It looked like fun…but was it really as easy as it seemed? Sandor watched curiously as others repeatedly dived for fish, typically bringing one up and tossing it to the shore. After a moment, the young pup had the thought that it’d be easier to just steal a few fish but…. He also didn’t want to get caught stealing fish. Thus, he would pick a quiet spot away from the other wolves and would wade out as far as he could without losing the ground beneath him and he would wait…and wait…and wait some more. How was he supposed to do this anyway? Waiting rather impatiently, he would eventually attract the attention of a fish and he attempted to dive after it…unfortunately, he would come up sputtering and choking on water. How did the others do it?!

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

As per usual Álarr was having trouble staying in one spot. As soon as he felt the fish were taking too long he moved on to a new spot. His companion Afi trailed behind, grumbling about far too much exercise. This was a festival! Finding a good spot he slipped into the water and sure enough he saw a fish and promptly dove after it.

He came up sputtering and shaking water out of his fur. Ack! He got water in his ears. He quickly sat down and started kicking at his ears when he looked up to see another pup there. "Oh hey, hello. Are the fish biting good here?"

Another had appeared while he had been drowning fishing. For a moment, Sandor would regard the wolf nervously, ears tilting back as eyes watched with a nervous gleam. Of course, that would go out the window (for the most part) when the other shook off and then spoke to him, asking if the fish were biting. Eyes would widen for a moment, the fish would bite him?! Glancing around in the water, he could see the fish swimming around him but…they weren’t nibbling on him…”Uhh…no? They’re jus’ swimmin’ around….” He would trail off, clearly confused. Taking a deep breath he once more dived down trying to grab one in his mouth before coming back up for air.

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Álarr cocked his head to the side as he tried to figure out what was going on with the other boy. He seemed kind of alarmed but the Imperialis boy shook it off. He probably just had startled the other. Álarr was getting ready to catch another fish when a small, dense cloud of fireflies caught his attention and he paused to spring after them. Trying to catch them. Brynhildr noticed and swooped down to help him. Maybe he'd hunt a few fireflies for a bit to give himself some time to dry out. He was starting to feel just a bit chilly as the night continued to cool the earth. When the other boy popped back up he figured it was time for introductions. "My name is Álarr. What's yours?"

The other was confused…that was okay, so was he! Sandor chose to smile instead, as he came back up (with or without a fish). Ears perked as the other introduced himself. Alarr…There were some odd names in this land. Sandor nodded slightly, absorbing the info before answering back, “I’m Sandor.” Nostrils flared, but this pup…he didn’t smell like Siobhan had, he was either packless or he had only been accepted into one recently. “Are you a wanderer too?” He asked, head cocking to the side curiously. He didn’t meet many pups that were out on their own…most had packs and most wanted nothing more than to take him back to their family… something he wasn’t sure if he wanted. Being on his own was rough, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to commit to anything. Maybe…he could group together with Alarr?

A flash of silver would distract him however and he dived forward and down once again trying to grab another fish. Man, this was exhausting work!

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

"Nice to meet you Sandor!" A tantalizing clump of fireflies went by and he sprang at them once again. Whew! This was getting exhausting. Álarr sat down heavily then shook his head at Sandor's question. "No, I like to wander but I'm actually a part of a pack in the south called Legion." He gathered from the pup's question that he wasn't a pack wolf and he certainly didn't seem to smell like he was a pack wolf. Brynhildr was still at work trying to catch the fireflies, her white feathers making her appear like some sort of unearthly ghost as she dove and danced through the night. Sometimes Álarr wished he could fly. "I think it would be cool to be a bird," he said thoughtfully. Attention span always drifting he spied a plant he wanted to investigate not to far from where Sandor was fishing.

“Same!” He offered as he drug another fish up to the bank, this one much larger than the smaller fish he’d caught before. It was so large that he could barely get it to the shore without dropping it. It flailed about wildly, trying to get loose. Heaving the heavy fish onto the shore he huffed softly, it continued to flap around but this time out on the dirt. Sandor watched it slowly go still before he nodded slightly, content that it wasn’t going to move back into the water.

Sandor would wait to go back to the water as Alarr started speaking, nodding slightly, brow furrowing. “They let you?” He asked, confused. His pack had never let him out of sight, perhaps it was because Sandor had been meant to take over the pack…or perhaps it wasn’t their way. “What’s Legion like?” He’d continue to ask, trying to learn as much as he could.

Turning, he’d go back to the water, wading in he came to a stop and waited quietly. Unsure of what to say to Alarr, he settled for silence with an attentive ear. When Alarr spoke about being a bird he’d look away from the water and to the pup, head tilting slightly before looking up at the white raven that flew about above them. “Never thought of that…I guess it could be cool…being above everyone.” Sandor noticed a ripple in the water and dived for the fish that caused it. Maybe he would get lucky?

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Álarr's attention span was diverted from fireflies when he spied a familiar looking plant that Afi had told him about some time back. It was called abscess root and it was used for, well, abscesses. Autumn was the best time to harvest it, he remembered that much! He wandered over to the plant that stood almost a foot high, its leafed branches bear roughly six pairs of leaves per branch. "Oh, yea I can as long as someone from Legion comes with me. My dad brought me and my siblings to the festival and I have Afi and Brynhildr to keep an eye on me. But I'm sure my dad's around here somewhere. He's ancient!"

Álarr reached down to started digging, moving the dirt from around the base of the plant as he talked. "Warm. At least it's been hot since I've been alive but the fall has been nicer. We're a pack of warriors so there's always neat spars to watch or training and that kind of thing. So what about you? Do you not having anybody that travels with you?"

Sandor watched as the other went towards a flower as he dragged his fish back to the shore and made sure it died. Licking his lips he listened as Alarr told him that his father and siblings came with him to the festival. Laughing softly at the mention of him being ancient, how old could he really be? Turning back to the water, he went back to trying to get another fish, though he kept getting distracted by Alarr harvesting the plant he had found as well as his explanation of Legion. The idea of a pack of fighters was both thrilling and frightening all at the same time for Sandor, he liked the idea of being able to learn from seasoned warriors that regularly honed their skills…but as a young pup he would stand no chance of escaping one…even an ancient one like Alarr’s father.

Alarr’s question caused ears to fold back slightly, hesitant. Reluctantly, he told the truth, hoping that he would at least be able to run off into the crowd before the ‘ancient’ dad appeared. “No…no one. They’re gone.” He answered, letting the answer hang in the air for Alarr to figure out the meaning as he dived for another fish, welcoming the stinging of water up his nose as he tried to push the memories of his father dying out of his mind. His mother was very much alive…just not around.

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Álarr kept digging, pulling dirt away from the plant. He couldn't go full tilt into his digging for fear of damaging the root but with a little patience he managed to unearth the root. It was slender and a few inches long. The root was covered in tufts of pale, smooth, brittle roots on the underside. It smelt bitter and he knew it wasn't very good to taste but once he dried it out he could use it for several things. Álarr pulled the plant out and set it down next to him. Álarr's head whipped up at Sandor's answer to his question. "What? You mean… you're all alone?" That was awful! His brow furrowed. It wasn't right for Sandor to have to be wandering alone. "Say, if you want, you could come back with me to Legion. My dad might be a bit grumpy but he's always grumpy and I'm sure I can talk my big brother into letting you join."

Alarr kept digging at his plant and Sandor, well…he kept fishing, bringing fish up to the shore as he caught them, he was walking out of the water when Alarr whipped his head around to stare at the soaked pup. Ears twitched as Alarr asked to confirm if he was alone, caught between running and staying, his tail grew stiff along with his muscles, his face tightened slightly, jaws clenching as Alarr spoke again. This time, the other pup asked if he wanted to come to Legion with them, ears fell back, head ducking down a few inches as he took a step back, guarded. “N-no…” He answered, perhaps a bit too hastily. Forcing out a deep breath, he rolled his shoulders, trying to relax his muscles and to get rid of the anxiety that had suddenly gripped his chest. “I haven’t been in a pack since my dad got sick…I…I’d rather just be alone for now.” He was trying to let Alarr down gently, to let him know he appreciated the offer but it was one he could not take. Not yet. Sandor turned back to the water, forcing his head to return to its former height as he waded out into the water, eyes focused on the water, not ready to look back at Alarr, but his ears were forward, listening. He’d finally made a friend and now, now his past was ruining it. Sandor dove down, deeper than he had been in his angst for another fish.

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Álarr chewed at the stem of the plant as he glanced up at Sandor in confusion. No? Why would he say no? Although he didn't know what was going on in the other boy's head he could see he was clearly upset. Álarr snapped the stem off the root and gazed at Sandor thoughtfully. It didn't make any sense to him why he wanted to stay out here alone but he wasn't about to drag the other boy kicking and screaming back to Legion. Even though his brother probably would've found that funny. "Ah… erm, ok. If you're sure. Well… say, maybe you can visit some time if you get lonely? Do you know much about the south? I could try and give you directions." He slipped his pack off his shoulders and placed the root inside.

Big fish, little fish, they made no difference to Sandor and boy did he have a mixture of every size. From fish that were so large he could barely drag them to shore to fish that were a little bigger than his mouth. He collected them all, if all else failed, if they weren’t acceptable for the contest then he could eat them. They wouldn’t go to waste. Sandor managed a faint smile as Alarr spoke, ears pricking at the idea of visiting. “I dont…I’m new to this land..but I could probably follow directions?” He answered, interested in being able to find Alarr and his pack. Sandor dove back under the water for another fish, resurfacing as Alarr slipped the plant…er…root into his pack. “How’d you make your pack?”

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Álarr pondered the best way to give directions. "Hmmm, let me think. Do you know where the Battlefield is? We're pretty much directly south of there. You just have to walk through this plateau filled with a bunch of metal stuff and then you're in Legion."

Álarr moved closer to the edge of the water as he caught sight of some horsetail. That would be another good herb to gather. He could use it to help close wounds. Carefully he edged his way near the horsetail then reached out with a paw to pull a few closer to him. He looked back to Sandor as the boy asked about his pack. "Oh, this? It was given to me by a little old medicine lady from the north. I'm not sure where she got it."

Sandor shook his head at the question. He didn’t even know where the battlefield was.... but still, he listened intently, nodding slightly. “That makes sense…Looks like I have some explorin’ to do.” He grinned, he was good at exploring, it was all he did. As Alarr moved closer to the water, Sandor would turn his attention back to the water long enough to dive for another fish and bring it to shore. As he answered about the pack Sandor paused long enough to inspect it further. “That’s nice of her.” He commented, a bit jealous of the pack, but he would figure out a way to get one of his own…one day…for now, he was going to focus on his fish and learning to fight.

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Álarr began to chew on the horsetail, carefully working his teeth through the fibers of the plant until he pulled one free and set it next to him. It was a pretty neat looking plant with its strong green stem jointed with touches of black. It was a bit hard on his neck to crane down like he was but he'd just gotten dry and wasn't really looking to get wet again. "Yea, she was super nice. I have heard from Afi that you can find all sorts of packs and jars and things in the junkyard clear in the west but I've never gone there myself." It would be fun to go some day but he doubted he'd be allowed to go that far until he turned a year old.

Sandor brought his fish to the shore and then turned back to the water, going still again as he waited for the fish to return. While he waited for them to come back, he listened curiously as Alarr explained about a junkyard thing in the west…. Sandor glanced towards where the sun set, he at least knew cardinal directions…vaguely…. “Maybe we could check it out one day?” He asked, he assumed it was quite the journey…one he wasn’t enthusiastic about making on his own. Adventures alone were…boring, adventures with others were much better.

As the fish returned he dove for another one, hoping that he could get a few more fish before they were all gone.

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Álarr continued to work away at gathering horsetail. It was a smaller plant so to get the amount he wanted he needed to grab several plants. Though part of him wondered if he was actually just picking young ones and some of them could get to be the size of cat tails. After he was finished picking the horsetail he took the bundle in his mouth and padded back over to his pack where he added the horsetail. Licking at his lips he nodded to himself. There, that was a good haul. He turned to Sandor with a grin. "That sounds like fun! As soon as I'm a yearling I plan to explore everywhere. Would you find me then or is there a certain territory you live in as a loner?"

While Alarr gathered plants, Sandor fished, they seemed to settle into a pattern, he’d bring his fish to shore and then they would talk as he went back to the water. Sandor grinned as Alarr agreed to come with him, it’d be a great trip for turning of age! Although…there were no turning of age trials now…not for him. He pushed the feeling away, he would make his own and Alarr could join him! When he asked about where he was staying, Sandor would look around. “ Uhh…I think I will just wander…” He didn’t really know where he would end up. “When do you turn one? I can find you then?” He asked, before diving for another fish, resurfacing and going towards the shore, proud of his haul so far.

I'll tough it out, I won't give in

Álarr shook out his coating, sending any remaining loose water into the air and then he slipped on his pack. It seemed that Sandor was going to continue to wander and since Álarr was already in a pack it made sense that Sandor would come find him. "Ok, that sounds good. I turn one this winter so not that far away. I look forward to seeing you again." He meant it, this sounded like fun and Sandor would be his first friend outside of the pack. Winter might not be the best time to travel but they could at least meet and share a meal and decide then if they wanted to head west or wait til spring. Thankfully the winters in the south were usually mild. "I probably better get going now but I wish you luck with the rest of your fishing."


-exit?-