Takeji worked to level out his breathing before shouldering his way back between the first stalks of bamboo at the maze's outer edge. His morning had been long and largely fruitless, but he would rather leave that burdensome thought behind him. He'd actually hoped the brisk jog back along the coast of the bay would do most of that work for him, but the discontent still nagged him even now. His inner voice grumbled and withered and no amount of exertion seemed to satisfy it. The weather had been punishing as of late, alternating between driving sleet and a damp, dismal wind blowing off the water. It was already shaping up to be a lean season, and personally Keji didn't see his youth as any excuse not to pull his weight. And sure, he didn't have an aptitude for hunting in the first place but checking tide pool after tide pool and finding nothing of use to bring home to the grove still stung. He heaved a sigh and let the muted silence of the bamboo center him. The young male lengthened his stride, walking with purpose even if he didn't necessarily know where his paws were carrying him. Towards a sibling perhaps. Maybe one of them would be up to something useful, and he could duck in on their work instead. The sun may have been hidden behind a thick grey blanket but he knew there were still several good hours left in the day, and he meant to use them wisely. "Talk" "Listen" Think

Truth be told Majima was pretty idle right now, halfheartedly using his paw to play with the cat. Who he'd decided to name Tora because he was nothing if not bereft of imagination. A few of his siblings had been trickling back in after searching for their mother... A task he'd always assumed would be in vain. Jiro didn't seem to have taken his failure particularly well and Majima wasn't sure how to try and help his brother. Partially because he had the emotional maturity of a snail and partially because he couldn't deny feeling like it made little sense for anyone to be upset they'd failed a task that had obviously been impossible to begin with.

The tell-tale rattling of the bamboo, subtle but a sound he'd long since learned to listen for announced the approach of one of the clan and the scent told Majima it was another of his brothers. Lifting his head to watch, Majima let out a soft bark of greeting as he spotted Takeji but otherwise remained silent. Unsure if his brother was simply moving through of was looking for someone or something.

"Speech"

Takeji's thoughts drifted as he walked, never lingering too long in any one place. He could head north the the Oaks and seek out prey there, but if he couldn't find a meal trapped in a pool he doubted he'd manage to bring back anything worthwhile if he had to sprint after it too. And it would waste precious time to travel... But then again, maybe it would be worthwhile to scout the fringes of their lands, not for the first time, for anything strange... Or perhaps something familiar. Keji shook that thought away. It was no use to dwell on it, he refused to give it the chance to sink in its claws. He'd keep walking, teeth grit and ears flicked back until he stumbled into something useful or he walked into the sea, and that was that. Or so he thought, until a soft bark broke him out of the wallowing. Keji blinked in surprise, and forced whatever expression that might have been on his face to drop into a careful mask of neutrality. He was fine, this was fine, everything was fine. Turning to the side he saw his brother laying about, amusing himself with his cat by the look of it. His features softened and Takeji allowed his tail to wag softly, once or twice. Better a sibling than their father, at least. "Oh, good morning Majima." He cocked his head sideways, taking in the scene. "You two look like you're having fun." It wasn't his place to remark on Majima's idleness, or even to have an opinion on it, but Keji couldn't help but hear their father's voice in his mind. Surely there was something better they could be doing with their time. He would never say it outright though, least of all to a sibling. Instead, he ventured, "I was passing through to see if there was any work to be done today. I don't suppose you've heard anything?" "Talk" "Listen" Think