Growing bored with the slightly warmer lands further south, Jouko made his way back to the lands of snow and ice where he could once more appreciate how his thicker coat let him wander through such terrain without ever feeling the winters cold bite. He plodded along through deep snow, long legs lifting high to clear it an getting one heck of a workout in the process. He'd made it past the frozen tundra, wandering without direction in hopes of eventually finding Aggie along the way. Blue eyes flickered across icecicles tha appeared to be of similar hues. They hung from trees so laden with snow that Jouko wondered if they'd ever gone a season without being blanketed in white since time began. 

Even as someone who lived in this sort of weather, the man had a limit and it was fast approaching. Talk about heavy snowfall! Gazing up at the grey sky above, Jouko supposed his troubles may not be at an end quite yet either. Sinking into the snow he'd been blazing a path through all morning, the brute relaxed and rested there for a while, closing his eyes and relaxing a while. Travel could wait. But what he wouldn't do for a snack or something to help him out right about now. Heck, even someone to chat with while he sat half buried would be nice. Jouko wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth after all.

So.. why did I do this again? Kai couldn't help but wonder what the hell he'd been thinking when he'd decided to head out to an island. An island, of all things. In the middle of the winter, and so far north. The island had looked close enough to the shore that the swim didn't seem too bad, and it really wasn't.. distance-wise. Temperature-wise, though? Brrr! It'd taken him awhile to warm up by the time he trudged his way up the shore, finding more snow than sand, and even when the snow started to fall more heavily from the sky he hadn't quite fully warmed up yet. He'd been lucky enough to find a sliver of sunlight to dry himself off in before the temperatures started to drop later, let his pelt freeze over completely. It wasn't long before the last rays of sunlight disappeared, dull grey snow clouds filling the sky completely, until finally large snowflakes started to fall to the earth. Finding shelter might be ideal, he decided after some wandering over the ice-frosted terrain. There were enough trees and foliage to give him hope of finding somewhere relatively dry to rest later in the evening - and though finding shelter was his intention, his focus was suddenly pulled away as the scent of a stranger drifted by. Kai was instantly intrigued, knowing anyone as brave as him (or was it foolish?) to dare adventure here was someone he wanted to get to know. He saw the male's tracks before he actually saw him; it looked funnily enough like he'd plowed right through the snow with little care. After he followed after him, padding along the length of snow he'd plowed beneath him, he saw him in the distance - and even from so far away he had to do a double take. The scent was distinctly male, yet he looked like Aggie... only darker, with a slightly different hue to his coat. Huh. Curious, he trudged on, heavy paws smashing snow beneath him with little abandon as his pace quickened. "Hey there!" Kai called out across the distance, his voice booming from deep within his chest.

Should be enough to guide me through this maze And I won’t stray and I won’t lose my way Jouko let out a breath that floated away, steam rising to join the clouds while the man sat firmly planted on the snowy ground. It was kind of difficult getting around on this island, but it sure was pretty. Worth the struggle just for the pretty wintery sights he got to see. He'd become quite distracted, looking at the individual flakes of snow in the white bank he rested in, surprised to make out their individual forms as fresh ones settled atop the rest, their little branches so small and delicate. Once he failed to stop himself from breathing while he looked at one up close and it melted before his eyes. As he sat there enjoying a peaceful moment he heard and smelled someone approaching. Lazily looking over his shoulder he studied the boy who approached. He seemed a tiny bit older, his coat a somewhat familiar shade of slate, face bearing interesting reddish markings. All in all... intriguing. Turning more fully to face the boy but not bothering with actually standing up - he was comfortable, after all - Jouko smiled warmly and called out, "Hello! Enjoying the winter weather too?" His blue eye sparkled and he wore a wide grin as he watched this stranger approach. Walk. "Speak!" "Think."

Perhaps he shouldn't have gone quite so far from the lands he was familiar with, especially with the snow beginning to fall - and the sky threatening to unleash even more precipitation - but oh well. Too late now to turn back! Being somewhere new always made him feel invigorated and renewed, now brimming with curiosity and wonder for this new place and its inhabitants.. though he highly doubted there were many travelers here. He was surprised to come across this one, but his features only betrayed a touch of that awe. He wore a broad grin as he headed toward Jouko, squinting as he got a better look at his pelt and tried to piece the information he had together. Asgeira had said she had a brother, didn't she? His smell was not all that different from hers, but..

He let out a hearty laugh at Jouko's greeting as he twisted to face him, and as Kai loped forward to plow through the snow and close the distance that separated them. "I'm enjoying it very much! What about you?" He certainly looked comfortable laying there in the snow, flakes clinging to his coat and nose, so he didn't think assuming he was a northern wolf would be too inaccurate. "Say, you wouldn't know a lady named Asgeira, would you?" He asked without hesitation as he got a better look at him, deciding they were either related or the gods truly were playing a trick on him. "You look an awful lot like her. A bit more handsome, I have to say, but definitely like her," Kai admitted, his grin broadening as he moved to plop down in the snow in front of Jouko.

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Should be enough to guide me through this maze And I won’t stray and I won’t lose my way Jouko offered up a rakish grin, taking his own turn to chuckle and reply, "Can't complain! Winter is the best season in my opinion. Everything dies and waits to be reborn, and meanwhile we get lovely things like snow to enjoy." he gestured to the lovely frozen island around them, tail thumping gently in the ivory powder he rested in. Yes, winter was a nice season and the north was the most beautiful. If Aggie wandered away she'd just have to come back when she wanted to find him cause he was quite content. He raised a brow when his sister's name was mentioned, leaning in a bit closer to the stranger and sighing, "Know? Why, I've known her since the day we were born," he grinned, adding, "She's my sister all right. Glad she's not turned handsome since we parted ways or I'd have questions." He couldn't help but laugh at his dumb attempt at jest. Resting his chin on his paw as the boy settled in nearby, Jouko noted that the guy wasn't bad looking either. Jouko did have a soft spot for attractive, minimalist markings. Raising his head slightly for a moment and trying not to stare too deeply into those silver eyes, Jouko asked, "Where'd ya meet Aggie anyways? Haven't seen her for a while." Walk. "Speak!" "Think."

Finding Kai and losing Jouko hadn't been the worst trade off, but Aggie still really wanted to know where he brother had gotten off to. She wasn't terribly concerned with keeping constantly aware of his location, but it probably wouldn't hurt to check in. She and Ylva had spent the past several days trying to find any sign of him, but had so far come up blank. "Do you think perhaps he's headed south?" Ylva asked. Asgiera shrugged her shoulders in a helpless fashion. The blustery winter winds and constantly shifting landscape made tracking challenging at best. They wandered on. When Aggie heard the trace whispers of voices on the wind, it took her a long moment of triangulation to figure out where they were coming from, and several paces of careful approach before she realized that she recognized them. More by luck than any true skill on her part, Aggie seemed to have killed two birds with one stone. Both of the darker coated wolves stood facing one another, apparently in some sort of cheerful conversation. She grinned. "Jouko, there you are! And hello again, Kai." She smiled broadly and both of the males, aquamarine gaze flitting between the two pairs of eyes. "I see you two have already met?" Ylva leveled Kai with a dry stare from where she perched on Aggie's shoulders, no more enamored with him upon their second meeting than she was for their first. Aggie trotted over to her brother's side, swaying her hips in an attempt to bump them against his in a playful gesture. "Where've you been off to, Farstrider?" It wasn't as if Aggie was much better, but that didn't mean she couldn't tease him a bit. "Tracing buried treasure? Or found a lady to woo, perhaps?" She wriggled her eyebrows at him, shit-eating smirk playing on the side of her face. She turned back to Kai and said, "I hope my brother has been behaving himself in my absence. You never know with this one." She sent Jouko a sly wink, wondering if he might react to her teasing or if he would ignore her instead. She could always try harder she supposed. "Talk" "You" Think

His comment about winter being the best earned a soft bout of laughter and a wide grin, as well as a nod of agreement. "Same here, same here," he offered easily, finding his tail waving behind him as though to emphasize his words. "I'm a bit surprised to find someone as foolish as me to adventure out to an island when it looks like a blizzard could be on its way, but I won't complain," Kai snorted with a soft bout of laughter as his gaze shifted to the sky, watching some of the flakes fall to the earth. The darkening clouds told a story of what was to come, even if the atmosphere was rather pleasant at the moment. Cloudy, but not at all unfavorable in his eyes.

The mood shifted a bit at the mention of Asgeira, it becoming immediately clear that he knew her. "Ah, you're the brother she spoke of, then!" Kai exclaimed, beaming even more brightly now as his focus fell back to Jouko. The resemblance was uncanny, despite the fact that their coats were different colors - their markings were alarmingly similar. He felt his spirit soar at being around another kindred soul - even if the other man hadn't realized it yet, they were of similar culture. Amusement brimmed in his eyes as he watched Jouko lower his head, noting similarities in their personalities amidst the slight differences.

"I ran across her recently, in the pine forest back on the mainland. Believe it or not, I'm a Jarvela. Not born back in the group, but here." His tail slapped the snow-caked earth happily as he explained - hardly noticing that another wolf had noticed them and was approaching. "Aukusti is my grandfather, and my father's name is Aki. He left the group many years ago, so here I am."

His attention shifted suddenly when he heard the crunching of snow beneath someone's paws, head snapping to the side to see who had decided to join them. It was Aggie! Really?! He nearly yelped for joy at the arrival of the female, his eyes truly shining now. "Were your ears burning? How'd you know we were talking about you?" He asked playfully, only half-joking - he was probably less surprised than he should've been at her presence, instead merely grateful to see her once again. He was less impressed by Yvla, though shot her a quick glare before returning to focus on the two wolves. "And I have met this handsome kin of yours. He's been behaving.. but just barely," Kai was happy to jest, flashing Jouko a wink in turn. "I'm happy you're just as foolish as the two of us, by the way. I couldn't ask for better wolves to find myself caught in a blizzard with, I don't think." He raised his eyebrows, assessing the sky once more, and wondering how much longer they had before they'd need to seek shelter.

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Should be enough to guide me through this maze And I won’t stray and I won’t lose my way Shrugging nonchallantly, Jouko chuckled softly, "Well, I can't say I decided to do my wandering with bad weather on the horizon purposefully. But, I certainly won't let even blizzards stop me from enjoying myself." Heck, bad weather on the way just meant he'd get to hold up somewhere and watch the snowflakes fall. Even as the sky continued to grow dark and ominous, Jouko was in no hurry to get to shelter just yet. He figured he'd know when it was time to get to a better spot, so for now he was quite content to relax and enjoy some good company which Kai was proving to be. "I hope she only says good things about me," he laughed. He listened intently as Kai explained how he met Aggie, and that he was a Jarvela. "Small world, huh?" It was kind of awesome that the place they ended up in just happened to be home to at least a few wolves they had a connection to. When Aggie approached, Jouko flicked an ear and cracked a smile as she greeted them. Hopping up from his spot nestled in the snow, he moved to meet her and playfully aimed to bump her shoulder with his. "Where've I been? That's a funny question coming from you, seeing as I've hardly gone anywhere and you've been who knows where." Sticking his tongue out at the both of them Jouko huffed, feigning exhasperation at the mere suggestion that he might be poorly behaved, "I am shocked you would even ask such a question! I am always perfectly well behaved. Well, almost always." Walk. "Speak!" "Think."

Blizzard brewing around them, Aggie was surprised that she had found these two at all. Then again, she had felt strongly that the spirits were guiding her path since her arrival in these lands. To meet a Jarvela wolf, and then to stumble across him again alongside her brother? It was too much to consider a coincidence. She grinned a toothy grin as Kai addressed her, asking if her ears had been burning. "I don't think much at all is burning on a day like today. Suffice to say I doubt spirits feel the cold, so you can blame them for the glory of my company." She held in a tinkering laugh, finding humor in her own joke whether they did or not. Jouko seemed mildly offended that she would accuse him of wandering off, but of course that had been the point. She feigned her best indignant scoff, trying to look offended. "But Jou, what if I were to be waylaid by a group of brigands! What if some unsavory sorts tried to make off with me! You're my big brother, aren't you honor bound to stay by my side and protect little ol' me?" Activate doe eyes, initiate pout. It was everything she could do to keep from bursting out in laughter. Both of them knew damn well she needed little by way of protection. The withered nightshade resting at the bottom of her bag was evidence enough of that. She heard Ylva sigh from atop her shoulders. She turned back to Kai as he spoke on. Supposedly Jouko had been having himself, but Aggie would tease him as if he hadn't anyways. Her brother always was a bit more stoic and proper than herself, but it made no difference to her. As for wandering about in a blizzard being considered foolish, well. "I consider it an opportunity, personally," she led with a grin. "You meet the most interesting characters in times of strife. It weeds those who are weak of spirit out of the mix." She glanced quickly over her shoulder, into the swirling white murk she had emerged from. Looking back at the boys, her grin widened into something excitable and nearly childish. "Do you guys want to see who can slide the farthest on the ice? Winner gets hunted for tonight!" Whether she won or not, it seemed like a fun idea. This isle was mostly snow and ice anyways, so she was certain they could find a decent runway. "Talk" "You" Think

It'd been a long while since he'd been so happy, with two kindred souls whose company he found himself enjoying quite thoroughly. "There should be very few things that keep you from enjoying yourself," he commented with a chuckle, considering it as though someone had asked him to drum up a list of ideas. "Losing a limb might be one of them. Or getting stuck somewhere you actually can't get out of?" Kai shrugged, finding it hard to think of much that would really deal a blow to his mood besides the most extreme possibilities.

He grinned and let out a laugh at the banter between the two siblings. "I'll have to agree with her on this one, Jouko. Could you ever forgive yourself if she succumbed to such a fate?" His own voice was brimming with barely-contained laughter; though he'd only met Asgeira once before, she didn't strike him as the type to need assistance from anyone. No, he was fairly certain she could handle herself perfectly well in the face of danger, and he was happy to go along with her jesting.

Aggie went on to say that she considered being stuck in a blizzard an opportunity instead of a misfortune. Hm - that was one way to look at it. The harsh weather of the north certain did weed the weak out from the strong, he could agree with her there. And the mention of a game of sorts, with the losers hunting for the winner, well.. he was instantly sold. "Deal!" He chirped quickly, hurrying to all fours and hurrying off, plowing through the thick snow with relative ease. He'd seen a patch of ice on his way toward the center of the island, by a small patch of pine trees, which would work perfectly well for their little game.

This place really was a winter wonderland; all one could see in each and every direction as snow and ice, and even the sparse foliage was coated beautifully in white. Kai's spirits had been lifted since meeting his two companions, and how could he complain when he was in a terrain as perfect at this one? He'd hardly think about the impending blizzard - the snow was falling a bit more heavily now, though it was nothing they couldn't withstand. They'd figure out somewhere to hide out once things got really bad, but for now he was content to enjoy the snow and what remained of winter with his newest companions.

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"Glory of your company? Yeah, that's one way to put it," Jouko snickered, side-stepping to avoid potential retaliation for his remark. Eyeing her skeptically, he paused for a bit before shrugging "Guess I'll be an only child, then," His expression impassive before he broke out in a hearty laugh and continued to leap away, just in case.

He supposed if she really needed his help he'd be there. Ah no, that'd never happen anyways - she was Aggie! She needed no help to both get in trouble and right back out of it. His interest was piqued at the idea of a game. What could it hurt, right?

A shrug and a determined grin signaled his agreement to join this competition, powerful legs sending him racing after Kai through the flurry of snow that threatened to keep decreasing visibility with every minute it continued. There was a certain thrill to hanging around out here. The longer they were out here the harder it would be to find shelter. Looking from Aggie to Kai, he asked, "Well, who's going first?"