Heiress Loch a potato flew around my room

The knee deep snow and biting cold made the journey south a bit of a slog, but other than that Marian was having a pretty good time. Travelling with company was leagues better than going it alone and Azra seemed happy enough to let her fill the silence with rambled stories and snorted jokes. She most graciously allowed him to lead the way, nipping at his tail and thighs either just to fuck with him or to make sure that he was indeed paying attention to her. In the darkness her eyes seemed to stand out stark and bright, as did his pale of his rump, a shiny little beacon that led the way

The pair pushed on, shoving their way through Copse till streams of sunlight began to pierce trough the trees. And then it was like surfacing from the depths of an unfathomably deep sleep and being thrown headfirst back into reality. Marian squinted against the light and let out a huff of disapproval as she squeezed her eyes shut, flicking them open at short intervals till she grew accustomed to the daylight. The lake that stood before her was...yeah it was a lake and a big one at that.

"Not bad." She announced, finally looking to her travel partner once more.

So when Annie said she liked to do "her own thing," he hadn't been sure what that meant. Now he decided that possibly her sister—who he had not yet been introduced to—just didn't like getting nipped in the bud. Literally. Any time Azra tried to slow down Annie very casually moved slower and eventually he just shrugged and accepted it. Instead he chose to make a game of anticipating the next snap, trying to jump to the side or leap forward quickly enough to avoid the teeth. He was not very good at this, but it didn't matter because when they were both laughing Azra hardly noticed time pass or the impenetrable darkness of the woods.

Though maybe he should have anticipated the fact that the lake would be uncovered—there was no way trees could stretch all the way across—Azra was equally as taken aback as his companion was when they finally stepped past the final tree and into the blinding light. The boy screwed his eyes shut, letting almost a whole minute pass before one nervous eyelid lifted just a sliver. "Hooooo," he exhaled through rounded lips as if he had been burned. Or he was an owl. The sun was so strong he could feel it warming his remaining, closeted yellow eye. The more gentle sensation coaxed the rest of his gaze out of hiding.

There she was, Heiress Loch.

The majesty of the perfectly open and glassy ice inspired him to try out one of his "fun facts." But in his own, roundabout way. "Do you know the difference between a pond and a lake?", he asked, shouldering her out of the way as he went straight for the edge of the frozen water. Wobbling a little at first when he hit it with some momentum, he eventually locked his knees and straightened, though he kept sliding.

Marian let out a little ooof as Azra scooted her out of the way to make a beeline for the waters edge. She opened her maw to snap and ask him what gives but...well it was kinda hard for her to get all pissy when he was wearing such a dorky expression. Like out in the open and in the light of day he was truly in his element, his tragic past forgotten. Even if only for a little while. Stepping up onto the shore, Marian gave the ice a good thunk with a paw, testing it's firmness. The fact that Azra was skitting along without it cracking in his wake made her feel as though it was probably safe, but since she couldn't swim it just wasn't something she felt like risking.

"Uh...a lake is bigger?" She asked with a confused tip of her head, not that she let it distract her for long.

She was in her element as she slid across the ice, far more graceful and elegant than she could ever hope to be on dry land. She circled Azra, tail pointing up like a shark fin and with the white of her teeth exposed in an oh so pleased smile.

"Don't keep me hanging Az man, I'll bite you again."

Annie took to the ice as a bird takes to the air, but maybe with a hint of caution. She seemed familiar with ice slipping, which meant that they could have some fun without him having to break off a tree branch or something to drag her around with. No doubt she would have just asked to hang on to his tail. Laughing, Azra broke free of her circling and as he slipped faster and faster he flopped onto his belly, swooshing toward the center of the lake like a penguin.

When finally the energy and physical principles carrying him forward ran out, the young Donata wiggled back up to a sitting position. "That's the common conclusion, but it actually has to do with depth," he said matter-of-factly, snout poised in the air like he was some kind of scholar. "All ponds are so shallow that stuff is growing in them. Like plants and stuff. Lakes are so deep that, at some point, the sunlight can't go into the water and its all dark. No plants. So you could actually have a very very big pond, so long as it was shallow." He had seen this for himself one time when he'd nearly drowned as a yearling. He'd been plunged so deep into the water, opening his eyes and he didn't even have an idea which way was sky and which way would be silty mud. After that he was dragged out by his scruff and taught how to swim properly.

"This is uhm, definitely a lake," he said finally, wiping some snow from the surface to look down at the frozen sheet so thick that it was white with cracks and air bubbles. Below that, though, it looked impossibly dark.

Watching him skid along on his belly with an amused snort, she leaned forward as she kicked at the ice, following suit at a laid back pace. Despite the biting cold that ruffled her coat, she quite liked it here, or at least till Azra began to fill the silence. Marian grimaced. Well that was a mistake and a half. She was happy enough to let Az talk but she hadn't anticipated that he'd use it as a chance to start monologuing about lakes and ponds of all things. Then again she supposed this was leagues better than him stumbling through his words, getting all teary eyed at the mere thought of family.

If talking about lakes made him happy then...yeah, Marian would grit her teeth and listen. He deserved all the good things and all the smiles, even if she didn't quite feel like admitting that just yet. If ever. She skidded to a stop, her nails leaving raked lines in the ice as she stood there, observing him with a doubly whammy of Selwyn squint and head tilt.

"Can you swim?" She asked, quite out of the blue. Or grey, given the weather and season. "Because I'm ashamed to say I carn't. If, Heaven forbid, the ice cracks I wholly expect you to fish me out. Lake man."

Not a duty he'd asked for but one she'd foisted upon him anyway, just because she could.

Annie didn't seem particularly interested in his info-dumping on lakes, which Azra was blissfully unaware of. He never seemed to notice that others did not share his particular interests in weird nature facts or personification of beetles, prey, or the weather. It didn't really matter either way, they were his hobbies and his curiosity. So Azra would continue to gab on whatever thought floated into his free-wheeling mind.

"Oh, yeah, nearly drowned one time so they made me learn." Everyone had acted like it was a big imposition of him to go a-drowning on them, and an even bigger imposition to receive an education in doggy-paddling. "In ponds, lakes, rivers, and the ocean." Though ocean swimming wasn't so safe. The ocean was meant more for decoration, for sight-seeing.

Chuckling a bit and taking a big fox-like pounce, Azra's weight came down on the front paws. The ice made a dull thud, but otherwise no spider-like cracks or great yawning sounds resulted. "I think you'll be alright, unless you suddenly gain like the weight of five moose." Once more he pushed off from the ice and slid forward, landing on his chest like a penguin and sliding back to his dark friend. " I'd...teach you how to swim but I think we gotta wait a bit."

Marian's eyes widened a little, she could imagine it clear as day, pale paws flapping as Azra struggled to stay afloat. It probably was mean of her but she let out yet another undignified snort, her eyes creasing around the corners in obvious amusement. But at least to his credit-and not to hers- he'd learned from his mistakes and was a fully fledged swimmer. A title that probably wouldn't be anything of note to anyone else, but Marian was cut from a special sort of cloth. Aka, most Selwyns couldn't swim since there wasn't a lot of water up in the mountains, nothing deep enough that warranted learning how to swim or anything. Ah well.

The idea of swimming in the sea though, she ooofed audibly at that. Yeah no thanks. Marian and her sister had passed by the ocean on their way here and uh...that shit was messy, all choppy with waves that crashed against the shore louder than thunder. She'd sooner drink her own piss then swim in the sea.

Azra, bless his cotton paws, was quick to reassure her that the ice probably wasn't gonna break anytime soon. And being the picky thing she was she was kinda tempted to go outta her way to prove him wrong but...eh it was probably best to hold back on that urge for now. She slumped where she stood, breathing out as much as possible in an attempt to make herself seem as round and as porky as possible. As though she'd been sucking her tum in the whole time.

"How 'bout now?" She rasped, only to release the breath in one big grin as she slithered down onto her stomach and joined him in his skidding shenanigans. She was supposed to be a mature lady but his laid back attuited served as a pretty good reminder that she was too young to take life so seriously just yet. "Oh yeah, for sure. Really think you can tolerate me for so long?" She asked in all seriousness, only to bat at his muzzle with a paw to shoo away any tension. Yanno, just in case this shit got too real.

He watched her, confusion playing lightly on his fluttering eyelashes as he watched her hunch over and make herself... fatter? Somehow everything about her middle seemed very massive. Like she was expanding all her organs instead of his lungs. He had never seen anyone do this before and, momentarily, forgot why she would even be doing this. A joke, of course. A joke. "I think you're just," he chuckled, "One moose bigger, now." He tried pushing his stomach out too, though he was laying on the ice and the effect was just that he seemed to rise an inch and then flatten again.

"Hmpfff..."

As she pushed his snout his whole body turned counter clockwise, just a couple of centimeters. "I mean, I tolerate you fine just now even though you keep biting me." This, he said in a sarcastic drawl that he hoped she would understand. "And I suppose I could ask the same. There is a lot more random trivia or stories in my head. A lot of wolves really only handle me in bits of time.... I don't overstay my welcome." If one day Annie was done biting him he would be sad, but it wouldn't be anything he was unfamiliar with.

One moose? Hmph. Marian totally wasn't salty that most women were all slim and petite, womanly with all those snazzy curves whilst Marian was just round, even at the best of times. Thick and leggy, a combination that was hard to rock, if she was being honest. No matter, she wasn't gonna linger on her faults any longer than she had to. Moody Marian she was not. Instead she found herself quite enjoying the fact that Azra was so malleable, that if she nudged him one way he'd just go with the flow. He was laidback in every way she wasn't. He filled in the gaps where she couldn't.

He lamented that he wished she'd stop biting him so of course she had to tug on his ear for good measure. She'd always been a rambunctious pup, quick to wrestle and even though she was a woman now and all she still liked to fight like no one's business. She gave the pale of his ear another pull, just as gentle-ish as the first before she pulled back and let him speak. Sort of. If you think folding herself down on top of him to steal some much needed body warmth counted as giving him space.

"Nah, I wouldn't worry too much about that. I'm not going anywhere soon." She began peddling her back paws against the ice, scooting the pair along at a snails pace. "And I guess if we're being honest with each other.... you ain't so bad. "

There wasn't she so kind? She'd complimented him!

The ear plucking Azra could have predicted. When Annie tamely laid herself down on top of him though, Azra's eyes bulged. He shifted a little on the ice as she settled down. This was as close as they had been before and it was hard to imagine any way the girl could get any closer. Vaguely he wondered if his breathing was going to jostle her too much. Should he not breath? Laying very still, oxygen quickly fading from his lungs he listened to her state that she wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Literally? Azra wasn't sure how long he could hold his breath for.

Oh! They were moving now. Azra's body served as some sort of travel mechanism, a vessel to move them along the ice. Snow began to collect in his cheek fur and in front of his chest. He was directed snout-first for a lump of snow and lifted his head time, even though really they had a lot of time: Marian was pushing at least a hundred and fifty pounds across the ice. So engrossed with considering the logistics of their canine snow-mobile, Azra nearly missed his friend's admission. "Really?" His face felt hot, even covered in snow.

"Even if I fart right now?"