Raesa was pretty disoriented, honestly. The past few moons had been long and challenging, and she'd been away from home for far too long. Bodolf was hard on her heels as she stalked through a dense pine wood. The needle-strewn ground absorbed all trace of her as she picked her way between the ferns and bracken that clustered around the tree trunks. The ground was growing rockier with every few paces, and beginning to rise. She just wanted to find her way home. Instead, she came upon a clearing of sorts. The ground rose sharply before her, a slab of stone broken only by a deep cravasse in the rock. It seemed to her as if it had been chipped away at the edges. Derelict pieces of timber framed it's entrance, half collapsed. She paused, and sniffed at the air. Nothing. She turned to Bo, who came to stand beside her, and raised a brow. "What is this?" she asked him, but got no reply other than a shrug. It was like no cave she had ever come upon. It did not seem natural but all she could smell was damp soil and spring growth and old snow that refused to melt despite the warming days. She sat a few bodylengths from the entrance and peered inside. Oh, she was definitely going to explore it, but she knew she ought to get a good meal before venturing into the unknown. That was just common sense, right? "Talk" "You" Think

Naudir made her way north. After meeting up with Ásvor they had both agreed to journey back towards their homelands. Above her Branwen and Balthazaar soared, their shadows crossing her back as they flitted beneath the beaming sun. They didn't have much of a concrete plan. Naudir just hopped that the gods would guide them and send her another sign. After all, she'd been lost and wandering after nothing but darkness and silence, her dreams going still to the point she was sure she'd been abandoned and then there she found her sister Ásvor on the Bifröst itself no less! Signs did not come clearer than that. Naudir slipped into the northern territories, she was making good time. The journey was long though and weariness settled on her shoulders. She was about ready to take another break and perhaps a nap when she caught a familiar scent. Eyes widened. It couldn't be…. Swiftly she followed the scent, sapphire gaze fixed intently ahead until she spied the pale pelt of her sister Ræsa. She blinked for a moment, trying to convince herself this was real and turned her gaze questionly to the sky for a moment before closing her eyes in a prayer of thanksgiving. A grin split across her face as she loped over toward the figure. "Ræsa? Ræsa is that really you?" "Talk"

Raesa was deep in her own thoughts. It would be best to prepare for a venture such as this one. The cavern called to her, and the stale air flowing from it's depths spoke of something grand and convoluted. Both she and Bodolf startled when a voice broke in on their quite consideration. Gasping, Ræsa spun, only to lose her breath upon seeing the intruder. It can't be... she thought. It took her a moment but surely no one could pass for such a close copy of her sister. "Naudir?" Her voice was weak at first, then stronger. "Naudir! Gods, it's good to see you!" Ræsa rushed forward, Bo scrambling in her wake. It had been a long time since she'd seen her sibling, longer than she had kept track of anyways, suffice to say winter had been a hard and lonely season. Ræ turned to Bodolf and found him reserved yet looking excitedly between the two siblings. He knew that his companion had long awaited the moment she would reunite with her kin. As he expected, Ræsa pressed on. "Where are the others? Are they close by?" She did not know what had transpired in the past few moons, other than that things had been difficult after Yfir drifted apart. She had done her best to keep in touch, but as she aged her horizons had begun to grow. It was difficult to stay in one place, but harder yet to be away from her loved ones. Surely her siblings had to be close, and what of their mother? Was there any word from their father? There was much she wanted to ask her sister but this did not seem like the time. No, she was much more eager to press her snout into her sister's ruff and refamiliarize herself with her scent. It had been far too long...  "Talk" "You" Think

Heart hammering in her chest Naudir felt flush with elation and surprise.  She could barely bring hersefl to move, fearful that any shift might cause the vision before her to vanish and prove that it was nothing more than a vision.  Balthazaar and Branwen landed in a nearby bush together, black flush against white, dark and rose eyes gazing out at the pair of wolves.  Naudir still could not bring herself to move until Ræsa rushed forward and a choked laugh burst from Naudir's lips as she reached out to nuzzle her sister and lick the other woman's cheek in greeting.  It had been so long… so, so long. "Where are the others? Are they close by? Naudir pulled away to meet her sisters eyes.  "I ran into Ásvor not long ago, we both planned to head north so I believe she should be coming up this way sooner or later.  I haven't met anyone else yet.  I'm not sure where mother and Runa have gone.  I haven't seen Taufr in what feels like ages."  They were scattered about and she had no idea where but at least she'd run into two of her sister.  Hopefully the rest of her family would start to congregate in the north.  She'd give anything for a full family reunion. "So what have you been up to?  Where have you been wandering?" "Talk"

Ræsa hardly noticed the birds' arrival, too enveloped in the presence of her sister. She had missed her family desperately, and to be reunited with any of them was a gift. She breathed in Naudir's scent and felt a tension release from her shoulders that had been present for far too long. Emotion welled in her chest, but she swallowed against it, insisting on keeping a cool composure. Still, she could not keep a genuine love from burning in her icy eyes. Naudir pulled away to explain that she had seen her siblings recently, but not so recently as to know where they were. If her sister believed they would be in the north soon though, well, she certainly planned to stick around. "That's good!" she exclaimed. "Right? I mean, we'll just keep an eye out. Once everyone's back together we can go from there. Do you know where Mom is?" Their pack may have vanished, but the love and admiration she felt for her mother (and the guidance she offered) was unchanged. Naudir asked about Ræ, and she could only chuckle. She swung her hips, aiming to bump and jostle her sister. Bodolf rolled his eyes, smiling despite himself. "Oh you know, the usual. Spreading the glory of our name," she added for dramatic flair, allowing her voice to raise with a bard' lilt. It pittered off with a laugh, and then a sigh. "In truth I spent most of the past season lost in the mountains. We were snowed in for a bit there, but we found our way back!" She added another chuckle, and a shrug. She glanced over to Bo and found him eyeing her sister's raven companions with interest. She wasn't sure she would have made it without him. It had been difficult at times but it was in the past now. She looked back to Naudir with appreciation in her eyes. "Its good to see you looking so well, Naudir. I hope the same is true for the others too." Ræsa could only wonder what had become of them and the curiosity could very well kill her. It was her top priority to find them and make sure that they were alright as well. She would start as soon as she could, and hoped Naudir would come along as well. "Talk" "You" Think

Ásvor was elated at the thought of returning to the north with her sister. While she had enjoyed her freedom, she was eager to return to the lands she considered her home. Being away from these parts in the harsh winter season had been a good idea, though, she decided.. she'd gotten to study the herbs that grew in the southern lands, and hopefully the spring weather was thawing the northern world enough to give her more herbs to seek out. She had lagged behind a bit, re-familiarizing herself with the lands they traveled through. After a bit she had caught wind of Naudir's scent again and had followed it. They hoped to find some of their siblings, or their parents -- it all was dependent on the signs the gods gave them, if any at all. Ásvor wasn't worried; they had shown her the way to her sister and she had little doubt they would continue to guide her on her way. Though surprised to find her sister's scent led her to the entrance to some kind of cavern, it did not deter her. Eagerly she pressed on, nose to the earth as she slunk inside, eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light inside. What she didn't expect, though, was for another familiar scent to meet her nose. Was.. that really Ræsa? A grin tugged at her lips as he pace increased, her heart thudding loudly in her chest -- only intensifying as she finally reached them, her eyes confirming what she had hoped. "Ræsa!" she exclaimed, bounding toward the pair, eyes alight with joy. "I'm so happy to see you!"

Naudir grinned at the idea of the family getting back together but part of her doubted it would ever happen, not fully anyway but it was something worth aiming for. She shook her head at the mention of Katja. "No, I'm afraid I haven't seen mother. Last I knew she was traveling the north but its impossible for me to say for sure." Naudir longed for the day when Yfir would rise again from the ashes but she doubted it would be with Katja as leader. Though the viking woman was still fierce and formidable she was aging and the time would come when the gods called her away. It was a day Naudir did not wish to come but nature would cycle through as it always had and nothing would change that so it was best to prepare for the moment. "Sounds like quite the adventure! I'm glad you made it back alright." Naudir had kept to herself mostly, she hadn't really done much to spread the Finnvi name or traditions. What she would give for a more outgoing, warlike personality. "I'm afraid I haven't been doing much to honor our name, though I did aid in slaying a madman that sought to kill me and another woman some time back but I did not wish to grace his foul ears with my name. I hope he's a rotting corpse in the next world to." Ásvor caught up and Naudir moved to give space to the other woman. It was then Naudir's gaze fell on the nearby feline. Her eyes narrowed carefully. "Ræsa…. who is that?" "Talk"

The thought that Katja was an unknown was somewhat... unsettling. It wasn't that Ræsa didn't think she could fend for herself, its just... Well, she always assumed her mother would be around if she needed her. Then, Ræsa steeled herself. She knew that with her children grown, Katja could attend to any business she chose. With her children scattered to the wind it wasn't as if she was forced to stay where they left her. She chastised herself, but the grief remained all the same. She swore to herself that she would find Katja, if she could. Naudir said that her winter away was an adventure, and to that Ræ let out a skittish chuckle. To be truthful, the memory still made her shiver. "It was something else, that's for sure." Naudir somehow claimed that she had done little for the family name, then proceeded to tell her how she'd dealt justice to a would-be-murderer. Ræ rolled her eyes and snickered. "The gods saw all that, didn't they? You bring our name glory all the same," she moved to give her sister and affectionate jostle, shoulder to shoulder. They had grown into fine young wolves, if she did say so herself. She couldn't bear to see her sister anything less than prideful about herself. Ræsa had not heard her other sister's approach. When Asvor's voice called out she turned, startled at first which quickly became shock. "Same to you," she gasped as her sister rushed the pair. Ræ moved forward to meet her, hoping to clasp her sister in a rough embrace, rearing up onto her hind legs for a moment. "What on earth have you been up to?" she asked, eyeing her sister to see if she was in good health. Naudir's voice caught her attention, and Ræ turned. Bodolf lurked, eyeing the reunion with dry amusement. "Oh! This is Bo! Er, Bodolf. We met a while back have stuck together. He puts up with my sense of humor," she said, sending the feline a wink. He chuckled and shook his head. "Talk" "You" Think

Ásvor's posture slackened almost immediately upon seeing her sisters. Being around family was a luxury she hadn't been afforded for a very long time, and she felt infinitely more... herself, even moments after seeing them, and the grin that pulled at the corners of her mouth seemed like it might never fade. This was how things were meant to be -- how they had always meant to be, the Finnvi family together once again -- and she hoped badly that this was the start of something new. Perhaps not a new pack, but banding together with at least two of her siblings somehow felt right. Her expression only brightened at Ræsa's surprise, amusement dancing in her blue stare. "I've been.. wandering," she admitted slowly, not sure how else to describe it. Much of her time had been spent simply surviving, though things were easier now that winter was far behind them. "Studying herbs a bit where I can, though wrangling lessons out of unsuspecting strangers is proving more complicated than I thought." She wished she had learned more from the wolves in Yfir when she was younger, but it was only as she grew older that she'd seen where the gods wanted her to focus her attention. Ásvor eyed Ræsa's friend, sniffing at the air to get a whiff of his scent. "Does he speak?" She asked, truly curious as to what sort of creature he might be. She wondered what it might be like to have a companion of her own, though concluded quickly that she enjoyed her own freedom too much to be tied to anything right now.

Naudir turned away shyly with a soft smile on her face as Ræsa praised her. She'd never really considered herself one for the warrior arts but Katja's training more than likely had saved her life that day. There was an incredible sense of confidence in knowing that she'd faced such a dangerous encounter and managed to pass through onto the other side. She grinned as Ásvor and Ræsa greeted each other. They were almost there, almost all of them were together again. They just needed to find Runa and Taufr and all would be as it was meant to be. The flutter of wings heralded Balthazaar and Branwen shifting their positions as the both came to land on her shoulders, Balthazaar on her left, Branwen on her right. Naudir silently wished the birds would settle. She could tell that the were excited by the reunion of the Finnvi heirs and curious as well. Ræsa introduced the cat as Bodolf and Naudir dipped her head in greeting. "It is nice to meet you Bodolf." Balthazaar was about to make a snide remark but a quick peck from Branwen silenced him. "Ræsa, have you been traveling long? We could journey back to Yfir's old packlands and set up camp there. I don't believe anyone has taken those lands." "Talk"