This time of year the Nook was flawlessly gorgeous. The trees bloomed in full; their vibrant buds bouncing and swaying as breeze after gentle breeze swept through the terra. The grass below was a vivid, lively green. There was much beauty to been seen in these parts. Everything from the trees to the crystalline water that flowed lazily through the streams came together to create a breathtaking and serene atmosphere. All of which was completely lost on Sabine. She strolled through the forest with the easygoing slink of a fearless predator. The giantess moved on silent paws; somewhere around here was an Aki waiting to be pounced on. It had been quite some time since they last wrestled. The big oaf had probably grown soft and unsuspecting. Well no more. She'd put a stop to that. Nip it in the bud. ...As soon as she found him. "Talk" "You" Think

He'd met Valentine here. Maybe that was why he lingered here now. He'd been unusually interested in the man, impressed with both is physical strength and political power, awed at how different he was - and yet part of him felt like he was a kindred soul. Of course, he would never admit lingering here because of such a singular interest. Perhaps he might claim he felt the earth emitting a youthful aura; or maybe he'd claim he felt the silent song of the young trees, singing and celebrating the start of a new season. These things might be true, but the former was really why he'd come here again instead of seeking some new land to prowl. The undeniable beauty of the land forced him to forget that he longed for the bitter chill of winter and the vast mountain peaks that his tribe considered their home. His crimson gaze was captured by the scenery, sweeping over the trees both big and small, marveling at how the buds had become lovely lavender blossoms. Even the sky seemed to recognize the beauty in this place, former clouds parting to reveal crisp blue skies and a blinding sun that cast its golden rays upon the earth. The giant was so engrossed in his wandering that he hardly caught scent of his sister who'd been stalking him, though it wasn't helpful that the wind was blowing opposite of him, bringing his scent straight to her and revealing his position easily.

Step by careful step, Sabine silently closed the distance between herself and her brother. The wind was bringing his scent directly to her and that, coupled with his unworried steps, made tracking him relatively easy. The giantess fell into a low, predatory slink as she prepared to launch an sneak attack on her big brother. Obstacles were her biggest worry, but with much care she was able to navigate around them. It wasn't until she was close that she threw caution to the wind. Surely, lined up behind him like she was, there were no rocks or trees between them. Alright! Showtime! Kicking forward suddenly, Sabine aimed to close the distance between herself and Aki rapidly. She wanted to sneak up right behind him, to line her chest up with his rump. The giantess sought to rear up on her hind legs and wrap her paws around her brother's waist. She intended to nip playfully at his ribs, not quite hard enough to break the skin but hard enough to hopefully make the giant squeal like a pig. Retaliation was not only expected, but desired. Cackling, she bellowed for her own amusement, "BOO!" "Talk" "You" Think

Sabine, despite her lack of vision, had never been any different than Sunniva to him. He expected no less taunting from her - and he was happy to dish it out just the same. He was nothing short of surprised when he heard a rustling from behind him, though before he could do more than jerk his head to the side to attempt to glance behind him before he felt the weight of his sister as she pounced on him and began to nip at his ribs. His initial reaction was to pull away, until her scent hit him and he became fully aware of who had attacked him. "Goddamnit, Sabine," he growled in protest, though the playful jest he usually wore around his sisters was audible in his voice. "Sneaking up on a man like that isn't very smart." He shook his head, jerking his head to snap playfully at his ears as he aimed to shake her off his back. "How would you feel if you'd given me a heart attack, hmm?"

Hehehehehe. "Goddamnit, Sabine." She beamed in what she thought was the direction of his face. Around a mouthful of Aki's back fat (okay, it probably wasn't fat, but she liked to think of him as a bit of chunker) Sabine playfully growled at him. She was thoroughly pleased with herself and, the little game over, allowed her brother to shake free of her grasp. With all four paws on the ground once more, the giantess moved to bump her shoulder against Aki's haunch affectionately. "How would you feel if you'd given me a heart attack, hmm?" Adopting a thoughtful (albeit phony) expression, she deliberated for a second. "That depends," she said slyly, "Do you think you'd squeal first? I'd probably bust a gut if you squealed first." "Talk" "You" Think

He had no doubt he could've defended himself, had this been an attacker - he possessed enough brute strength that it would be hard to overpower him, even given the element of surprise. And yet he relaxed instantly at Sabine's familiar scent and touch, snorting loudly in protest at her feigned attack.  Only when she went to bite at his back again would he shake her off of him, a bit roughly - but would she expect anything less? "Do you think these lands are making me grow soft?" Aki would ask her with a chuckle, only half-serious in his question. "I usually would've smelled you a mile off." Or perhaps it was the wind, and Sabine had come at him from the perfect direction; or maybe he'd been far too lost in his thoughts to care if he'd been followed. If anything, it would certainly make things interesting, and the possibility of danger had never deterred him before. "In all seriousness - and I know such a thing is difficult for you - how have you been?"

Was this land making him soft? That was a good question. "The wolves here are definitely softer." Aki made a decent point. Was being challenged less often making her softer too? She'd never considered such a thing, but now that he'd planted the idea she wondered if it was true.  Sabine frowned. "It's true, you would have. I don't doubt that living in such a quiet place like this breeds weakness. I have yet to meet someone here that I would consider an equal," she sniffed. The woman who'd met both her and Aki might have been an exception. "...and I know such a thing is difficult for you..." Intentionally interrupting him, she scoffed at this. "...how have you been?" Sabine grimaced. "It's an adventure, that's for sure. There are many unusual things here and I don't miss home, but..." And yes, dear Aki, she was indeed being serious here, "I am dissatisfied with it all. How about you? Is it suiting you any better?" "Talk" "You" Think

She agreed that the wolves here were softer. He'd only gotten into one fight these last few seasons, and it'd been quite a friendly one. Nothing at all like the spats that he and Sabine and Sunniva were apt to, especially when they were younger. "Perhaps we need to stir up some trouble," he suggested with a hearty laugh. He'd met a lot of weak wolves, though admittedly he liked a lot of them - he thought of Kyung briefly, wondering where his friend had gone. "Maybe intrude on some pack territories? Kidnap some children?" The former was mostly a serious suggestion, but the latter was all in jest - despite his free nature, he was truly good and the thought of actually laying claim on a pup was ridiculous to him. - "It's.. different," he admitted gently, studying Sabine thoughtfully as his mood shifted to something a bit more pensive. "Living is much easier here. Though there's far too many packs for my liking." He could not wander as freely as he once had, though to say he was stifled in his journeying would be a bit drastic; the continent was gigantic, and he had hardly explored much of it. "And it has been too long since I've had a good meal. I'm thinking I'll be going a bit further North this winter. For a bit, at least." He longed to run freely among the mountains, to follow the herd of reindeer as they had the first few years of his life, subsisting on the life they offered them.. but it seemed they were far more scarce down here.

Her brother's suggestions pulled a laugh from the giantess. "The pack bit sounds fun, but children? That sounds like it could get tedious. Don't they need to be fed or something?" And that was, perhaps, the only reason she wasn't seriously considering going pup shopping. They were simply too much work. "Although..." she mused, "Picture this: two packs wake up one morning to discover their pups are gone and have been replaced with someone else's pups." ""Different" is a good word for it, I suppose," she said wryly. "Living is much easier, and while much has been gained by the wolves here because of that, much has been lost too, I think." Where was the heartiness, the vigor? They pissed around, bitching and moaning and squabbling over petty things like they mattered. Where were the thoughts of survival, of planning and tracking in the hopes of a tomorrow? No, here tomorrow seemed to be thought of as a guarantee. "I might go with you. To the north, I mean, but before then I think we should make an impression in the lower lands." "Talk" "You" Think

It was a bit terrifying that the idea of Sabine kidnapping a kid wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibilities. Just mostly. He laughed loudly at her words, and her train of thought. "An amusing idea," he would half-agree, snorting at the ridiculousness of the idea. "All fun and games until we find ourselves being chased down by two dozen wolves. Though we could lose them easily enough in the snow." They could mask their scents in the snow; surely they had more skill navigating the northern terrain, though it likely meant they couldn't return to Alacritia for awhile, so probably not the best idea.. Her words were more pensive than he expected. "Much has been lost, indeed," he would agree solemnly. The sort of lives they led were lacking in many ways. They were too busy arguing about politics, about feeling bound to family they did not like. Too many obligations and formalities, they did not appeal to him at all. "I'd like that," he mused, leaning forward to nudge her roughly against her side. "Perhaps Sunniva too. Would be nice to feel the thrill of the hunt again. Living off of hares and the occasional pig is not exactly satisyting."