dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

Winter might drive many a lone wolf from the north but it was not enough to dissuade the viking from returning to the lands she'd considered home. Naudir moved with grace through the building snow with not much of a destination in mind, at least not right this moment. She'd set up a temporary den in the shelter of the Red Forest. There were limited herbs she could hunt for in such terrain and after a wrong turn she'd found herself drawn to a narrow path through the mountains. She wasn't quite sure what had drawn her here but she continued to maneuver her way through the pass.

"Be careful Naudir, it could be slick." The girl nodded briefly to Branwen as Balthazaar took to the sky. "I'll scout ahead, be safe you two." Naudir nodded, she'd always erred on the sign of caution, more so now than ever and she came to a stop to watch the snow begin to fall as the raven disappeared into the misty haze.

*Navigation - Dreamer's Col (plus bonus event points)

The distant rumble had been heard in the East, Finch had been out wandering with Civetta when the noise sounded. It was very faint, but it must have been big to reach her ears from there. Unable to push down her curiosity, the pale girl cautiously made her way towards the north. She knew she was close when the temperature dropped and the snow banks grew larger, making her step with her paws spread wide to avoid falling into the powder below. Civetta nuzzled into the wolf's ear, her feathers puffing up as she tried to keep herself warm. It had been quite some time since Finch had even been up this way, there hadn't really been a need for her to wander up here. The last time had been when Ivalice held the festival, actually. It all looked so different now though, layers of snow making it hard to recognize where she was. Finch would have asked her bird friend to scout ahead, but it was far too cold for the tiny thing. So she allowed her to stay warm by her ear, trekking along with care. Soon the sight of a towering mountain came into view, causing the woman to look up at it with wide blue eyes. It looked a little more barren of snow then she would have thought, but could that have been the disturbance that she heard? Spurred on to find out more, she made a beeline for the mountain, seeing the paw steps of another wolf. Instead of risk breaking through, she followed the path left behind by the other, knowing that it would lead her right to the stranger. At the moment she didn't think of the dangers, her ears perked high as she grew closer to the looming mountain. The sound of a birds voice reached her, something that she could pick out with ease now that she had met Civetta and a few other bird companions. Even more curious, she trotted towards the wolf now that she had a path to follow. Soon enough the speckled-backed girl came into sight, slowing Finch down as she lost sight of the raven who had spoke. Civetta tucked herself away even more, not wanting to be seen by the larger bird. Not paying much mind to her friend, Finch let out a soft, gentle bark as she approached from downwind of the other female. She eyed the mountain if she did so, taking even more careful steps. If it had been an avalache, then the exposed snow was soft and powdery and could easily fall again. "Was that raven a friend of yours? Finch asked in ways of introduction, a soft smile on her lips. --

dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

Naudir eyed the mountain in its foggy cloak, aware of the shifting and rippling of the snow as more and more accumulated. In hindsight perhaps she should have waited before going up this way but she'd been receiving more and more troubling visions and knew she could not linger for long. The answers seemed so close she could taste them and she knew the gods were trying to tell her something important. Someone dear to her was in danger. Naudir shifted as she waited for Balthazaar to return, taking comfort in the weight of Branwen resting on her shoulder.

A gentle bark caught her attention and Naudir turned to see a pale, blue-eyed woman heading towards her. Naudir nodded her head slowly in answer to the woman's question, her own blue eyes gazing intently at the stranger as she replied softly, "Yes, that is Balthazaar. Who might you be?" Branwen shifted on her shoulder, the pale crow's pink eyes examining the stranger as intently as her larger companion.

At the sight of the second bird on the other wolf, Civetta tucked herself further into the woman's forehead. Finch wanted to sooth the bird, but didn't want to call her friend out. The younger woman turned to see her, nodding her head in answer to her question. The pale girl glanced back up at the sky, wondering what it was like to have two bird friends over one, and large ones at that. She adored her feathered friend, but she was pretty tiny! Balthazaar was the name that was offered, and she nodded her head slightly. It was an interesting name, something that she hadn't heard anywhere before. It was different, and not as original at Civetta. She just used her second language to help her out there. When a question was turned her way, she sat down and smiled still at the stranger. "I'm Finch, and this is Civetta," she said gently, tipping her chin up quickly to nudge the finch. She peeked out, her tiny chest moving in quick succession as she eyed the pale raven. It was a fear instinct that was built into her, and she didn't have a way to calm her down. Trying to pushed past her frightened companion, her head tilted to the side slightly as she tore her pale eyes away from the speckled wolf, looking towards the large mountain behind her. "Do you know what happened here? I heard a loud rumble from my pack lands." --

Naudir felt comforted by Branwen's claws on her shoulder, the gentle, reassuring squeeze.  Not that Naudir felt the girl was any sort of threat to her.  She was of the Finnvi line.  There were few that could escape her well-trained jaws even if she preferred other pursuits to battle.  Katja was not the kind of wolf to let any of her children wander without the knowledge of defending themselves.  It was a matter of pride and honor.   The girl… well, woman really, now that Naudir got a good look at her.  She was a few years older but something about her mannerisms still made Naudir think of her as younger than she was.  She introduced herself as Finch and her bird as Civetta.  Despite herself Naudir smiled lightly at the thought of a wolf with a little bird companion being named after such creatures. Naudir mulled over the woman's question. "I… I am not for sure, I have theories but-"  Before she could finish the quiet wisp of flapping wings caught her attention and Balthazaar landed on her shoulder.   "It seems there was an avalance recently.  The mountains are still restless, I do not know if it would be wise of us to pursue this route further."  He suddenly realized they had company and he hopped toward the woman, head twisting to the side as he eyed her up and down, feathers ruffling.  "And who might this be?  What do you want?  We've nothing for you!"   Naudir reached out with a paw and shoved Balthazaar over in the snow.  "They are Finch and Civetta.  Behave Balthazaar.  Finch… you say you are from a packland?  Which one?" "Talk"