this second’s fancy

After threading another piece onto the string Wendigo began rifling through the bone pile. All of the bones might have been different, but there was - sort of - a pattern if you looked for one. For every couple of loose jangly bones threaded onto the string Wendigo tied a small one to the string itself; believing he was making the whole thing stronger. When it came to learning from experience the boy wasn't a total loss always; he'd made a mess or two with a broken necklace and the hunt for scattered beads, while fun when it happened, wasn't a hallmark of a well made piece of jewelry. And he wanted something special.

He'd just found the perfect little rabbit bone when a call startled him from his work. Wendigo jerked upright with a surprised, open-mouthed squeak; the tiny bone hanging onto his lower lip like an unlit cigarette. The boy lay there, completely still and mouth ajar, for a solid 5 seconds. Then he looked to the border, the stranger, and back again to make sure she wasn't trespassing. She wasn't. Too bad. Still...that didn't mean they couldn't be friends.

The boy was off like a shot in a clatter of scattered bones, moving much too fast for both the dangerous terrain and the close proximity of the stranger. Several steps in he realized he'd left his necklace behind. He doubled back, tail windmilling wildly, and snatched the string off the ground. All of the loose bones on one end flew off as he took off towards the stranger again. Unless she moved out of the way he would skid to a halt almost directly at her feet and even then there was no guarantee he wouldn't follow after her. Wendigo threw down the necklace and poked it proudly. "A necklace, you see? With lots and lots of little bonesies! They're just the best, I think. All clinky and clanky. I love them so much," he gritted his teeth and pressed hard on one of the skulls, "I could just squish them to pieces!" He looked up at the girl with wide, innocent eyes. "What do you think?"