Aggie lay on her back, surrounded on every side by long, withered stalks of meadow grass. Dawn had just broken over the world, and frost still crusted the fronds, weighing them down until they bent and bobbed. Above her, wispy clouds drifted across the sky. The rising sun seemed to have gilded their edges with a bright, vibrant golden light. Aggie had woken herself especially early, several hours past in fact, to witness the winter stars that were on display in the wee hours of the morning. She had crafted her own names for the constellations to fill in the gaps in her knowledge left by the absence of her mother and father, but Asgeira didn't see any difference. They were the same stars no matter what she called them. As the encroaching sun burned the last of the stars away, Aggie rolled upright and shook out her fur. She smiled down at the neat little imprint her presence had made in the grass over the past several hours. Next to it, a clump of grass rustled and a tousled auburn head popped up from the offended clump. Aggie smiled down at the bleary look on the small marsupial's face. “Good morning, Ylva. Sleep well?” Ylva glared. “Alright, alright. Sun's up, lets go find something to eat.” Still too groggy for true conversation, the red panda grumbled and extracted herself from the rudimentary nest she had made and clambered up onto Aggie's shoulders. She flopped down with her limbs hanging down on either side, perfectly comfortable and seeming fit to fall back asleep at any moment.   "Talk" "You" Think

Though dusk was easily one of Kai's favorite times of the day, dawn was a close second - he loved getting up early, long before the rest of the world did, and spending time by himself before the possibility of encountering others. He was a man used to preoccupying his body most of the time, not one able to sit still for very long, so to take time out of each day to reflect was important. It was a beautiful morning, with the earth covered in crystals of frost that glimmered and sparkled as the sun started its ascent into the sky. Kai let loose a quiet yawn as he walked, briefly pausing to stretch out his forepaws and watch his breath form a cloud in front of him. His silver gaze followed his paws for awhile, watching the shriveled grass shrink beneath his wide paws as he took slow ambling steps onward. He wove between the clusters of pine trees, lazily examining his surroundings as he went. Food might be a decent way to start his morning, but he was too sleepy to really come up with any real plans yet. Not that he was the type to plan much; he was much more apt to simply come across a scent and follow, his day usually decided on a whim rather than any set agenda. The scent of a stranger, though, arrested his attention almost immediately - and he made no effort to fight his curiosity. It was rare he saw many wolves in this part of Boreas, especially after venturing further north as winter came, and he was almost always eager for company. Deftly he trailed after it, redirecting his aimless course with ease. Only when the female came into view did his pace slow, head tilting as he squinting to get a better look at her in the distance. He decided immediately, with little deliberation, that she was prettiest wolf he'd ever seen. Not that he'd met all that many females - and certainly none with such a brilliant coat. Even from a distance she looked like something from another world, a palette of soft silver and beige and white, like a soft sunrise glimmering over a sheet of ice and freshly fallen snow. His jaw unhinged, just slightly, as he gaped at her as he drew closer. He made no effort to conceal his interest in her, a friendly grin tugging at his lips. Kai's gaze wandered to the creature clinging to her back, though averted to her face as he closed the distance between them. "Morning!" he quipped easily, his tail curling slightly as it made a few slow wags behind him. "Your friend there looks quite comfortable up there," he stated, raising a brow as he assessed the duo further, his grin growing just a tad.

Despite her best efforts, Asgeira was not necessarily the most spatially aware creature. Her pin point focus often got her into trouble, as it seemed to wipe all of her other senses away. Such was the case this morning that she did not notice the male's arrival until he spoke. When he did, Aggie spun so quickly to face him that Ylva let out a squeak of surprise and nearly fell from her shoulders. Realizing that it was just a wolf, and a relatively friendly looking wolf at that, Aggie relaxed and allowed her shoulders to sag as her breath left her lungs in one big woosh. "Spirits! Do you always make a habit of sneaking up on folk so early in the morning?" Objectively, Aggie knew it was entirely possible that he had not been sneaking at all, that she had simply not noticed. However, the distinction was lost on her in the moment. "I suppose everyone has their own way of greeting the day," she said, voice belying a dash of both humor and sarcasm.   "And I was comfortable," Ylva groused, "Until I nearly made unexpected contact with a hard, flat surface. Less comfortable now." The red panda clambered upright so that her hind paws were perched atop Aggie's shoulders and allowed the upper portion of her small body to rest up against Aggie's neck, head resting atop her friend's own skull and forearms draping down over either side of the wolf's face. The drooping position was just the right size for the small marsupial, and incredibly inconvenient for Asgeira. "Much better," Ylva said, sounding satisfied with herself. Aggie sighed, arching her head up to dislodge the pesky mammal and having no luck. "What was that you said about making unexpected contact with a hard, flat surface?" Ylva didn't move, nor did Aggie follow through with her threat. Instead the young fae turned her head back to where she thought the stranger stood (it was remarkably hard to be sure, what with a red panda covering her eyes and all,) and sighed. "I'll have you know I'm blaming you for this, inadvertent actions or otherwise." "Talk" "You" Think

Kai was surprised by how surprised she seemed. The truth was, he wasn't the most light-footed of creatures, with his heavy build and wide set paws; it was rare for him to sneak up on anyway, and he wasn't generally interested in trying to in the first place. He nearly gasped as Asgeira spun around, his eyes widening slightly and his friendly demeanor faltering for just a second. Did he usually make a habit of sneaking up on folks? "I.. guess not?" Kai answered her question with a cheeky grin, his confidence returning to him after a momentary lull in focus. "Perhaps I should have tumbled in a bit more dramatically? Though if you didn't hear my pawsteps then, I'm not sure you would have heard me fall, either." His own voice was a touch sarcastic, and far from unfriendly. The woman didn't seem nearly as nonplussed as her friend, who grumbled something about his comfort before pulling herself up on top of Asgeira's head. Her limbs dangled down quite comically, obscuring the wolf's vision, though she still turned her head to face Kai - or attempt to face him, at the very least. A soft chuckle fell from his lips, and he shook his head. "Do you two always bicker like this?" He supposed the playful sort of bickering and irritating one another that they were participating in was far more amusing than living in peace all the time. His eyes widened a bit as she said she was placing the blame on him, a slightly incredulous look crossing his youthful features. "Absolutely not," he retorted quickly, denying his involvement in any such thing. "Don't worry, I'll help you out." Not sure what sort of animal this was, and not sure knowing would affect his decision any, he rounded to her side and moved to grab the red panda by the scruff, setting her down.. trying to do it as gingerly as he could manage. Which wasn't quite as gently as he had hoped, since he'd gotten a peek at her claws, and promptly dropped Ylva a fair distance from the ground. Sudden images of the fluffy red creature flipping around and clawing his eyes out suddenly penetrated his thoughts - though he wondered if dropping her was such a safe idea almost as soon as he'd done it. Whoops.

Having been blinded by her mischievous companion, the best Aggie could do was guess where this stranger stood. It wasn't much of a bother, more of a minor inconvenience. She could still hear the male and she supposed that was all she really needed anyways. It would seem this male had a sense of humor about him, and she found herself cracking a smile at his witty retort. "Well, if you'd tumbled I would have felt obligated to patch you up. Seems like more work for both of us, now doesn't it?" She hooked a wry grin at him, even obscured as it likely was by the panda draped across her face. The bickering between her and Ylva seemed natural to Aggie, nearly second nature. They had met when Aggie was very young and honestly, she didn't know how else to interact with the hardheaded creature. Perhaps it did look odd to outsiders, but it seemed just fine to her. "Bicker? I think you mean conversation," she said with a knowing, humored air. "Stick around for a bit longer and you'll know the bickering when you see it-" "Hey!" Aggie snickered. The man seemed plumb horrified that Asgeira would accuse him of being the cause of her current predicament. In fact, he would go so far as to attempt to remedy it all on his own. She felt more than saw him approach, and certainly understood once the weight on her neck lifted and was replaced by a hiss of pure fury. She opened her eyes to find Ylva, puffed up to the size of a pregnant raccoon, frozen in place as the man dropped her to the ground. He must have noticed the danger in his position because his eyes widened, and her friend did in fact unexpectedly meet a hard, flat surface. Aggie burst out in a cascade of guffaws. "How dare you-" The panda began, lunging towards the male. Aggie reached a paw deftly over the marsupial's shoulder, fighting to keep her in place. "Easy there, warrior," she chided. "He's much bigger than you." The red panda let out an outraged hiss but settled down into one single spot. The glare she sent him was seething with rage. "Much obliged," Aggie said, choking on her laughter. "You'll likely live to regret it, though." Well, she certainly hadn't been taught of poisons by her parents. "What's your name, stranger? I'll likely need to hunt down your family and tell them of your untimely demise." A gentle, gleeful smile curled across the edge of her mouth. "Talk" "You" Think

Was she a healer, then, he wondered? Her comment had certainly implied so - and she had a sort of mystical aura about her that made it an easy assumption, and he hoped he wasn't wrong. "I usually survive most tumbles without being patched up at all, so I suppose I'd heal quite well this way," he commented with a single brow raised. He didn't know anything about healing, had no particular interest in it - though he'd been lucky enough to not receive any serious injuries so far in life, only minor bumps and bruises. Although their relationship between the wolf and red panda seemed strange to him, it wasn't unusual enough to warrant much attention. He knew wolves were odd creatures, with different cultures and habits, as evidence by the tales his father had told him in contrast to the wolves he'd met in Boreas so far. "Conversation is certainly one word for it," Kai snorted in amusement, finding their dynamic more entertaining than anything. Almost as soon as he grabbed Ylva and more dropped her rather than set her down, Kai realized he'd screwed up. The red panda fluffed up angrily, hissing at him, quite clearly pissed off at being dropped. Of course, it wasn't a big enough distance to cause any real harm besides a bruised ego. Kai pretended to not flinch when she lunged toward him, though thankfully the wolf held her friend back. He straightened out his posture, hoping she hadn't noticed him flinch. Not that he was scared of.. whatever this creature was. Was it a cat? It looked mildly feline-like. But he definitely wasn't afraid, merely surprised, and he felt his ground, puffing up his chest slightly as he stared down Ylva as she visibly seethed in anger at him. "She's right, I am much bigger than you," Kai agreed a touch haughtily - seemingly encouraged by Asgeira's burst of laughter that suddenly filled the air. "And I've eaten creatures like you for breakfast once or twice." Okay, maybe not ones all that similar.. but certain of similar height and build. The panda's look had him chuckling, trying to portray an air of unrestrained confidence, but the look that he cast her was one that was a touch wary. It wouldn't be wrong to say be was ready to flee at a moment's notice, if she chose to lunge at him again."At least your friend seems quite fierce," Kai laughed appreciatively at Ylva's ferocity. He supposed to be a small creature who hung out with a wolf, you'd have to be pretty tenacious. "My name is Kai. Kai Jarvela. What about you and your little friend here?" He had a feeling being called little would only further agitate Ylva, which was the only reason he emphasized the world, grinning playfully all the while.

To Aggie, saying that the man rarely needed patched up when he tumbled implied that he tumbled often. She wondered at the adventurous life this young brute must lead, and would lead in the years to come. She cocked her head at him and stared as if trying to see through his outside visage and into what lay beneath. She listened, hoping to hear the spirits whispering secrets to her but all she heard was the wind, and as was usual a low murmuring just beyond reach. He reinforced that yes, he was somewhat bigger than the raccoon-like creature Aggie traveled with, and despite his evident apprehension he did his best to maintain a brave face in the face of her furious friend. Aggie snickered, and said, "Don't worry about this one. Ylva is more bluster than bite. Most of the time, anyways." Her small friend shot her a murderous glare. Aggie shrugged her shoulders, unruffled. "And don't bother implying that you plan to eat her, either," she said in a bored tone. "I've tried it one too many times. I'm afraid the shock of it has entirely worn away." As if to emphasize her point, Ylva leveled the young male a dry, unimpressed gaze that said she clearly wasn't buying it. In regards to the small creature Aggie had chosen as a lifelong friend and traveling companion, 'fierce' hardly seemed to do her justice. In fact her name meant 'Little Wolf' in Ylva's own dialect, a name that the marsupial herself had chosen upon joining up with the young wolf. Aggie might have said so, but she was caught short once the male introduced himself. Jarvela? Aggie gasped. "I don't recognize you," she said at first, accusatory and disbelieving. Then again, why would the boy lie, and how would he know to lie to her in this manner? She did not trust it to be true, but in a new light she began to recognize certain features in the older boy. To explain, she continued. "My name is Asgeira Aldfinnr. Aggie, if you please. My brother and I were orphaned when we were very young and taken in by a tribe with the name of Jarvela. Our family knew of their ways and followed them too, but we mostly kept to ourselves until..." She shifted uncomfortably. "Well, until our parents died. But I don't recognize you!" Her lamentory tone returned to accusation once again just there at the end, summoning her disbelief and ire. If this stranger was fibbing she would not be pleased at all! The Jarvela were good wolves and everything Aggie considered to be her family. If anyone was besmirching their name dishonestly, well... She would not let it stand! "Talk" "You" Think

wwww

Asgeira's gaze was bright and knowing - if he was any more cautious he would've found himself wary of her stare, but instead he welcomed her receptiveness, his expression only growing brighter and more friendly. Amusement, mixed with that same bit of cautiousness still in regard to the small red panda, shone in his silver eyes.  "I'm not so sure about that, but I'll believe you for now," Kai chuckled, fairly certain that without Asgeira's paw holding her back, that Ylva wouldn't hesitate to lunge at him. It didn't matter much since she was here, but he wasn't quite so sure he'd be interested in approaching the small creature if he found her alone. "I mean, eating felines never appealed to me much anyway," Kai admitted with a slow shrug. The truth was that he preferred prey that was bigger than him, or at least the same size as him, though he'd had less luck than he'd liked lately finding hunting partners. "You look like you'd be a bit too fatty for my liking.." His brows furrowed as he examined Yvla further, though the topic shifted and both of their attentions were drawn away as he offered his name and waited for theirs in return. His nose wrinkled slightly, confusion crossing his features. "I don't know why you would recognize me," Kai retorted quickly, his tone a bit sharp and a touch accusatory in turn. But she went on to offer her name, an unfamiliar one but one that held some similarities to his father's native tongue, the language he'd been taught in unison with the one they spoke now. But her next words caught him off caught - Aggie and her brother had traveled with the Jarvela? He, too, couldn't help but wonder if she was just pulling his tail or if her words held some truth to them. "You really were part of their group?" Kai asked, a touch hesitantly. "I'm not sure I believe you. I..." Kai furrowed his brows and pondered over what sort of questions he could ask her to prove the veracity of her claims. Of course.. he hadn't ever met any of them himself, so it wasn't an easy thing to figure out. "You should know my grandfather, then. His name is Aukusti. I've never met him, but my father's told me stories. If you really were there.. well, me what's different about him, say, compared to you or I." His face scrunched up indignantly - if she knew that he had tusks just as his father did, then he supposed he'd have to believe her!

Ylva seemed to be settling down after her bout of rough treatment, and Aggie nearly retracted her paw. Well, until the other male called her fatty, which brought about a new round of outrage. Aggie winced and used her paw to pull Ylva back a few paces. "You better watch it," Asgeira said to the male with a slight chuckle. "My paw is getting kind of tired here. I might not be able to hold her back for much longer." The red panda seethed, knowing that it would ultimately be a bad plan to attempt savaging the male, but it didn't stop her from wanting it. Honestly, Aggie kept the worst company! Hearing that this boy was supposedly part of the Jarvela threw both of them off balance. Aggie felt the barbs in his tone, and wondered if he was begin defensive of the group or of his fib. "Aukusti?" She let out a bark of laughter realizing that the name was in fact very familiar, and she knew the answer he was seeking as well. A broad grin split her face, realizing that Kai must be telling the truth. "Oh, I'm sure you mean his shining personality, neither of us has one of those. I can't think what else it might be." She pretended to ponder, fighting to control the mirth in her eyes. "Or I suppose his coat color. Quite distinct, that one." She flashed her eyes towards Kai, trying to read whether he was about to run her off or not. Finally she gave in. "Or maybe his tusks. But I doubt that's what you meant." Aggie flashed Kai a shit eating grin, wanting to see the look on his face when he realized she was just being an ass. Another Jarvela! She hadn't expected to find any of her adopted kin in this land, mostly because she doubted any of them would know her as such. Aggie wondered if Kai was here with with anyone she might have met before, but she bit her tongue to keep a million questions from being vomited out all at once. It was probably better to let everything sink in for a moment first. Her tail thumped against the ground and she looked down to Ylva with a bright look in her eyes. The panda slumped, knowing the battle was lost. If this boy was kin to the family that had taken Aggie and Jouko in, well... Perhaps she oughtn't maul him after all. "Talk" "You" Think

Kai was growing a touch less timid of the red panda with each moment that passed, realizing that she did seem to put on a bit of a show, and that she likely wouldn't actually attack him. And if she did? Well, it'd be an injury with a good story behind it, and it might just be worth it if it meant he got to continue to prod at the fluffy creature and see just how big she could make herself appear as she continued to seethe with anger. "Fine, fine, I'll give your poor paw a rest," Kai teased, knowing the prodding was all in good fun. While seeing Yvla get agitated was pretty amusing, he didn't have any cruel intentions behind it - it wasn't necessarily that he was selfless or overly compassionate or anything like that, but more so that he didn't care enough to intentionally cause harm to someone. What was the fun in straight up being mean, anyway? His brows furrowed as she repeated the name as though she'd said it before. He wouldn't believe her quite yet, and he found himself frowning in slight confusion as she spoke. It didn't take long at all for him to realize that she was toying with him, purposefully avoiding saying what he'd hoped she would confirm. Instead of growing irritated though, he simply waited, letting her entertain himself - and him in turn. "His tusks are exactly what I meant, but you knew that," Kai rolled his eyes a bit dramatically, though found his own tail batting lightly against the earth as he finally gave in and settled on his haunches. His father had told him that his own tusks had elicited quite strange reactions from the wolves here, from fear to confusion and mostly just curiosity, though allegedly they weren't quite so strange where his family hailed from. Once he relaxed, the confusion easily washing away from his youthful features, his grin returned twofold. "That's so cool! You must've met my cousin Kanja, then?" Kai's eyes widened, his gaze full of wonder and excitement that he made no effort to contain. "She's around here, too! I just met her recently. My father's name is Aki. He left the tribe quite a few years ago and found his way here, and his sisters eventually followed him. I've never gone to find the tribe myself but it seems I don't have to, with so many of them heading this way!" He panted, slightly winded from speaking so much, and so quickly, suddenly eager to learn everything that Aggie knew and to give her any information she might want, too. He couldn't help but feel lucky, as though the gods certainly had a plan for him, but then again he'd never doubted them in the slightest.

To Aggie's delight, Kai seemed mostly amused and only slightly irked by her teasing. She grinned at him when he confirmed that yes, he had in fact been referring to Aukusti's tusks. Her tail thumped against the ground and she smiled. She wasn't sure what the odds were of them finding one another like this, but she was certain it had to be low. "I suppose the spirit's have a plan for us, to direct us towards one another like this." Her smiled became a knowing grin, blue eyes seeming brightened by her intensity to a near silver color. "And yes, I've met Kanja! Your cousin, huh. You know, I can see it now that you mention it." Aggie looked the male over from head to toe, and certain facets of his appearance started to jump out at her as familiar. Why hadn't she seen it before? Ylva, unimpressed by the reunion but seeing her ire would get her no where, grumbled and began to clamber back towards the nest she'd made in the wee hours of the morning while Aggie had been stargazing, intent on going back to sleep if those two were going to start reminiscing. Meanwhile, Aggie was delighted to hear that there was in fact a decent number of the tribe wandering in this land. "I had no idea! My brother is here somewhere as well, but we tend to lose one another pretty often." She shrugged. "I would love to see Kanja again! And meet the rest of your family too, of course." Even if most of them were strangers to her still, it would be good to be amongst a familiar culture at least. Not to mention she would be far more comfortable asking them for help learning the best places to gather rare bits and bobs, as opposed to asking a stranger. "Are any of them healers, by chance?" She was, as always, hungry for knowledge and she had garnered a massive respect for the shamans and healers of the Jarvela. If she could continue the education, she would likely keel over from joy. Learning through trial and error was all well and good of course, but you could only trick so many wolves into eating something you were too afraid to test yourself. "Talk" "You" Think

A sabretoothed cat pulling a sleigh appears before you. "Happy holidays!" he purrs as he throws gifts to everyone. Then he leaps away again, but he calls over his shoulder before he disappears from sight, "May your season be merry and your future prosperous!"

All characters in this thread have been awarded 10 gems.

Please note: This post does NOT have to be acknowledged IC!

Kai believed that the spirits were everywhere - the gods had a touch of influence in everything, from every breath of wind to the movements of each living creature, no matter how big or small. Though he certainly didn't everything was predetermined, not at all, he knew everything was somehow connected.. and that there was a reason he had met with Asgeira, as well as with Kanja and Mikkal too. "I think you're right," Kai affirmed her statement with an eager nod. His own eyes were bright with excitement; calling them expressive might actually be a bit of an understatement. "And I have to say I'm quite glad we are kindred souls. Saves me from getting my eyes clawed out by this one -" Kai shot a tentative look toward Yvla, not sure he would ever fully trust her as Aggie did. "- and she can sleep soundly knowing I won't try to make her my dinner while she's unconscious." He shot the small fuzzy creature a sly grin and a wink, though he was sure Yvla would only glare at him in return. Kai was a bundle of nervous excitement, bouncing slightly on his paws as he sat. "Ah, I'd love to meet him! What's his name? I'm sure Kanja would enjoy meeting you as well." He thought back to the time they'd spent at the volcano - he wondered if Asgeira would find the place as wonderful as he and his cousin had. He had a slight inkling that she would, at least a little bit. Her question had him take pause, wondering.. were any of them healers? Kanja hadn't said if she was, though he had a feeling she wasn't, and he was sure Mikkal wasn't - he was far too devoted to the herd to spent time on other interests. "I don't know that any of them are healers, sadly. I presume you are one?"  Kai quirked a brow in inquiry. Her comment earlier about patching him up had definitely implied she knew a thing or two about healing, but this only confirmed it. "I don't know a thing about it myself." Kai offered an aimless shrug, hoping the information didn't disappoint her too much.