Patterns of sanguine earth undulated in bizarre rhythms across the arid landscape. The sky above stretched a dome of slate blue over her, promising a rain that she expected was probably never going to come. Brina's charcol nose dipped down to the red earth once more, nostrils flaring for any sign of the scent trail she wished so desperately to find. That of the Xanilovs. She lifted her head and frowned. Nothing. Birna had offered to scout ahead of her brother Bjorn. Two could cover more ground than one after all and there was so much ground to cover. The pair of behemoths had travelled far already, scouring continents in search of the past. Sometimes they found a lead and other times they lost and still some times?. such as this there was nothing. Birna snorted and continued on her way, the hulking bear of a woman moved with surprising grace as she wound around the strange rock formations, scouring through the twists and turns of canyons carved out by some ancient, long dead river. Still?. the place was not totally devoid of the potential for life. Birna paused and dipped her head to taste a puddle of rain water that had collected at the base of the canyon. Had there been a storm recently? She lifted her head as if sensing someone else was there but all to soon the moment had passed and she carried on her way. Birna wanted needed to have at least something to report back to her brother. She would not give up so readily. "Speech"

All that could been seen of the resting Brynhildr were the tips of her ears, the top of her skull, and her bright eyes. The stone was riddled with pockmarks and depressions of all sizes, and she had happened upon one earlier in the day that suited her quite well. When she set her mind too it she could rest comfortably below the horizon line, but now that this intruder had appeared... well, best to keep an eye out, right? So she lay there half curled, lids half closed in a mixture of irritation and curiosity. She wanted the woman to leave, she wanted to sleep... But gods above this stranger was huge. It couldn't be helped if Bryn's eyes refused to peel away. The golden tips of her ears twitched, and she considered how long she might stay there and remain undetected. She was about to slowly sink back into hiding when the woman's nose twitched, when she stiffened. Bryn had crept along after enough unwitting parties to know when the gig was up. Had the wind shifted? It was hard to tell from her position, but she sighed all the same. Her shake started in the shoulders, brushing the dust and sand from her pelt as she stood. "Right, hello there," she would say casually, as if she had not seemingly risen up from the earth itself. Really though, this landscape was fascinating. She had spent the better part of that morning exploring, definitely not being lost in, one of the sandstone warrens where the rains had hollowed out, creating and entirely new world below the surface. She should have known the land would draw others as well. "Speech"

Birna held herself steady as she sensed movement behind her. Calm and cool as stone she waited, tongue tasting the air for any malicious intent before an earthen voice floated over to her. The bear woman turned to see a smaller wolf of a coat assembled of patched earth and dying ember. Golden eyes stared warily back at her. Not that Birna could much blame her. The femme's gargantuan size was indeed an oddity. "Hello there?" Birna offered a smile but suddenly found herself feeling rather embarrassed and a bit awkward. How long had it been since she'd spoken to a wolf that was not her brother? Was she doing this correctly? "These lands are lovely? I don't suppose?. My name is Birna. I'm looking for members of my pack. Have you ever heard of Ebony or perhaps the Xanilovs?" Birna was doubtful she'd find any information right off the bat but it was never to early to start asking questions. If she was going to find any more leads she needed to get better at striking up conversation. ""

Brynhildr blinked lazily at her companion. What, that was it? Hello there? She almost sighed, very nearly sank back into the hole with a roll of her eyes. But that wouldn't be mannerly, now would it. Her hind legs pushed her up and out of the depression in a graceful bound, and once firmly on the surface she shook out her long coat. "Oh yes, just lovely," she said with a hint of sarcasm as a cloud of sand and dust sloughed out of her fur. The woman would press on, saying she was trying to find her pack. How in seven blazes did one get separated from their pack? Accidentally, anyways. Bryn had chosen to leave her own clusterfuck, but this Birna seemed rather put out. "Hmm, maybe they're hiding," she proposed, tone laced with humor and her citrine eyes glinting. Granted it would suck ass to have this gargantuan beast turn on her in anger, but she just couldn't help herself! "Either way, no, I've never heard of them," But they sound like twats. She left the second half unsaid, and let no one claim she was utterly without a sense of self preservation. "What's up with this pack, if they're so important?" Any group that could afford to throw away a beast like this had to have an interesting story, right? "TALK" THINK "YOU"

Crouched before a pool of vibrant red, Skadi surveyed the terra around her. On either side of the pool, tall rock walls made walking around the edge impossible. If she wished to continue taking the path she was on, she needed to cross the water. Was it even water? The pool was red, nearly the color of blood, and so thick she couldn't see the bottom. Perhaps it was mud? Reaching out a dark paw to gauge the depth of the liquid, the giantess gently touched the smooth red surface. Much to her surprise, the "water" didn't give as its appearance suggested it would. Instead, to her amazement, she realized that the "pool" before her was in fact rock, it's glossy surface polished stone instead of still water. She brushed a toe across the rock face, admiring its deceptive properties. It looked so real, so believable in its deception, that Skadi almost didn't want to step on it for fear of sinking. Soft voices trickled between the rocky pillars, drawing the fae's attention away from the rock. She listened with interest, trying to decipher the words being spoken. Distance broke the conversation into nearly meaningless noise and only the occasional word reached her ears in one piece. What little she understood wasn't enough to reveal the meaning of the conversation. Not that it mattered too much, all that really mattered was that others were near. Straightening, Skadi shook out her coat and began to walk back the way she'd come in search of whoever was speaking. It wasn't companionship she sought, or even conversation, but information. It had been ages since she'd last seen her siblings and the odds of her finding them on her own were slim. It made sense to use the eyes and ears of the natives to do the searching for her. Destruction followed the heels of her siblings closely; someone somewhere had to have been a casualty of their mayhem. Wherever they were, their presence would be felt. Finally the sources of the conversation came into view and Skadi, having fallen into an impassive expression, brightened and adopted a cheery countenance. "Oh, hello, over there!" she called as she approached, a smile evident in her tone. Adding a spring to her step, Skadi waited until she was closer to speak again. "I must say, I didn't expect to find anyone all the way out here." "Speech"

Sapphire eyes narrowed slightly as Birna examined the other woman. The sarcasm was not lost on her and she suddenly doubted that the ember-coated female would prove to be any help. Her stance tensed just a little as she took in the others words, but the tone. Birna's neck stretched, popping just slightly. She could certainly use a little violence to vent her frustration. She did not like being mocked and the loss of so many lives, the scattering of families. It was no laughing matter to the rigid behemoth. "They're my? family. I doubt the tale would interest the likes of you." Birna was about to turn away as the sarcastic runt seemed to have little to offer her only to be approached by another female. Well now? seemed all sorts of interesting creatures were crawling out of the shadows. But a grin split Birna's maw as she saw that the other female was only a few inches shorter than her. Now this was a rare treat, indeed. She'd heard rumors that the wolves in Alacritia tended to be larger. "I'm just passing through. I'm looking for my family? I don't suppose you have heard of the Xanilovs or a pack called Ebony?" Her goal was ever at the front of her mind and she could not relax into conversation without first gleaning for any information that would help her towards her goal. "Talk" "You" Think

Brynhildr could see that her snarky reply had done little to endear herself to the gargantuan woman. She held in a laugh but could not restrain her grin. She might have gone on, provoking her further yet, but they were interrupted. Her brows would narrow into a glare and she turned, about to tell whoever the hell it was to screw off, but the words stuck in her throat. For one, this woman too was unreasonably large. Bryn didn't know what they were fed as pups but this was getting ridiculous. Beyond that though, there was something... familiar about her. She'd never been known for her memory, but all the same recollection dawned upon her with crushing force. She gasped, ears perking and golden eyes turning molten with excitement. "Skadi?" she asked, incredulous. She hadn't seen the girl, her sister, since they were much young. Gods above she had filled out some! Father must've gotten it right with your litter, huh, she thought sarcastically. "Shit, is that really you?" An astounded chuckle worked its way up and out of her throat, and she shook her head slowly. Bryn turned back to see what Birna thought of the whole matter. If she had to hazard a guess she'd say the star-crossed woman wasn't used to being ignored. "Maybe it will be your lucky day! Looks like the season's right for unearthing long-lost family members." Bryn rolled her shoulders and began to pace, eying her sister from both sides, up and down. She looked in good health, all things considered. Where had she been? And where were the others for that matter? She practically quivered, halfway between cursing and bursting out in raucous laughter. The gods must be stirring the pot, she thought with narrowed eyes and a wolfish grin. "TALK" "YOU" THINK