It was cold, bitterly so. Kjalarr drew in a deep breath of the chilled air, feeling it sting against the warmth of his lungs as his steeled his broad shoulders and pushed forth. He was a Northman. He was built for the weather that swept through the Wilds. That didn’t mean it did not chill him to the marrow of his bones. His sweep of the borders was a necessary evil and he did it because it was apart of his job, to sate his increased territorial behavior and for his children that grew within Ondine’s womb. Any day now they would be born into the world. She was not yet in labor but they both knew she was close. Still unsure of his new role as soon-to-be father the viking was left feeling a bizarre mixture of nerves, joy, curiosity with a tinge of fear.

A howl tore the grey sky asunder and with a bristle to his coarse hackles Kjalarr wasted no time accosting the stranger at his borders. His steps slowed as he came upon her, his posture stiff (mostly because of the cold) and regal, displaying his dominance without much thought. “This is Neverwinter Forest. I am Kjalarr, it’s Alpha Male.” Crisp, brisk and to the point. He didn’t fancy being away from Ondine for long intervals of time not wanting to miss the birth of his children.

“What is your purpose here?” He inquired, smoothly transitioning straight to the point.

She had made herself small and cowered though whether it was because of him or the cold Kjalarr was not inherently sure. Needless to say he accepted it as submission, for the moment with a tremor of his whiskers. Despite this, he did not relax his position, not feeling all that inclined to. She did not particularly strike the Northman as a threat, nor did she challenge him, but she was still a stranger and Kjalarr’s trust was not blind nor so freely given. A slow shiver made it’s way down his spine as a strong gust of bitterly cold wind whipped up, but he buffered it with a tense of his muscles. He was built for this weather. Vaguely, he remembered Thistle mentioning that his father had come from the northern stretches: where ice lasted all year round. As the woman spoke Kjalarr’s attention shifted back to her, offering it raptly, his ears pushing forth atop his skull. He could hear her just find, even over the howling fits of wind but it was more for a physical display of attention than it was actually necessary. She got right to the point — something that Kjalarr could appreciate — and offered her skill freely. A hunter. That would certainly be helpful, especially in these months. As far as Kjalarr was aware he could not recall that any in Neverwinter Forest held the trade officially. Every now and then he thought of switching his scout trade for something more practical to his diplomatic position. After all, he didn’t get the time nor did he truly have the freedoms to run about exploring as he did when he was a child. His responsibilities were too great and his reign as Alpha Male (despite that he had help from Kaskara) demanded that he tend to his sovereign duties first and foremost.

Kjalarr does not speak yet, contemplative as his assess her. She appeared healthy. Not malnourished and he smelled no illness upon her. “Neverwinter Forest is a close-knit pack. We’re like a family here. We expect you to do your part and contribute. Each of us must pull our own weight here and we — I —” He warned. “will not tolerate any freeloaders.” And he was not afraid to deal with freeloaders accordingly, not afraid to cut them loose if it became an issue. “Does this skilled hunter have a name?” He inquired next. He saw no reason why he shouldn’t accept her but first the viking felt he should know her name before he made the decision official.

Sophie, she said her name was. Kjalarr accepted it with a nod, tucking it away. He did not comment on her promise, knowing that she really had no choice but to pull her own weight. The Viking took a step back and gestured with his muzzle for her to step forth, into the borders and join him. “I will give you a tour of Neverwinter Forest and then I will take you to meet the Alpha Female, Kaskara.” He informed her simply before he turned and began the tour, giving pause only for a moment to be sure that she was following along and that he did not make his pace hard for her to keep up with.