Sparrow, as a rule, hated the north. The summer was the only time it was tolerable. It's was cold and dreary and she was convinced the only cool thing there was the other ship... Until she found this place. Before her was a glowing pool of what she assumed was lava. She hadn't seen any before and had only been told about it. She had seen the rocks and they definitely did not glow. The warmth they gave off was definitely welcome even in the northern summer. Now if she could find a way to bring some home, then that would be a really cool treat for the pirates.

Makara had sent a brand new goal for herself - well, that was what she decided when she left Armada territory this morning. This was her new LIFE'S WORK - to explore every land in the North! She had no idea what order to proceed in, so she just meandered out of the woods until something struck her fancy. And there! That was pretty fancy! A glowing river! Mak crept closer, but as the air warmed up near the heat wafting off of the strip of lava, her goggles began to fog. "Ughhhhh," she groaned dramatically, pausing to wipe them off on her leg. Once the fog cleared she saw a stranger peering at the lava as well, wearing a rather impressive head piece. "OH HI!" she hollered, scampering up towards the hat-wearing lady. "Have you been here before? What is this place? Do you know what it's called?" She sucked in a breath before adding: "I'm Makara."

Sparrow was almost surprised when a voice called to her and when she turned, she thought the wolf who called to her was bloodied and for a brief moment, threw in her guard. The wolf reeked of Armada, but not of blood. She was little, young, and spewing questions. Sparrow hummed, debating on if she should steal the young'un. "Never been here, dunno what this place is either." She looked back at the glowing flowing river, "Pretty sure it's called lava. You never seen any before? It's hot but we could probably scoop some up if we had some sort of... Tool."

Sparrow lost herself in thought for a moment, wondering what tool would work. She looked back at the young wolf, "Say, you from that pack nearby? I know a few guys from there- good dudes." She decided to play it safe, "They call me King."

"King, huh?" Makara mused. "That's a name but it's also a title," she added, stating the obvious. "But I'll buy it!" She stared at the lava, contemplating King's suggestion of scooping something out. "I'm not sure, it feels hotter than any fire even from here. It seems a little dangerous? Maybe?" Mak prided herself on bravery but tried not to border too closely on stupidity. It was a delicate line. "And yes, sure am! I'm from Armada alright, but I wouldn't really call any of the males there... dudes? They're too serious for that," she murmured, thinking of the mean glint in her father's eye. "I don't think I've ever heard my dad even make a joke!" When was the last time he had even smiled? Ugh. Mak shied away from the thought. Steam wafted up from the lava in front of them and a few bubbles came to the surface, belching more heat as they popped. The ground nearby the crevice was charred and barren, as if the fire had eaten it up from the inside.

The girl stated that king was a name and a title. Sparrow nodded, "Thats why my friends call me it." She also said how it sounded dangerous to scoop up lava and sparrow nodded even more wholeheartedly, "Sure it is, that's the best part - the best things in life are dangerous and require risk!" Sparrow looked around for that tool. There wasn't a whole bunch around. Maybe they could use a cart? No, it was way too hot for that. Hm.

The girl said the guys in the Armada weren't really dudes and Sparrow had to agree. "Yeah they aren't the jolliest group I've ever met. But really? Your dad's never laughed ever? What's his name? The last guy I knew to never laugh was Mr. Sirius himself!"

Some more bubbles rose to the surface of the lava, entrancing her. The liquid was fascinating - much, much thicker than water, but still somehow retained some of its properties. She stared into the pit of fire as she answered. "Oh, Sirius definitely laughs! Sometimes. In private. With his wife," Makara nodded expeditiously. Her grandfather was straight-laced, but there was still more of a... warmth to him that Makara felt, more so than from her father. But maybe it was her fault. She'd nothing at all impressive. Levi could run circles around her, Callie could knock her over with a wing. Mak chewed the inside of her cheek and looked away. "Oh, my dad? Azure, Sirius' son. I guess it runs in the family? Maybe I should try being super super serious," she mused out loud. She was serious! About things like exploring, and digging, and sometimes fighting but she didn't like to do that so often because it made her just a little nervous. Makara passed back and forth in front of the lake of sorts until she found a sizeable stone and nudged it on in to the pit. The rock met its doom, sinking with a sizzle. "Uhhhhhh... I'm not sure what would hold up to that heat, King!"

The girl said that Sirius definitely laughed and Sparrow choked a little, "Well I'd have to see that in person one day, cause I can barely imagine it." It was weird to talk to someone on the in like this. With the lack of knowledge, they could almost get along. It was fun seeing them as the good guys for a small smidge of time. It felt more intimate than she should be with their family- not in any sexual way, but in the intimacy way that fondness and family brings. If Azure knew, he'd blow a gasket.

Speaking of Azure, this was his kid meaning, "Oh, you're Hanako's daughter, then?" Sparrow mused like it was a good thing. She was surprised she didn't feel... More. She wasn't angry. This girl looked less Hanako than even her own kids. "She's an old friend of mine."
Well, more like lovers to enemies, but who was to say.

The girl talked about being more serious and Sparrow laughed a little, "Don't ever get too serious, trust me. The minute you start worrying about things is the minute your fur starts going grey and you get wrinkles from grimacing and furrowing your brow- just be serious about having a good time, getting goods, and being good to those who are good to you. That's the Rule of Goods."

Okay, she made the rule of goods, but it sounded fine and it was pretty much how she lived.

The kid nudged the rock into the lava and it sizzled to a nice demise. Sparrow didn't bother to hide her snrk. It gave her an idea, though. She looked around for the lava rock most similar to the one she had given Hanako before, picked it up, and polished it off on her hat. "Well, I gotta get back to looking for tools. Give this to your parents and tell them it's from King and to come see their God Kids some day- they'll know, after all, I'm pretty sure we're best friends."

Sparrow handed the rock to the girl and paused a minute before plucking one of Pongolo's feathers from her hat, "And something for your adventures- a kings feather."

With that, she turned away, it wasn't a dove or anything, but she was interested to see if AZ took it as a peace offering or a sign of war. Look, she didn't even kidnap the kid! She could have! She still cou- no, we don't need more kids. Sparrow nodded to herself and turned to leave.

"Yes - Hanako is my mother!" Makara confirmed. She still childishly missed the way Hanako had doted on them when they were smaller. Her mother seemed less interested in them now that they were big enough to look after themselves - in fact, she was sort of prone to wandering off. Maybe wanting to wander also ran in the family. An old friend of mine... Hanako had never mentioned this King figure before, and something tickled at the back of Makara's brain - curiosity. It was a fearsome thing and very itchy - worse than that, the itch was in your brain, so you couldn't scratch it unless you got the information you needed. Mak was about to open her mouth when Sparrow bestowed a different kernel of knowledge: The Rule of Goods. Makara grinned, a big old toothy thing that almost split her face in two. That sounded like the best life motto she'd heard so far - and better yet, it didn't sound quite so hard to abide by. "Alright, alright, yeah! The Rule of Goods! I like it!"

Before she could ask for more information, Sparrow handed her a few trinkets and turned to be on her way. Makara shifted from paw to paw, wanting to scamper after her and pepper her with more questions, but the feather before her shifted in the breeze and almost blew into the lava. Mak gasped and snatched at it, and by the time she'd secured it, Sparrow had disappeared from sight. "God kids?" she mouthed around the feather, her brow furrowed. Oh no! Those wrinkles King warned you about! Makara smoothed her expression and picked up the rock, then set off to find her father. He would know her mother's old friend, right?