”Common language” ”Translated Finnish” Winter was here. It reminded her of home. The temperatures, the brisk air. The smell. Maybe she was crazy, or maybe her sense of smell was keener, but winter air had a distinctly wintery smell to it. Spring was moist and moldy and breezy, but winter? Winter was cold and empty. There was a starkness to its scent that no other season had. Sabine's musings were cut short as the wind changed directions and the smell of another reached her nose. Whoever they were, they were close. The smell was distinctly feminine and underscored by the faint hints of the fae's season that still lingered on her person. She wasn't sure how close the other was and with the brisk wind doing its best to cover up possible sounds of approach, her straining ears struggled to make sense of the muddled noise. Sightless eyes squinted in annoyance as her ears and nose continued to vainly search for the location of the other. Why wasn't she calling out? Isn't that what people did when faced with the presence of another? Her tone a bit brisk, she queried, ”Uh, hello?”

Walk | Talk | Think With winter came relief. Her season was passed and no longer sending her hormones into a raging fit, leaving her with some sense of normalcy for the first time in months. Or at least what should have felt like normalcy. Callisto's decision to leave her pack had been made in a rash moment of emotional turmoil caused by her heat, and all the time she had spent since as a loner had been under the mind-altering spell of that seasonal problem. Only now it had receded and she was forced to come to terms with all the decisions she had made during that time and try to figure out where to go from there. She had not wanted to think about her pack, or her rendezvous with Jakart, so she had made herself focus on her plants. Unsurprising, and yet still somewhat disappointingly, the cat had remained, still doing her part by making quick remarks whenever things became too quiet for her liking. Callisto's patience appeared to have been restored now that her season was gone, but it still did not make the cat any less annoying. But for the most part the feline gave her space, grew bored with her mistress's constant attention to her plants, and wandered off on her own, leaving the grey-legged healer to herself with no other company but the meager store of medicinal plants that she had managed to save through the previous season. Now was time to take stock of them again, and see what could keep through the winter. She was busy at it, sifting carefully through the small piles of herbs and plants that she kept within a hollow at the base of a tree, when she heard soft, approaching steps of someone growing closer. An ear twitched, and for a brief second of inattention she thought it might have been the cat returning from whatever it was that she did to keep herself busy. But the sound was too heavy for that, too loud... Callisto blinked, finally tearing her attention away from her plants to turn and glance over one shoulder at the noisemaker. Not the cat, and neither was it anyone she knew. Her brow furrowed in a show of puzzlement above her silver-blue eyes as she regarded the tall stranger. Had the wolf noticed her? Was she walking her way purposefully or did she intend to keep moving on past her? The latter became the answer as the other offered out a tentative greeting, and at first the dark colored wolf did not answer. Why was it a question? Did she expect to be ignored? She ought to answer, Callisto thought, and a bit reluctantly she called back, "Hey." Could she really get away with just that? Why had she spoken in the first place; she should have just stayed quiet. "Passing through?" she questioned, though she honestly did not expect much of an answer. It was not her business, and if this wolf was anything like her she would be reluctant to give out too much information anyway. She really should have just stayed quiet.

”Common language” ”Translated Finnish” Several beats of silence followed her greeting. Sabine's irritation ticked up a few notches. She knew someone was there. Her eyesight (or lack thereof) might have sucked butt, but her other senses worked perfectly fine. The giant knew when she was in the presence of others. Finally a simple "hey" reached her ears and the fae zeroed in on the location of the speaker. Her face tipped down, sightless eyes seeking to rest somewhere in the general vicinity of the stranger's face. The voice sounded again, this time voicing a question. "Always," she answered cryptically. It was true. She was always passing through; never staying in one place too long. Not that the stranger needed to know that, but she had asked. Offhandedly, she added, ”Name's Sabine. I'm actually searching for someone although I'm betting I won't find him here.” This was the point in the whole "meeting someone" shtick where she showed interest in the person she was talking to. With that in mind, Sabine asked, ”And you? This feels like a lonely place, I can't imagine a home being made here.” There wasn't a pack scent in the area nor one on the fae, so she was assuming the woman was a wanderer too. Was she just "passing through" as well?

Walk | Talk | Think There was something distinctly peculiar about the way the wolf's attention fixed upon her only after Callisto had spoken. It was like the tall woman had only known vaguely a moment before where she was and had needed that little touch of sound to solidify the picture. It should have been obvious, but it took the healer a moment for the pieces to connect, and when they did they did so quietly. She's seeing with her ears. Did that mean her eyesight was off? The healer inside of her was instantly intrigued, wanting to poke and prod about the issue to learn as much as she could, but the other part of her, the predominantly hermit part, missed the quiet already. This was not getting her plants organized. Her precious winter stores were still on her mind as she reclined to sit where she had stood, giving her attention over to the wolf who was, for the time being, passing through. That was good news as far as Callisto was concerned. Even when part of a pack, she had rarely gone out of her way to get to know her packmates, and now that she no longer had the pressuring unities of a pack forcing her into conversation she was even more reluctant to engage in it now. Though from the sound of what this wolf meant by coming here, Sabine had better things to do, someone to find. "Probably not," the healer answered matter-of-factly, recalling how few others that she tended to see on a daily basis. Well, wolves anyway; the cat was a whole other story. Perhaps it was politeness or a genuine curiosity that prompted the passerby to ask about her and offer an unsolicited comment on the lonely state of the Nook. With Sabine's words rounding in her head, the grey and black wolf glanced about her, trying to see the state of things in the same manner that her company did. It did look pretty empty, and scent-wise there was not a whole lot to go off of. But those where all characteristics that had kept her here once she arrived. "It's temporary," she stated, because it was - she was not at all sure how long she intended to stay here yet - "and it's only loneliness if you prefer company." In her eyes, it was peace, quiet, and freedom.

”Common language” ”Translated Finnish” The stranger seconded Sabine's suspicions that she was unlikely to find Aki in these parts. Well, damn. Part of her had been hoping this woman was going to scoff at her assertion and comment on the massive amount of traffic that passed this way. Of course it didn't smell well traveled, but it was entirely possible that she had unknowingly skirted some kind of wolf highway. "And it's only lonely if you prefer company." Touche. Sabine dipped her head slightly to the side in agreement. "True enough." She wasn't really a social butterfly herself. She had to be the right mood for companionship. It was nice to shoot the breeze every once in a while, but once she'd reached her fill of niceties and whatnot, the giantess was more than happy to move on. Sighing, Sabine mock grimaced in exasperation before parting with the words, "Well, I may as well ask, you know? Doesn't hurt to, in any case. Perhaps you've seen one of my siblings. My sister, Sunniva, looks like me, although she's a bit shorter and "fluffier" than I am. And then there's Aki," Oh, Aki. "If you've seen him you'll know it. Big guy, my height, with tusks," Here came the now familiar line, "Like a pig."

Walk | Talk | Think The tall female wolf allowed her a point for her response, to which the solitary healer was glad. At least here was someone who understood how important the quiet could be to those who enjoyed and even required it, even if she was not one of those individuals personally. Receiving a disbelieving stare or some outrageous remark that lacked comprehension had seemed just as likely when she had spoken it, but this was a much more pleasant outcome. And maybe she would refrain from getting too offended if Callisto decided to cut things short. Maybe. Just to give it a shot and see what she could get, the grey passerby attempted to offer short descriptions of the wolves that sought, a sister as well as the male previously stated. Quietly, the black and grey healer listened, though she knew immediately that she had seen no other woman similar to the one that stood before her. Her height alone was something that immediately set her apart from others, and her markings only added to that effect. The pig look the brother possessed earned a clear, skeptical frown, and no matter how she tried envisioning it she could not imagine that it was real. Was this a joke or something? Or did this wolf, who she suspected could not see as reliably as others, really believe her brother resembled a pig? Whatever the case, Callisto knew she was going to be of no help. She let the skepticism and disbelief slide from her features as she shook her head, choosing to ignore the likely fact it was partially made up, and added aloud, "No. Haven't seen either." The fluffy female she could imagine, but a wolf with tusks? That was something she would definitely need to see to believe, though she doubted ever getting the chance. "If you travel further east, you're bound to hit a pack border, though." Surprisingly helpful, Callisto offered what advice she could. Packs were social things and attracted all sorts of attention; it made sense someone from one might have seen either of the wolves this Sabine searched for. "You could have better luck there finding your sister and...pig-brother."