"I loved you with a fire red, now it's turning blue"

"Oh, of course, how silly of me. I am Taggerung, or Tagger, if you'd prefer,” the male said with a nod of his head, "You?"

A dark unkempt lock of mane fell into the Advisor’s face as he locked eyes with Tagger and inclined his head, “Marrinus,” he said, teeth glinting in a wide grin, “Taggerung, huh? I believe I may have heard your name mentioned at some point down the line. Can’t say I’ve heard much else though.”

Eyeing the floes ahead of him, he gingerly moved from sheet to sheet, the weaker ice floes crunching at the transfer in weight. He had been standing still for too long, on his back the snow had already sunken deep into his undercoat and by not moving now he could feel the renewed fall adding more and more to the accumulation on the top. He just wanted to get off of the ice and somewhere warm. His silver eyes narrowed in frustration as his stiffened joints began to ache. Did he mention he HATED the cold? This was growing old.

(HAH COLD AND OLD
YOU RHYMED
LOLOLOLOLOL)

“Taggerung, huh? I believe I may have heard your name mentioned at some point down the line. Can’t say I’ve heard much else though.”

Oh, really? Taggerung beamed haughtily.
"I hope you've heard good things," He joked.

He followed as Marrinus as he switched floes.
After speedily deciding which portion of ice he would move to next, he turned on his heels, and sprung towards it. It rocked for a minute as Tagger steadied himself. Although he landed safely, something didnt feel right. Roughly forcing his blunt nails into the crunchy layer of semi-transparent ice, Tags arched his neck lower to stare at the ice beneath him.
He blinked.
The floe unexpectedly creaked quietly, making him edgy and attentive, as if on command.
He stayed there standing, perfectly still, afraid that if he moved, the ice would split or shatter.

Nervously the large creature looked over at Marri, but by the time he glanced back at himself, it was too late. A crooked gap was splintering madly through his floe.
Do something, do something!
His mind raced as he stumbled into a crouch, fleeing through the air onto the nearest floe.

His paws flailed as he tried to cling to it, as it was rather small, so he had to practically wrap around it, and he strained not to let his back legs and tail brush the unforgiving water. Taggerung's palms slipped and skidded across the chilled surface, which, to his annoyance, resulted in him having to constantly alter his stance to keep from drowning or freezing to death.
"Ehehe..."

Spluttering once again he dashed to a different sheet of ice. Not to terribly far from the shore now, the ice was starting to meld into one solid piece again, which eventually gave in to the frozen beach. How he longed for that. Solid ground, that wouldnt wave or cause you to sink. Well, not very deep, at least. It was still accumulating mounds of snow here and there.
Several thoughts were etched into the earth Shinlai's brain at that moment, obviously one of them being how ridiculous he must have just appeared.

"Oh, it's you! Hello again to you as well Alkyone. I should have recognized you sooner." Rayner exclaimed in something akin to surprise.

Alkyone grinned up at him from her low spot, before reaching out and proceeding to knock the clumps of ice from around his feet. “How have you been?” She asked while removing the frozen water. It had been ages since she had last seen Rayner. They had been in a dense forest, near the start of her pregnancy, while it had been a brief meeting it had also been, interesting, to say the least.

Once she had cleared the worst of the snow from Rayner’s legs she glanced out across the lake again. The green Shinlai and dark coloured Shinlai had moved, they seemed to be heading towards the beach, albeit slowly and uncertainly. The green one seemed to be having some trouble and Alkyone keen ears picked up the sound of splintering ice. With a faint growl and speed that betrayed her size and condition, she climbed to her feet and focused her energy, staring intently at the two Shinlai her green eyes unwavering. With a creaking groan the ice between the two Shinlai and their path to the shore doubled in thickness, the water underneath the ice freezing solid at her command. She couldn’t understand the need to put themselves so far out in the lake, with the unstable ice and thick windy snow storm.

She sat down with a huff, still staring at the two on the lake. No one was going to fall in while she was around, not if she could help it.

((Crap I'll need to try and post in the morning >>))

Ryshka absolutely loved the cold and let out a happy squeal as she bounded out onto the floes not even noticing the groups of sparsely wandering lai's that were nearby. Although she had issues controlling water in its natural and liquid form, she was a master with ice and frost. She leapt gracefully from one teetering floe to the next. Icy cold water splushed between her toes and into her thick disheveled fur sending small shivers along her body but it didn't even slow her. She felt at home in the cold wastes and got a little over excited and fell into the frigid water when one floe cracked beneath her. She gasped deeply before freezing all the water below her feet and was pushed back to the surface by the buoyancy of the newly created ice. Panting she giggled to herself and shook water out of her fur and whisked it off her face with a paw.

Not far behind her Hallow walked slowly shivering. He had known Ryshka ever since she was a pup and admired her for what she was becoming. Almost in the same way a father would beam over his child. However at the moment, he thought she was seriously disturbed in the head for wanting to muck around in the chilly temperatures, but he wanted to catch up with her since she had left his presence once she acquired her mask. He walked gingerly and groaned once he had walked to where the shoreline had turned to sludge from water and mud mixing together. For such a large lai, he actually sank in the mud up to his ankles as he plodded and sighed and shouted out to Rysh.
"Really! Why couldn't we have gone someplace warmer! With nice sandy beaches not sludge?! "
He knew she was probably too far out for her to hear him so he sat on what little cold dry land there was and created a small fire in his paws to keep the chill at bay.

“I’m not far off having it now, few weeks, maybe a month?”

"Oh fun! What are you hoping to have a male or female pup?" she said happily. Then she looked and saw the new blue shinlai come from the woods, she heard Alkyone call him Rayner not anyone she had met before and he seemed pretty young. As he looked her over she thought the color of her eyes may have made him startled a bit, so she thought it would be best to respond to his "Hello".

"Why hello there Rayner I think that is what Alkyone called you? I am Riya and happy to meet you" she said as she smiled big at him. Hearing a commotion on the water she turned and saw the big green colored shinlai struggling it seemed over the ice, and Alkyone did not seem very pleased with this as if she were ready to jump in and get him if he fell. The dark colored one on the other hand seemed to be moving across them with speed and sure footing. She thought it would not be long before they will reach the shore. Out farther were another pare of shinlai one running along the floes happily and one just trudging along, though she could not really make them out being far out there.

(Yeeeah I was too lazy to figure out something better to put xD)

Marrinus was a couple floes ahead of Tagger when a small "crunch" in the ice alerted the Dark Shinlai to the other male’s impatient misstep.

“Idiot!” Marrinus cursed under his breath as the panicked Earth Shinlai locked eyes with him in desperation. Before he could move in to aid the young Lai, the ice began to split, a large crack quickly fractured its way through the middle of the now sinking floe. At that moment, it was left to Tagger, in the seconds before the floe split completely in two, to make a mad dash to another, smaller, patch of ice, only to slip and stiffen on contact as the small floe struggled to support his size.

Marrinus lightly made his way over in the Shinlai’s direction as the male leaped once more onto a more solid floe. “Well, at least you’re in one piece,” he called over to Tagger, “Maybe we could try not leaping all gun-ho onto random ice sheets next time? So you don't make us both drown,” he added jokingly.

It was only as he padded forward that he noticed the sudden hardening of the ice beneath his feet. With a questioning look of alarm at Tagger and then the Shinlai on land, Marrinus caught sight of the Water Shinlai sitting down heavily by the shore line, staring out at them intently.

“A friend of yours?” he asked as he caught up with the green Earth Shinlai.

“Well, at least you’re in one piece. Maybe we could try not leaping all gun-ho onto random ice sheets next time? So you don't make us both drown,” Marrinus tittered in amusement.

"In one piece, for now, you could say," Taggerung laughed back lightly, voice still tense as he was still in the effects of the previous accident. He added, "I'll try not to." From there on, he scuttled as quick as possible to the shore, and walking became noticably smoother the father away the two got from the thinner ice. His whole body seemed to untense at once the moment his paw landed on the fluffy, snow-ridden bank. What relief! He sighed happily, throwing back and shaking his head.

As the darkblood Advisor trotted to catch up with Tagger, he inquired, “A friend of yours?”
Following his silvery gaze, the earthen one guessed that Marri was most likely talking of the purple-and-white female not to far off. As they continued to pick their way, a bit slower, through the ice, he fell back into place behind his superior.

"Not nessecarily," Taggerung said with a wry smirk, narrowing his eyes and arching his head to one side. "Only said a few words to her."

“How have you been?”
"Oh, fair." Rayner replied, looking down at his feet in fascination as the frozen water was removed. How interesting it must be to have a different element. He was kin to the air, he breathed it and it gave him life, offered smells and diluted sounds. Air was all he knew, and water was like some foreign language. He could no more speak to it than to a rock. "Thanks Alkyone," He lifted a paw to inspect it, "oh how I took for granted light feet!"

"Why hello there Rayner I think that is what Alkyone called you? I am Riya and happy to meet you" When Riya spoke Rayner couldn't help but to smile in reply, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well. And yes, I'm Rayner." It was odd how being around older and more experianced Shinlai made Rayner feel like a pup. He could have reached for all the fun things he'd wished to do in his lost childhood. Lets play, it's such a beautiful day! I want to tease the birds with the wind and run to chase them. Mother always told me it was bad to dare others to do things, but if you give me something neat I'll eat some of that dirt. But the other young Shinlai were only interested in hunting and the older Shinlai would just scold him when he was a pup...

It took Rayner a moment to realize what was going on now that he'd spaced out, but it seemed that the two Shinlai out on the ice flows were coming to shore. He watched them wearily, wondering what they might want. As he watched he realized that those two were not the only ones amongst the ice sheets. Two more Shinlai further off also seemed to be heading their way. He wished he could see them better, they were too far out to see clearly, but the movement of one reminded him of someone.

Hallow saw groups forming and watched them as he sat on the shoreline. "Well might as well go say hello. Perhaps someone I know is amongst them."
He plodded heavily through the mud and snow, his breath created a cloud as he trudged along coming closer to the group with the large purple female. He remembered her from their first encounter in the forest and thought she was a smart sensible lai. However before reaching them, he crossed paths with two others. One who looked like he desperately needed a bath, and another one who seemed to be following him. He walked near them and smiled politely nodding his head, completely unaware of who they were as he continued on.

Rysh however leapt from floe to floe with a squeal her paws occasionally slipping but the water beneath her always solidified before she splashed into is cold depths. Some of the ice cracked beneath her weight and she would fall with a giggle forwards. She saw a few lai's she knew and others she didn't know but as she saw Hallow make his way away from her she followed giddily bounding like a pup across the ice and snow. So caught up in the direction that Hallow trodded, she didn't see the large drop in the ice and fell off its edge a few feet into snow that settled below. "UMPH!!!" The ice cracked beneath her and only her tail and back legs could be seen sticking out of the snow.

"Oh fun! What are you hoping to have a male or female pup?" Riya asked with interest.

“Healthy.” Alkyone replied honestly, she turned to look at Riya. “So long as it’s healthy I will be happy.” She smiled.

"Thanks Alkyone, oh how I took for granted light feet!" Rayner said lifting his foot to look at it.

Alkyone smiled, but got distracted as she tried to snap a snowflake out of the air. She tilted her head to one side and watched it drift away. Normally she would be running and jumping through the snow. But this time she couldn’t. She sighed quietly and distracted herself by scooping more snow towards her and laying amongst the pile, it wasn’t a blanket, but it would do.

The sound of footsteps caught her attention and she looked around to see a black and grey Shinlai walking towards them. She recognised him, but was struggling to remember his name. As she desperately tried to remember a blue shape behind him caught her attention. A blue back half was sticking awkwardly out of the snow. “Ryshka..?” She said slowly. “She looks as though she could do with a hand...” She added, looking up at Rayner from her snow pile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. And yes, I'm Rayner."
"So Rayner what might you be doing out here in this cold area?" she said looking him over as he drifted off in thought. She saw he turned to look towards the Ice so she did the same, and saw that not only two were closing in on the shore, but now 4 none really look familer still maybe when she started talking with them maybe.


“Healthy.” Alkyone replied honestly, she turned to look at Riya. “So long as it’s healthy I will be happy.” She smiled.

"Ah yes that would be the best! But still you may have a preference right?" she said cocking her head a little. "I was pregnant once as well, but when I was with my mate I always wanted a male who would grow up just like him, but now I hope he just forgets how his father once was and not to follow in his footsteps" she said sighing as she looked in the distance. Then the sound of someone falling in the snow got her attention.

"UMPH!!!"
"Oh my" was all she could say as she started to lay next to Alkyone's snow pile, but not on it as so she could have her space. It seemed as if Alkyone wanted Rayner to be the one to help her out she just stayed put watching all around her.

“Huh,” Marrinus eyed the group of Shinlai as they drew near. The blue male he had seen entering the group while they were far out on the ice had a red mask with a spiraled set of horns and the purple female had an eccentrically colored and gracefully curved mask, not to mention she was noticeably plump enough to be considered pregnant.

Near her was the second, older female, with a orange-brown coloration and a striking set of exotic red eyes that caught his attention as soon as they were close enough to spot them. “Not many Shinlai have that trait,” he thought, “Why is that familiar?” He could not remember. It was a rarity for Marrinus to forget a face, eyes like those were hard to come by and he would know if he had crossed paths with a Shinlai with them before. Why couldn’t he remember this one?

He thought on it for a second, concentrating on the towering snow covered pines that shrouded the skyline only to shake his head and draw himself from his hindrance as a new male made his way by them, nodding as he headed for the group. A look to the side revealed a young female as she bounded across the ice drifts and straight into a heap of amassing snow. Marrinus rolled his eyes and glanced back at Tagger, “May as well join them,” he said as the two females looked expectantly at the third Shinlai to help the youngster.

He hesitated, maybe it was better in a situation like this to opt for ambiguity in order to divert cynicism, “I’m not here to let my position get ahead of me. Let’s see what they know on their terms.” Him? Be polite? Meh, why not?

"So Rayner what might you be doing out here in this cold area?"
"Passing through mostly." Rayner answered honestly, "I didn't know it was going to be so cold, otherwise I might have looked for another route." He shook the fur on his neck, the snow that had been piling up there was getting uncomfortable, especially what had fallen behind his mask. He'd have taken it off if it didn't help keep his face a bit warmer.
"UMPH!!!"
Rayner heard the sound of a Shinlai falling into the snow. He nearly jumped out of his fur, and stood up. He heard Alkyone say her name, "Ryshka..? She looks as though she could do with a hand...” and nearly hesitated, but when they didn't make an immediate move to help, he took off running through the snow, kicking up a white spray.

"Ryshka!" He yelled, stumbling a couple of times in his attempts to jump over the deeper piles of snow. The blue Shinlai hardly noticed at first that Marrinus and Taggerung were getting close now, Hallow even closer on a seperate track, and as he neared he looked up at them for a split second. He was curious, but not enough to halt. When he finally reached the drop where Rysh had fallen in, Rayner came to a stop and looked down. It wasn't terribly deep, but Ryshka seemed to have fallen in face first. Only her tail and back legs remained above the snow, and had he not been worried Rayner might have smiled. She must have been having fun.
He started to inch his way down, slowly at first, then slid down sideways. The snow looked like it would be quick to give out if he slammed into it as well, so he dug in his claws, "Ack!" He skidded to a quick stop, "Rysh, are you alright?" He didn't think she would be able to answer even if she heard him, so he started digging into the snow, shoveling it up the slope with his front legs much in the way a dog might.

"Ah yes that would be the best! But still you may have a preference right?" Riya asked. "I was pregnant once as well, but when I was with my mate I always wanted a male who would grow up just like him, but now I hope he just forgets how his father once was and not to follow in his footsteps" She continued.

Alkyone tilted her head to one side. It sounded like there was a long story behind that statement. She glanced down at her paws briefly. Normally she would pry and ask questions, but Riya seemed down about it and she didn’t want to stir up bad memories.

“Dagda, my mate, would like a girl I think. He keeps referring to it as a she at least. I… I don’t know what I want.” Alkyone said, resting her head on her front paws.

Her green eyes watched levelly as Rayner bolted off across the snow-laden ground, towards the fluffy tail of Ryska. The grey and black male had neared them, as had the black Shinlai and the green one. She watched the pair for a moment before looking back to the grey and black Shinlai. ‘Ahaloh? Was that your name?’ She mused.

Ahaloh strolled up to the group his breath puffing and creating small wisps of fog. "Greetings Alkyone!" Despite his fairly down mood due to the cold and muck stuck on his paws he kept his tone as cheery as he could. She was a bit bigger than the last time they had met and he got a sly look across his face "Well I see that you and Dagda have been... busy. Congratulations" Deep down he knew he might take a paw to the face for that jest but, he hoped that it was a reason to be joyous.

Rysh flailed a little and laughed her back legs flopping a bit as her tail lashed around.
"Rysh, are you alright?"
She smiled as her face flushed red, the thought of how ridiculous she must look ran through her head. "Rayner! Well I am ok... just a bit stuck and I am not in the mood to get too wet otherwise I would have turned this all to mush by now" She chuckled at her predicament as she broke the snow and poked her head up from it. Thick white frost clung to her mask and hairs as she laughed shaking some of it off at her rescuer. "My hero!" She laughed

"Passing through mostly."
"So you like to just wander around then? Always fun I did more in my younger years, and enjoyed very well! Saw most of Elashia!" she said with a hint of thrill in her voice. "I didn't know it was going to be so cold, otherwise I might have looked for another route." "I think that would have been a good choice on my part as well, but I am happy t have came now" she said as Rayner walked of to the shinlai in the snow.

“Dagda, my mate, would like a girl I think. He keeps referring to it as a she at least. I… I don’t know what I want.”

"Well whatever you both want I hope you do get hopefully it will be both a healthy girl shinlai pup? Then it would be pleasing to you both" she said smiling smugly at her.

Standing up to her full height then stretching out her legs a bit she looked around watching as Rayner helped the young female, and as Alkyone talked to the other male that came along. The sound of the two shinlai finally coming of the icy floes she turned and looked at them saying "So you finally decided to join us here on the shore?" she said examining them both. None looked like anyone she knew, but the male with silver eyes reminded her of someone she saw in passing, but then again she has seen many shinlai.

"So you finally decided to join us here on the shore?" the Light Shinlai with the red eyes spoke up as they drew closer.

Glad to finally be back on land, Marrinus plodded through the snow and came to a stop a few feet away from the company of resting Shinlai. He raised his brow at the remark and said with a light laugh, “Didn’t know we were being expected.” Sitting down, he smiled and continued, “I’m just passing through, I can’t say the same for Tagger here though,” he said with a nod over to Taggerung.

“I figured the ice would make a good short cut, but wasn't quite counting on the weather,” he smirked.

"Greetings Alkyone!” Ahaloh called to her “Well I see that you and Dagda have been... busy. Congratulations" He said with a sly smile.

Alkyone grinned at him. “You have no idea.” She joked back. As she spoke she hooked a pawfull of snow and flung it into his face skilfully. “Although I must say it is something to be proud about.” She added. She twisted her head and managed to rest her nose on the large bump. She felt a slight movement, and clicked quietly at it with her echolocation, a smile creeping across her face.

"So you finally decided to join us here on the shore?" She said.

She looked around and jumped slightly, she hadn’t expected the two males to come over. They had seemed content to talk between themselves. “Didn’t know we were being expected. I’m just passing through, I can’t say the same for Tagger here though,” The black one said, sitting down with a grin. “I figured the ice would make a good short cut, but wasn't quite counting on the weather.” He added with a smirk.

Alkyone grinned and gave a quite chuckle. She wiggled about until she was facing him better. “You weren’t expected as such, however we were quite entertained watching the pair of you navigate the ice.” She said with a smile. “Although being out there in the first place was risky.” She added with a smirk.

(Sorry I took so long! Schools is over though now so hopefully I can post more often!)
---

“I’m just passing through, I can’t say the same for Tagger here though,” Marrinus stated as he settled into place beside the smallish group. He nodded at Taggerung, who slowly ambled up towards them through the fluffy snow, nodding back.
"Looking for a place to stay, for the time being."

Briskly giving his pelt a good shake, snow and ice slung off of him before he rested on his freezing haunches.
Stupid ice. Taggerung didnt really care for it, he was far more acustomed and attracted to the heat of summer.
"Anyway," He cleared his throat, and slid onto his belly so that his whole body relaxed on the cold ground.

You weren’t expected as such, however we were quite entertained watching the pair of you navigate the ice. Although being out there in the first place was risky.”
Taggerung beamed cheekily at the female who he had greeted before. "I can imagine," He added, a soft laugh escaping hs lips. "And i'm afraid i've learned that the heard way then, heheh."

“Didn’t know we were being expected.” Sitting down, he smiled and continued, “I’m just passing through, I can’t say the same for Tagger here though”

"Well as my friend here said watching you two on the Ice what fun! Not that I enjoy other's pain, but it can be amusing sometimes" she said as winked towards Tagger.


“I figured the ice would make a good short cut, but wasn't quite counting on the weather,” he smirked.
"At least the short cut did you good then? I mean you can never really know the weather when traveling, so that is why you should always be prepared." she said smiling.

"Looking for a place to stay, for the time being."
"I do hope you find a place that fits you then, I dunno if you would enjoy staying here in this Icy terrain." she said chuckling at Tagger.

"I haven't really seen either of you before, so before much else happens, I am Riya by the way" she said smiling directed towards both of them.

"I do hope you find a place that fits you then, I dunno if you would enjoy staying here in this Icy terrain."
The red-eyed female cheerily chortled to him.

"Yeah. Its uh, yeah, great... very nice."
He grumbled, turning his head around to lap at his snow-ridden back with his tongue, doing his best to preen his fur of the uncomfortably cool slush.
'What am I doing here...' He wasnt quite sure of anything anymore it seemed. He drowsily blinked away the thought, looking back at Riya.

"I haven't really seen either of you before, so before much else happens, I am Riya by the way,"
She nodded in their direction.

With a large yawn, the earth Shinlai replied, "Im.. Taggerung."
Shaking his head, then drooping, then perking up again, he released a shaky sigh. 'Man, I gotta get this under control...'

Alkyone hesitated before slowly grinning back at the large green male, she quite liked him. As he and Riya conversed her eyes stayed on the green male, Taggerung, as he was called. She watched Tagger's head drop before jerking up right. She sat up a little, rolling onto her belly and folding her front paws. "If you're tiered, then rest." she said almost sternly, like a mother telling off a child. She indicated her side, her fur was thick and insulating and not to mention very long, it would help stop his tail from dropping off at least. "I can try to keep the snow off you too, if you want." She added with a coy smile. She couldn't control the snow, but if she could melt it into a mist before it reached him, she could draw it away.

Her eyes strayed over to the black male. "I'm Alkyone, what's your name?" She asked, smiling at the dark one. It seemed clear to her that he was a dark Shinlai, the dark blue pelt and faded mask gave it away. But she knew looks could be deceiving, their colours didn't always match the element. She tried not to show it, but she had a soft spot for Dark Shinlai...

"If you're tired, then rest."
He glanced sideways at Alkyone with his electric green optics, a small smile dissappearing beneath his russet metal mask.

"Naw, i'll be ok."
'I hope.'

"I can try to keep the snow off you too, if you want."
He wasnt sure if he heard that right, as he tried to blink away the fuzzy blackness that was creeping up the edges of his vision. Like a hidden predator that constantly stalked him, his sickness was obviously begining to strike; though he attempted to resist, it was futile at best. The relentless thought of sleep cascaded through his mind and he could hardly focus: he hated it.

"That would be... woah."
He swallowed quickly as a wave of dizzyness wrought through him, racking him into dropping his head considerably. Proceeding to rest his head on his paws nervously, he murmured indistinctly, "Um. By which I meant great. That would be great."

Rayner stared at Rysh for a moment, feeling silly himself for having overreacted. But a smile crept across his face, and he jumped back in an attempt to dodge the frost being flung his way. He ran backwards into the side of the little pit, and let out a grunt. "Oof!" He took a half step forward again and laughed, "Well, I'm glad you're alright anyway! Sir Rayner the something-or-other at your service." He bowed.

"So, would you like to go see what's going on? I'm curious about those two who were walking around on the ice." Rayner glanced over at where the others were now gathered, "I've seen that black and white fellow before." He commented, thinking back to the day in the forest, then to just a little while ago, and added more quietly, "I didn't know you two were... friends. He seems very nice."