Heat dripped over the landscape as he moved stealthily through the tall grasses. A drumming hum of life teemed around him as he noticed the sudden change in seasons. Longer nights became longer days with more showers and budding trees. What had appeared a dreary place upon his initial arrival turned out to be a dormant period. Whether their winters were normally so ominous or not, Kuroo was not eager to find out when it came back around. Pleased that animals of all kinds were beginning to awaken with the change, Kuroo found himself feeling lazy. With so much to do and little time to hunt, he wandered closer to the scent of lake and weeds. Beneath his paws, mud squelched between his toes as he drew near the lake's shore. Around him, the grass tickled at his splotched coat and birds chirped as they flew overhead. Water lapped quietly along rocks and dirt as his pale gaze watched the reflecting surface. Every now and then, fish and bugs would plop and splash, inviting him to take a closer look. Oh, how tempting it was to jump right in for a quick dip to cool off. There had to be an easier way to catch the fish than diving in. Maybe he could craft something! "Perfect!" Kuroo chirped to himself as he set about looking for something to use. While the idea of a nice cool swim in the lake sounded nice, he needed a bite to eat first. Pausing briefly, he wondered if there would be anything good to use around here for a fish snare. How would he even do that? The thought caused him to stop and think. Bringing a paw up to scratch his chin, he hummed under his breath. "What to use, what to use," he spoke in a thick accent, one he assumed wasn't unheard of in these parts. Only due to the fact that he and his brother had come to this strange land to follow their father. If his father was here, there had to be others that also spoke their foreign language. Quickly setting aside the mission of finding his father, he went back to his idea of capturing fish instead of actually fishing. Looking from the tall grass to the lakeshore, he wondered if he could set up a sort of dam. That would work, right? Thinking quietly to himself as he nosed his way around, he began searching for rocks and good-sized sticks. Surely, the fish wouldn't be smart enough to avoid whatever he could come up with. word count: 429/1500

Corvus had never been a big fan of the summer heat, but after the long period of chilly darkness they'd endured he was practically the sun's biggest fan. His tongue lolled out of the side of his mouth as he made his way slightly north of Abaven's lands. Life was good right now - quiet, sure, but still good. Things would be changing soon though and he was intent on enjoying some welcome downtime until then. Slowly he made his way through the thick grasses that surrounded the lake he knew was just ahead, enjoying the feeling of the sun splaying down on the dark fur of his back. As he drew closer to the lake he felt the dirt transform to soggy mud beneath his paws, and finally the scent of a stranger reached him. Curious, he trailed after it until the grey form of someone appeared up ahead, and Corvus let out a quiet bark to alert the stranger to his presence.

Moving close to the lake's surface, he left a safe distance between them. "Afternoon," Corvus called out warmly as he came to a halt. Whatever he was doing was hard to discern - it looked like he was searching for something, though he couldn't tell what. "Mind if I ask what you're doing? Maybe I could help a bit?" His smile was genuine as he regarded him curiously. Corvus hadn't always been the most social of wolves but the long night had made him want to reach out more to those he came across. He had knowledge to offer the youth of Boreas, and though this stranger wasn't exactly a child he was still young compared to himself.

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Lost in thought as he began collecting rocks, reeds, and sticks, Kuroo daydreamed. Images of home, friends, and family filled his thoughts. Deep down, his heart ached to be back where he felt he belonged. Understanding why they had come here in the first place, he tried to set aside his feelings. Ultimately, it would be hard since both he and his brother longed for answers that hopefully, one day, they would find. Distracted by the string of thoughts, his body startled at the sound of a quiet bark. A few birds lit into the sunny air as a wolf scent made his nose twitch. Lifting his head, Kuroo's pale gaze roved over the tall grasses until he sighted another wolf standing not far off. Instantly, a smile crept onto his lips as his tail wagged gently. There stood a brown-colored wolf that was quite a few inches taller than him. Meeting that green gaze, Kuroo turned around and headed back a bit closer to the wolf with reeds in between his lips. Dropping his collection to the ground, he looked over to the lake. Along the surface, bugs skittered around without a care in the world. It would be the fish he was after as he noticed a few creating ripples in an attempt to catch the bugs. "Don't mind at all," he responds in his accented voice, words thankfully coming out in the common tongue. Still adjusting to the different language of this strange land, Kuroo was glad that he and his brother had been taught it back home. "There's a bunch of fish in that lake," Kuroo's gaze drifts back over to the shore where the water lapped lazily at the dirt and rocks. "Normally, I'd hop in and catch them one by one, but the sun is hot today," he shrugs his shoulders as if to hint that possibly his own grey splotched fur would be too warm in such climates. "I was thinking that if I can craft a net or dam or some sort of contraption, I'd be able to catch a bunch at once," his lips turn up into a bigger smile as he looks back to the other wolf. "If you have any ideas, I'd be glad to hear them!" His masculine voice is almost chirpy in youthful excitement as his tail wags eagerly at his haunches. Word Count: 1104/1500

If the stranger looked surprised at his sudden arrival, he certainly didn't look upset, and Corvus allowed himself a friendly grin. His own tail mirrored the movements of Kuroo's, giving a steady wag that when accompanied with his generally carefree demeanor made his friendly intentions obvious. He watched as the younger wolf dropped some reeds down, and his gaze followed his own as he spoke up, watching as a small swarm of flies buzzed around their heads before dispersing toward the water.

The stranger didn't sound like he was from these parts. Briefly he wondered if he'd been here during the long night, or if he'd arrived after. Maybe the strange seasons were more far-reaching than he could imagine, but he had no way of knowing for sure if the entire world had suffered or if only Boreas and Auster had. "You're right, this place is good for fishing," he agreed with a slow nod. "Name's Corvus Destruction, by the way."

With an introduction out of the way, he considered Kuroo's words. It was an interesting idea, though one he hadn't exactly tried to execute himself - but why not try? Corvus was always down to learn something new, and what better way to get to know someone? "That's a neat idea. Looks like you're on to something,," he told him, giving a nod at the thick reeds he'd gathered. How would they fasten them to something though? He pondered it as he paced near the lakeside, nosing through the vegetation there. Finally he stopped near a group of cattails and used his teeth to grip it tight and tug it up, out of the dirt.

"Maybe we could use these to help tie the reeds and make a kind of net that way," Corvus suggested. It might be a little tricky but it was worth trying. Tearing off the end of the cattail and watching the white innards puff out and float to the ground, he made to work with the reeds once he got visual approval that he could use the materials Kuroo had gathered. Weaving them around the thick stalk was tricky, and took quite a few tries with his teeth, but once he made a semblance of a knot he used his paws to pull it taut. "If we get another stalk and tie the reeds to both ends and put it downstream somewhere, I bet we could catch something for sure."

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Total words: 1510

The older wolf was friendly and he was glad for it. "I'm Shima Kuroo, but Kuroo is preferred. Nice to meet you," he chirped with a smile before both of their attentions was turned toward the lake and its seemingly useful supplies. Watching as Corvus paced by the lake before ripping out a thick cattail, Kuroo's head tilted toward the side in curiosity. Walking a few steps toward the lake where the cattails grew in a bunch, he paid attention as Corvus pulled off the end of the cattail before tying it into a knot. Impressed that he had been able to get it into a knot, Kuroo's tail wagged excitedly. "Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! We just have to get these reeds woven together," he said with a firmer nod as he moved to give some distance between them. Without another word, Kuroo put himself to work to weave the reeds into a rudimentary but hopefully effective net. One over the other a few times until a good-sized net lay on the ground. "Not sure I'm as dextrous as you, but if we can get them tied to those cattails, we should have something that will work," his voice was eager as he continued to help Corvus finish their makeshift net. "If you're ready, I'm ready," the paler wolf mentioned as he carefully grasped one edge of the net between his teeth and waited until Corvus had grasped the other between his own. When they were both ready, Kuroo moved as much in unison as he could through the tall grass with the brown wolf farther downstream from the lake where the water wasn't so wide. Quickly hopping to the other side so that Corvus wouldn't have to, he got into place so they could begin fishing and see if their net really would work.

Corvus returned the grin with one of his own. "It's nice to meet you too, Kuroo," he agreed easily. He redirected his attention from their introductions and on the task that the younger wolf had so graciously allowed him to take part in. Working with someone else was almost always better than working on a project alone - two minds could worth far more efficiently than one, able to tackle a problem from two angles instead of just one. He nodded agreement at the other wolf's idea, saying he needed to weave the reeds together. "Perfect!" Corvus chirped once he was done his task, testing the knot he'd tied until he was satisfied with it.

Next up, fastening the other end to a second thick cattail stalk. He nodded agreement and got to work, letting Kuroo hold it down as he managed to tie the reeds to the stalk. It was rudimentary but it should hold. "Lets give it a try," he agreed, before grasping his end and beginning to carry it to part of the lake where the water seemed to flow a bit more strongly. This would do. "If we get something I think it'll be smartest for me to jump right in and swim toward you, so the fish don't find a way out quickly?" Corvus asked, thinking if he was fast enough he could drag the net to shore and they could finish the fish off there.

Veering around the shore, spread out across from Kuroo, he lowered his head low to the water - finally plunging his nose into the water and waiting patiently. Every so often he'd have to tilt his head to breathe, keeping his eyes fixed on the water and seeing what might come out. He was pretty sure they had one fish.. or was it two? Maybe three? After awhile, but it was hard to be sure. Either way - he cast a glance at Kuroo before reacting, quietly slipping into the water and wading in a wide circle to the shore beside the young wolf. He hoped they'd closed off the net somehow and hopefully once he rose to the shore they'd see the fruits of their labors.