you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the ICE breaks.

For once, it felt like things were falling into place, bits and pieces fitting their mismatched edges together and melding. Perhaps not seamlessly, but not with gaps, not hacking at each other, falling apart, or breaking. Ice stood within the Grove, his white body visible against the darker backdrop of the trees, even if snow still dusted the ground. The air was cold, his breath steaming into it, and the sun had just risen above the spine of the Serpent, cold light filtering down through the naked branches to touch his shoulders and the snow at his feet. It was always the coldest at dawn, but in his thick fur, it didn't bother him. Soon enough the sun would regain its warmth, and the world would be brighter, lighter, the dark rocks warm and the air not so freezing in his throat. Blinking his pale eyes, Ice swept his head in a circle, peering at the maze of trunks, the familiar jut of a rock.. from somewhere just beyond his sight he heard the tinkle of the gentle stream passing nearby. The memory of it wasn't quite so painful anymore - the memory of Rissa, in the warm summer, the pair of them floundering through the water and laughing, trying to hunt waterfowl. It ached still, but without the sharp, stabbing intensity, and some part of him thought that if Rissa had still been with them, she would've been ecstatic at the thought of younger siblings.


Or totally pissed that she'd get more competition for the world's throne. A faint grin curled Ice's lips. Wherever her essence was, be it in the stars of the hearts of the River wolves, he was sure she'd help watch over them. Ice let his gaze move away again. This place was so familiar, it had been home for over a year, but he and Corinna had agreed that unless it absolutely horrified the pack, they would move. Marsh had went east to look for suitable locations, and it was time to break the news to the pack, and confirm to everyone that they would go on.. they would keep going, raise new cubs, and guard them like a mother bear guarding her cubs. They would not lose more children. Ice had sworn it in the dark of the night, and he was not about to go back on it. He was not about to let more be taken from them, not by anyone they knew, or a stranger. But they would have to leave, before Corinna became too large to make it safely across the mountains, and it meant the pack had to prepare.


A low howl slipped out of his throat, asking either for Corinna's whereabouts, or her presence. He wanted her support, and to support her, to confirm once again that she hadn't changed her mind. The last thing he wanted to do was accidentally walk over her, or split the pack. Once his song faded to silence, he perked his ears and waited, either to move to where she was, or for her to come. It would depend on her answer.

.ice aesir

you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the ICE breaks.

A few moments later, her answering call cut through the Grove and into his ears. She was a ways off, but that didn't matter. The strange feeling of peace which had come over him told him that there was no hurry, there was no need to talk now, they did not need to climb the mountain tonight. What was a few more days? They had time. A low answer slipped out of his mouth as his sturdy legs reached out in front of him to take him towards her. The familiar trees passed on either side of him as the white wolf sank past thoughts and into the easy rhythm of moving.


The memory of the direction of her howl was planted in his mind, like north upon a compass, and he headed doggedly for it. The longer time passed, the more alert his senses became even if his mind remained empty; after maybe ten minutes or so his head, eyes and ears were constantly moving, and finally he spotted her off through the trees. A bark left his mouth and he bounded over to her, his tail wagging and his eyes bright. He'd noticed the change in her scent, and was fairly sure that it was the same as last year. It meant two things: puppies, and that she, hopefully, was happier now.


Wordlessly he greeted her, trying to bump his dark nose against hers while his high tail swayed from side to side. Then, with a mischievous grin, his tongue flicked out to touch her nose and he bounced backwards, his chest lowering slightly towards the ground in a bow to show that he meant no harm.. only that he was happy, and that he, kind of, had forgotten there was more reason than this he'd called for her.

.ice aesir

you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the ICE breaks.

For so long had misery and misfortune haunted their sacred forest, and the whisper of water had been nothing but a reminder of heartache and loss. Even the sunlight had seemed stale, and lackluster. But on this early morning it seemed bright, rejuvenating, hopeful and promising; it lit the tips of his fur, and haloed hers. She truly seemed someone else, not a stranger but someone familiar having come home, a spring in her step and a lightness to what she did - they met halfway, nose to nose and playful, eager for the future. For once he didn't feel like it would just hurt all the more to wake up to new days, and as she lifted her paw to bat after him he gave a low woof and tried to nip it. There was just something so.. freeing, about waking up to sunlight and cold air and hope.


He'd fallen down in a bow, and she settled on her haunches; slowly Ice drew himself upright, his tail having fallen, too, but twitching from side to side simply because he was content with life. They had no need to assert dominance over one another - never had, never would, probably. A wolf's version of a somewhat abashed laughter rolled out of his mouth, and he brought up one thick foreleg to rub against the side of his muzzle. "I like the early mornings," he admitted with a small grin, before sinking down on his furry hind end. "Everything is so beautiful, so.. peaceful, yet alive." And cold - but everything was prettier when it was cold out, clearer, somehow. A few birds sang a tribute to the dawn, their voices rising lightly in the morning air. For a moment Ice sat, motionless, merely listening, enjoying it now that he'd reminded himself of how good it felt to be up and about at this hour.


Then reality caught up with him. He hadn't called for her just to play and cuddle, but he'd had something on his mind. A slight frown creased his forehead; what if she'd be content to stay, with new life on the way? He'd gotten so used to the thought of moving... "I was thinking about the future," he began, searching for the words even as he spoke. "We've got one part of it down..." His silver gaze dropped to her belly for a moment, knowing that it was much too early for any signs to show; he nearly got stuck staring at the moulting fuzz, wondering what lurked within. He knew what they'd look like a few weeks after birth, but now? For all he knew they were just whangdoodles right now. Feeling all sorts of awkward, awed and excited, he raised his gaze again. "But I was thinking about, moving.. and if you still wanted to do it." His ears flicked back hesitantly; he still wanted, but would she?

.ice aesir

you do not know who is your friend

or who is your enemy

until the ICE breaks.

"You can take the morning watch, and I can take the later ones." His toothy grin showed that he had no qualms at all with this arrangement, and that it suited him rather well; if it meant she could be lazy and sleep in without feeling guilt, all the better, no? But talk turned to more serious things, yet it had the effect he had wanted - there was no hesitance, no plunge back into the dark waters of the past. Simply because new life was growing within Corinna it did not mean that they would grow stagnant, stuck here for forever. Even if Indru haunted the trees, the security of the well-known could've made their roots grow too deep to be torn up this way.. but it did take a weight off his heart, to know that it wasn't so. That they did still breath and grow, evolve, and soon they would be somewhere else.


His white head dipped in a nod, a small grin curling his lips. "I agree," he said, lightly, his eyes a-sparkle like sunlight upon the water. "And yes, best get on with it before I'll have to carry you across." One eye-lid dropped down in a wink, before he tipped his head the other way, namely up. From his throat the call rang out, to all corners of the Grove, calling the pack to them; a few seconds of silence followed the first, and then a second howl spilled out, to make sure that they all would've heard, and had time to pinpoint the location. It was the first time he had called the pack together as a leader, and something about it made him somewhat giddy - almost as giddy as the thought of what grew in Corinna, and how the pack would react to it. He gave her a grin, and still mostly seated used his paws to drag himself closer to her, shuffling over the uneven ground until he could lean his shoulder against hers and put his nose to her cheek. They were, after all, in this together.

.ice aesir