Snow flakes fluttered down from the sky as the sun was covered by darkened clouds. Wind bent the few trees surrounding them as the large empty field looked like one massive white moving wall. In her tan, lightly colored wolf form, she practically blended in with the storm. The only thing that made her visible was the darker almost orange fur on the top of her back and head. Iona always preferred her wolf form in times of winter due to the heavy coat and natural protection against the wind.

Smelling anything was difficult with the wind and hunting was a challenge. This winter was harsher than most, hence why theirs and many other tribes had banded together for their safety. A mass of bodies in both humanoid and wolf form were huddled all closer together while the tents were placed as closely as possible. By letting themselves be closer, they were warmer and were able to block more of the wind. 

That was why wars weren't allowed during this time. Brawls and little fights were fine but a massive war during this winter would kill hundreds from the cold alone. Then there were their healers who were all being shared across each tribe. One person catching an illness could lead to the entire group becoming ill. They were all moving into the city. They invited her mother to join along, but she never was bothered by the wind and preferred to stay out of tribe business. 

Iona strolled up to her tent and snuggled up into some warm thick winter furs that had been laid out for her as clothes. She shifted from her wolf form into her human form. Now that she had a good idea of how people were getting along and the general size of their group, she decided to go find Jet. She spotted him talking with other people but could not get his attention without saying something. A smile formed on her face as she had a brilliant idea. Iona scooped up a pile of snow and packed into a round little ball. Throwing it as hard as she could, she hit the back of his head with a snowball. 

"Oh Jet. Is this the only way I can capture your attention?" Iona said with a playful smirk, "I will have to punish you for that." 

She scooped up another snowball and threw it in the direction of his face. 

Jet’s job during the winter was a simple one. He would help the other warriors keep the fights down. In a warm winter cloak, he stood around with a group of warriors speaking with them lowly. It was a serious conversation for the most part. Now was a good time to get to know how the others thought so in the springtime war could open back up again.

It was a pain in the ass but he was used to it. There was no hostility thankfully and this was always just how it was. He was more worried about Hana causing issues than anyone else. Someone looked at her wrong and they would have an incident on their hands.

“It’s good speaking to you as always and may you have another winter,” Jet shook their hands. It was never guaranteed he would see them the next winter. Come spring all of their resources would be split and they would be warring over land and other resources again.

Spring was all it came down to. It would speak loudly about how the rest of their year would go.

Jet was watching some of them walk away when a snowball hit him. He was surprised and blinked a few times. “Iona!” His smile grew a bit and he easily managed to swat the snowball away. He ran at her and picked her up easily.

“I missed you!” He gave her a grin and spun her around once or twice before setting her back down. “We just got done talking about this year’s wars.” He took her hand and walked with her now. “It will be interesting to see what happens in Spring. Everyone has their eyes set on the same location. I’m going to make a plea that we change our plans. Maybe we should settle in the Cradle instead.”

The Cradle was a valley in the Highlands that had fertile soil and plenty of wildlife. It wasn’t near a huge source of water but it was still plentiful. “It would keep us out of trouble… and we would avoid a skirmish for the same land as everyone else. That’s exactly the type of thing I want to avoid. A war with all the tribes is seriously a bad idea in the long run. No stretch of land is worth that.”

Iona laughed as her beloved spun her around and then returned her to the ground. She listened intently to his description of the arrangements for nomadic movement. Every spring there were conflicts centered around the best locations to move to. It was just a part of life. A rather annoying part of life in her opinion. People were a resource that was just as important as anything land could provide. 

"I agree. The Cradle would be a smarter choice." Iona said, "It rains enough so we may collect it, should we need to." 

Her home tribe had plenty of times where they had the least comfortable spot, so she knew many tricks to survive in the rougher areas. Nature tended to bring about innovation, through strife, cleverness was born. But she had no interest in innovation for this spring. She had much to prove. Though nobody said it, she felt the pressure of proving her worth to her tribe, even if her husband was already accepting of her. Iona had worked hard but in comparison to those who grew up in the tribe, her work was minuscule. 

"And luckily for us, that Wesley boy is keeping Hana mostly occupied." Iona commented, "And if all else fails, I suppose there's always a monster or two we could point her in the direction of, should she become too bored." 

She paused for a moment and looked at her husband. Her lovely husband with a good butt and idiotic smile. A sigh escapes her lips as she pulls his hand.

"Your coat is shabby. We must fix it." She urged as she tugged on his hand. 

There was a twinkle in her eyes that always indicated she was up to something. It usually showed up when she had gotten the best of an opponent who spoke too much or defeated someone in a game of cards. Iona attempted to pull him to her tent.