Liberty trotted through the blanketed forest, the snow crunching beneath her paws. The sunlight didn’t seem to make any effect on the forest, yes, it did give the forest the light it needed to help the seasons move on, but other than that, nothing seemed different from your casual snow forest, night or day.  ”My skills would come to better use if winter wouldn’t have reigned over this forest…” Liberty said softly, obviously annoyed by the silence of the forest. She knew that a normal forest during spring would’ve varied in prey and flowers. The forest was stuck in the exact opposite. Liberty sighed softly then continued to walk through the snow. Where was she going? She didn’t know the answer herself. She just came here to enjoy the hidden beauty of the lands and, probably, find an easy meal. Perhaps, she could find another Helidos wolf here and chat with them. She hasn’t met anybody within the pack, besides Beta Marrok, and it would be nice to know a few members in the pack, especially the alpha. I hope I do find someone or something out here… this long walk would be such a disgrace to my senses… if I don’t find anything profitable to me, or the pack…

Liberty’s march came to a halt when she discovered a lake that was shielded by a large layer of thick ice. It was an intriguing sight, one that Liberty has never seen before due to the fact that there was no water resource near her former home. Her ears perked in interest and she quickly made her way to the frozen lake. She arrived at the very edge of the lake in no time. Her orange eyes stared eagerly at the lake, every glance pushing her to step onto the ice. It was a hazardous platform because of the unknown answer of how sturdy was the ice. Liberty finally lifted her front right leg and placed her paw on the ice. She felt a surge of excitement pulse through her veins because of the coldness of the ice. The snow glided onto the ice and danced on the cold platform, tempting Liberty to go “skating”. Although the urge to step onto the platform was powerful, she was able to ignore it and sat patiently in the snow. Someone had to be there if she tumbled through the ice, someone who can call help. Liberty looked around the area, hoping to see someone emerge from the shadows.

"You know, it's not safe to tread on ice, this close to the season's changing. Soon, the ice will no longer be able to support the weight of even a pup, and should you be on the ice when it moans under pressure, you're sure to find your death. On a lighter note, I have never seen you before. You must be new to the pack, my name is Aurora. Welcome." The white female spoke as she entered the scene, her fur blending perfectly with the snow that was falling peacefully to the ground covered in mounds of snow. The weather was beginning to warm, but it was still too bitter for any wolf without a thick layer of fur, especially pups. For Aurora, this wasn't the coldest, since she was from the north and their winters were far colder than here in the Helidos pack lands.

"Where I come from, you can walk upon the ice all year long, spring is a gift to my former pack. Your look of amazement is pure ectasy to look upon, it's like when a pup see's things for the first time. Innocence. Although, I am not calling you a child, it's just a thrill to see someone else love this lands beauty as much as I do. What is your name, if you don't mind me asking?" Aurora found herself speaking once more, as she approached the female from the back, hoping not to startle her anymore than she may have. When she first spoke, she was blending so well with the mounds of snow behind them, the drifts only getting higher and higher. When she came to the banks of the water, she placed a heavy paw upon the corners of the ice, feeling it shift a bit beneath her. Aurora was not a heavy wolf, more fur than anything, but she was heavy enough to go through the ice. It wouldn't be the first time she fell through ice, but she figured this wolf would panic, and Aurora would drown.

The white wolf place her adjacent paw upon the ice and she could feel the ice move, yes, it was beginning to thaw, but it was still thick enough for them to walk across. All Aurora needed to do, was test every step. With the sun above them, the ice would melt faster, causing spots in the open water before them to thaw. Hunter's also left holes in the ice to catch the fish that they ate during the warmer months. Aurora smiled as she looked across the water, "Would you care to follow me across, I assure you that once we're across we will not have to cross again, but the site from the other side is much more thrilling than the view you have now. Upon the other side, there is a glenn where the icicles drip and glisten, and the snow is untouched. It's simply beautiful. Forgive me, I talk to much." Aurora sat down firmly, giving the stranger a chance to speak.

Exploring, that's what Apprentice Griffen was up to currently. With the cold bitter winter also came the most wondrous snow. It changed the landscape completely turning everything a complete white. He very much enjoyed playing in the snow with his siblings and the other pups, and many games he found were even more fun to play in the snow, which reached up to about his chest. His brother and sister didn't want to play in the snow now however, Ryland was off trying to figure out what rank she wanted, and Apollo was being his boring self or something.

Either way, his siblings where off thinking about their futures in the pack and whatnot. Griffen didn't know what he wanted to be yet however, all the ranks seemed so hard, what if he messed up, and was he even good enough to do any of the jobs the adults do?

The thoughts only crossed his mind briefly, as he returned his attention to the oath ahead of him. Now, the young apprentice had grown a bit since the beginning of winter, and he had a sort of lanky look to him now, with longer legs and disproportionately large paws that made him somewhat clumsy especially in the deep snow.

When he had originally heard about the lake freezing over, he just had to check it out. He would have gone sooner but it had been too cold the previous days, but now was perfect, at least almost. He followed a path plowed into the snow by another wolf that had gone this way recently, making traversing through the deep drifts that accumulated over the winter much easier. But the bitter temperatures still cut through his thin pelt pretty easily, but he wouldn't turn around yet, he was still curious about the frozen lake.

Soon the apprentice popped out from behind one last drift, from the same spot that Aurora came from, and he immediately noticed the two faes, which still towered over him. He figured he would run into someone here, he followed their footsteps in the snow, "Hello," he said politely, trotting up to them and looking past them at the frozen lake at which his eyes brightened up at the sight. Now intrigued by the new sight he approached the edge and peered at the ice. Now of course, he had seen ice before, but he didn't think the whole lake would freeze over. The next thing he wanted to do was obviously run onto the frozen lake, but he thought he better ask first, his parents had told him he could fall through, "Is it safe?" He asked looking out over the lake.

(Sorry for the super late reply, my internet is going crazy. Also, sorry that the post is so short.)
Hello. Liberty attempted to speak but nothing came out when she opened her mouth to speak. That was strange, especially since she was hoping for company. Liberty cleared her throat then tried to speak again. "Hello Aurora." She turned to face the wolf who spoke to her. "Yes, I know. I've never seen a frozen lake before, and I tend to let go of the powerful grip of reality when I see something new. My name is Liberty, by the way. I was accepted into this pack by Beta Marrok not too long ago..." Liberty said softly, her tail wagging slowly. She watched Aurora place her paw onto the ice. Her left ear twitched slightly in excitement when Aurora asked would she want to follow her across. "It would be my pleasure." Liberty looked down on the frozen platform, excitement almost devouring her concentration. She placed a delicate paw onto the ice then waited for Aurora to lead her across. It would be smarter to let someone who is familiar with the lands lead her across a icy death-bringer.

That is when a soft voice broke Liberty's bridge of thoughts. She looked around quickly to see who spoke and saw a wolf. The wolf wasn't exactly her size, a little smaller. Must be one of the pups of this pack. When the pup asked 'Is it safe?', Liberty stared eagerly at Aurora, waiting for her to answer. She didn't know the answer herself, and it would be smarter to let the wolf who knew more about this type of stuff than a newcomer like herself.

The white female smiled as she listened to the new female of the pack, "You somewhat remind me of myself Liberty. Very unique name. Should it be safe enough to cross, you must follow every step I take to be sure that we do not fa," Aurora was cut off during her sentence as she noticed the pup come marching forward, "fall in. Young Sir, you are following me no? As I just said, should it be safe, we go. Let me test the waters." Aurora then chuckled at the pun before placing her paws back on the icey edge. The slab beneath her front paws shifted, but didn't crack. Slowly, she dragged each paw behind her onto the ice, as she stood there for a brief moment. "Stay here, I am going to make the trip alone, and if it's safe, I will return the same path and we may cross."

Aurora took a deep breath and extended her leg, the ice groaned under the pressure, but Aurora continued anyways. Slowly she began to pad across the top of the lake, each step light and tender, trying to find the melting spots where it was beginning to thin and the thickest area's for them to cross. In no time, Aurora had made it to the shores oppoiste them, and with a bark she announced the safety of the frozen lake, and she was off to cross it again this time faster than before. "It's safe, thicker than I thought it was, but in a few weeks time, it will be unpassable. This is our time to go. Young Sir, are you going to join us. We can make it a quest, a quest to find your bravery." Aurora smiled as she nudge the apprentice forward by his rear. "Come, come, let's go. The wonders await." Aurora looked to Liberty who was gearing up to cross and passed her to take the lead and began the trek once more. Stopping briefly in the middle of the solid lake, "I believe this would be the center, yes, close enough. Take a look around. It's stunning." Aurora smiled as she took in the view of the snow covered hills and the white tree's, how pure and unscathed the land looked. Void of any imperfection. Aurora pressed on, until she reached the land once more, but hesitated on the ice for the pup to reach dry land, fearful of the pup facing a fate much like Kenai's previous litter. The image resounded in her mind, but she was happy for love was blooming between them. "You're one of Juno's pups, right?" Aurora asked bluntly.