Duskfire Glacier sorrow by name and sorrow by nature

The glacier was a stunning sight and not one that Gyda had ever allowed herself to lay eyes upon so up close and personal. If she climbed high enough upon Sleeping Dragon she could see it but seeing it up close was so very different then glimpsing at it far away. It was still breath-taking, still ethereal in it's presence, nevertheless. The shield-maiden turned from it, her tail swaying to and fro once, twice and then a third time as she inhaled deeply and let it out in a heavy exhale. It had been a while since Thuringwethil and her had actually held a conversation with one another — at least since their argument over her desire to have children. Gyda did not broach the subject when they did speak, though she (and she suspected Thurin) had far from forgotten it.

Gyda knew what she wanted and she knew how to get it; but Thuringwethil had thrown a wrench in all of her careful planning. Gyda hadn't been lying when she'd ground out her excuse: she was picky when it would come to the male that would give her children; because of her preferences, because she didn't want attached strings. She had little doubt that the few males in Sleeping Dragon would turn her away if she asked them to sire her children but about the only male she trusted was Hush and ...she didn't feel right asking him to sire her children and then, more or less, forget their existence despite that he would be forced to see them day in and day out.

She did not want it to be messy; but Thurin seemed determined to make the obstacle nearly impossible for Gyda to scale ...or work around, even. Gyda admired Heda for it, no matter how frustrated the Commander made her feel at times, and the viking queen still cared very much for her Heda, unconditionally even, despite that they had hit this ...bump in the road. Her heat season was rapidly approaching, already Gyda could feel the shifts in her mood, the change in her body but she wondered if it would be for nothing. In truth, she had felt worse disappointments, worse emotional wounds in her life and she doubted that this would be the last time.

She glimpsed at Sleeping Dragon's peak in the distance. She would need to return soon, she knew, but for now she enjoyed the small venture outside the territory she had come to call home and the labyrinth of her own thoughts despite how troubling they were. It as she turned away from the distant rise of Sleeping Dragon that she noticed him. He was unfamiliar to her — simply another lone wolf. For a moment, she hesitated, torn between she wished to be friendly or alone with her thoughts. Given the recent elevation in her mood she decided to approach him. Her pace was steady and she stopped while there still remained good distance between them and let out a low chuff of greeting.