Things were changing, and Kiela worried intensely for her caribou. When she'd strayed from Hemlock she wasn't even sure now- though she had nothing against the pack, nothing had really tethered her there without Víðarr. Her herd needed her more than any wolf, and so dutifully she found them and followed them. When spring rolled around she followed them to the far northern reaches of Boreas, pleased at just how many young they birthed this year. The herd was healthy and well, and their good fortune persisted through the summer. Until the blood red sky came, and tremors shook the earth. The north was not unaffected, but Kiela was ignorant to just how widespread these strange occurrences were. All she cared about was the health of her herd though, and so diligently she followed them. She'd seen how some prey animals seemed afflicted with something making them act strangely, but so far her herd was unaffected. She was pleased. Today they were grazing lazily amongst the tall trees, idly scavenging for lichen. Feeling as though they didn't need her undivided attention, she made to scout around the edge of the forest. She paused near the edge of a half-dug hole, noting a broken piece of a deer antler lodged down in the dirt. Sniffing at the hole, she carried on, wondering if she'd be able to find anything else that might give some insight into what was happening in the world.

Beneath the blood red sky, Víðarr does not know how to process. Doesn't know how to feel. All he can do is ride it out, as Ragnarök sweeps toward them. It would be rapid, and it would be deadly. The viking king can feel it in his bones, and knows all he can do is embrace it. On every level, whatever would be, would be. Trust the gods. Though Víðarr had gotten into the nasty habit of picking and choosing when he trusted them, this was different. Events long foretold. Now, all he was able to do is watch them unfold. Moving through the north, a hitch in his arthritic step, Víðarr doesn't believe his eyes at first. That was surely a trick of the light, or worse, of his mind. Though he hadn't been seeing things, perhaps this was a first. But as a friendly breeze kicked up, Víðarr broke into a lope. No, it really was her. Head picking up, gaze brighter than it had been in who knows how long. A lofty wag to his tail, the familiarity breaking over his expression. "It seems like, when I need you most, you always appear." A gentle light in his tone. It's almost out of place, given the circumstances. Still, Víðarr closes the gap between himself and Kiela, unable to be anything less than happy to see her. A shelter in the storm. He'd missed her. Beyond everything else, he'd missed her. Reaching out to push his muzzle to her cheek, if she'll let him, Víðarr is just glad to see her whole. "Víðarr"

Her head bowed low, Kiela sniffed hard at the frozen ground, trying to see if there's anything else she could discern from the scents here. The uncertainty didn't bother her- she'd been through enough that she knew the world always had a way of righting itself. Things that were this far out of her control didn't bother her much, either. Everything would happen exactly as it was meant to. It was her job to keep her caribou safe though, so she'd focus on that task, on the one thing she could control. She was so engrossed in her task that she barely noticed his approach. She never let her guard down like this- she flinched, head swinging to face the source of the voice, blinking and trying to register who it was. Víðarr always, always, had a strange way of appearing when she needed him the most. Once she came to, a genuine smile slid over her lips. It came far more easily than it normally would, and the warm affection that shone in her orange eyes was unmistakable. Her own tail gave a slow wag, tension sliding easily off her shoulders. "You're okay," she breathed, as much a statement as a question, leaning into his touch. It was familiar, a comforting gesture amidst all the strangeness that was happening as of late. He was, as always, exactly what she needed in that moment. "You're okay, right?" Her inquiry came after a moment, when she finally pulled away and got a better look at him. She'd missed him, and it was obvious in the way she studied him so closely just how much she cared, in a way she rarely felt about anyone else.