may it be safe and filled with light

the morning, when asriel had departed the borders of frostchant, following the footpath down the mountain from cloudrest had been sunny; nary a cloud in the sky. though the rocky path down had been slow going — he'd watched with a certain burn of envy in his chest as the mountain goats managed to find the smallest footholds in the uneven rock and hopped up and down without the effort he'd needed to exert — asriel had followed the unknown path to it's end where it had begun to grow murky and thick with cloying fog. the path yawned onto solid ground that gave way to sand and cautiously, the asriel kept going; pausing once to peer over his shoulder to see the faint silhouette of the mountain side before in a few more steps the fog swallowed it whole.

somewhere, in the distance, he thought he could hear the ocean ... but in the bonethick fog sound moved differently and strange shadows took shape in the writhing fog; pirouetting around him in invitation, delighting in disorienting him by sight and sound. he could only hope he does not find himself wandering the claim of another pack ( again ).

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Though the night had yet to arrive, the slowly motion of the nightly moaning started to approach. She flickered her ears within the foggy land, a nose to the ground and a ignorance toward the sounds around. Though none troubles yet, she could not smell that of the Northfall wolves within the beach - the most important factor of that of patrolling. Vendrussel wouldn't allow such ways to come forth, especially as she fought not only that of a mother of their mountain range, but the offspring to protect her land.

When she saw that of another child, there rising of her backfurs as narrowed an ocean look and approached such a boy, "halt," the dragon said, "this is Dragonford land," but was he of them? or another wanderer within their beaches? He did not smell of them, yet still of the cold mountain range, and familiarity that near the cloudy mountains.. Vaguely so knowing a pack was motioning around there, but at the time so weak, she did not know their true scents.

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halt,

the voice of the silhouette rapidly taking form through the cloying fog cuts through it like a knife; commanding as it continues with 'this is dragonford land'. a soft fjordic curse falls from betwixt asriel's lips. he'd been so sure he hadn't been trespassing this time ...but the fog and saltbrine messes with his senses. dulling them giddily; as if the entity delighted in wreaking havoc. for a swift moment — there and gone before asriel could make much sense of it — a glimpse of another trickster fills his mind: fur the color of a violent sunset, green eyes with a penchant for mischief.

he takes a shallow breath, composing himself. he knows how to conduct himself... though he could only hope that this time works in his favor as it had last time; though he knows that streak of luck must only last for so long.

“i am asriel, of frostchant,” he supplies his introduction. “i did not realize this shore was claimed.” and then follows the question left unasked of why anyone would want to claim this dismal place as home.

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Grazing through that of the foggy day, paws gliding across the sandy shores.. She could make out the fellow more, a colors of tundrian wakes and of northern times - he smelled that of the icy mountain tops, familiar to that of a land she once took stake. Vendrussel remembered those of smell to the claim, but she never met them, and made her way through while ignoring such weak bordering lands. However she has passed by them on another day, going through the behemoth's fogs and into the land near the tundra itself, she could smell their land, the strong wiff of the land.. Though knew not if they were the same wolves that tried earlier.

"I have not heard of Frostguard," she declared, a step forwrd and scrutinizing gaze to the light-touched child.

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though she does not expressly deny that this shore is claimed ...she does expressly confirm it either; and asriel's rapidly formed first impression gives him the inkling that if he was trespassing ( again, oops ) that she would've chased him away ...or attacked. perhaps he was wrong, but he uses this logic ( right or wrong ) to assuage himself. his assumptions aside, asriel errs to the side of caution all the same. the woman's calling of his home frostguard brings with it a soft breath, a correction lingering upon his lips. how impertinent it would be of him, to correct an elder — and yet, the urge remains persistent.

“frostchant,” asriel corrects as she takes a step closer, her gaze boring into him. “claims the cloudrest, on the mountains... close to the tundra.” he tells her, gesturing with his muzzle in its general direction. and then, because he cannot quite help himself asks, “why do you claim this shore? there's ...nothing here.” and he imagines the fog would make it a nightmare to both navigate and hunt in.

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Accidently did she so misname it, though entirely did not mean to do, especially if the other would think that meant in mock. Though Vendrussel was not one to apologize, especially one to invade her own territory.. She remained on a continual guarded level, an eye toward the eye the other as they produced not of an aggression but the mere' curiosity a child would have. She knew all too well though, children may be damned, they were not to be underestimated. She vaguely thought about @Ynness and despite all odds, would even challenge the Alpha of the coast to such a battle. Impressive it may be, foolish as well, children of these lands were similar to that of her own clan — fearless, but foolish.

"More to the eye then you can see, but that would not matter for wolves not of my ford," she looked at him with a chilling gaze, but a small warning through her tone if he would notice. For do not look further then beyond your own claim, and especially not of her own.

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Accidently did she so misname it, though entirely did not mean to do, especially if the other would think that meant in mock. Though Vendrussel was not one to apologize, especially one to invade her own territory.. She remained on a continual guarded level, an eye toward the eye the other as they produced not of an aggression but the mere' curiosity a child would have. She knew all too well though, children may be damned, they were not to be underestimated. She vaguely thought about @Ynness and despite all odds, would even challenge the Alpha of the coast to such a battle. Impressive it may be, foolish as well, children of these lands were similar to that of her own clan — fearless, but foolish.

"More to the eye then you can see, but that would not matter for wolves not of my ford," she looked at him with a chilling gaze, but a small warning through her tone if he would notice. For do not look further then beyond your own claim, and especially not of her own.

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asriel takes a breath and then another; letting his glacial gaze truly focus upon her; in blue-black, silver phase pattern of her pelage ...the sea storm raging in her eyes. it warns him to stay his tongue, to change his course lest he wish to be met with typhoon-like fury. oh! but how he would drown by the doing of such a beauty. how he only notices it now is unknown but it creeps upon him quick with a small hitch in his breathe and the soft flutter of his ears. though asriel does not doubt that her wrath is breathtaking ...he also decides, rather abruptly, that he doesn't want it turned against him.

as if she were waves and he was the ice chipping away into the frothy sea, he concedes.

besides, he tells himself, it wasn't very diplomatic of him to press and keep pressing with warnings hang unspoken in the chilling, cloying air between them.

“understood,” he drawls, body language shifting to something on the lower side of neutral. not totally submissive, but not as stalwart as he'd been earlier... and though he desires to ask about her ford, to find out more about her, he stills his tongue, biting down upon it despite that the urge to let the air in his lungs form the words is strong; unsure if his curiosity would be welcome.

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As he shifted more to a more submissive attitude, she started to calm down in but a fury. He was a boy though, but even then she could not help but think of the hostility that came from Northfall, "it is wise to know who are around you," she gently reminded him. Though in fairness she dare not to mention, their attempt to claim the brim had remained but only small — an attempt as so for a hunting ground for the forest that also connects it, but there was only so much that could be done with the few in her group. If [i] was unclaimed, there would be a chance she would attempt take him so.

"I am Vendrussel of Dragonford. A wariness, to our borders, for some neighbors have caused a stir with overclaiming." She looked upon him before own gaze turned back to the fog, though tried to peer beyond the beaches and to the mountains ahead. A place where the trouble truly comes, and generally, with the piece that coming forth.. There was a curiosity if the ford was the only group having issues, or her own neighbors as well.

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there is a lesson tucked away in this meeting; though asriel grows each day ...in the physical sense as well as the mental sense. he does not feel just shy of his sixth month of age; not with the strange images and saga songs that haunt his dreams and glimpses while awake. but there are bits and pieces that are still boyish enough to remind him of his physical age. to feel as if he both knows himself and nothing about himself at all is complex.

however, he does not deny that her words hold a wisdom. knowledge was power. this, asriel knows. he knows it in that way that feels both archaic and new. another glimpse — a stuttering moment — a flash of raven feathered wings beating against the sky, a flash of sharp beaks and all seeing eyes. betwixt the first heartbeat and the second, the mind's eye image is gone with whisperings of thought and memory a lilting tease in his mind before he tucks it away and refocuses his attention upon her.

hadn't that just been a part of the lesson?

at last, she gives him a name. vendrussel. it fit her, he thinks, with another breath halting in his throat and quick thump of his heart.

she speaks of neighbors over-claiming and for a moment asriel's mind goes to windmere and their claim directly beneath cloudrest. perhaps it is that boyish naivety but he does not think the wolves of windmere would encroach on cloudrest's hunting grounds ( if they even had established hunting grounds ). “i, too, would be weary if our neighbors over claimed.” weary and furious as it would, as far as asriel was presently aware, cage the wolves of frostchant in within their vale. “my sotaherra might be interested to know what packs over claim.” asriel says, choosing his mother's title instead of calling her 'mother' in front of a stranger — especially a stranger he finds very pretty and perhaps even seeks to impress.

“i have not explored much of the mountains yet but from what i have seen, it seems there is more than enough land to sustain us all without over-stepping.” but if there were packs causing trouble he wished to know about it all the same so he might take the report back to his aïtï, like the worthy paladin he strove to be.

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"They are the northern mountains, a blockage to the north — perhaps it's why they took such a name, Northfall." She drifted over to northwest, the mountains the clung near the water and heavily swayed to the tundrian lands. She could feel her teeth grit, a coldness washing over on thinking such trouble neighbors that would be, and the need to protect her land even more. Though she kept her disdain back and looked upon the boy with a neutrality. He was not their son, though trespassing as he may be, she was not someone to simply kill one on command, but just ushur the warning he had taken hold of.

"Do not seek them out boy," Vendrussel said, looking back at him, "there are many who claim more then their fair share, and far too many within these mountains to know who is bordering that."

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northfall; he tucks this name away to report it back to his aïtï, unsure if she knows of them or not. either way, he will present what he's learned to her. of northfall and of dragonford isles. knowing that land they claim as their own was useful for frostchant. as vendrussel calls him boy, asriel tries not to wince. it was true, but it digs at his ego more than he cared to admit. it is a fight to keep the scowl off of his face, not wanting to be considered a whelp for the self-given stigmatism attached to it. he draws in a breath, the fog making each breath just a little bit heavier, the atmosphere almost soupy.

it was clear this shore held nothing further for him, and he imagines there are a fortress of walls around vendrussel that makes him hesitate asking anything further. as for her advice, he tucks it away with a small dip of his head though he makes no promises. her chiding almost reminds him of his mother in a way that causes heat to flush his cheeks with embarrassment. a flutter of his heart comes with another breath and he's ready to depart.

“i won't hold you up, anymore.” he says then; unable to keep the hope he's tried to batter down from creeping up like a weed. “maybe we'll meet again ...under better circumstances.” with that said he turns and heads back towards cloudrest, pausing only as he begins the climb to find that the bone-thick fog was eager to conceal what further secrets it held.

feel free to wrap with your post or archive as is! thank you for the thread. <3

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"Farwell." Though she realized there was no proper introduction as she watched his figure go away. Did not catch his name, nor' give her own, but what she did gain was where he came from — Frostchant. Surely so they were the group that were scented within the more northern mountains, bordering to the tundra. She could not be for sure, and knew very little about most packs around the area, even if she knew who they were, and the general location..

Travelling as she did, Vendrussel had hoped to gain more allies to her own ford. Yet even this boy too, was claimed — though she would hope for his return, for the dragon was tempted to ask his recruitment. Instead she watched him, disappear into the foggy night as the kraken roared within the background, a mysterious sound the kept many away, but not all. She too, would disappear into the dog, treading across the beach for another bypasser to warn to stay away.

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