Sparrow wasn't fond of the north still. She never was except for the time she could use it as an excuse to cuddle next to Han- a cute girl.

Which seemed fitting because, by scent, it seemed like they- they being Hanako and the boring old men she bedded with- had decided to settle up here. Good, they could freeze in hell. for all she cared. But also it made it harder to excuse border parties and raids, which was lame. What could the north even have that was worth raiding for? Maybe Sparrow could send a thick-coated spy out there one day- meaning Sunder was out.

Well, at least the rest of the north was equally as miserable.

In stark contrast to Sparrow, the north was Kiela's home. Always had been and always would be. Maybe occasionally she'd stray further south, but even then she rarely went far and more importantly, didn't stay away for very long. The times when she felt comfortable enough to stray far from her herd here were far and few between. Not that they'd necessarily needed her lately, but still - it was her purpose and duty in life regardless of whether or not she was needed. It was her duty as a Jarvela.

Stalking through the tall redwood trees, she came across the scent of someone unfamiliar. Temporarily rerouting her course, she wrinkled her nose and sniffed hard at the frigid winter air. Snow crunched beneath her paws as she went, pausing once the stranger came into view. Orange gaze scoped her out from a fair distance. She was nearly the same exact size as Kiela and for all she knew she could very well be a Jarvela, especially given the colors of her coat. The likelihood of that being the case as abysmal though. Kiela let out a huff of air, accompanied by a soft bark of greeting as she drew closer.

Honestly, how anyone could smell anything in this cold was beyond Sparrow. She might as well been a sitting duck with the lack of her senses in the cold. Her nose ran, which she sucked and snorted through as she tried to breathe. Her ears flushed in a vain attempt to stay warm, but it just contributed to them burning around the edges. Her breath puffed before her, and she was convinced she was freezing little icicles on her whiskers. Her companions were not with her, and her eyes burned with both effort to peer past the trees and blink away the cold.

Was she being dramatic? Maybe. Did she jump when another wolf barked a greeting? Yrs, but she wasn't going to pout about it.

Sparrow turned with a slight shiver, who else was here and why? Sparrow barked back, trying to look calm and cool and relaxed, but she definitely probably read stiff. "Hey," she clamored out between softly jittering teeth, "You, uh, come here often?"

The feeling of the cold burning the inside of her nose was strangely comforting for the northern wolf. A slow inhale told her what she needed to know about the stranger, especially as she drew closer. She was a pack wolf, though it wasn't surprising Kiela had no idea which pack she belonged to, for she didn't really know a damn thing about any of them. Nor did she care to learn. Her brows furrowed as the stranger visibly startled at her presence, though otherwise she didn't react much.

"Uh... yes," Kiela started, her heavy foreign accent audible in her gruff tones. It wasn't how she expected the conversation to start and admittedly it caught her off guard, though small talk had never been her strength and she doubted it ever would be. The large female shifted her weight from one side of her body to the other, visibly uncomfortable. Not with the cold, but with the first conversation she'd had in a painfully long time. "Do you? Come here often?"

As Sparrow assessed the situation, she found that the other appeared to be friendly. Awkward, but not hostile. She was greys and russet, and as large as they came. Even though Sparrow's type was more of the cute and dainty type, she could always respect and appreciate a woman of her stature and color. Sparrow cocked a smile, trying to still her teeth. The other asked if Sparrow came here often and Sparrow wondered how honest she should be. The woman didn't smell like a pack, and her accents only sounded vaguely familiar. Sparrow decided she could risk it. "N-no," she admitted, her teeth clicking together. "Heard a pack moved up here, thought I'd check it out."