The fall chill was beginning to creep in. Well, not creep. Sort of plummet. He loved it. The chilly breeze that bustled his dark fur. He found keeping warm quite easy so long as the sun was out, and today the sun was out. The bright late morning light settled over him, his dark fur absorbing the energy it provided, keeping him toasty. At the top of the mountain, it was probably much colder than below, but he found little desire to descend today. Though it was only fall, he feared the threat of snow and being closed off from his family. Not to say that keeping to the top of the mountain would save him from that fate, but there was less variety of climb when you were already at the top of the mountain. He wandered south, towards old pack lands. He couldn't quite recall their name now, though their scent was still catching on the air, though faint.

He was interested in seeing the lake without the possibility of running into any strangers. He'd never really had interaction with the wolves at the other end of the mountain, but he couldn't help but wonder what their relationship with Nomad's Pass had been. The distance was sizable, but who knew. He kept up a reasonable pace until the large body of water was visible and then he slowed, catching his breath with an even walk until he was at the edge. Ears cocked curiously, before he bent down and lapped up the clear water. It was cold, almost colder than the air. Not frozen yet, though he would be interested in seeing that. Looking up again, he took in the landscape, sniffing out the air. There certainly was no one else here. At least no large groups of wolves. Naira and Mapplethorpe were aware of this already, no doubt, but he'd poke around a bit more, just to be sure.

Taking a deep breath of clear mountain air, he bent down once more to take another drink of water when a sudden dizzy spell came over him. Trying to catch himself, he leaned too far forward, tipping right into the freezing water. It was a little overwhelming, to say the least, and he was in a bit of a fuzzy state for a second, hanging, lifeless, in the water. Suddenly realizing what had occurred, he beat against the water, his head sudden above the surface. The man gasped for air, every inch of him shaking as he paddled blindly, trying to find where the shore was. He had no fear of drowning, but he certainly wasn't interested in turning into a wolfcicle. <b style="color:#a51919">

His mind told him to calm down, though his body didn't seem to want to heed it. Only when he heard a voice, did he cease the shock-induced thrashing, a resounding "STOP" ringing in his mind, his own brain finally having enough of the nonsense his body had been causing. His chest heaved, keeping the ripples going in the water, and he still paddled, each paw like a pinion, keeping the greater machine afloat. Amber eyes sought out the wolf on the shore which was further away than he'd thought, though that was probably due to his panic. But with the shore and her helpful voice within range now, he could make his way safely to shore. For a moment, though, he allowed himself to paddle calmly, catching his breath, composing himself. Clearly that breath he'd taken earlier had been far too heavy for his mind to handle. Especially after he'd been earthbound for so long. The altitude took a bit of getting used to.

His golden eyes descended, catching the woman's green ones, and he began to paddle forward, his legs aching. It had been foolish, to thrash about like that in the water. He probably would have drowned if not for the distraction that the woman presented. When he reached shore, his forelegs hooked the earth, holding himself on the edge while his hindpaws occasionally paddled below the water. <b style="color:#a51919">"Thank you, miss." The man breathed quietly, eyes on her paws, as he didn't desire to crane his neck up so far. <b style="color:#a51919">"I hope I did not cause you too much panic." He went on, before grunting as he hauled himself up to the shore, making a half circle around the woman so that he could shake off. The air was not so cool and kind now, not with the water saturating his coat. <b style="color:#a51919">

He quietly cursed the freezing air now, dreading the long journey back to Nomad's Pass. He could not truly blame himself for this folly, however. How was he to have known that such a heaving breath would have rendered him dizzy? All he knew was that this woman had saved him quite a bit of exhaustion and for that, he was very thankful. He shook off once, and then once more, his muscles tightening as he put as much force into the motion as possible, trying to rid himself of as much water as he could. He hoped as well that he wouldn't accidentally spatter the woman, though he'd made an effort to keep his distance from her as well as stand at her back (though she had likely turned about by now).

When he'd shaken off to his content, he turned his eyes upon the woman again, glancing over her with a cautious eye. His nose twitched to catch her scent. It was not unlike the scent of the woman and her son that he'd met some time ago. Elettra was her name, and Skoll her son. The pack, Willow Ridge, as far as he could recall. It had been a short, but packed encounter. It had been hard not to remember the rambunctious child. His eyes followed her as she lowered herself to the earth, offering him warmth. He gave her a single blink. Was this truly a good idea? He was still rather damp and he didn't wish to soak this woman and risk her health as well.

<b style="color:#a51919">"I would not want to risk your health." He answered, though approached her anyway, settling down to his belly a few inches from her. There was no contact, but perhaps the simple fact that they were sitting so close would result in some transfer of heat. <b style="color:#a51919">"Willow Ridge?" Chulyin asked simply, giving his head a slight nod, as though to indicate he smelled it on her. But just because she smelled of them, did not necessarily imply that she was still part of them. <b style="color:#a51919">

Her insistence drew him slightly closer, enough that he still felt as though it would not cause either of them any sort of mental or physical discomfort. The woman's insistence drove his chivalry mad, so he would meet her more than half way. <b style="color:#a51919">"I met your leader, Elettra, and her son, Skoll." He answered, rolling his shoulders absently, as though to fluff his fur. <b style="color:#a51919">"He'd been quite enamored by a mouse." He recalled the entire encounter. The child had been quite disobedient, and from the way his mother reacted, perhaps it was not such a rare occurrence. He didn't think much of it, however. Children were children. When he was old enough, perhaps things would be different. His mother seemed quite hardened, so hopefully her restraint would wear off on him.

He gave no hint of his opinion of the woman, at least to this green-eyed stranger. Not to say that he had a negative opinion of the woman, but it was not his place to put any sort of judgement on a stranger, especially in front of one of her subordinates. <b style="color:#a51919">"Chulyin, miss. Why so far from home, Narcissa?" He moved forward, begrudgingly bestowing upon her questions. He would have loved to investigate the woods by the lake or even head home, but until he dried a bit, any endeavor would have been a foolish endeavor. Her company was pleasant, to say the least, as she had greatly assisted him, but in the end, she was a stranger from a foreign pack. What use were they to each other? <b style="color:#a51919">

Slowly, the man laid his head down upon his paws, though his eyes were still raised to watch Narcissa. It was an interesting name. Narcissa. He dedicated it to memory like he did most things. He smiled slightly at her comment, withholding another opinion. Something about how she wasn't really missing out on anything. <b style="color:#a51919">"Children." Was all the man could muster, the smile fading as quickly as it had appeared. On occasion, he thought about children. Naira's children were a few that he still needed to associate himself with. He desired to be a good uncle and it was very hard when the little buggers were so hard to find. But his own? He didn't dare let the thought linger. It left a heavy feeling in his chest, a mixture of desire and betrayal. He let the thought drift away, his ears flicking absently.

<b style="color:#a51919">"I am a guardian of these lands." Was all he could give her. He'd taken the oath and promised Mapplethorpe. The Pass's lands would not be easily found out. He moved on quickly. <b style="color:#a51919">"It seems as though we're both fit for our duties, then." Lifting his head, he gave it a slight shake. <b style="color:#a51919">