I lost myself on a cool damp night

[size=small]Everything felt so light. From her paws down to her hips, it felt like she was simply floating in a vacant space high above the ground, beyond the clouds into deep comfortable darkness. Where was she? How long was she here she wondered? Did it even matter? It filled her with a strange warmth... a warmth she only noticed after a light chill could be felt running across her skin. A familiar chill, one that she loved oh so much - it reminded her of home. Of her parents... parents, she was a parent now wasn't she? Where were her children?

What were their names?

Lights, that's what they were. The twinkling lights within the darkness, not this darkness, not the comfortable one she found herself in now... but a desolate one she felt before this. What were the names of these lights again? “That's right.” The slumbering beauty mumbled, darkened lashes fluttering open as twinkling flecks of snow brushed away from her cheeks with the motion. “Haruki? Hotaru?” Meekly she called out as if her voice hadn't been used in years.

Struggling to her feet, even her legs felt as if they were unused for much longer than just a single slumber. Weaving on the spot with a plush tail desperately lashing out trying to stabilize her footing, the once queen of her lands swung her head around carefully trying to pick out the familiar pale coats of her children in the beautiful winter wonderland in which she found herself in. At any other time it would fill her with joy to see so much snow, but now... she was filled with dread.

Where were her children?[/size]

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Oh how she hated the summer. The warmth at times would bring Aerasha to a blissful faint spell, and there would the world go black. She couldn't live in the heat, so whenever the hotter seasons came, she always tended to flee toward the north, or at least find a river to lay nearby if life was too entertaining to leave. Thankfully so, the Kingdom she had came from wasn't neither too hot, or too cold, a blissful taiga, and only when she left, did the Princess realize how bothersome the heat was.

Surprisingly so, one day- she woke up in the middle of snow. What a gift!

Having no recollection how she got there, Aerasha went with it, because as no one was around, she didn't think much of kidnappers. Her brother really wanted her gone, she would've been dead at this point, but rather some stranger had dragged her in the middle of an arctic zone.. That or her time is off, and it's winter. Generally, she couldn't tell.

However, when the ditzy girl saw a white figure in the distance, she started to approach with the easeful smile and soft dreamy voice, "Heeeeey, what season is it?~"

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[size=small]Nervously she stood as if moving in any direction was the greatest decision of her life. Any of the directions would either bring her closer or further away from @Hotaru and/or @Haruki, all she could hope is that they were together, and if she searched long and hard enough, they would all be reunited again. Tentatively she took another step, looking like a deer learning to walk again on their spindly legs. Truly, how long had she been asleep for?

Panic began to bubble up in her throat, that acidic taste gurgling at the back of her throat until, well, the sight of some giantess approached with the most relaxed posture she had ever seen. Her voice was gentle and sweet and it seemed it was exactly the type of energy Reiko needed in this instance to calm the anxious storm that nearly overtook her. “Uhh, umm...”

Shooting a glance around them, the snow indicated winter - but she had no idea how far north they could be to be certain. “It looks like winter to me miss.” Was that a good or bad thing she wondered? A pleasant momentary distraction to ease her mind and think of the season, in what setting they all seemed to find themselves in instead of following the waves of panic that came from suddenly waking up and being bombarded with self-imposed questions.

“Did you just wake up too?” It only made sense, but even then... how many found themselves in the same situation as her? It seemed to strange, fantastic even for someone to have just woken up as confused as she - but it made sense as anyone else who didn't, would have been aware of the seasons' change.[/size]

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Aerasha was an overall average wolf, a bit plush then most, but she simply accounted it for her luxurious fur- not for the over eating. Looking to the snow-white wolf with barely any marks, they were quite small, almost as if she could step upon the other and break them like a twig. Not like she would, but it was a thought for another day. 

Aerasha sat down, relaxed as the other seemed anxious and confused, but she cared little to that and waited for her to sort woods, "Is it? Thats goooood.~" She responded in a exaggerated tone that drew out, nodding in appreciation. Winter was appropriate, and she would prefer nothing else. The sanctuary that was cold is holy! She somewhat started to find herself staying closer to the northern regions.. But she also knew that she'd miss flowers. It was quite a predicament. 

"I suppossseee, I just thouughttt I was kindappped.~" Happened a few times.

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[size=small]Reiko found herself getting lost in the beautiful warm colours of the bigger woman, her demeanour and appearance just filled her with a certain warmth immediately. She just seemed so fluffy and warm as if she could just curl up in her plush and sleep perhaps one of the most comfortable sleep ever. Blinking to snap herself out of the random thoughts, cerulean eyes met the stranger's face once more. A little flush, embarrassed to have let her mind wander the way it did, and maybe awkwardly staring a little too long either. 

Absentmindedly she nodded in agreement to winter was good. Yes, she loved it too - and would love it even more, frolic in the snow and bury herself neck-deep in it if she wasn't distracted with missing members of her family.

“Kidnapped?” The thought frightened her. “You seem... pretty relaxed for someone who thought of such a frightening event.” She offered a smile and a soft chuckle. This woman really was strange but in a refreshing way, it eased the troubled mind of the lost mother even just to ground her temporarily. [/size]

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"Ohhh, it's nothinnn, it's all jusssttt a game anywaaaay." Aerasha didn't see it as a big deal, as normally upon getting kidnapped, if they didn't kill her right away, she always thought it was quite fine. However in particular, the Princess did not see the torture that they had inflicted on her, and never knew when they did. She remembered a few moments as the lone Princess she was wisked away, but upon her brother being born, the roles had reversed, and the game she once enjoyed had long been gone.

A part of her missed it.

"Aaaah, i'm Aerasha, by the waaaaay. Who are yoouuu?~"

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[size=small]“A... Game?” now she truly was confused. The poor girl seemed to have scars that indicated some kind of trauma and yet, she was completely at peace and blissful even at the moment despite how strange it all was. She worried for the girl, maybe it was her motherly instincts kicking in even at a peer who was just unbothered - and yet, she couldn't help but be concerned for this one's safety.

Well, if she was so uncertain about it, the once Empress supposed it was fine now. She had to be safe if she wasn't certain about a kidnapping. So as the strange woman chose to change the subject, Reiko had no quarrels with it. Her mind still wandered to how soft the woman looked and back to her children, that she could not linger here for long as they must be waiting for her somewhere... but maybe, with this new set of eyes, as she seemed friendly enough, she could help even in the smallest of ways.

Reiko would hold onto that hope.

“It's a pleasure to meet you Air-ah-sha,” She tried to mimick how Aerasha had pronounced her name but it still felt strange her on her tongue, like it needed practice in order to perfect it in time. “I'm Reiko Izuka.” She offered a respectful tilt of her head in greeting. “Say -- I uh, I'd hate to bother you, but you haven't seen anyone who looks similar to me have you? A young boy with stormy blue eyes, and a young girl with lavender eyes, both of them with white pelts like mine?” She paused, hope lighting up her gaze as she looked up at the woman with the optimism for amazing news.

“They are my children you see, and when I woke up, I couldn't find them anywhere.” Hopefully it didn't make her sound like the terrible mother she thought she was at admitting the missing children.[/size]

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She counted herself living in a blissful life of peace and lively television. Majority of the time, Aerasha was one to watch the war rage through rather then participate it, and wasn't that she acted as some sort of shadow, she was completely paws off. It was simple entertainment for the ex-princess, as what was life, if it was not for a game? How could one enjoy it so, if they did not find such humor? In the end nothing truly had hurt so, so she found none of it was any harm. Even the bear that caused her scar, perhaps one day, she would see him again, "It'sss a hard a. Air - a - shaaaaaaaa.~" 

"Noopeee, you're the firssttt i've seen here." How long as she seen another wolf? As Aerasha doesn't remember even entering the land, her memories were a blurr from the last time she interacted with anyone. The last memory she held was seeing her brothers face and his smirk of victory. 

"Waaant, my help?~" Normally so, she wouldn't offer a lending hand. However, she hadn't had a new form of entertainment in quote some time, and was reluctant to part ways with the wolf named Reiko. She wouldn't know the next time Aerasha would see another figure.

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[size=small]“Air - a - shaaaaaaa.” Like a child she repeated after her almost immediately as the woman slowly pronounced it for her, desperate to learn how to properly pronounce the name and not to sound rude later should they meet again. Wide-eyed and curious she could feel her tongue moving in a different way than she was accustomed to. She'd probably try again and again later to sound out the name and log it away into her memory.

“Oh.” Shoulders slumped mildly at the declaration that she was the first one Aerasha had seen and met. It wasn't too surprising but she still had a naive hope of the other, which was currently dashed as quickly as it came. At least from what she could see, Aerasha didn't seem to think any less of her after being told she lost her children. Either she understood the situation wholly, hid her judgment very well, or it was like water off a duck's back - it was hard to tell. 

And then the offer came and the once-empress' expression lit up once more. The offer to help felt like a ray of sunshine and her tail simply couldn't stop sweeping from left to right before she even gathered the words to respond. “If it isn't too much trouble I would love it! If you see them, just let them know mommy is looking for them and to stick together.” Preferably with Aerasha, but she just met the woman and asking her to babysit and deliver her children to her sounded... too imposing for now. An extra set of eyes and ears was more than enough.

“I will be wandering, will you be staying here if I may ask?” She tried to prod to see about a meeting place later on if necessary.[/size]

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"Yessssss,~" like a gradeschooler Aerasha responded once Reiko had correctly gotten her name right. She didn't think her name was particularly hard, but after leaving the Kingdom, she grown to realize how many different names there truly are, and how hers is a bit of the norm. Though she also is quite unfamiliar with Reiko, sounding like part of the Eastern Kingdoms then her own. Hmmmm, but who knows.~

"Probabblyyyy,~" More or less she wasn't going too hard on searching for the womans kids, but if she happened to find them, it'd be a bargain! If the other was indebted to her, wouldn't that make life so much easier? How Aerasha would adore the carefree lifestyle of someone caring for her so, and lazying the days away as she watched for entertainment. So far, with Reiko being the first wolf she had seen in some time, she thought it to take advantage of what she saw.

"I haaateeee the heat.~" Forward going down, her backside in the air, but head pressed to the ground, the Princess rubbed her head against the fresh pile of snow. A delightful smile expressing her love of the cold weather, and surely if she was a cat, there'd be an audible purr.

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The little praise of having the pronunciation correct had given her a small dose of dopamine. It tickled her down her spine until a little wiggle in her tail vibrated with the glee that she felt. In these new lands, there were bound to be many names that she would have a hard time pronouncing, all she had to do was listen and try, practice when she could.

Nodding along to Aerasha's answers, they were short but drawn out like a yawn. She certainly was dreamy in a sense of the word. As if she was floating on a cloud and just drifting by in life without a care as if any second she would just fall asleep regardless of what was happening. Oh to be that carefree.

“It seems we have that in common.” She smiled, feeling herself relax just enough to take a seat to talk to this strange lady a little while longer. Even if it was just to soothe her own nerves a little before heading out to search for Hotaru and Haruki. “Thankfully it's winter and if I head out now, even in the south it should be relatively cold still.” Which was a blessing in disguise the timing of it all. Should it have been summer, surely this would be an even more arduous task.

“If you remain here, would you let them know I'll be returning to this spot as often as I can until we are all reunited again?” Again, should this woman ever see and find the missing twins by chance.

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"Orrrrr, I can folllowwww.~"  Aerasha dipped her head to the left, then to the right as she innocently looked at Reiko with her uneven, colorful eyes. She was rather reluctant to leave the first wolf she has seen in a while, and the Princess always demanded some sort of entertainment. There was a chance she would move on after finding something more fascinating, but at the moment, she was the only one as far as the cloud woman was aware of for at least a few miles. Within the everfrost winter, darker wolves can easily be seen, much less to smell. It was barren, minus the occasional herbivores and flying pests that came to be.

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last from me <3

---

“That would be ever so lovely!” She couldn't help but feel hypnotized by the beautiful hues of Aerasha's eyes as if sunsets were painted directed within them in the most beautiful landscape. The lost empress couldn't help but feel mildly envious of how colourful and beautiful Aerasha was, curvaceous and warm to the eyes - did she know just how gorgeous she was? Of course, she did there was no way otherwise.

Now with a friendly face to talk to and an extra set of eyes and ears to look out for Haruki and Hotaru, the ladies set off to continue Reiko's search. How long Aerasha would remain was a mystery, and Reiko would enjoy every moment of having a companion until they parted some day.

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