When the dark has gone, the morning's won.

Thread is set for somewhere in the North-West corner of the map.

---

It was not the cold that roused Rökkvi from his slumber, but the silence. Curled close to himself, snout tucked snugly to his own flank and with his dense tail cushioning an ashen cheek, he woke to find himself blanketed by a thick layer of fresh snow. This didn't seem unusual: his kind were known to rest in the open, insulated beneath layers of white, but the ironborn detected at once that something was amiss.

He shifted to emerge from his hollow in the ground, pale eyes cracking open carefully beneath his furrowed brow to squint against the light which reflected from snow. Rökkvi grumbled to himself as he pulled himself to his feet, turned to survey the vast emptiness of his surroundings.

His first thought was of home, but... how?

The tundra where he'd been whelped would be forever dear to him, but instinct reminded him that this was not the place. Frowning deeply, he turned to glance around his vicinity - in search of the companions he'd been travelling with, but there were no other mounds in the snow to confirm their proximity.

Frustration then, at the assumption of being left behind. The rogue's upper lip curled and he lashed his tail, suddenly enraged with this realisation and ignorant to the mysterious circumstances that separated him from his brothers.


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This is what she knows:

It is very cold.

No matter how much her teeth ache around the jawbone, she must continue to carry it.

Her sisters are nowhere to be found.

These things are all very concerning. Eft begins to think that her tongue will freeze before she can find someplace to rest, to set the bone aside for a time. Her belly is empty, but her bones are not yet aching, so she thinks she has a little bit longer before the starvation-pains start to seize control of her muscles. She does not know when she has felt these pains before, but the ghosts of them run up and down her body, and she is afraid.

But ahead of her, a shape bursts out of the snow. Eft crouches, half-hidden behind a snowdrift piled up against frozen willow shoots. Her ears lie flat for a moment, tight against her skull, and then splay to either side as she makes the decision to continue on, skinny body crouching low to the ground as she emerges from hiding, skulking a little closer to try and get a whiff of the stranger through the sting of the cold. Her black lips curl in warning around the jaw bone she carries, but the tip of her tail whisks in a friendly, hopeful manner.
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He lifted a large forepaw and shifted his weight, keen to walk off the beginnings of his fury and look around for something to guide him in the right direction. As he turned his proud head, however, his sharp stare fell upon a figure made of earthen shades that stood out clearly against their Winterwhite surroundings. Rökkvi regarded the she-wolf quietly for a moment beneath his furrowed brow, disinterest clear in the curve of his frown.

She was a scrawny thing, and Rökkvi's golden eyes sought her muzzle immediately as he caught the gleam of her fangs - a warning that he swiftly interpreted as a possessive hold over whatever object it was she carried. It looked like some sort of old bone, and he regarded her display with a simple backward cant of a raven lobe.

What the fuck was that all about? 

He blinked, huffed an annoyed breath and turned his face away to carry on through the snow as he lifted his gaze to continue his search.



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It was unnerving to meet someone without her sisters beside her. They were stronger together — or, at least, Eft was stronger with them. The male was older and bigger than she was, and she was ready to turn tail and run if he were to set his teeth against her. She could even drop the bone; what interest could it be of to him? She could always come back for it.

Fortunately, she was quickly dismissed. When the male turned away, she took his turned back as invitation to follow and began skittering after him, closing some of the distance between them but leaving a wide gap just in case he decide to lunge.

When bounding through the snow proved too difficult for her slim body, she swept into the path he cut before her and walked in his footsteps, falling back a little further so as not to encroach in his personal space.

she is dumb I am so so sorry

---

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He did not think she would follow him, not for a single moment. In turning away, Rökkvi felt he made his disinterest known. A dark ear swivelled backward at the obvious sound of movement through fresh snow and, with a low growl, he lifted his crown just enough to side-eye her in warning.

She fell into stride a short distance behind him, seemingly making use of the path he'd already made - which frustrated him more. Teeth gritted, Rökkvi turned his focus to the direction he'd chosen and chose to ignore the pest, for although he lacked the patience for unknown company he didn't particularly want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she'd so effortlessly burrowed her way under his skin.


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When the male looked her way, Eft flattened herself and whisked her tail whip-fast through the snow, the perfect picture of Who, me? Nothing to see here! and desperate friendliness. And then, as soon as he began walking once more, she popped up and continued to follow, growing more interested in her surroundings now that she was not alone, and there was a large friendly (???) wolf around, presumably to protect her.

Reindeer moss and willow shoots could only be so interesting, but Eft still treated each new occurrence like something strange and unfamiliar, going out of her way to investigate each time before bounding back into the stranger's tracks. She fell back, at times, but never disappeared from the stranger's rear-view.
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Walking in the opposite direction Kuhn trudged his way through elbow deep snow; still not knowing exactly where he is.  

Muttering to himself "Why is it gotta be winter.... gotta, this, fuckin snow..."

Focusing more on his steps and his complaining, he became entranced by watching his front paws burry their way through the snow step by step.  Failing to look up, the tiger approached the duo completely unaware, un alerted by his scent due to a decent cross-breeze, which tussled his unusual mane and long coat.  

Emerging from a small out-cropping of trees the cat decided to look up at the horizon, only to make eye contact with two wolves dangerously close; one large leading the way sporting a black and grey coat, the other a smaller ruddy female.  

"oh fuck...", Muttered the tiger, posturing up, knowing there was probably more around, and that he had likely encroached into a territory.
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Just get lost, the ironborn willed his unwanted companion away, wishing only to be on his own without distraction. The sound of her paws in the snow infuriated him more than it should have, but he tried his best to ignore her in the hope that she would simply give up and veer off in another direction.

He saw storm clouds muddy the sky up ahead, far off, but moving fast enough to warm him that the weather would soon turn. Rökkvi's frown deepened and his champagne eyes lowered to seek the path he'd set before him. He saw a distinct blue glow that captured his attention and, swift to decide that this was his desired location, he turned his head to sweep his barren surroundings once more.

He spotted an unfamiliar shape heading his way, and with narrowed eyes he tried to decipher what it was. He saw orange and black, and huge paws, and an uncertainty of the unknown had the wolf's hackles raised at once. Rökkvi peeled his lips back in warning to the beast as it carried on, and flagged his tail - he had no desire to fight with it, unless it picked one with him first.


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There was not much for the girl's nose to pick up on. This place seemed to hold much life, but not the kind that she was looking for. Eft began to feel very aware of her sisters' absences, looking this way and that as if they might suddenly appear (hadn't she?) and yet still somehow seeing the creature only a few beats after her new friend.

The bone fell from her jaws to land with a soft, muted thud in the snow.

"Um!" she said, quite eloquently, to capture the man's attention. Then, to name the threat, "Köttur?" — Cat? Are you seeing the same thing I am?

Eft snatched up the bone and skittered closer to her larger, more confident best friend — close enough to turn teeth on, this time. He seemed like the lesser threat than a giant, colorful painter, so she was happy to flank him, half-eclipsing her own silhouette with his more impressive shadow.
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Locking eye contact with he large grey and black wolf Kuhn could catch the glint of the wolves pearlesant fangs,  it looked like the wolf was warding him off.  Just your typical stick in the mud alpha type, Kuhn figured.   Just the kind that makes sharing a territory unnecessarily difficult.

Nearby Kuhn could see the smaller female sticking close to the large male for protection, looking just like a mate, or a best friend, cowering like prey. 

Returning the display of fangs, the tiger lazily bared his own, not looking to aggressive while carrying on with his stride. Not deviating from his course, getting closer to the duo; tail swaying from side to side as the wind rustled his long fur. 

Figuring that if he was to carve out a place of his own, he would have to stand his ground.
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On the striped beast prowled, closer and closer. Rökkvi wanted to stop - every fibre of her being screamed that he should - but the stubborn bastard kept moving, strong in his stride and gilded eyes fierce with warning.

The scrawny she-wolf was forgotten as he focused solely on this larger predator, but he was swiftly reminded of her presence as she scampered closer to him. Rökkvi, tempted to swing at her with jaws parted to remind her of his impatience with a snarl, steeled himself. He couldn't afford the distraction, not when something potentially threatened him just ahead, so he reluctantly left her to cower in his shadow.

What really surprised him was to hear her speak - in his mother tongue, of all language. A dark ear splayed sideways in her direction, curiosity suddenly and temporarily spiking but not enough for him to protect her should the cat decide to attack.

He could make out the finer contours of its face as it drew near, close enough to taste the scent of him on the air. Rökkvi continued to curl his lip, having always been repulsed by that distinct feline scent, and he took note of the shine of huge teeth as it returned his warning. No move to aim them at his hide nor attempt swipe at him with a massive paw came, but the ironborn felt unwilling to test this strange creature. He was bigger than him by far, with far more impressive canines, and so Rökkvi skirted aside to let the brute pass by.

Cautious, aware of his place there in nature's pecking order, but unafraid as he carried on strongly and kept the black-orange figure within his sight.


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[size=small]As the two beasts practically brushed by each other, Kuhn let off a deep, heavy yet, barely audible growl as he passed the large wolf only keeping the canine in the corner of his eye.[/size]

[size=small]Once the cat's head passed out of the wolf's field of view, the tiger cracked a small mischievous smile.[/size]

[size=small]Unable to help himself Kuhn decided to push his luck with this type A creature.  The Striped cat sat down still not facing Rockkvi and Eft; pretending to be uninterested.  "The way your heading... I left a kill back there, help yourself to what's left", Kuhn prodded,  somewhat hoping to test the pride of the larger wolf. Kuhn still had his back turned pretending not to care, flitting his tail to and fro.[/size]

[size=small]"Don't worry, you wont miss it... I have it marked...  Make sure to share with your mate too." He added, Looking out at the duo with the corner of his eye, waiting to see how they would react, amused with himself. [/size]
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Looks like I got skipped! Whoops.

---

The not-quite yearling stuck close to her companion as they drew level with the tiger, but dwadled when they reached perigee to give the beast a curious look and a tentative wag of her tail. It didn't seem like it wanted to eat them, and although Eft thought all wild cats smelled terrible, she though she would not mind stopping to chat (or to listen to her friend and the cat chat, since she had to Carry the Bone).

Her face — the only part of her not yet scrawny, still round with baby fat — was still turned toward the cat when he spoke, and her gilded eyes popped wide in surprise. She hurried to catch up to her mate, after that, thinking that she would quite like to stop and eat something.

Since her mouth was busy, she emitted a pleased little trill, looking up at the male to see what he thought of this.
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At the growl the striped beast made Rökkvi felt his muscles tighten. The ironborn jerked his muzzle sideways in its direction and skirted the opposite way (likely colliding roughly with the scrawny she-wolf in doing so), the hair along his back erect as he parted his jaws in a show that he was prepared to use his fangs if need be. He did not feel any ease in the tiger's presence, not one single ounce, even as its deep baritone offered the leftovers of an earlier kill.

He felt the little female perk with what he assumed to excitement at his flank, but he felt no ache of hunger in his own belly and thus, held no interest in the carcass of a cat's meal. Rökkvi continued to scowl silently over a dark shoulder, pressing onward and placing further distance between himself and the large feline, until he felt it safe enough to turn attention to his companion who'd gotten far too close than he'd prefer. He clacked his fangs in her direction in attempt to shoo her away, and carried on his chosen path in search of meat so that he might be lucky enough to lose her to it.


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Kuhn's ears drooped behind his head as his look of amusement faded; not getting the reaction he wanted.  The wolves didn't say a word to him. Disappointed that he could neither poke at the pride of the larger wolf, or at least stop to have a chat, the striped cat picked himself up, shook his head and continued on his way.  

Sated from his recent kill the cat walked off in the opposite direction of the duo; admiring the beauty of the northern lights, hoping for a bit more than blood and snow.

Kuhn will leave the duo alone if not further interacted with, may come back later

---

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The cat was only interesting until her friend seemed to disregard it, and then Eft reluctantly did the same. Since it did not seem to be trying to eat them, she did not feel the need to press quite so close to the other, but she was a companionable enough creature that she stuck close anyway, only to get an earful for it a moment later.

A nervous grin flashed across her muzzle as she ducked out of his way, and allowed a bit of distance to grow between them once more. It was no capital offense to snap at someone, so she didn't think too harshly of the male's actions. Her mother, after all, was the snappiest wolf she knew! But she also loved Eft a whole lot.

This must be one of those situations.

Presently, they came near to the kill that the cat had spoken off. Eft wheeled around her friend to approach it, but did not draw near enough to touch. Instead she flattened herself onto her belly in the snow, the bone held adroitly between her long forelimbs and large paws as she waited for her friend to eat first. Because he was the boss! That was okay! She was just happy to be there, folks!

"Svangur?" — Hungry? she asked him, tentatively raising her voice. "Um. Eat?" Because she was beginning to fear that they would not stop at all!
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With distance appropriately placed between himself and the she-wolf who lurked in his shadow, Rökkvi pressed on through the snow. He was glad that their feline intruder chose to carry on, even more so to have avoided conflict with him, but a dark ear remained tilted backward should the striped beast decide he looked like his second meal of the day.

Thankfully, there was nothing more to concern himself over in regard to that interference, though there was one still to deal with. He ignored the scrawny youth until they arrived at the bloodied scene of an unidentifiable mammal. Rökkvi curled his lip in distaste as his champagne eyes examined from afar, the stench of cat stronger than that of blood in the area.

He regarded her for a long, silent moment as she offered him first bite, and the ironborn gestured to the felled creature: "help yourself." Rökkvi turned away, not caring to watch her feed, then set his sights on that distant azure glow - and the storm clouds that he would have to face to get there. "I'll scout ahead, you stay here. I'll come back to find you."

He would not, of course, because she was a thorn in his side that he didn't wish to claw at. Without waiting fir an answer, the rugged wolf moved off toward his intended destination.


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This seemed, actually, like a very bad idea. Her poor opinion of the plan showed in the sad droop of her large ears, but she was not about to question the divine wisdom of her elder. She laid her chin on her paws and made big eyes at him, as if hoping this might sway him toward stopping to eat, or allowing her to continue along with him. But before the silence could settle between them, she agreed,

"Ok," but did not sound terribly happy about it.

The smell of cat was invading her nostrils, now, making her rather nervous about staying here by herself.

"I will save food for you," she told him.
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