Frozen Atonement - The Beginnings

There is an exception to every rule and this place seemed to be that exception in its entirety. A hidden gem that burned like a beacon and everyone was attracted to it for one reason or another. Rumor has it that it was revived from the ashes of what once was and rebuilt into what it is on the bodies of the fallen, foe and friend alike. It had been a hidden sanctuary at first and then it had become the norm and eventually evolved into a place of teaching until it became the standard which everyone had to uphold, though that was still in the making. Naturally, with success and fame, to any degree, always came rumors. Some rumors were simply too crazy to even remotely be believed and some made you question anything and everything. Then there were those that you couldn't decide if they were just real enough to be real or fake enough to be fake. No matter who came to visit, they always learned something new and always added to the rumors, either by boasting about claims that weren't totally true, but weren't wrong or dispelling the craziness that had already been told and was burning out of control like an untamed fire. But there was one thing for sure… nothing was ever what anyone first thought it to be and someone was always left with some degree of shock. In a lot of ways, time seemed to be frozen in place while moving forward at lightening speed... ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "Do you think the rumors are true?" Finn quipped as he followed Alex along, trying to keep up with him while still looking around. Alex was busy glancing around, still trying to decipher which way was the correct way. Sure, everyone was supposed to come here and learn to be a better alpha or some such bullshit but you couldn’t even find the place! He gave a bit of a growl as he turned left, glancing at the map that… was that flipped upside down? He could vaguely hear Finn droning on and on about rumors as he growled again. "What rumors, Finn?! I doubt they ever matter if we can't even find the damn place!" Finn smirked, he could see that Alex was getting annoyed, it was nothing but snow upon snow and oh yeah, a bit of snow. They had left early in the morning and here it was well after nightfall and they hadn't found a damn thing as to where they needed to be. He couldn't help but to reach up and run a hand through his short hair and then down across his face with a sigh. "Am I destined to die with the likes of you? Whatever did I do to anger Selene…" Alex shot Finn a glance, looking momentarily like he could potentially murder his Beta for even thinking so much as those thoughts. It just made no damn sense. The map appeared to be inverted, maybe? No, it was absolutely upside down though… perhaps it was bleeding through and he had the wrong side up? He growled and balled the map into a bundle, tossing it onto the ground before he started to stalk through the near knee-high snow. "Forget the map!" Finn shook his head as he moved to snag the crumpled paper and pocket it with a mutter of "I doubt they will think littering is favorable, if we don't die, we might when they discover us." Though he strongly doubted that Alex cared about anything at the moment, the great and fearless leader… he was having a hard time figuring out where they were, making Finn laugh a bit more, though there really was nothing funny about their circumstances for being here. Oh, it was going to be endless walking it seemed… and with a grumpy Alpha to boot! Alex snarled every step of the way, seeming to become increasingly agitated as the night dragged on and the deeper they ventured into wooded territory and just who did it belong too? They could smell a mix of scents and nothing seemed to stand out. In fact, the darker it got, the more muddled the smells, the harder it was to figure out anything! Alex had given up, deciding to make camp as he unpacked his things and him and Finn hadn't bothered with a tent because no one expected to spend the night, there sure as hell hadn't been the time or means to grab much… no it was a couple rolled up sleeping bags, small fire and relying on their own natural warmth to keep them from freezing to death after making a small little area in the snow for each of them to nestle down for the remainder of the evening and sleep. It was a restless sleep and not very fruitful in much other than bad dreams, a lot of tossing and turning and the make-shift igloo around them to keep warm. Though they must have drifted off at some point, as the soft warmth against the back of Alex's neck seemed to be what was drawing him from the finally peaceful and pleasing dream about his mate to the more icy morning that it was. "I swear to the moon goddess Finn… I will pummel you if you don't back off!" Alex snarled out as he reached back to swat at the warmth at the back of his neck, his hand finding something warm and slightly moist before he jerked his hand back, head flying up and eyes opening to peer at the large beast that hovered above him. "What the…" Finn had felt something drip across the back of his neck, almost punching a horse in the snout as he sprang upwards, both men trying to get a grip on their barrings and what had happened before, peering up at two very large and stunning black and white gypsy vanner horses. Finn had been slightly lost in the horse and the fact it had drooled across his neck like some large great dane slobbering on him, though Alex's gaze had immediately gone towards the two female riders. Female… riders? He arched his brow and reached out to smack Finn in the abs with the back of his hand. "Good Morning…" "Oh, is it?" The one nearest to Finn was the first to respond, looking amused as caramel-colored eyes peered at Alex, her brow arching a bit and a smirk upon those full pink lips. "I wager you are a bit lost…so unlikely it is a good morning for you." Willow laughed a bit as she glanced towards her side kick and Lily just smirked. The two females were very similar in appearance, obviously related, as Lily tipped her head to the side, glancing towards Finn and then Alex. "I hear there are bears out here… you are lucky you weren't made a meal." With a gentle kick of her heels, Lily set the horse back into motion, stepping around the two dumb founded wolves with a laugh as the pair started their venture back, back tracking through the deep snow. Alex glanced at Finn, his brow quirking a moment. "Bears?" Finn shook his head slowly and sighed. Sometimes his Alpha was just thick. "Rumors… I told you about the rumors!" "You coming, or not?!" Willow looked back as she yelled at the pair, giving them only a brief glance before she comfortably settled back facing forward and resuming her conversation with her sister about various horses and their traits, though the pace was slow, allowing Finn and Alex more than enough time to gather their things and catch up to the pair, eventually climbing onto the back of the horses and settling in to just listen to the conversation for the time being. Alex couldn't really complain, nor could Finn… they might be riding as the 'back seat driver' on a horse no less… but the view was well worth it, as one arm snaked about the female before them, to keep themselves on the horse and making both women laugh at their clear unease. "Where are we going?" Alex quipped with a brow arched as his arm laid loosely about Willow and glanced over towards Finn who held onto Lily with a grin about his features, even waggling brows at Alex as he gave a silent glance towards Alex while mind linking him. "I don't care if we make it to where we are going so long as I get to keep holding onto this one." Though he took note of the way that Alex rolled his eyes, both waiting on Willow to give a response. "There is only one place to go from here… " Willow didn't feel the need to give the answer just yet, beyond that simple response, as they prompted the horses into faster motion and took off through the now chest-deep snow.