Katja's life carried her along new routes now, venturing a bit out of the desert. The encounter with the strange blind crow had been unnerving to say the least and experience told her that the gods did not easily tolerate mortals meddling in their business so she had taken herself off elsewhere. Elsewhere, in this instance, was a muddy big lake dotted with stepping stones. A decent place, though not ideal for her as it appeared as though without the recent rainfall this lake would be empty and useless. Still, decent for now, until a better option made itself known to her. These... storms were delaying her plans, but perhaps that was for the best. One could not forestall the Thunderer's rage for petty mortal affairs, and her plans could always use refining. Still, the delay did grate on her a bit however much she counselled herself to patience, prompting her to spend more time in calming meditation practices and prayer. That was what she was doing currently, perched upon the shore of the temporary lake with her muzzle pointed out over it's waters. She didn't see the muddy water at the moment, with her eyes lightly closed and her ears pinned back to limit external distractions. She wondered if Auora was watching her at that moment, wondered if she could reach out with her soul and find her, but then let the thought go again to float in the void. ""

The desert was no place for a wolf, Freyja had concluded, but neither was the heart of a monsoon. The golden goddess was just about done with this accursed land. It was too full of imbeciles, inhospitable terrain, and... birds. So many birds, and they all seemed to have something to say to her. At least out in the middle of seemingly nowhere she had been able to find a sort of peace, even if it did come at a price to her comfort. Water was harder to come by than she might have hoped, just as meals were. Recently though something seemed to be changing. Heavy clouds rolled on the horizon and water had begun to trickle in even in the barren lands. Freyja had followed one such trickle for two days before arriving atop the rise which looked down upon a small lake. Stones dotted it's surface and the water was a muddy brown, but it was liquid and would do well enough. Freyja was about to descend the slope with a smudge of black caught her eye. There, alone on the shore below her, was another wolf. She looked lean, to be of good shape, but Freyja could make out little else from her position. The golden goddess sighed and narrowed her eyes. She would not abandon the watering hole for the sake of a anothers presence, but she had hoped to continue her solitude. She was almost certain now that this land had somehow cursed her, and she would have no peace while she roamed there. With a sigh the tawny fae began her descent, angling herself slightly away from where the darker woman sat. She would not disturb the woman unduly, and spared only a nod in her direction (a simple courtesy) as she passed on her way down the shoreline. Unappealing as the water looked, she was thirsty and the day was hot. "Talk" "You" Think

Though she floated in the dark void of her soul, she was not oblivious to her body's surroundings, so when the sound of footfalls reached her ears they twitched, and her silver eyes opened to slits to watch the other wolf's approach as she surfaced from the void. Though she'd returned fully to awareness, she kept a sliver of that nothingness within her, wrapped around her soul like ice. "Heil, fremde," she spoke, her voice low and quiet so as to barely break the silence. She didn't otherwise move to disturb the woman as she slaked her thirst, but studied her with a distant interest. Her bright blue eyes and her golden pelt with its creamy dapples made for an appealing appearance but it was the way she moved that caught Katja's attention. Not the way she flaunted, no, it was the more subtle panther-prowl beneath the sensual strut. This woman was a warrior despite her immaculate appearance, a kindred soul of sorts. Katja inclined her muzzle thoughtfully. Still on the edge of that dream-state, that meditation-induced void, there was a hint of unreality to the scene around her, a hint of god-touch prompting her. "You are a warrior," she finally broke the silence again with her observation, her tone kept low though loud enough for the stranger to hear her. "I am Katja Finnvi." She cocked her head to the side slightly as she watched the warrior-woman. "Will you give me your name?" "

Something about the woman was... odd. It was hard to place with any sort of precision but Freyja found herself on the border of fascinated and wary. She wasn't the sort to mingle in oddities, they didn't intrigue her, didn't prompt any sort of deeper thinking. They were annoying. And yet here this raven sat and Freyja could not seem to pass her by. Just walk, she told herself. Just ignore the strange woman and get on with your life. But she had been posed a question and her ivory pawsteps would grind to a halt. She looked over the woman with myriad questions in her eyes, but voiced not a one. Where had she come from, and why did she have that look in her eyes? Why she she seem so interested in Freyja's passage? It was flattering to a certain degree, and maybe that was what kept her tone civil when she finally did answer. "Well met, Katja." She dipped her head the smallest fraction, in greeting if not respect. "I am Freyja Hr??vitnisd?ttir." Now that she had done as asked, Freyja wondered if she ought to continue along her way. Getting ensconced in any sort of matters with rogues was typically unsavory, and very few could offer more than drivel and daddy issues. But here stood this dark woman, watching her as if she had just come to earth from another world entirely, as if she bore some ethereal aura. Freyja could not look away.