Duskfire Glacier trees will make a forest, trees will make a bow

All welcome!

She had remained steadfast in her duties around the land and her work on Wintersbane. Tonight had been no different before she left him to rest in peace. Her paws carried her out towards the icefield. The darkness brought to light by colors in the sky. Auroras danced in a wave, reflected upon the snowy and icy earth.

Iana had heard stories of such a thing before. Granted she had never seen it in person. She wondered if anyone else was around to see such a thing. Perhaps another stranger — or even her recent patient might come out for the sight.

Regardless of the company she might have, she found herself enraptured by the colors above.

Keeping things vague due to threads not being completed yet

Existence was a confusing mess. Things never, or rarely mushed 
together to make a conclusive ending, everyones story was often 
left unsatisfactory or open ended. That was certainly the case for
Rye, his story was still unsatisfactory. He was still looking for 
something to fill what was empty, although he had yet to 
discover what it was that was empty. His feet always restless
for something new, as if they were sifting through new ideas
looking for that one that could fill what was hallow. Ryes' feet 
brought him farther east than he ever anticipated to be, the sights
and beauty of Teekon never ceasing to awe the male and pulled
him further east with unspoken promises of something new. It did
not lie. Greens, purples and a few shades of blue lit up the night sky, 
Rye stopped and stared, his eyes glued to something new.  An 
innumerable amount of questions bubbled to the top of his mind. 
All asking the same thing. What, why and how?
.
After a few more minutes of admiring the beauty Rye continued to 
walk, glancing at the strange phenomenon with each flare up of 
color. He did not stop walking until a patch of ice caused him to 
slip and slide, nails scratching the ground in a desperate attempt to
gain stability, it failed. Quickly Rye found himself  face down in a
pile of snow with more coating his fur along his body. His injured 
shoulder taking a bit of damage on the crash landing, landing on 
the equivalent of a bad bruise was not excruciating but not painless
either. The last of his healing process was in motion, what it was Rye
wasn't sure, he was no healer but regardless he felt spry in the mornings.
Vein certainly knew his job well, Rye owed him his life and more but
repayment would come at a later date.
.
As the male shook off his snow covered fur, Rye noticed something in 
the distance that looked an awful lot like a wolf. His heart sank, he wanted
no trouble and was not in the best shape to fight if trouble was what he got. His
weight was yet to completely return to him and he was missing sleep, not to 

mention his shoulder. He was sure the other wolf would have heard all that 

racket he made falling, whether or not it was true didn't matter as he was already 

calling out for the other wolf. "Hey!" He started, "Who's out there?" 

She certainly had heard the commotion. Even seen a squinted sight version of his downfall, but she had thought little of an interaction. Perhaps she should have summoned Wintersbane so that she did not feel...unmatched. However the winter-cloaked male was still injured and so, unbeknownst to her at the moment, was this rogue male before her.

Iana. She called back to him timidly. Are you okay? She had no clue what had sent him sliding into the snow.

A simple misstep? On the run?

Iana the female replied. Rye approached the female with caution, 
wary of startling her. His feet landed with more purpose, the
crunch of the snow giving away his position, if it wasn't already 
known. A feminine figure came into full view as he rounded the
tree and saw just who he was speaking with, a slender, sleek
female with cream colors adjacent to darker ones. Rye kept his
distance, no more than five feet apart from the female. He did 
not stand, instead opting to sit and relieve his freshly agitated 
shoulder. His reply to the female was soft, nearly quiet.

"I'm fine, the ice here seems more slippery than back west. I
should probably pay more attention." He admitted with a
healthy chuckle. "My name is Rye. I'm a bit of an oaf sometimes,
as you can tell." Another, quieter laugh from the male. "What brings
you out here? To see the strange lights dancing in the sky?" Rye 
glanced at the sky, watching briefly as the lights shimmered before
turning back to the female. 

Rye the oaf.

Such a poor claim, but he seemed in high spirits about it. So she allowed her tail to wag ever so slightly, a bit timid in her movements. Then he questioned her in a way that seemed perfectly fair.

I reside here. Duskfire Glacier. Is that not what Wintersbane had called it? She felt certain of the name as it slid off her tongue. The lights are simply a bonus. Her features crinkled some with kindness, a soft smile and warm look in her eyes.

Where are you headed to? Perhaps she could help him so the others did not get startled by his presence. Or...perhaps she could convince him to rest for a while.

Duskfire Glacier. Rye wondered who came up with 

such unique names, who looked at the land and

thought of a fire at dusk on a glacier. It was

one big oxymoron, a cool one nevertheless but 

still very confusing. However who was he to 

question such a unique name while his was as

dry as the plant he was named after. Rye

silently swore to give his pups a better name

than his, at the very least not name them 

after a plain plant.

.

'Where are you headed?'

.

A question Rye had yet to answer himself. He did

not know what he was doing or where he was going. 

After leaving Vein he did not expect to go as far

as he did but what was he holding onto? His heart 

desired something he'd yet to obtain, he was

lost in the maze of misdirection. Each dead end

left him dejected, dreading the next dead end he 

would inevitably come across. It was an endless cycle

of regret, fear and pessimism. Rye did not know how 

to get out of his personal torture, each puzzle piece

found was not its' place. With an endless supply of pieces 

was there truly any way to find what he needed? 

"I do not know," He trailed, "I have been traveling for

days — No, I don't know how long its' been.  All I know is I have no

 direction, I have nothing essentially." His eyes averted from Iana, 

melancholy grasping the reins with an iron grip.

She did not pity him, but she did feel some sort of empathy for it. She had been in the same situation not very long ago. Lost, wandered for weeks until she found Wintersbane in his state. So perhaps she could pass along the kindness that had been shown to her.

Well...would you like to stay here then? Not a second thought in her mind as she offered. She knew little of Rye, but he did not seem threatening in the least. Iana knew she would have to introduce him to Wintersbane if he agreed, but that could be settled tomorrow. All that mattered right now was discovering what he wanted. Needed, perhaps.

'Plant your roots where you are at, not where
you believe you need to be. Happiness is made
not found.' His mothers words forever etched
in his mind, they resonated with him. He never
understood what she meant, it was too cryptic 
for his age when she said it but now he knew. 
He understood what she meant. She may not be 
around but still she kept teaching him lessons.
A modest smile appeared on his lips which was 
accompanied by a quiet laugh. One day, when 
nature came to claim him, he would thank her.
.
"Sorry, I am not laughing at your offer," He reassured,
"But are you sure I may stay? I do not want to take up space."
Of course he would do his part, hunt with her and
so on but he refused to be a burden on anyone.

Iana did not understand what he found humor in but, alas, he cleared it up soon enough. Followed by a question that distracted her from his former humor. A light shake of her head offered in return.

You're not taking up space. She would make sure he did not take up space. If he had no skills, she would be happy to take in an assistant. Perhaps even someone else could teach him a thing or two. If he already had something to offer? All the better. Come, tell me what you can do. She invited with a little motion of her slender muzzle.

If he followed, she would be happy to walk him through the territory to somewhere less slippery while he enlightened her.

Rye smiled and took her nonverbal invitation, he was more than
happy to give her a list of his skills, or lack there of. The
males' mind roamed its' extensive memories for anything that
could be called exceptional. Its' searches came up empty, he
knew if little medicine, was nearly the opposite of a medic and
couldn't truly fight with an ounce of skill or strategy.
"In all honesty I do not have specific skill sets, I can hunt,
do patrols and generally do basic things. Everything else that
requires skill? BAH," He retorted, "I got nothin'." Regret 
seeped into his heart, staining it black and chaining it down.
In the last few days, even months, Rye could not keep his mind
from wondering if things would have ended better if he knew any
useful skill at all. He should have been able to help Towhee
right then and there but his complacency in his reliance on 
others could result in someones death.

"I do want to learn 
how to be a healer and have proficient enough skills to leave
a fight nearly uninjured. I was too confident in myself and at
one point it nearly cost me and someone else our lives." A frown
developed on the males lips, remaining present until he spoke 
again. "I don't suppose you're a master in the art of fighting?"
A quiet chuckle rumbled in Ryes chest, accompanied by a slight 
smile. He didn't like to be despondent and miserable in front
of new acquaintances, it never made a good first impression.

Iana, personally, did not require much. Especially when he revealed he was willing to learn more. Healing and fighting. A balanced combination of skills, if she did say so.

His question caused gentle laughter to escape her. A soft shake of her head followed. No, Maybe Wintersbane was. Maybe Imaq was. She could always pass him along to learn but first...

I am a healer, though. She offered with a glance over to him. Her face held a warm and kind look. I could teach you. If you'd like. Otherwise...well, they'd have to figure something out, wouldn't they?

He smiled, and nodded his head. "I would appreciate that,
thank you." It was a start, in due time Rye would no longer
be the useless dolt but hindsight is twenty-twenty; but that
did not stop him from taking blame for the pups early departure.
However that struggle of self would need to be resolved on his own
time.

"So, why here?" He asked, his own mind jutting out a preconceived 
question, "I mean, why did you choose to stay here?" Slippery ice,
tall snow capped mountain and a glacier to boot. Odd choice in 
living space but then again, Rye was here too and it wasn't half bad.
 

Apologies for the wait!

She, personally, could have carried on in comfortable silence after their pleasant exchange. Yet questions should have been expected and questions he did have.

Well, I had stumbled upon a man and he needed help when I met him. The truth in its barest form, boiled down to provide what he had asked. He has laid claim here. She informed him softly. It would be Wintersbane who had last say, but she had not seen him turn away an able body yet. She doubted that would be the case here. Especially with someone willing to learn so soon.

nah, its nbd, love the new art btw! Should we wrap up? I can set up a thread for Rye to meet Wintersbane that's set directly after this one 

Rye nodded, quietly contemplating his next set of questions.
"What is his name and where will I find him? I should meet with the  leader before I
get comfortable here." Rye knew better than to assume he could stay 
without the blessing of the pack leader, ultimately he would 
need to meet with the other at some point in time. Getting it
out of the way would be best, that way, if rejected Rye wouldn't
feel guilty for taking up valuable space. 

Can wrap up here I think! <3

Wintersbane, Soft but fond. She had grown to appreciate the tundrian's presence and his...uniqueness to her.

I can show you where you might find him. It would also help so that Rye might not startle the healing man. She wouldn't wish to toss an almost-stranger upon Wintersbane and simply hope that everyone got along.

Sweet!

"That would be much appreciated." Rye nodded. He was curious to see who he was
going to be taking orders from. Hopefully they could teach him much needed skills, 
along with Iana.