forbidden adventures [Andromeda]

[attr="class","pltxt"]Andromeda had found herself at quite a loss as to what to do with herself, as of late. It wasn't exactly that she was trapped in a state of melancholy, as she had been so long ago when she had left Valyn behind and struck out to make her own way in the world, but simply because she had no idea what task to attend to first. She'd seen precious little of Asher in recent times, which was enough to make a bolt of worry go through her whenever she cared to dwell on it, and she'd more than made up her mind to attempt to seek him out at some point in the near future- but then there was also the new arrivals to the pack from Foraz to contend with, who were potential new companions and who the gold-marked girl knew she would have to bond with eventually should they be working together from here on out. She hadn't quite worked up the courage to try approaching any of the former Foraz members yet, on account of how intimidating and militaristic the vast majority of them seemed to be, but Meda knew that she would have to make an attempt at extending an olive branch towards some of them sooner rather than later.

Add that to the news that Ilanux, the pack directly to the east of them, had suddenly dissolved without explanation, and the gold-marked female's thoughts had been quite a flurry as of late. As always, Andromeda resorted to wandering the wilderness when her emotional state was threatening to tip over the edge as much as it was in that moment, taking in the sights of the lands of Shyia and inhaling the sweet air coming off of the mountains as she walked. Xayar Forest was especially beautiful this time of the year, with a fresh layer of snow upon the ground and the trees making the entire landscape glimmer with white, and the Arctic wolf in her genes meant that Andromeda was perfectly insulated against the bitter cold of the northern lands. Taking a moment to bend down, childishly swiping her muzzle through the snow in order to hurl a sizeable amount of it into the air and watch it turn to powder before her eyes, the gold-marked girl sneezed demurely as a stray snowflake entered her nostrils, a bright laugh escaping her lips while her vibrantly blue eyes shone with amusement.

As it turned out, she was not the only one exploring the forest that day. It wasn't long before the form of another wolf came into view through the trees, a wolf that Andromeda herself was very familiar with. Alina, Arche's mate and her mother's old friend, was cutting her own path through the snow that littered the floor of the forest, seemingly enjoying her own moment of solitude before pack duties would call her back to the main hub of Aludri territory. Meda stopped and observed her for a moment, silently debating whether calling out to Alina would be a good idea or whether the Dathúil wished to be left to her own devices in that moment. While it was true that she valued her time with Saphira's friend from earlier times- and conversations with Alina often made her thoughts turn towards what her mother and siblings were doing nowadays, wondering if they were safe and happy in packs of their own- she would not be so bold as to intrude upon the other female's alone time with the excuse of wanting a conversational partner.

Her indecision proved to be somewhat beneficial, however. The instant that Alina went to investigate an old dead tree, a large gust of wind swept through the forest, causing the tree to creak and groan ominously before slowly beginning to fall. Stricken with terror that one of her closest friends within Aludri could suddenly be crushed to a pulp before her very eyes, Andromeda sprinted forward, her heart in her throat as she watched the tree fall with a loud thud and an upheaval of snow. Not being able to see whether Alina had heard the tree falling and made it out of its path in time, the gold-marked female scrambled around frantically, her words sharp with hysteria as she called out to the Dathúil. "Alina? Alina! Answer me!" It was only when she turned a corner, claws scrabbling in an attempt to keep a grip upon the slippery snow, that she finally saw the form of Alina come into view, a loud and relieved sign escaping her lips as she ran to the older female's side. "Alina! Oh, thank goodness you're alright. I mean, you are alright, aren't you? Did it hurt you?"

Her eyes swept over Alina's frame for any immediate signs of injury before she continued, glancing around to ensure that no further dead trees that could pose a threat were nearby. "I think that's enough exploring this part of the forest. What were you even doing all the way out here, anyway?"

Word Count: 838
Playmates: Alina
Other: Time for the big reveal!

[attr="class","pltxt"]Thankfully, Alina was quick to confirm that she had indeed been left unharmed by the falling tree, saying that she never would have come to this part of the forest had she known that the foliage was going to be quite so fragile. Andromeda couldn't help but give a small laugh at the statement, her eyes shining with an equal mixture of worry and mirth. "I'm inclined to agree with you," she said mildly, casting a nervous glance at the trees above before turning her gaze back to the Dathúil. "I was going to explore a little too, but I guess the forest had other ideas." Casting her eyes over Alina's smaller frame, Meda took note of the way the older female's entire body shuddered as she stood there, a sympathetic smile coming to her face as she was forced to remember that not every member of Aludri had the same level of resistance to the harsher northern climates as she did. She had no way of knowing just how long Alina had been wandering in the forest for her to be so affected by the temperature, but she'd be damned if she was going to leave her friend and pack leader in such a vulnerable state.

"Here, let's get you back to the dens. It's cold even for me out here." Stepping up alongside Alina in an attempt to share some of the body warmth that she emitted, Andromeda paused once the other female talked of being restless while cooped up in the dens, having taken a short walk to try and work off some of her nervous energy. When she practically pled with Meda to not tell Arche about her near-death experience, the gold-marked girl cast a sympathetic smile in her direction, words coming out soft and reassuring. "Don't worry, I won't tell him. I don't even have a reason to. I liked exploring too, when I was younger, and I'm kind of surprised my mother let my siblings and I wander quite so far. We were still within pack territory, but really anything could have happened." It was one of the first times she had bothered to dwell on her siblings and parents where the mention of such a matter didn't sting at some deep part of her heart, but she still gave a wistful sigh over the memories nevertheless. "So I can understand wanting to explore a little. Especially with how cold it's been lately."

Andromeda barely paid mind to the fact that there could be a double meaning behind Alina being confined to the dens as of late, or a reason for such confinement beyond how cold and snow-laden the landscape of Shyia had been as of late. Surely the elder female's need to stretch her legs was simply due to a sense of cabin fever sustained from the long days spent within the dens to ward off the cold, and nothing else was amiss.

So sure about this fact was Andromeda that she barely paid attention to Alina's next set of words at first, continuing to walk on as she mildly commented on the first half of the sentence. "Oh, well, only if you want to tell Arche, obviously. I'd be more than happy to cover for you if-" It was only when the full impact of Alina's words hit her that Meda paused mid-speech, her eyes widening and mouth gaping as she realized just what her friend's words meant. Pregnant. She could scarcely believe it, and yet when she looked at Alina's frame there was a distinct fullness that had not been present previously, a fullness that was different from the one born of overindulging during a meal. A wide smile started to spread across Andromeda's face as she took the sight in, a sound startlingly similar to a happy squeal escaping her lips as her eyes flitted from Alina's frame to her face.

"You're pregnant? Oh, Alina, that's wonderful! How soon do you think they'll come? Because I'd love to get to know your children and-" Her speech halted again as a thought occurred to her, her eyes narrowing into a mock-serious squint. "Wait a sec. Does Arche know yet?"

Word Count: 697
Playmates: Alina
Other: Lmao she's so excited