As if the snow and the cold weren't enough to deal with, everything had to be slippy as well. Askan knew that winter was just a part of life, that it was necessary to weed out the weak and enable the strong. But damn it, if he slipped over one more time he was going to hurt someone or something. His only problem being that the only one around he could use as said punchbag was Adelayde, and as good as her training was going he didn't really feel as though it'd be right to take it out on her. As annoying as she sometimes was.

He supposed she could be worse, she could be Castel after all.

The fact that they were out there at all was enough to put him on edge. Percy was still missing and with the recent tumultuous weather they hadn't exactly been able to search all that far, or at least not as far as Askan would have liked. Which, if it were up to him he would have scoured all of Relic Lore by then.

"Hey Ade..." Askan began as his foot slipped from its position on the ice. He paid it no heed and simply frowned in thought. Their search was so far fruitless-just as he anticipated- so he didn't think a break would do them any harm. Really though, he was just tired of hearing his own voice in his head. "Do you think someone took her?"

The idea had occurred to him once or twice before, after all surely if she could return home of her own free will Percy would have. So maybe someone was holding her hostage, ensuring that she couldn't come home. But who would do such a thing? The Whitestone wolves? They had threatened her before, but even this seemed a little too much for them. Besides, if they had Percy wouldn't they have kicked up a right fuss? Wouldn't they have rubbed it in their faces? So who else them? The Notch wolves? Askan was dubious. By no means were they fast friends but it was evident they had better things to do than butt heads with the Rye wolves.

So really, he couldn't help but think that, if someone had taken her it couldn't be a pack. Or at the very least a pack that Askan was aware of, or one that Drestig would expect. But that of course made him loop back to the question of why? What had they done to deserve this, and why the hell did they think Percy deserved this?

Askan didn't know why he asked. Was he looking for comfort? Did he want to be proved wrong? Or did he just want to escape the mean whispers in his head? Probably all of the above really. Adelayde was a pest most of the time, but she was all right. Not the worst of the worst, not by far. And right now maybe he needed some chipper, maybe he needed some sunshine to pierce his storm clouds.

She was right. Not only was she out there, somewhere. But Percy was anything but a weakling, she was strong and stubborn and had a sharp mind behind those bright orange eyes. If she were any other kid, she would have surely been a goner by now. But Percy was a lone child, she was independent and Askan had done his best to teach her and show her what she needed to know. She was strong, but in fitness and in will, there was no denying that.

The word's that truly caught his attention came later and Askan couldn't help but turn to look her way, his gaze lingering on her solid form. Adelayde was right. She knew him so well, didn't she? If anyone laid a paw on Percy with ill intent, Askan's rage would be comparable to the burning sun in the sky. Violent and scathing, like a heat that blistered the skin. They-whoever they were- would be sorry beyond all recognition of the word. He would make them pay, over and over until he was content, until they get as though they'd lost a part of themselves, until they too knew what it meant to loose something important.

"That's right." Askan murmured, his voice colder than the ice on which they stood. " I'll kill them. All if I have to. But I might not be able to do it on my own, would you... Help me? If I needed it?

"I will always have your back."

That's what she said. Whether she truly meant it or not, he would never know. But he couldn't help but feel the weight of her words as they lingered in the air, like specs of floating dust. Something had changed, maybe it was him, or maybe it was her. Or maybe it was simply the gravity of this situation, but in that instance Askan didn't see her as a pest. She was on his side, she was one of the few wolves who were. But why? What had he done to earn such trust? He was grumpy, sour like a lemon and snappy even at the best of times. She was a Rye wolf and so was he, whether they got along all the time was irrelevant, they were on the same team. Part of the same family.

"I'll serve you and your pack till the day I die."

Askan had said those words so long ago, but he still meant them. More than ever. More than he could even say. But that was okay, he knew it in his heart, loyalty flowed through his veins. Loyalty towards not only his elders, but every Rye wolf. Whatever they needed, he would provide if he could. But it was a two way street, and that was something that not every Rye wolf seemed to understand. Adelayde seemed to though

A tight smile pulled at his lips. It didn't quite meet his eyes. "Always."

That was no empty promise, Askan was man of his word. If she needed him, he'd be there. He couldn't think of an occasion off the top of his head, but he had no idea what the future would hold. No one did. For now, he just felt better knowing that if this search was unsuccessful and things went down a dark path, then at the very least he wouldn't have to walk it alone. He was sure that Reyes would join to, if Askan asked.

"That said, don't go around starting all the fights just cause I'll back you up. We have Percy to look for, and like you said, we're gonna find her. Then we'll fuck up the guy who took her." Askan had never heard of such a good plan. If only it were so simple

Askan huffed in amusement and adjusted his footing so he wouldn't slide as much on the ice. It helped somewhat. He wouldn't go as far to say that, but he didn't feel like shooting her down. He would allow her this, a small bit of happiness in this maelstrom of bullshit and concern. He was envious almost. He was reassured that he wasn't alone, but did that make him feel better? Did it strengthen him?  Not as much as he would have liked, not enough to make him feel as strong as he should.

"Yes well, that was a nice chat. Lets move." He announced, after clearing his throat. Enough of that friendly stuff. "The palisade is very steep, she could have slipped and gotten buried beneath the snow."

They'd searched this area before, but looking again wouldn't hurt. It was better than sitting around in the field, moping. Which is what he usually did when left to his devices. At least with Ade here he wouldn't have to go mad with boredom-and loneliness- which he had gotten very close to the other day.But that was in the past, all the pain he'd gone through from missing his friend was long gone, or at least out of sight out of mind. For now.

Taking the lead, Askan carefully skitted along, trying not to slip on the large stones that adorned the riverbank.

Looking for Percy along a riverside, now that bought back some memories. Not good ones mind you, not at all. Shit, he'd been so worried that day, he felt as though he was doing to loose his mind. But she was safe and Lorcan had been put in his place. So all in all, it could have ended worse. He could only hope that this ended the same way too, with Percy brought back home and Askan biting the living shit out of her kidnapper. That'd be nice. He almost sighed wistfully at the thought but managed to pull himself together, just as his foot touched the flowing, ice cold water. Nah, he didn't fancy taking another dip. Not after what happened last time.

"Mind the river, it's freezing."

It wasn't a nice thought and Ade seemed to agree. So just as he suggested he minded his footing and hurried along, looking for any signs of the missing pup. As much as he wanted to remain positive, he knew it was fruitless. What were the chances that she'd be here, so close to home? He was half tempted to turn them around and head back home. But he knew that Adelayde would protest and then he'd have to explain his feelings and ugh. It'd be best if they just went through the motions, that they searched the Palisade high and low, and inevitably returned home empty handed. And disheartened.

It was too cold for this, he just wanted to find somewhere warm to hide away, to pretend that none of this was even happening. But he knew that he had to put up a strong pretence, that he had to at least act as though he was managing. Ha, how laughable. But whatever.

"If we can't find her by the time the river branches out to the Fjord we should head back." He suggested, though his tone didn't leave much room, if any, for argument.

Not that he expected one really, that was one of the good things about Ade. She wasn't the most argumentative sort, she was reasonable. Though, that being said the Selwyn wouldn't have been surprised to learn that she had no qualms about saying what was on her mind. Fortunately, now was not one of those times. They were working together, trying to search for a lost member of their family. Because that's what the pack was to Askan. They were a rag-tag, patchwork family that worked together through thick and thin.

"Should probably check the Lowlands again after we're done here. There's no way we've searched it all yet." He grumbled, more to himself than his company. He of course appreciated that she was here but...He'd much rather have Percy by his side