The scent of a stranger was not an entirely surprising thing for her to encounter within the lands of Heiðinn, but Kiela hadn't heard of anyone new joining, and so she was admittedly intrigued. Far from the most social wolf in the pack, she tended to keep to herself more often than not, but the smell of this stranger was peculiar - not just foreign to her, but she did not smell entirely well, and Kiela had to wonder what that was all about. Her own instincts were not to care for or nurture... but she knew other wolves felt differently. Perhaps this wolf was someone being cared for? The scents of both Víðarr and Teshi were just as strong here, which made her even more curious. Nosy, even, and she wasn't usually the type. She made no effort to mask her approach as she skirted by the den, her little reindeer companion Bryndís scampering along somewhere behind her. Kiela cast her orange gaze on the ungulate as she foraged erratically amongst the rocky soil, seemingly unphazed by the wolf's steady attention on her. She very nearly laughed at how little the reindeer was bothered by her presence, pausing at the den's entrance to peer inside.

Days had passed. Had it been a full week? In grief, it was difficult to tell. Valtiel only knew that she had been within Vidarr and Tenshi's den until she requested to have her own space. Now that she was situated in a smaller den that was still very close to that of her rescuers, Val was regretting her request. Being alone gave her too much time to think. Time to think about the children that she had recently lost. It seemed like they had been walking through the world only yesterday.

Motion from the mouth of the den brought the woman's head lifting from the ground. The den was empty aside from a single thick bison fur and herself. When she was well enough to leave, there would be no sign of her existence within in. Mismatched eyes of pumpkin orange and gold looked towards the entrance, falling upon yet another larger fae. She was swathed in greys and earthen tones and the expression on her face was one of curiosity.

The bandaged woman pushed herself to a seated position, a little grimace on her maw from the strain on the covered wounds. Once sitting, she brought her gaze back to the fae again. "Hello," she called out softly. There was no need to be louder than that. She wasn't quite sure if the fae would enter or just go about her way, but Valtiel did her best to appear alert.

"Valtiel"

The scent that came from within was not familiar to her, but she smelled enough of Víðarr and Tenshi that was it was obvious she was no intruder here. There were many wolves here that Kiela did not know, so it was hardly surprising to come across one such wolf. It took a long moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light that shone within the den, just barely illuminating the dark-coated woman inside. If she was at all surprised she'd come across someone, she made no sign of it, offering a solemn nod of her head in greeting to Valtiel. Upon further inspection it became obvious she was apparently injured, though in what way Kiela was less certain. "Hello. You're unwell?" she asked, though it was more of a rhetorical question than anything else. She paused, considering something for a moment. It was not in her nature to care for others, nor to extend help, though she was not a creature who lacked empathy - but being part of a pack meant something different and she had to consciously remind herself of that. Making sure all were cared for - at least those who could pull their weight - was important. "Is there anything I could do for you?" She asked, her question straightforward and to the point.

The woman was large. Much larger than Val, which was something that the dark fae was used to. This place was loaded with massive wolves. The russet and grey wolf asked if she was unwell and Val simply replied, "Bear." She didn't really want to get into that part. It was still too fresh. Too painful.

One brow raised in slight surprise as the fae asked if there was anything that she could help with. It seemed as though it was something that was uncommon for the fae simply by the way she seemed to have to think about it first. Val thought about an answer in turn, taking a silent moment. It would be nice to get out of the den, she supposed.

"I would appreciate it if you'd be able to show me to fresh water." Tenshi had left her a large dish with water within it, but she didn't want to impose upon her hosts any more than she had to. Orange and gold eyes stayed fixed on the fae's face. "I am Valtiel, or Val."

"Valtiel"

It went without saying that Kiela was not the most socially conscious of wolves, but she was not dense. Valtiel's short answer made it clear she didn't want to explain further, and truthfully it was enough of a reason to sate her curiosity. The explicit details were none of her business. She grunted softly in response, an indication that she'd heard her but had no intention of asking for more information. Though pack life was still often strange to Kiela, logically she understood the concept. The health of the whole pack was important. Soon Heiðinn would be raiding again and their success depended on the health of their warriors. And if their fighters were not strong, or suffered injury, their defenses would weaken and leave them open to being raided in turn. The strength of the whole depended on the strength of each individual member - viewing things in that way helped Kiela begin to understand her role in all of this, and she intended to play her part. She wanted water. Kiela nodded at her request, which was easy enough. "Kiela Jarvela," she returned the greeting succinctly. Small talk clearly wasn't her greatest strength. But she could help Valtiel find water, that was an easy enough request. "Follow me." Not a demand by any means but an offer, straight and to the point. If she chose to follow Kiela would guide her, careful to keep her pace slow enough for Valtiel to keep up, unsure how bad her injuries were. "How did you come to Heiðinn?" They didn't need to be silent the whole way, as they started to make a very short descent toward where she knew they could find a small stream of fresh water coming down from the mountaintop.

Stiffly, Valtiel moved after the wolf that had named herself as Kiela. The smaller woman's movements were choppy as she tried her best not to limp. The pain in her shoulder was immense, but it was nothing compared to the pain within her heart. Her shoulder and neck would mend, but her heart would be wounded for a long, long time. Until the day she died, most likely.

Kiela asked after her arrival and Val made a small sound in her throat. Just a little hum, but it was audible. She was surprised that Vidarr and Tenshi hadn't notified the pack of the stranger in their midst. They really were a trusting pair. Not that a wolf as injured as Val could do much of anything before being taken out.

"Tenshi found me in the catacombs," she began softly, her fiery eyes directed towards the path ahead of them. "I had just lost my children to a bear and was about to lose my own life when she showed up." Valtiel no longer wished that she had lost her life as well, but she would still gladly trade her life for the lives of her pups. "I will stay until I heal enough to travel, then I'll repay Tenshi and Vidarr as best as I can before leaving." Or so she thought.

"Valtiel"

Moving more slowly didn't bother her. It showed immense strength that she was trying to get herself to water, rather than requesting it be brought to her. Kiela found herself appreciating that sort of perseverance, especially when she'd met some wolves here who didn't seem to possess the same self-reliant spirit. It didn't appear to be a given in these lands. She was careful in the route she chose, not wanting to put further stress on Valtiel's body when she was clearly still recovering. Taking a slightly longer but more sure path, she veered around a large rock outcrop, descending slightly before climbing a bit higher again. They weren't too far off now. Valtiel's answer to her question was a heavy one, one Kiela wasn't quite prepared for. She sat with the admission for a moment. Perhaps a different wolf would've told Valtiel they were sorry for her loss, or something equally as socially normal among most wolves she'd met in these lands, but Kiela wasn't one of those wolves. "Do you mind if I share something? My tribe has... maybe unusual thoughts on death. I understand if you don't want to talk about such things though." Kiela understood if she didn't want to hear what she had to say. She understood more if she didn't want to talk about it in general. She was foolish enough to think grieving wasn't a difficult process, no matter what one believed. "I'm very good at being quiet if you'd prefer that," she added, just teetering on the edge of jesting, though her expression was as placid as ever.

Kiela was thoughtful and Val noted the long, winding path. Were she whole, they could have leaped rocks and run through thick bands of trees, likely making it to the water source in half the time. The larger fae kept her strides shorter and Valtiel appreciated it. Though she wouldn't say it, even a walk like this put a lot of strain on her injured shoulder and neck. She would likely pay for it later with the price of soreness, but it would be fine. She would be fine.

After sharing her personal tragedy with Kiela, the woman asked if she could share something in return. "Please," Val rumbled, dark ears perking with interest. As far as the beliefs of death went, Val saw things differently than most as well. She would mourn her children, but she would see them again some day.

As the earthen fae offered silence as well, her tones joking, Valtiel released a soft, husky chuckle. The barest grin formed on the woman's maw and she gave her head a gentle shake. "Silence is a comfortable thing. I would very much like to hear of your tribe's wisdom first." Always one with a thirst for knowledge, Valtiel was curious as to the thought processes of other cultures.

"Valtiel"

Slowly they were coming up on the water source. It was one of many found throughout these mountains, though they were often hard to find if you didn't know exactly where to look. The water flowed, fresh from the melting snow of the mountaintops. Kiela knew they were close now, but she wouldn't push any harder than they had to just to get there faster. Even if Valtiel wasn't receptive to her words, Kiela wouldn't mind. Instead of rejecting her offer though, the other female let out a low laugh, which was more than enough approval for her to begin to speak. "My people only believe in physical death. The soul never dies. To me, your children live on." Kiela did not know them, but she knew they were here still, living on in every single stone they passed by, every tree that stood far in the distance, every cloud overhead. It was not an attempt to make Valtiel feel better - no, these were beliefs she held close to her heart, said with all the conviction of someone stating a simple and irrefutable truth. "Here," she said after a moment as they finally reached the water source. It was a slow but steady trickle coming down from the rocks, the mountain water cleaner than any water you'd find elsewhere in Boreas. "I believe they have already been reborn. Maybe that has taken the form of a bird," she suggested, glancing as something flew overhead, too high to tell just what it was. "Or maybe a flower. Or even the very mountain we stand on. When they die in their new life, again they will be reborn, until time's end." That truth did not negate the mourning process or whatever emotions were brought forth with it though, and it wasn't meant to be anything but a musing of her own beliefs, something Valtiel hopefully found interesting if nothing else.

Words were shared and the gold marked fae listened with interest. Once they reached the water, Val lowered her muzzle to the stream, lapping at the icy water and enjoying the cool sensation as it slid down into her belly. Carpathians were mountainous wolves and both the terrain and the temperature of the Maw suited her.

Kiela continued, speaking of the souls of her children being absorbed back into the world to become this and that. It was a lovely view of things and it was similar to what Valtiel believed as well. Having slaked her thirst, Val lifted her head, then shifted to both face her companion and seat herself. "Energy is what I was brought up believing. Each piece of the world, be it a rock, caribou, wolf, tree, blade of grass... energy is held within it. When that vessel ceases to be, that energy moves to inhabit something else." Val tilted her head first one way, then the other, weighing her thoughts. "I suppose one might consider energy and souls to be one and the same."

After considering a moment longer, the woman brought her gold and orange eyes to the earthen fae and offered a small smile and nod. "Thank you for sharing that, Kiela." Val's long, dark tail thumped once in a wag. "I've no doubt that their energy has already been taken into the world around us. It's the physical loss that's difficult. They were young but their short lives were fraught with hardship. That was why I was bringing them here." Val sighed and shook her head. She wouldn't forget her children, but she wouldn't allow herself to wallow in pity either.

"Valtiel"

If her words seemed at all something displeasing to Valtiel she'd gladly stop talking, but she saw no sign of distress in the other woman. Not any more than she'd noticed before, from the exertion it took for such a journey. She wasn't the sort to speak just to make others feel better about things, though she was interested in other wolves' cultures and sharing a bit of her own in her process. "It sounds as though we believe similar things. Different words for the same concepts," she mused aloud. As always, she was glad to have found likeminded wolves here, even if Valtiel did not intend to stay here permanently. She was a welcome addition to Kiela's life in the meantime, especially with conversations like this. For a moment she too stopped for a drink, savoring the taste of the crisp mountain spring. "I understand that. I do hope their next life is much kinder to them," she mused thoughtfully, sounding as empathetic as she was able to. Though she hadn't experienced such a loss, she could only imagine how hard it would be on any wolf, no matter what they did or didn't believe. It was hard to put herself in Valtiel's mindset, to imagine losing your very own children - she'd never experienced loss like that before. "I'll think of them when I pray to Jabme-Akka next. She is the deity said to soothe the spirits of children, to keep their spirits moving on to their next lives without distress. I have no doubt she has brought them great comfort." Valtiel was lucky, then, that Tenshi had found her when she needed it most. She wondered if Tenshi had risked herself for save the other woman; such a feat of selflessness wasn't something that was in her veins but she'd couldn't imagine the scene not pulling at her own heartstrings. Though she had softness for few wolves at all, helpless children were definitely among that group if anyone was. "Tenshi and Víðarr are good wolves. We are lucky we've found our way to them," Kiela mused aloud, conversationally, after pausing for another long sip of water. Her own feelings on Víðarr in particular were hard to put into words, but she knew she was grateful.

Kiela was... something else. The woman didn't waste words for the sake of filling the silence which was something that Val greatly appreciated. Both of them said only what needed to be said. Often Val was overwhelmed or annoyed by overly verbose individuals. Those that spewed at the mouth because they couldn't handle being trapped inside of their skulls with their own thoughts. Those weren't the kinds of wolves that she could tolerate for long.

The earthen woman spoke of a deity that Val had never heard of and said that she would think of the children lost when she did so. Valtiel nodded, one paw lifting to rest over her heart. "Thank you, Kiela." The gesture meant quite a bit to the gold-marked fae. Whatever could be done to assure that her children's spirits moved on with ease, she would take.

Vidarr and Tenshi seemed to leave a mark on those that they came in contact with. They'd definitely left an impression on both herself and Kiela. "How did you come int their care, if you don't mind my asking?" She seemed a fit woman with a disposition similar to her own. What had the pair done to impress Kiela into joining Heidinn?

"Valtiel"

Some might say such things, about keeping others in their prayers, out of the need to be pleasant - but Kiela was not one of those wolves. She meant what she'd said earnestly. Valtiel's deceased children would be in her prayers, no doubt for more than just today. Hopefully that would bring the other woman some comfort. She nodded in acknowledgment to Valtiel's thanks, though she felt she such a thing needed no gratitude. The question earned a slight raise of a brow. "I met Víðarr many years ago. We never spent long together but it seemed the winds always brought us back together. When I learned he was aiming to build a pack of his own, he asked me to join him, and it felt like it was what I was meant to do." The reason was simple enough, even if it felt more complicated than that when she started thinking about it more carefully. Bryndís had finally caught up to them, moving carefully over the upturned rocky ground. Kiela shot her a glance before looking back to Valtiel. "I am a reindeer herder at heart. I never thought I'd settle down anywhere permanently, especially not in a pack, but I've come to see that I can do both." Víðarr knew the sort of wolf she was and had never asked her to do anything but that, and his understanding was something she was deeply grateful for.