Dagrún scampered after Úlfr. He was one of the only other pups in fireside even though he was almost a yearling now. She'd sweet-talked him into going exploring with her outside Fireside's territory. The older boy had mentioned there was a really big river just south of fireside where there was a lot of nice clay for making things. Dag was excited. She already knew she wanted to make a bowl like she'd seen the healer's use. She didn't have an interest in healing but she still liked to make things and surely there was something she could put in her bowl. Maybe if she found any cool rocks she could put them in the bowl.

They'd wandered along the river for awhile before finding a place to rest. Úlfr had fallen immediately into a deep sleep but she didn't want to nap. Instead she wandered along the riverside looking for some clay she could play with. She could make a bowl and… and… there had to be other things you could make out of clay. Beads maybe? Maybe she could make a neat necklace and make her sisters jealous.

Was Louis wandering a bit far from the den? Maybe. Was he given explicit permission to do so? Not really. Did he care? Sort of. Anxiety still laced his paw steps as he hopped across half submerged stones to the other side of the river. Did it really matter that he was taking a risk if no one knew? He needed time away from his siblings anyways. They had a way of making him feel... small. Panic was the best, the number one, the ringleader, and nothing he could do would make him feel like he was on the same level. Malachai was a little better, but he hated how he’d just been born bigger. It wasn’t fair, why couldn’t he be born big and strong with horns and teeth like the other pups he’d seen?

He looked up, brooding interrupted by another pup on the other side of the river, her scent strange and foreign. He’d been able to recognise the scent of wolves from sister packs like the Habari or Armada, but the smell that assaulted his nostrils was completely different. “Who’re you?” He bristled, tiny tail held high.

Dagrún first started with the bowl, breaking off a piece of clay that she started rolling into a ball with her paws. This was both to work out some potential air bubbles but also if she rolled it into a ball first it would be easier to form into a bowl, in her opinion anyway. Once the clay was rolled into a ball she pushed her paw, with claws sheathed, into the middle to bet the basic shape of a bowl. She then started pushing her paw outward to widen it.

Dagrún moved to the other piece of clay. She started tearing off little chunks and rolling them into beads. They weren't very even but that didn't bother her at all. She was working happily along until a voice called out. Her head jerked up and she eyed a dark pelted boy who was standing on he other side of the river. She puffed up proudly and called out. "I am Dagrún Finnvi! Who are you?" Was there another pack just across the river?

Louis would be lying if he said he wasn’t intrigued by what the other pup was doing. While the boy wasn’t a crafter, the way the stranger worked with the clay ignited that naive curiosity that all pups seemed to carry. But still, protocol came first. This first encounter with a stranger from another pack after all, it was his duty to leave a good impression. “I’m Lurch Louis Klein of the Klein line, son of the Daimyo Hela.” He said with careful pronunciation and proud posture. He’d practiced this introduction many a time.

With introductions out of the way, he made his way across the stream toward her, not aggressively but not without wary pride. He didn’t expect a fight, but he’d gladly defend his and Ashen’s honour. “What are you doing?” He inquired once on the other side of the river, plopping himself down a little ways from the Finnvi to observe the craft.

If she wanted to string the beads on things she'd need to make holes in the middle. She knew from what Sperla had told her that the holes would shrink as they dried and were fired so she better make them bigger than she needed. With the kestrel's help she stuck a little bird bone into the center of each, carefully poking it all the way through until each bead was ready to dry.

The boy stated that his name was Lurch and that he was the son of a Daimyo. She didn't know what that was but it sounded interesting. She was wishing now that she'd said more about her family line. "Nice to meet you!" She called out as he worked his way across the stream.

Moving back over to her clay bowl she pressed her paw back in the middle and started working outward to widen the mouth of the bowl. Once that was done she ran her pawpad along the top to smooth out the lip of the bowl. She looked over at the boy. "I'm making a bowl out of clay. When it dries then I can put things in it. There's a patch of clay along this river here if you want to make things with me."

Clay, huh? Louis’ ear flicked as he thought for a bit. It was something he wouldn’t really consider partaking in, considering that crafting wasn’t exactly a warrior’s activity. Another thing he’d normally pass up in favour of study or training. But he didn’t really feel like seeing his family right now. He looked behind him, but he’d already made up his mind.

”Sure.” he chirruped, moving to gather some clay and sit next to the young crafter. He rolled a hefty chunk to where he intended to sit, taking his place as he gave the material a tentative prod with a dark paw. He felt a bit silly, as if he were doing nothing more than playing in mud. ” What do I do now?”

Since she needed to let her bowl start drying Dagrún walked with Louis to the riverside and scooped up some clay of her own. When she brought it back over to the rock she plopped it down and then started kneading it with her paws. "Now we work out the air bubbles in it by mashing it." She paused as she saw a small stick and a few blades of grass sticking out of her clay. "Oh, you'll want to pick the non-clay stuff out of it." Using her teeth and her claws she picked out the random bits of stuff she didn't want in her clay.

"So what's your pack like? Is it nice?" She was curious what other packs were like since all she was familiar with was Fireside and by default she assumed they were all the same even though that probably wasn't true. Dag worked her clay out, kneading it and re-kneading it, slowly working it into a spherical shape.