Winter had arrived early in the north. The next day would be its official beginning but already the north was blanketed with snow. Birna moved through the snow, stalking on the perimeter of the reindeer herd she'd been following as they moved to their winter feeding grounds. The small group she'd originally targeted to be her new herd was now merging with several others as they all journeyed. They clicked as they walked and Birna considered whether she should find a way to mark hers so that they could be differentiated from the larger herd. Or perhaps it was best to follow the migration path separately?

It would be good to get a few more domesticated so that she had one to pull her sled. Right now she had one that she could pull, a few hides and supplies stacked on it. As the band became more formed it would be good to have hide tents for those that might not be as acclimated to the chill weather.

Speech

Kiela had agreed to meet Birna at the Marble Wash at the dawn of winter, and Kiela was nothing if not a woman of her word. It was rare she promised anyone anything, so if she said she was going to do something she meant it. And finding Birna again was something she very much intended to do. It'd been a long while since she'd grouped up with like minded wolves, not since she'd left her childhood band, and though she was wary about doing so she was admittedly interested at the same time.

How could she not be?

Tracking Birna's scent wasn't an easy feat with all the recent snowfall, but Kiela was determined and after several days of scouring the edge of the ancient riverbed where they'd first met she finally came across her scent trail. She tracked it doggedly until her scent was clearly fresh, not far from where Kiela knew a reindeer herd to be. Though she was determined, she moved carefully through the fresh layer of snow - though she'd grown up in the north and was no stranger to snow, still she marveled at how silent and still the world grew just after a storm.

Once Birna was within earshot, at least judging by her scent, Kiela let off a soft bark to alert the feline to her presence. It wasn't loud enough to signal to the herd that they were in any danger, but she hoped it was close enough to alert her acquaintance to her nearby presence.

Birna settled in to watch the herd move, tracking its progress across the landscape. The main animals she'd been watching stopped to graze and so she stopped as well though her hunger had been sated earlier in the day and she did not feel the need to find more food at this juncture. She sat up as she spied a familiar form approaching. Birna chuffed a greeting to the wolf in response to the soft bark. A few of the reindeer looked up and watched the predators for a moment before cautiously bending their heads to graze again.

"Kiela, it is good to see you again." Birna recalled her words and felt a heaviness in her heart. Successful or not she had agreed to meet Kiela here with the news. "Alas, I must tell you that I have not been successful in gathering like-minded wolves. Those that would herd animals prefer tamer beasts, remnants of human livestock if the cave markings are to mean anything." She sighed. "To be honest I am not sure where to go from here, but still I follow these herds."

Speech

Though the reindeer noted their presence they weren't disturbed by it, which spoke to the unity shared between all three species. That fact was comforting to Kiela as she greeted Birna. Though she heard a hint of sadness in the female's voice, she could empathize with it but didn't necessarily feel the same way herself. That was her attitude in general though - things happened as they did and dwelling on it for long wouldn't do her any good. "It's good to see you again too, though unfortunate to hear that there aren't more likeminded creatures in these parts," Kiela mused thoughtfully. For a moment she thought of her friend Víðarr and wondered if such a life might suit him. Perhaps if only she'd asked him sooner.

She nodded, acknowledging Birna's lack of direction. "You know I'm never far from the herd either, and this one has caught my eye in particular." The continent was big enough to house more than one herd but she'd been following this particular one for some time now. "Our paths do not have to stray far from one another. At least for now," Kiela suggested lightly. She'd never really made friends, not besides Víðarr, though she was drawn to Birna and traveling adjacent to one another for a period didn't sound all that bad to her.

Birna nodded and let loose a sigh."It is as it is meant to be. There are many paths in this life, perhaps I should broaden my view to others I had not considered." Though that would be a task for a bit farther in the future. After all her wandering she was ready to rest in the north for a bit before deciding where life would lead her. It was enjoyable to follow the herds and she still had a valuable food source even if she followed them as a nomadic hunter rather than a herder. There were always sick animals to be culled and old age claimed others along the grueling journey. It would give her some time to regain her footing while waiting for fate to clear her sight.

"Our paths do not have to stray far from one another. At least for now."

Birna smiled gently and nodded. "That idea pleases me. I intend to follow this herd for awhile longer until my next path is made more clear to me. Have you any plans for today?"

Speech

Though it was a shame there weren't more like-minded wolves here - or creatures, rather, as meeting Birna had helped broaden her mind a bit - it was hardly surprising. Even through some of the more intense winter months here, these northern lands were not nearly as inhospitable as her homelands. But the lack of attention to her herd in these lands only made her feel more inclined to follow it and tend to them, as she had always done.

She nodded to Birna's words. She didn't see herself broadening her view in the same way though she understood the concept. Her life would remain unchanged, and it was hard to imagine anything crossing her path that would cause her life to make any sort of substantial detour. At least not in the long term. But temporarily? Sure. Kiela showed some pleasure as Birna accepted her invitation. "I had no plans in mind. A meal at some point, perhaps, but nothing other than that." She'd hadn't caught wind of anything that seemed appetizing but maybe if they were lucky they could find something to make a meal out of.

Kiela stated she had no plans other than a meal at some point. Birna nodded. Food would be good to acquire while she had a hunting partner for it had been awhile since she'd last eaten. "A hunt sounds excellent to me. It had been a few days since my last meal. How do you feel about musk ox calves? I did note a herd north of here that was calving. There might be some deer in the more forested areas." She was open to ideas and willing to eat just about anything, especially if it was a fresh kill. Birna would eat what was required to keep herself alive but she'd never been fond of scavenging, preferring instead to slay her own prey.


Speech

Even as reclusive as she tended to be, she knew hunting was almost always better done with a partner. Though she was fine surviving off small game if she had to, it wasn't ideal by any means, and she was happy to take advantage of the circumstances while she could. Luckily for her Birna seemed happy to join her in a hunt, and Kiela nodded steady agreement to her idea. A muskox calf sounded like a fine idea. She'd be wary to take down a caribou calf for the sake of the herd, unless it was absolutely necessary to cull their numbers, but when it came to other prey animals she was far less picky. "That sounds good," she agreed. Without wasting any more time she set off in the direction Birna directed her, eager to get started.

-end?-