Winter Reflection, Winter Resolution (open)

[Argus]

Arold:
Quiet. Constant silence. The sound of his paws hitting hard snow was his only distraction. His breath frosted out of him with every deep breath. The sun was blacked out by the clouds that had been threatening to snow all day. With the dead trees all around him, the valley once again resembled his home of darkness. He found it odd to think of. When he had first arrived, the valley had been bustling with activity and life, but that was in the summer. It was now the winter, and the valley was deserted. He was in a pack, but he hadn’t seen any of his pack members since the pack had been founded, not even Baal. For some reason, he had thought that there would be activities. Maybe a celebration for starting the pack or a meeting to introduce the members to each other. Eventually, though, he had come to realize that there would be no meetings or celebrations. The valley was dead at the moment, the only creature stirring at the moment was him. He hoped that spring coming would change that, but he was no longer sure of that. The amount of time he had spent alone had worked on his mind, driving him a little mad.

He had a flashback to when he was a puppy, and had been forced to watch his twisted parents throw a disobedient pup over a frozen waterfall, watching in horror as the pup had broken through the ice of the lake beneath the waterfall. His parents had walked away without a second glance, forcing him to follow behind or suffer the same fate, but he had no doubt that the tiny thing hadn’t survived. The worst art was that in this particular case his parents hadn’t derived any twisted sort of pleasure from the act. They hadn’t even been angry at the thing. They did it simply because they could, because no one would stop them. When he had grown older he had left the first chance he had received, refusing to be a part of such cruelty. He had done it in secret though, and the twisted minds behind all the devious acts had not been subject to any punishment. Thinking back now, he realized by leaving and letting them continue, he had indulged them in their depravity, and taken part in it by lowing it to continue. Here, in this dead winter land, he finally realized that maybe it was time to change that.

Then again, another voice said in his head, maybe it wasn’t. Perhaps their way really was the best way, as they had always told him. A slight chuckle escaped him as a plan formed. He would find out once and for all before he decided whether he should track his parents down.

[Blood]

Pearl

Another winter, another adventure out into the middle of nowhere. Why did she always choose to go out on some spontaneous adventure when it was freezing cold, everything covered in snow, and a huge blizzard could break out at any moment. Her shimmering silver eyes looked timidly up at the gray sky that didn't look welcoming at all.
"Well... Well that's where I find the best kind of friends." Pearl mumbled to herself, averting her gaze from the sky and back onto the paw deep snow before her. "I mean, I met Caesar in a blizzard, and he was a good friend." A trail of sadness found its way into the thoughts of her mind as she brought back memories of the past. Why did their paths have to separate, why did fate have to choose a different direction for her to go? Why was Caesar no longer apart of her early sunrise mornings and late stargazing nights, why was he away from her side and her away from his? She didn't know, and she didn't want to try and find out. It would only hurt more to try and fight against the sovereignty of fate.

She crinkled her nose to keep back a sniffle, and looked up straight ahead of her while plowing forward through the snow. Positiveness was her sunshine, and she breathed in a deep breath of the crisp winter air while putting a smile on her face. She would just have to make new friends and take the steps of her next journey in life. This helped bring a new wave of enthusiasm over her downcast spirit, and she scanned the landscape for a sparkle of life.

Almost as if fate had winked at her, she spotted a dark figure that sparkled out against the white snow. It was a moving figure and she knew it was another wolf, too small to be bear, and too big- wait, it was completely black and it kind of dragged its paws slow and sluggishly. Bears definitely walk in a similar manner, and it was a harsh enough winter to draw and hibernating animal out for food. Pearl squinted a little more closer and dared to speak out in a sharp squeaky bark, "H-hey!"


Argus ((don't mind me... just bored and looking for something to do...))

[Argus]

Arold turned his head to the direction the shout had come from, and found something white with soft pastels standing off to the side of him. A wary grin crossed his face as he changed direction to meet this newcomer who had presented themselves to him,

”Hello there. Nice to see another face here in this deserted winter wonderland.” He didn’t sound like himself, a fact that he quickly realized, but he couldn’t understand why. It was as if he wasn’t in control of himself any more, and he wasn’t sure that it was a problem to him. He walked calmly up to the other wolf, stopping a good distance away, but not so far away as to not be heard. Strangers were not to be trusted, the dark voice from before was whispering again, and he found he could only nod his head in agreement. Strangers were dangerous, why they could be spies! Or maybe assassins. Why else would another be out in this dangerous weather, with the winter storms in full force? But Arold shook his head at himself with these thoughts, and told himself to give the unfamiliar wolf a chance to introduce themselves at the very least before jumping to any hasty conclusions.

[Blood]

At the sound of her bark, the creature stopped abruptly and turned towards her. The slightest bit of fear pricked Pearl's heart as she watched it turn and walk closer, a large dark wolf. However, as soon as he spoke any trace of fear vanished, and his approach was welcomed.
"A winter wonderland indeed!" Pearl's smile widened as she looked around at the cold snow drifts and dead trees reaching up to the cloudy sky. In her eyes it was beautiful, and even without the sun shining, she could still see the snow sparkling like an enchanted landscape. She almost laughed, but turned back to the black wolf and took a few steps closer to offer a warmer welcome. "And hello to you, I am Pearl. Who is it that travels alone under this gray sky?" Her head tilted to the side and her eyes blinked with an unintentional wink.

A bubble of excitement was slowly growing inside of the small pale pink she-wolf. She hadn't met someone new in awhile and the joy of discovering another soul was becoming overwhelming. Eye contact was an essential ingredient for friendship, and she could tell that this wolf was going to be a good friend as she watched his dark glossy eyes.

[Argus]

Ah. The stranger was female. That explained the coloring. She was also oddly friendly, and at one time he wou,d have been overjoyed to see that. But now it just made him suspicious of her motives.

“Hello Pearl. I’m Arold. And now that we both know who travels under the sky, I suppose an appropriate question to ask of each other is why the other travels?” Arold wondered why the question he asked was posed in such an odd way, but once again could not bring himself to care much about it. He felt colder of a sudden, and he knew that if he was getting colder then so was the female. He glanced up and noticed that the clouds were gathering into an even denser surface than before, no easy task.

He glanced back at Pearl and round her still looking in the direction of his eyes, and found it odd that she seemed to be so open and friendly towards him, but didn’t allow the dark voice to jut into his head again with its ridiculous suspicions. He met her gaze with his own openness, and flicked his ears a few times to show his curiosity. He did not share her enthusiasm at meeting another, but he had to admit that it was quite a nice thing to see another and hoped that they could be friends, even if only for a short time.

[Blood]

Arold. His name was Arold. Pearl was pleased to have a name to the composed male standing before her. He received her question well, and turned it around in a clever way. She liked how he spoke, it made her cheeks itch in a good way. Holding herself back from plopping on her hunches and scratching her cheek took a good breath, but she focused on the question instead.

“That is a very appropriate question indeed. And I suppose I shall answer first since you have asked it to me.” Pearl noticed his glances towards the sky, and her observations definitely noticed the growing storm that was about to unleash its snowy winds. An uncontrolled shiver ran down her back and made her tail puff at the end, but she kept her attention on Arold. “I’ve been traveling the valley for a few weeks now. I lost my friends back in the Meadow, and I guess I’m just trying to find something else now.” Pearl didn’t care about what she was saying, she just offered whatever was on her heart, and that’s what was on it. Her smile showed a soft sorrow, but it was also a brave smile that she was ready to find that new something. “I’m sure I will, but what of you? What are you searching for? Where do your paws take you from or carry you towards?” A few steps closer to Arold made Pearl feel warmer, or at least she thought it did. The winds were definitely picking up and they were rude enough to blow the snow drifts at her nose which stung a little. Shelter would be a good thing to look for before the storm let loose. Soon would be wise, but the landscape was really no help at all. Maybe a toppled down dead tree could serve a hallow trunk for an escape from the snows.

[Argus]

Arold took note of the shiver that took ahold of Pearl, and hummed a little in response. He was sympathetic to her plight, knowing that he would be warmer than her, since his fur was darker and would trap heat better than hers. At some point in the not so distant past, he would have offered for her to snuggle next to him for heat, even being a perfect stranger. At it was he kept his muzzle closed.

He nodded at her answer for his question, and found that he could relate. “I search for something I had hoped to find here in the valley. In fact, I thought I had found it, but I think that perhaps I was wrong. I helped to found a pack, thinking it would be a good start to a close friendship with some other wolves, but so far I’ve been on my own since the founding. I really don’t know where everyone has gone. As to where my paws take me towards...” Arold thought for a while for a good way to explain it and eventually found that he had no way to explain it. But the darker part of him did.

“My paws took me away from my past, leading me here. Now my paws are bringing me back to my past.” Arold didn’t react as she moved closer, neither encouraging her or discouraging her, suddenly not really caring how close or far away from him she was. He did find it in him to offer a suggestion.

“Do you want to look for somewhere more sheltered? Maybe a snowdrift would protect us from some of the worse parts of the storm.”

[Blood]

Pearl was only a tiny bit surprised at how little Arold portrayed his emotions. His reactions to her energy wasn’t as reciprocated as she would have first thought, but did it have to be? No. Arold was his own self and maybe he was just lacking the proper warmth on the inside and he just needed a new spark to lift his downcast spirit. It was much easier to mimic the mood of the weather when the sky was so dark than to create your own sunshine. Pearl simply brushed aside his lack of expression and watched his head nod in agreement to her words. What he shared next definitely surprised her though, and she tilted her head and pressed her ears forward as he gave her his answer. So very raw and vulnerable. Emotional? Arold didn’t seem perplexed by what he was sharing, but he did seem moved by it. Definitely a deep pondering that hadn’t seen the light of day, and needed to have some light shed on it.

“A founder of a pack?” Pearl’s gaze had drifted past Arold and she spoke not in a questioning way, but rather to a far off memory. “I was going to establish a pack with my friends, He would have been the Alpha, and I... but I lost that too. It’s strange how fate chooses to draw wolves apart. We are a creature of community are we not? And so often do we wander alone. I guess you’re not the only one who can’t find anyone.” Pearl looked back at Arold and perked up with a sheepish smile and a wag of her tail. She shifted her stance but then decided to actually take a few steps around to get her body moving so she wouldn’t freeze solid.

“So, you’re looking for your past now?” Pearl side-peaked up at the black wolf with an inquisitive grin when she stepped to his left side. She had made a garden of paw-holes in the snow in front of them and now she stood a body length apart from him. “I’d do my best to help you with that, but yeah, maybe let’s seek shelter before we turn into piles of snow.” With a warm smile Pearl gazed up at Arold, trying to decipher his intentions and reaction to her offering to help. She hadn’t really asked, she just automatically said she’d do it. The winds were getting worse, and the storm was starting, so he was basically already stuck with her. She didn’t mind having him around, his presence actually kind of filled something that had been empty for awhile. Empty and hurting. It was just nice to have another soul to connect with.

The search for shelter was... slow. While the wind flung stinging ice snow into their eyes, they looked for something large enough to hide behind for protection. Pearl spotted a tipped tree that had a built up snow drift against its trunk. “Look, there!” She hurried over towards it and rapidly scraped at the snow against the base of the tree. It fell away easily and allowed her to dig a small trench-like pothole in the snow bank and against the trunk. It was big enough to fit her, but she was small and Arold was not. Pearl huffed in the cold air and get her paws busy again. Scraping and scraping until her nails were filled with ice and her toes numb.

[Argus]

He agreed with her. Wolves were social creatures, made to form packs, and yet he had found more loners here in the valley than wolves in a pack. In his old lands everyone was in one pack or another, any loners were killed on sight. Of course, that was because the two ruling packs were supreme rulers, allowing no one to undermine their power.

“Strange indeed. And it is nice to know that I am not the only one left in the valley, as I had begun to think.” He was glad to see another face, but also strangely tired. He didn’t understand where the sudden exhaustion had come from, having been fine moments ago. A bit apathetic and uncaring, sure, but not tired. His mood seemed to swing wildly between three different patterns of thought, an unusual occurrence for him. But everything about this day was unusual.

She had instantly volunteered herself t9 help him find his last, something that said quite a bit about her and her personality. Although nothing that he had not already been able to figure out from the way she had greeted him. He couldn’t help but laugh at the thought that she wanted to find his past though. “You don’t want to help me find my past. I don’t want to find it myself, Im looking because I don’t think I have much choice. And really, it’s not looking. I know where my past is, I just don’t want to go back the way I came. My thoughts have turned on that direction lately, but I’m hopeful that it is a product of boredom and nothin else.” He was contradicting himself now, something he never did, but he had not been the one to answer the previous question. He recognized that now, and on the inside was silently panicking, doing his best to prevent any outward signs from showing. He jumped at the chance to distract himself from his thoughts, rushing around with Pearl in an attempt to find shelter. After a grueling track around, the search for shelter was finally found.

He watched, stupefied, as Pearl dug a hole big enough for her to fit through. When he saw her struggling to enlarge it, he finally came to his senses. He walked up next to her and began to dig, making the going much faster. When the hole was finally big enough for both of them, he steeped aside and motioned for her to curl up in the hole before him, so she could decide how she wanted to rest.

[Blood]

Arold stepped in closer and started digging as well. His powerful strokes cleared the snow and ice away like it was leaves. A small boost of esteem rushed into her muscles when their shoulders touched, and Pearl was glad to have a companion that she could count on. A small wolf like her could only do so much when traveling alone, and it made her miss Caesar even more with his large continence and strong form, but Arold was showing a great fit for that position.

“Do you think we’ll find your past in here?” Pearl giggled as the trench was being enlarged. She was being goofy, something she didn’t do very often, but the situation called for a little smile. After all, this was the first adventure she was undertaking with a new friend. Arold did seem very unsure about his whole past and searching for it yet trying not to find it. It confused her too, but she was sure about one thing, she would be there to help him find whatever he needed whether he liked it or not. His words made it clear that his thoughts weren’t quite in order, and a foggy head made for a lost trail. Arold needed someone to help guid, and Pearl wasn’t going to let him fall down a dark path if she could help it.

Once the shelter was large enough Arold stepped back and Pearl did a quick inspection of the small space. It would definitely fit both of them snugged together, and the snow would definitely cover the top, but that’s what she wanted, the snow would act as insulation and keep their warmth from escaping. It was sturdy and suitable, a safe place they had made together. Pearl crawled in and curled her body up in a small circle, leaving as much room as possible for the larger wolf to make himself comfortable. “Come on over, we’ll wait the storm out here.” Pearl looked up at Arold with her silver flecked eyes that looked more gray with the current weather. Her mind flashed back for a moment to the first time she met Caesar, and a small smile lifted her lips as well as a flutter of warmth that passed through her heart only to be cut down by sorrow and pain.

[Argus]

Pearl was making jokes at him, something he quite liked. He chuckled a little at her. “ No, I don’t think my past can be found in a hole that I dug.” Unless one counted all the bodies that he had painstakingly buried in secret so that he wouldn’t be punished for respecting the dead. But he didn’t want to think about that. The female was in a good mood, and he didn’t want to ruin it with all of his gloomy thoughts. He watched while the other wolf curled herself small in the hole, and his ears flicked when he saw a flash of pain appear in her so far cheerful gaze. It wasn’t any of his business what her thoughts were though, so he merely settled in next to her.

He didn’t intend to crowd her, but the hole was just big enough for the two wolves to fit together, so he couldn’t help but squash himself next to her. He hoped that she wasn’t extremely uncomfortable, but thought that she likely ways, considering she knew almost nothing about him. He came to the conclusion that she would get over it. Now that he was experiencing a modicum of warmth from being semi safe from the weather, he found himself very unwilling to move another inch.

Once he was fully settled, his mind turned to other things. He grew bored surprisingly quickly, considering that he had been wandering alone for days and had never suffered from boredom. Loneliness, yes. Boredom, no. Finally, he turned to his companion for entertainment. “So... I take it that winter is not a favorite season of yours?” It was lame to ask about the weather, and he knew it, finding the conversations started by such questions to be shallow. Considering that he really didn’t know much about her, it really was the best he could do. He supposed he could ask about the ones she kept referring to, but that seemed to be a sore subject, so thought he would save that subject for a later time.

[Blood]

He inspected her a moment before crawling in beside her. Pearl felt his body against hers, wiggling around to get comfortable. It was a good minute before his movements stopped and his body relaxed, causing Pearl to do the same. She let her weight lean against him and she welcomed the warmth and security with an open heart. She breathed in a deep breath and let it out slowly, closing her eyes to the feeling of safe. It was a feeling that she hadn’t felt in awhile, and how strange of her to feel it with a wolf that she had just met. The world was a pretty bizarre place, but hers was always twice as bizarre. With her paws tucked under her tail she began to shove snow with her nose to make a small wall around her body that was exposed.

“So... I take it that winter is not a favorite season of yours?” Pearl stopped her snow plowing and laughed a little, “Well, I was born in the spring, my brother was the winter pup.” She looked over at Arold and licked her snow covered nose. “It’s funny though, that winter is usually the season that brings me the most change.” A moment passed in thought before Pearl realized that her thoughts weren’t talking out loud. And what about your favorite season?” Pearl was getting very comfortable and warming up wonderfully, she planned to enjoy this moment, it seemed special. She perked up and added, “Favorite, least favorite, and why?” A smile delighted her lips and she wiggled a little closer and rested her head on Arold’s back, looking up in expectation for his answer. She was excited to know more about this black wolf and discover the hidden gems of his soul. She knew he had them, even if his current path seemed clouded, she knew he had treasures that just needed a little dusting off.

[Argus]

He watched curiously as the female began to shove snow around with her nose, confused. He realized quickly what she was doing, and thought that it was a good idea. He was comfortable enough where he was, and knew that if he moved it would take ages for him to find the right spot again, so he didn’t bother. It was still a smart move though, and he hummed in what could only be called approval.
It was subconscious, and he quickly stifled the noise, not wanting her to think that she needed his approval to do something. She had seemed okay with how close he was to her, had even sighed with some kind of emotion he couldn’t be sure of, so that was one less thing he had to worry about.

His question distracted her from her shoveling, but she seemed to find it amusing. “So you have a brother? Is he here in the valley?” At least the conversation he had started wouldn’t end in dead silence, with imaginary crickets chirping in the background of his mind. “Winter does bring drastic changes all over the world, wolves deciding to make rash decisions to escape the cold. With all the bleakness around, it’s hard not to adapt so you won’t suffer as much in the changed environment.” Pearl thought quietly for a moment, and he was content to let her sit and think.

When she finally spoke again, it was a question for him. “My favorite season, hmmmm. I think it would be spring. I like seeing all the new life and enjoy the warm, but not sweltering, sunny weather. Summer is nice too, but I find it entirely too hot and humid. Fall and Winter depress me quite a bit, with all the death and darkness around me.” He twitched in surprise when she settled her head on him, but he didn’t mind too much, so he didn’t mention it. He had to confess that it was nice to feel like a protector again, it had been a long time since he felt like he could help someone feel safe. He couldn’t be sure, but he thought that Pearl felt safe with him, and it brought a slight grin to his muzzle.

[Blood]

"So you have a brother? Is he here in the valley?"

Pearl's eyes found a new glint to them when Arold mentioned her brother. "Yeah, Gale. We were born in a neighbor valley, but he chose to follow adventure and journeyed along his own path, and where it took him I know not of, but I wish him so many blessings wherever he is." A different kind of warmth filled Pearl's chest and a her smile lingered as her eyes gazed out at the winter storm. "I hope he isn't out there in that storm." Her eyes shifted and returned to Arold, "Do you have any family around?"

She listened intently to what Arold had to say about winter and she understood what he was meaning, but she could only recall all of the wonderful change that it brought, and not the bleakness. The closest friends that have ever been in her life have been found in the bleakness of winter, so she could only see good from it. He continued to share about his favorite season, and Pearl lit up. "Spring is nice." Her smile was hid in his thick black fur as her head rested on him. "That's my favorite season too." Without trying, Pearl's smile grew wider when Arold began to tell her about his least favorite seasons and why. One season and the other three you dislike? Are you only happy during that time, or is there another source of your joy?" Pearl felt bad for Arold, it sounded as if the gloom of discontent dragged him down in much of his life. This only compelled her even more to help him find joy. The true deepness of joy and not just fleeting happiness that comes with the seasons, joy that goes further than a flower bud or a baby bird, joy that lives and grows in the heart of a living soul and can't be scorched by the sun or shriveled up by the cold.

[Argus]

Pearl seemed to love and care deeply for her brother, which was great. It was unusual for Arold to think about family in a loving way, considering his own disturbed kin. “I hope he’s okay. If he’s anything like you he shouldn’t have had any difficulty making friends.” Pearl seemed to be a very sweet wolf, and most wouldn’t find fault with her character. There were always a few unsavory characters, like the voice in his head, but most good wolves would be able to recognize those. He hoped that was the case at least. For his sake Arold too hoped her brother had found shelter somewhere warm, rather than wander the land with such cruel weather in the air.

He should have seen the question about his family coming. He flinched at the mention of them and shook his head vigorously. “Nope. No family around here, and I pray to the power that it stays that way. It’s better for everyone left in the valley that my parents stay in my past. I never had any siblings.” That wasn’t true. He had siblings at one point, but they were all killed off for one reason or another by his parents. They weren’t bloodthirsty enough, they weren’t dark enough, and in once case they weren’t able bodied enough. Moving his thoughts away from the painful memories, he tuned in to hear her remark about his favorite season.

“Spring is lovely. But I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I didn’t mean that I liked one season and hated the rest. Didn’t you hear me say that I liked summer too? I like half of the seasons, not just one!” He spoke with false exasperation, smiling all the way. He wasn’t offended at all, just thought he’d tease her a little. He saw a little gleam of pity in her eyes, and wanted to make it clear to her that he was perfectly content with his life most of the time. Sure, there were times when darkness slithered into his mind, like now, but they never lasted long once the winter snows melted and he began to epe signs of the sun. “I’m honestly happy any time the sun is out, no matter the season.”