About in the Cold [Any]

[Squeeji]

There had been talks of war.

But nothing had ever come to blows.

Yet, Arnlan sat like its shadows, still, dark and quiet, without much of anything going on. Only the wind through the skeleton trees howled through these lands.

Were there no wolves?

A weathered female crept through the underbrush, away from the sea where she had her den. How did it seem that Arnlan had lost the war when there had been no battle. Pollux tenses, and sniffs, pawing at the ground as she darts her mismatched eyes across the horizon.

"What happened here?"

[Brink]

Gone. It was gone.

The world, his world was gone. Like his Austrinus. It wasn't what it was before. Nothing like what it was before. Hostilities and whispers of battle had been spread. Instead, Arnlan had diminished. The members, his family? Fear had crept into him as he trudged through the forest. Apus had been left alone. Completely alone.

"P-p-polllux? he whimpered. "W-where ha-a-ave they gone?"

Thank god. His sister was still here. What about the rest of them. They could be dead. Or just left. The shaggy beast nudged his sister with a large, round nose, thankful that he had not been left alone with his father. Something was clearly wrong with the wolf. Apus wasn't sure what, but it had grown more noticeable over time.

[Sofika]

The slow death of summer took its toll on the already blank, dark lands of Arnlan. Cold winds whipped through the broken black trees, bringing with it a promise of winter soon to come. Night was coming faster now. The setting sun was unseen through the overcast skies, but it was becoming noticeably darker as the lithe Alphesses eyes adjusted to the coming night.

She'd really found no reason to venture out the warm confines of her den other than boredom. She'd long since given up looking for a living soul here. There wasn't any. It was a dissapointment, she thought as she stretched her legs, giving her coat a good shake before briskly walking into the dead-tree thicket. Yes, it was a dissapointment. Arnlan was ailing, not what it used to be, a small sickly whelp under the hungry eyes of Sallin. It was thoughts and times like these that concerned Sofika.

It was in her nature to be concerned about the status of her pack, and her brother was probably taking it pretty hard as well, though she hadn't seen him in quite a while. She knew he was still here though. He would always be here, as would she. Even if no one remained, she would not think twice about defending her land even before an entire army of Sallinian warriors. She would rather die than perform their kow tow.

As bitter thoughts of Sallin began to encroach her mind and sour her mood, a fresh scent teased at her nostrils. It wasn't prey that had all but overrun the area, since wolves weren't present to control their population, no. It was the scent of a live wolf in the area, more importantly, the elder wolfess that she knew would stick it out longer than anyone else. A scent of another also made her aware that the wolfesses brother was present as well.

Sofika quickly turned due east and trotted up to the small gathering.

"Pollux," Sofika said in a pleased tone, a ghost of a smile made her lips twitch, "Apus," She nodded to the male. Her voice was slightly uneven, she supposed, because she hadn't talked to anyone in a while. Better get back in practice.
"Nice to see at least a few still have loyal blood." She inhaled quietly. From this point in Arnlan she could smell a few other scents as well, and concluded there were probably still other wolves in Arnlan, but in hiding. Cowards. "And the proverbial balls to be seen." she added with a louder voice, so any of the others in earshot could hear. A small smirk played on her muzzle.
At least in these life-stripped lands, there were still souls to salvage.

[Squeeji]

Pollux greeted her brother by mussing up the fur on top his head with an almost youthful enthusiasm. Well at least someone was still here, some family...years ago their siblings disappeared, two to the unknown, and one...she was ashamed to admit, to Sallin.

"They are probably just regrouping Apus, its nothing to be worried about." She bent the truth a bit for the love of her simple brother, not wanting to alarm him that perhaps, they were watching the the only home they knew crumble at their paws. "It won't be long before they are back." Though there was guilt on her muzzle, as she forced a bit of a smile at her brother.

Of course, like all wolves of Arnlan, the old she-wolf had learned to accept surprise as part of day to day life but given how dead things had been, even Sofika's sudden presence had made her tense a bit. "Alphess Sofika!" Pollux wagged her tail at the dark female, but then bowed in respect to her. "I apologize for my leave, I was requested to monitor Sallin's activities...and when I returned..." she trailed off, she would make no excuses for her behavior, instead she waited quietly for any scolding she would receive.

She would do so without complaint.