Aesir lay sphinx-like at the cliff's edge. Below his paws the earth dropped away into the sea, but not even a mild sense of vertigo could keep him from occasionally peering over. The brutish male absently hoped that rock beneath him was stable, but other than that paid it no mind. It wasn't like the ever present danger would be enough to drive him off anyways. The wind whipping around him was bitterly chilled, but not unbearably so. There were no obstacles between him to head off its fury, so it seemed to cut through his coat directly into Aesir's bones. Far out over the sea a wall of black, mutinous clouds roiled. The storm had been brewing since early in the morning, but had yet to approach the shore. To Aesir it seemed to be waiting for something, as if massing forces before the assault. The clouds grew ever taller, ever darker, and now the tops of them began to billow outwards into an anvil shape. Aesir grinned as the wind picked up again. With winter bearing down on them, it was hard to guess whether they would see rain, sleet or snow. Aesir knew of a few spots to shelter close by, so it didn't matter too much either way. Depending on the strength of the storm when it made landfall some of the spots may or may not leave something to be desired, but its not like a little cold or wet would be able to kill him. Aesir couldn't imagine the shame of being taken out by something as paltry as the elements, so he didn't give it more than a moment's consideration. He would be fine. Besides, at this point he was starting to worry whether the storm would make landfall at all. He inhaled a lungful of bitter, blissfully cold air and sighed out his contentment. Yes, this was his happy place. A bolt of lightning struck out over the water's surface, miles away. It was several heartbeats before the peal of thunder rolled its way to him. The ominous bass note seemed to change something in the air, heralding the start of the main event. Aesir settled in. "Aesir Speaks" "Aesir Listens" Aesir Thinks

dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

Éldi chuckled to himself as he watched Askr roll down a small little incline, snow clinging to the raven's dark feathers. Normally he'd be nervous to see a friend playing with such abandon near a steep cliffside but Askr was a skilled flyer and could save himself more easily if he fell than Éldi could. The wind picked up and Éldi's ears flicked back. His thick, almost woolen coat helped to stave off the chill but the the cold wind howling in his ears was starting to become a nusiance. To make matters worse there was a storm brewing in the north.  

Askr hopped onto Éldi's back and settled in just behind his shoulder blades.  "Looks like a storm is coming in." The man nodded. "Guess we better make our sight-seeing trip quick." The pair carried on, Éldi stepping deftly over the rocky surface, his nimble paws picking a path to take them to the cliff edge where they could peer down and hopefully not fall to their deaths. A roll of thunder shook through the air and Éldi chuckled.  "I wonder what Thor is getting up to? Bashing in some skulls no doubt." He was not so easily deterred but the thunder was a clear indication that he wouldn't have enough time to get back to where he'd been making camp. He found a few small caves on his travels, one of those would have to do when it was time to take shelter.

They arrived at the cliffs to find them occupied. A dark-pelted man was stretched out upon the stone and Éldi froze as he noticed a pair of horns adorning the man's head. His eyes narrowed.  It couldn't be... did the Skaldi brothers really come all the way to Boreas? He knew of no other horned wolves. The rumors were that the boys were cursed but Éldi never put much stock in that. He'd always believed the idea was nothing more than some old wive's tales. The certainly always seemed to end up in some sort of trouble when they were together, but it usually resulted in a good time. Well, mostly. If he remembered correctly, this particular brother was a bit of an ass. Being one of the the younger males of the group made Éldi a prime target for pestering.

He hesitated for a moment, but then strode forward. They'd come this far. No horned wolf, cursed, grumpy or otherwise, was going to stop him when he was this close. "Heil og sæl, how is the view?" He felt Askr stir on his back, the bird's dark eyes gazing curiously at the horned mammal. "I didn't expect to see you all the way out here, Aesir."

A voice interrupted his revery, muted somewhat by the roar of the wind but audible nonetheless. Aesir swiveled, quickly laying eyes on the approaching male. At a glance all he noticed was that the boy seemed young, or at least a bit younger than himself, but he was large as well. A moment later he realized the strange dark shape upon his back was actually a bird and the silhouette clicked into place in his memory. Éldi. The young male was of an age with Valkyrie, another wolf from home, but he had changed a bit since Aesir had last seen him... Well, that was odd. His thoughts stumbled for a moment, struggling to place the bird's name as usual. Asgeir? Askr? Probably that. Aesir turned fully and nodded to them both. "Good enough. I'm surprised to see you so far from home, hvolpur." Aesir wondered what had brought the young male so far from home, and especially to a place like this on a day like today. Most sensible creatures would be running tailtucked for cover, cowering in their dens. Unable to put the question to rest, he asked at half a shout over the wind, "What about you? You look like you've hit lean times, if you don't mind me saying," Aesir intoned, words trailing off into a dry chuckle. And maybe there was the edge of a sneer in his tone, but Aesir wanted to see if the boy would get riled from it. The last time they'd seen one another he had been even young, a plump little tag-a-long from time to time. Who was he to guess what sort of man he was becoming? Aesir felt like he couldn't spit without hitting some large, boastful pup bumbling around with his head up his ass. Granted, this wasn't just some fleabitten wanderer; the boy he remembered had been brave even as a pup, so he resolved to just blink blearily at the younger male while he waited. The storm continued to rumble in the distance. Sheets of rain could be seen falling from the distant clouds, but still all Aesir felt was the cold, dry air gusting up from the waves below. Maybe the precipice of a lethal plunge onto jagged rocks wasn't the best place to potentially pick a fight, but the drama of it all seemed to be worth it in his mind. It would make for a good retelling later. Of course, maybe the youngling had more than two stones to rub together, rattling around in that skull of his. Maybe they could have a pleasant conversation and wait out the storm in halfway decent company instead. "Aesir Speaks" "Aesir Listens" Aesir Thinks (Mouseover For Translations)

dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

"Good enough. I'm surprised to see you so far from home, hvolpur."

Éldi smirked and drew himself up as he gazed at Aesir, trying to show just how much he'd grown. He was hardly a 'pup' but Éldi wasn't going to delude himself to much. He wouldn't have been surprised in the least if Aesir continued to refer to him as such. "Oh? Did you really think I'd remain in the old lands and twiddle my paws? Not a chance. There's new worlds just waiting to be marked." His face suddenly contorted. "By our kind of battle I mean… not…" Askr let out a crowing laugh and the yearling shook his shoulders as the raven hopped down to the ground. The bird never could understand much about the way wolves went around marking territory.

Éldi shook off his embarrassment. In truth he'd just needed to get away. Being a bastard child, from a rival tribe no less, hadn't exactly done him any favors in terms of earning prestige though his mother was a formidable enough woman.

"What about you? You look like you've hit lean times, if you don't mind me saying,"

Éldi snorted. The jest about his weight had not gone unnoticed. He'd been a rather rolly, fluffy pup and it had taken him awhile to grow into his frame which, while still heavy, was now noticeably muscular. Finally rid of his baby fat he felt like a true warrior. "You mistake lean times for maturation. I assure you, my skill as a hunter has only grown and I rarely go hungry." His hunting ability was a source of pride for him. It was one of the few areas he felt he excelled at in comparison to his peers. Another roll of thunder peeled out over the ocean. "I'm no reader of storms but perhaps its time we Thor to his works, no? Perhaps you can tell me about your journey. See anything interesting along the way?"

Eldi took all of his bribes in good humor, and as such Aesir began to settle back into a hum of familiarity. It was easy enough to see that the young pup in his memory was a sight different from the wolf standing before him today, but that only meant he would have to refine his barbs and wait for Eldi to give him good material. For now, it really did look like the younger male had been doing well for himself, wherever his path had taken him. He even seemed to have a few convictions of his own, which he seemed rather proud to talk about until, "There's new worlds just waiting to be marked," the boy professed. Aesir raised a brow, and Eldi made a face. "By our kind of battle I mean… not…" Aesir barked out a chuckle. "Right." His eyes twinkled with mirth. The horned man reveled in the few luxuriously awkward seconds that stretched between. Well, he couldn't be a complete asshole, now could he? After all, Eldi wasn't some random jackoff rogue. Aesir felt at least somewhat responsible to ensure the young male was conducting himself honorably now that he had ventured beyond the breadth of their homeland, which was admittedly just a fancy way of saying he wanted to be in his business, because what better did he have to do? But before Aesir could ask any piercing questions, like what Eldi had gotten himself into in the intervening seasons, Eldi asked if it might be time to head away from the storm's front. Aesir scoffed, pretending to be a bit more offended than was perhaps genuine. "I'm not afraid of a bit of weather, personally," he intoned in a gentle, almost teaching voice. "But if you're asking for an escort?" He stood and gave Eldi a coy look, shaking his pelt out from horned skull to hindquarters. He had intended to wait out the storm and see the front's full fury, but even he could admit that gathering word from home would be a bit more advantageous in the long run. Either way, the day had become far more interesting than he had expected. "Aesir Speaks" "Aesir Listens" Aesir Thinks

dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

Éldi snorted at Aesir's comment about needing an escort. "Hardly. I don't consider it fear, more common sense." There was bravery and then there was stupidity and it was a very fine line between them. He could not fight a storm and he had no desire to test himself in such a way. His gaze turned back out across the ocean as the wind kicked up another notch, blasting into his frame with such force he had to squint. Yea, he had enough of this. Aesir could stay here or follow him, he didn't particularly care which.

"Well, it was a pleasure, as always running into you again," he said with a hint of sarcasm. "But it's time I go. I have a few things to take care of before I meet up with Valkyrie again." He dipped his head and turned to leave. There was nothing more to be gained here and with a roll of thunder the rain started to fall. He could feel Askr shift on his back. Thankfully he didn't have far to go and he quickly slipped into a makeshift den tucked away in a cavern in the cliffs.

-exit?-