You never live 'til you risk your life.

A warm meal and a night of proper rest had revived the wearied tundra rogue considerably, for on waking to fresh morning sunlight he felt as though he'd been made new. He blinked sleep from his pastel eyes and rose his head to part jaws wide in a yawn, then slowly gathered to his paws. Striding forward, the silverwhite felt the affects of his roaming in the ache of his joints, but he figured laying around would do nothing to ease the stiffness he felt.

From the little hollow on the mountainside, the nameless druid stepped out onto the frozen cliffs to breathe deep the crisp, clean air. He looked out across the ragged spires below - treacherous, he thought with an involuntary shiver of his hide, before shifting to blink over a sterling shoulder at the impenetrable peaks at his rear. He couldn't see the far reaches of them for they soared high into the sky and clouds gathered around them, but he doubted he would ever be able to truly conquer them.

He found himself wondering of @Ira then, and thought to ask her if she had yet dared attempt to scale those faraway slopes.


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The night had passed swiftly taking the ever creeping chill of winter with it, though admittedly the hollowed cavern had felt a bit warmer during the night prior. It made sense though, she was no longer alone with two other bodies to warm the stagnant air...a silent reminder that a life of solitude came with a much heavier burden. Over the past few days since she had awoken here, memories were ever-fleeting, triggered at random through her daily interactions.

There were still many unknowns, though now she could confirm she had been raised in the mountains but left for a life of her own. For various reasons, she had chosen to walk that path alone, though somewhere along the line she had acquired a few allies, @Orlaith being one of them. Somewhere along the line, they had been separated, and the only memory she could recall was the roar of a bear. It was her band of allies however, that kept on her mind. Ira might not remember much, but she knew who she was, she knew her beliefs and the traditions imposed upon her. To have a circle she trusted, a group of...friends meant something, for it was no easy task getting past her walls.

Unfortunately, now their names were lost to the wind along with scattered faces. The morning began like all the others over the recent days, the creep of sunlight into the mossy hollow she had begun to call home and the reminder that she was still here, wherever this was. With the new dawn came a new set of priorities. Explore further, secure more food, and find out why she had awoken here. It seemed that she was not the only one to start early though as a certain silver-toned man caught her eye not far from the mouth of the den, his gaze cast towards the heavens and whatever might lay at its reaches. “You awake early. Pray tell, what captures your attention now?”

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There was movement behind him, and the silverwhite dipped his muzzle to investigate. His pale eyes lingered on the snowy entrance of the hollow on the proud mountain, eager to see which of its inhabitants had roused to greet the new day. The tall, spearing figure of the blue-furred Ira emerged from within, and he regarded her with a kind stare before his gaze averted submissively. There was incredible discomfort in him, to have taken residence in her cave and know her name, yet not even have a title of his own offer her in return.

"Hm? A sterling ear pricked, and he gave an awkward beat of a laugh. She must've caught him gawking skyward; "oh, I was just admiring the spears." He canted his muzzle in the clouded peaks' direction once more, briefly, before he dared to seek the wolfess' sharp features once again. "I wanted to thank you, for... yesterday." He paused then, uncertain if he had slept for longer than a night. "For letting me stay here." He would surely have perished in the storm, had she not extended her invitation to shelter on her mountain.
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The other was quick to land his eyes upon her, and in response quickly bow his head. The gesture was appreciated even though, truly, she had no right to call for his submission. She had granted him shelter, yes, but she was no leader to him. She was simply another traveler who had chosen kindness in her own search for answers. “I see...” As he gestured towards the peaks, she too allowed her head to rise so she may bask in the marvelous heights.

If anything laid at the top, she had yet to find it. She had no time to satisfy idle curiosity for a pretty view, hunting would be more plentiful near the base of the mountain and perhaps other travelers who might know more than they. “Velbekomme. You are welcome, though forget not this arrangement came with a price. There are three bodies to feed and I will not provide them alone.” A fair price as any pack they would find she gathered. It only made sense after all, why would she aid them if ensuring their survival meant risking her own. She would never lower herself like that, not for strangers.

The golds of her eyes lowered, finding the pastels of her company. Now he sought her gaze, how brave...“Replacing what you take is sufficient payment...unless you wish to stay?”

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+2 points

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His ears pricked forward at the sharpness of her reminder, before they tilted back in quiet acceptance of it. Such was the nature of him; one could easily take advantage of the druid's eagerness to please. Despite not fully understanding Ira's expectation for lost souls to repay her hospitality, he respected it all the same.

The place he had come from, the place he remembered most of, had been different from the instinctual ways of his own kind. He could recall how his family had welcomed travellers with kindness - provided a sanctuary for lost souls, he supposed. If ever anyone harmed that peace with their greed, those memories were lost to him and he could recall only the good.

She turned her proud face to him once again, and her gaze settled fleetingly with his own before it dropped like a dead weight to the snow beneath his paws. He had looked to her first, but it had not been his intention to meet her eyes directly and he hoped the downward, apologetic dip of his tail would communicate such. "Stay? Oh," he'd not anticipated Ira's invitation to stretch beyond temporary, nor was he sure if he could be a good fit to whatever it was she envisioned, but he supposed it provided the best opportunity to find himself and repay the debt he owed. Besides, where else was he supposed to go? "I would be very grateful if I could."

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+1 point

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Once more he seemed nervous, submissive as their eyes lingered. This male might not remember much, but common courtesy showed along with an understanding of hierarchy. She could forgive his gaze, he would bring another set of paws to the table to ensure all of their survival, so it was only once he asked to remain that a faint smile crept upon her lips.

“I suppose Traveler would do no good to address you then.” The comment was meant in regard to his name as well as his status. If he lived here, or at least temporarily he would need a name, though perhaps it was time she starts thinking of the future, of these wanderers, and what they would bring.

“There are more of us, I am certain. I haven't had a home for some time, though as perilous as these mountains may seem, they have held life. I have nowhere to return to, only faces to find, though in terms of survival we are better off together given none of us have somewhere to go... A new start, a new life. Fitting of a new name, is it not?”

She had done the same, though it was over a year ago now. Upon the departure of her homelands, she decreed that from then on she would go by Ira. It was not her given name, no it was the name of her own story, one that she might control. A watcher given life. “What say you? Will you call upon a new name?”

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+2 points

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Traveller, she called him, and while the corner of his maw turned upward in the hint of a smile, the weight of not knowing who he was bore down on him tenfold in that moment. While he could not recall his name or those of of his family, nor even that of the land he called "home", he knew there was not a shred of desire in him to roam. No, what he longed for more than anything was stability - the comfort of having somewhere and someone to return to.

Someone.

Something sparked within his mind then: the ebony face of a young she-wolf, kissed by ivory, and with the brightest eyes he'd ever seen. There was no time to dwell on this new mental image, however, as Ira carried on and he did not wish to insult her with his daydreaming. A thought for another day, the druid mused.

The idea of a new name did not sit right with him, for he knew he had one. Gifted by his mother as a newborn no doubt, it felt so wrong to replace something that he imagined parents would've put great consideration into before welcoming him into their world. It would take some time to realise that there was nothing to hold onto, nothing to go back to but fractured memories and ghosts of another lifetime. He took a moment to contemplate the bluefur's suggestion in silence, then regarded her with an anxious, "I don't know, I..." Stalling, he exhaled a wary breath. "I wouldn't even know how, I just..." He twitched a sterling lobe, "might you have something in mind?"

Just for the time being, he reminded himself, eager to shed some optimism on the strange situation of forgetfulness he'd found himself in, until I remember who I was before.


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He too seemed to show the spark of a smile, though it was clear something else plagued him. He might have not said it, but she knew the look all too well. Luckily, she would not have to play guessing games as he spoke up once more, a fear clinging to his breath as he struggled to admit his plight. Ira hummed, her gaze pulling away as she looked out to the morning rays that danced upon the cloud top. “A name is but a calling. We are born with words in our maw 'fore what our kin might see us to be... perhaps to guide us or to place claim for what they desire... though that does not mean we might not carve our own.”

“You are alive, Traveler. Do not cling to what has passed if it no longer fits, as only you may tell what comes of your future.” She let the words drawl out and linger as her paws strode forth to catch sight of the morning view. A single shift of her head was all that suggested she had not abandoned his plea as a single eye scanned him over. “If you must ask though, you are that of quicksilver. Take with that what you will.”

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He regarded her words quietly with an intrigued cant of a silver lobe, and felt himself lost in his inner search for how to respond. Ira seemed so strong, so collected, with a wisdom far beyond her years that he himself could only dream to aspire to experience himself.

There was uncertainty in him, rooted deep at his core and knotted tight, yet something about what the roan roan she-wolf said inspired him: to hold on, to try harder, to be better.

Do not cling to what has passed, he pondered, and inhaled deep. How could he not, when he was so desperate to recall the scent of wherever he'd made his home? The curve of his mother's smile, the sound of her voice? He didn't want to let go of his desire for these precious memories to return, but perhaps it was for the best if he did.

"Quicksilver," he repeated, gently, content with how the syllables rolled from his tongue, "I think it will fit perfectly."

He glanced her way with gratitude on his kind face, curious about her and what she made of the mysterious circumstances that brought them to this mountain, but not brave enough to pry.


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“Then so it shall be.” Ira offered a nod before glancing back to the sparse clouds, then to the peaks of the mountains. “The sun takes its place and there is work to be done. We are not a pack, though maybe we should begin marking the surroundings.” As far as she knew, no pack lived nearby, and travelers were few and far between, but she was not one to throw caution to the wind. 

Perhaps she should scour past the mountain's reaches in search of a group that did live here. It would be beneficial to know what kind of creatures lived around her should this become a permanent home. “If you find free time, might you fill some caches? There may be more who come through here and I'd like something to offer for whatever information they might spare.” and should no one come then at the very least they would have food for themselves with the heart of winter bearing down before them.

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+1 point

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Then so it shall be, said the roan wolfess, and that was that. The newly-named Quicksilver, despite the sombre feelings he harboured for whatever life he'd led before, inhaled deep as he followed Ira's gaze the mountain peaks where he squinted a little against the morning's light. He listened quietly to what she had to say of it, noting that she wished to carry on with making her mark on boundaries she intended to set.

A request of him followed, and the silverwhite dipped his muzzle dutifully. "Yes," he agreed gently, "I can. I will." He would. He wanted nothing more than to belong, and it was up to him to find wherever that place might be. With desire to be hopeful that Ira's mountain could be that place, determination lifted Quicksilver's pale muzzle as he pushed onward into the snow to face the beginning of his new life.


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