i might as well be the one

Open to one other ^^

---

River was not used to the snow. It wasn't that it was bad, but it was certainly different. Her steps crunched on the surface, but there was a fine powder underneath that felt nice to her roughened paw pads. She couldn't remember if she'd ever really experienced snow before, but the sensation felt familiar. 

It was quiet here, save for her soft pawsteps and the occasional bit of birdsong. Oh, and the light growling of her stomach. It'd been a while since she had had a decent meal, but she didn't think she was going to be able to find one here. Unless she could find a place to fish...

Her paw suddenly slipped on a sheet of ice, and River yelped as she faceplanted onto a branch of frozen creek. She hissed softly in pain and cringed as she sat up, surprised that she hadn't fallen all the way through the ice. 

"Well, there goes the fish idea," she mumbled, brows knitting together. She pressed a paw down experimentally, but the ice didn't so much as crack. Huh. Was it like that all the way up the stream?
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He needed time away, he needed to step out and shred the Shiroshika bullshit. Let them fucking know what it's like to just be disappeared on. His situation with Reiko was one he wasn't looking to linger on, knowing he would need to apologise for the way he took things at a later date but for the moment, Tiberius was keen to stew on the left over frustration. Being petty wasn't usually in his MMO. The titan was unable to stay gone for long, he knew, because despite wanting to put fear into their stupid little hearts, he'd never leave Shiroshika unprotected for long.

The beast had pissed up every goddamn tree he could, making sure his scent was strong enough to make you wince if you breathed in, before he had left. So it wasn't like no one would know, given the lingering scents of the rest, too but... he'd always go back. Unfortunately, he grumbled to himself as he stalked across the snowy terrain, his thick paws leaving a trail with every crunching step.

Tiberius had soon realised he had come to a part of the Tundra he had not yet experienced and curiously, he took it all in. It was unlike most of the Tundra but not awfully surprising, frozen to the touch. Almost a repeat of his first meeting with Reiko, Tiberius spied a creature falling face first upon the ice. A silvery brow arched as his molten gaze appraised the youth, though he thought that like he was goddamn ancient -- he just felt like he was, of course.

He strolled forward easily, his ears twitching forward as he rumbled, "yah ain't ever seen ice 'fore, girl?" ^^

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More pawsteps crunched in the snow behind her, and River turned to face the man who spoke. And then she had to look up a bit - a lot - because he was much taller than she'd expected. Riv wasn't easily intimidated, but even she had to admit that this guy was a pretty imposing presence. 

"Maybe. Can't remember," she responded with a shrug of her shoulders and a smile that hurt her sore muzzle. It wasn't that bad, really, but she had just slammed it onto the ice. The cold felt familiar, but it was hard to say for sure whether she'd experienced it in the past when she couldn't recall anything else.

 And, since the guy didn't seem to want to eat her or anything, River took a few steps his way, tail setting at a slow wag. "I've definitely seen it now, though. Up close and personal and everything," she announced with a light laugh. He'd most likely seen the faceplant, and while it wasn't the best impression she could've ever made, there were worse ways to meet someone.

"I take it you've got more ice experience than me, though," River remarked. The guy had really thick fur - probably pretty good for being up here in the snow. She wondered if he lived somewhere around here, or if he was just passing through. "D'you know anything about this place?"
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She was decorated in reds and creams, a welcome change from the bodies of white that lingered within his gaze more often than not. Though Izumi broke from the pattern -- and Cirilla --, Tiberius was often the one who stood out so terribly from the showy terrain. The girl was not to stick out harshly but enough to know she would not easily blend into the snow as Reiko would. It was interesting, he mused, but still was he one of the darkest beasts of the Tundra. Izumi's friend... Ant, was of dark colouring too yet not often did Tiberius' molten gaze behold his features.

The girl could not remember and at this, Tiberius was not surprised. He shrugged his shoulders lazily, "ain't tha firs' ta say tha', luv. Ain't gonn' be tha last," he assured her with a quirked brow, wondering if she had hurt that delicate face of hers when it smashed into the ice. It was likely, given the fact it was goddamn ice. She didn't complain, though, to say otherwise.

She grew bolder, stepping towards him with playful words on her tongue. He huffed a laugh, "yeah girl, as personal as ya can git wit' ice." She wasn't humiliated by her blunder, he noted, similar to how Reiko had taken it on the chin when she had become the victim of the slip, too. "Don't worry, I seen plenty ta do tha same," and it was true.

He did not move from her approach, nor did he seek to tell her to back off. Tiberius welcomed her approach with a sway of his tail, noting that she was not at all put off from his size nor scarring. Still she wanted to converse. "I dunno darlin', ain't sure I been as personal wit' tha ice as you," he drawled easily, tossing the banter out there with a quirked lip. He turned his molten gaze to the frozen fall as she asked him of his knowledge, wondering if it were like it all year round.

"Ain't been ta this part of tha tundra 'fore, but me 'ome is tha tundra," the titan supplied lowly, tilting his head as he turned his molten gaze back to her. "Git sum blossoms an' garden shit at 'ome," he mused, "live on one of tha snowy mountains, innit." It was not often he got to interact outside of his job -- partly his own doing, oops -- and Tiberius found it not to be too... draining, as many of his past social interactions were.

"Ain't fer everyone, tha tundra. Ya lookin' ta git away from tha snow?" he asked, knowing that the sno was off putting for more than a few wolves. It occurred to him that he hadn't offered his name but the girl wasn't too hard pressed for it at the moment, so Tiberius withheld it. ^^

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Riv found rather quickly that she liked the man's accent. It was thick - much more so than any she'd heard before - and a little bit hard to understand with some of the words, but there was an almost rhythmic quality to it. It was nice, she decided. 

There was also something comforting about knowing that she wasn't the only one around here with memory issues, it seemed, but she didn't feel comfortable enough to ask who he might have known that also had that problem. Mentally, though, she filed the information away for later. And yes, her face hurt, but it was certainly not the end of the world or anything. 

"Don't think I wanna get so personal with it again," she replied with another laugh. Maybe she'd learn to walk on it better in the future, but as of now, she wasn't too keen on trying her hand at it again. "But it's good to know I'm not the only one. It's kinda hard to see it with all the snow around." Maybe there was some sort of trick to avoiding it. Or maybe River just hadn't been looking close enough. 

Oh, but he hadn't been one of the wolves who smacked their face on the ice. "I wouldn't recommend it," she told him, feigning seriousness. "It's pretty painful, as you can probably imagine." She twitched her nose a bit to punctuate it. The ache was getting better, but it would probably be pretty sore for a day or two. 

He'd never been to this place before, either, so this was new for both of them then. Though, he was much more used to the snow than she was. "Flowers grow around here?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. It was pretty hard to imagine, but she would wager that it would be beautiful. And flowers on a snowy mountain, no less! River had to stop herself from asking if he'd take her to see them immediately. 

She shook her head at his next question. "No, I just got here." It was really cool, too, she had to admit. The mountains had been nice - warmer, for sure, - but there was something so enchanting about the crisp, white snow that captured her attention. "Definitely not looking to get away from it yet. I kinda like it."

"Say..." she drawled, offering the man another lopsided smile. "Since neither of us have been here before, whaddaya say we explore it together?" She was looking forward to checking to see what was behind those frozen falls, but having a companion to do so with would be a lot more fun. It hadn't yet occurred to her to ask him for his name, but she'd probably remember to do so later, unless he beat her to it.
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He snorted at her words, finding that yeah, it made sense to not want to smash your face into ice on the regular. She'd be an idiot to want to, and survival of the fittest often got rid of the weakest links. Not smashing ones face into ice was a good way to remain as one of the fittest in that scenario. "Yah jus' gotta get used ta it," Tiberius mused, "ya start ta notice tha way tha snow sits an' when ta take it easier as ya step," you didn't just learn how to survive in the Tundra in a matter of minutes, it was a harsh terrain that you needed to focus on as you learned.

Otherwise... your face smashed into ice.

His marred lips twisted into a smirk as he nodded, "imagine it only," cause he sure as fuck wasn't gonna be one of the fools to smash his face into it. She was a funny little thing, he thought, watching how her nose twitched to further her point. At least she hadn't cut her face or her lips on impact, he thought in amusement. A silver lining of sorts.

At her question, Tiberius could almost feel like she was delighted to know that. "Yeah girl, winter flowers. Not everythin' favours tha woods an' meadows," he mused, "plenty of stuff grows in tha snow. Gotta know tha righ' people ta show ya, though." Tiberius sighed dramatically, his molten gaze amused as he watched her. He didn't think Reiko would have any issues with him showing her the gardens or the blossom trees, given she was a young girl but even if she did, he thought, she could stuff it. He did all the protecting around here, so he got to toe the line, thank you very much.

Tiberius snorted, "yeah, tha' 'ow it gets yah, luv." He rumbled as he rolled his shoulders, "I got 'ere an' ain't left since," the titan mused. "Fuck knows wha' a fuckin' forest looks like anymore," 'cause it had been a fucking long time since he had seen one. No longer did he call Gossamer Pool his home, once where plush forests of green and water of crystalline sat, the tundra now was the path he walked.

His nicked ears cuffed forward as she drawled her word, drawing his attention with a quirked silvery brow. An offer was laid before him and Tiberius could not help but laugh, a proper one and not his usual chuckle as he watched her. "Ain't knowin' wha' I expected yah ta ask, girl, but sure," wait, what? He had agreed? Why was he being social -- "we can explore." It gave him a chance to survey the new lands, to know more of the Tundra like he needed to but also... he didn't feel so angry around the girl.

"Think yah need ta git off tha ice 'fore ya go back down, though," he mused as he stepped forward, "unless ya wanna give me another laugh an' try ta walk on it." Tiberius drawled as he approached her, the girl little -- as many he came across were -- as he loomed, his marred lips twisted into a playful grin. "Ya wanna lead, girl?" it was strange, not doing his job so obviously but fuck, he deserved this little break.

Even on his break, though, he was still gaining information for Shiroshika purposes. ^^

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"I can figure it out. Just need some time," she responded, sliding her paw over the surface of the bit of ice she'd fallen on earlier. She liked this new frozen world, even if it did come with its own set of dangers. Riv wasn't afraid of much, so the idea of it being difficult didn't phase her. It looked different than the rest of the snow - the big guy was right. It was a lot flatter than the rest of the land surrounding them. 

A laugh pealed from her lips at his next statement. Imagine it only. "Yeah, that's probably a good call," she acquiesced. Though it might be funny to watch the dark man try and traverse the slippery surface, she mused to herself.

If only this man knew what he'd just dragged himself into. Not only had he informed her that yes, there were winter flowers, but he had also told her that she needed the right people to show her. And she certainly had one, right here, who she was now determined would take her to the flowers. His dramatic sigh only sealed the deal. "You seem like the right person to show me," she reasoned, a grin forming on her maw. "I'd like to see them, if you don't have too much else going on later." 

After the exploration, of course. 

"Forests are usually a lot less pretty than this. More green, less snow." Snow, she had found, was something that she greatly enjoyed. Particularly when it came with big, interesting wolves with orange eyes and the promise of flowers. "It's a little cold, but I can deal with that." She probably needed to get used to the ice a bit more before she tried to travel through the snowy mountains though.

She hadn't expected him to be so willing to go along with her, but his agreement caused her eyes to light up immediately. It had been a while since she'd had someone to simply go on an adventure with. Actually... maybe she had never really had someone like that. "Really?" she asked, disbelief and excitement coloring her tone. 

But the disbelief was quick to fade, replaced only with a muted version of the excitement. "Right, right, off the ice," she agreed, taking a quick step to the side to place all four paws on solid ground. He'd come closer now, and she had to tip her head back more to look up at him, but she didn't mind it. "Save the laugh for later." She grinned, tail waving behind her. "Sure! I want to see what's behind those frozen falls over there," the girl told him, turning and gesturing with her head for him to come with her. 

"Oh, by the way," she continued, looking over her shoulder as they approached the still waterfalls. "I never gave you my name. I'm River."
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He appraised her with a contemplative stare upon her words, filled with determination and promise that she would master the tundra like it was the easiest terrain she would soon traverse. After a few moments he would nod sharply, "atta girl," the titan stated in approval. She would survive in the Tundra if she kept up that attitude -- it was when she turned uncaring to the harsh terrain that she would make her mistakes. Though he had a feeling that the little lady wouldn't let herself get to that point.

The titan's ears cuffed forward to the sound of her laugh and he blinked at her, molten gaze curious and wondering on the sound. It wasn't often that laughter followed in his company, though he supposed that was unfair -- he had shared a laugh or two with Reiko and Izumi. The maiden in white with the green eyes came to mind, too, and Tiberius supposed that laughter was becoming a bit more common for his interactions these days.

He had opened up the idea of showing her to the blossoms, he reasoned, when she volleyed for his time later to show her them. Tiberius knew he should get back at some point to continue to do his job but... he figured he was well within his goddamn rights to enjoy himself a little more. Plus... he would be back home when he was showing her the blossoms, so he could keep guard that way. His nose wrinkled, nah -- no job for him when he was to show her them. He wasn't giving shit to Shiroshika for the moment, thanks. He relented with a smirk twisting on his marred lips, "reckon I could fit yah inta m'schedule," he drawled lazily, giving the girl a teasing wink to display his jest.

A lot less snow, he mused, thinking of Gossamer. He hadn't thought that he would find himself away from the forests yet here he was, thriving in the tundra as opposed to the green paradise he had called home for many moons. The titan eyed her, "deal wit' it? tha' mean ya lookin' ta stay in tha tundra fer a good long while?" Tiberius wondered; briefly dancing with the idea of approaching her with Shiroshika.

Maybe, he thought -- later. No pack business today, kids. Fuck that shit.

The titan hadn't been expecting the sheer delight and excitement that glistened in her seafoam gaze upon his agreement, his ears perking as he let the feeling wash over him. "Yeah girl," he rumbled, "I ain't in tha business of agreein' ta shit I don't mean." He wasn't fucking with her, though he couldn't help but be amused at her disbelief. She had posed the question! Was she expecting to be met with rejection? Evidently, he thought, as he drank in the girls excitement.

Ain't no one been excited to have his company for a good long while, he thought. It wasn't personal, he knew, she was likely company starved and he was agreeable -- still, he wasn't going to shrug it off. It felt strange and selfish to not be back within Pack lands, doing his usual routine but he just... he needed to breathe. 

The little lady took his advice and stepped off the ice and onto the snow, her head tilting back to meet his gaze and his lip twitched in amusement. Her poor neck, he thought wickedly. "Savin'," he surrendered, making a show of swallowing loudly as if to swallow his laughter to save it for later as she had said. His gaze travelled to the falls, finding that it was a good choice, even if he felt the twitch of his shoulders wanting to bunch up in protectiveness at the thought of approaching uncharted territory.

"Git movin'," he urged her, snapping his teeth playfully in her direction as she surged forward, directing them to the falls. His gaze peered around doing a sweep as his nose took in the scents, making sure nothing stuck out as a cause for concern. Tiberius kept his ears perked and on alert, her voice causing him to look back at her as she introduced herself. He would tut loudly, "fer fuckin' shame, darlin'. Only jus' remembered yah manners." He shook his head in false disappointment, finding that it was somewhat... easy to fall into step with the playful banter. There was no responsibility -- aside from his own in ensuring she was safe -- or judgement thrown his way.

"River followin' a river, is tha' wha' they call tha' irony shit?" he scoffed in amusement but dipped his head to her. "Alrigh' girl, since ya wanna exchange names," the man drawled, "Tiberius." He introduced as they approached the frozen falls, his thick paws stepping up to an elevated rock, crunching the layer of snow beneath his paws. "Seen frozen wa'er 'fore but I ain't seen it like this shit," the titan mused as he investigated the falls, wondering if there were anything behind the falls at all. ^^

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She liked this guy, River decided firmly. He was big and gruff and a little bit foul-mouthed, but friendly enough. Certainly not mean or scary, though she assumed his size alone might scare some people off. Besides, he'd offered to take her to see snowflowers, which was possibly the coolest thing she'd ever heard of in her entire life. As long as he didn't plan on luring her there for his pack to eat, of course - but really, what were the chances of that? Slim to none, she'd assume.

"I'll hold you to that," she informed him seriously, though a grin broke out on her own expression. Not only did she have a brief adventuring companion, but also the promise of another adventure in the near future. It was going to be fun to not have to wander around on her own. 

Her ears perked at his next question, and she hummed in thought. "Hm... maybe," the girl responded, shrugging her shoulders and offering the dark wolf a smile. "Gotta find somewhere to stay at some point, I suppose. And I like it here so far." There was no chance of surviving out in the snow like this alone, though, so if she were to stay, it'd have to be with a pack. She could smell the telltale signs of other wolves on this guy's fur, too, but that was a topic they could bring up later. For now, it was time to see what was behind the waterfall. 

And... well, she was company starved, and he was agreeable, but River was having a lot of fun just talking with this guy. But maybe it had been a little silly for her to have gotten so excited, but she didn't really care. "You never know!" she defended herself, tilting her chin up to sniff, playfully feigning haughtiness. "There're lots of dishonest people out there. You could've been messing with me, or something. I need to be sure you're serious about exploring." 

Another snort of laughter escaped her at the way he mocked swallowing down a laugh. Man, this guy was funny. She rolled her eyes and picked up the pace when he pressed her to do so. It wasn't til after she offered a name and he responded that she spoke again. "Hey! You didn't remember your manners, either," she argued, tail waving behind her and the grin never leaving her face. "It takes two to have a conversation, you know." But, yeah, she probably should've asked for a name earlier. 

"Well, I don't know if it's ironic, per say. I don't think my actual name is River. It's just what I've been calling myself since I woke up here." And maybe it was stupid, that she named herself after the place she woke up, but she couldn't really think of anything better. A grin spread across her maw when he told her his in return. "You look like a Tiberius. Big, strong name for a big, strong guy. I like it," River praised, tail waving again as she carefully hopped her way up behind the frozen falls. Sure enough, there was a gap behind it.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure these falls are supposed to be... y'know... falling," she responded, taking a moment to look at them from beneath before brazenly padding into the cave behind. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, so she waited for a few seconds before entering fully. The inside was not as bitingly cold as the outside - likely a windbreaker of sorts - but was frozen all the same. Icicles and stalactites hung from the ceiling, lit up in places by light from above. Still dark and a little damp, but kind of enchanting, in a way. River padded up to one of the larger sheets of ice, hanging so low that it almost touched the floor. 

She looked over at Tiberius and tilted her head to the side. "You got a lot of these caves around here?" she asked, before turning her attention back to the way the light caught off of the ice crystals. "Because this is really beautiful."
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It was with ease that Tiberius left the drama behind him in the girls company, the thoughts dying off as he listened to the girl tell him she was holding him to it -- and of that he had no doubt. Naw, he wouldn't dangle the idea in front of her and then take it from her, she hadn't done anything to deserve that. Unlike other women in his life. It was not often that the titan went to the blossoms to simply enjoy them, one of his patrol routes passed through but he was always busy and not in a place to further appreciate them. The girl would, though, he thought -- appreciate them.

Well, she seemed keen to remain in the Tundra. It was almost a selfish inclination that drove him to the decision to mention his home later, because the little lady was interesting and had put him at ease, so why would he not want that opportunity again? The other parts... well, the titan was nothing if not protective and she was particularly vulnerable if she remained alone in the Tundra. The idea of the creamy-necked gremlin @Valmúa getting her grubby little paws on the little lady made him almost queasy -- nahh, she was too good for the likes of that chit. "Yah endin' up like tha rest of us, findin' ourselves 'ere an' not wantin' ta leave," he mused lowly, an ear twitching.

At her defense, Tiberius snorted as he rolled his molten gaze, "seems a bit stupid ta try an' lie about wantin' ta explore wit' ya, lil' lady," he mused as he shook out his fur. "Learned yah lesson, I 'ope," he drawled as he perked his ears to the sound of her laugh. Tiberius hadn't acquired this many laughs before, had he managed to find his humour? Or was the girl simply easy to make laugh? Either way, he found that he liked the sound of laughter. He strolled after her, his strides languid despite the rigidness of his spine.

"Oi nah," he threw back, "none of tha' shit. Ain't ladies meant ta 'ave manners or sum shit? I ain't lookin' like tha civilised type, so really, who would know more about manners between us, darlin'?" Tiberius smirked as he spied her smile and wagging tail. "Excuses," Tiberius shook his head in faux disappointment, the smirk that sat upon his lips so casually told her he was not at all being serious of his scolding.

Oh, that was interesting. She hadn't a clue if it were her name but it was the one she was going with. Tiberius could not judge, given the fact he had not been born with the name Tiberius. If she wanted to be called River, then whatever. "Wha'ever works fer yah, lil' lady," he mused, shrugging his shoulders as if to say -- who cares? whoever does, point them out to him and he'll deal with it. At the praise and compliment of him and his name, Tiberius looked almost startled.

Well -- well, he swallowed as he chewed on the thoughts. He knew he was big, knew he was strong but to be viewed that way and to think of it as a good thing from a stranger such as her made him feel quite... well, he didn't know. Proud, maybe -- or something akin to it. "Tryin' ta buttah me up ta make sure ya git ta see tha blossoms, ain't yah?" he teased, unable to take a compliment in any of its forms.

He snorted at her words but almost immediately it washed away as she disappeared behind the frozen falls. No no, that wasn't how it worked -- stay in his line of sight, thanks! The titan moved to follow her, his larger form wriggling behind and stepping into the cavern with a quirked, silvery brow as he appraised her findings. Tiberius stilled as he took in the scene, something otherworldly touching at its seams as the light glittered off the ice and stalactites. Well fuck, he thought, this was kinda nice.

 "Yeah," he agreed, "this shit is nice." Way to compliment, Tiberius. "Reckon we got a few more caves lurkin' 'bout, can't 'ave tundra wit'out caves," he mused as he stepped forward after her, standing at her side as he investigated the ice crystals. "Ain't findin' this shit in no forests, huh?" He mumbled as he drew his head up to the ceiling, molten gaze unwavering as it glanced around. The titan shifted on his paws as he, for a moment, cast his gaze down to the little woman and quirked his lip in a ghost of a smile before he looked back. ^^

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"Yah endin' up like tha rest of us, findin' ourselves 'ere an' not wantin' ta leave."

So there were more wolves than just him. Though, she'd guessed as much already. Not that she was complaining - that was actually a good thing. Something tugged at her to stay in the snow, and so perhaps she could wriggle her way in enough to have them let her stay. Of course, she'd bring that up once they got to the flower fields that he was talking about. There probably wasn't much of a casual way to do it, but she was determined to give it a go. "It's a really beautiful place," she mused, understanding the desire to remain here.

A sigh pulled from her lips and she huffed a little, still playful but now resigned to her fate. "I know. I just got excited, okay? Jeez." She rolled her eyes then, shrugging her shoulders. "Alright, alright. I'll believe you next time." Lesson learned. 

"Oh, so it's my job to be polite, all the time?" she jested back, glancing over her shoulder. "I think, if you're lookin' for a polite lady, I might disappoint." It wasn't that she was rude, per say. Every now and then, she could be, of course, but... she certainly wasn't what one would call proper, by any means. 

His acknowledgement of her name was brief, which was soothing. Riv didn't often go about telling people she'd picked her own name, nor that she'd woken up in a river with no recollection of who she was or where she was from. So to have someone just accept it was nice. She wasn't sure she'd be able to explain it anyway, even if he did have questions.

Another grin spread across her maw at his next query. "Maybe," she drawled, tossing a wink of her own over her shoulder. (Which, holy shit, was she flirting? She didn't know if she'd ever done that before.) "It depends. Is it working?" Of course, she wasn't actually buttering him up, as it were. He'd said he was taking her to see the flowers, so she believed him. It was that simple. But she couldn't help but enjoy the little back-and-forth they had going between them.

The cave was more than she could've expected. It did feel almost magical, in a way, to see the light refractions in the ice, and the silhouettes of their reflections just on the surface. And there were more of them - apparently the tundra had a lot of caves. At least, according to her new companion. "Yeah, I've never seen anything like this in the forest," she admitted, soothed by the echoes of their voices in the silence. She couldn't ever see wanting to explore these places on her own - it seemed like a good way to get hurt, actually, - but it wasn't so bad with a travelling companion. 

"It'd be neat to see how far it goes," she reasoned, looking up at the man with another smile. "Not right now, maybe, but someday. I mean, you've got a pack, don't you?" River offered him a small smile. She didn't think her assessment was too far-fetched. "I'd hate to keep you from them for too long."
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She resigned easily to her fate if only for a little bit more defense coming from her, his snort escaping without much of a fight. "Good girl," he sniffed, supplying her with a smirk. She was entertaining to say the least, a little charming with her attitude but then again, he had plenty of attitude so it wasn't like she was alone in that regard, huh? Tiberius could handle attitude after growing up around the wolves he did, so he took her in a stride. In comparison to some of the whackjobs he had known, she was relatively tame in the way she tossed her cheek around.

He shrugged a shoulder as he smirked at her, "can't be disappointed when I ain't really got no manners either, lil' lady," he soothed in a mocking drawl, a chuckle falling from his tongue as he shook out his fur. "Don't think ya gonn' disappoint," the titan grunted off-handed, no, that was reserved solely for @Reiko. She was more proper than him at any rate, he mused, so already she was doing better than she thought.

Well damn, he mused, she was drawling right back at him! Tiberius quirked his lips to her as she threw him a wink, his ear tips twitching as she followed up with her question. Putting on a show of pretending to think, he hummed deeply as he eyed her, "dunno. Think I's need sum more convincin'." He snickered, now hoping that he hadn't talked up the blossoms too much and have her be disappointed when she did finally see them.

It was almost strange to hear the echo of his own voice, it sounded different to how it normally did to his own ears and he grimaced; nah mate, not a fan. Hers on the other hand, he would listen to echo and find it soothing, a softer vocal than his own. It made him realise that the cave went on in the shadows, further than they had walked and he itched to venture forward but figured that there was much more to the cavern than could be found in just one adventure. As if she had read his mind, she spoke of wanting to see how far it would go but not quite today.

Tiberius looked down at her as she smiled, reasoning that he had things to tend to -- Pack things. He shrugged one shoulder as he nodded, "yeah, got me a pack," he rumbled though the next words that came from his mouth were unexpected, his tongue running away without his brain's permission, "can't keep 'em from me if yah join 'em." Tiberius' molten gaze frazzled as he realised what he had said, going back on his own decision to not mention Shiroshika until later. But hell, she'd mentioned them first! Yeah, that's right, he passed the goddamn blame.

"We can go lookin' another day, yeah? Got some blossoms ta show ya fer today," Tiberius reasoned, his voice a low rumble as he stepped away, looking to breeze right past his invitation. "Can't keep 'em waitin'," the titan mused as he looked towards the exit, attempting to herd her the way he wanted. ^^

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He brought up a good point. How could she disappoint him if neither of them had used any manners at all in this conversation? She'd be sure to use more later, if she needed to speak with any potential leaders, but she figured that Tiberius wasn't really expecting any from her. At least not right now. "I don't think you're gonna disappoint either," she confirmed with a wag of her tail. The entire conversation had been fun, so how could he?

"I'll convince you on the way there," she assured him with a cheeky grin, with the confidence that she knew he'd be taking her there regardless. If nothing else, she could just follow him - it wasn't like he was hard to miss in the snow. But she got the feeling he wasn't going to change his mind on that, either. 

Their voices did sound quite different echoing off the cave walls, but she still really enjoyed the gravel in his echo. She was certainly not as self conscious about her own as he was, though - she found both sounds mingling together made the experience that much more enchanting. She'd never experienced anything quite like it before. 

It didn't take much for him to confirm with her that yes, he did have a pack. And not only that, but there was an invitation in his next statement. Green eyes widened a little in surprise, but Riv brushed that off pretty quick and offered him a smile. "Sure," she responded, tail never ceasing its wag. A pack with a snowy mountain, flowers, and caves to explore? And if they were all as fun as Tiberius was, then why not? "I was thinking about sticking around here anyway." Besides, she didn't really want to be on her own anymore. It was high time she found a place to stay. 

He nudged her toward the entrance and she put up no resistance. Some part of her wanted to tease again - are the flowers going to run away if we don't get there in time? - but she remained quiet. There would be plenty of time for that later.

[fade]
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