Another overcast and dreary day found Tsuga pawing along the bottom of a ravine. The previous few days had been equally gray with intermittent storms, during which he'd come across the wash. Yesterday water had been roaring and churning down as it rushed off towards the distant sea, but today it had dwindled to little more than a healthy burble in the lowest swath. On either side rocks had been churned and tumbled, pulled from the cliffs and laid bare for the first time in who knows how many millennia. Still damp, some of these stones gleamed white and silver, even shot through with occasional flashes of gold. Tsuga couldn't pass up an opportunity like this and meant to gather a few choice specimens if he was able. There were no hard and fast rules about what a spirit might consider a reasonable offering, and no surefire path to success besides repetitive effort. That which pleased the occupants of one area might be utterly useless elsewhere. There was no way to be sure, but that didn't mean he was going about it completely blind. He did have a plan... of sorts. It involved exploring in whichever direction he felt pulled in, and doing what he could to reach out to the spirits that lived there, see which ones might welcome his influence and allow him to serve their needs. In the meantime, seeing as it was entirely rude to show up unannounced and empty handed, he'd gather interesting trinkets from far and wide and hopefully end up with a plethora of offerings to choose from. Good first impressions and all that. So there he was, nosing about and flipping rocks small enough to be easily picked up and carried, waiting for those rare few that would jump out at him as something special. Some were smooth and others jagged, some mostly dark with tendrils of white and some pure enough to resemble a chuck of snow turned to stone. He hummed absently to himself as he worked, wrapped up in his own world of thought, blind and deaf to whatever else might be lurking nearby. "Talk," - "Listen" - Think

Kiela knew soon it would be time to cull one of the oldest members of her reindeer herd, who were currently grazing not far from the ravine. Before long she would lead Heiðinn in a hunt, though not before she also took the reigns in bringing some of the pack's best scout's to investigate the crypt on the southern edge of the mountain range they laid claim to. Having so many responsibilities wasn't generally her style but - in fact, her younger self would've detested it - but these were all things she'd been happy to do, and slowly she'd begun to learn to settle down, or at least her version of it.  

Her new life didn't mean she was restricted from living how she wanted though, which was the most important thing to her. That was exactly why she'd taken a trip to the north, to briefly check on her herd and to reconnect with the world on a more spiritual level, which felt difficult for her when she stayed in one place for long.

She stood at the edge of a short precipice, looking down into the riverbed below. The way it sparkled and gleamed, in an almost transcendental sort of way, caught her eye. Kiela could only imagine the sort of light the rocks might give off if it wasn't such a dreary day, and for a moment she wished the clouds would briefly part to allow her a glimpse of it. It seemed she wouldn't be so lucky today though.

Somewhere in the valley below, her miniature reindeer companion Bryndís was nosing about, tipping over small rocks to search for lichen or other vegetation she could forage on. She alerted Kiela to the presence of someone else before she noticed it herself, pausing to lift her head and swivel it slightly. Kiela followed her line of attention, noting that there was in fact someone off in the distance, shuffling along the old riverbed.

Carefully she descended, avoiding a few precarious-looking rocks on her way down. She made no effort to conceal her approach, picking her pace up to a light jog as she moved to close the distance between them, slowing once she was within earshot. "Afternoon," she called out, noting Bryndís had slowed and moved behind her. Her strange little companion seemed wary of most wolves - as an ungulate her size should be - but she'd never once showed fear toward Kiela. "Are you looking for something?"