Duskfire Glacier The voice in my heart

@Takiyok <3

The spirit of winter had settled for the second time in the lands that had beckoned his name, had led him to friend and foe alike. Gleaming sunny eyes followed the dance of the flecks that fell from the sky to drop on their cold, hard glacier. Unlike his first day at what he would call his sanctuary, Calloon now trotted gracefully over the ice; the familiar sound of his claws ticking and scraping as he made his way to the heart of the territory. In his mouth dangled a fat hare, lifelessly bouncing with every step the ghost took.

The hare was a gift; a gift for Taki, as he now referred to her in his head. He felt his heart swell, and to still it he had to watch the clouds above; they were a foreboding dark colour, almost as if night was upon them already while it was still the middle of the day. One spot lit up, as he behind those stormy clouds was the sun; the sky now almost resembled the ghost's eyes.

The malguk had crossed back over the borders of the glacier after paying a visit to the ridge to make sure no loners were hanging out. As she moved across the ice on sure, snowy paws, she picked up Iju's scent. As newer members went, she was least irritated at the prospect of conversing with this particular male, plus, she wanted to check in on him to make sure he was still getting along okay on the glacier. 

She followed his scent across the ice, noting that it was mixed with the scent of a fresh kill. As she moved, she glanced at the quickly moving clouds in the sky that warned of an approaching storm, and a cold breeze moved through her thick coat. It didn't take her long to track down the mute wolf, and when she was close enough, she released a chuff to announce her presence. Taki stopped in front of him. Iju, she greeted with a quick nod, her citrine gaze meeting his as she studied the rabbit between his jaws.

A graceful bow was given to the fair maiden that ruled the lands he stood upon, a greeting that came from his homeland near the mountainside. His kill was then dropped and nosed towards the female as the ghost sat down. His grayish tail swept over the ice like a broken metronome as he smiled a charming smile. It's for you.

 

She watched silently as he dropped his kill and pushed it towards her, his intent that he wanted her to have it clear. Thank you, she said, dipping her head a little. You don't have to do that, though, the snowy leader added, puling the rabbit towards her with her paw anyway so he wouldn't think she didn't appreciate his gift. 

She rested her fiery gaze on his face. How have you been? Settling in okay? she asked. She hoped things hadn't been too difficult for the male. She assumed most probably weren't entirely prepared for life on a block of ice, so it showed her something about his character that he was still here and seemingly okay. His actions showed her he was likely to be a valuable addition to the ranks, which was important to her, especially now that their members seemed to be dwindling. It worried the leader a great deal, but she kept it to herself. She wanted to know about his settling, not dump her problems on him.

The skinny ghost shook his head, waving his right paw about; it really wasn't anything. He was used to giving his all to others, why else would he be missing a tongue? Sure, stupidity and naivety had played a large part, but it had also been for his pack. Despite the silent inquiry she would rather not receive his gifts anymore, he was determined to keep providing if only to quench his thirst for purpose.

At her question, he raised his shoulders. He hadn't met many of the others, keeping mostly to himself. He was used to the isolation and the cold, even while part of something bigger. He didn't dislike it either; the ghost was known to wander. Perhaps he would even wander from this home again, the instinct he had for adventure greater than his morals.

Her question was met with a shrug from the silent male. She didn't really blame him for the noncommittal answer, she could only imagine how difficult it must be to try and adjust to new place when you couldn't even tell others your real name. Not to mention, the glacier was not the easiest place to adjust to in the first place. The strong ones would prevail. Perhaps that's why she never worried too much about whether new recruits were truthful about their skills and value when asked upon screening at the borders; time would always tell who was meant to be here and who wasn't. So far, it seemed Iju was enduring, and she remained hopeful he would continue to do so. 

Can I help in anyway? she asked next. He was part of the pack after all. Plus, she felt kind of responsible for him being the one who found and brought him here.