It was still pretty early when Viðarr dragged himself from sleep. There was work to be done, after all. The previous day's hunting needed to be broken down and processed, split into raw materials and put away properly. Things would be easier when they put down roots for real. Viðarr found himself dreaming of it... maybe it was a romanticized ideal. It probably was, but he didn't mind.

The shadow wandered down the length of the wall with the leg of yesterday's sheep clutched in his jaws. On careful, steady paws he climbed up on one of the less crumbled sections, a comfortable distance from his family. Far enough to not bother them, near enough to be there in an instant if something happened. With the sun coming up before him, Viðarr lowered his head to enjoy the meal. Today would be okay.

"Viðarr"

_________________________________________________________________ Summer meant it would be warm enough for her to explore the northern regions of Boreas. Being small and not as thick-coated as many, Audra tried to stay away from the chillier places once fall and winter arrived. The weather had been pleasant through her journeys and she figured why not take a look. As the summer sun warmed the length of her russet spine, she glanced over to her companion Mack by her side. He was quiet as usual and only cared to talk when it was necessary. She didn't mind this as she could easily fill the silence if she wanted to. Today would be slightly different as her wants leaned toward exploring. Admiring the beautiful scenery around them, she listened. Birds swooped overhead with the occasional chatter. Trees blossomed from all sides with flowers and fruits. The soft rustle of grass against her legs deafened the sound of their paws against the dirt. Soon, they approached a rather large and intimidating wall. Crumbling in some spots, the stone turned to moss and tried to hold strong. Curious about the structure, Audra approached with a lowered head and twitching nose. It smelled of other wolves. Mack froze for a moment as his blazing yellow eyes looked up to a sturdier section of the wall. "Audra," he whispered with a nudge of his shoulder. Her ears perked up as her one golden honey eye glanced toward the shadow of a man lunching away on a leg. Smiling gently, she kept her distance, but let out an audible chuff to alert his attention. "H-hello, I-I don't mean t-to interrupt y-your meal, b-but do y-you know what th-this place is?" Her lips smiled gently as she awaited the male's response. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

Uneventfully, Viðarr had nearly finished his meal. Still, he sat to strip and clean the bone carefully-- near obsessively. Such was the way of things. Sanngriðr had expressed an interest in using the hooves to create more game pieces. Nine men's morris, hnefatafl, whatever really caught her brain for the moment. Viðarr figured that the longer his sister worried about creating the game pieces, the longer he could escape being roped into her games. The shadow would be the first to admit that his sister was far better at strategy games than he, and he didn't take well to losing. Yes, it would be a fine distraction, getting her to build the boards and the pieces and absolutely not playing with him.

Such was life with siblings. Such was life when your only constant companions were your own flesh and blood.

A sound from somewhere far off, the girl and her companion weren't ones that had escaped Viðarr's notice. No, while he'd been a bit adrift in his own thoughts, there was little that he didn't pick up on these days. Hyper-vigilance probably wasn't a good thing, but Viðarr was hell bent on keeping his family safe. As safe as he could, given the circumstances. Still, it didn't seem that there was anything to worry about with the girl. It was only as she came closer that Viðarr realized that she wasn't the yearling he'd first assumed her to be. Her voice may have lacked confidence, but it's not unlikeable.

Viðarr's icy gaze took her in for a moment before offering a warm smile. She peered with one honey-gold eye... it struck him. The shadow's thoughts immediately flicker to Odin. Though the all-father didn't often appear as a woman, stranger things had happened. Had he decided to show himself on this day? Had he decided to offer Viðarr a trial of sorts? Upon closer inspection, he wonders if the girl is malnourished, as she's a slight little thing. So many thoughts, it takes him a moment to sift through the words to use. The damned common tongue-- why is it so difficult for him? "It is no interruption," he waves away her concern.

"I believe it is simply called The Wall," though his speech was stilted, the words seemed to come a bit more easily. "On that side," he gestured to the direction from which the stranger had come, "the Mile High Woods." There were the beginnings of the trees that would lead into the woods themselves not far off. "On this side," Viðarr gestured over his shoulder, "the Sparse pines." A reasonably complete answer, and he was pleased with himself.

Still, he was concerned about the state of the girl, and it showed in his gaze. "Are you hungry?" The previous day, they'd caught far more than they'd need. Though there was intent to preserve it and stash it for the winter, hospitality was also deeply ingrained in their culture. When the gods lived and breathed, walked among you, it was a holy act to share with travelers. There was also the suspicion that lived in Viðarr's mind. Odin, är det du?

"Viðarr"

_________________________________________________________________ Being the docile and shy-natured girl that she was, Audra was content to wait patiently until the man finished. His stilted speech was apparent and a bit of her wished she could speak his native tongue. It would only make it easier on him, but unfortunately, she wasn't versed in anything but the common tongue. Her head tilted gently to the side as she noticed his inquisitive and concerned stare. Was there possibly something wrong with her? Figuring it was probably due to the lack of eyesight she held, her own vision peered to either side to spy the clumps of trees far off on either side of the wall. When he offered her food, her head shook lightly back and forth. "Wh-while Mack here w-would appre-appreciate a s-snack, I-I am okay," her lips turned up in a smile as she looked back up to the shadowed man on the wall. Stepping a few feet closer toward the towering construction of stone, she peered about curiously. "I w-wanted t-to explore m-more of the n-north now th-that it's warmer out," she mentioned as she wandered a bit around the wall with one ear slightly turned toward the male. Mack kept his distance, eyes never leaving the larger wolf just in case anything were to happen. Taking a moment to look up to the man, Audra smiled again. "H-have you been here l-long?" She questions for some companionable conversation before continuing her slight exploration around the wall's base. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

Carefully, Viðarr wrapped the now stripped bone and hoof in the hide. He'd handle that later, and his sister would be delighted with the chunk of hoof as it was. Something about building yet another chess set-- he was glad that she'd been able to settle in enough to actually do things she enjoyed. Edgy as she could be, the valkyrie did have her charms. Carefully, he climbed to his feet, stretching and giving a yawn. The day was young yet, though his family was likely up and moving. A snack for the cat-- that could be arranged. "If you would like to be walking with me, I can show you what I know." His offer came with a smile as he carefully, albeit gracelessly, hopped down from his perch.

"We are camped at the foot of the Wall, just past that bend," Viðarr explained gently, gesturing with his muzzle. His words were muffled around the parcel in his grasp, but it was probably clear enough for the woman to understand. Probably, but... well, yeah, good enough. "Not long, my family and I arrived at the end of spring." The words were gentle. One of the things that had struck him about this place was the definition of four seasons, instead of the two that he was accustomed to. Back home they'd simply had winter and not-winter.

"I should like to see more of this place when it's not so hot," the words came with a grin, echoing her earlier sentiment. Though speaking the common tongue would get easier in time, the words still felt strange in his mouth. "I am Viðarr Trygg," right, the shadow figured he should probably introduce himself. The woman was meek, but there was something about her... he'd consult with Iðunn later. The priestess tended to know more than he about things like this.

"Viðarr"

_________________________________________________________________ Her body is still as she glances around at the wall spreading out across the land. This large of a barrier surely hadn't been built by wolves, but one would never know. The crumbling rocks at her paws told a story lost forever to the past. Still, she was interested as the shadowed man got up to stretch and come down closer to her. Taking a few steps to sniff at the wall again, she glanced over to him as he spoke. "Y-yes, I w-would enjoy that," she responded quietly, her tone thoughtful and wispy as it normally was. Noticing that his accent was thicker than most she'd met, she appreciated that he took the time to speak the common tongue with her. "It is qu-quite beautiful a-around this area," Audra commented as her steps fell in line with his. Looking around at the trees and birds, she wondered if this could have been her home in the past. Towering mountains, a cool breeze, long feathery grasses that tickled her belly. If the temperatures weren't so extreme in these parts compared to Auster, she might have considered it. "A pleasure Vidarr Trygg, I am Audra," her voice is relaxed as she looks away from the wolf to see where Mack had wandered to. The larger feline had taken to go climbing into a tree for his own sort of exploring. Nestled in the shadows, the beady eyes of the cat watched her protectively. "D-do you and y-your family enjoy it here?" She asked with a flicker of her gaze back over to Vidarr. The air around them was warm and quite stuffy, but she enjoyed it. Colder weather never fared well with her. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

Viðarr was relaxed, happy to show the traveler around. The shadow is convinced that she's not of this world... in the best way possible. There's something quietly reverent about the way that he moves around her, the way he regards her. There would be no convincing Viðarr that she wasn't the allfather come for a visit, after all. Softly, he hummed to himself as he led the way back toward camp. Viðarr was careful as he set the cleaned bone down in the pile that his sister had been using to craft, and pulled a sheep's foreleg from the stores. His head picked up, casting a gaze towards Audra and her cat. "A snack, for your friend." Right, best to keep the companions happy. They tended to be good judges of character. Viðarr thought too, of Celeste and her cat... damn he really needed to find one.

"I think so too, and it's ah, good to be meeting you." Words were hard, but Viðarr was able to sort them out well enough to get by. Even in his mother tongue, the shadow wasn't much of a talker. Still, something about this Audra's presence was calming. Viðarr couldn't complain, and it was a good chance to practice the common language. It would be necessary, he supposed, especially if he was going to sit as their head of house. Frankly, it was the thing he was least looking forward to. Idle chatter would never be his strong suit. Pleasantries with other leaders, as a concept, were something he'd dread. It's likely he'd be able to pass those off to someone more competent... Auðr hopefully.

"We do. We're quite certain we'd like to stay." Viðarr offered a smile, gesturing broadly with his muzzle. "Where would you like to see first?" There were plenty of options up here, after all. The day was young, and he had all the time in the world to explore with her.
"Viðarr"

_________________________________________________________________ She wandered back with Vidarr toward his camp with Mack in tow. The feline had removed himself from his perch high in a tree to follow at a distance. In private, he preferred to cling to Audra's side to ensure her safety, but the large beast she was with now seemed more than capable of doing the same. Watchful yellow eyes never strayed as they paused at the camp. Audra smiled with a nod of her head as Vidarr offered the sheep's leg for Mack. "I a-am sure he appreciates it," she murmurs as she takes the leg from Vidarr to give to Mack. While Mack begins tearing into his meal with a loud purr of thanks, Audra turns her attention back to Vidarr. She assesses the man with a careful gaze and also appreciates him for speaking the common tongue with her. Many probably didn't think it was discouraging to not know other languages, but she wondered if it would make him more comfortable if she did. Maybe another time he could teach her. Thinking for a moment, Audra glanced around quietly as she gazed at the scenery. Truly, there would be a lot to explore in these parts. Dense woods of different varieties spread out around them. All of them were inviting in a way, but there was one location she had heard of that she wanted to see. "Up n-north of here, th-there is s-supposedly a ship b-beached on the shore. Have you b-been there?" She asks curiously as her gaze wanders back over to Vidarr. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A