At his insistence Áskell's father took the pup to a new land to explore. They'd gone to the far west out to the estuary that lead out into the ocean. It was the first time he'd ever seen such a large body of water and he spent a good hour playing in the salt water and marveling at the sight before him. Eventually, though, it was nap time. Áskell snoozed for a short time and when he woke his father was still sleeping. Rather than try to go to sleep or wake up his father Áskell decided to go play.

He dug around in his father's travois until he found a lump of clay wrapped up in a rabbit skin as well as some leather strips. Kári promised to teach him to make something called a 'braid' and now seemed as good a time as any.

Áskell found a smooth clearing that had a nice rock he could use as a work surface. Tail wagging happily as he walked, Áskell dumped the clay out onto the rock and carefully laid out the three leather strips.

If she was almost any other pup, Kaija would know she wasn't supposed to be going so far from home without a chaperone. But.. fortunately for her (or maybe unfortunately, depending on who was judging) she didn't exactly have normal parents. Her mom seemed happy when they went and played off on their own, and she hadn't spent enough time with her dad to know if he'd care if she went off on her own adventures or not, but she doubted he be mad. She had to get bigger and stronger and explore the whole world, and she couldn't do that by sitting in her family den! For a moment she wondered if she maybe should've invited her brothers, but all thoughts of them were quickly forgotten as she got further and further away from home.

Her mind instead was occupied with how cool this place was. It was nothing like home. There were birds everywhere, flying overhead and swooping down practically beside her, and singing all over. She tried to chase after a few, but quickly decided that they were too fast for her. The scent of a stranger was more than enough to distract her though, and she trampled forward quickly to follow the trail. The ground was becoming squishy beneath her toes and her legs were getting a bit damp and muddy, but she didn't care. Her gaze eventually found another pup - and maybe an adult sleeping not far off? - but her attention was on the boy. She hadn't ever met any kids close to her age besides her siblings, and she was thrilled. Letting out a soft bark she bounded forward, splashing through the muck until she landed on solid ground not far from him. "Hi! What's all that? My name's Kaija!" She spat out quickly, with the careless enthusiasm that only a pup could muster.

Áskell started kneading the clay, trying to work out the air bubbles and get it to the point that he could start making a bowl out of it. He kneaded away happily til suddenly he realized someone was coming. A strange girl suddenly bounded toward him and a first he frizzed up at seeing her but she seemed to be friendly. He stared a her face, eyes fixed on her tusks. "Oh, hi. I'm Áskell. I'm just making some stuff. A clay bowl and a braid. Say, what happened to your teeth? How come they're sticking out like that?"

What was he doing? Oh, right braid. He lined up the three leather strands and started trying to tie a knot out of them, all while listing for what Kaija would say about her weird teeth. Eventually he had to have his magpie finish the knot. He plopped a rock down on the knot and looked up at her.

Her siblings didn't have tusks like her, but she'd be told her dad did, so it wasn't like it was anything unusual. Or at least she didn't think so. She fixated on that comment over his name or explanation of what he was doing, though she tried to place it into her memory for later. Askell. That was a cool name. Her siblings both had names that started with the same sound. "They're not teeth," she corrected of him matter-of-factly, but she forgot the exact work for what they were. Tusk? Tushees? Something like that, but she didn't want to sound stupid by saying the wrong thing in front of an older pup who was doing cool things like... making a bowl and a braid. Whatever that meant. "I was born like this. My dad too!"

Almost immediately she fixated back on what he was making. "What's all that for?" The urge to grab the braided rope and fling it around, trying to get him to tug the other end, was quite tempting. She knew Arne would play a game like that with her. But she wasn't used to strangers and how they were, and she wasn't sure getting yelled at by someone she'd just met would be a great idea.. though it was hard to get the thought out of her head. "Is it for a game?" Wide-eyed she watched him, almost unflinching for a long moment as she studied his work.

Áskell used his teeth to start the braid. Using his teeth he folded the right strand over the middle so that it became the new middle strand. Next he took the left most strand and crossed it over the middle strand so that it was now the new strand. Taking the right he crossed it over the middle again and kept repeating the process. He carefully used his claws to help pull the braid tight. At this point his magpie made the knot at the end of the braid as he still lacked the coordination to manage.

He paused in his work as the girl stated that the things growing out of her mouth weren't teeth. His head cocked to the side, curiously. "Oh? What are they then?" The only pointy white things that grew out of mouths were teeth as far as he knew.

Áskell moved back to the clay dial and used one of his claws to draw some designs in it. It was a simple design, a few lines radiating out for a hole he made in the middle with one of his claws. Now he just needed to let it dry.

He glanced back up again. "Oh, I'm just practicing making stuff. I think I'll give the cord to my dad and the dial is just… for decoration. But I bet you could make a game out of it! Wha are you making?"

What were they? She wracked her brain, trying to remember the word. "Tusks!" She declared proudly, after a moment of careful thought and consideration. Kaija really didn't want to sound stupid in front of an older kid, especially one who knew how to make cool things. Maybe if she asked nicely he could teach her, or... maybe just make something for her. Because whatever he was doing looked like a whole lot of work to her. Work a little more meticulous than she ever wanted to do. Especially with her tusks - she had no doubt they'd get in the way and make looping those little strands over each other.

Maybe it'd be worth it for a fun toy that would last longer than a stick or a vine, but... Askell admitted it was just for practice, and maybe he'd give it to his dad. Maybe she should make her dad something. Thoughtful, Kaija plopped down near him, ever-vigilant of the boy's sleeping father nearby. She wondered if she could ask her dad to take her on cool adventures when she got older like him, but then again... she had taken herself on an adventure. Maybe farther than she should've, but she doubted her mom cared and her dad likely didn't have any idea where she was. She wasn't sure which was stranger - the fact that Askell's dad was following him, or that her parents weren't. She didn't think about that for long though. "I don't really have anything to make. Or anything to make it out of. I dunno," she admitted, feeling a bit foolish she had nothing like that to do herself.

Áskell's ears perked up as the girl said that they were something called tusks. "Wow, really? That's cool!" Sometimes he wish he had something really unique about himself like tusks or horns or saber teeth. Even his coat was pretty plain but he tried not to dwell on it. He was a Klein after all and that was worth something.

He felt a bit bad when she said she didn't have anything to make and he also felt a bit foolish that he hadn't been more observant. "Oh, well, if you want you can make something with some of my clay. Or we can do something else. I still have time before we go traveling again. Do you want to explore?" He'd have to let the clay dial dry anyway before he could pack it away. Maybe the girl had other things she liked to do.

Kaija didn't really think of herself as special or anything. Her interactions thus far had been pretty limited, from her parents to her siblings. At least her dad and Arne had tusks like her so it didn't seem special or cool in the slightest, but Askell was older than her and maybe he knew more about things than she did. Arguing with him might make her sound dumb, and she didn't want that. Instead she just lifted her head a bit higher and nodded confidently. Sure, she could say it was cool if that's what he thought.

He offered to give her some clay, but she shook her head. That sounded like a lot of work and he suggested they could go explore, which sounded like a way more fun idea. "How far can we go from him?" She glanced over at the adult wolf sleeping nearby, sure it was Askell's dad. "There's a big tree over there I wanted to go see!" The land here was damp and wet and strange, but maybe they could avoid all that and find a route to the big willow tree that stood a good few hundred strides away from them.

Áskell thought for a moment and he debated how far he could go unaccompanied. He was given a fair amount of freedom compared to other pups and at six months old he was granted more range. "I think as long as I say in this territory I'll be fine." Besides he could always say he was sorry if he went too far. His ears perked up at the mention of a big tree. "That sounds cool, let's go! He bounded through the territory a short ways until he realized he didn't know where he was going. "Uhh… which way?" He glanced at the girl and waited for her to lead. There were some good patches of mud so hopefully his dad wouldn't mind too much if he got dirty.

Kaija hadn't really thought ahead that far. Even though Askell had said her tusks were cool, he was still older than her and she wasn't sure how receptive he'd be to actually hanging out with her. Especially since he had things to do like crafting and stuff, which was stuff she didn't know how to do. But he agreed, tentatively, but still. He said as long as he stayed in this territory he should be fine. Perfect! And if they got into a stick situation, even though she was far from Valhalla and her mom and siblings there was an adult nearby who surely they could wake up with some screaming. Just in case, of course. She wasn't planning on trouble, but she knew sometimes it could just creep up on you when you weren't expecting it.

She nodded her tusked little head enthusiastically at his question. Which way indeed. That was a good question. Uhh.... Kaija whipped her head around in search of a good route. "This way!" She exclaimed, with all the enthusiasm of someone who totally knew where they were going. All she knew was that she wanted to find that big tree and see just how big it was. Quickly she took off, starting at a careful walk but soon turning into a brisk little trot as she climbed over the vegetation, only hitting a few muddy spots through the way, no doubt kicking up a little bit of mud behind her. She paused when she saw a huge bird up ahead, a thing with long, stick-like legs. She cast a wide-eyed glance behind her at Askell, crouching behind the tall grasses and hoping the thing didn't notice them yet so she could watch it for a moment.

Áskell grinned and bounded after the girl as she headed in the direction of the big tree. He leapt nimbly over a fallen log and around a few shrubs. At one point he raced right through a mud puddle, sending the liquid dirt spraying all over his sides but he didn't care. He was almost always dirty so surely his father was used to the mess by now. He skidded to a halt, ducking down in the brush next to Kaija as they saw a tall bird with really long legs. Speaking softly he turned to Kaija. "What is it? Is it the kind of bird that eats pups or something we eat?" He knew to be careful of large birds. His father had warned him to stay in the den at night when he was younger so an owl wouldn't carry him off and eat him. Surely he was to big for that now?

Awesome! Kaija was thrilled to have an adventure partner, especially one pretty close to her own age. And one who said she was cool. Well, her tusks. She kept hearing him say that in her head and it was definitely bolstering her confidence, even if it really shouldn't be going to her head like that. They trudged through the muck together, Kaija hardly thinking about how mad her mom would be if she came home tracking mud everywhere. She'd have to find somewhere to roll around and try to get some of it off before getting too close to home. But for now she wanted to enjoy her day and.. explore whatever weird place this was.

The girl let out a quiet little gasp as the bird lifted one of its legs slightly out of the muck, showing just how long they were. "I don't know!" She chirped back, a little overwhelmed by how big the thing was. "I think it might be. It's so big," she squeaked, though froze suddenly as she watched the bird spin around. Apparently her words had been a bit loud and it had noticed them, even where they were crouched in the bushes. It was too big to eat them.. right? Oh god, she wasn't so sure. It lifted its leg up again as if beginning to take a step toward them, and Kaija was overwhelmed with the image of being dragged off into the sky by it, taken away to never see her mom or dad or brothers ever again. Screw that. "AHHH! Run!!" She shrieked, spinning around and sending even more mud splaying up in the air as she barrelled back the way they'd came.

Áskell was fixated on watching the bird. It had a crazy long neck and the beak was long, sharp, and looked like it could do some damage if the bird were to try and peck something. He took a few cautious steps forward. The movement disturbed a nearby frog who leapt into the water and took off swimming.

Áskell nodded. "Yea, maybe. But it's neck is so skinny… unless it tears pups into pieces first." He swallowed sharply at the thought. Suddenly the bird turned to stare at them and his fur immediately stood on end. Kaija shrieked to run as the bird moved toward them and Áskell turned around to scramble after her. "Hey, wait for me!" He felt much braver with someone else around but the thought of facing down a possibly pup eating bird alone was intolerable.

Kicking up mud and muck he quickly caught up with Kaija. After they ran for a little while he turned his head and started to slow. "Hey, hey, I think… It think its gone."

Eeeeek, that bird was creepy and for a split second Kaija was pretty sure she was about to die. That bird had a long neck and a big beak and could no doubt carry her away and then peck at her until she was nothing but bones. To her childlike imagination it seemed like a perfectly reasonable scenario and she nearly shrieked all the way as she ran away from the bird. Luckily it didn't follow them - or if it did, it didn't go far - but by the time they made their escaped she was muddy and panting, feeling like her heart was about to beat clear out of her chest. "Oh - wow," she breathed, shaking her head a bit incredulously. 'I think we coulda beat it up. I mean, if we had to," she explained quickly. They were totally tough and could beat up the bird she'd very nearly had a heart attack over, sure thing. "Oh! Look!" As distracted as any pup could be, she spun around and saw another huge frog - or was it a toad? Either way, it looked about as big as her head, half obscured by mud. Gingerly she lifted a paw to poke it and it croaked angrily in defiance.

Áskell took a deep breath and tipped back onto his butt, sitting down heavily in the dirt. It had been awhile since he'd tried to run that fast. He had a bit more endurance than his brother and tended to be more physical in nature so he rarely had to put as much effort into running during tag as he did escaping the pup-eating bird.

'I think we coulda beat it up. I mean, if we had to,"

Áskell nodded rapidly, finally catching his breath. "Oh yea, definitely! It was lucky we decided to run instead of fighting." A moment later the girl was distracted by a large frog. His head cocked to the side as he watched her poke at it. "Weeiirrrd… is it's skin lump? Can you tell?" He swiped at the creature trying to scrap the mud off its back though it just tried to bury in deeper.

Ack, that had definitely been weird. She made a mental note to remember exactly what that bird had looked like, at least from the brief moment they'd gotten a good look at it, to tell her brothers about it so they'd know to stay away and not get eaten. Kaija continued to try to catch her breath, her heaving chest quickly calming its movements as she both relaxed and redirected her attention onto something that looked quite a bit less dangerous. Well.. at least on the surface. The frog inflated and let out a small, but angry noise, but it definitely wasn't enough to send her running. She doubted Askell would be scared of it either, and a quick glance in his direction told her that she was right.

She'd never seen a creature like this back home, though the lands she were used to tended to be much less... soggy. She wasn't used to all this water and muck and she had a feeling she'd need to take a detour before she got home to clean up, so her mom didn't get annoyed at her for looking like - well, like she rolled around in mud. She hadn't quite gotten that far yet but it was looking more and more likely, the longer she stayed here. As distracted as ever, Kaija's gaze briefly left the lump in the mud to drift to a bird that swooped down low toward their heads before lifting back off. "Umm..." She lifted another paw to touch it, giving it a little stroke before recoiling, surprised but not completely disgusted. The frog was highly displeased by the interruption and puffed out even more, its angry noise shifting to a low and ominous croak as he burrowed deeper into the mud. "Yeah, it's a little lumpy. Kinda gross too," Kaija admitted, furrowing her nose tightly.

Áskell was glad he had fur, he couldn't imagine what it was like living with weird bumpy skin and no covering to help you keep warm in the winter. He nodded. "Yea, its definitely gross. I don't think it would be very good to eat either." Áskell used his paw to scoop up a large clump of mud and dropped it right on the toad. He giggled but before he could say more he heard his father calling for him. "Ack, that's my dad. I better go. Maybe we'll see each other again some time. I'm in Habari by the volcano if you're ever out that way."

Turning he took off toward where his father was calling from. It had been fun to play with Kaija and he hoped they could meet again. Maybe he could sneak away and visit her some time but for now he better be prompt in answering his father.

-exit?-

Kaija exploded into a fit of giggles as he scooped up some mud and dropped it on the lumpy toad. Once again it croaked loudly in protest, shaking its fat little body to rid itself of the mud as quickly as it could. But before they could poke and prod the critter any further he heard a call from nearby, and Askell said he had to go. Kaija frowned a bit but she understood. If her mom or dad happened to show up and call for her she'd do the same, so she knew better than to protest. "Okay," she said, trying her best not to pout and look like a baby in front of her new, older and definitely cooler friend. He explained where he lived if she wanted to see him again and she nodded, putting his words to memory even if she had no idea where he meant. She didn't even know what a volcano was, let alone where it was. She made a mental note to ask someone about it soon. "I'm in Valhalla by the... big fields," she offered lamely, having no real land markers to explain herself by. But oh well, hopefully the name of her pack was enough. She flashed him a little grin as he left, glad that she'd met her first friend. Better be getting back home though, she thought to herself, certain that she needed to find somewhere to clean herself properly before she got all the way back home.

- end -