Edge Stone Pool limes in a corona

February 1st; Early afternoon; Broken Clouds; 5 ° F, -15 ° C.

This place was starting to feel familiar, but the snow easily made it hard to figure out whether or not he had made it to the Fields. He sighed as he checked out the edge of a small pool. It had frozen over but it was only icy white along the shallowest parts. He inched all four paws onto the glossy surface, disappointed at there wasn't even a cracking sound after he reclined forward into a play bow. His forepaw nails tapped on the ice in thought before he whipped his head over his right shoulder.

"KAS!" he barked, trying to summon his younger companion to his side.

When that didn't seem to do the trick, he tried again. "KASAI! Get over 'ere!" He straightened now with all four limbs beneath him. His tail slowly rose before falling again. That damned kid always found something to distract him... Just leave him a few moments alone and Niles was sure that he would have to expend his energy trying to rein the youth back in. After all, iIt had been Chimera's idea to come back the Lore in the first place.

His grey eyes canned the gentle slopes of the tundra for a speck of dark brown in the distance, grumbling under his breath. Chimera had just been behind him only a moment ago, he could have sworn it.

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

Trailing after Niles had been dull. For days there had been nothing but miles and miles and miles upon miles of snow. If they hadn't had footprints to leave behind, Chimera was sure they would have gotten lost or gone around in circles. To mix it up, he thought he would take some sort of diagonal path through the snow. The land ahead of them (for the most part, anyway) was flat, and it made no sense to think that Niles would lose him among the snowbanks. Well, that was until he thought he smelled something rabbit-y and found himself flat on the ground and his head nose-down in the frost.

"KAS!"

He barely heard the first call, but he pulled his head out of the ground and looked around. Niles was nowhere to be seen. Chimera's tail gave a tentative wag and he slowly got up. Never mind about the rabbit hole beneath his feet; he had become so comfortable with being around the Lyall that he particularly didn't like to be apart from Niles by unexpected means (and that usually meant that wandering off was something he really shouldn't do).

Black paws marched up a small hill when his name was called out across the Lowlands. Chimera gave his coat a shake and after walking around and looking in the right direction, he finally saw the other dark brown shape in the snow that was Niles. Chimera's face distorted into the most exasperated frown as he barked back with his shoulders rigid and tail limp. It wasn't like they had been separated by fog, like they had been one time some few weeks ago (and Niles had something like a panic attack). He had simply been at his back, just out of sight. "WHY?!?!"

we can be blue as a neon light, singing them sad love songs all night
Niles is currently traveling with Chimera and may hop into this IC thread!

You smell the remains of an elk nearby. Enjoy your feast! +10 Health

Niles squinted into the distance but was taken aback when he saw Chimera somehow just walk out from a spot much closer than expected. He let out an audible sigh as he watched the youth take a few steps and then turn his head around to fully look him square in the face. Niles clicked his tongue between slightly parted lips, but he knew his travel companion had heard it.

"WHY?!?!"

The Lyall rolled his eyes. Of course he was going to be met with defiance. This was how they talked... with the what's and the why's and the how's. Niles simply should have known better than to just beckon. "Aren't ya thirsty, you bonehead?!" he hollered back. "C'mere!"

He suddenly understood just how Angier and Elettra felt, with him only using so many words and defying them simply because he could. He didn't even wait for Chimera to answer back, he raised a forepaw and stamped it back on the solid ice beneath him, "I need ya to stand o'er here for a bit, then you can go back to doin' what you were doin'."

we can say goodbye, just head home, but if we're going to be alone
Chimera is currently traveling with Niles and may hop into this IC thread!

"Aren't ya thirsty, you bonehead?!"

If Niles hadn't said it, Chimera might not have realized, himself, just how parched and dry the back of his throat had been. All this time, since they had been traveling, he would just take in mouthfuls of snow; not just to hydrate as they went, but to keep himself from jabbering and annoying Niles to high heaven. He had done that quite a bit in their travels together, but now was the time to stop wasting his breath and grow up a little, leave some curiosity for other times and, frankly, imitate his friend's stoic mannerisms.

He stared for a second longer than he should have, Niles' stomping paw snapping him out of it. All he needed Chimera to do was to stand next to him. His eyes glazed over as he looked at where his older friend stood, regarding the pond with a twitching nose before discovering for himself just what it was that they were going to do.

His tongue curled up against the roof of his mouth, using everything he had within him to keep himself from wandering off toward the scent of old kill. "Okay, so... what?" the Avalon half-slipped as he stepped over the ice's edge and made his way to where Niles was impatiently standing. He heard a crack sound out beneath him and his teeth ground together, a scowl forming on his dark face. "Niles." His voice was half-warning, half-suspicion, "If we're breaking the ice, I am not getting my toes frozen..."

we can be blue as a neon light, singing them sad love songs all night
Niles is currently traveling with Chimera and may hop into this IC thread!