His first taste of freedom before Regulus had appeared had merely whetted his curiosity and his need to know more about the World Outside. He'd bided his time until he was once more left to his own devices, and this time instead of staying within the confines of the ravine immediately outside their cave home he crept out to gaze wide-eyed over the massive open plains that tumbled out before his paws. "Thar barr!" came the gasp unbidden from his gaping muzzle. So much to see! How in the world would he be able to see and learn about all this? What was this plant beneath his feet? Or the dusting of white, cold stuff over it? What was that big thing flying way up in the sky? What was the bright light called? What were those big fluffy white things way up in the sky? Why was the sky blue? What was that? Spotting something off in the distance the chubby puppy trotted as fast as his tiny legs could take him - more akin to a waddle than a true trot, but he was too intent on his goal to care - to bring the distant creature into view. It looked like a wolf sort of but it was so BIG and it's paws were funny like they were all claw and no pad, and it had really short fur and huge branches tied to its head. Why did it have branches on its head? His family brought sticks and stuff to chew on all the time and it seemed silly to put on your head something that you chewed on so why was he wearing chewy toys on his head? "Hóigh! a dhuine!" he called out to the creature, but his childish voice immediately set the creature to bounding away. What? Why? Why was he running away? Tornach just had a question for him! "Fan nóiméad! Fan nóiméad!" Silvery paws kicked up a bunch of the cold white stuff from beneath them as the boy sprinted off after the bounding creature, a creature that was very swiftly outdistancing him. "Fan nóiméaaaaaad!" ""

OOC: In case you were wondering what he was chasing, it was a mule deer.

Akemi needed some time to think. Her son, Einarr, had finally spoken that it was time to learn about his true father. But at the time the small female had not been ready. No, had not bee willing to reveal to her son everything right then and there. There needed to be time to mentally prepare. For her reactions, for his... It was not going to be an easy discussion to say the least. Her son had her temper, his father’s size and strength... Despite the man being dead she wasn’t sure that Einarr would be able to hold it all back and so, with Tiny resting upon her head, the female would set her sights west. The bit of snow was not exactly welcome, but the tiny female dealt with it. She would keep an eye on Tiny however, not wanting the poor little critter to freeze in the dropping temperatures. Goodness... It was so hard to believe he and her other babies were a year old already! The sound of hooves would catch her attention, and gaze would trail to see the mule deer rushing off. Huh. Giving a small shrug she would let her gaze slide instead the critter chasing it. A... Pup? She would give a chuckle, seeing the little boy chasing after the creature that was outdistancing him. She would start towards the youngster, calling out across the distance. “I don’t think he’s gonna wait for you kid. Best leave him be!” "Hear me talk," 'but read my thoughts.' "Hear Tiny talk," 'but read Tiny's thoughts.'

Table by:: Keno

The strange creature didn't listen to him, continuing to outdistance him more and more as Tornach struggled gamely to follow. A voice distracted him from his chase and he stumbled and nearly found himself tumbling heels over ears (again), and by the time he regained his balance and looked up, the strange creature was long gone. He heaved a regretful sigh; he had so been hoping to find out what that was. But the novelty of an unfamiliar voice was a worthwhile distraction, and he turned bright blue eyes to the wolf who had called out to him. But what a strange looking wolf! Not quite as strange as the long-legged creature with the branches on its head, but it was quite strange to the young boy. She had no ears, no tail, and while like his athair she had the raised marks he'd been told were scars from old hurts, she only had one eye! He wasn't frightened by the massive scarring as some pups may have been, merely insatiably curious and he trit-trotted toward her without hesitation. "Maidin mhaith," he chirped. "I wanted to know what it was but it would not answer me. I do not know why; it is rude not to answer when someone speaks to you isn't it? Do you know what it was? What are you? I am Tornach Adravendi. Do you have a name?" ""

Oh no! Akemi would wince as the little creature would stumble, tumbling heels over ears as she distracted him from chasing after the mule deer. The female would move towards the little critter, noticing how he seemed to recover as if nothing had happened, and as if she was nothing scary at all. Something that the scarred female was grateful for. She didn’t want to scare the little one. Since having her own she warmed up to pups and my this one reminded her of Einarr! He was big for his age, wasn’t he? Or maybe she really was smaller than she reaized. So many questions would pour from the little one’s mouth, and Akemi felt her heart melting as she looked at him. First things first, she supposed, she would give her own introduction. “My name, little one, is Akemi Miu Hróðvitnisdottir. I am a wolf, same as you. I’m just a little... Beaten up. Got in a fight with a night so nice wolf and he left me looking like this. But I’m alright. The hurts don’t hurt so much anymore.” Akemi would chuckle softly. “As for what you were chasing, well, he was a mule deer. A different species from us... So it was likely he couldn’t understand what you were saying. Most creatures don’t speak our sort of tongue.” The female would lower herself on her belly, though it probably wasn’t needed for such a big boy. “Were you out here looking for friends? Adventure?” The female inquired. Gosh... This little one made her want puppies all over again. His voice was simply adorable. ""

Table by:: Tealah

The female explained that she was a wolf, like him, but just beaten up. Tornach nodded gravely; athair had been beaten up too then, to be so scarred as he was, and it was no stretch to imagine that was why a wolf might have no ears or tail. "I am sorry the bad wolf hurt you, a' Bhean-uasal Hróðvitnisdottir," he said sincerely, his small face very serious. "When I am big like Dadaí and Regulus I am going to make sure no bad wolves can hurt anyone anymore. I wish I was big already when he hurt you so I could stop him." It wasn't fair that she had to be handicapped without big ears to capture sound to ear better, or without a tail to balance with, just because some big wolf was mean to her. She went on to tell him that the other creature was a mule deer, and he stared eagerly into the distance where the deer had disappeared, committing it to memory. He understood that not everyone spoke the same languages, but clearly they had a language or they wouldn't be able to speak to each other, right? They weren't rocks, which couldn't speak at all, and even plants had their own language didn't they? So could he learn to speak mule deer language? "What language do they speak? Why don't they speak any of ours?" She lowered herself to her belly before him, drawing his bright eyes back to her form in time for her to ask questions of her own. "I look for answers," he told her honestly, seriously, and cocked his small head to the side. "Friends are nice too. I don't have any; just Mamaí and Dadaí and Regulus and Zuriel and Baine. They say I have another sister but she went away and never came back so I haven't met her, but I would be friends with her too if she wanted. Are you looking for friends, a' Bhean-uasal Hróðvitnisdottir? Is that why you looked so sad and so worried?" He paused, eyes finally focusing on the small form nestled in the fur on her head. "What is that?" ""

He was adorable. How he struggled to say her name, though still speaking in a sincere and serious manner. It made her heart melt. There was a sense of gladness in her heart when she heard that the boy wanted to grow up to make sure that no other wolves were hurt by cruel ones. The fact that he wished he was big enough already, so that when Kau attacked her he could have stopped him, made the woman’s heart melt all the more. Such a kind child he was. One day there was little doubt that he would grow to a chivalrous and kind hearted brute. The woman would furrow her brow at his questions however. “To be honest with you I’m not sure. I just know that they do not speak ours and that they are prey animals.” The female would listen further as the young man answered her previous questions. Answers. A seeker of truth in a way. It was a unique answer to her own question, and the young woman would smile gently. Though she still looked sad, and her brow furrowed, at least now she could wear some sort of smile. “I suppose some friends would be nice. I don’t have many... And we’ve been separated for a little while.” At the question of “what is that” she had to blink, but then she would remember and give a laugh as Tiny popped his head up. “This is my son! His name is Tiny. I rescued him.” Tiny would twitch his whiskers, his beady black eyes on the child. “Hiya!” The little pygmy jerboa would let out a yawn. “Moooorning~” "Talk"