Totoka River No sound he made.

That moment when you realize how much ground a character needs to cover between point A and point B... Another thread! This time its AW! Have fun with broody old Njal.

It felt like he was back at the Swiftcurrent. The smells were slightly off - peppered with the aroma of brine and birds rather than friends and foes - but it was very similar. The river here was pumping in from the ocean from what he could tell. It forked in so many places, like the river was trying to escape its route and flee back to its beginnings. He followed the main junction of the river until he spied the mountains, at which point Njal doubled back - finding a section of the river where he could linger for a few hours, rest, perhaps even eat something. Choosing a sizable old tree to be his shelter, the aging man sank to his haunches beneath it, and watched the river's surface.

Fox had never been much of a traveler, but they needed new bodies. Sebastian and Pan were great (wonderful, even), but with another litter on the way, Fox knew they were going to need more adults to watch after the children. The ratio was already growing too close, and she didn't like it one bit. So she'd bid her family farewell for a few days and began to travel north. It was strange, being outside of her home for the first time since the fall, and it brought her back to the year that had already passed. Memories of Swiftcurrent Creek, Blacktail Deer Plateau, and even The Sunspire came flooding in, even if they were vague and disorganized.

She'd spent the night in Neverwinter Forest, careful to steer clear of Ouroboros Spine and Silvertip Mountain. Both had been Jinx's lands at one point or another, though Fox had heard nothing of the woman for quite some time. Then again, she didn't exactly go around seeking out news. Fox figured Jinx had simply moved on, fickle as she'd always been. Their relationship had always been a strange one.

When a familiar scent wafted her way, Fox chalked it up to being nostalgic. It wasn't until she was nearly upon the older male before she stopped. And even then, she had to search far back into the reaches of her brain to tug out a name. "Njal?" she asked, tilting her head to one side. "Is that you?" But how could it be? Where was Tuwawi? Where were the children? Where was Bazi, Scimitar, and the rest of the gang? Fox was far behind on the details of the creek (and its eventual dispersal elsewhere).

He could see a few fish bobbing in to the air, probably gulping a mouthful the way he would gulp water. Every so often the river would plop another fish face. Njal watched in silence, as he once did upon the banks of Swiftcurrent. Although he was not entirely attentive to the river, even with his growing hunger. His surroundings had him worried more - and before long, the silver man was found out. He had not hidden himself away to any great extent, but he had hoped to be too far west for any familiar faces to discover him.

When the petite woman was spotted, Njal's fur prickled and he felt an uncertainty crawl through his skin. It wasn't Tuwawi - he had to remind himself of that - this creature which approached was too small, and was more orange than red. As they drew closer, recognition flickered across both of their faces like an electric current.

"Njal -" Fox called out, her voice dripping with confusion. "Is that you?" And for a split second, he thought he heard his estranged wife calling him. His jaw tightened at the thought; enough that the man almost refused to answer... But answer he did.

"Fox." At the sound of his rumbling voice, the fish in the river seemed to spook. That or, the scent of wolves had become so thick as to permeate through the water. "I did not expect to see you here." He hadn't expected to be discovered by anyone of the valley, least of all his former Alpha.

He glanced at her, finally, having been studying the fish the entire time.

"You look.. Well." Round and healthy, with an unmistakably familiar scent draped upon her body - even at this gap he could smell faint whiffs of it: that new smell of children, the sweetness of milk. Perhaps that is what steeled his heart against further communication, for he fell silent, and seemed unwavering in his attention to the river.

Fox hasn't been carrying milk for a few weeks now, but he'd definitely be able to smell the pups. ^__^

"With good reason," she replied, "This is the first time I’ve been away from home since before winter." She'd gone to the lake and seen a fox scramble around on the ice. It had been at least somewhat amusing, even from afar. She had not expected to leave the caldera for the remainder of her life, and yet here she was, seeking out loners to recruit and bring back home. Njal, a loner. That was a the real doozie, and being the nosy type she was, Fox wouldn't hesitate to ask.

"You don’t," she commented, though not maliciously. "Where is Tuwawi? The children?" They would have been grown by now, so perhaps the children had dispersed. But why would Njal be out here all alone? Perhaps he, like herself, was on a mission to seek out new blood for his pack. The man looked worn, tired, and downright dumpy, though that could easily be chalked up to a number of things. Perhaps he'd had a rough go of it, or maybe a new litter robbed him of much-needed sleep.

He went back to looking at the water, and Fox wondered if there was anything there at all. Or perhaps he was attempting to bore her away, the pestering child that she assumed she had always been to him. The two had seen eye-to-eye on few things in the past, right from the beginning of Fox's time in Swiftcurrent Creek. Hell, she'd even pegged Njal for a potential mate before Tuwawi had waltzed in from out of nowhere. Had the two parted ways again? Fox couldn't imagine doing such a thing with Peregrine.

Ah ok! I wasn't sure. :3

He would have remained silent and sullen had she not brought up the children. The mention of Tuwawi brought with it a small shrug of indifference and a chill reserved for the pinnacle of winter. But as soon as she mentioned children, Njal turned his attention to her, and sharply. For an instant he looked absolutely mad, but.. That drifted away. He focused on the sound of the river and let that guide his heart back to a state of calm.


"They're gone." Which was the truth, but not all of it. Njal did not wish to explain further, which was indicated by his dismissive tone. "The glacier pack is no more, and I have no idea where the bulk of them went." And it didn't matter to him now anyway. He was clearly not a worthy leader - nor a proper father - if he couldn't keep any one of them safe. And how many had survived? No, he wouldn't bother trying to tally up the dead. That would just make him hurt all over again.

The man shifted his weight slightly, and stood up. With a fleeting glance at the river (and the abrupt decision he wasn't hungry after all) he began to stride towards Fox, and then around her, as if to be on his way. "Fate has been kind to you, though. You are lucky."

The fireball had never been the observant sort, so she did not pick up on the brief madness that flashed in his eyes. She was given a nondescript answer that only left more questions on the tip of her tongue. He mentioned something of a glacier, which she did not know anything about. "Glacier pack?" she asked, under the assumption that Njal and Tuwawi had stayed with Swiftcurrent Creek. "What about the creek?" Because Fox had not lived there in so long, she had long since ignored any news of the happenings. She was worlds away from her former domain. Did Bazi still lead there? Had Scimitar finally gotten some balls and asked her to be his?

To his compliment, Fox smiled. She was lucky. Peregrine was an amazing father (though not perfect), and their children were model citizens. "Peregrine and I do well for ourselves," she replied. If Njal was here, alone, she wondered if he might be coerced into coming back with her. Fox knew him to be a loyal subject, even in the worst of times, and he certainly had the skills to back it up. She intended to be picky about who she invited into their fold, and Njal was one of the few wolves she had a history with that didn't immediately want to rip her throat out... so that was a plus.

Her reaction made him give pause. It hadn't crossed his mind that Fox would be ignorant to their move - she had been replaced by Bazi, but somehow he thought that their little family in the ice had made some sort of impact. Evidently not. "When Bazi took over at the creek, we thought of staying, but... It seemed like the opportune moment to leave." As he explained this, the energy in his voice waned. Njal paused again, as if to collect his thoughts, but really it was to compose himself a little better. "So we moved north to.. A place called Duskfire Glacier. But that.. Didn't work out."

The lynx, losing Larus, losing Tuwawi and the others - it wasn't fresh, but the wound inside of him still bled freely. He steeled himself against sentiments from the past as best he could, but it was a difficult battle. "I haven't seen Tuwawi in weeks, maybe months." And that was that. There was no remorse in his voice, no longing for what was once his beloved fire. Njal had distanced himself in as many ways as he could. "And you - a mother now?" That was obvious to him. A bittersweet bit of information though.

Fox seemed pleased with her life; the mention of this Peregrine brought a brightness to her that Njal had not seen in anyone in many days. "I am glad to see you happy." He commented, and then began to walk again - prepared to depart, or to walk with her, if she chose to follow. The river babbled on, forgotten.

Needed a break from work. @_@

His explanation was vague at best, but Fox understood. She was often a wolf of few words, though Peregrine had changed that aspect of her more than she cared to admit. Physicality was still more her style, and it likely always would be. Nightjar was shaping up to be very similar to his mother in that regard. When he mentioned Tuwawi, Fox furrowed a brow. He had fought hard for her, and now it seemed as though they were merely distant acquaintances. Granted, Peregrine had a former mate, but Hawkeye had left so soon after Fox arrived, the fireball often forgot that she existed at all.

"Three little brats," she said with a grin. It was hard being away from them, but it was for them that she sought out new (or in Njal's case, old) blood to bring to Redhawk Caldera. "One reminds me of you, coincidentally. Nightjar is his name. Wildfire takes after me in appearance, and the third—Raven—looks much like her father. Redhawk Caldera—a night and a day almost directly south of here—is where we live." Fox paused, deciding whether or not to add something else. "If you are not bound to anything, to anyone, I'd love to have you there. You were one of the few who remained loyal to me at the creek, despite my mistakes." Even Bazi had turned on her in the end. Idly, Fox wondered what Bazi would think of her now, if anything.

The topic of his wife (ex-wife?) was passed by as casually as possible, and Fox fell in to speaking solely about her children. It was pleasant to hear about her new life, her new family, and all the changes since her departure from the creek - but at the same time, Njal felt a mixture of guilt and jealousy for all that the woman had acquired. Everything he had wanted and fought for, she had. Fate had not been kind to the Sveijarn. He listened as they walked, remaining stoic as she spoke, but he slowed to a crawl - then a stop - when her invitation met his ears.

He was thoughtful for a second, but could not be sure. "I.. Will think on it." The old man drawled, trying to sound cheerful and optimistic, but finding it very difficult to change his inflection. To be around children again would probably be a good thing.. But Njal felt as if he was a little bit cursed. At least where kids were concerned. If he were to join with Fox's group and witness something foul befall her family... There would be no going back from that. He would be further shattered.

"If I am in the area I will call for you, or those who follow you, and let you know." It was the best he could do. There was a lot of space between here and her home turf, which would give him time to really think about it. "If you do not hear from me within the month, I will have moved on."

The idea of being around a family again was.. Intriguing, though.

This makes me miss Amon. ;-;

Njal made no commitment, no promise. It was probably better that way. If he showed up, it would be a pleasant surprise. If he did not, Fox would likely forget about their chance meeting entirely. If she'd heard his thoughts, she would have thought him foolish. Tragedy followed everybody. Her first child had been taken away from her. Another had nearly been killed before her eyes. Njal was not the one who did this. Wifi's near-death had been Junior's fault, and Fox believed that her first-born's death was the fault of either herself or nature's cruel game of "survival of the fittest." A cruel jape his death had been, but it was not a though Fox often lingered on.

"Our borders are well-protected," Fox explained, "You’ll have no trouble finding somebody to greet you." Peregrine and Elwood would likely be double-teaming the patrol, and Pan and Sebastian would be just as dutiful, she hoped. Magpie and Dove tended to stick to watching the pups, which was just as well. The Firebirds still had a few months before they could begin doing such tasks without guardians.

"Oh, and keep an eye out for loners looking for a home. We could use a few more bodies." That was, after all, the entire reason Fox had been so far away from home. Redhawk Caldera was few in numbers, and she wished to bolster their ranks. Summer would be over before long, and she could not imagine an easy winter after last year's. Was any winter ever easy? With her words said and her sentiments expressed, Fox left him there by the river. She intended to follow the coast for a time before dipping south around the range and returning home.

He took what information she provided and made mental note of it, but said nothing. And when they separated, Njal's route headed further west along the coast - likely to avoid the wilds as much as possible, despite the invitation. He was more lethargic now as the pair of old friends went their separate ways; the thoughts of returning to a state of normalcy, no longer plagued by his failures, of redeeming himself, they were beginning to rise up within his mind. Perhaps he would return and take up Fox's offer? But with one last glance towards the distant mountains (which were not his mountains, but merely caricatures for his sorrows) he felt the ice in his heart once more.

[Exit Njal!]