[FrostWynd]

It would be a cold and quiet evening when a beast as large as a man would make his way through the area with heavy footsteps, his feet would sink into the layer of snow beneath him with every step he took.

At the time, he had been in the middle of a leisurely stroll through the royal ice garden to get away from his duties as king for at least a few minutes to enjoy the quiet serenity of that space. Then when he had gotten his fill, for now at least, he had intended to head back inside to meet with his advisor to continue where they left off before.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #1 ]

[FrostWynd]

Somewhere along the way though, a fog soon rolled in, shrouding everything from view so thickly that he found himself unable to really see past his nose all that well. This wasn’t really all that uncommon in his land, so normally he wouldn’t be all that bothered by it as he kept on moving, except this time something about this did not seem right... It was way too dense, and he had no idea if he was still on the right track.

It was supposed to be the same familiar path as usual, which he had crossed through thousands of times before with no problem before, but his keen sense of smell quickly told him this was no longer the case.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #2 ]

[FrostWynd]

For whatever reason, he was no longer at the palace. The scents in the air were no longer what he was familiar with, and from what he could tell with this change, he wasn’t even in the kingdom anymore. This was someplace new entirely.

Continuing to trudge along without pause, he soon found himself before a set of large iron gates blocking his path. The design and overall appearance of it quickly confirmed things for him. But if that was the case, where had the fog taken him to?

Turning back to the path behind him, there was nothing but darkness and the thick fog as far as he could see, which was barely more than a couple feet now. Any evidence of footprints that he would have left in the snow just moments ago, had somehow vanished by the time he looked for them.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #3 ]

[FrostWynd]

This did not bode well for the king...

To become lost in unfamiliar territory through unknown means, and having no clear way of going back... It was a sign that he should err on the side of caution, and do what he must to make careful decision going forward. But could this have been some underhanded plot? Would there be some sort of trap awaiting him here past these gates? It could just as easily be as dangerous to turn back and risk making the journey back from where he came to seek out a means of returning home.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #4 ]

[FrostWynd]

This was… quite unsettling. Which was by no means a common thing to ever happen with someone like him, but it somehow this circumstance had a profound effect on him when taken into consideration that he was alone. Nobody would be around to plead or hound him about the kind of action that should be taken next. Especially more so where his safety became a major concern.

This was a decision to be made completely up to him, with only the now oppressive sound of nothingness hanging in the air.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #5 ]

[FrostWynd]

The quiet king would turn himself back, to face the partially open gates. Where he would merely just stare at the frozen iron bars with his cold white gaze, and contemplate his next course of action with careful thought. There was no interest for him to go and break the silence with any of his thoughts or random remarks like some folks tend to do when they were alone. He knew better than to go drawing unwanted attention to himself when there could be some random stranger somewhere nearby.

Which if that were the case, then what if they also happened to be dangerous as well?

Then he’d be in quite a pickle.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #6 ]

[FrostWynd]

She had to have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

Having just finished with a job to take care of some violent wayward beastclan members that had been causing havoc on an unfortunate clan, Haizea had been on her way to deliver the trophies both her and her sisters had acquired from that battle. While they had taken off to go enjoy some drinks for the night, she was supposed to go and retrieve the reward before going back to meet up with them.

Which had been perfectly fine, up until she had lost her way in this infernal fog that had built up.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #7 ]

[FrostWynd]

She didn’t think much of it in the beginning, as it wasn’t this bad earlier. But it wasn’t that long before it reached a point where she was forced to land because she could no longer see. Once on the ground, she would have had to locate the clan that was somewhere in the nearby vicinity on foot.

When she had come up to a fork in the road, she thought she was meant to go left, as it certainly seemed like the correct path to take based on her mental map. But as she kept on walking for a few minutes, she noticed something was very off about this path.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #8 ]

[FrostWynd]

Glancing down at the ground, the first thing she noticed was how it was getting increasingly colder than before. Snow had started to pile up in more massive quantities all around, that her toes were starting to sink into it. The fog was also even more thicker than she thought actually possible, and made it difficult to see anything clearly.

This was where she began to question having gone the wrong way, as none of this was right. Stopping to listen, everything was quiet as well... Strangely enough, there was no evidence of any birds or mammals being around.

Or something here had made them leave.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #9 ]

[FrostWynd]

Despite all this fog, she could’ve swore she hadn’t strayed from the path at all. She had only been going in one direction the whole time. So maybe if she turned back, then she could find her way back to that fork in the road and go the other way instead.

So that is exactly what she did.

Having turned herself back around completely, Haizea would keep on walking for another several minutes. Finding that whatever she had walked into with the snow was starting to lessen as she went. Satisfied by this, she kept on going at a slightly faster pace.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #10 ]

[FrostWynd]

Something would soon catch the king’s attention. He didn’t know what it was, but in the silence, he could now hear the sound of something moving about in the distance somewhere behind him. Waiting for a few moments, he carefully listened to it.

It was still a long ways off, from what he could guess, but he could still hear it from over this distance. This gave off the impression that whatever it was, it was big. There was no softness nor finesse in the steps it made against the snow, going at a pace that suggested it was moving quickly.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #11 ]

[FrostWynd]

This caused him unease, as this gave his earlier theory just a little more sway. It also meant that he needed to make a decision, and fast. Turning himself half way, the king developed a more defensive posture against the gray void beyond, still uncertain of how to proceed.

Assuming that he really was in danger, then one clear option would be to relocate himself somewhere that was more safe. An option that he could practically hear his advisor insisting on very strongly for him to keep himself safe. But that also meant he would be essentially hiding, if he picked that one. Which for a king like him, was disgraceful to even think about, as it would clearly show weakness.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #12 ]

[FrostWynd]

Yes, he could not afford to show weakness whatsoever. However he was ill prepared to engage in a battle of any sort, as he was still walking around in his formal attire. It was all clothing that would do absolutely nothing to protect his fluffy hide against the vicious teeth and claws of another dragon...

But perhaps he wouldn’t have to engage this potential enemy head on… A third alternative, that might prove to be the better strategy, would be for him outmaneuver them, and eventually engage them indirectly. Find a way to weaken them first, and once victory could be assured, deal the final blow.

Which probably would’ve been the more perfect solution,  if he had other dragons to command.

Going at this solo could prove tricky... Perhaps even deadly...

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #13 ]

[FrostWynd]

It seemed he would have no choice. The longer he remained out in the open like this, the more likely whatever was out there would find him. It was gaining ground fairly quickly, as the sounds were getting louder now.

Turning to the fence again, he decided to bide his time for now, and wait for the right opportunity to fight back against his pursuer. Moving over to one side of it, he stood up on two legs to lean against the cold metal bars, and gave it a shove to open it up. It gave way pretty easily, and a space was now opened up wide enough for him to fit through.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #14 ]

[FrostWynd]

Now on the other side of it, he would take another moment to examine the surrounding area. The fog still wasn’t helping him much, when it came to actually seeing anything, but he anticipated that it would also be a good thing for now to have it like this. Because that meant if he couldn’t see in it, then they wouldn’t be able to see anything either as he went about finding a better spot for himself.

What he did still have the advantage of here was the power of his nose, and he could already smell some very interesting things here in this place. The one that caught his attention the most, was that of the rich smell of pine not far from here. If there was a forest nearby, then it’s possible that he could wait there for a while until he gathered more information about who might be following him.

[ Zone 1, The Front Gate - #15 ]