes blazing as he thought of these strangers, leading on the fragile boy and then turning him away; BASTARDS! But it was their loss, he thought to himself, if they were dumb enough to only see sickly exterior, not look beyond at the brave young man who'd managed to survive despite these disadvantages.

In his mind, the aspiring leader had already taken in this latest lost boy, given him the home he needed so badly and gained the strength he knew rested within him. That was why the next, gloomy comment struck him so much by surprise. "Die?!" The dark man exclaimed, half choking on the word. The anger flamed higher in his chest, what had they done?! In one swift motion, he rounded the ring of antlers, it's ghostly aura completely forgotten as he focused only on the other wolf. The former barrier between them now gone, Drestig came up to the lad, reaching out to bump his snout under the pale chin. The gesture was gentle, but with a determined strength to it, and his eyes were glistening as they sought out the odd, pale-pinks. "You're not gonna die," He said, voice low and firm; "Not while I'm here! I've seen enough death in my life." It was as simple as that, he wasn't going to abandon the boy like the rest of the world had; "You're coming home, with me!"

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Warm ember eyes stared deep into the milky pinks, looking for what he knew was in there. Icicle might have come out here ready to die, but that didn't mean he really wanted to; Something's kept him going this far! And that something was way too precious to let perish. Whoever had turned the boy away at their borders was blind, not to see what should be so obvious. And yet they had hurt him so badly that he had forgotten about it himself. Drestig was determined to remind him, and then make sure he never forgot, or had a reason to, again.

Slowly the words seemed to register, a distant light flickering in that pallid gaze, pink lips parting in surprise. To the dark man it was such a simple thing, obviously he would never leave the lad alone to die, he would give him everything he had to offer, allow him a part in the family he was finally building; He deserves it! But it was clear that Icicle had not expected it in the least, the tears brimming his eyes telling clearer than words what he felt. Drestig smiled, an expression so mild and warm, it was only rivaled by the ones reserved for his daughter. He reached out again, to gently touch his muzzle to the pale one, reassuring that he meant what he'd said. "I've got a pack now, with a space in it just for you!" He said it softly, but there was a determined look in his eyes, leaving no room for protest.

As he pulled away from the young wolf, his eyes drifted to the bleached bone of the antlers by their paws. The ring that might have appeared like a bad omen at first, now spoke a different story, of rebirth. The animals who had once dropped these would long since have grown new, bigger, stronger crowns, worthy of their carriers who had survived another year. A silver dusted, ebony paw lifted to prod the nearest rack, eyes lifting back to the bony wolf. "You're still far from these dusty old bones," He announced, now with a more characteristic, crooked smile; "Come on, we better head home."

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