Snow seemed to cover every inch of the land, blanketing it with a white that sparkled beautifully in the mid-afternoon sunlight. The air was cold, and had been steadily dropping during the night for weeks. It was no surprise that many wolves preferred to stay inside and snuggle against each other, waiting for the cruel winter to pass. Half of the Thorben girl's mind encouraged her to do so, instinct telling her to find a companion and keep warm. The other half was still excited and jumping for adventure while she still could, before she was not allowed outside and before blizzards snowed them in.

Malia soon found herself heading towards an unknown direction, south-west from the den. She passed Hush Meadow and reflected upon the silence that hung heavy there. All the birds had disappeared within the span of a couple days, and the absence of their song left an unsettling gap that kept the pup on edge. As she passed the landscape that had once been in full blossom during the spring, she sent a glance towards the small hill in the distance, imagining the red blossoms and cloying smell of flowers. During this period the girl found herself considering the idea of death and winter that she had once paid very little thought to. One might think that these notions might keep a curious girl closer to home, but in reality they spurred her to spend all of her time further away, causing mayhem while she still could. Of course, at her age, the thought of death was as far from her mind as it possibly could be, but when it did arise it was addressed quickly with a tour of Whisper Caverns land.

Her paws left little footprints as they gracefully stepped on blankets of snow. Her amber eyes glanced too and fro, keeping her eyes open for any prey she might see. They had been absent recently, and this caused a great deal of uneasiness in the pack. Due to her small, slim stature, most animals would not consider her a threat. However weaker ones would see her red pelt on the landscape like a warning sign for other predators, and would most likely prefer to stay further away. The girl did not know this, and so continued to search for what would prove to be a hopeless cause. While her eyes attempted to discern any sign of fur, they caught sight of a peculiar sparkling. It was like that of snow, but brighter and more blinding. Turning her gaze towards it, the female rested her eyes upon what could be described as nothing else other than a winter wonderland.

The Iridescent Lagoon sat, in all its glory, nestled between trees and wide meadows. Breaking from the pines behind her, Malia rushed forwards with a sudden burst of energy, eyes glittering with excitement. The body of water was frozen, with a light layer of powdered snow that, in some places, made way for the gray-ish color of the ice beneath. Malia did what any other pup would do if confronted with this situation, and immediately pressed her nose to the cold surface, reveling in its frostiness and attempting to look beneath the layer. Taking a wary step forward, the red-furred girl almost immediately slipped. She clung to the ice with her claws, tense, and considered her next move. Two of her paws stood on the lake, the other two in the snow behind her. Little by little she inched forwards, and soon enough all four feet with all claws were attempting to keep their balance. Instead of immediately falling, Malia slid forwards. A giggle resonated through the still, chilled air as she moved further and further towards the center of the large lake, wishing, for once, that her siblings could be here to appreciate her discovery.

"Speech"

Well wasn't this just an adorable coincidence.

He'd been trailing a set of rabbit footprints in the snow along the side of the lagoon, weaving in and out of the bushes and following it as it had moved along, when she heard the click of nails on ice. He'd chosen to hide himself, hunkering his gold-trimmed body close to the ground and stared out across the lagoon to see what had made its way out onto the frozen water. He'd have a much harder time catching the rabbit if it had decide to make a cut across the ice, and wasn't sure he wanted to risk his health and well-being out there on the slick surface- especially when he didn't know how to tell whether it was thick enough to take his weight or not.

But it wasn't a rabbit on the ice- it was a wolf. Malia. The stuck-up princess from Whisper Caverns. He'd seen her a few times now, and had met her siblings, and after having more or less sorted things through with Yuka, he'd decided that it would be best to make the best impression possible with her other family members...Possibly so she'd be the only one who would dislike him, or at least feel confused about him. He liked the idea of keeping her on edge. She was too confident for her own good.

He wasn't terribly surprised when her watchdog brother called out, in concern for her safety. He too must be nearby and had possibly trailed her here. Poor thing- she was being babysat. How cute. She'd been warned, but Asriel wasn't sure whose side he's take yet. Did he want to join with her brother and coax her off the ice- albeit in a sarcastic way- or did he want to join her, to freak her brother out even more? It actually looked kind of fun...So he decided, instead, to wait and watch, and see what happened.

Malia looked down at the ice, watching the little indentations her claws made in its surface and the powdery residue they left behind. Her amber eyes turned upwards to look at the trees that surrounded the lagoon, as well as the white-peaked mountains in the distance. To her they were a silent challenge, one that she would complete as soon as possible. The girl was not even a year old but still had big dreams that she had been thinking about for a while. She could imagine herself being the first to explore the deepest, darkest forests that everyone else were too scared to venture into... She would be hailed as the greatest adventurer of all time, the best of the best. Maybe someday she could be like Narime and lead her own pack, but there was no way she would lead with a boy by her side. Boys were incompetent scaredy-cats. At least that was the conclusion she could draw from all the boys she had met... And there had been a couple.

By this point the girl was so caught up in her own thoughts that she had slid nearly to the center of the lake. There were no loud cracks signifying that the ice was breaking and the Thorben was beginning to become more confident. A familiar voice caused her amber eyes to look towards the way she came. A dark wolf stood on the edge of the water, looking out at her with urgency in his gaze and concern in his voice. Malia rolled her eyes. "Titan I'm fiiiine," she called out to him, stressing her words. He was such a worry-wart sometimes. God, if Yuka was here he would be having a heart attack. At this point the Thorben child was regretting her wish that her siblings were present.
"Uncle Kino better not be with you!" she added, realizing that when Titan left the territory Tokino would not be too far behind. That would ruin everything.


Out of the corner of her eye Malia saw dark fur, similar in color to her brother's but she paid it no heed. The Whisper Caverns pup was way too concerned with other things at the moment. A wicked thought came to her then. Why not scare Titan a little bit more? It would be even better if she could get him on the ice with her... Malia took a deep breath and then dug her claws into the ice, her thin body tensing once more. She then pushed off and skated towards Titan standing on the ice, stopping a few feet before she reached him. "Come on, it's not that bad!" she said with a grin before doing the same thing and sliding off into a different direction. It seemed like she was finally getting the hang of this...

"Speech"

Well, wasn't this just too precious- Titan was being a wuss and Malia had chosen to show more gumption than ever. He felt himself losing a bit of respect for the male who didn't immediately see to his sister's safety and lingered along the edge of the ice until she finally tempted him forward. He said something about nearly falling through some other time he too had been idiotic enough to go out on the ice, something Asriel felt was likely a lie, but he didn't care terribly. He was too frightened to go out without hesitation, something Asriel would have done even if he had been frightened- he wouldn't have let Morganna endanger herself the way Malia did.

While he listened for the distinct sound of ice cracking, he heard nothing of the sort. He became distracted when he caught the scent of something tasty, and withdrew from the scene, losing sight of both pups out on the ice as he tracked the smell toward the carcass which was partially buried in the snow. They could have their ice and silly pup games- he quickly set about wolfing down the little meat left on the deer's carcass to replenish his strength. He needed to eat as much as possible to grow big and strong, even in the winter months. He wanted to be a prime example of an Archer when he was done growing, and didn't fancy that he was nearly there yet, in terms of size.

Licking his lips once he'd had his fill, he moseyed back toward the ice and without hesitation, moved out onto the slick surface, curling his toes to use his nails for more traction. Quite comfortably, he sat down and regarded the two of them with a carefree expression. "Having fun?"

"Maybe that's just because you're fat!" Malia giggled teasingly, sliding away. "You should probably lay off the rabbits.." The rust-furred girl watched with interest as Titan took a few tentative steps forwards and soon was on the ice. It was clear that he was uneasy, taking much time for one measly inch or two. He was clearly coming for her and maybe he would catch her, but the girl certainly wouldn't make it easy! Her mind cleared as she focused on this one task, anger forgotten for the time being. Malia's heart felt light as she slid forwards towards her older brother, brushing up against him lightly before quickly twisting and careening in another direction with a laugh. When she turned to look at Titan, the figure she saw on the ice with them was the last one she had expected to see.


A very familiar face was looking at the two of them with haughty yellow eyes. He had no hesitation in his steps, his confidence on the ice was clear. Another laugh, high and clear, came from her jaws as she looked at him. He just thought he was so smooth, didn't he? 'Having fun?' Really? At all other times she would be angry that he had followed them, or at least had been watching them. But today something was different about... everything. Of course, the girl had recently discovered sarcasm, and was trying to utilize this newfound skill at every point she could. "Oh yes, Prince Asriel.." she replied with another laugh, awkwardly shifting her body position in a mock bow before looking upwards, back at him. "But of course, only because you've now arrived."

"Speech"

Had Asriel not just found himsef a meal that made his stomach feel full and happy, he might not have been so inclined to join the siblings, as he honestly hadn't found any reason to give a damn about either of them. Both were noble, but like him, their nobility came with stubborn, unrefined pride which made them consumed by arrogance. There was a certain competitiveness with which they spoke every time they met, and it kept them at a distance- all save for Yuka, who was a prince as well, but the one wolf among them who seemed as though he was able to keep his head on his shoulders, rather than being up in the clouds.

He took no offense to Malia's sarcasm, and instead found it amusing. He chuckled darkly and lifted his head in mock pride, an action which was actually somewhat humble, considering the fact that he was humoring her rather than becoming haughty and hostile. He was just on the verge of saying something in reply- something which might have actually been civil- when he saw Titan lunge toward his sister in an action which was neither princely nor kind. He'd been moving toward his sister this whole time, and Asriel had assumed that the two would simply play out on the ice- but now he saw the reason for Titan's approach.

He was trying to knock his sister over in a gesture of dominance.

Instantly, though he had few friendly feelings toward Malia, Asriel felt himself angered. How dare he tackle his sister like that? This wasn't playful- this was aggressive, and it wasn't right for Titan to do this, not when Malia hadn't asked for it. In an instant, Malia became Morganna and Titan became Skoll, and he felt the need to stand up for the young girl, simply because of her gender and the way she reminded him of his sister. He'd never noticed this before- but he saw it now. Titan was no better than Skoll, though he was larger and much more powerful...And this made him more dangerous toward his own sister.

Though his first few strides did nothing and his claws grappled pointlessly against the ice, he lowered his center of gravity and growled as his claws caught hold and he managed to push himself forward, toward the siblings. His head was low and ears flattened as he charged, paws skidding and balance more or less lost. "Get off her!" He warned, and had already made up his mind- if Titan didn't unhand his sister by the time he managed to flail his way over, he'd push him over himself.