...And here they were.

Pride paused, peering up at the jagged climb ahead--and the snow that had piled down among the rocks. This will do, he thought, and then mocked himself a little bit internally--what, for a vacation-? Loosen up a little. Lesson self-administered, he turned to his companions.

First--Mercy: white lion, gentle aspect, shaggy mane. And then, Mercy's child (and Pride's, too, in his own mind--if adopted, sort of): shaggy all over, with what Pride always thought was a slightly permanently-startled look. It was the ears, in retrospect--always quite far back, as though the hybrid had heard a loud noise. Family, of all stripes: they were so many, now, but for today it was Casimir alone who had wanted a little exploration. Good-naturedly, Pride had agreed, offering a few quiet suggestions for potential destinations. He was glad they were avoiding Ursa, even though they'd sought out snow: here he could relax without worrying too much about Mother.

He took a few steps into the white, wincing a bit at the cold that bit his hooves. "Snow, then," he said softly, glancing again to both his fellow travellers. He focused on Casimir for a moment, hopeful that the "child" (now adult, but Pride couldn't help the thought) was pleased. "-What do you think?" he asked.

The white stag then looked forward again, calculating the distance to the first ledge up ahead. It wasn't that he had to move on, exactly; it was just an idle canter and leap with the intention of getting a little altitude with which to look around.

Behind him, Mischief took a few hops into the snow, combing her ears with fuzzy paws: she loved the cold and had refused to be left behind, and so Pride had carried her here on his back.

Pride took a few steps and his leap, and fell short, the magic he'd tried to push into it faltering; his bound left him faceplanting the thick snow at the edge of the ledge, sliding back down to the ground covered in white. He shook himself, snorting. "...Whoops," he said.

@Mercy @Casimir

Casimir didn't like going anywhere by himself. He absolutely detested hauling himself after his more adventurous brothers, dreading every step that brought them closer to what would surely be a terrible accident or incident that he would have to try to fix. More than that, he had never grown accustom to socializing; outside of his immediately family, strangers were uncomfortable and emotionally draining to be around. He had a comfort zone. It was at home, snuggled up with his family, doing absolutely nothing dangerous.

So it was a bit out of the blue when he held his head high and suggested an outing with his fathers. It still wasn't a social event, and hopefully this quiet, cold tunnel wouldn't involve meeting any new faces, but it was unusual. Cas was a homebody and perfectly content to stay in Orion, helping tend to the garden and keep to himself.

There were some ulterior motives, naturally. Casimir kept those privately to himself as he trod on along after his parents, out to one of the tunnels that led out of Orion and into the icy, biting cold. He might have normally fretted about it being dangerous, with heavy ice and jagged peaks, but among the two most respectable, and responsible gembound he knew, he felt a confidence that showed in his steady gait and straight-ahead stare.

He didn't have much experience with snow, nor with how it bit into his paw pads with cold, but he was eager to safely explore the tunnel that he had been lecturing his brothers about rough-and-tumbling about until they came home with frostbite and bruises. (Presumably, anyway.) A little delve into a new environment sounded interesting, and he had a look of contemplation as he studied the path ahead and seemed lost in his own thoughts. His already laid-back ears flattened a bit further when Pride spoke, raising his nose to sniff at the crisp air.

"... How does it stay so cold here?" Casimir asked with a twitch of his whiskers. The light snow they had trekked through thus far was already starting to cling to his ringlets and curls, clumping up into chunks, but aside from his toes he was holding up well to the dip in temperature. "It's different," he offered as his answer, lowering his head to snuffle at the strange, white substance. Mischief seemed to like it, which earned her a curious snort from the young lion.

Then Pride fell, and Cas's head jerked up, ears pricking as his eyes went wide. "Pride!" Casimir snapped, immediately breaking into a sprint to his adopted father's flank. His fur bristled, caught incredibly off-guard by how careless his typically steadfast parent had been. "Careful," he scolded with a swish of his tail, putting on his best scathing stare. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

He expected as much from Tobie or Pelly, but... Pride?!