I have toured the endless starlight…

Morning came sooner than she'd like but Aerndis willed herself to get up and get moving. She was working her way southward, planning to go through the battlefield so she didn't have to go over the mountain ranges that impeded travel farther east.

Her travels brought her into a forest with massive redwood trees. Her neck craned up as she looked at the tops of the trees and marveled at the girth of the trunks. Some of the trees looked so big she was pretty sure she could live in them! Aerndis started working her way deeper into the forest, pausing as she came across one that had fallen. It was partially held up by a few other trees that had caught its fall. All in all she thought this would be a rather cool place to live, not just explore. All that said though she had no idea how big the forest was so it was time to do a little crafting.

Thistle had taught her how to make various kinds of trail markers such as stacking stones but that didn't look like it was going to work here. There wasn't much on the ground for her to use.so she'd have to try marking one of the trees. Aerndis stared at the nearest large tree. Ok, how was she going to do this? She leaned back on her hind legs, picked a spot and started scratching.

Kai would be free from Winterfell's imprisonment soon. All he had to do was help Winterfell with two raids - and truthfully he wasn't entirely uninterested in the idea of participating. Maybe even finding a way to stir up some bullshit might be mildly entertaining.. or maybe it'd just be a giant waste of time. He honestly had no clue, but he was determined now to see this through and find a way to make things work out to his own advantage; decides the whole... not being delivered back to Valkyrie thing. Not that he thought Acere could do that one on his own. The mere thought earned a quiet scoff as he continued on through the forest, finally lifting his head to focus on his surroundings rather than his thoughts.

He'd been here before, but had he properly explored this place? Kai found it hard to recall. The trees were massive - far more monstrous than the pines back in the forest Winterfell inhabited. Feeling restless, today he'd let his paws carry him away from too-familiar lands toward the redwood forest that was far less known to him. Kai was pleased at how small the trees made him feel, despite normally being content with being as large as he was. There was something weirdly freeing about seeming insignificant, weaving between their towering trunks. These trees were far older than he was, than anyone he could ever dream of meeting, and their power and stability wasn't at all lost on him.  

The sound of scratching pulled him from his stupor, and he lowered his head from his examination of the tall trees to search for the source of the sound. It was close, but it was hard to tell just what it was. Curious, he followed the source of the sound - and even from a distance he felt a memory begin to resurface. It wasn't often he met wolves with coats even half as lovely as hers. Though she'd been a child when they'd met, he knew he wasn't mistaken in his memory. "Aerndis, wasn't it?" Kai called out with a grin, pleased to see a familiar face, regardless of how brief their interaction had been. Wide paws carried him toward her, briefly focusing on the tree that she'd been digging at and wondering just what she was up to.

I have toured the endless starlight…

Aerndis continued working on leaving claw marks into the tree. It was a lot of work, far more work than just marking an average oak or birch. It was important to her to have two separate lines so she tried not to let her paws get to close. The marking needed to look unnatural enough that it would let her know it was a mark that she'd made.

She was so engrossed in what she was doing that she didn't hear the man approach but she whipped her head around when she heard her name. She grinned at the familiar face. "Kai! Yes, its Aerndis. How have you been doing? What brings you out this way? I was just doing a bit of exploring." She let herself fall down to all fours for a moment, needing a break anyway from what she was doing.

"I was just wondering how old some of these trees are." To grow so tall and so wide they had to be hundreds of years old. There wasn't much else growing down on the forest floor where she was. Mostly moss and a few other plants that were able to thrive in the sparse light that managed to make it through the giant trees foliage.

Kai wasn't totally sure what Aerndis was doing, but regardless he had no issue with her marking one of these trees. The act was mostly harmless - now, if she was trying to find a way to kill the thing, he might have a problem with that.. depending on his mood. And lately he was far more likely to feel empathy for ancient trees like these than he would for most living wolves, but he had a feeling Aerndis wasn't any sort of tree-killer. Not that he knew much about her at all. Even their meeting, many years ago, had been fleeting. They'd met in the north... somewhere. Though her face was something he knew he couldn't ever forget, he couldn't recall now exactly where they'd met or what they'd talked about, which led him to believe it hadn't been much more than casual conversation.

"I've been better, but such is life," he answered her conversationally. He didn't particularly feel like dwelling on what was or wasn't going well in his own life, since deep down he knew he was the master of his own destiny, the decider of his fate, and his circumstances were as much his fault as anyone else's. "I spend most of my time in the north now. It suits me best. What about you? Is the north your domain?" The way he grinned, mirthful and full of light, was a far cry from how dreadfully somber and angsty he'd been feeling lately, and for a moment he found himself remembering what life had been like before Tyranis, before his heart had been shattered, before he'd been made a prisoner. Things had been somehow so different then..

"They must be quite old. It's not often you see trees this big," he observed, moving toward it and tracing around the trunk with one of his tusks. There wasn't much else growing here, save for the bits of moss and smaller trees that managed to spring up from the shelter of the foliage provided by the redwoods. Though most branches were far higher than either of them could reach, they were plentiful as they grew up towards the sky, blocking out much of the natural sunlight from reaching the forest floor.

I have toured the endless starlight…

Aerndis was fascinated by the forest and she continued to observe the land around her, even as she spoke with Kai. For one thing she caught the sound of birds singing far up in the trees and out of the corner of her eyes she saw a squirrel race up the trunk of another tree near to her. It seemed Kai was set in the north but she shook her head in answer to his question. "No, I don't really consider the north my home. It's lovely and all but I'm hoping to find my way back to Legion."

All while she talked and looked, she scratched. Her claws dug deeper and deeper until at last she had some distinct marks in the tree's bark that would clearly indicate she had been there. It worked alright but she was starting to wonder if there was a more efficient way to go about this. Perhaps she could tuck a strip of hide in the bar instead? She glanced at Kai and caught the scent of pack that lingered around him. "Pardon me for asking but… did you join a pack up here?" Were there packs in the north now?

As interesting as Aerndis was, in regards to company, the redwoods were just as interesting in their own right. Their barks were tinged with a faint red hue, visible now that the trees' bases were no longer caked in a light layer of snow, which was often common year-round this far north. His own attention snapped to the squirrel as it appeared in his vision, racing up a nearby tree, before he turned back to Aerndis and raised a brow. "What's a Legion? Some pack?" Packs, packs, packs. Did everything in the world have to revolve around packs? Apparently. Not that he could really talk, given his current situation...

He tried to push those thoughts away for now, even if temporarily, lest the darkness taint the sudden good mood that had struck him this afternoon. "Unfortunately, I have. Winterfell. Just east of here." His brash tone made it clear he wasn't entirely happy about it, but likewise didn't exactly feel like elaborating. What more was to be said, really? The situation he was in was far from ideal but it'd been of his own making, and he was trying to come to terms with that. It wouldn't be much longer now before he'd be gone, if everything went according to plan. "Won't be there, forever. I'm not exactly the... settling-down type," he added conversationally, shooting her a faint grin, trying to bring his mood back up. Drifting toward thoughts of Winterfell and his indentured servitude wouldn't do him any favors.

Enough of that conversation. "So what's it you're doing? Marking your path in case you get lost?" The thought was an amusing one, as if a wolf could get lost up here, and he let out a lighthearted chuckle as he twisted back to the tree, scrutinizing her faint carvings in the bark with interest. It was a decent enough tactic, but he wondered if he could help? He grunted as he carefully moved to scrape one of his tusks where she'd been carving, but to no avail.

Aerndis cocked her head as Kai stated that he had unfortunately joined a pack while up in the north. Unfortunately? Usually when wolves joined it was because they wanted to. However, he stated that he wouldn't be there permanently. Maybe he'd joined as a favor to someone? She also knew of wolves that rented out their skills to packs for meals and medical help so maybe it was a situation like that.

"Sort of. I'm just marking this path I've taken so I know where I've already been. And yea, just in case I run out of time and I need to get back I can just follow my marks out. Saves time!" She eyed the position of the sun as best she could through the growth of trees. "So, are you headed anywhere in particular?"

Luckily for him, Aerndis didn't question his slightly tone when he admitted he had unfortunately joined a pack. Kai often didn't want to necessarily talk about his feelings, especially lately, but somehow displaying them was somehow cathartic in its own right. All she gave him was a curious look, and in return he merely raised a brow, fighting the urge to shrug his shoulders. How he had gotten into that predicament wasn't something he cared on elaborating on and he was glad to shift the focus back to her, at least for the moment.

She confirmed she was marking her path. "Smart thinking," Kai agreed with a light chuckle. It wasn't the kind of thing he'd ever thought of, but then again sometimes getting lost was half the fun.. perhaps if he got lost enough that he couldn't find his way back to Winterfell then they wouldn't be able to trace his steps either. The thought earned another more abrupt laugh, though he shook his head as if to rid those thoughts from his mind. "Nowhere in particular. This was more of a.. walk to clear my head." Or to see what ideas he could stir up, but that was another thing entirely.

Aerndis continued to work her way through the forest, pausing when she felt it was prudent to mark another spot. She wasn't sure how long the markings would last but perhaps she could use them in the future if she ever came this way again. She nodded at Kai's words. "I get that. I need to get out every so often myself. Though right now I'm trying to find my way back to Legion. The volcano's displaced everyone. I don't suppose you've heard where they might be?" The north seemed to have escaped the eruption in the best shape. She was eager to get back home but had learned that simply wandering aimlessly wasn't doing her much good. Even so, it wasn't like she had much else to do.

Kai heaved a faint sigh as he spoke, wondering just what the hell he was actually doing out here. A walk to clear his head? What did he even mean by that? He was restless and wanting for something more than Winterfell, than this life he'd found himself wrapped up in, but what? And did it really matter if he wasn't willing to do anything about it? Aerndis at least admitted she understood the need to get out occasionally, though right now she wasn't doing that... instead she was looking for her pack, it sounded like. That was a far cry from his own problem - he was trying to get away from his. Maybe if the volcano erupted again he'd be better off...

"Afraid I've never heard of Legion," Kai admitted with a slow shrug. He did know of Chaos, but had no idea what pack he was part of, unfortunately - he had no way to connect the dots. "I do hope you find them, though." He meant that genuinely, even if he didn't often give others his best wishes. Aerndis was someone he felt he could consider a friend now, after two meetings; even if he might not know her very well he did hope she found her pack, wherever they might be. "I should be heading back now, but I hope we meet again, Aerndis." She'd been a pleasant distraction, and he meant what he'd said, that he hoped they'd meet again someday - she was pleasant company. Hopefully they'd both be better off next time. He cast her a faint smile before heading back the way he'd came.

- exit Kai -