Little Veigar stirred quietly beneath the branches of one particularly vibrant redbud tree, stretching out his paws as far as they could reach. The day was a typical one thus far and nothing of any great importance had happened, though the day was still young. It seemed like just yesterday he'd started exploring the world beyond Deahtbelle's den. If he had any memory of his mother still he made no mention of it to anyone; all he knew was this bright little forest and Recluse and Deathbelle. He hardly even knew what parents were, let alone that he didn't have any, at least not any living ones - he treated nearly every adult he came across with the same kind attitude. He had a tendency to be clingy and eager to please, and coupled with this enthusiasm for life he tended to sometimes being exhausting, even to himself.

Which was exactly why he'd ended up here, snoozing peacefully. The weather was pleasant and the sun's warm rays splaying down upon his back made it easy to drift in and out of consciousness. Occasionally a small breeze would whisk by, tickling his nose, or the sound of foliage being disturbed might make an ear flick to the side, but otherwise he was content to lay around and rest until something of interest caught his attention.

Áskell shook the turkey vulture carcass, sending feathers and maggots scattering over the grass before he released it. These days he didn't really know what to do with himself. Without his father's guidance he felt lost and unsure. All he had was a vague goal and that was to become a warrior of Habari but was he really ready to call for Recluse and request the position? He swatted the carcass away and padded over to the stream where he bent his head to take a soothing drink. Once his thirst was satisfied, Áskell trotted off through the redbud forest looking for something to do when he spied a young pup. Áskell stared at the boy. Had someone been pregnant? He'd completely missed that. Áskell scented the air, feeling something of a familiarity though he couldn't really pinpoint it. "Psst, hey, who are you?"

His eyes fluttered closed and he felt the call of sleep begin to take hold, then suddenly someone was talking to him. He heard the voice before he properly registered anything else, and sleepily the boy roused, rolling onto his side and blinking in rapid succession. He didn't know who this older boy was, but then again he didn't know much of anything besides who Recluse and Deathbelle were. They fed him and kept him safe, and he loved them both. Veigar wrinkled his nose as he took in the sight, noting the boy smelled a little bit funky from his escapades with the carcass. "Veigar. Who is you?" He asked right back, finally waking up enough to groggily pull himself upright and face the stranger with curious, pale eyes.

Áskell took note of the boys name. Veigar. It didn't ring a bell and if the pup was a recent adoption by someone in the pack he hadn't heard the name mentioned. "I'm Áskell Klein." He settled down, tail wrapping around his paws as he gazed down at the smaller boy. "Who are your parents?" Maybe he'd be able to recognize one of the names and place the boy more clearly in the pack. In the mean time though maybe they could go do something. After all, he was bored, maybe Veigar was bored to. "Is there anything you like to do? I'm bored." He supposed he might have to ask permission from the boy's mother but for the time being he wasn't planning on leaving the pack lands.

Veigar gave his pelt a good shake as he faced Áskell and physically shook sleepiness away from him, starting with his head and moving down to his limbs, giving each a little wiggle as he stretched out and stood taller. Who were his parents? He wrinkled his nose a little; he wasn't old enough to have those things explained to him and he'd never really thought about it. "Deathbelle and Recluse, maybe?" He answered, a hint of a question in his voice despite trying to hide it. All he knew in Habari were those two. Recluse never called herself his parent but she'd taken care of him and so had Deathbelle, so he didn't know a better answer. "Umm..." His next question seemed even harder. He tried to think, deciding he didn't know. Saying that would sound stupid though. "We can go chase bugs in the field. Or maybe rats if we find some!" He suggested after some thought.

Áskell cocked his head to the side at the other boy's curious answer to his question. Firstly, the boy named two women he was sure weren't starting a family together and secondly he didn't seem confident in his answer, adding a tentative 'maybe' to his answer. "Hmm, not sure about Recluse, but Deathbelle makes sense." She had had a number of litters, often with males that seemed to disappear right after. It was likely this was litter number… what, three? "Guess that makes us cousins!"

Veigar didn't seem to sure on activities but soon mentioned chasing bugs or rats in the field. "Sounds good to me, rats would be great." He started to head toward the field, glancing back to see if the other boy was following.

If Veigar noticed that Áskell was questioning his answer, he made no sign of it. He was too young - and honestly, far too flighty - to latch onto things like that. All he knew was that Deathbelle and Recluse took care of him, at least what he couldn't do on his own, and that was what mattered to him. "Cousins?" He showed interested in that fact, his eyes widening as he spun around to get a better look at Áskell, deciding that though they didn't look too similar that they did have some similar colors. Maybe they were family after all! He beamed then, feeling a sudden connection to this other boy. "Cousins. Cool!"

That thought was quickly abandoned in lieu of a hunting mission. Veigar headed after him toward the field nearby, tail swaying freely from side to side. As they neared it he kicked up his pace suddenly though, bits of grass and dirt spraying up behind him. "Race me!" He encouraged the older boy, glancing over his shoulder and hoping he'd leave him in the dust. He was older and bigger but Veigar was fast and he hoped he had an advantage. Even if not, stalking rats around sounded fun too. Maybe he could even catch a few and bring them home for dinner!

Áskell grinned as the boy perked up at their relation. He supposed he'd grown numb to it as it seemed like he had a bazillion cousins. He trotted along after the smaller boy when suddenly Veigar took off with a cry for a race. "Hey, no fair!" He laughed as he bounded after the smaller pup, taking little true offense to the younger boys head start. Áskell bounded across the plain, weaving through the redbud trees as he debated whether to let Veigar win the race or to go ahead and show what he could do in hopes of impressing his cousin. It felt like ages since he was able to just relax and play. His own brother, Jigsaw, had been keeping to himself, the usually clinging boy all but non-existent.

Veigar wasn't sure how he was related to everyone in the pack, he supposed he should work on getting to know the other youngsters, especially Deathbelle's children. So far he was just working on finding his voice and was just beginning to branch out, which was exactly why he was talking to Áskell right now. He heard the older boy laugh behind him and he kicked off hard, trying to keep ahead of him. His little head start had seemingly won him the race, stumbling as he neared the field and doing a little flip before trying to scramble back to his paws. "I win!" He cheered, but was quickly distracted from his victory. He shook off his coat, his shimmering white markings flashing brightly for a moment as he beamed at Áskell brightly, adrenaline beginning to course through his veins. "How do we go about finding rats, you think?" Maybe Áskell knew secrets he didn't. He leaned toward the ground, sniffing at the grass and searching for a scent.

Áskell scrambled after the smaller pup, leaping over brush and dodging prairie dog holes. He let his pace slow and the end result was Veigar winning. To his surprise though, he really wasn't bothered by it. If anything he was happy. Áskell laughed. "Yea, you did, you got me. Guess I'm out of shape." In some ways that was true. He hadn't done much fight training since his father's death. He wondered a moment at the glowing markings on Veigar's coat but let the thought pass as his focus turned to rats.

"Hmm… they'll probably be around brush and cover. Maybe we can- Oof!" Áskell had been focusing on the shrubby areas and not looking where he was going. He managed to step right in a hole. "Hmm… or maybe we could try hunting whatever made this." It was definitely too big to be a rat burrow and it didn't smell like rabbit. Was this a groundhog burrow?

There was a lot of stuff to check out in this little patch of forest. Veigar's victory was forgotten as quickly as it had been earned. The scent of the bloomed redbud trees filled Veigar's nose and made it hard to concentrate on the other scents that assaulted him. Right off the bat he couldn't smell any rats but that didn't mean they weren't here, he knew that. It'd take more searching to tell for sure where they might be. He scrambled over some vegetation and dug at some dirt mounds, though realized after a second Áskell had found something of interest and he hurried over as quickly as he could.

He cocked his head as he eyed the dirt mount, leaning down to sniff hard at it. "I think something's in there," he mused as he sniffed at the air and tried to lean his head inside. He debated trying to stick his head in there but all he could think of was some monster biting his nose. Veigar shuddered a bit at the thought and backed up a few steps. "How do you think we'll get it out?" Áskell was older and therefore wiser, and he hoped he had some kind of solution.

Áskell sniffed at the entrance of the hole, sifting through the scents before he determined that it was indeed a groundhog burrow. They were good sized rodents and could be anywhere from four to fourteen pounds. Big enough to rival a young wolf pup. "I think its a groundhog. We could try digging for it. I think it's probably too smart to be easily baited. Otherwise we could go hide in the bushes over there and wait for it to come out, we might be able to block it from going back into its den." Of course he had no idea how long that would take and he imagined Veigar would find it terribly boring. However, trying to dig out the ground hog had its own challenges. The burrows would be several feet deep and likely have another exit or two somewhere.

A groundhog? Veigar had never seen one of those before. He continued sniffing alongside Áskell as the two of them investigated the hole. He had no clue the best way to deal with this thing... waiting did sound pretty boring but that sounded like a lot of work at the same time. "Maybe we can try to wait. Do we have to be totally quiet? Or can we still talk, you think?" If he had to be perfectly still and silent he might end up falling asleep but if he had company he could talk to, it might be bearable. That sounded like the best idea at least. Casting a longing look at the burrow - at the thought of a potential meal inside - he started to pad over toward the bushes Áskell had gestured toward. "How long do you think it'll take?" He asked yet another question, eyes wide as he gazed at the older boy. Veigar was desperate for guidance in all aspects of his life and he couldn't help but think the older boy would have all the answers, or at least way more than he had.

Áskell thought for a moment and frowned. "I'm not sure how good their hearing is. If we whisper though it might not be able to hear us from underground and I bet its hungry." If he recalled correctly ground hogs hibernated and needed to fatten up as much as possible. With the rough spring and summer they'd be hard at work even now. Áskell trotted after Veigar and bedded down in the bushes, his feet coiled underneath his body so he could spring forward if needed. Veigar asked how long it would take. "I'm not sure. If its really hungry it might show up soon but if it just ate we could be here for hours. However, they need to fatten up for winter so I bet we'll see it sooner than later. Do you like hunting, Veigar? What sorts of things do you like to do?"

Veigar nodded enthusiastically at Áskell's words. So all they had to do was hide and be quiet for a bit, and hope one of the groundhogs might come out soon. He crouched down alongside his new friend in the underbrush, keeping the same readied posture so he could spring forward if need be. He wasn't sure exactly how they'd get the groundhog but he had to hope that being sharp and fast would be enough to gain an edge on their prey. "Yeah, hopefully!" He agreed, sounding optimistic at the thought. He wasn't sure how patient he could be if they ended up waiting for ages but he'd give it his best effort. His thoughts were deterred by Áskell's question. What did he like to do? Veigar shrugged a little, finding himself at a loss for words. "I think I like to hunt, yeah, I like to run and play too. We could race sometime," he suggested with a grin. "I'd like to learn to fight too. Have you ever fought before?"

Áskell kept his eyes on the burrow and his ears peeled for the sounds of shuffling or digging that might alert them to the groundhog's presence. He knew it would take a bit of time but he didn't want to be caught off guard. Veigar listed off what he liked to do and Áskell had to agree that it was a good list. He grinned at the mention of fighting. Now they were in his territory! "Oh, yea. I've fought quite a bit. I even fought a bear once. Maybe we can spar some time? I could show you a few moves." He winked at the younger wolf. Áskell hoped to approach Recluse and obtain the rank of a warrior like his father. He didn't expect anything high ranking but he felt he'd shown enough skill to move out of his current rank.

His own ears were swiveled slightly toward the direction of the burrow, flicking occasionally as he tried to keep in mind why they were hunkered down in this bush to begin with. He couldn't hear anything yet but he figured Áskell was listening too, so hopefully between the two of them, one of them would notice if something was trying to make an escape for it. "A bear? Wow," Veigar's eyes widened and he breathed out hard, impressed. "Yeah, I'd love that. I want to learn to be big and strong and protect everyone." He found himself constantly grasping for approval, and for acceptance... and even in his naive brain he knew that he didn't want to let those things go once he found them. Wolves like Deathbelle and Recluse, and even his new friend Áskell, had earned his unwavering loyalty - not that he knew this other boy well, but he was his first real friend - and he wanted desperately to be strong to protect them. His ear flicked again as he thought he heard something, the sound of something digging at dirt suddenly audible to him, but just barely. He tilted his head and looked to Áskell for direction.

Áskell spared a moment to glance at the groundhog burrow but he still didn't see much in the way of movement so he turned his focus back to Veigar while still trying to keep an ear out. He beamed proudly as Veigar's eyes widened at the mention of the bear. Áskell was about to relate the story when he heard the sounds of shuffling and something moving underground. He fell silent, crouching down lower into the bushes as the ground hog suddenly appeared at the den opening. It stuck its head out, sniffing the air but thankfully the wolves were downwind. Still, the groundhog was wary. It slowly crept out of its burrow until it was fully out. Áskell held his breath, watching as the groundhog started to forage away from the den. In a low voice he spoke to Veigar. "Ok, here's the plan. You go sneak over to its burrow entrance and block it. I'll then go after the ground hog." With a little luck it only had the one burrow entrance.

Maybe he hadn't been hearing things after all. The story was interrupted when he heard some shuffling and his ears swiveled toward the burrow, listening as carefully as he could manage with his relatively limited attention span. Asking about the bear fight seemed very interesting but so did getting some experience with a real hunt. His thoughts were distracted by something sneaking up from the burrow, and he squinted as he watched the groundhog carefully. The older boy instructed him to block the den's entrance, and he gave him a nod of understanding. He was quiet as he crept out of the bush at first, making sure Áskell was moving too. Not long after he headed toward the prey animal it began to flee, and Veigar quickly scrambled over to block the burrow. At first it dove back toward the safety of its burrow, only doubling back when Veigar cleared the distance with a big leap, effectively blocking it from the groundhog.

Áskell moved slowly and carefully, his legs coiling beneath him as he prepared to spring. Veigar worked his way toward the ground hogs den and at some point the ground hog became aware of something amiss. It dove back toward its den and thankfully Veigar blocked the den entrance. The ground hog squealed and doubled back just as Áskell sprang toward it. The ground hog dove to the side and Áskell twisted after it, his fangs grabbing hold of one of its back legs. He lifted the creature up as it twisted and flailed, trying to reach back to bite him. Áskell was wary of loosening his grip just in case it got away so he looked to Veigar to see if the pup would be willing to try and take a bite out of the creature.

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