you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the   ICE breaks.

Despite the pups back at home, Ice found himself straying away from the Grove more and more often - it wasn't because of the pups, though, but... But because it was getting harder and harder to keep his straying paws away from the mountains. She was up there, his friend, and he was down here, ignoring her, when he was the one who had acted the most strange at their parting. A trip north to the Ghastly Woods and the journey home took about a day. If he didn't stop to think, he could forget what he was running away from, a meeting he desperately wanted and at the same time was afraid of. Whenever the worry gnawed away at his gut, he tried to think of Marsh, and how the stoic copper guardian had accepted what he'd done. They'd moved past it, into something else, something he wasn't quite sure what it was - it was something he treasured, though, something he kept close to his heart. Watching Marsh these days wasn't like it had been before, when it was with a quiet fascination, and so many questions. Where had all his scars come from? Who was he? Why didn't he talk? He'd found the silent, gruff wolf charming in his own peculiar way, but now - it was more akin to stealing glances at him, admiring the way the sunlight set off his fur, how soft he seemed when he slept.


Marsh had forgiven him, despite the way he'd stared at him with cold eyes that night. If he had gotten over it, surely his black friend had, too, and all would be alright once they found each other again. He just had to work up enough courage to get his pale ass up the mountainside, and hope her precious leaders didn't tear him to pieces for coming within a mile of their border and their pups. Ice strangled the sigh and plodded on, thinking back on the night Kisla had found him out here. Poor girl, it had been kind of rough on her the past time too - and Fenru... Ice shook his head quietly, padding into the dark forest. The light disappeared and shadows swallowed him up, but even in here he wasn't quite invisible. His pale fur stuck out like a sore thumb in the dark, but he seemed more akin to a large ghost than a real wolf. Silence enveloped him, the birds quiet, and he gave a small shudder. This place still hadn't stopped moaning. When he'd been here some week ago, it had made those groaning, keening nightmarish sounds too, and it looked like it was the latest hobby, here to stay. Couldn't it have picked better sounds to make? He grumbled to himself, but found it kind of fitting too, once the initial wariness of it had worn off. It was called the Ghastly Woods for a reason, and he was haunting it now, wasn't he? It was only fitting that it made these ghoulish noises.


Ice drifted deeper into it, long branches poking him every once in a while, and hanging leaves touched him with silken hands, causing him to shudder. Sometimes it felt like the wind picked its moments with too great care, to make something stir against him when he was halfway past - those sudden touches were so much more startling than something that had been there all along. He gave a shaky snort in the dark. This place was a nightmare sometimes, and today it seemed extra clingy. Several times he had to leap across rivulets, or fight his way through bracken. He was starting to nurture thoughts of going back home, for battling the desire to see Ava was easier than plowing through this, but a scent on the wind stopped him. Curious, he drifted closer; she smelled of female, and of loner's life. Soon enough he found her. She was a small pale thing, tan and cream with hints of gray, with golden eyes that kept staring at a branch. She looked a bit spaced, but that was okay; Ice could be like that at times, too. He gave a low woof as to not startle her, and then slipped around another stand of bracken, his ethereal and comparably huge form coming into view. His stance was neutral, his silver eyes kind and curious, but he didn't speak, merely tilted his head to the side and watched her with a question in his eyes. Who are you? Behind him, his tail gave a cautious, happy twitch.

.ice aesir

you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the   ICE breaks.

She didn't seem hurt, or aggressive - perhaps a bit skittish, because she made quite the startled jump and stared at him. He gave her something that might've passed as a sheepish grin, hoping he hadn't made her start too badly. He didn't enjoy making others flinch like that, but it seemed she recovered fairly quickly. And to that, he wagged his tail, with a little more excitement to the motion. She was a fluffy little wolf, alright, and gave herself a shake as it to toss off whatever paranoia had caused her to jump. Ice approved of it. He didn't approve of spineless wolves, but clearly she showed some backbone, dealing with her own bout of fear and getting it under control. It, perhaps, wasn't the easiest under the circumstances; the ghastly noises kept on whining and moaning all around, and the forest had hardly been a reassuring hypethral to begin with - thick branches wove themselves together to form a dark ceiling, blotting out the sky. No, this place was the perfect place for scares, and an involuntary shudder rippled down his spine. It felt like someone was watching him, and this Cessair.


"Ice," he stated simply, turning deftly on his large paws despite his size. Something was out there, something that normally didn't groan in a spectral voice. Something that was more solid, more.. alive. Ice's pale ears kept flickering on his head, silver eyes scanning the surrounding bracken and hedges, but relying on sight in here? Useless, with the murky light and many deep shadows. He snorted, and allowed to wind to bring him scents - every once in a while, one ear would flit back in Cessair's direction, in case she decided to speak more. Whatever was watching them didn't seem like it wanted to come out, and with a snort he tired of his own little game - his thoughts had just wandered back to Poison Path anyway, simply smelling the air wasn't enough of a distraction. "Come out," he ordered the surroundings, his voice somewhat stern. "It's rude to eavesdrop." But behind him, his tail was still wagging, and upon his face was the hint of a smile.


( sorry, this sorta sucked xD )

.ice aesir

you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the   ICE breaks.

Behind him, Cessair's scent turned slightly anxious before calming again; his own was unwavering, steadfast, thick with pack. The seconds ticked by, counted only by his heartbeat, and as time passed he found himself disliking this shadow presence. She was doubly rude, first spying on them, and then refusing to come out. Gradually the wagging of his tail slowed, and his gray eyes grew hard as flint, cold as his namesake. He was more or less about to stalk into the bracken and drag her out by the scruff when she - finally - got out on her own. She was a small black thing, short, scrawny in the way that all sneaking loners were, with dark blue eyes. “Who are you to demand my presence?” Okay, once or twice in the past Ice had come off as rude, and on more than one occasion had he been rude, but that had pretty much always been to loners bothering him on the borders. This... It struck a nerve in him, a sore spot, for he was a wolf that did not yield an inch when it came to dishonest behavior. First she'd snuck up on them, then she'd refused to come out, and now she did, with a comment like this? The thick hair on his neck rose, his tail stiff and high, and a warning growl rumbled in his chest. She introduced herself as Shadowstorm, and into the silence after her voice he snapped, "You just answered your damn question yourself."


He took a threatening half-step forward, wondering what skittish Cessair would do - either she'd run, or chide him, or join in. Ice normally wasn't an aggressive wolf, but certain things rubbed him the wrong way and this certainly had. It was like a stray spark striking a pile of dry kindling. If you just knew what annoyed him, he was very easy to provoke. If you didn't, you just needed rotten luck to do it, or the wrong personality. Perhaps, in Shadowstorm's case, it was a bit of both.


"And I smell that you're not," he spat at her after she'd muttered about his pack. She was drawing closer too, and Ice bristled further. The growl returned, rumbling in his deep chest, and his gaze narrowed a fraction before locking steadily on hers, daring her to take another step forward. If she did... He felt it course in his blood, hot like liquid fire; nothing she'd done had put him at ease, all it had managed was to ignite his rare, but obviously not lacking, anger. And, strangely enough, he felt the need to protect Cessair from this warped, bad-mouthed loner (that is, if Cessair wasn't trying to chew his tail off for being aggressive). Still, it was not too late for the black girl to back off and avert this situation, but the question was - would she?


( woops. xD he got a bit upset, sorry. )

.ice aesir