Story of Seasons: Fire and Ice

Formal Introductions

Days passed with little sign of the snow wolf. Ever since she nearly tackled him chasing after a wild boar, Loki had made a habit of keeping an eye on the bushes and snow mounds during his travels. He paid particular attention to areas of white, as they had already proven highly effective hiding places for the missing animal. Strangely, despite seemingly residing in relatively close proximity, the wolf was exceptionally skillful at avoiding him. It seemed she could only be found when she wanted to be and had little trouble vanishing into the surrounding tundra as she pleased.

Loki had grown impatient with his search, eventually chiding himself for his foolishness. Why he ever thought making a deal with a forest creature was a good idea, he didn't know. Maybe it was boredom or curiosity. Perhaps it was the utter absurdity of the situation that drove him to it, having never seen or encountered one quite like her. As the very first wolf — or wild animal really — not to attack him on sight, she was of great interest to him. Even more so, as she resisted Balder, which was completely unheard of. She was an oddity. A mystery that he wished to unravel.

Over time, the god of fire decided that wandering aimlessly through the forest was of little help to him. He hated the frigid temperatures, and she obviously didn't want to reveal herself. At least not without some form of provocation. Sitting silently in his cottage, he began to ponder the possibilities. Call it a whim, but perhaps the forest wolf was waiting for him. After all, he was the one that had requested her assistance, not the other way around. Perhaps if he summoned her, she would come to him. That was what a familiar would do, assuming that it was his.

With nothing more to do than literally play with fire, he decided to test his hypothesis. Rising from his seat, he sauntered out the front door and into the snow. He paused for a few moments, considering his options. While summoning a familiar sounded simple in theory, there were a few glaring problems with his plan. The first being that she didn't belong to him and was perfectly capable of exercising free will. The second being that he wasn't sure how to go about it in the first place. It wasn't like he could just blow a whistle and she'd appear.

Or maybe... he could.

Lifting his arms, Loki decided to make one last attempt at calling out to her. She hadn't answered him once since that night. He wondered if perhaps now, with their agreement, she would respond. One last time, the god of fire filled his lungs and howled to the skies, expecting little more than total silence. Minutes passed with nothing but billowing leaves and chilling winds, confirming his suspicions that this was a useless endeavor. It was silly to make a bargain with an animal in the first place.

With no answer to his call, Loki resigned himself to his own activities. This would be another uneventful day it would seem. But he wasn't inclined to simply laze about. He had remained idle too long, primarily crafting traps and contraptions for future schemes. Perhaps he would put them to the test and play a prank on an unsuspecting god, go find Thor, or rope Balder into some mischief. Whatever he chose to do would certainly beat sitting around doing...

'Eeeeh?' Loki's head turned, the sound of quiet footsteps reaching his ears.

Spinning around in the snow, he found himself face to face with none other than his elusive canine ally. It seemed that his theory held more credence than he originally thought. The wolf had actually come to him. She said nothing to the fire god, gazing silently at him from her position a few feet away. What was he thinking, of course she didn't say anything. She was an animal. Halting his inner dialogue, he quickly dawned his signature grin. "Well, well, well, look who decided to show herself."

The wolf lifted an eyebrow at him, narrowing her eyes in mild irritation. Her muzzle snapped shut and her lips thinned, creating the very picture of irritation. He could almost read her facial expression, hearing a sarcastic quip and an aggravated question. Didn't you call me?