The last season had been a whirlwind of emotions for the Valentine girl, and one of the hardest parts of all was to leave her family behind back in Valhalla while she set off on her own. She'd remained in the safety of the moor long enough to catch up and really let it sink in that they were safe, but as the season changed Aryn felt she had more to do to prove to herself she belonged there with them. She'd let herself get lost in her dreams for too long and spent very little time working real skills. Living in safety with her family would only allow her to fall behind further to the illusion of security.

The hardest part she'd found so far was feeding herself. Life as a rogue was hard, but Aryn always enjoyed navigating the world and finding clean and clear water was a million times easier then catching live animals and killing them. Even with Tyrian's lessons she struggled, though she kept with her at all times dozens of doses of anti-nausea medication to keep herself in hunting shape. The rabbits, deer and elk would not take pity on her for her weak stomach while she was chasing them down to kill them.

She'd not anticipated how much harder game would be to find as the leaves began to fall and migration began. Aryn wandered for days, cursing her much-too-loud stomach rumbles for scaring away the non-existant prey. She knew that if she was on the brink of starvation she could return to Valhalla and surely the Spirit would be kind enough to feed her, but Aryn had taken this leave of absence to grow up and learn. Returning to her family for care was not learning.

When she eventually found a lone trail her stomach's angry grumbles of protest grew, her mouth watering in anticipation. Aryn knew it to be an elk, a creature much larger than anything she'd ever hunted before. The doubt grew in her chest, though her hunger pressed her forward with her nose to the ground. It was moving fast, likely on the lookout for a warmer territory to spend the winter in. Aryn continued on after the scent trail until she knew she was close, squirming into a nearby bush and slowly working her way forward until the tip of her nose poked out from the foliage to observe.

The elk had stopped for water, and as it bowed his head to drink she realized it was the biggest creature she'd ever seen. It would have been an intimidating fight even without the massive rack upon it's head, and for a moment Aryn considered abandoning the hunt in lieu of something smaller. It was then that her stomach grumbled once more and she gulped, shutting her eyes and willing herself out of the bush towards it.

Willing herself forward wasn't doing much, and after several minutes she found her feet were still glued solidly to the earth. It wasn't until the elk lifted it's head and turned to leave that she found the courage to move - the terror of another lost meal washing away whatever doubt had kept her frozen. Aryn leaped from the bush with a snarl, her movements somewhat uncoordinated and clearly projecting her ineptitude as she tried to cut off the elk's path of escape.

The creature reared up in anger, bellowing out a threat towards the wolf who should have stood down, but was too hungry to let the prey go. It's hooves struck out towards her, catching her upon the side of her head. Aryn felt herself hit the ground, her herbs spilling out from her pouch as she tumbled. The elk was still trying to ward her off and stomped towards her ready to strike again. She managed her way to her feet, barely skittering her way out from beneath it's hooves and striking out with her teeth towards it's rear legs. Her lack of confidence was influencing every moment she made, and her bite was too slow and uncertain to hit it's mark. The elk spun and lowered it's head, ramming it's antlers in her direction.

Aryn was frozen by fear, unable to find a direction to move to avoid the deadly rack. The antlers caught her beneath the belly and threw her, though thankfully none of the sharp tips managed to puncture through. She rolled again, her ears pulling back in terror as she stared wide-eyed up at the beast. It came for her once more, rearing up to slam it's hooves upon her when her adrenaline surged. She made it to her feet and spun, sprinting away from the elk as fast as she could and into a hollow log to hide.

She waited within the log for what felt like hours, her chest rising and falling heavily with every panicked breath she took. As the adrenaline began to wear off the pain returned. At one point in time she'd wanted to be a healer, and though she didn't get far with her learning she knew enough to realize she was injured. Her ribs might have been only bruised, though they may have been fractured. She hardly remembered the blow to her head until blood began to trickle down into her eyelashes. Whether it was the sight of her own blood, her injuries, her hunger, or her exhaustion Aryn didn't know, but her vision suddenly grew darker until she finally lost consciousness.

WORD COUNT: 914

Eyrún had been given a second chance at life. At first she wasn't quite sure what the purpose of her journey into the depths below Firefly Lake had been. The loss of Muninn had briefly stung; her raven had become a familiar companion to her, but it wasn't as though she had been taken for any ill purpose. A god had requested her, and Eyrún had no doubt Muninn had far greater purpose than what this mortal world had to offer her. Perhaps Odin himself had needed her service. Regardless, Eyrún had made amends with what had happened and after mulling over her experience she knew that the lesson was one in humility. She lay somewhere between wolves and gods - an intermediary, even - but she was no god herself. She could never achieve such a status, at least not while she still walked this earth. She had been reminded of her place and she would do well to remember it. She was a servant, a messenger of the gods, and maybe it was about time she get to work.

Aimless wandering hadn't done her any good. It was time to find something more tangible to work towards. Well, after she tended to a few other things. Up ahead she heard Huginn's familiar call, alerting her to the presence of someone. He'd been quiet for some time since Muninn had left them but thankfully the raven had finally found his voice. Heeding his call, Eyrún's slender limbs picked up their pace as she trekked through the prairie. The scent of a large prey animal lingered on the air, but Muninn had made no mention of danger, so she had to assume her path ahead was safe. After a fair trek she caught wind of someone, a female it seemed, and she slowed as she oriented herself. For awhile she couldn't help but think this stranger might be hiding, until she caught sight of a female wedged into a hollowed-out log. Curious, she crept forward, trying to stay quiet... though it became quickly apparent that the female was either sleeping or unconscious, but either way she didn't initially respond to her. Examining her for what would no doubt would deemed an excessive moment, she finally lifted a paw to prod at the woman's head. If she didn't see the slight rising of her chest, she would likely assume she was deceased, but she seemed to have some life left in her. Eyrún just wasn't sure how much.

Aryn stirred as a paw prodded against her head, and for a brief moment of coming to consciousness she expected the elk had returned to finish off the job. She opened her eyes weakly, ready to stare death in the face before realizing that her killer's horns had vanished and he'd grown much shorter. It was another wolf, and Aryn blew out a sigh of relief. Although her opinion of strangers had been shook hard once she learned of her family's captivity, her ingrained reaction of enjoying the company of others was still stronger then her hesitance that they may be kidnappers or murderers. "Hello." She managed softly. "I'm sorry, is this your log?" It felt like someone was pounding rocks around in her skull, and she wasn't quite sure why she was apologizing for her choice in hiding spot but it seemed the polite thing to do. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The scrawny-looking woman stirred after a bit of poking and prodding, and Eyrún watched with vague amusement. So she was alive after all, even if she'd no doubt seen far better days. What on earth had happened to this scrawny little thing? Refraining from poking and prodding her some more, she pulled back slightly and gave the woman some room to breathe. She certainly looked like a little air would do her some good. "Hello," she all but mimicked her greeting, nearly copying her exact tone. Eyrún tilted her head slightly, assessing her from what most would deem a polite distance. Already her mind was trying to come up with a reason why she might've stumbled across this girl. A sign from the gods? Was this girl some kind of symbolic offering, sent as a reminder of what she herself had given up? It seemed to make the most sense. Happy accidents weren't something she believed in. "It is not. How'd you end up in there, hm?" Somewhere nearby she heard the sound of Huginn's wings steadily beating as he took flight, no doubt circling overhead to keep an eye on her.

Lifting her head to appropriately greet the other only caused the pounding to grow stronger, and Aryn grimaced hard against the pain. She lifted a dainty striped paw to her temple, pulling it away to see the white markings tinted red with blood. The sight made her a little woozy, and she swallowed against the desire to lose her lunch. The stranger was asking about her though, and so ever-polite Aryn had to push past her discomfort to try and hold a proper conversation. "I, uh." She started, her breath catching as the pain in her ribs made even speaking difficult. "Maybe it was stupid of me to try and take down an elk." Hunger made a wolf do some strange things, though never would Aryn have pegged herself for the type of idiot to make such a foolish attempt before she turned loner and abandoned her family. She tried to remember pleasantries, and offered the stranger a small smile. "My name is Aryn Valentine. It's nice to meet you, only I wish it was under, uh, better circumstances."   "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Though the age difference between the two was hardly much at all, she couldn't help but feel like Aryn was as delicate and malleable as a child might be. There was no doubt she'd been injured and was suffering from some level of confusion, though it was hard to tell just how much. She hardly seemed any less naive when she explained she'd been trying to take down an elk, especially in her state. Eyrún tsked disapprovingly, shaking her head. "Stupid is one word for it. You could've been killed. Nearly seems like you were," she mused, voice dropping a few octaves as she leaned over her and tried to examine her. She seemed injured, bleeding from her temple and quite possibly elsewhere, but she didn't seem mortally wounded. Eyrún returned the smile, pleasant despite being feigned. "Eyrún Finnvi, at your service. Here to rescue you - if you want rescuing, that is," she instructed her with a little half-assed bow. This was a sign, Eyrún was completely sure of it. Something she cared deeply for had been taken from her by the gods and here they were, handing her another potential companion as a replacement - this one didn't have ones but she decided she could work with it anyway. At least she had to try.

The longer she spoke to the stranger the more at ease she felt, and she let her head lower to her paws once more in some semblance of relaxation. Her ears flattened in shame as the other agreed with her assessment, and all Aryn could do was murmur her agreement softly with subtle shakes of her head. "I recently left home, grew hungry and.. well, death by elk doesn't sound as bad as death by starvation. Or it didn't before today, at least." The stranger examined her and Aryn held still as the eyes roamed across her, looking hopeful as the mention of 'rescue' was brought forward. Aryn shuffled forward from the log, attempting to get to her feet and exit her would-be-tomb. "I could use some rescuing" The ridiculousness of the situation brought her to laugh softly, still looking rather sheepish. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Eyrún wasn't nearly as prone to manipulation as some of her kin could be;  she was unashamed of who she was and what she stood for, and she saw little reason to hide her true intentions. Sometimes though a little bit of slyness was in order, especially if something stood in the way of a goal of hers. Maybe that was precisely why she lowered her voice slightly, adapting a suddenly more tender aura about her.. or perhaps this was simply what she was meant to be doing. She could not deny that Aryn had been plopped straight in front of her for a reason, and though she wasn't entirely sure of that reason she had no reason to not explore it.

"Ah, but that is no honorable death. Hel refused you entry into her domain for a reason. You shall live to see another day, Aryn, by the grace of Odin," she informed her with a curt little nod. That was the plain and simple truth. If her time on this mortal plane had been finished she would've had no chance of survival, but even throwing herself at death's doorstep hadn't gotten her all the way there. She was meant to live. "Why don't we find you somewhere to rest awhile? I'll keep an eye on you and find you a meal for when you awake." Her offer was hardly an altruistic one; Aryn was a test and she was determined not to fail, intent on proving her worth after failing her previous test.

Aryn knew there were many different religions and beliefs spread across Boreas, though it still brought her brow to raise curiously to hear a wolf speak of them so outwardly. "That would be wonderful, thank you." Given the choice of somewhere to rest and some food to eat, well she'd follow this woman anywhere for it even if they shared different views. She'd met wolves who she supposed were religious, Eli was likely one of them though he'd never spoke of Abraxas to her. Normally she'd just politely nod her head, being accepting of the strangers' beliefs while not allowing herself to be pulled in... however one thing the other woman had said drew her attention and Aryn couldn't help but address it. Hell's domain? Hesitantly she took a step forward, preparing to follow wherever Eyrun was planning to take her. "So.. you think I'm going to Hell?" She asked softly, trying to keep the alarmed expression from her face. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

She seemed willing to follow her; her obedience pleased Eyrún greatly. It would be no great effort to watch over her while she rested and healed. Fetching her a meal would be quite easy as well. It seemed as obvious a fact as any that Aryn had been sent here by the gods - yet another test. They certainly enjoyed watching her prove herself, didn't they? She had no qualms with succumbing to their wishes though. No, in fact she had full intentions of proving she was just as faithful a Finnvi as she could be. "Let's get going then," she offered a shoulder to Aryn, giving her room to lean against her if needed while she walked. Though the younger female was quite scrawny she was not quite able to be carried by her so she wouldn't risk it. She looked stable enough to travel a short distance anyway, even if she couldn't do much else.

Aryn's question earned a slight laugh. "Probably not the Hell you've heard of. Hel," she emphasized sharply. "Hel is the goddess of death. Her domain is not any sort of punishment, it's simply somewhere you might end up when you die, hardly different from this plane. But the point was that you're not quite knocking on Hel's door yet. Not if I can help it, at least." Eyrún shrugged, not wanting Aryn to waste her energy on anything but getting away from this place and somewhere a bit safer. She'd seen a patch of trees not far off which seemed like a suitable place to hunker down and allow her to rest. "C'mon now, hurry up," she encouraged her after a moment.