Cold gray eyes surveyed the lake region with its myriad wolves mingling in the warmth of late spring that did not seem to warm her. The festival seemed to be going fairly well thus far and little had needed her attention, allowing her mind to wander darker paths. She didn't do regret as a rule, but oh how she wished things had turned out differently. Raisa should be here, Raisa who had given her the idea for opening the bl?t to all lands, Raisa and her children who had faded from Katja's life. Oathbreaker she was for failing to protect them to her last breath. Had Raisa died, out in the wilds? Alone, without the protection of the one sworn to die by her side? What of Val, the little valkyrie with such fierce independence that she'd refused to return to her pack? Sindri vanished without a trace - she had assumed the Olympians had taken her but the only scent she'd found entwined with theirs had been Kassander and Svetlana, who she had lost the battle to keep. Sindri must have vanished before she'd finally limped home from her ordeal. Sigmarr, oh how she'd failed him. Taken as her own apprentice at a young age at his request, to mold into a proper warrior, but she was unable to give him what he needed - emotional stability, a family - and he was drifting away from her as surely as any of the others. And Au?ra... The dark female felt cut adrift, alone once more, the foreigner again despite her time here, despite the fact that she was alpha to a pack now. She wanted to retreat to her den in the steppes rather than endure the noise and laughter and happiness of the festival, she wanted to brood alone but Freyja had given her this charge and she would see it through. She would not subject anyone to her foul mood however, and watched the festival from a distance. Close enough to see anything that might need her attention, far enough to hopefully avoid interactions of her own. Striped tail curled over her black-booted feet, the inscrutable viking woman perched upon the land she laid claim to, so remote, so secluded, and tried to reach out to her gods as she had so many times before... but the gods were silent. ""

Massive paws would strike the terra with little care for silence, with the noise and bustle of the festival in full swing, even her lumbering gait would seem silent amid the frivolities. She had been enjoying herself, though she had met few in her wanderings amid the crowd. Her claiming of this pack as her home had lent her a feeling of belonging, and now she had another family to care for with all the might in her body. The behemoth watched the festivities carry on, close to being over, sadly. A glimpse of a familiar form, all sharp angles and severe attitude, caught in her cerulean vision. The Drottning looked upset, maybe it would be worth a try that she might aid her regent in feeling a little more in the festival spirits. A fa?ade of calm was worn easily upon the broad planes of her face, and curiosity sparkled in her cornflower blue gaze. She plodded onward, cutting through the shifting sea of wolves with a strange kind of grace those of her bulk did not often have. Crown would hang between her powerful shoulders, and she watched the granite queen as she approached. As she began to close the distance, and the masses had fallen behind her well enough, she would lift a quizzical brow. "?g afs?kunar fyrir tro?a, falleg drottning m?na, en ?? l?tur a? vera ? f?t?kum anda." (I apologize for intruding, my beautiful queen, but you look to be in poor spirits.) She purred, taking a seat just a few feet away, off to the side of the woman she'd sworn allegiance to, her gaze questioning but not demanding anything. "Anything I might be able to help with?" She would then rumble gently, lowering her cranium between her shoulders and turning to look at the smaller woman. There was no flirtatious suggestion within her tones this time, she genuinely felt the need to help her queen should she require it. OOC: What is this? Sigyn isn't flirting (the whole time)?! Sorcery! "Speech" Thanks to Chrono for making this sexier than Captain America art for me!

"Heil, Sigyn," the alpha spoke without glancing the way of the golden viking as she approached, even less in the mood for the warrior's flirtatious ways than usual. But the gods were gracious and for once Sigyn did not poke at her boundaries - much - and simply asked if there was anything she could do. Katja kept her sigh purely mental, and shook her head. "Nei, venn, ikke denne gangen." Finally she turned her head to survey the warrior. "Why do you not join in the revel as do our packmates?" Frankly she was surprised that neither Sigyn nor one of Katja's own family members had started an orgy out in the middle of the lake or some other such foolishness... "

When the queen assured her there would be no way she could help, the behemoth would give a nod of her enormous crown, smiling softly when the queen called her 'friend'. It had been some time since someone had called her friend, usually it had been princess, or just Sigyn, only polite titles and respectful names. It felt unexpectedly nice to know that the queen thought enough of her to call her friend. When the granite pelted regent turned to her and surveyed her quizzically, cornflower gaze would hold the silver and gold flecked pools of her superior. A question was posed, and she chuckled, the sound like distant rumbles of thunder. She shrugged her broad shoulders, looking out upon the throngs of wolves and pondering a response. Why wasn't she out there? There could be plenty of opportunity for camaraderie, but it didn't hold as much appeal for her as it should. In the back of her mind, the obvious answer was there, but the caramel giant refused to believe she was nostalgic and longing for her family. Why should she miss them? They had disowned her for rejected her inadequate betrothal, and the fact that she would have to play second fiddle to an unworthy man. She sighed, great head swinging around to rest her cobalt orbs upon the visage of her queen.
A short huff would shudder through her lungs, and her brow would furrow. "I would have to say that there is not as much appeal for me to be among the people as I should hope. My mind roams back home when I am among them, and I do not wish to think of home." She hummed, lip curling in disdain as she mentioned the truth. Well, if there was anyone here she could trust, it was her queen, right? With another small shrug, she looked out across the domain that was now in her protection. "What reasons bid you sit here on the outskirts, drottning? Surely something out there holds appeal to you? Even a simple conversation with those who visit us? They could be interesting, my liege." She inquired softly, raising an eyebrow and letting her onyx lips twitch into a small smile. It was not something the golden woman enjoyed seeing, her queen in poor spirits.
OOC: Short, crap post. Sorry!

"Speech"
'thoughts'

It seemed Sigyn was no stranger to the homesickness that plagued Katja as well. A soft sigh passed her teeth when Sigyn asked her in return what held her back from the festivities. "They do not understand what this is," she spat. "Not one of them know or care that this honors the gods. They do not know that I do this to bring blessings on them as my adopted people. They think only of their play, or politics, or finding some advantage in this." I lose so much to secure a life for myself, her battered soul cried. When does it end? Her voice dropped to a low growl. "Not even those who consider themselves allies of Ebony know the alpha who leads it." "

She would listen silently while the darker woman spoke, her anger obvious that those who lived in these lands did not understand the reasons this festival had been called. Sigyn could understand her regent's displeasure, but she had a little more of an acceptance of this fact by now. She had known for a long time that most of the world thought of their religions as barbaric and crude, and if she could not conquer them all to teach them her own ways, she would have to let it slide over her shoulders, lay back and go on with her life without the knowledge that she was somewhere that all would believe in her gods and goddesses. She nodded slowly, her great head bobbing up and down slowly as she thought of how to respond to such words without offending her queen. "I believe, that at one point or another, we must accept that the world we live in is as diverse and strange as those who live within it." Melodies like quiet thunder would hum as she gazed out at the masses, watching their movements with a distant, calculating eye. "Their beliefs will not always be ours, and at some point we must all accept that and continue with life." She added quietly, broad shoulders shrugging gently as her crown swung over to settle a cornflower blue gaze upon her queen. When the woman mentions that even their allies did not truly know what Katja was like, what kind of woman she was, the behemoth feels a quiet chuckle slip through her onyx lips. "?eir vita ekki hver ?? ert sannarlega , drottning m?n , vegna ?ess a? ?? ert dularfull og t?frandi kona ." (They do not know who you truly are, my queen, because you are a mysterious and stunning woman.) She offered in quiet vocals, a small smile twitching upon her features. That flirtation managed to slip through without her intention, and though she knew of her regent's disdain for such niceties, the golden Viking only deigns to speak the truth to her queen. "But there is no need to fret, those who should know about you, do. That is all that really matters." She added quietly, one massive paw stretching across the gap between them to bump against the granite woman's shoulder affectionately. OOC: Sorry for late, crappy post, muse took a wrong turn off a cliff xD Tired Den posts are always interesting though "Speech" Thanks to Chrono for making this sexier than Captain America art for me!