Winter was relaxing atop a rock, just underneath one of the warmer lights. She had taken a moment away from Kielo just for some time to herself. They were probably off grazing or maybe finding a good place to rest themselves, but Winter felt that she needed just a little bit of time alone. She still wasn't used to traveling with a companion, however much of a joy it was to travel with Kielo. But lightbathing was always a nice, quiet past time and made her feel as warm as she could, probably.

She was ruminating on the days to come. There was a tug at her heart, a pull towards Polaris. Their children were growing, the two gems hidden beneath the rock were almost ready to hatch. Well, it felt like they were almost ready. It hadn't quite been a cycle since they had left them there, but it had certainly felt like quite a while. They would soon turn back to return to that cave where they waited for their parents.

The word sent a thrill through Winter. She was going to be a parent, a mother! How exciting! And also terrifying. What if she messed up? What if she didn't raise them right? What if the children hated her? Or hated Kielo? There was no way to answer any of these questions, though. She would have to wait for the future to come to her.


"And still I feel I said too much."
"My silence is my self defense."

Tags: @Kin-Kin
Notes:

Kin-Kin was returning home, her pace brisk as she padded along a familiar track through Orion. Past crumbled walls and through deserted back-alleys she strode, with gilded tail-fur rippling in her wake, and the air shimmering behind her briefly, before fading into darkness.

Whilst the initial blow to her pride had subsided, Kin-Kin still felt as though she couldn't stand the quiet; Kin-Kin's pride needed voices to fill the void, admiration to patch the holes and make her whole again. But for now, she planned to return to her den for a rest, knowing that her emotions would settle should she sleep them away. As she drew closer though, she paused with a soft clink of her crystalline sword in its sheathe. She sniffed the air; there was someone nearby.

The scent was familiar, but she knew she hadn't met the bearer personally. With only a few moments of consideration, Kin-Kin carefully began to follow the scent, finding a white snake basking in a pool of light. She'd seen the snake around, she was sure, but she'd never spoken to them. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to re-establish her glorious presence.

With a well-practiced mask of pride, Kin-Kin smiled, and stepped into the open, her cape flowing gently, and the air around her twisting and shimmering with rivulets of light. Kin-Kin might not be the champion anymore, but she was still the demigod of light.

"Hey, kid," she drawled, stepping nearer. "I don't think we've met."

---

When I speak.

When I think.

Winter caught sight of a glow in the corner of her vision and turned her head to look at its bearer. It was a red wolf, her head held high, a cape billowing down her back. Winter stared for a moment. She hadn't quite seen a creature like this before. Sure, she had seen wolves before, considering Kielo was half wolf, but the cape and the thing at her side wasn't common. And the glowing wasn't natural either. She aimed her eyes just to the wolf's side, as the light was, in fact, just a little bit bright for her.

The wolf was faintly familiar. Where had she seen her before? Was it at the olympics? Yes, now that she thought about it, she did remember seeing a wolf with a cape performing in the magic olympics. But she thought that there was something else. She couldn't quite put her tongue on it.

"Hello. I believe I saw you at the magicka competition. An impressive display, although I'm not really one for magic myself. I'm Winter. And you?" She wasn't quite sure what to think of this wolf right now. The prideful stance, the tone of her voice, it all was just barely touching her nerves.


"And still I feel I said too much."
"My silence is my self defense."

Tags: @Kin-Kin
Notes:

"Oh, you saw that?"

Kin-Kin grinned vaguely, although her eyes betrayed the hint of a wince. So the snake had been there to witness her failure, then, had she? So Kin-Kin had all the more work to do. Kin-Kin raised herself up tall and shook her head to shake off the brief embarrassment that clouded her pride. This was her moment, and she would reclaim it. "Uh, thank you! not one of my, ah... proudest performances, if I might add."

Kin-Kin cleared her throat. When the snake introduced herself as Winter, Kin-Kin bowed her head low, extending her bejeweled foreleg ahead of her, with a clink of the blade in its sheathe. "The name's Kin-Kin," she replied coolly, with a swish of her tail, and a wink. "Demigod, and Master of Light." she chuckled. "Don't wear it out. It's the only one I got!"

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Winter

Winter was a little surprised by Kin-Kin's dramatic greeting. That was a first. Her first thoughts was that this wolf was, to say the least, quite extravagant. And, of course, filled with pride. She hoped that the blind arrogance she had come to despise was not under the skin as well. She pushed away the twinge of annoyance in the back of her head.

She didn't miss the wolf's not-so-subtle hint about his magic. Of course, anything would impress Winter when it came to magic and his own turn in the competition had, in fact, been impressive, but so had everything else (except for those that could not conjure any magic at all (and that plant cat, he was so annoying)). "I see...well, it's nice to meet you Kin-Kin. Quite a mouthful of a name," she added, somewhat dryly.

She wasn't really a fan of titles and this one was, to her disappointment, a bit on the arrogant side. But she wanted to at least give the wolf another chance. She was still working out where she had seen her before, anyways.

"What's with the cloak, by the way. And that, uh, blue thing? Is it a rock?"


"And still I feel I said too much."
"My silence is my self defense."

Tags: @Kin-Kin
Notes:

Kin-Kin caught the dry note in the snake's voice, and her ears flicked forward, her head tilting slightly, a smirk quirked the corner of her mouth, glow faltering in the air around her. She flicked her tail, sending a cascade of glittering rock-dust curling into the air. "Heh-heh. You could say that," Kin-Kin chuckled proudly, though not without a hint of nostalgia as she remembered all the more syllables that the title of magickal champion had added in. Perhaps Champion of light would be more impressive than master? But regardless, the she-wolf slowly settled back on her haunches, adjusting her cloak with an elegant twitch of her tail.

"The cloak? Heh-heh... too stylish for ya?" Kin-Kin winked before proceeding with a more proper explanation. She gave it a tug, but the fabric didn't loosen in the slightest. That being said, just barely, a fragment of moonstone could be seen, woven into a hole in the fabric. "Well, it ain't going anywhere," she explained on letting go. "It's stuck on my gem. Somewhat of a statement, if I do say so myself."

She looked down at the worn fabric almost fondly, before her gaze drifted to the crystal wound around her leg. "What, this? It's my sword. ...Oh, and it's carrier, too. Light's pretty, but I've gotta be able to fight, too. Caves can be a dangerous place sometimes. I made this with magic; no-on in the caves is gonna have a claw or a tooth this hard or sharp. Fancy a demonstration?" another wink, so full of mischief. With the opportunity to boast, the fire had returned to her eyes.

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Winter

Winter couldn't believe what she was seeing this wolf, Kin-Kin was possibly he most ridiculous and extravagant creature she'd ever met. But, of course, there was no way she was going to tell her that. She quite seemed to be enjoying herself, so Winter decided to humor her. She forced a small smile at the cloak, unsure of how to really respond. What kind of statement she was talking about, she had no idea, so she pretended to agree.

But at the mention of violence, Winter had to force back a shudder. The second fight with Blackberry was all too fresh in her mind, even though the injuries she had sustained were almost healed. She knew that the caves could be dangerous, Kin-Kin didn't need to say it. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she mumbled. "Me and Kielo tend to stay away from dangerous folk when we can."

She sighed, pushing the bad thoughts to the back of her mind before looking back at Kin-Kin and giving her an encouraging smile. "Yes, of course, Id love to see. I've never seen a sword before!"

@Kin-Kin

Kin-Kin gave a dip of her head in agreement. "Sounds about right. Kids like you gotta stay safe." But, at the mention of 'dangerous folk', Kin-Kin couldn't help but smirk as she thought of Imperia. It seemed that the link between them had faded as of late, and Kin-Kin couldn't help but miss the stoic aura of their company, lingering in the back of her mind. She knew full well that the caracal was about as dangerous as they came, but somehow, that made it all the more fun.

It was like dancing with death, elegant and refreshing, and she felt it made her look all the stronger.

With a blink, Kin-Kin's attention turned back to the matter at hand. She changed the subject, with a wink. "Kielo, huh? That a friend of yours?" she asked curiously.

As the snake showed enthusiasm for her weapon, Kin-Kin's glow brightened, sending rainbows dancing across the crystalline surface. The wolf extended her bejeweled foreleg out ahead of her, and pushed her muzzle into the jawguard. She grasped it from by bar of crystal within, molded perfectly to the shape of her fangs. Then, she stood up straight, taking the blade with her. She struck a pose and glanced around for something to demonstrate her might. Maybe a rock, or... something.

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Winter

Staying safe, huh? Well, Winter sure had been doing a bad job of 'staying safe', especially when she was younger. But now it seemed that trouble was the one that found her, now that she had Kielo at her side. She seemed to always try to avoid the places she knew were dangerous and the people she knew could bring harm. It was all about Kielo now and she was oddly okay with it.

She wondered if Kin-Kin could see the scars on her scales, the places where Blackberry had torn her skin away. And the old wound where the rock had impaled her. She thought back to that night, of both pain and hurt and of love and comfort. "A little more then a friend," she murmured before straightening. Her eyes shone with pride as she thought back to the two chrysalis waiting for them in Polaris. "We're going to have children soon." Yes, children. Two children. She and Kielo would be raising them in kindness and love.

She looked up as Kin-Kin prepared herself. She had to admit, the sword on her muzzle looked a little silly. It looked almost like a very long muzzle and she had to stifle a laugh. She didn't want to be rude. Kin-Kin was obviously very excited to show off her skills.


"And still I feel I said too much."
"My silence is my self defense."

Tags: @Kin-Kin
Notes:

The wolf's ears swiveled in the direction of the snake, curiosity sparkling in her eye for a moment. But with her jaws taken up by the blade, she couldn't reply yet. So, she instead focused on finding a suitable rock for the time being, and settled her gaze on a pile of rocky rubble, perhaps the remains of an ancient wall, or... something. Light on her toes, the wolf pranced over to it like a challenging stallion, tilting her head so that the blade on her muzzle caught the light, and gave her the chance to judge a plan of attack and finally strike.

Kin-Kin creased her brow and prepared herself for the impact as she darted in, scattering stony shards in all directions, a plume of rocky dust rising from the now crumbled pile. As she watched, loose bricks crumbled into a haphazard pile, losing any shape they might have had of their former structure.

"Ooooh, lucky you, eh?" she chuckled cheerfully, as she sheathed her sword against her foreleg and trotted back towards Winter. "Congratulations!"

She took another look at thew snake, wondering just how old they really were, with a slow tilt of her head. Perhaps older than they appeared at a glance; when Kin-Kin looked close, she could see the scars, but their talk of this... 'Kielo', was young and not world-weary. Kin-Kin didn't have such scars beneath her fur, and there was a good reason for that. "Don't think I'd ever get around to somethin' like that. I'm a free spirit, y'know? There's no-one important enough that could... y'know... tie me down like that. Ain't one for that kinda commitment."

---

When I speak.

When I think.

@Winter