In so deep, I can't get you out

The air is cold enough to burn her lungs with every breath. Yet it makes her feel alive. Against the pure white snow, her red coat stands out like a sore thumb. Its the furtherest thing from her mind. Jade doesn't mind having all eyes on her, she eats up the attention. Maybe its foolish of her, to be so brazen in a world she doesn't know. Especially when she doesn't even know how she got here. She'd gone to bed the night before; her temporary home an abandoned den, only to wake up somewhere different. She'd still woken in a den, but the air was different, the ground had changed, it was colder, harder. When she'd stepped from makeshift home, the forest around her was gone and she found herself surrounded by white. Powdery snow extended in every direction and coated the tall trees in every direction.

Its breathtaking. 

She immediately bound forward, taking simple joy in leaping through the chilly powder so that it clung to her coat. It hasn't yet dawned on her, that she's in a strange land, all alone. There's no one to protect her here. She only has herself to rely on, and with her pampered life, she doesn't know a damn thing.  

Slender jaws part in a pant when she finally stops frolicking, looking at the mess of snow left in her wake; its smooth surface plenty disturbed. Looking around, pale green eyes taking in the snow laden forest again. Its quiet. Too quiet. Her ears twitch with a flicker of nerves. What is she going to do now? Walking forward, she moves aimlessly, unsure which direction leads where. In her mind, she only needs to find the nearest town and from there, she'd have all her needs and desire fulfilled. How difficult could that be?

Her sister does cross her mind. She wonders what she's doing. Pausing, it dawns on her then that she might not ever see her again. Her parents too. Wherever she'd woken up, Jade didn't have the slightest clue how to get home. How could she? When she couldn't even explain how she'd gotten here. A shiver of unease races up her spine, something she does her best to ignore. For now, she's free. Free to do as she pleased without judgement. Without her parents scorn. Without the judgement of their hometown. No one here knows her name. No one here can speculate about her lineage. Here is an opportunity for a fresh start.
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He steps into her path without warning and her eyes immediately snap to his. Her ears flick forward as her attention shifts wholly onto him; his presence causing a sense of unease to seep slowly into her veins. The man towers over her, his build imposing, promising that she'd hold no chance of escape should he have any less than honorable intentions. There's a dark glint in his eye, one she doesn't miss but doesn't fully understand. You look a little... lost. Bright orange eyes watch her, their color so vibrant, like flames of a candle. No. An entire forest fire. There's something about him, something that both commands her attention and screams at her to run. 

"Just considering where I'll go next."

It seems a safe enough answer. One that neither confirms his suspicions nor outright denies it, on the off chance he can help her. Naive as she may be, Jade is every bit capable of being manipulative when it suits her. What she lacks in real world experience, she attempts to make up for with her silver tongue. 

He's the first wolf she's come across since waking up. To ask if he had the same experience is on the tip of her tongue, but she holds back; her tale sounds crazy even to her own ears. She couldn't possibly share her delusions with a stranger, definitely not one so easy on the eyes. Her eyes drop shyly for a beat before lifting again. "Are you? Lost?" Surely he is not. Though even if he is, he doesn't seem the least bit concerned about it. The way that she should be. But its easy not to fear the monsters you didn't know.
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When she looked back at him she was certain to keep her features lax. Malachi, however, could not pull his gaze away, fixated on every flicker of emotion that danced across her face. “To be free,” he replied, his voice cold, his lips curling into a slow, deliberate smirk. “I suppose we can travel... wherever that is, together.” He wasn't asking her, and it was abundantly clear that her attention was going to be his for the evening.

“Oh, no, I am familiar,” he responds back to her question, “that will be helpful while I show you around.” He's playing a dangerous game with her, but it rouses him to toy with her to see how far she was willing to let him go. He waits for her to move, not a second sooner or later, and he would be at her side, mirroring her movements. “Malachi,” she doesn't ask his name, but he gives it to her, and his sideways glance expects she does the same.
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There is an abrupt shift, one that sends a shiver of unease up her spine. He declares that they can travel together. He doesn't ask. He simply imposes. Her nostrils flare indignantly. Freedom is a fresh taste in her mouth, one that she's not willing to give up just yet. Certainly not to stranger. Even if she can't stop staring. There's a chill in his tone that she doesn't miss and when its accompanied by his slow smirk, she knows that she needs to be rid of him. Now. But Jade is smart. She knows she can't overpower him. She certainly couldn't fight him off; her father may have ensured she isn't completely defenseless, but Jade paid too little attention to lessons to know anything remotely close to combat. Running only prolongs the inevitable and tires her out, leaving her even more vulnerable. Its a relief that all of this even runs through her mind, that she manages to remember it in a time of need. For that, she is thankful. 

However. 

She's still Jade. 

Her eyes flash even as a polite smile tightly curls her lips. She's not yet mastered the ability to hide all her emotions. The moment she takes a step, he is beside her, mirroring her every movement. Its unsettling. But her mother had ensured that Jade didn't cower in fear in the face of adversity. She didn't allow it. So she silently accepts. 

Setting the pace, Jade continued on the path she had been on. "Jade." Surely appeasing him with her name couldn't hurt anything. Plus, she couldn't help her curiosity. She'd lie through her teeth until the day she dies before she'd ever admit her to intrigue. Something tells her to run. To put as much distance between them as possible. But Jade wants to know why. Whats his list of crimes? The criminals her mother had judged always held her fascination. What compelled someone to break the law? To commit a sin so heinous that it leaves a black mark on their soul? "Do you often impose your company on those you meet?" Its her turn to cast a sidelong glance his way. There is no malice in her tone, if anything, her tone could be considered lightly teasing. 

Delicate paws sink into the snow as she walks and -dangerously so- her gaze leaves him in favor of the forrest around them. An ear remains trained his way and he doesn't ever leave her peripherals. This place isn't unlike some of the area around her home in the middle of winter. At least at first glance. But the trees are different. The smell is entirely foreign. The sounds rattle her nerves as she adjusts to them. Its newness makes it beautiful. Even if it is freezing and her toes feel like they may soon fall off. Her nose twitches constantly and each smell contains a hint of the man next to her. His cologne lingers pleasantly in her nose, as if she needed another reminder of his presence. Buuut she doesn't completely hate it either...
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