Turtleback Lake How 'bout an icebreaker? [Isomne]

The small male, if not for his silvery shade, could have easily blended in with the winter landscape. His brown eyes were squinting as chunks of snow flew back everywhere. His paws were hard at work digging through to the ground beneath. Nearby there were a few other similar patches of various failed attempts. After a few moments Luca ceased his digging with a sigh of relief, lowering his maw to clutch a decent sized rock. Nimbly he turned towards the frozen lake and trotted over. He stepped out on the ice with a methodic sweeping motion of his paws, searching for a soft spot.

By the time he was halfway between the shore and an island he found an area in which he was satisfied with. Luca dropped the rock forcibly, inspected the area, then repeated until it cracked. A smug smirk crossed his lips and he dropped the rock once more, a quick plunk following as it sunk down to the bottom. He lowered his body, crouching above the hole, and placed as much of his bottom jaw within the narrow entrance as he could. Luca's mouth clasped down and the male jerked his head up breaking off a piece. At last he could drink the crisp, icy cold, water. He wasted no time in lapping at the lake, relief of a drink relaxing his facial muscles, visible tension dissipating from his body.

some fairy tales are more than true

In the days since the pack had disbanded and Woya had left for the mountains, Isomne had been listless.

She pressed out further and further from the places she was familiar with each day. In some ways it was good, she was learning more of the region, seeing what Relic Lore held. But she missed the company and voices of others. One voice was not enough to carry wolfsong, and wolves were not meant to be alone for long, even a traveler like herself.

Rumor had it there had been a group near the lake, at least over the summer. Wondering if they remained, she made her way that direction. Her arrival yielded little in the way of scents or sights, at least until the sound of cracking ice brought her ears up. Making her way around a bend in the lakeshore she saw a man, presumably flirting with death as he danced about a hole in the ice. "Hello! Are you alright?" she called from the shore, breath fogging in the cold as she made her way down to step hesitantly onto the ice.

A feminine voice filled the air. Being the sociable wolf he was, Luca was unbothered and lifted his head with a soft wag of the tail. He nodded to her, "I am." He spoke with an even tone, his voice not a deep baritone, but also not high pitched either, perhaps a low tenor. Dark eyes moved to her paws, noticing how cautiously she stepped. "The ice is thick in most places." He offered some reassurance before continuing, "My mother, when we were young, taught us how to walk on it. Light in the step and checking for soft spots before putting your full weight down." He carried on, moving a paw in a sweeping motion to clear the layer of snow, "No cracks," he explained then put emphasis on his movements to show her, "It doesn't react to light pressure and you can tell it's thick. Safe to take a step." His gaze lifted up to her as he treaded closer skillfully with a light step, "After awhile it becomes instinctive, muscle memory if you will."

The corner's of his lips pulled back into a wolfy grin, "Of course, nothing is utterly fool proof." He had left a respectful distance between them. His ears rested off to the side, body relaxed, tail swaying slowly behind him at a neutral position. "If you'd like a drink," He paused to point at the hole with his muzzle, "I can walk with you, if you'd like?" He offered.

some fairy tales are more than true

He was alright, it seemed. Doing it on purpose, even. Her tail gave a hesitant wave. It was not that she did not believe him, but it took more than confident words to overcome all of her instincts telling her that the ice was unsafe.

When she was a girl, her brother had fallen through thin ice on the river where they lived and though they'd managed to pull him from the water, in the days after a vicious fever had nearly taken him from them. Since then she had always preferred to seek out open running water during all but the deepest of the winter freezes. If temperatures dropped too low for that, she could always eat snow.

Her toes spread wide as she took one gingerly step out onto the icy lake surface, then another, too curious to let her hesitancy stop her. The ice made a strange low tensile humming sound with each step, but no cracks appeared, so she went on reciting a rhyme she'd learned in her travels. "I've heard that ice that's blue is thick and true, while ice that's pale may crack and fail," she came to a pause on a dark patch that felt - relatively - safe. She had been unwilling put the rhyme to the test before, but the more he spoke the more assured she felt. "but as you say, nothing is fool proof," the ice continued its curious song, a mysterious and captivating sound to her ear unlike any other.

"I'm Isomne," she supposed introductions were in order.

Luca's tail wagged a little faster as she braved the ice, listening to her while his eyes intently observed her paws. She didn't slip and slide as a young pup might. Watching her brought him back to the memory of tiny nails scraping the ice, whelps slipping and sliding. Occasionally they'd collide. He could picture her smiling at him, laughing, and picking him back up onto his wobbly legs. Inari. His favorite sister. She was always there to catch them should they stumble. "I like that." He responded lifting his eyes to meet the strangers, "I'm from far north, a pack called Glacier Beach. Much of the year the water is iced over...and blue." He smiled softly, "Yes, but life cannot be lived without risk." A brow rose playfully, the man smirking at his own comment. Then his friendly facial expression reappeared, "Unique, does it mean something?"

The small male turned to slowly walk toward the hole. He kept a steady pace, making sure to not leave her behind. Insomne, he repeated it a few times in his head, it was different and yet beautiful."I'm Luca." He paused for a moment, "It means bringer of light, my mother chose it in hopes of a brighter future."Luca let out a short lighthearted laugh. He found it ironic, he was supposed to bring about a brighter future, and yet he'd left. Guilt pulled at the young man's heart strings.

some fairy tales are more than true

Life cannot be lived without risk.

"True," she smiled at his words. Her own life had not been without risk, leaving behind the security of home to travel the world. But it had been well worth it, too. She had just always had little reason to risk the ice, she supposed. A wolf from a place like Glacier Beach might have other feelings on the matter!

"As far as I know, its a combination of family names," she answered his next question. Isomne was rather proud to carry such a portmanteau for a name, to remember those who had come before and to give her own meaning to the name. But when she was young she had often wished to share a name with one of the figures of song and legend. "I was in a pack to the south of here, called Fool's Gold Chasm, but they have disbanded with winter's arrival. Before that I travelled from one pack to another, collecting tales and songs since I've been on my own," she paused to flick an ear at the soft but insistent sound of the breeze, the birds, the ice. "So I suppose that's what I'll continue to do," a hint of wistfulness, there.

She wondered if Luca knew of anyone else in the area, or was a lone traveler like herself. "It's a lovely name, Luca. Things like that have power, you know," he may laugh it off, but Isomne had always believed in such things. "Running into you has certainly brightened my day," she conceded with a smile.

True The woman replied and he nodded casually. Then Luca smirked a little, slowing his pace, "Look where we are" He stopped and stood there with a gentle smile. A few short steps ahead the hole he'd taken the time to meticulously create awaited them. He merely wagged his tail at the explanation. A family name. It was sentimental, a testimony to those whom come before. She went on to talk about her life to him. It was nice to share a conversation with someone, and he had a fondness to stories. He had yet to journey far and wide himself, but perhaps one day his paws would carry him to the edge of the world and back.

"That sounds incredible." He said in awe of the adventures the woman spoke of, "Do you have a favorite tale? This is my first and farthest venture from the safety of home without the pack." Glacier Beach was semi-nomadic following the migration patterns of herds, so he was not foreign to travel, but outside of the artic? That was new. Exciting. Perhaps dangerous. He cocked his head, "How comes you don't find another to live with?" He was inexperienced in the disbanding of a pack and somewhere within the back of his mind he'd assumed that he wouldn't remain a loner long. That he'd find a safe haven for him and...his brothers. A place of plentiful prey where starvation wouldn't nip at their heels continuously day in and out.

It had been a few days now since he'd last seen the yearlings. At first he'd thought that they were trailing further behind. Now he questioned whether they'd deserted him or he'd unwittingly left them behind. He sighed with a subtle frown, please be okay. He would continue to promise to himself they'd turn up. That he wasn't alone. Realistically the male knew, by the stale scent upon his pelt, the likelihood decreased every sunset. He pushed the thoughts back, focusing on the present. He looked up at her, a small piece of hope igniting within brown pools as she spoke, "Thank you." It was nice to hear and helped the man feel like less of a screw up. Her next sentence caught him off guard. He stared at her with a sheepish expression of shock. "A-as meeting you has brightened mine." He responded after a moment of awkward silence, smiling at the woman. He'd been thrown off by her words but not taken back. Perhaps he was even slightly flattered by the strangers kindness.

some fairy tales are more than true

Look where where are, a slightly pained wince. She would rather not look down, the semi-transparent ice descending into night-like darkness was too much for her to stomach. She could almost just ignore it so long as they continued to chat, and as long as she didn't look down. But she should at least drink from the fresh water, she'd come this far.

Trying to ignore the voice at the back of her mind that told her she would slip and fall, Isomne bent to quench her thirst as she tipped her ears to listen. She was not sure she'd tempt fate to break ice in the future, but she was very thankful for the drink. Waving her tail gently in return, she edged away from the break and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well then, allow me to welcome you to Relic Lore!" the snowy woman declared. She gave a sweep of her head to indicate the mountains and landscape that cradled the lake, though she referred to an area that extended far beyond what they could behold now. Though she felt she had not met the lofty goals she'd set for herself, she was still rather pleased to hear the note of awe in his voice as she spoke of her chosen profession. "Its hard to choose," she admitted freely. "But the tale of the Seven Hunters has always been a favorite of mine," she chose a tale that she had heard in different forms along her travels. The story was based upon a cluster of seven stars in the sky, inspiring many myths. Maybe he had even heard of it?

Such things were much easier to discuss than the answer to his next question. "I'd hoped to find one, but so far I've only run into fellow loners," she could have gone to the wolves of the Cove, she thought, but something had prevented her from going up the mountains along with the family to stay with their cousins. It didn't feel like her place to tag along like that."What about yourself, what brings you to the Lore? Aside from getting a drink, of course," she asked gently. Not to pry, but well, he'd asked. Maybe he had some direction or information, though if he chose to dodge the subject she'd understand too. Isomne was simply glad to have the chance to chat, to not spend another day in monotonous solitude.

The male's ears pricked in curiosity, eyes following to where she motioned. A glimmer of wanderlust sparkled in chocolatey pools of brown. For a moment he admired the scenery, taking it in with a content expression. "A fascinating name." He replied at last in a quiet voice still relishing in the beauty all around them.

He returned his gaze back to the woman and nodded. He'd hoped for an answer, but understood if it were too hard to pick just one tale. His smile grew as she continued to talk, his wagging tail picking up speed ever so slightly from excitement, "Would you mind telling me it please? We had a pack story teller, I don't recall him ever sharing that one." He tried to ask as politely as possible, not wanting to pressure the stranger into spending anymore time than desired with him. She'd gotten her drink after all.

Luca frowned, "I'm sorry to hear, my apologies if I was being intrusive..." He could feel a little heat from embarrassment. The male hope he hadn't been rude to her. His smile returned when she responded with a similar question, "I haven't fully figured it out yet. I come from a small family and while I love them, dearly, I kind of wanted...to start my own path. It's confusing, they're all I've known and I've been happy...but food is often scarce. I have a place there and yet I yearn for something that feels more true to myself...not in my parents footsteps." He spoke with guilt filling his words although his cheery note barely wavered. This was his adventure, and he would not allow himself to regret his decision to leave.

"My younger brothers came with me...I'm not sure where they are now." He admitted, this time looking away with shame. He wasn't a good leader...losing yearlings...he sighed and swallowed his feelings. "I hope I'm not keeping you from anything?" He asked while moving to step away from the hole to make the trek back to the shore.

some fairy tales are more than true

"Not at all," now that they'd quenched their thirst, they could speak properly. How strange, that she was no longer scared despite the cold, deep waters beneath her feet. She could not help but note the brightness in his eyes as he looked out at the lands around them, and Isomne remembered how she had felt upon arriving here at first herself. How she still felt about the unexplored and unsung beauty and history of this place. But beneath that beauty, there was darkness here too, she had learned. Still, it was a place like no other. She wouldn't trade it for anything.

Letting out a surprised laugh at Luca's next question, her own tail wagged to match. She was glad to speak with someone, especially someone who shared an interest in stories. After spending her days alone, and the harsh realities of tragedy and survival that had filled the last few months, it felt really good to simply walk and talk of such things.

Even during her time with the Chasm wolves, she had rarely felt so at ease. Walking and talking with Luca reminded her of easier days. As they spoke of their packs, and homes, she could not help but feel wistful, but it was hard to be in too somber of spirits so long as good company was being shared.

Following Luca's careful steps away from the icebreak, they made their way back toward the shore as they spoke. She would still feel a little less nervous once they were both on solid ground again. "No, it's all right," she answered. She had volunteered the information, after all. "I think I know what you mean, that sounds similar to why I left home. My family encouraged me, but I haven't seen them since, and it hasn't been easy. I do miss them, and I've had many doubts along the way" he hadn't said anything, but she could feel the undercurrent of regret in Luca's words. It was not easy to not know how your loved ones were faring, or to bear guilt for it. Or maybe she was just projecting a bit. "But," she flashed him a smile, "its been a worthy journey," she hoped to make it so, at least. "I hope you find what you're looking for, too," she met his gaze for a moment.

As they reached the lake's edge, she gathered her limbs beneath her frame and jumped, reaching one of the large rocks that lined the water's edge. As her paws met the stone, she hauled herself atop it and breathed out a sigh of relief. One of the few perks of being a loner was that her days, and her choices, were hers alone. She was happy to trade tales, without fear of shirking her duties. "As long as I'm not keeping you, I'd be happy to tell you the tale," perhaps, she could lift his spirits as he had helped to lift hers.