She was nearly home. The large woman had, in her grief stricken state, left her home and family behind. Not having a father as a young girl had been hard enough, but when Avalon died it had been devastating. She'd known it was coming, their mother had already aged a lot when she'd given birth to she and her siblings, but it didn't make the pain from the loss any less. Despite knowing she should have stuck around to support her siblings and to stay strong as a family, she'd ended up leaving regardless of that fact. It had been an unavoidable circumstance to the situation, but her leaving hadn't been forever. Of course she hadn't expected to return to Boreas still stuck in full blown winter. The north had always had a colder climate year round, but this far exceeded expectations and it wasn't in a good way either. The tawny wolf's footfalls were heavy against the forest floor as she passed under giant trees that dwarfed her down to bug size in comparison. She marveled at their height briefly as the wind whipped her shaggy coat around. Debris and other nuisances clung to her fur, but she paid them no mind. She had one mission and that was to finally go home. She felt a nervous twisting in her gut the closer she got to her old home land. Anxiety wasn't a feeling she felt often, but she had it in its heightened form now. She didn't know what to expect when she got there. Would she be welcomed back with open arms? Or would they shun her for leaving them? Would they even still be there? Packs came and went for sure so it was a possibility. Her anxiousness only proved to quicken her pace as she passed under the giant trees that loomed above her. Walk, "Talk" Think

Things had changed in the north, from the appearance of the ominous ice bridge in the far north to the odd creatures she'd encountered - and not to mention the unusual patterns of movement from her reindeer as of late - but Kiela was continuing on as usual. It was her duty to protect them and so she'd travel with them, even if part of her wished to investigate the north further. They'd come to seek shelter from the bitter winds under the massive redwood trees. Snow still caked the ground, but the quantity was diminished thanks to the far-reaching trees. Almost as soon as she started to weave beneath the trees she felt some relief from the elements and deciding she'd soon find somewhere to rest, though she still had quite a bit of daylight to go.

The herd was close - well, comparatively - surely no more than a mile or so away at this point. She didn't want to spook them any more than the strange winter already had, so distance was vital right now. Kiela felt a shiver rack her body as she braced herself against it, listening to the still forest suddenly come to life with the whistling wind rustling the trees around here, which swayed and creaked with the wind. Engrossed in her surroundings, she hardly noticed the presence of another until she was within earshot. Her coat was far different than her own, a seemingly bright contrast against the white and brown of the forest. Considering for a moment, Kiela cleared her throat and shifted her paws against the ground as she approached. She had no intention of spooking another wolf either. "Hello," she greeted the stranger a bit gruffly. Conversation was coming easier with practice but it was still something she had to do deliberately, socializing not coming easily to her. "This forest, you know it well?" Her accent rang out strong and clear, hardly fading in all her time here. Kiela hoped maybe the stranger lived here and could tell her something about this place. That would be ideal.

She'd been so focused on her task that she hadn't even heard the other wolf until a strange accent stopped her in her tracks. Her head rose from its lowered position and zeroed in on her company. It took her all of two seconds to sort through her confusion before she turned to look at the woman who stood taller than herself. Sev was an extremely easy wolf to get along with and all it took to distract her was the possibility of making a new buddy. With all former thoughts of what plans she had were completely evaporated from her brain as her tail waved lightly back and forth. Oh right, the woman had asked a question. "I know a little of it, though I wouldn't say it's enough knowledge if you're looking for something specific." Yup, she was totally being helpful right now. "There's a pretty nice tree near here that's got a big enough hollow to sleep in." She added after a moment. Truth be told she hadn't ever really brought it upon herself to explore the area too much seeing as she hadn't been around since her mother died. Perhaps it would be beneficial to look around the pack's surrounding territories. It hadn't occurred to her before, but learning the areas in the north would be a good battle strategy in case they ever got attacked. She wasn't sure of the chances of that, but it was always good to be prepared. She would certainly take up an opportunity for a territory advantage. Not to mention it would give her something to do. "I'm Sev by the way." ooc: sorry, crap post. My focus is trash. Walk, "Talk" Think

Her posture was ever-guarded and cautious. Kiela wasn't the type of wolf to get along with others easily; she was more blunt and factual than anything else, preferring to exchange information over small talk. Not that she had much use for friends anyway with the way she lived, never staying in one place for very long at all. She wouldn't loosen her stiff stance even as Severine began to speak, though her facial expression softened subtly. She started speaking right away, saying more than Kiela generally did at once, though she was grateful for any information she had to give. "Ah - yes. I wanted to find somewhere to spend the night, later," she admitted. It did sound like a good place to seek refuge for the night but Kiela wasn't sure how much ground she'd cover before she decided to rest for the night.

Kiela gave a little nod, acknowledging her greeting. "I am Kiela," she introduced herself, her tone low, discernible but not overly pronounced over the ambient noise of the forest. She shifted her weight from one paw to the other, grateful for the moment to rest her paws from movement. "I am here just - because of the reindeer herd." It didn't matter if she misinterpreted her statement. She was here to keep them safe, not necessarily simply to feed on them - and it wasn't like she could take down a healthy reindeer on her own anyway. "The forest, is new to me. But beautiful," she explained, lifting her head briefly to the sky to glance at the treetops far above their heads.

The woman was a lot quieter than Sev had the capability to be. Her tones were light and yet still discernible to the tan woman as she listened. Honestly she couldn't help but feel slight remorse that she couldn't offer more information for the darker colored woman, but she didn't lament on it for long. Instead she was happy to have a name to go with the impressive woman's face. She was a bit too naïve to pick up on the fact that Kiela wasn't exactly the most exuberant of company. If the other felt any uncomfortableness with how loud and downright cheerful Sev could be, well Sev certainly wouldn't see it until the other spelled it out for her. "Reindeer herd? I wasn't aware there were any in this area. It seems like most of the larger prey animals have moved on to better grounds." Her question was innocent enough. She'd been farther north than she'd ever intended to be and hadn't seen much of anything except for starving polar bears, maybe an arctic fox or two, and some penguins who looked like they couldn't care if it was cold or hot. In the forest though the prey life seemed more alive. With such giant trees the snow hadn't fully gotten to cover the ground with their wrath. While she didn't mind the cold, she was grateful for the respite from the weather. Even she was having a rough time with it and her family were bred from lines of wolves who were made for this. "My mother used to tell us stories of this place. She said the trees themselves are older than most, if not all, of the trees in Boreas." Walk, "Talk" Think

The wolves here were quite different than the small group she'd grown up alongside. At first that fact had intimidated her but she'd slowly grown to accept it. The Jarvela was slowly growing used to conversing with those she met, and tolerating their often radically different personalities. Despite being extremely evenly-tempered, Kiela was not always the most patient of wolves, but she'd learned to adapt - it was the only way to survive, after all. Kiela knew she could be somewhat rigid in her thinking and she was trying her best to break out of that shell a bit, as difficult as it could be. "The reindeer, they passed through. Strange creatures - I have seen, I think are forcing them to abandon their usual lands," Kiela admitted. Whatever shift was happening in the far north was strange and even she had seen tracks of a creature that seemed far larger than anything she'd ever seen before... but then again, she was somewhat new to these lands and she couldn't rule out anything as being impossible.

But alas. Kiela would find their trail soon enough. She instead shifted her attention to Sev and her words, explaining her mother had told her just how old these trees were. Now, these were conversations that interested Kiela. "If they could speak, imagine the stories they could tell," she mused softly. She believed these trees were alive just as they were, and equally as important - just in a slightly different way. "I am drawn to things very old. This place... it has some strange land forms. I have seen a tower of ice, and a bridge built out of ice that formed out of the sea." This ancient forest was quite beautiful but she knew the wonders of Boreas didn't stop here, and she wondered if Sev had seen any of the structures she mentioned yet.

Sev had been wrapped away in her own little world of grief. She hadn't even noticed the passage of time until she'd realized she'd been far from home for far too long. The only thing she had noticed had been the raging winter in the north that lingered even when the season was supposed to change to spring. So when Kiela mentioned strange creatures, Sev's head cocked to the side in confusion. She supposed she should have paid attention more, but the only things she had noticed so far was the obscene amounts of snow, the dwindling amount of prey to hunt, and perhaps an odd smell or two. Not anything she'd count as strange. [Were they something she needed to worry about? She wasn't sure who Kiela reminded her of, but it was someone. The way the woman spoke, well it made her seem much older than she really was. Sev was certain the woman wasn't much older than herself, but if you were going off voice alone she would have assumed she had the experience of a much older wolf. Sev had never really cared to go in depth with her explorations of the old structures in the north, but this woman apparently had an invested interest in them. Ears flicked absentmindedly as she mentioned the ice tower and a bridge. "I've seen the ice tower from a distance, but I've never actually been." Now a bridge, she hadn't been aware of a bridge in the north. Her mother had told her of the land bridge that connected Auster and Boreas, but that wasn't made of ice. "Where is this ice bridge? I've lived in the north since I was born, but I don't remember seeing or hearing about such a thing." Walk, "Talk" Think

Kiela's world had no real room for grief. Grief was weakness, at least when it came to who she was as an individual - all she had were her reindeer, her spirituality, and her kin. Her place in this world was temporal at best and she knew that those who floated in and out of her orbit tended to be just as fleeting. Some she might meet again, but more often than not they'd be like a shooting star in the night sky; some brilliant and illuminating, but certain to fade into nothingness as quickly as they appeared. She paid far more mind to the seasons and the cycles of wildlife than she ever did the affairs of other wolves... though she knew not all were like her. Some preferred the company of others to that of trees and plants and reindeer; she couldn't relate but she could understand it. She let out a wistful sigh as she briefly looked around her, attention shifting to the tall tree trunks before falling back to Sev as she spoke up.

"It is quite beautiful. I would recommend seeing it up close, if you ever find yourself near it." The structure was alive, at least to her - as alive as Sev herself, Kiela was sure of that. "The ice bridge, it is far north, past the tower of ice. As far as you can go. I tried crossing it, but..." Kiela shook her head. "The journey would not have been.. I would not have lived, I don't think. Too cold." And coming from her, that was saying quite a bit. "I do not remember seeing it before, but I do not know how something could simply appear." Though she'd been perplexed by it, she didn't put too much thought into it either. The complexities of the world were not all comprehensible to her and she wouldn't pretend to understand this particular phenomenon.

It perturbed her that there was suddenly a new formation in the north that she hadn't been aware of. It could explain the strangeness of the weather and any odd creatures that had been spotted by the locals lately. She was still rather oblivious to the happenings in the north, but the idea of a bridge was interesting despite the woman's statement of almost dying. She was built for the ice and snow. Surely it couldn't be any colder than it was now? Thoroughly curious and not at all cautious in the slightest, Sev began formulating a plan on how to get to the ice bridge and how to cross it without picking up on the severity of what Kiela had described. Her arrogance was definitely higher than her voice of reason at the moment. If there was a new thing forming in the north bringing weird things with it then she wanted to know what was at the other end of this bridge. "I will say it's been strange with the weather. We've never had winters that last as long as this." She paused for a moment, maybe the woman had more helpful information. "Do you think there could be any way to the end of this bridge?" Maybe if she brought someone with her and bundled up in furs she'd be victorious? It couldn't really be that much colder. It was already below freezing as it was. Walk, "Talk" Think

Kiela was not necessarily unsettled by the formation of the ice bridge, despite it being quite a peculiar thing. The last few seasons had been quite strange indeed, more reminiscent of her homelands than of the weather in Boreas that she'd grown accustomed to since her arrival. Perhaps she'd take another trip back there in the future to see if the bridge could stand the test of time, or if it'd be short-lived, disappearing as quickly as it had arrived. Unlike Sev though she wouldn't drum up a plan to try and cross it. She'd come to Boreas for a reason and she wasn't going to leave so quickly, even if just for a brief trip. She could already imagine her disappointment when she crossed the ice bridge only to find she could not return - that wasn't a risk she was willing to take, not for al the curiosity in the world.

"The weather is more... like my homelands. Not what I expected." The milder weather in much of Boreas was not a factor in her coming here, but it still caught her by surprise. She had to wonder if this was a pattern or simply an unusual few seasons that would eventually pass. One thing she believed in wholeheartedly was the cyclical nature of life; eventually warmth would return and even the north would blossom back to life, it was just a matter of when. "I do not know," she answered her question with a slow shrug. "I would not try. But I am not you," she said with a faint, rare smile. Sev's interest in the bridge didn't go unnoticed and she wasn't going to warn her against it, only tell her what she herself thought of it. "You will try, you think?" She raised an eyebrow as she studied her.

Sev was curious when Kiela said the weather was like her homelands. An eyebrow rose inquisitively. The accent was interesting enough, but she'd never really gave much thought to the fact that wolves came from other places other than Boreas. It was a shame, if she'd come here for warmer weather she'd obviously be disappointed since the weather had taken a turn for the worst. It did get her to thinking that maybe she could go and travel the world. There was so much out there that she had yet to see. She wanted to make the most of her life. "Yeah I think I will. I like a good challenge." She said with a toothy grin. She wasn't offput at all the Kiela had already tried and hadn't made it. It wasn't a slight against the foreign wolf, but Sev was more of a "I'll figure things out for myself" kinda gal. Maybe she could make it across with some preparation? She'd just have to do it and find out. "What about you? Where do you think you'll go from here?" Walk, "Talk" Think

Kiela wasn't even sure Boreas would be her final stopping point. Perhaps she'd grow bored here someday and search for another land to explorer, though truthfully this continent was proving quite interesting so far - unique enough that she had a hard time imagining herself being bored here. It could take her years to really know the herd she'd committed herself to following, and even more to even begin to unearth the secrets of these lands. Which was another reason she wasn't so quick the gross the ice bridge and risk not being able to cross back. Fear of injury was less of a factor for her. She wasn't the type to worry about her well-being or spend time dwelling on her own mortality - things often just happened and she'd have to deal with them accordingly, without much preparation ahead of time. Sev struck her as a similar sort of wolf in a way, especially given that she seemed drawn to a possibly deathly ice bridge, rather than disturbed by it.

She gave a little nod of acknowledgment. Kiela hoped she succeeded in her endeavors even if she herself wasn't interested in embarking on such a journey. "I do not know. It depends, how long this cold lasts." Ultimately her responsibility lay to the herd and its well-being. If something seemed likely to threaten their survival she'd redirect her attention there, but otherwise she really wasn't sure. "There is still much for me to explore here. So perhaps I will not go far. We will see," she offered, accompanied by another faint smile. "I should be heading off now. Good luck with the bridge, if you go that way. There is a saying in my family - the roads hardest to travel often have the best destinations. Something like that. Perhaps it does not translate well, I am not sure," she offered with a shrug. This was the most words she'd spoken in a long while and she was feeling emotionally drained from the brief stint of company, even if she'd enjoyed her conversation with Sev. "Good luck," she added finally with a dip of her head, giving her one last look before she made to leave, unsure where her paws would lead her next.

-exit Kiela-