The eeriness of the forest was not at all lost on Eyrún, though unlike most wolves she very much enjoyed this more... sinister atmosphere. She felt strangely more at home here, weaving between the moss-coated trees, obscured from wandering eyes by the heavy fog that hung low to the forest floor. It wasn't yet dawn, only the faintest slivers of light beginning to break through the darkness of night. There was plenty of time to move uninterrupted through the forest before day truly broke, and only then would Eyrún settle down to rest for the remainder of the day. For now, she was content to wander the forest, grateful for the quiet morning. Occasionally the serenity was disturbed by the sound of leaves rustling in the wind, or a creature scuttling through the trees up ahead. Or, most recently, by the distinct sound of a bird's wings as it passed by her, sounding like it had come mere inches from her head. Surely the sound was just an illusion? Her calm pace slowed to a crawl as she swiveled her head around, searching for the source of the sound. Only briefly did she see a flurry of black wings, hardly visible at all through the permeating darkness. Not just one.. but two sets of wings? At first Eyrún guessed the night might be playing tricks on her - perhaps she was seeing illusions that were only furthered by the uneasy atmosphere, but only when a raven emerged from the fog and came to rest gracefully on an upturned tree root mere feet from here did she realize she wasn't seeing things at all. No, this bird was here in the flesh, tilting its head at her quizzically as it studied her. Eyrún returned the look thoughtfully, finally coming to a halt. It wasn't long before a second bird swooped down to join the first, only slightly smaller. Eyrún was hardly stunned, though she was pleasantly surprised by their arrival. She wasn't quite sure how she knew, but she knew right then they they'd been sent to her - a gift from the gods, perhaps! Oh, what a delight. Eyrún found herself grinning as she took a few steps toward them. They made no effort to flee, despite her proximity, the larger of the two even hopping down from his perch to get a closer look at her. "You will be Huginn," Eyrún offered the bird a name, one quite symbolic. She was reminded of a story from her childhood, of Odin's raven's who traveled the world, acting as the god's eyes. This was similar, wasn't it? Nothing else quite made sense. Though she didn't believe they were the same exact birds, she recognize that they could very well be a sort of spiritual successor; the power of the gods and goddesses was strong enough to bring about such a thing, she truly believed. "And you - Muninn!" The two ravens seemed delighted by her acknowledgement, at least as far as she could tell. They would act as her eyes when she could not see, if all went well - oh, how useful Eyrún would be to Valkyrie now!

Skælingr found a nice flat area in the forest to get a fire built. It was a well shaded forest, dark and misty but Skæ wasn't put off by the darker edge to the atmosphere. He had work to do and there was little that was going to distract him. Skælingr placed his paws on a stone and then flipped it over. He flipped it again until he had it added to the fire ring he was building. The close stones were easy, the far stones… not so much. He took a scrap of deer hide with him and laid it down next to another stone. Using his paws he flipped it onto the deer hide. Grabbing a corner of the hide he dragged the rock back to the fire and flipped that rock into place as well. Rock by rock he eventually got a good fire ring going. Now he needed fuel. It shouldn't be too much of a problem in these shadowed woods though it was best not to go too far. The last thing he needed to do was get completely lost. Skælingr worked through the woods gathering sticks when he caught the scent of someone else in the forest. He heard a woman's voice and went to investigate. What he found was a woman with two ravens. He couldn't say anything with the scrap of deer hide full of sticks in his mouth. "Speech"

The fog was so thick that Eyrún hadn't noticed a fire being kindled up ahead, and her attention was on other matters anyway. The ravens before her were no doubt sent from the gods themselves, as no other explanation quite made sense; they did not flinch as she drew closer, instead drawn to her like a magnet. Before long she realized one had spread its wings and swooped over onto her back, while the other hopped to a more useful position, on a low-hanging branch as he continued to regard them. How useful indeed! Her thoughts were broken by the sound of someone's approach, a quiet but unmistakable sound of crunching through the otherwise still underbrush. A male with dusty brown features appeared through the fog, clasping a mouthful of.. something. Sticks, maybe? She wasn't completely sure, though she spun around to face him, feeling Muninn's talons digging slightly into her pelt to maintain balance on her shoulder. "Ah. Hello there," Eyrún greeted him lightly, feeling a touch less manic than usual. Today was a special day, after all, and though she was quite thrilled at the moment she felt like a level of calm was required of her. "What's that you've got there, hm?" She quirked a brow in inquiry as she took a few steps closer to him, feeling even more emboldened than usual with her new companions' presence.

The woman turned and greeted him and Skælingr bent his head to gingerly set down his bundle of sticks so he could answer. "Greetings. I didn't mean to disturb you, I'm just gathering some kindling for my fire. You're welcome to join me if you like, I was just on my way back." He picked up his bundle of sticks and headed back toward his fire ring which wasn't far away at all, maybe 50 feet. He set down the bundle and went about preparing the wood for a fire. First he set down two log pieces with a space between them. Then he set two more crosswise on top of the first two, continuing to leave a space. That was all he'd found for large pieces. He was sure there was a way to chop wood into useable pieces. He did plan to make another axe but he was still working on the best way to wield one. Skælingr next took a number of small sticks from his kindling bundle and added them to the middle. He carefully arranged them then added dead leaves and pine needles on top for kindling. "Speech"

The stranger didn't hesitate to explain what he was doing, as soon as he deposited his bundle of sticks. Though Eyrún had never really messed around with things like starting fires, she was quite curious when it came to what methods he'd use to do such a thing. Nodding to express her interest she trailed after him, hearing the sound of the second raven taking flight and settling down on a higher tree branch as he followed her and Munin through the forest. She didn't walk far before Skælingr stopped and set to work, arranging the sticks in a meticulous manner. Carefully she watched from a distance, trying to remember what exactly he was doing so that she might replicate it later. "And how do you intend to light it?" She finally asked, curious rather than challenging. As she spoke she remembered they had yet to bother with introductions, something that seemed less important than the little lesson he was unwittingly giving her. "I'm Eyrún, by the way."

Skælingr eyed the kindling for a moment before adding a bit more, scooting some closer to the edge of the fire ring so the spars wouldn't have to go quite so far. Now that he thought about it… he grabbed a small branch and carefully arranged some kindling on top of it, setting that on the edge of the fire ring so he could strike right into that and then when it caught flame he could set the stick on the fire to start the rest of the kindling. "A pleasure Eyrún. My name is Skælingr. Well… with a prayer at this point." He chuckled. "I jest. I intend to use flint and steel but it takes some doing to get it to actually work." He dug about the hide stretched across his travois and pulled out a chunk of flint which he set on the fire ring. He then grabbed a piece of steel. He set one paw on the flint to hold it stead with his weight. He then, with the steel in his teeth, twisted his head sharply so that the steel struck against the flint. He did this several times, pausing to adjust the steel in his teeth until at last the kindling caught a spark and slowly grew into a small flame. Skælingr gently maneuvered the stick onto the fire so the rest of the kindling could catch. "There's plenty of sticks around. Would you like to try? You're welcome to use my flint and steel if you like." "Speech"

Whatever he was doing was peculiar, and she was fascinated even if she didn't fully understand the process. Hopefully she would soon. The way he stacked the kindling was quite methodical, she noticed, but his answer didn't betray complete confidence in his ways. He earned a low chuckle from her - at least he was being honest, even if he was jesting. "I see," she replied simply, settling down near the fire but maintaining a safe distance from him nonetheless. Muninn was curious too, though seemed wary of the prospect of fire. Releasing her hold on her scruff, a few short flaps of her wings sent her off to hide in the wispy fog overhead, no doubt alongside her male counterpart. Whatever he was doing wasn't something Eyrún had ever considered but she was curious, even more so when he offered to let her use his tools. "May as well try," she agreed, far more nonchalant than usual. Twisting around she found a stray stick before dragging it back over toward his tools, mirroring his movements. Bearing down on the flint she grabbed the steel and swiped at it. It was clumsy going at first, but she tried a few times - encouraged when she saw sparks - until she finally caught the tip of the stick on fire. It only fizzled for a moment before dimming, but it was there nonetheless, and she grinned in delight.

Skælingr smiled as he watched the younger woman work at starting a fire. He could remember his first time and the excitement when the tinder finally burst into flame. "So what brings you out this way?" He settled down to work on another project while he started conversation though he certainly understood if the woman had things to do and places to be. He certainly didn't want to take up all her time. Digging in his supplies he pulled out a wedge of clay wrapped in a piece of deer hide. Skælingr took the bundle in his mouth and moved it over to a nearby rock. Taking one end of the deer hide he lifted up so that the wedge of clay rolled right off onto the stone and he could get to working it into something more useful. "Speech"

Keeping a fire going more permanently didn't really matter to her. Satisfied with her attempt, she handed back the flint and steel, shoving them back his way with a single paw. Though she'd be heading away before long, she didn't mind sitting around and chatting for a bit longer. What brought her this way, anyway? Eyrún had to pause and think for a moment. The fire, as well as meeting her ravens, had proved to be quite distracting, apparently. "I was hoping to get through this forest before day broke," she explained with a shrug. Why didn't really matter, but that had been her goal. "But a sign from the gods above distracted me a bit from my goal. Tell me, have you heard of Odin?" Eyrún was no fool - she knew not all wolves believed in the Allfather, but if he showed any interest or recognition she wouldn't hesitate and sharing what she knew, and explaining what signs she'd been sent by him tonight. It was a peculiar story, even if he didn't believe, and sparking even a hint of curiosity in someone who didn't really believe would be considered a success by her. A small success, sure, but a success nonetheless.

Skælingr placed his paw in the middle of the clay to crudely separate it into two pieces. He might as well make a couple bowls while he was working. He started rolling one with his paws into a rough circular shape. Moving toward the fire he took a stick in his mouth with a slightly flattened end from the way it had been broken. He used it to poke at the fire, scooting a little bit of ash onto the stick. Swinging his head delicately back around he dumped the ash onto the clay. Setting the stick down he began to knead the clay with his paws, working the ash in. He cocked his head to the side as the woman mentioned a sign from the gods then asked him about some fellow. "No, I can't say I have. Is he a friend of yours?" "Speech"

Her gaze followed whatever he was working on, but she was far more interested in their conversation than what he was crafting. Eyrún was competent enough in multitasking that she was sure she'd get something out of watching him while they talked anyway, even if it wasn't readily apparent exactly what he was doing. She let out a shrill laugh at his question though, all but breaking the more peaceful air that settled around them. "No, not quite. He's one of many gods that I worship. He sent me a sign tonight, so I had to follow it." Briefly her gaze drifted to the treetops, where her new companions no doubt still were, cloaked in fog. "And now here I am," she concluded with a softer laugh, but her words were serious.

Skælingr continued to work the clay, kneading it with his paws until he was satisfied with the distribution of ash. He then worked to roll the clay back into a ball like shape before he started using his paw pads to shape the clay into a small bowl. As he worked he listed to Eyrún's words. The woman stated that she was talking about one of her gods. Skæ continued to focus on his work, not really knowing what to say. He and his wife didn't really have any strong religious beliefs. They felt that there was some creationary force in the world, some pattern unfolding in all living things but they did not have a name for it, nor did they practice any sorts of rituals related to it. "A sign you say? What do you think it meant." He glanced at the woman then set the pot down to dry before starting to clean up his work space. "Speech"

He was more interested in his work than her words, though Eyrún wasn't entirely surprised. She'd yet to meet any believers outside of Hjarrandi and while she'd be pleased to discover anyone shared even a fraction of her beliefs, she was not so naive to think the world worked that way all the time. "Two ravens, sent to me by Odin. For some time now I've felt like I've lost sight of something - and now here are two sets of eyes sent to aid me!" She let out a shrill of laughter, unnatural in its sudden intensity. Nearby in the trees one of the raven companions let out a low caw, as if agreeing with her... or at leats that was what she'd translate the sound as. "It's been interested, Skælingr, but I ought to continue on my way. May Thor give you strength, and Odin guide your way," she dipped her head curtly to him as she finally rose, giving him one last glance before departing.

-exit Eyrún-