The bitter chill of winter had begun to fade, making the north far more hospitable. Traveling to the far north - a good few days' journey, from where he had begun - was a far easier task now that the worst of winter had subsided. His heart was light tonight, as he crossed the vast plain of snow. It was rapidly nearing dawn, though the northern lights still lingered in the sky. They cast a marvelous display of colors down onto the gleaming ice and snow, a soft palette of pastels that could only be seen to be truly appreciated. The brute wore a smile as he moved, feeling a hunger settling in his stomach with each mile that he crossed. He had not truly fed, on reindeer, in so long. Too long. Soon the herd would begin to migrate, to gather and to breed, as they always had done and always would do. It would be an opportune time to pick off some of the weaker of the herd, those that had not persevered through the harsh winter - yet it was not something he could do on his own. Aki would not feast on the dead and to take down a full-sized reindeer was a likely death sentence. He felt the hunger, felt it wracking him and he would suffer with it until he found a suitable meal, or better yet.. a fitting partner to help him hunt the food he truly craved. Massive paws carried the tusked creature across the field of glaciers, smooth and seemingly endless... it seemed as though the world might never end here, for all he could see was snow and ice and the brilliant, gleaming lights overhead, and he heaved a grateful sigh as he moved. He could ask for nothing more than this.

note: set in the frozen field.

Light glimmered of the glaciers and the vastness of the frozen tundra. The expanse of snow seeming to glow eerily in the moonlight and the shimmering tendrils of the northern lights. Duvká was watching the lights quietly, feeling safer in the open tundra than the creepy forests he'd explored farther south. He was almost certain he'd run into jiettanas in that place. The cannabalistic giants weren't creatures he wanted to meet when he was alone but if he was back with more of the Jarvela it might be worth it to bring one down. They could feed the tribe for weeks and he'd heard rumors that their stomachs were filled with gold and silver… though he didn't really believe this. Why would their stomachs be filled with such things? But he could not deny he was curious.

Slowly the sun would tip over the horizon, spilling its pastel light onto the terra. Duvká took a deep breath. While others might see the tundra as a dead place he could feel the life in the earth and air around him. It was a truely breath-taking place. Crimson eyes narrowed though as he noticed a lone form scaling one of the glaciers, coming closer to him. Instinctively Duvká dropped down but as the form neared he recognized the tusks and reddish markings. At first he was certain his eyes were deceiving him but as the form before him vanished neither into the air or into the ice he could only conclude that it was real. "Áki? On se todella sinä?"

"Speech"

The hunger that gnawed at his belly could be ignored, for now. It was not enough to distract him entirely - he had felt far worse things than this, and far greater hunger. The beautiful of the night, of the brilliant colors that stretched over the sky and illuminated the flat plain of ice and snow, was enough to arrest his attention entirely. Tonight was too good of a night to suffer. Surely he could find a good snack later in the evening, when he traveled to more.. hospitable lands.

It was difficult to hear the arrival of another here.. and even more difficult to scent it. The air was bitter and he felt the cold snaking into his nostrils with each sharp breath. The land seemed very desolate to him, and he hadn't expected the arrival of another. The voice was foreign, and yet somehow familiar at the same time, and he moved to face the stranger with no signs of wariness. There was little doubt this boy was a Jarvela, though it was amazing he had found him, and he found himself breaking into a wide grin. There were not many wolves here - or anywhere, really - that had tusks, so it wasn't a difficult deduction to make that he must be Aki.

"Näyttää siltä Järvelän ei ole tarkoitus olla erillään," he greeted him with a hearty wag of his tail as he moved to close the distance between them. First Mikkal, and now.. whoever this was. "Olen Aki. Kuka voisit olla, poika?" He had always believed in fate - in that the world often had plans for each individual, and this was no exception. He was merely grateful to be reunited with his kin, even if it was one he did not yet know.

Duvká was honored to meet Akí.  He'd glimpsed the other as a young boy but they'd never really met but everyone knew of the tusks.  It was hard not to hear stories about such a feature and Duvká found himself intently curious on how Akí acquired them and if the spirits had something to do with it.  Though, he supposed that was all rather personal information. Duvká had also heard that the other man had left though he'd never heard the reasons why.  Perhpas Akí was also on a spirit journey?

Duv smiled as he was greeted, his own tail wagging lightly as he took in the others scent. "Se onkunnia tavata teidät , Aki . Olen Duvká Jarvela poika Sonja , joku serkut.." He hoped that was enough information to help the other man pin him down in the family tree. Mitä teet kokonaan ulos täältä

"Speech"

It was a relief to hear his native tongue. He did not mind speaking the language of these lands, but his family's own language came far more easily, with little effort. His grin was wide and genuine as he regarded this boy - he was not a child, but young enough to be a child of his - and his tail wagged in a wide arch behind him. Gladly he would move forward, seeking to arch his neck around the other man's in a brief display of affection before pulling away once again

"Ja se onilo tavata, poika Solja," he spoke earnestly, his gaze moving from Duvka to search the sky. "Jumalat tanssia tänä iltana. En halua ajatella jättää sitä." The display was quite magical, something he'd seen before, but not a common display.. and the colors were pleasing to the eye and to his soul. "Vai tarkoitatko , miksi olen niin kaukana kotoa?" Not that home to their tribe had ever been a single place.. but they tended to move along the same migratory paths each year, and this was far from their usual grounds.

While it was not necessarily what he was seeking Duvká was pleased to run into family this far from their typical haunts. Were any of the others here? He wouldn't mind seeing them all for a bit, however, he did travel this far for a reason and unfortunately it was not to gab with relatives. But surely a few moments to catch up wouldn't hurt anything?

Duvká nodded. "Kyllä , mitä pakottaa voit matkustaa niin kaukana meidän tyypillinen reitit ? Oletko löysi toisen lauman seurata ?" Duv watched the Akí and wondered how in tune the older man was with spiritual matters. Perhaps he could offer Duvká some guidance? "Aki , miten yhteyttä olethenkiä ? Saanko kysyä tai kaksi ?"

"Speech"

Aki's grin could not be mistaken as anything less than genuine. Family was at the top of his list of things most important in life - and it had been some time since he'd been around a kindred soul.

He shook his head in regard to Duvka's question. "Se on ollut aivan liian kauan, koska olen nähnytporot," he admitted with a faint bit of sadness touching his voice. "Olen viettänyt paljon aikaa etelämpänä. Ajattelinpohjoisessa ansaittu läsnäoloni." His words were light and carefree, and he let out an easy chuckle at his own words. It seemed Duvka had something weighing on his mind, and he shifted the conversation with ease, his tones far more solemn. Aki's eyes would move from the glimmering lights, fixing on him somberly. It was an interesting question, and one he wasn't certain exactly how to answer. "In Touch tarpeeksi, kai ," he would answer after a moment. "Vaikka siellä on aina parantamisen varaa , olen innokas puhua teille näistä asioista. Mikä sinun?"

Duvká turned slightly away at Aki's answer to his first question. Reindeer sightings were becoming more and more scare and the shift in the climate was harming their numbers. He could feel the possibility of their lifestyle vanishing humming ominously in the pit of his stomach. No, they'd endure. They always endured. There would be more sightings of the reindeer come fall. Duvká's breathing slowed as he tried to feel the world around him. Something must be disturbing the spirits, surely that would explain recent events and the state of the world. He had to figure out what it was and do everything in his power to help. There was so much riding on this spirit journey.

Aki let out a carefree chuckle but the earlier hint of sorrow in his voice was not missed by the younger man. The world around them was changing so rapidly. Olen huolestunut valtion maailman ja haluan saada vahvempi yhteys henkiä . Tarvitsen viisaus mutta en tiedä miten löytää sitä . Joskus ... Olen niin kaukana henkiä . Joskus ihmettelen, jos ne ovat todellisia .. His voice trailed off sorrowfully as the weight of his concerns spilled from his lips.

"Speech"

Aki's felt honored that his cousin was coming to him about such important things. It was strange for them both to be in unfamiliar lands, and he swore he felt Duvka's presence grow a touch more solemn at their musings. It had been some time since he'd had such a spiritual conversation - most wolves here were curious, and some had asked questions, but they did not feel the spirits as he did, in each blade of grass and in each gust of wind that tousled his fur.

Duvka's thoughts were darker than he anticipated. He doubted the existence of the gods? Aki did not, but he felt he could relate nonetheless. "Saanen kysyä teiltä,", he would start wistfully, briefly turning his head from Duvka to examine the vast expanse of land before them. The ice seemed hauntingly desolate, but beautiful in its starkness. If anywhere, perhaps he could find solace here - in the dancing lights in the sky, a view that few saw in all their lives. "Jos jumalat eivät olleet totta, olisi edelleen elää kuin teet nyt?" They lived simple but fulfilling lives, focused firstly on survival and secondly on self-sustenance. Their culture had always taught them to love freely and to squeeze everything out of life they possible could. "Olet vielä Duvka Jarvela," he explained gently, dipping his tusked skull as he fixed his gaze on his kin again. "Ehkä olet yksinkertaisesti etsivät väärästä paikasta löytää ne. Jumalat ovat olemassa yhtä voimakkaasti hymyn muukalainen kuten he tekevät nämä valot täällä," he suggested, gesturing with his snout to the sky.