you do not know who is your friend or who is your enemy until the ICE breaks. It was a call which he normally would've answered, but in an entirely different fashion. Ice had always been one of the wolves who stalked the borders, who shoved his nose up against every loner who came, who investigated when someone brought home a new one — but he had never answered it as a leader, as the patriarch of Swift River.. as someone who could decide the fate and future of others, on whose broad shoulders the decision lay. He had been no stranger to letting Indru, or Marsh, know what he thought of someone else, but would that be enough now? Would he let his own inclination towards distrust rule him? In some ways, Swift River was weak, turning in upon itself in pain, balling up tight. In other ways, they were strong, overcoming hardships. Growling lightly under his breath, Ice stared up at the sky, before sighing. White smoke drifted out of his mouth, rising up, before fading out. Brief, meaningless.
Sturdy legs carried the large male through the snow. Exhilaration and fear mingled in his blood, and he kept hoping that when he got to Cali, Corinna would already be there, that he would get some help in this first judgment... But nose and eyes told him that wasn't the case, and the River male blew out a sigh. Just to be strong and trust yourself then, Ice, he told himself, and drank in what he saw. Cali, of course, with a large white male by her side, and Kisla, frozen at the spot. Ice's ears swiveled once, listening, before focusing forward, and for the first time ever in a border encounter, he did not shrink down beside his fellow pack mates. Instead, he raised his head, and his tail, stood tall. It felt both odd and natural all at once.
Coming up behind Kisla he touched his nose to her hip by way of greeting. None of them had had it easy the past year, but Kisla seemed to have suffered more than all the others for some reason, and he didn't know what he could do — all he'd done had just backfired one way or another. Gently he tried to give her ears a comforting lick before moving over to Cali and Orev. The stranger looked quite a lot like Ice himself, from the near-white coat to the gray eyes. Reaching out his head, he bumped his nose against the top of Cali's before looking at her questioningly, waiting for her to introduce this (if Ice might say so) handsome stranger.. or for the handsome stranger to introduce himself. .ice aesir |