It was quite official.

He was lost.

Vespasien stumbled blindly through the woodlands, eyes squinted against the swirl of snow. Every touch of cold against his body seemed to sink deep into his bones, tugging at some memory buried in the soup that made up his brain. He hadn’t given up on finding the boy just yet, Rinon was out here somewhere he was sure. Unbeknownst to him, he had very much gone the wrong way. He wrenched his head down against a touch of chill, hissing through his teeth when it seemed to tear chunks out of his skin. The cold was a special kind of awful.

Eventually he had to stop. His feet burned from the cold, and he tucked himself into a grove between two trees, using a bush for shelter from the cold. For some reason, it almost felt beneath him. In a way he couldn’t describe, and didn’t want to. But for a time, he could just sit here, and watch the snow fall.

---

Izumi

---

❁

The snow was lighter today than it was in previous days. Although Izumi didn’t trust this would mean it would get more bearable from here, at least it made the moment more manageable. The sky wasn’t completely taken over by snowfall – if she was lucky, she could possibly run into an unsuspecting snow hare.

But it wasn’t exactly a snow hare that she’d run into, as her steps made it to the trail just up ahead, but a wolf. Bundled up in the safety of a tree grove like a prey animal hiding from it’s hunter.

....Excuse me? The crane bird said, coming to a quite halt in front of the man. Are you alright?

Or was she interrupting something? Izumi honestly couldn’t tell…

---

---

He didn’t hear the approach of footsteps.

Even with the crunch of fresh snow underfoot, Vespasien watched the falling flakes swirl against the backdrop of..well, more white, really. Crimson peered into the blank whiteness with a thoughtful tilt to his brow.

Of course, the voice that touched him was gentle, but he launched out of the bush like it was on fire, spinning around and almost falling over himself. He blinked owlishly, before giving a shrill little chuckle.

Ah-I’m alright! Just didn’t trust my sense of direction. He flapped one of his paws back and forth, as if dispelling smoke.

You haven’t happened to see a boy on your way here? Mostly black? Red eyes? He is not mine but I was watching him and he appears to have..wandered off? Maybe back home, but, well. A shrug to punctuate the flood of his words.

---

❁

Izumi jumped back, paws skidding the snow beneath her as she stared at the man with wide, alert eyes. Watching as he leaped rather abruptly from his position, and looked wildly around. Perhaps it was her own fault for approaching them without caution, but it didn’t stop the woman from raising her hackles warily.

Thankfully, though, there was no need to keep her quills pricked for long, as he quickly recovered himself. Even so, Izumi still stood there and stared like a deer in headlights. Oh, um….glad to know you’re okay? she stated, voice wavering in uncertainty for a bit.

To her, he would enlist a question of his own — inferring about a dark haired, red eyed boy. A lost child? she’d ask. Im sorry, I don’t believe I have….

---

---

The woman he’d assaulted with a flood of words looked like him. In color, at least, all monochrome coat and slender build. Her color was more focused on her face, however, and her eyes differed from his own. Otherwise, Vespasien would have thought the woman some form of cousin to him.

She confirmed she hadn’t seen Rinon, and his ears wilted back.

Ah.. The boy was old enough to be alone, had trekked away from his home. Vespasien was just pleased to have been a safe harbor for a time.

Well, he was a rather smart creature. He had a mountain he wished to visit, I’m..sure he made his way there. Perhaps come warmer months, he’d try to visit. That sounded nice, right? He shivered at a gust of wind slicing through his coat.

Apologies, I get the feeling I’ve been told I talk too much. I’m Vespasien Gwenaël Jean-Luc du Lac. He would really have to stop introducing himself with the long form of his name, he considered as he took a breath.

B-But I’m perfectly happy just being called Vespasien!

---

❁

She could see visible disappointment in his eyes as she gave news to her ignorance. While it was not often that she gave into puppy dog eyes, Izumi gave into his quite easily. It was not uncommon to stray from common place in these winter months — where the frequent snow storms often led one to a place unknown. She wondered if this younger gentleman was in a similar predicament; having lost his companion in the process.

If I may… she says, allowing her body to relax and face to soften. They say company is as fleeting as time itself. Forever doesn’t often exist with the ones we cherish, though there always leads a path to find new company if we keep looking. she explains. My condolences to your young friend. I’m sure time will find the two of you crossing paths again someday.

He introduces himself to her, and Izumi had to do a double take. A mouth full it was for sure, and a unique surname belonging to a touge she did not recognize. A soft chuckle vibrates her breast bone in amusement of his nature — well, at least it meant she needn’t shy away from her own name. Vespasien; how rare of me to find someone with a surname such as yours. I’m at a loss for words. she muses, placing a paw on her chest as she bowed her head.

In that case, I am Izumi Fujiwara. As for me, I’ve been told I’m a rather good listener, so perhaps me and you will find each other a good match of company.

---

---

She proved to hold a wealth of advice, and Vespasien’s strained face split around an easy smile. It felt like it came to his lips far too easily, so he tried to gentle it so it reached his eyes.

You hold much wisdom. Thank you. He took a second to glance into the trees, wrangling his frazzled state into something more fitting his characteristic exuberance. But it was quite difficult, he told himself, when he couldn’t feel a single one of his toes.

I will hold to the hope I will see him again. It wasn’t like the boy had just vanished on the wind. Mortal beings didn’t just vanish off the face of the earth in his memories. He looked back to the woman-Izumi, as she introduced- in time to dip his head in a shallow bow of greeting.

Perhaps so, Dame Fujiwara. I have never met someone with a surname as yours. Someone entirely new to him was almost enough to give him pause, but he barreled straight through caution as always.

Do you live here, perhaps? I didn’t mean to blunder through your home if so. I’m afraid I'm quite lost. Vespasien spoke after a moment of silence. Goodness, he really hoped he hadn’t wandered into this woman’s home blindly, and she had to be nice to him despite him being a trespasser.

---

❁

She dipped her muzzle lightly, taking his compliment with grace — although secretly frazzled by the praise. I am happy to aid, even if I don’t prove the most helpful in this case… She admits. Words of comfort will do little to nothing in bringing his friend back. Yet the least Izumi could do was try to console him in the way she knew best. Im sure the day winter begins to quell, you shall. She offered once more, gazing skyward as snow fell freely to the earth.

It belongs to my family. Means wisteria fields in our mother tongue. she explains, her tassel slowly swinging behind her like a pendulum. What of yours? Does all of your kin share your surname, too?

He assumed she had lived here, and the Empress slowly shook her head. As beautiful as this place is during the winter, I am not as tolerant to the cold as you think I am. she’d say with a soft chuckle, motioning her muzzle in the direction of the Isles. I live off the western coast with my pack. I only come here as a visitor.

---

---

She went on to tell him of her last name, its origins and its meaning, and how the rest of her family carried it. Vespasien smiled, but when the question turned back to him, he found he had little to say. That gaping hole that had swallowed all of his memories. His smile turned sheepish.

Ah..I have no idea to tell you the truth. He rubbed his leg with the other, gaze flitting away like a bird in flight. His tail curled, tucking around his leg for a moment before he finally spoke.

I don’t remember much of my family at all. I know I had them, but I don’t remember anything about them. Or anything at all really. Izumi explained she did not live here, but on an island off the western coast. His eyes went a little wide.

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen the ocean. I’ve heard of it, of course, but I don’t think I saw it. What is living beside it like?

---

❁

She tilted her head a bit as he confessed, worried and made all the more curious by his lack of knowledge on the subject. Izumi personally couldn’t imagine knowing little about one’s family or origins. Her family had been her life for as long as she can remember, and their history a staple for why she leads. Do you remember how you’d gotten here? She inquired. The crane assumed it to be because he was likely new; a fresh face within the world of Mythris. Many of the wolves who wake up here suffer from memory loss – perhaps this was the case?

Vespasien’s inquiries remain on the Island, asking Izumi what it’s like to live by the ocean. Wet. She answers simply, a hint of humor in her tone. If you can’t swim, it isn’t recommended as a home, but with the vibrancy of life and the forgiving temperatures in comparison to up north, I’d say it’s quite nice.

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