Stavanger Bay or if i'll see you again?

@Andr perhaps? Just moving her along the shore and being vague until more threads wrap up. 

set for somewhere between 01/06/2024 and 01/07/2023 | c. 4:23 PM | -19° F |

her breath caught when she crested the cliff ringing the territory to the east. 

even in winter, even in the cold. it was heart-stoppingly beautiful.

for a time, the girl who had once been iaghe could only marvel from her perch. glacial aquamarines greedily drinking in the riot of color splashed against the sky.

the clouds scalloped across the once gray expanse, flat scales that had burned in shades so bright they almost hurt the eyes. in the distance, a shawl curling about the keep she had left behind, was a haze of candyfloss pink and blue.

as stunning as it was from on high, the wind was too harsh to stay there -- especially with nightfall encroaching. the harsh wind was a knife, cutting through the exposed skin along her burnt side and tearing into her bones viciously. 

the forest that she found within the bay's protective arms was a welcome respite.

the wind died down here, the undergrowth and canopy of evergreens providing some semblance of shelter from the frigid air that promised snow. 

iaghe could even smell game that must call the glen home, small creatures that wintered in the oasis of the woodland's comfort.

a tiny gasp escaped speckled lips when she came upon the bank of a river that threaded through the tapestry of the land. its waterfall was still, frozen in its cascade towards the pool at its foot -- revealing a cave that might typically be hidden by the spray.

with the temperature dropping and blood pooling in her limbs, the winterborne was quick to dart towards it. paws scrabbling clumsily against the ice, she slipped and slid her way within to bed down for the night.

Anger and a determination to prove herself had drove Fleur outside of the Sentinels. But, a cold sweep chilled her veins and snuffed the fire as she thought of Andr.

Why did he leave her? Was she too forward? Wait—did she stink?! Her petite nose sniffed hard, checking every nook and cranny for any bad smells. An unknown smell hit her, she wasn’t quite sure how to describe it; it was so foreign. Was that it? Maybe she could wash it off in the waters of the Bay?

It caused her a great amount of fear to think of being back in those waters again. What if it took her back out to sea and she ended up in another unknown land? And, what if an unknown, yet handsome man found her, only to desert her the moment she tried to return his kindness? Just like that, the anger returned. He left her alone after he promised to assist her.

Fleur growled to herself, infuriated that she had to rely on someone else to care for her needs. “Ugh, stupid me. Why can’t I know things?!” She yelled that last into the sky, frustration billowing out in puffs of hot breath. She WILL learn things, damn it!

The skies above had grown dark, and, at the very least, Fleur needed to find shelter. The washing of her scent in the bay could wait; staying warm and out of the nighttime elements was top priority. After careful steps, she made her way into the arms of the Bay to avoid the winds that threatened to chill her once again. A gorgeous, crystalline waterfall revealed a mouth in the rock face, similar to the one she and Andr had shared.

With the need to stay warm, she loped to the mouth and stopped short at the entrance. A feminine scent had tickled her nose; it was unfamiliar. But she couldn’t see into the cave for it was dark, and she wasn’t quite sure how far the cave dug itself under the waterfall. 

“Hello? Is someone in here? I’m sorry to intrude! I’m just cold and need a place for the night…please?” She wasn’t sure if anyone even heard her words, but she paused anyway.

the shadowed sylph had just begun to doze into a fitful sleep -- the only kind she'd had since long before the fire -- when the staccato of fast footfalls sent her reeling back.

lips half peeled back in a snarl. cringed against the far wall. if she'd had hands, the spectre would have thrown them up -- ready to fend off whatever threat had stopped shy.

a woman's voice. a silhouette cast in shadow at this light. and that smell...

the sudden slackening in her muscles was minute. 

cua did not shift from her place against the stone. did not cry out. 

she waited.

for a trap. a trick. for men to bleed from the trees beyond. 

but the silence only lengthened between them and her bleeding heart keened out in empathy. it would be the death of her, she was sure.

the sea acolyte chirped softly after a time -- an invitation, wild and wordless as it was.

a quick prayer to the deep shaped on her lips, for protection as her bones set to trembling in anxiety.

The silence was deafening. 

And then she heard it--it was quick, almost indiscernible from the cracks and pops of the rocks and ice. A small invite, not at all threatening, nor a warning for her to stay away. Fleur smiled softly, ready to greet whoever allowed her entrance, but what she saw before her as she ventured deeper made her stop short; a soft whine parted snowy lips as she grazed sun-born eyes over a cowering female.

To appear less threatening, as it was clear that fear was written on the female's face, Fleur made her lithe body even smaller by crouching low and averting her eyes. She crept closer, only close enough to see the female better in her periphery, and she laid her head on her paws.

"Hi..." She greeted softly. "I'm Fleurette, or Fleur, if you'd prefer. Are you alright?"

she was the sunset given flesh. 

soft golds and fiery ginger atop a base of snowfall -- it was as if the acolyte had gazed upon sunrise over the tundra of elennanórë.

something sharp burned in her throat. inadequacy. it curled through her hotly not unlike shame; shifting, twisting, to hide as many of the scars as she could. the ghost's gaze dropped for only a second, before lifting her chin as aquamarines clashed with citrine again. 

if any of the memories had returned, it was the chill of lóminorë reminding her to never appear weak. 

he'd taught her that much at least.

the winterborne's throat bobbed, swallowing heavily as she forced her limbs to still. 

nothing about her softened as she watched the woman approach, though a flash of recognition swam in the arctic waters of her gaze -- if only for a moment.

the woman she'd tracked, determined to save, if things went south in gryfalcon's keep.

after a pregnant pause of deliberation, gravel ground from the spectre's burned throat.

"ia." her ears merely flickered in response to the question -- uncertain how to answer it. the cock of her head was almost feral, as if she didn't understand the words at all. there was tint of unabashed curiosity there, try as she might to conceal it.

do i look like a person to you?

“Ia? Is that your name? It’s a pretty one, if so. I, uh, I just wanted to make sure you’re alright. It’s so bitter cold these days, even worse at night.” The scars that adorned the woman were not missed. How could they be? Scarring blanketed her right side; what looked to have been a gruesome injury healed and left its seal upon the poor woman. Left ear partly missing with scars raking the same side. Fleurette wilted at the thought of what pain the female had endured. 

She didn’t quite know what to do…she wished @Andr were here. She was sure he would know. Her anger at him died slightly, now, missing his presence. The feelings of inadequacy were at an all time high in this moment. At the very least, she scooted into the cave in hopes the wind wouldn’t bite at her heels any longer, and that maybe she could shield the other woman from the chill as well. 

Andr had refused her kindness. Hopefully the woman does not. The closer she became, the more visible the ghost of the cave appeared, and what striking depths of storming waters raged behind her eyes. There was a curiosity there, but Fleurette did not want to push her boundaries in fear the spectre woman would vanish.

iaghe's head dipped in a slow, reptilian nod. she blinked owlishly, flinty gaze creeping past the woman to the world of winter they'd both left behind.

the acrid tang of fear had muted, though currents still rippled in the depths of her veins somewhere, and the shadow edged backwards. 

she continued to stare even as she made room for the other female -- either unaware or uncaring that it might seem rude to her newfound companion. 

the fire-marked wildling had reasons, to be sure. 

she could not ask for the woman's name. and the string of words had soared right over her head into the depths of the cavern they sheltered in. 

she had captured two of them, however, and cradled them close to her chest. as if the grandest of treasures. 

"cold," the winterborne ground out, gesturing beyond with another nod. her dark diadem canted aside, gaze drifting to the dirt floor of the cave. stay.

"pretty," she murmured in the lost tongue of her mother, the word itself perhaps lost to the wind beyond as her gaze slid shyly away. it felt jagged on her tongue, not befitting of the seelie she'd become.

she shifted, settling herself against the wall -- somewhere between crouching and sitting. she might permit the woman to sleep here but she was not fool enough to turn her back on a stranger. 

nor would she sleep until fleurette did -- glacial gaze flitting to the sundrop again, watching closely.

The little she-wolf had noticed the way the other had shifted, seemingly to create distance between herself and Fleur, but also to allow more room for Fleur to remove herself from the reach of the bitter cold. The gesture made her smile wide. Following in the direction of the feral female’s nod, she gazed out into the freezing darkness beyond the cave. Not that it was any brighter within the cave. 

“Yes, it is cold…thank you, Ia. If you’re, um, alright with it, I’m happy to help block the cold from reaching you. A friend of mine, not too long ago, also found a cave such as this. We found the thickest boughs of needled branches and placed them on the floor, they were so good at preventing the cold from sapping our warmth. It also smelled heavenly.” An idea popped in her head and tumbled out of her mouth in excitement.

“Wait, our cave has room. You could totally come back with me! The male I travelled with is nice, a real gentlemen. I’m sure he would be okay with it…” She had quickly turned back to Iaghe, forgetting that the woman may not quite enjoy fast movements. Iaghe reminded her of the little prey animals that she saw with Andr as they made their way into the Sentinels. As soon as they saw movement, they scurried off, running back to their homes seeking sanctuary from the wolves. Her words trailed off, ears flattening in apology. 

Fleur decided to slowly drop to the floor, all legs pulled into her body, as she felt the fatigue fill her bones with lead. Curling into herself, her nose buried into white and grey fur, she eyed the girl. Her next words were a little muffled, but audible enough. “Ia, I’m going to go to sleep now, you should, too! And if you ever feel too cold, I will not mind if you needed to come closer. I mean no harm to you, I hope you know that. I know what it’s like to be chilled to the bone. Can you imagine being washed ashore, in a place you didn’t recognize, that’s covered in a blanket of cold winds and snow? It was awful, but my friend found me… and… he…became…my sun…”

Those last few words were not meant to be said aloud—Fleur had fallen asleep.

iaghe's ears pressed to her skull, pale gaze darting between the floor of the cave and the woman as she spoke.

"cold...help...cold...friend...cave...cold...smelled...male...okay." 

it was the beat of a hummingbird's wings, the trickle of a brook falling over rocks. too fast for the eye to see, too much for ia to comprehend. she shifted her weight imperceptibly, uneasy.

suddenly the woman grew animated, whirling towards her in a manner that made the shadow flinch. her lips twitched, peeling back slightly -- patchwork tongue flashing as she rasped it along her chops nervously. 

her speckled tail beat against the ground half-heartedly in apology. 

still, her behavior was hawk-like as she watched fleurette bed down for the night.

"sleep...cold...closer...harm...bone...shore...snow...friend...sun."

she could make little sense of it but gave a miniscule nod, maintaining her usual silence.

eventually, long after the sun-kissed femme had drifted to sleep, iaghe would doze. it was light and she would continously drift into awareness -- checking on the other warily. 

even so, when fleurette awoke in the morning and beckoned, the wildling would follow behind.