Altar of Twilight —in his right hand was the key to the bottomless pit.

Could you forward date to Feb 3rd? :D That way Njord and Meerkat have had a couple of days rest.

The Sveijarn-Cortens took shelter on Sialuk’s Moonspear in a makeshift Ulak, as the white wolf called it. The trio rested their weary bones, drank water from the mountain’s frozen creeks, and ate the meals their new steward provided. It was generous, Njord knew, to give so selflessly. Their bond – Sialuk’s and Meerkat’s – must be old and strong.

The man found himself quiet. Turned inwards. He still processed it all… and had not even spoken of Sobo to his wife, yet. He prayed that, somewhere out there, Swordfish was safe. Quennell too.

Njord left the den, and snoring Stingray, behind as he began to scout this new land. He felt uneasy. An outlander. He was a hale man of the sea and its sandy cliffs. The coastal pines and their glens were familiar. There, the horizon stretched forever and all water flowed to the ocean. Even the Taiga was like a brother to Njord. The Ravine, the Tangle, and Nova peak…

But here, the conifers were so dense that they made him claustrophobic. The ground felt like cold steel. The mountain winds whistled and howled. There was no seal, crab, kelp, or urchin… Had Meerkat felt this way when she had moved to Sapphique? Njord felt he must hunt. Protect. Yet, how could he do that if he was not fluent in the way of this wilderness?

He walked and smelled Sialuk’s marks on the borders (and added his own for good measure). Smelled the trails of prey. The new and different flora.

And then something different. He had not smelled it before. It was an animal. Not coyote. Not bear. Not fox. The man followed it towards an amphitheater of flat rock. Wolf’s blood! Not fresh, but not too old either. He looked up…

…and just beyond was a man cloaked in black. For a brief moment, he thought of wild Exousia. Was this man looking for a claim to stake? Or a fellowship to join? Did he know Sialuk? In any case, Njord possessed little trust and patience. They had lost so much, had so little left to their name… he would fiercely protect it.

His teeth flashed without a growl, posture defensive. It demanded, who are you?