Alpine Lake gone before it ever melts the ice

The pair of Saints came to the shores of the Alpine Lake as the sun was setting. Sakari and @Arashi had turned over every rock in the Hinterlands searching for @Elias and @Panacea, and they had found nothing. The Atautsikut wolves hadn't seen anything-- or claimed they hadn't seen anything-- whether they could be trusted was anyone's guess. 

It was as if the pups had simply vanished. Sakari was still of the belief that one of their own was responsible: it seemed the only explanation for how such young children could disappear without leaving a trace. 

Tomorrow, they would exit the Hinterlands to continue their search of the other Teekon regions. 

"We'll probably need to separate to cover more ground," Sakari murmured, notes of regret laced into her purr. She was still wary of Arashi because of the threat he had made to her upon their first meeting, and traveling at his side had her on edge. Solitary travel would provide the added convenience of allowing her time away from him, to relax.

"One of us goes up the coast, I think, and covers the western Sunspire Mountains and Taiga. The other goes across the Wilderness, covering the Flatlands and eastern Sunspires. Then we can meet back up in the eastern Valley." That is, they would meet back up there assuming that one of the didn't find the children first. Sakari looked to Arashi to approve the plan.

Separate? He didn't like the idea. Not at all.

The precise moment the suggestion had been made, a low rumble sounded from the man's throat.

Lone travelling had always been something Arashi enjoyed, but they had been assigned the task to complete together. Fury hadn't specified how it was to be done; however, that didn't mean they should take any risks for the sake of saving time.

Looking down upon Sakari, the man grunted with a light shake of his head. I don't like it. He admitted, firm and disapproving. I'm not yet aware of your abilities — combat in specific — and therefore I cannot be sure of how well you can manage your safety. Do not mistake this for doubt, but I hardly think Fury would be too pleased with me if I take a chance of letting our newest recruit wind up heavily injured or killed. Besides... two sets of eyes in one place will be better than one. We were sent to search attentively, not hastily.

At this point, he didn't care much of what Sakari thought of him. By their first encounter alone, Arashi had assumed she wasn't fond of him. That wouldn't stop him from performing to the peak of his ability, even if she despised him entirely for it.

Arashi disagreed with her, no surprise there. Sakari suppressed the urge to sigh wearily. 

The reason for his disagreement was overblown with chivalry; he insisted that his foremost intention was to protect her. 

That was utter bullshit. 

Sakari knew that his true intention was to watch her, to catch any slip-ups and retaliate against any perceived "betrayal." She was exhausted from walking on eggshells around this so-called protector. His words still echoed in her mind: "I would advise you mind yourself here. If I suspect you are a traitor in the least bit, or you choose to desert us, I will be the one to make you suffer." 

Sakari had far more to fear from Arashi than any stranger in the greater Teekon; he had made certain of that the moment he uttered his threat. Sakari was not a forgetful wolf, nor was she a forgiving one. It was one of the few things she and Arashi had in common, as far as she could see. 

And so she resisted his logic with an argument. 

"Fury's order was to search everywhere and be swift," Sakari pointed out. Her eyes met his with sharp intensity.

Let me know if the placement of assuming her fear for him is too accurate, given she never did say it to him. I can edit them out if need be!

Sakari was quick to protest. Perhaps the warden had done more damage by means of his threat than he had originally intended. At least she knew to fear him. This would lead to fewer disputes between them in the future... hopefully.

So be it. Arashi replied coldly, giving in. There was no motivation in him to stand here and continue to argue about such a simple thing. She had said they were meant to be "swift" after all, right? Standing here was far from that.

I've been meaning to update this on Sakari's profile, but she is an experimental character who may be powerplayed within the bounds of her character description as it suits all of the participants in a thread. Feel free to make any assumptions that facilitate the story!

 

Sakari challenged his argument, and he backed down swiftly. It was similar to the fashion in which he had given in during their initial conversation. Sakari wondered if this pattern could be evidence of a conflict within Arashi; a frailty in his self-confidence that caused him to second-guess himself, perhaps. 

Sakari suffered from no such affliction. She knew her mind with certainty. 

"So be it," she echoed, ignoring the bitterness in his voice. They would part ways here, then. 

She might have wished him luck in his search, if she had believed in luck. As it was, she simply nodded curtly before dismissing herself from his company.