vague thread is vague
She had returned to the lake, as it was none to far from her new home and a beautiful place. The shores were covered in many a wildflowers, regal sycamore trees stood like sentenials at the water's edge, and elegant birch reached for the sky here and there. What intruiged her most, however, was the isle at the center of the lake, which was home to a magnificent oak, ancient and huge. She was a strong swimmer, and considered atempting to swim out to it. Surely, it couldn't be that far, could it?
Considering the idea, she paced along the shore until she came to the boulder she had leapt of the first time she had come from, the one that appeared to have tumbled from the sky and landed here, hal in the water, half out. She bunched her hindquarters and leapt, claws skittering as she fought for a grip, finally managing to stand on the boulder. She paced the the edge that hung over the water, reclining on her haunches as she looked out to the isle, considering leapting off this boulder again, and this time, swimming straight out.
Oh, he was rather enjoying this. This beautiful feeling of freedom, yet also knowing that he would have a home to return to and wolves that thought of him as family, or well, friends. Doesn't matter; the two were practically the same thing anyways. Freedom, Nico decided, was like a drug and like you could get addicted to drugs, one had to be careful to avoid getting addicted to freedom as well. Because great as freedom was, it was not something you could always have. It came at a price, like most things did. And the price for freedom was no home, no pack, and perhaps, no friends or family either. And while the aspiring scout simply loved being free, even he knew the limits to it, and he was prepared to return home at any second now, knowing he'd been gone far too long. Way longer than he was supposed to be.
But oh, well. What could they do to him? If they kicked him out, Nico had another place to go to.
Don't think like that. Thinking like that will get you killed, idiot.
I suppose you're right, he conceded to the voice in his head, though a smirk still played at his lips.
And then he arrived at a lake. Standing by the side, he couldn't help but admire the beauty of this particular place. He'd seen a lot of pretty views on his travels, but he was pretty sure this could go to one of his top favourites....or maybe not. Nico gave a mental shrug, and proceeded forward, his eyes set on the little island at the centre of the lake. And that was when the soldier spotted the stranger. He cocked his head, watching with concealed amusement and curiousity as the wolf leapt from the shore onto the boulder, struggled for a second, before finding purchase. She stood there, seemingly contemplating her next options and Nico took the opportunity to approach.
With his trademark smile on his face and a mischievous glint in his eyes, Nico called out, "What'cha doing out there?" He stopped by the shore of the lake, pausing for a moment, before lifting his gaze to the girl's face and gracefully, leapt into the clear waters, swimming with powerful strokes towards the boulder she was on.
She would do it, she decided. It wasn't that far, and besides, she was a strong swimmer. She braced her hind legs against the rock, preparing to spring when a voice caught her off guard. She spun, fiery optics gleaming, as she located the source of the casual voice. Her gaze caught the grey form of a male, though from here she had no knowledge of his intentions, nor whether or not he was in a pack. But he seemed friendly enough, and as he begun to swim to her boulder, she smiled and peered down at him.
"Could ask you the same thing." she said, not unkindly. Her gaze flicked momentarily to the isle, then back at him. "I'm going to swim to the island. I'd invite you to join me, that is, if you think you can keep up." she said, eyes gleaming with mirth as she lay down her challenge. She was quite a strong swimmer, she knew this to be a fact, and though by this male's strong strokes, it was highly probable that he could, in fact, keep up.
Nico grinned, "Enjoying the waters, of course," he said with a playful gleam in his green eyes. "And exploring. This is a nice lake." He lingered by the edge of the rock and listened. When she spoke of keeping up, a competitive glint entered his gaze and the shadow of a smirk ghosted his lips. The soldier tilted his head up, "Oh, you think so?" Amusement was evident from the look on his face and he steadied himself against the rock, ready for the little challenge that he was pretty sure he could win. If he didn't, well, he never claimed that swimming was his forte.
"It is so on," he said, smirking good-naturedly. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll go easy on you," he teased in good humour, not looking to offend her in the slightest, but simply looking for a good bit of fun. And besides, he'd learnt that if he taunted someone, they tend to do better in a challenge.
Exploring, he claimed. She grinned, watching the way he responded to her challenge, His eyes gleamed with a certain competitiveness, his words a light taunting that brought a smirk of her own to he muzzle. At his words, she readied herself, moving from her relaxed stance back into her ready one. At his next few words, she smirked. "Already coming up with excuses to losing?" But the statement was made with humour, and her eyes glinted with shared amusement.
"Readysetgo!" a phrase that blurred together as she spoke it, and she was springing off the rock before she even finished. She hit the water with a giant splash and a yell, kicking her limbs with vigour as she propelled herself across the lake, eyes shining with mirth and mouth still twisted up into a smile.
A smirk adorned her lips and her words brought a laugh to his maw. Shaking his head, Nico flashed her a winning smile, lifting a shoulder in a shrug, "you wish," he called, a hint of playful challenge evident in his eyes. When she said the three words, he was off, limbs propelling as he moved swiftly through the water. Nico had always been a good swimmer; it was something akin to an inborn skill, so, when he trained in the army, he'd gotten exeptionally good. Obviously, lack of training would've slowed him down. Nevertheless, he was still faster than most wolves, and he was confident he could win this challenge.
Although, he was always open to the chance of him losing, given the fact that it would be nice to see who could beat him. "You are so dead," Nico shouted as he swam, eyes narrowing against the water droplets that threatened to splash into his eyes.