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 almost no trouble vanishing into the surrounding tundra as she desired.

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 nor encountered one quite like her. As the very first wolf - or 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 purpose to him. He hated the frigid temperatures, and she obviously didn't want to reveal herself. At least not without 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 further to do but literally play with fire, he decided to test his theory. 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 wolf familiar sounded simple in theory, there were a few 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 once answered him since that night. 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 absolute silence. Minutes passed with nothing but billowing leaves and chilly winds, confirming his suspicions that it 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. Today would be another uneventful day it would seem. But he wasn't inclined to simply laze about on this day. 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. It seemed that his theory held more credence than he originally thought. The wolf had come to him. She said nothing to the fire god, only 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 image of annoyance. He could almost read her facial expression, hearing a sarcastic quip and an aggravated question. Didn't you call me?

Loki's grin widened. He rocked slowly from side to side, his weight shifting from foot to foot as she regarded him. "Well, now that you're here, what do you say we go on a little stroll, hmm?" He offered, gesturing grandly towards the thicket of trees.

The wolf shrugged, turning and trotting away towards the forest's edge. She was willing to accept his offer, it seemed. She reached the tree line, turning her head back towards him and eyeing him expectantly. Once more, Loki could all but hear the words from her facial expression. Are you coming or not? This was really happening. The God of Fire was actually going on a forest adventure with a woodland creature. Who would have thought?

Smirking, the fire god followed after her, disappearing into the trees.

. . .

Their hunt went about as easily as expected with Loki's strategy going, for the most part, exactly as planned. Following her keen senses, the pair made their way through the forest, tracking a herd of wild deer to a small forest clearing. She lead him to their location and came to a pause, waiting for him to choose a member of the grazing herd. With excitement and vigor, Loki selected a large stag from the group, making good on his promise to cook them up something nice. Yuna would have almost felt bad for it, had the sheer heat of the flames not roasted it almost instantly.

Now, with a successful hunt completed, the pair sat lazily upon a large rock in the clearing enjoying their spoils.

For a time, the two dined in silence, each feeding from a different portion of the cooked carcass. "You know…" Loki began, slowly eyeing the wolf out of the corner of his eye. She lifted her head momentarily, indicating that she was listening. "I don't believe we've acquainted ourselves. I am Loki, god of fire." He accentuated his introduction with a flourish of flame.

Yuna nodded her head in acknowledgement. She was already very well aware of the god's identity as she had been observing both him and his companions over the past few weeks. Of course, he had no way of knowing that and she had no intention of telling him so.

Loki waited for a few moments, allowing their silence to hang in the air. He wasn't sure what he expected to happen. It wasn't as though a canine was going to turn around, shake his hand, and say 'how do you do?' A thoughtful expression appeared on his face as he watched the wolf consuming her fill. "Hmm… what to do, what to do… I can't keep calling you 'wolf' during our time together." He crooned, smirking as she once again lifted and tilted her head. Supposedly, she already had a name, or so she claimed. But it wasn't like she would be able to tell him.

Yuna gave no answer, lifting a brow at his commentary. She wasn't entirely sure where he was going with his musings, but her curiosity was piqued.

The god of fire hopped from the rock onto solid ground. His black boots shuffled through the snow as Loki made a show of strolling around her. Her head slowly followed him as he observed her, leaning forward as though he were conducting an examination. After two laps, he stopped in front of her and tapped a finger to his chin. "Hmm… Ylwa." He suggested, a large smirk spreading across his face.

Yuna paused, her body tensing in response. Then a look of pure irritation appeared on her furry face. Seriously? He couldn't think of anything more creative than she-wolf?

Loki observed her look, smirking harder at her displeasure. It seemed she wasn't fond of the name. "No good? Then… Selma."

Her expression softened at his second suggestion. Her golden eyes lowered to the ground pensively, as though she were considering the idea. It was better than Ylwa, certainly, but… Finally, Yuna shook her head. She didn't like the sound of it.

"No? Hmm… Nissa." Another rejection. "Linne?" Yet another. "Hilda." And another. Loki frowned slightly after her fifth rejection, growing a little bored of their game. Could a wolf really be this picky? In retaliation, the god of fire decided to try and get a rise out of her. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes as he crossed his arms. "Sven."

"…" His next attempt earned a resounding silence, the wolf slowly furrowing her brow with a look of incredulousness. She wasn't entirely certain of the meaning of that one, but it certainly didn't sound very feminine. Yuna's thoughts drifted to one of her many trips into the city, the memory of a similar sound coming to mind. She had heard that name before, once in town, in reference to a blacksmith. He was a large, burly man with a thick grey beard, far from what the winter goddess would call a pleasant comparison.

The low growl that emanated from her throat made her displeasure known. At the sound of her rumble, Loki quickly waved his hands in a dramatic gesture of appeasement. Apparently, she didn't appreciate his jests. Much as he wanted to continue prodding her, he was supposed to be keeping her close. That would become pretty difficult to achieve if he pissed her off. Instead, he relented, an amused grin replacing his devious one. "Fine, fine, fine. How about… Runa?"

She paused for a moment, considering his offer. Runa was a much more pleasant-sounding name to her than Hilda or Linne, and Sven wasn't even a woman's name at all. His newest suggestion however, had a nice ring to it and bore a striking resemblance to her own name as it was. Perhaps this one would do nicely, at least for the time being. After a few moments of consideration, she slowly nodded in agreement. She would accept this name. For now.

"Eehhh? You like that one, hmm?" Loki prodded, smirking slightly as she nodded her head once more. It seemed that she was finally willing to accept an offer. After six attempts. What a pretentious creature. "Runa it is. A pleasure to make your acquaintance… Runa."

Another bark of laughter. Loki lifted an eyebrow as her lips pulled back, curling at the corners in an amused grin. She was by far the most expressive animal he had ever seen in his life. Certainly, worth taking note of and observing. For the most part, she had proven herself relatively harmless, albeit a little odd. She clearly kept to herself and wasn't what he would consider in any way threatening. For now, he would continue spending time around her, getting inside that fuzzy white head.

After their successful hunt, Loki returned to his lonesome. He brought back what remained of the deer carcass, which surprisingly, Runa was more than happy to help him carry back. She vanished into the forest upon reaching his home, her light paw prints the only indication that she was ever there. With a shrug, he made his way back inside, out of the cold and into the warmth of his cottage. Within, he carved up the remainder of his half, setting aside a large helping of juicy cuts.

. . .

The following night was another evening of drinks and merriment, the three friends gathering once again in Loki's home. With mugs of ale and hunks of venison, Balder, Loki, and Thor enjoyed themselves around the fire. The god of fire smiled, watching his friends enjoy their meal. Balder especially was taking pleasure in every bite.

The god of light happily stuffed his mouth full of the venison roast, a wide smile gracing his features. "Loki, this is lovely!"

Thor nodded silently, agreeing with his brother. Loki smirked, gracing him with a wink. "Why thank you, Balder. Always nice to have my skills appreciated."

The other god chuckled at his friend's antics. "It's a nice kill as well. Wherever did you find this one?"

"Ask Runa. She's the one who tracked it."

"…Runa?" Balder asked, a look of confusion appearing on his features.

"The wolf." Loki shrugged, taking a large swig of his beverage.

"Her name is Runa?"

"It is now."

The light god blinked. Apparently, Loki had found their furry friend at some point. Then named her. Granted, it was bound to happen eventually. After all, Loki had been tasked with watching her and they couldn't simply keep calling her by species. There were far too many to differentiate. He just hadn't expected him to do so himself. It was… rather surprising. "Well, it is a beautiful name." Balder smiled.

"Made me work for it too. Prissy thing." Loki muttered. How had he gotten saddled with this job again?

"What have you gathered about her?" Thor asked. Straight to the point, as always.

"Her name is about it." It was true that he hadn't learned anything specific about Runa so far, other than the fact that she was highly intelligent and a bit pompous, as far as he was concerned. Certainly, nothing of import to the supreme ruler of Asgard. "Could be a familiar, but she's too autonomous. She doesn't seem to answer to anyone."

Balder listened intently, tilting his head in thought. "Could she be a shapeshifter, perhaps?"

"Possibly." Thor answered, expression passive as ever.

"It would explain her intelligence, if she isn't an animal at all."

"Eh." Loki yawned, growing bored of their thoughtful discussion. "Maybe, maybe not. Either way, she's harmless. I'll hang around her for a while. If there's anything worthwhile, it'll come up eventually."

"Perhaps… I suppose time will tell, yes?" Balder asked.

"Gonna have too."

With Loki's dismissive comment, the conversation came to an end. Once the fire god lost interest, it was difficult to reattain it. For now, they would revel in their small victory, and continue preparations for the upcoming festival.

As Balder and Thor returned to their merrymaking, Loki leaned back in his chair, toying with his crimson furs. What was Runa, really? What indeed?