Listen to me, I cannot see clearly

Heat day 2 of 5! Open for a maximum of 2 others! No puppies resulting should things swing that way

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As soon as the group left the mountains, they were met with snow. The further north they went, the more snow would fall and cover the ground in the beautiful white blanket Reiko had always loved so much. Excited to have returned to the plush white North, she bounded ahead in the land that was already somewhat familiar to her, running ahead into the trees of which she had woken up in not only just a few months ago.

The place had barely changed to her delight. 

Where she had crawled out of the snow was now buried long ago and nothing but an awful memory to have woken up here alone with the new anxiety of her missing children. Now she had one by her side with one still left to find. For now, they had to settle somewhere. Find a place for Hotaru to rest and be where she could be found easily once again. Only then would Reiko head back out South to find the final missing twin.

Until then, still within the blissful ignorance of her hormones flaring, she frolicked through the snow with light, dancer like steps. 

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He wasn’t terribly far from his mountain that afternoon, exploring where he could. Today, his paws had carried him to the pine forest, his usual pale feathered companion absent on this sojourn. They were not inseparable, but the gilded Viking still found it odd to not hear the familiar caw from overhead every so often. A handful of hours would not hurt him, and he was sure the white Synin would have some sort of story for him upon his return.

Unconsciously, a scent drew him closer, one that itched at the back of his mind. His instincts spurned him faster, pace quickening into a lope so that he could find the source. The fire that had been lit in his belly burned brighter and hotter the closer he drew; only when he found the source did the male slow, chuffing to draw the woman’s attention, a fierce glint to his eye as he drew his head up proudly.
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Every now and then she would throw herself into the snow. Dragging her front half and face through the soft white snow she had dreamed of seeing again for quite some time. Nuzzling it as she marched along pushing with her hind legs. It reminded her of home, back to when times were simple, before all the calamity of last year.
 

behold an image of what she is currently doing

It was the chuff that caught her attention. Cutting through winter's silence and propping herself back up to turn cerulean eyes to the figure who loomed near by. A quick sneeze freed her nostrils of snow before letting the smile direct itself to the man again. The joy in her eyes and sway of her tail was a stark contrast to the stern figured man who stood tall and proud.

“Hello! I hope I am not intruding, am I?” Unfortunately for her, things were about to take a turn toward misfortune and a rude wakeup call.

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Hey display was... enticing. It drew him in, a pale, gilded moth to an equally pale, delightful smelling flame. Her tail waved, letting her scent permeate the cold air further, nostrils flaring as he breathed it in. She was small. It would not be difficult to scruff her and answer the thunderous call of his instincts, whether she wanted it or not. It would be more difficult to ignore those instincts and, for a moment, Stjörnuáti wondered if he was up to such a challenge today.

Her dulcet voice caused a flick of his ears, bringing the man back to himself. Frowning at the question, Stjörnuáti considered telling her yes, that she was intruding, drive her off these lands before she was claimed -- by him or his brothers.

“No,” He answered after a slight, extended silence. “Litla konan — The little woman is by herself?” He asked, though his intentions were unclear, even to him.
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For the moment she was completely in ignorant bliss. Overjoyed with finding the great white north once again and completely none the wiser after her innocent interaction with Quicksilver just the day before.

But as he frowned, her tail slowed to a stop. Eyes lowering shyly like some disciplined whelp who had just been caught doing something terrible. His frown scared her. Shrinking in his gaze, the woman's ears flattened against her skull. She had trespassed earlier to take Hotaru out of a dangerous situation, but this time she had not realized to cross any borders.

Yet he tells her no, that she didn't. So why the frown? She tried to smile, letting the tip of her tail flicker in a small friendly gesture to see if she could defuse the situation... whatever it was. “Am I by myself?” A little clarification was needed as she didn't quite catch the first thing he said. “No not really.” Head swivelling into the direction where she had left the others before running off happily to jump into the soft snow. “My companions are not too far.”

Why was he asking? She was almost too afraid to ask anything, only to answer whatever he barked.

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She faltered. Good. Stjörnuáti was pleased that she realized the seriousness of his demeanor, though she seemed... confused. His frown deepened. A woman in heat was confused as to why he was asking if she was alone? At least her companions were not far, though they were not in sight. A mistake he would not have let a companion of his own make. “You should not be alone in the... ástand — ” He paused, thinking, translating. “in your situation.” His own tail flicked, ears pushing forward. He had half a mind to drive her closer to those she spoke of, and further away from his mountain.
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Sadly for her, she was alone in discovering what it was like to be a woman. After her mother died young and no other older women around to guide her, it was all a trial and error discovery. Most were wonderful, others, well, most were terrifying. She truly believed only the one man thought the way he did, how cruel they could be.

His frown deepened and she could only shrink so much. “Situation?” She was truly confused and honestly scared about what this situation could possibly be. Sneaking a glance around her, the whites of her eyes clearly visible from a distance... nothing, she couldn't tell what was wrong. If she wasn't trespassing then what could he be talking about?

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She didn't know. It marked her age to him, marked her as young and inexperienced. While he didn't mind virginal women, even enjoyed them, Stjörnuáti found something unsettling about having to educate one. “You are in heat. Alone, you could be taken. At least with litla konan's companions near, she would have better protection.” During his short lecture, the gilded Nord took a step back, putting space between them. Perhaps she would understand then, that he was not here to attack her.
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Finally things were clearing up. Heat, well she knew that much. Knew what it meant, knew what it could bring to some extent - children. How long had this been going on for? How much longer would it last? She wouldn't ask, wouldn't stick around to long enough to gather the courage to do so.

Everything seemed to make sense now. It all came crashing down on her here and now like a ten tonne brick house. Eyes wide with the realization and ears folded back in terror - she took his invitation with haste. Saying nothing in return as she swiftly turned on her heels to flee back where she had come from, back to the safety of her group and leaving nothing behind but a cloud of snow in her wake.

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At least she was smart. Stjörnuáti watched her turn and run, her nigh intoxicating scent all that was left to remind him of how close he'd been to descending upon her. Snorting, forcing it out of his nose as much as possible, the male turned and changed his own course, leaving the tress of pines to explore another day.
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