Her next trip took her out of the woods and west. She thought she could find something of value along the lakeside and even as the snow began to fall, she held out hope that something could be scoured from the frozen world around her.

It took longer to reach the edge of the lake than she anticipated because of all the snow; the showers had started out sloppy and wet but after a few hours of fighting against the wind and the sleet, it became colder and the snow so heavy that she was surrounded by white.

The lake was hidden beneath a sheet of ice - and that, beneath a piling of snow that would not soon abate. The little flame huffed, her breath a white mist lost among the snow, and she turned around - eager to return to the woods - when one of her nimble paws crunched against a thin section of unseen ice, forcing her to miss a step as she awkwardly plunged shoulder-deep in to the shallows.

The immediate chill made her yelp in surprise and try to withdraw, but her paw was stuck and in twisting, she felt something pop.

He was slowly making his way over the Haunted Woods to investigate the pack further of what Tzila had informed him. The lake was familiar, it was here that he came face to face with the man that had a hand in giving him life. The place was frozen over now, with snow drifting from above and along its smooth surface. The breeze that carried the snow also carried another scent, one faint of the Nightwalkers, but she must be one of them, fresh or just leaving... 

Regardless, he was curious enough to follow the scent in the wind.

Carefully he padded along the water's frozen surface, why would she be way out here? He kept an ear open to listen to the ice for any weakness and continued on his path, only to come across such a... how should he put it... an easy target for him to enjoy today. The ice had given under her weight and she had stuck her leg into the frozen waters. Circling around the woman, he offered a curious and faux concerned glance. 

Are you okay? Gosh, that must be very cold. He couldn't help but coo the sinister words as he spoke... he couldn't help it. She was under his mercy now.

The heat of pain in her wrist competed against the sharp frigidity of the water. Jo should have known not to move quickly in that moment, but she wasn't in control of herself. She reacted. Pulling at her limb to remove it from the water, but not being mindful of how she has her paw positioned - so it catches, she feels the texture of the ice against her toe pads and the twisting of further pain when she realizes immediately that she's done something wrong. The pain shoots up to her elbow and she drops to her belly; the ice sags around her but does not break.

An open-mouthed pant plumes the air with her breath. She waits for the pain to subside - or maybe it is the water stealing it from her in place of the cold - when someone approaches her. His voice hits her ears first and she wants to face whoever it is, tensing and pulling her body, but she's stuck where she is for the time being and can only turn her head at an awkward angle. She does not like the stranger's voice from the get-go.

No shit, she lances back at him. The thin fur of her sides and back has begun to prickle. He moseys in to her field of vision and watches her with some concern, and in her current state Jocasta is forced to accept his company. You gonna stare, or are you gonna help me? Better one of those two options than a third - she was feeling more and more like a trapped rabbit the longer he watched her.

Oh the things he wanted to do. The scent of Nightwalker was just enough to entice his thoughts. Should he play nice with those he might want to use again later? Or should he just have one hell of a day with this one in the ice? She was just so vulnerable, so easy to pick at. Should he dig in and leave her to be found by the packmates? Rip out a tail, ear or a few toes to go running back home with - ravage her from behind to leave something to remember him by.

The vampire offers a long, drawn out shrug. A chuckle fluttering from his lips before he offers a sultry look to the injured woman. I don't know, what's in it for me? Oh how he wanted to sink multiple things into her - fuck, he truly was his father's son, wasn't he? She was just so vulnerable, he couldn't help but think of those things. 

Unlike that man however, he stood his ground. He had a little more self control than Vengeance at least. Waiting for a response, what could he get out of this he pondered.

She did not like the way he lurked. The way he smelled. The feeling of his eyes upon her. Truthfully the woman could not discern what is was about him that was so unnerving - perhaps the predatory air about him, the lack of substance to support his words; he seemed like a beast that would take what he wanted of her while he could, and she had to be vigilant for her own sake. But at the same time she was distracted by the pain in her leg and the creeping cold that was working its way up, drawn across her fur and soaking her flesh. She craved warmth; he offered more than that just by lingering, and so she was conflicted.

A trade would have to be established. Or she could try and extricate herself from this mess and potentially break a bone. In a time such as this, with ice and snow still deeply relevant, Jocasta knew she could not risk it. But she wasn't going to barter away pieces of herself either.

What do you want? She shot back at him, terse and on-edge.

Every so often he would creep closer. Sidestepping his way closer to the trapped female with casual elegant strides. The way he'd move was strange to say the least, his limbs almost looking gelatinous while his spine curved with each stride. He was clearly confident and loving the moment.  

What do you have that might strike my fancy? He cooed, the moment he'd be close enough, he'd try to nip at the air around her, teasing, threatening, deciding on what he was going to do with the little lady stuck in ice. He was careful to try and keep away from those teeth as much as possible. 

You're with the Nightwalkers, are you not? There was an idea, a little one that nagged at him. A possibility of sorts. Do you ever want to lead them? Are you interested in leading the hellhounds of the Haunted Woods?