Ah - winter was here at last. The crispness of the frigid air was deeply refreshing as he stood, perched precariously over the edge of the cliffs that stood tall above the ocean. The gentle crashing of the ocean on the shoreline echoed far below where he stood, sending a cold rush of air inward. The chill ran through his core, and though he shivered involuntarily, he embraced the weather without complaint. It reminded him, albeit just momentarily, of home. The north had been far more brutal; survival was much easier here, the wolves far more amiable. Though easier didn't necessarily mean better, and he felt himself longing for the long winter nights and the seemingly never-ending treks for food.
A sigh left his parted lips as he slowly lowered himself to his belly. His eyes found the sky as his head tilted to the heavens, interest shining in his ruby stare as he began to search the stars as though they held knowledge that he might be able to extract from them. The stars had always led him home.. only now, he wasn't seeking home, but it seemed possible they had somewhere to guide him even still. His tusked snout would remain tilted upwards as he shifted to a more comfortable position, letting his paws dangle over the edge of he cliff.
Winter was a harsh season, particularly in the North, here the conditions were far more mild in comparison. Wherever she was in the world however winter was still a struggle for Talvi, the coldest season was her birth season, her heat season. It had been worse in some respects last year, the first time it had hit her though she'd had the comforts of a pack around her. Now she was alone and whilst not weak, knew that she was somewhat vulnerable.
This had made it difficult to leave her family again, it surely would have been far more comforting to simply stay with Athena. Fiori wasn't her home though and whilst she had no reason to doubt that the pack was a decent home she simply wasn't ready yet to give it a chance. Rather than attempt to seek shelter, Talvi risked isolation instead, and now here she was, travelling alone. Though it seemed that would only last a few more precious moments.
In the midst of night, he didn't expect to be gifted with the company of another. His attention was mostly focused on the seemingly never-ending array of stars that glimmered overhead. The chill brought on by the ocean waves, crashing against the shore, was comforting and lulled him into a sense of calm and reflection. Only when the arrival of another was far too obvious to be ignored did he divert his attention from studying the stars overhead, his head swinging to the side and down as he searched for her in the distance. Her scent, certainly that of a stranger, became apparent far before he saw her and a soft bark would leave his lips to alert her of his presence.
Perhaps he might be intimidating to some, but he was not necessarily dangerous; not unless he had to be. The smallest of smiles would turn the corners of his lips upward as he searched for her amidst the darkness, his tail unfurling to bat lightly on the ground. He'd found the constellation he'd been looking for - though, perhaps a bit foolishly he found himself glancing upwards to ensure it was still there - and company would only further improve his already quite good mood. "Greetings, miss," he'd call out freely, his tones light.
This season was not one that Talvi wanted to let her guard down for even a moment, but the wind was not in her favour right now and a soft bark in the distance alerted her that there was at least one wolf waiting for her up ahead. Her immediate thought was to try and avoid him though they were now in sight of one and other. Another greeting would sound from him, polite and lacking in any signs of malice though the blue and silver woman still refused to relax.
"Hello" Came her response after a short delay, it was a little cautious in tone and the way she hung back slightly from the man would surely make it rather clear that she was feeling quite wary. He didn't seem a threat, not yet anyway, Talvi wasn't about to trust that he might not suddenly turn.
The night, for once, was not as dark as usual. The moon gleamed brightly overhead and the stars were just as prominent, casting a gentle white light over the night. The glimmering stars forced a gleam into his red gaze and his smile lifted a bit, even though the stranger seemed wary of him. Briefly his gaze would stray back to the sky, as though he might miss something, though the stars stood unmoving in the sky above.
"Come look at this!" he urged her with a bit of excitement in his voice. His head would swing to the side, as though inviting her to sit with him, as though it was not strange at all to invite a stranger to come spend time with you. His grin was lopsided and carefree as he gazed at her, hoping she might at least come a bit closer. "Sarva is in the sky tonight," he explained carefully, though had a feeling she could not know what he spoke of.. he'd come so far from home that he doubted he'd find anyone who knew of the life he had been born into. "He brings good luck to those who speak to him."
Talvi wasn't one who trusted others particularly easy, certainly not at this time of year either. The strange tusked man before her either didn't share in such wary attitudes or simply hoped to lull her into a false sense of security. Perhaps she was just a bit of a cynic though she suspected a high possibility of it being the latter.
Foolish of her or not, she would give him a chance though the moment she felt threatened she decided she would be out of here, whatever it took to escape. Of course she wouldn't move too close at all to Áki, keeping to her own little bit of space and remaining standing as her icy gaze lifted hesitantly towards the sky. Truth be told she saw nothing in the stars, recognised no patterns amongst them and even with his little explanation she still had no idea what he really meant by Sarva, did luck even exist?
"I don't see it." She informed him eyes now flicking their attention back to Áki. No clue what she was looking for she certainly couldn't find Sarva and still was doubtful about the fairy tales of him bringing luck. How did one even speak to him anyway?
Though Áki was quite staunch in his beliefs of how the world worked, he knew that not all cultures were the same and he highly doubted this woman would know anything about what he spoke of. Still, it didn't hurt to try. And even if she did not believe the lore he had been taught, it would be difficult for him to imagine she couldn't find some sort of beauty in the constellation and the symbolism it held.
His grin remained as he watched her, his nose twitching briefly to take in her scent. She was not considerably younger than himself, and her scent told of the heat that surely plagued her, though he could ignore the aroma quite easily. She admitted she saw nothing, and though she didn't look overly interested, she hadn't turned and walked away yet.. which said quite a bit. Warily, he would shuffle to the side from where he lay on his belly, moving a bit closer to her. "You must look closely," he explained, squinting as his gaze fell to the sky once again. He would tip his head to the sky, angling his tusks upward as he gestured to the general direction of the constellation. "Find the two brightest stars in the sky. Look closely and you can see the figures of two tall, two-legged beasts standing and chasing an elk. That elk is named Sarvvabivdu... or Sarva for short." His tail thumped happily on the ground as he turned to face her, watching her expression to see if she could make out the pattern in the sky that was so readily visible to him.
At the sound of his movements her gaze would flick once more back to him, though he had remained on the ground and wasn't too close yet and cautiously her icy eyes would shift back towards the sky attempting to focus in the direction that he appeared to be pointing in.
Two legged creatures chasing an elk? It all still seemed rather strange to her though she would humour him and attempt to find this weird constellation that he spoke of. So unused to finding patterns within the stars though she would continue to struggle, a frown crossing her features as she tried to find this Sarva thing. They were all simply dots to her though, she found the two brightest stars easily enough but the shapes that they were meant to make simply weren't clear.
"I've found the stars, but not these shapes you speak of." She would point out to him, just in case her expression hadn't been clear enough of her failure to spot the constellations.
His brows would furrow slightly as he directed his own gaze to the sky. The constellation was clear as day to him, but he knew those unfamiliar with the stars might find it difficult to spot. "I understand," he'd comment, shrugging a bit dismissively. It would be difficult to point out the shape to her, for the stars were so far in the distance. "It doesn't matter much. The stars are a pleasant sight, even if you cannot see Sarva." His grin was toothy as he glanced over at her, realizing finally that he had been so excited about seeing the constellation that he hadn't properly introduced himself.
"I apologize," he'd say finally, laughing gently. "My name is Áki, by the way." His tail would bat against the cool earth behind him. "What do they call you?" She was a difficult one to read, and it was hard to tell if she was actually enjoying his company or simply thought him strange. Though he figured it said something that she'd chosen to stay rather than taking her leave, but he'd found some strange wolves in this land; so who knew?
The stranger wouldn't push her any further to find this Sarva constellation. Talvi wasn't completely certain how she felt about that fact, the patterns in the stars had never bothered her before but now one had been pointed out to her, so as not to feel quite so stupid perhaps, she longed to spot it herself. Gaze would linger upon the dots for a moment longer, still trying to find the shape for herself for it seemed that Áki wouldn't offer her any further help now.
"Are there easier patterns to see?" She enquired, curious to find out if perhaps she could ease herself into this, a few simpler shapes that might help her out. If there was an elk she was sure there had to be other patterns that had been spotted amongst the stars. She could appreciate them anyway, but now with the discussion of the constellations, she wanted to find one.
"Talvi." She responded, giving her own name to the tusked man. Truth be told in much the same way that Áki struggled to read her, Talvi wasn't completely certain how to act to him either. He was friendly enough but every fibre of her being at this moment urged her to find solitude rather than company.
Though the brute had hoped that his new acquaintance might see Sarva, it wasn't a big deal if she couldn't. Either she could see it, or she couldn't; as far as he was concerned, perhaps Sarva simply hadn't chosen to show himself to her yet. Despite not seeing the constellation he had told her about, still she seemed interested in the stars and he noted that she stared at them a moment longer.
She questioned if there were easier ones to find. "I am sure there are," he spoke readily. "But I do not know of many." There was a faint, brief hint of regret in his voice. While he was knowledgeable in many things exploration and survival, the stars were not something he knew as well as some members of his tribe had. Perhaps he ought to have learned more of them before taking his leave. "Though... there are a few important ones," he would begin, a bit of excitement creeping into his voice as his brief moment of feeling regretful passed. "Sarva will always point you north, for example. Even if you cannot see him - if you can find those two bright stars, you can always figure out which direction you need to go." Did she know this information? He would grin at her, noting her name as she introduced herself, his head tipped in a quick acknowledgement.
