Aesir sat hunched over the carcass of fat hare. Stumbling across it had been a good start to his morning, and the prospect of beginning the day with a full belly put him in high spirits. His teeth crunched down on a haunch and tore it away. Aesir sat upright as hew chewed, looking out over the rocky landscape. The weather was clear and calm, at least for it being the ass end of autumn. It was cold and the wind was persistent, but that was no real inconvenience. He tentatively planned to spend his day seeking out high ground, hoping to get the lay of things and start piecing together his mental map of these lands. As it was, he felt woefully bereft of any useful information, and that was never a comfortable position to be in. He made quick work of the rabbit's remains, and once it was reduced to little more than bones and tufts of fur he set out on his way. Aesir liked this region so far. The field of stones set amongst peat and springy moss felt familiar to him. If he happened to stumble upon a forest of dark pines and firs, it would begin to feel like being home again. Aesir quickly shook those thoughts away, nipping the bud on any potential wallowing. He wouldn't waste his energy moping over the family who had turned their backs on him and his brothers. No, he was going to have a great time purely to spite them. The well-muscled brute had an easy time hefting himself up onto a nearby boulder, and then up to a larger rock yet. Aesir grinned to himself, and quickly began bounding from stone to stone, enjoying the feel of his body straining to accommodate the sudden burst of athleticism. Before long he was panting, muscles twinging from the abuse. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and he huffed, feeling much more content than before. He paused, contemplating putting an end to his sudden game, then caught sight of one final stone. It was a fair bit larger than the others, and set at such an incline that getting to the top would be more of a fight than the others had put up. Aesir steered himself towards it, sizing the boulder up for only a heartbeat or two before leaping with all the force he could muster in his hind legs. His claws scrabbled against the stone, fighting for purchase. The rock itself was unforgiving, and he felt a sting in the pads of his paws as they scraped across the rough surface. But at last and with a colossal heave, Aesir surged forward and pushed himself to its peak. Truly worn out now, he sat and panted, looking out far over the steppe as the land gently sloped away from him. Definitely worth it. A small flock of birds twittered overhead, and he watched them pass. He wasn't sure where to go from here, but it had been enough of a pain to get up there that he was in no rush to get down any time soon. "Aesir Speaks" "Aesir Listens" Aesir Thinks

Valkyrie squinted at the distant and familiar-looking figure. Recognition was slow to come but when it did her eyes widened and she leaped to her feet. Aesir! He was a long way from home.

She was quick to abandon her seat on a boulder and go bounding in Aesir's direction. The tall male had settled down some distance away and now sat with his back to her. Had she been keen on it, Valkyrie had no doubt she could have sneaked up on him, but Aesir wouldn't find that nearly as funny as she would and she didn't want to ruin this reunion with a skirmish.

"Well, well, well, you're far from home," she crowed as she approached. "Let me guess." She fixed him with a hard stare and then narrowed her eyes, seemingly trying to figure him out. After a beat she lifted her chin and quirked a brow. "Burned down one too many villages and they finally ran you out of town?" Aesir would be hard-pressed to get away from the "cursed horn boys" rumor, but Valkyrie had never believed it and that made it fair game for teasing.

The voice from behind him was more than enough to startle him, but he recognized it immediately and ended up considering himself lucky she didn't just jump him. He chuckled under his breath and turned, unsurprised to see the familiar form of Valkyrie waiting below. "Well, well yourself." Her question was fair, and while it might have soured his mood coming from someone else this particular wolf had a pass. Valkyrie was a fearsome warrior in her own right, young as she was, and he'd been privy to some of her exploits back home. It helped somewhat to dull his usual cutting edge, but only to a point. "They would have been so lucky. Apparently we sold a gaggle of pups off to Hel in return for dark powers." He laughed but it held very little humor. "Never could decide if we already had evil magics or were just out to get them. No matter now, though." Aesir stood and bounded down from his high perch so that he could stand level with the younger shewolf. They were of a height, although she would likely mature to be slender where he was broad. "My brothers are around as well, off doing Loki's bidding for all I know. What about you? Feeling a bit cramped there under your family's shadow?" He snorted a bit. He knew Valkyrie to be something of a wild child, so he wouldn't be surprised to hear she'd left home on some sort of grand quest for glory. At least she had had the option, but whatever. He wasn't bitter or anything. "Aesir Speaks" "Aesir Listens" Aesir Thinks

For as long as she'd known him it had been Valkyrie's job to give Aesir shit. Well, to give any in their group shit, really. Few taboo topics were really off limits in her mind.

In response to Aesir's pithy take on his reason for leaving Valkyrie simply smirked and said no more. She knew when to back off. Perhaps another day she would have pushed simply for the pleasure of squaring off with him, but this was a reunion and she was going to go easy on him. For now. If he stuck around it was only going to get worse from here, but surely he was used to that at this point.

Valkyrie brightened considerably as he mentioned his brothers. This was good. Perhaps she could expect a reunion with them too. "Something like that," she said with a soft laugh. "Laufey's witch had a vision that I would find glory here. And I'm a sucker for glory." The last line was said with a smirk.

She shrugged. "It's about time I make a name for myself, you know? I don't just want to be Taufr's bastard daughter forever. If I'm going to be remembered for anything I want it to be the amount of shit I brought home and the number of wolves I defeated in battle."

Ah, so it was glory then. Another quiet laugh rumbled out of his chest. For as long as Aesir had been alive and for countless generations before young wolves in their parts had been leaving home to strike out and prove themselves. Some came back, some didn't, and that was life. Valkyrie he had known since she began roaming away from her mother's den, and even then it had seemed likely that she would make something impressive out of herself. She had the blood for it, legitimacy issues non-withstanding, and there were few obstacles in her way. All she had to do was go out and get it, and there she was. Or that was his take on the matter, anyways. It made for a nice tale, but Aesir wondered if she might find the harsher realities of leadership less appealing than the vague ideals of glory. None of his business though. He smiled at her, and although it wasn't quite warm it was relatively close to kind, and what followed was as near to a compliment as he planned to get. "Thought as much. You come from good stock, add in a bit of ingenuity and you'll turn out fine. And of course, if you find your nose in any business you think might end in a head or two getting knocked together, make sure an old friend catches word, eh?" He chuckled, mostly to himself, as he considered the rather short list of wolves he would be content to fight beside. It was good to know one more of them had found their way to these lands. Aesir had taken the time to gather gossip on his travels so far through Boreas. He had crossed paths with a rogue or two and although the information was fragmented it was a start. What he knew was that the land was dominated by several packs, although only few seemed to have amassed a comparably large number of wolves. He had a fuzzy summary of names and locations, but without having seen it himself the understanding was blurred at best. "My brothers and I have only recently arrived. I've been feeling a bit like a rooster without his wings ever since. I don't suppose you'd spare a moment to trade rumors with a poor, cursed wretch, would you?" Saccharine, but honest. He really would appreciate anything she had to offer, and even though Aesir wasn't sure what he could give in return, Valkyrie would know he was good for his debt. Usually. "Aesir Speaks" "Aesir Listens" Aesir Thinks

The mention of Aesir being clued in if she needed to knock heads together brought a smirk to Valkyrie's lips. He was teasing and she couldn't wait to tell him of her plans and the followers she'd already gathered. No doubt he'd still tease, but perhaps he'd want more than simply being made aware of when she was going to strike. "I can do better than that," she offered cryptically. He could stew on that until she was ready to share.

"That's a fine idea. Talking to the little folks from time to time should keep me humble when they start singing songs about me back home. I don't think I could start such a practice too early, eh?" she teased as she finished climbing up the steep rocks Aesir had recently mastered.

She rolled her eyes to the sky and made a show of considering what to tell him. "Let's see, where should I start? I hear there are packs here so naive that they don't even patrol their borders. Packs whose fighters are no more skilled than babes."

When Aesir asked Valk to keep him apprised of going-ons, he hadn't expected her to have already found herself in the midst of something. To be fair he shouldn't have been surprised. He still had no idea how long she had already been in the area, but still it was a pleasant surprise. "I can do better than that," she led, seeming to hinge on the edge of something. Aesir did his best to play it cool. He sniffed and regarded her levelly. "Careful, they like to sing the silly songs as well. Wouldn't want to end up on the wrong side of history, would we?" But she carried on, talking about packs so content they didn't even bother to check up on the borders they drew. Aesir pictured them fat, lazy, and comfortable. He grinned and rolled his eyes. "Now you're just teasing. I'll be dreaming of fat little piglets all winter long, no thanks to you. I had gathered that the region was ripe, but this?" He rolled his eyes. "Seems too good to be true, if you ask me." Aesir hummed. It was possible that youthful exuberance might have been lending matters a rose-tinted hue, but Aesir had no reason to think the shewolf had bad information. He'd been in the area for half a season and had yet to come across any remnants of battle or old pack lines. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around a place so dreadfully peaceful, especially when the land was as rich with resources as this one. He had yet to see even a trader passing by. "At the very least," he said as an after thought. "Things do look a bit boring in these parts. Seems fit that someone would come through and stir matters up." He gave her a meaningful stare, wondering just what the younger wolf had in mind. If things were being left out on platters, why not sample what was offered? "Aesir Speaks" "Aesir Listens" Aesir Thinks

Valkyrie barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes at him. Instead she harrumphed and shot back, "I don't remember you being this funny back home. Did you find a sense of humor during your travels?"

Her? Tease about such a thing? Never. "I'll admit wanderers tend to embellish their stories, but from what I've seen the packs here are softer than at home. That is fact." She'd been collecting rumor and doing surveys for the better part of a year now. If there was one thing she was certain of it was that these lands lacked challenge. As far as she could tell those that called it home all got along. They'd grown soft in their safety.

"You're right, it is boring here. It seems everyone is too concerned with playing nice to do anything fun." Valkyrie cast a sly look Aesir's way. "And that is why I'm putting together a band to stir things up. There are none like us in Boreas; they won't know what hit them."

Valkyrie's gaze briefly went to the view. They were up high enough that the steppe was laid out before them. It could be said the whole of Boreas was that way; the packs were laid out before her and ready for the taking. "Why dream of fat little pigges when you can give chase to real ones? My band could use someone with your talents."

Aesir scoffed in a mockery of defensive scorn. "You wound me, Valkyrie! I'll have you know I've found many things in my travels, but my sense of humor is not one of them. That has been a near and dear companion for much longer." He waggled a paw. How else should he try to explain his continued perseverance trudging through the mounds of bullshit that had been shoveled into his path so far. But he could hardly expect other wolves to really understand the fine-tuned masterpiece that was his inner working, so Aesir would consent to let it slide for now. Valkyrie asserted that she was certain the local packs were a bit soft in the belly, at least compared to the warriors of home. It was a thrilling prospect, but her reply created more questions than it answered. In his mind, Aesir would have liked to know the locations of these packs and the names of their leaders, descriptions of the lands they held sway over and intel on the wolves in their command before he would feel remotely comfortable devising any sort of real strategies. For now though, the lure of more to come was more than enough to hook his attention. Aesir's blood began to warm, simmering beneath his winter coat. He did not think of it as battlelust necessarily, but it was something close. Few things stimulated him half so well as a potential conquest. "That is why I'm putting together a band to stir things up," Valkyrie summarized. Aesir smiled genuinely, uninhibited by even the faintest hint of snark. "Are you now? Well, that does sound interesting." Aesir wasn't sure how he felt at first, being led by a wolf so young and potentially inexperienced. He himself had just recently come into maturity, but even that didn't mean much in the face of considering a yearling as a potential leader. But.. he knew Valkyrie. She was capable, and came from a line of very capable wolves. If there really were exceptions to every rule, it seemed reasonable that she would qualify. He hummed. "I won't lie, the possibility is... tantalizing. All the same, I'm afraid I'll need more than that. You talk like you've already got this merry band half assembled. I hope I'm not the only sucker you've tried to cajole so far?" His mind spun. If he told Halvar and Kvasir that Valkyrie Finnvi was calling for able-bodied warriors, he was certain they would feel similarly to himself. Following the young spitfire didn't seem likely to lead them in a bad direction, but all the talk of honor and glory remained to be seen. Aesir waited, hoping Valkyrie would say something to make him more assured in his potential investment. "Aesir Speaks" "Aesir Listens" Aesir Thinks

In response to Aesir's clear misgivings Valkyrie copied his faux scornful expression right down to the waggling paw. "Now it's your turn to wound me!" She'd been deliberately scant on the details to lure him in and pique his interest, and it seemed her efforts hadn't been for nothing.

"Half assembled? No, I certainly wouldn't say that because that would be lying." She eyed him for a beat, trying to gauge his reaction, then threw in the kicker. "I have enough recruits to make it official. All I need to do is gather them and christen the damn thing."

Now, did she play hard to get because he'd "wounded" her or did she do what she wanted to do and eagerly jump on his interest? It was hard to decide. On the one hand she wanted to be difficult, but on the other, she was so close to wrangling him too. Hm. Maybe she could do both. "If it's strategy you want you won't get it IF or until you're a member. It's the horns, you see, makes you untrustworthy," she sniffed with mock haughtiness. She held the expression for a second and then dropped it. Sooner or later his patience for horn jokes would wane. "I kid, of course. Because the group is so young I thought we'd gather and spend the winter training and getting to know one another before we begin raiding. And if you want to know about targets well..." She grinned teasingly. "I'm keeping those details close for now."

She'd participated in her first raid at nine months. Admittedly that first experience had been alarming and shown her just how inexperienced she'd been at the time, but she'd improved mentally and physically in the months that came after. Valkyrie couldn't claim to be an old wizened war horse, but she knew enough to count on the wisdom of those who were and she was prepared to lead as her forefathers had. She could do this. She wasn't a pup and while she may have been a yearling, Norsemen her age had been doing what she was doing now for countless generations. Valkyrie was no different than her ancestors.  

Valkyrie grew serious and dropped all pretense. "You're a good fighter, Aesir, and I don't think it's luck that's reunited us. The band would benefit from your presence."

Their bantering was familiar, though Aesir was loath to admit that she had gotten better with age. It was to be expected, but still. It was a lot easier to push the younglings around when they still weren't of a size with him and his brothers. Valk claimed to have enough wolves to make it a worthwhile endeavor, all that they were waiting for was the timing. He wouldn't blame her for wanting to pick a fortuitous moment to put a name to things. He shrugged, and gave her a slim smile regardless. "We'll see, I suppose." He tucked his chin and laughed at her horns comment, but looked up to give her a cool stare. He knew she said it in jest, and those few familiar wolves from home were probably the only ones that could get away with even that, but she was pushing it. When he'd first met her he was fascinated by her paws, but he couldn't deny that a certain resentment had built up over time. Unlike her 'differences', his weren't able to be overlooked at a glance. "And here I thought it was my winning personality," he said, voice saccharine and dripping with false sweetness. She spoke of spending the winter to train and familiarize themselves. He nodded slowly, partially considering and partially drifting. He wasn't of a mind to make a decision today, but he didn't really have anything better to do with his time. But that didn't mean he wouldn't make her stew for a bit. "Plenty of wolves would benefit from my presence, if you're asking my opinion," he snarked with a wink. Aesir stood and shook out his pelt. Truthfully, he'd rather discuss things with his brothers before giving her any promises. He wasn't generally a fan of breaking his word, so he hoped Valkyrie hadn't come here with any expectations. Halvar and Kvasir were notably scarce these days so perhaps he was merely setting himself up to waste time, but better safe than sorry. He turned, but looked back over his shoulder. "I'll keep an ear out for your call. Maybe if I wake up on the right side of the den that day I'll head your direction." But first, he had two cursed little imps to track down. He wondered if Valk would be pissed by his sudden exit, but even she would have to admit it was very on brand for him. -EXIT- "Aesir Speaks" "Aesir Listens" Aesir Thinks