Whitebark Stream i died for beauty

for timeline purposes backdated to 12/21

bravery —
confidence, arrogance

has never been something that vex has lacked. rather, the short leash his mother keeps him on, something he cannot ( or perhaps is simply unwilling to ) understand. he is unafraid of the world ( foolishly, childishly ) though it is not particularly bravery nor curiosity nor an itch to explore that pushes him into the reaches of the taiga closest to the bypass, but still a few territories over all the same. it's a singular mission; the very purpose that has driven him every time he's set foot outside of legion's borders.

find kaertok.

each time, he is kept from this goal; blocked, dragged back into the unrelenting grasp of his mother, older sibling(s), and pack-mates. the early afternoon is as chilly as the morning; the sun playing hide'n'seek with the clouds as vex paces thru white-barked aspens and birch trees; small leaves of gold and orange heavy with ice and frost that dusts them clinging stubbornly to spindly branches giving a small pop of color to an otherwise winter wonderland.

vex, with his shades of bleached golden-browns and red-orange stand out against this stark landscale and the anneriwok moves cautiously forward, walking in the shadowsteps of the black polar bear god, sos; of whom is nearly a constant companion to vex these days.