She never thought she'd watch her first glimpse of snow fall alone. The tiny, fluffy flakes descended from a whitewashed sky to fall tenderly upon the slick black of her slender nose. With wide, wild eyes she'd sat for hours before sun up, when the world was painted in navy shades but looked lighter with thin sheets of snow blanketed upon the cedar trees' branches and the rolling hills' winding crests. It was beautiful.

Drawn from her new home by the promise of a rising sun in the near future, Quil wanted to see the way dawn's light fell upon the fresh snowfall from a place with a view more unknown to her than even the forest. Still shell shocked from the flood and the way it had single-handedly, and slowly, washed away everything she'd ever known and loved, she felt much like the orphan she now was. She hadn't eaten, she hadn't spoken, not even to Cinder, and she certainly hadn't slept. Restless nights were plagued with hollow dreams of the rapids and the way things used to be, or nightmares about the way things were now. She was lucky, she told herself over and over again, to have made it out alive; sometimes, she wished she'd perished with her parents and brothers. With her life in such disarray, it seemed the only thing she knew for certain was that she wished they'd been here by her side tonight, sharing in her utterly muted delight as the snow flakes shimmered beneath the waning moonlight.

And so she walked.

She didn't know where she was going, but she liked the way the trees eventually thinned into rolling, vast open spaces. Overhead, the last of the night's stars glittered in a lightening sky that way streaked in shades of violet and red, and the air was fresh and cold as she sucked in a shallow breath. The chill burned in her lungs, but she welcomed it as much as she welcomed the sense of freedom she got from the wintry meadow. It was very different than the world she had once, and always, known.

Eventually she would settle upon the snow capped crest of a humble hill, her back to the sleepless night and her amber eyes fixed on the endless horizon before her. Soon, the sun would break over it, and she hoped that the snow looked as beautiful in the light as it did in the dark.

It wasn't often that the prince took the opportunity to steal away from the pack and go off on an adventure. He preferred to think of himself as a guardian, not a scout, and didn't want to find any trouble, like Skoll. He wanted to keep his pack safe, and going off on adventures wouldn't do that. It wouldn't do anything of the sort- but he couldn't keep his curiosity contained, on some occasions, and when the cold drove him into a faster pace, he slipped beyond the borders consciously, and made off for a small jaunt outside the pack borders without intending to do anything in particular. Right now, he simply wanted out, and the opportunity was his.

It was very early, and he knew he could fulfill his guardian duties when he returned- there would be plenty of daytime left. He moved out through the forest, picking up his paws and leaving behind a neat set of pawprints behind in the snow as he made his way toward the meadow with the intention of finding something to hunt. It wouldn't be too hard to find a mouse, or maybe something larger, he thought, and the meadow would be just the place to find something along those lines.

He was surprised, when he moved out into the open area, to see other wolves there- not simply because there were two of them and he didn't expect to see so may others, but because they were both pups, near to his age. One looked similar to him- though her coat was brown, and he possessed a black coat highlighted with gold about his shoulders. She had a good conformation, nice shoulders and a sloping spine, a lovely shape to her muzzle and ears that weren't too big or puppiesh. Her eyes were a natural, calm shade of amber, bright without being too stark.

He took good note of her and gave little more than a mere glance to the male. He was average in size, with a grey pelt, and russet markings on his face which Asriel thought looked somewhat peculiar. He noted the boy's eyes, a shade of amber as well- but perhaps a bit brighter in shade. They were met with Asriel's fiery, stern gaze for a moment; he looked puppiesh. Something about the vivacious brightness of his gaze seemed to mark him as being playful, inquisitive- Asriel disliked these qualities, and approached at his natural, flowing gait. One more look was given to the male, but to the female he was all eyes and ears. <b style="color:#101115;">"Good morning," Chimed the prince, his address clearly meant just for her.

The surprising crunch of approaching footsteps upon the snow stole her from dawn's show of light in the distance. Her ears flexed forward as she quickly looked over her shoulder to find a stranger─a boy─just a few lengths away. Raised with only her siblings, Quil had never seen someone her own age with a coat the shade of his: swirling hues of grey and brushed with coppery tones along the aspects of his ears and lively face. With a natural grace she rose quickly to her feet.

Well wasn't this something? The last thing she expected to come across when she'd taken off for the morning was anyone else─especially not someone her own age. Altogether the revelation that there was more to the west than heartache carried away the disphoric mood she'd come here with. To his forthcoming question she stood up straight and watched him curiously, a tender, tentative smile tugging at a single corner of her dark lips. "I was just watching the sun come up over the snow...Come see." Truth be told, she couldn't have wanted anything more than someone to share the moment with, even if it was a stranger. She looked from the red-headed boy back to the sunrise, as if to check that it was still as marvelous as it had been before he'd come on the scene. It was.

Not but a moment later a smooth voice broke across the morning air. Good morning it said, and she was utterly surprised once again. Quil's smoldering amber eyes brightened at the sight of him─tall, dark, and handsome he was, drifting towards them as if he were walking on a cloud. She wasn't quite sure why, but the way his fiery gaze fell upon her made her mouth suddenly go dry, her own meeting his with a glitter of curiosity. "Good morning," she returned politely, holding his gaze for a second before casting her eyes back to the first boy, whose question she'd yet to answer. Her face flushed with heat, and maybe uncertainty, but she was excited by the company.

"I'm Quil, it's nice to meet you." Salmon light capered across the silver and red fur of her crown and her tail swayed gently behind her as she observed the shades of teal that flickered in his eyes. She expected they would introduce themselves as well, so she gave them a chance to, silently taking in the sight of the both of them in the meantime.

There was nothing in Asriel's stance to indicate that he felt at all nervous or compromised about the current situation. He'd sat down and wrapped his tail about his paws neatly and sat with his shoulders squared and ears perked; something which might've appeared dominant had he not looked so relaxed and natural as well. This was his business casual pose, and would've been the equivalent of a man dressing up in a nice shirt and tie without going the whole nine yards. It suited him well; the prince looked every bit the stature he felt in his mind.

The lovely sylph's name was Quil, which brought a small smile to his face, one just for her; she wasn't bristly at all, so he thought of her name as being more representative of a feather's quil, smoothe and strong, laced with the softest fluff around the edges. Much like her; she had strength to her core being, or so he seemed to sense, but had a beauty about her that was soft and charming.

His bright eye turned to the other boy for a moment when he heard the name 'prince.' He didn't look very princely, not to Asriel's eyes which squared the boy up one more time. He tilted his muzzle back toward Quil, though, doing his best to hide a feeling of disgust, knowing he wasn't the only prince here. <b style="color:#101115;">"Charmed," He said smoothly. <b style="color:#101115;">"I am Asriel Archer, Prince of Willow Ridge." He said, in a calm and clear voice which asserted the comfort he had in saying his title.

The shift in wind tossed up a bit of snow and the prince squinted his eyes against it. Once it cleared, he saw something sticking up out of the snow not far from them in the field; it was dark and looked like a branch- but the shape of it was too perfect for it to be a branch. <b style="color:#101115;">"Pardon me," He said, to Quil, and he side-stepped around her to go and investigate, struggling to contain his joy when he noted what it was. A semi-frozen pronghorn carcass, perfect for them to eat...Though he had little to no intention of sharing it with the other boy.

<b style="color:#101115;">"Quil, come see this!" He said, purposefully leaving the other boy's name out as he began to pull the frozen carcass free from the snow. He was more than willing to share his find with her- but not with Yuka.

Malia sniffed the air curiously as white specks began to fall in front of her, pooling around her feet. Some melted on her nose, others stuck to the ground. What was it? Her amber eyes watched each flake that she could, then her gaze moved up towards the sky. What was making this stuff? It was weird... it was cold, too. Preoccupied with this new conundrum, Malia barely saw the dark shape that moved among the trees and flora around her. Then she looked back towards the ground and noticed a familiar form of Yuka wandering through the forests. It seemed like she had become so used to his scent that she barely noticed when he was around anymore. Maybe it was for the best, since he did not seem like he enjoyed her company all that much. Nevertheless Malia decided to take it upon herself to find out what he was doing all alone. It was her job as a big sister, of course! Taking off at a trot, Malia struggled through the growing snow drifts and followed her brother's footprints.


His path winded back and forth, soon coming to meet with another, unfamiliar scent. It definitely was not the smell of mommy or daddy. Who could Yuka possibly be meeting- here of all places? A wicked grin passed over the sister's face. She could get Yuka in trouble and show herself to be a great tracker to impress mom and dad at the same time! Malia knew that good spies did not make themselves known immediately, so she crouched down in the snow drift in the brush and watched, waiting. The snow melted around her and chilled her as water reached her skin. Ignoring it, the 6-month-old waited and perked her ears to hear the conversation that might be taking place.


The words did not seem to be those of familiarity, rather those of two wolves meeting for the first time. Malia's head leaned towards the side and peeked out behind her hiding spot. A darkly-furred female pup sat there, watching the sky like Malia had been minutes prior. Ooh, Malia thought to herself, He's meeting a girl! The conversation seemed to only have just started when a black, male pup came by. He made the fur on the back of her neck stand up and caused a small growl to emerge from her mouth the moment she saw him. He had that cocky "I know everything" attitude that she hated, mostly because he was wrong. He did not know everything, and it was high time someone showed that to him. Another small growl emerged from her throat when she watched him completely ignore Yuka and seem intent on charming the female pup from the other pack. How rude! Yuka might be a pushover, but she certainly would not stand for this.


Stomping out of the brush she bounded over and brushed herself against her younger brother protectively, shooting as fierce a glare as she could muster towards this male pup. "Hey big shot, if you found something why don't you share it with everyone?"


"Speech"

Yuka and Asriel─the princes of the west. Now all she needed was a happily ever after.

They were fitting names, she reckoned, and she realized the only princes she had ever known were her two brothers. Immediately her stomach churned into a tight knot. Yes, she was a princess, too, a perfect fit to the royal puzzle that was the boys who stood before her; it wasn't until now that she felt as though her title had been washed away in the flood, lost forever with four of the six Attayas. For the briefest moment her brows furrowed together. Quil might not be one to flaunt her bloodline, but she would never forget where she came from and the invisible crown that now sat a bit heavier atop her head. For the first time since she'd arrived on this side of the mountain, she knew that the wilderness may have taken all but her sister from her, but it didn't have to change who she was─and she had the boys to thank for that.

No matter the discourse her thoughts had taken her on, the bright-eyed girl looked over Yuka and Asriel with genuine acceptance of both of them and their titles, flashing a girly grin. If the morning continued on like this, they would be her first friends here. With a gust of wind, something off in the near distance caught Asriel's attention, and as he excused himself and stepped around her she craned her neck to get a look at what it was; inadvertently, she caught a nice view of the charming regal's rear in the process. Another wave of heat washed over her. And she hadn't been blind to the competitive energy that seemed to emanate between the two boys, most of it belonging to Asriel. Growing up with two brothers, she'd seen the dance many times before, but was nonetheless a bit flattered and otherwise didn't may too much attention. When Asriel called her by name, her ears and head perked up a bit and she turned to Yuka. "Come on, Yuka!" she encourged, trotting lightly in the darker boy's direction.

But just as she'd made it to Asriel's side, the fur of her shoulder brushing against his, to lay her eyes upon the pronghorn carcass, another new voice broke across the morning air─a girl's voice. How delightful! she thought at once, a curious gaze casting across the snow to the tawny auburn she wolf. The girl's words were aimed toward Asriel like bullets from a gun, though, and Quil could only assume that she was related to red-headed Yuka by the way she appeared to defend him. She shot Asriel a quick sideways glance before stepping to his side─a level playing field was only fair. She highly doubted he wanted her interjection, but peacekeeping was a forte of hers, and she didn't exactly want such a beautiful morning to take a sour turn. "There's enough for everyone," she called amiably across the way to the girl, "isn't that right, Asriel?" It wasn't a question, but a statement made as she looked up to him with a wink, her regal and feminine charm shining through.