Sedna was tired. She was tired of Fuji fussing over her, so she had finally chased the girl off to go study with Halo. She was tired of the fussing over Erik, Morganna and Véi. Kids got goopy eyes, her other children with crystals were fine and while the mushrooms were... Odd... well, the young girl seemed to be living up to her namesake, and the Archer-Lyall was almost certain she would be back to being completely grey again before the end of the year.

While most parent's would probably baulk at the idea of taking their children off pack lands at this age, most parents didn't have to contend with a diplomat for a partner who was once again off doing diplomat things. The 6 sets of needle like teeth gnawing on her nipples was getting old, and the long walk might just mean they would all sleep at the same time once they got home (a mother could dream). Her children were in need of chew toys, and as luck would have it, she knew just the place!

They had all made it there with assistance from Otis, for all his grumbling about it, and with gentle assistance from Chips wherever it was needed. Finally the field of bones spread out before them and she turned to her children. "Go find yerselves somethin' that feels good on yer teeth." She sat down heavily in the shade of a gnarled tree. She would watch her brood from here, and intervene only if necessary.

"speech"

Morganna was having a good week. She only had one small mushroom growing from the corner of her right eye and it didn't even obscure her vision that much. Before she had left, Fuji had attacked her with a bunch of funny smelling herbs and for all the girl had whined and growled and wriggled, she had to admit, her older sister seemed to know what she was doing, because the itching stopped, and the larger outbreaks she had been having were now seemingly reduced to this.

She found a place alongside Erik, bumping her quilled hip against his own and laughing at the way they rattled whens he did so. They weren't in a position to cause him any harm, just make a funny sound with each impact. She hadn't noticed they could do that before. She was less intent on exploring with her whole family here, but wherever their mother was leading them was somewhere new, somewhere near the oaks, but sunnier...

When they finally arrived though, Morganna wasn't quite sure what to make of the place. Their mother seemingly dismissed them and took herself off to rest under a tree, and the girl turned to her brothers, her whole back end seemingly waving with the shake of her tail. "Lets see who can find the coolest thing!" Without waiting for an answer, she bounded forward into the field, nose to the ground, one ear turned to keep track of her raven friend. Two pairs of eyes were better than one after all.

"speech"

Alvar was excited to follow his mother out of pack lands. He hadn’t done much exploring yet. Everything in his life was big, and vast, and he had so much yet to learn! He hadn’t figured out the trick of navigating the Bamboo maze yet, or how to swim. So venturing further without those experiences under his belt felt like adding too much to his plate.

But at his mom's side, he was more than happy to explore! Plus there was the added benefit of getting a treat. She had led them to a great big boneyard, and told them to help themselves!

Naturally, he wanted to find a bone that was at least twice his size. Morganna had already declared that she wanted to find the ‘coolest’ thing and he was quick to yell out. “I’m going to get the biggest!” and go charging head first into the deepest part of the boneyard that he could find. It wasn’t long before he found the leg of some giant creature, and was picking it up in his maw. It was so big that it was a danger to those around him any time he turned his head.


"Speech"

Akito followed his mother and siblings away from the maze because she had told them to. He quite preferred the comfort of the bamboo and the way the stalks knocked together. Was that not enough for her? For his siblings? Either way, he would be positive about the adventure and resolved to the fact that he would probably learn something new along the way. If not, he would get to spend time with all of his siblings which wasn’t as often as one might think. He spent quite a bit of his time training amongst the shadows of the bamboo. When they approached the dismal, dark, and blood-splattered plain, his monochrome gaze shifted over to their mother. As she plopped herself down in some shade and told them to go find a bone to chew on, his brow furrowed. That was it? No lesson? No nothing? Just go find some bones to chew on? He would have protested if it wasn’t for Morg and Al calling out about who could find the biggest bone. This caused his furrowed brow to raise slightly in interest. After all, he was the biggest of the lot of them and in they thought about it, he would be the one who could even pick up the biggest bone. Shifting his weight to turn his body to face his siblings, he watched as they scampered away into the ruins. Skeletons, complete and some not, lay everywhere. Some caked in blood, some shattered, and some with fur and skin still left on it. Buzzards flapped their wings and eyed them suspiciously. The pup wouldn’t be surprised if hyenas or some other predator showed up either. Glancing over to Otis, his mother’s companion, he shared a questioning look with the marsupial before moving over to where Morg and Al had congregated. Quickly, before he could get thwacked upside the head, Akito kept a wide berth away from his brother. “Watch out with that thing,” he almost chastised as he let out a soft breath of concern. His own gaze then roved over their selection to see if he could possibly find something bigger than what his brother had grabbed onto. It was true though. The bone Al had between his jaw was rather large and nearly the size of himself. Would he be able to find anything close in size to that?

Erik tires of being fussed over. The crystals that had grown through his flesh were just... there. It was a fact of life. It was a part of life-- he'd never know anything else. The same way that Morg was growing a shroom from her eye, and he'd stationed himself on her bad side for the week. Careful not to knock it off or jostle it, careful she didn't bang her head on anything. It was the same way that he trusted her to be his voice, if he needed one. Erik was capable of talking, but that shit hurt and he'd rather not.

At the sound of her quills rattling around, he can't help but give a small, confidential smile, too. The sound was sorta nice, hollow and familiar. Gaze trained firmly on the path ahead of them, he notices it becoming steadily more desolate and open. What a weird place. Though he wasn't wholly keen on the idea of travelling as an entire family (preferring far quieter adventures where he could focus), this wasn't so bad either.

This place seemed to be full to the bursting with carcasses in varying states of decay. Erik takes great interest in them, breaking from his siblings to observe them intently.
Breathlessly. The gore fascinated him, as did the things that were falling apart at the seams. With great intent, he lowers his head to sniff at something. A long bone from some sort of large bird, though when he reached down to pick it up, it gave a loud crunch and shattered. Hollow. Fuck.

It's then that he catches the scent. Someone else was out here, someone among the living. Someone who was not family, someone who was not Tojo-Kai. Erik's hackles went up, ears pinned against his skull. A growl resonated from somewhere deep within his chest, menacing. Someone was here. Stiff, eyes narrowed, he fixes his gaze on the direction of the scent. Stranger.

"speech"

Viðarr was grateful that it was winter in Auster. One of the few times he could really tolerate being this far south was in the rainy season. He's not built to be heat-tolerant, he's never needed to be before. It doesn't sit well with his system. Even on the mildest summer days, he finds himself panting, head aching, exhausted. Hell, the shadow is glad that he's out of the heat in Boreas right now. Not that he'd let the weather keep him away either, of course, it's just... it's better this way.

The shadow finds himself crossing towards Tojo-Kai. Though he's had a long damn walk to sort out what he wants to say, the words won't come. They won't come, and he knows he'll just have to wing it. Would pretending he didn't speak common suffice? Everyone that mattered already knew him better than that. He's never been much for talking. As he crosses through to the boneyard, he realizes that he's probably just about out of time. As he moves farther and farther south through the desolation and wastes, Viðarr catches a sound. A growl? A small growl, downwind of him. What the hell would be growling at him that sounded this small?

Coming over a rise in the land, he sees them. Gaze falling gently on the pups, and then-- oh. "Sedna," he calls out. The shadow's face is a mixture of emotions. Overcome with them all... they had to be his. At least some of them had to be his. His jaw hangs open for a moment, unable to truly believe his eyes. There were so many of them, no wonder she'd been so sick. So many of them, and Viðarr's heart is so full. The viking can't help himself, he lopes toward her, gaze dancing and warm. "You did well." Something he's sure she already knows, but really, he doesn't know what else to say. A soft smile on his face, taking in the little bundles of fur as they explored.

"Viðarr"

Vili trailed after his siblings, less enthused and a little more cautious than some of the others seemed to be. Sedna wouldn't take them somewhere too dangerous, of that he was sure, but the simple fact that he didn't know where they were going was enough to put him on edge. It wasn't exactly a secret that Vili was no fan of surprises.

He did his best to memorize the landmarks they passed, lest he need to return on his own for some reason, but he was pretty sure he'd gotten the order mixed up at some point. Vili was almost certain it was.. the weird tree, the creek, that turtle shaped puddle, and the moss.. no. It was the weird tree, the turtle shaped.. damn it. He'd be in real trouble if he were somehow separated from the group.

There came a point at which it seemed like all the life had been plucked from the Earth, replaced with a dreary, desolate feeling, with a drab enough landscape to match. It was only then that their mother came to a halt, plopping herself in the shade and sending them off to 'find somethin' that feels good on yer teeth.'

Morganna's proclamation is what set him in motion, as his silvery eyes scanned the bone-filled horizons. This place was glorious, really. He'd like to explore it further, but for now, it was more important that he didn't stray too far, lest he be looked over and forgotten here. Alvar, of course, thought to find the 'biggest', a feat that he seemed to accomplish with little difficulty. Thus, Vili set off to find something of his own, something far more interesting in shape than size.

He plucked through the wreckage, passing pile after pile in search of.. Erik's growl cut through the air, forcing Vili's gaze toward him, and then to the stranger. The man addressed their mother by name, which was an.. interesting development. How did they know each other?

"speech"

Véi was torn.  Half of him wanted to get excited over the idea of exploring lands foreign to him, but the other half just wanted to stay put right where he was.  Though he'd definitely had worse days, the thick black ichor that often leaked from his eyes had crusted one eye completely shut for the day.  No matter how much he fussed with it he'd see no change, leaving the young pup with visibility only out of a single eye for the foreseeable future.  This alone would be the reason why home sounded more appealing than venturing into the unknown, however he was obedient enough to just suck it up and do what momma wanted him to do.

He fell into step with his siblings as they all made their way over to some obscure desolate graveyard.  Their mother, in her own words, had basically told them to go pick out a souvenir for themselves.  Having something new to chew on was definitely welcomed, though the pup couldn't help but sigh when the whole thing became a competition.  Not only was he the smallest, but he was also currently the goopiest.  Véi was at a clear disadvantage here.  

He slinked off on his own, though not too far from the rest of them, in order to find something that suited his own needs rather than something worthy of wooing his siblings.  Not too much longer and the sound of his brother's growl cut through the air, and Véi found himself crouching behind a skeleton much larger than he had been for cover and peeked out with his good eye.  

"speech"

Akito was concerned about picking out the best bone when Erick’s growl reached him. Both ears pressed forward as he turns quickly on his heels. Who? Monochrome eyes search the deserted plains full of bones and bodies. Not much to see except… A shadow. Behemoth in size matching that of his father and Kaicho.

Every muscle in his body froze as he waited. Breath slow and shallow as his own hackles rose and ears pinned back. He watched as the night coated man approached mother and spoke to her. Called her by her name as if they knew each other. Yet, they did not know this man and he was not of Tojo-Kai. Concern rippled through him for a fleeting moment before he took off.

Racing toward his mother, he slides in between Sedna and Vidarr. His chin tilted upward so that he stares right at the man. “Who’re you?” Akito growls as he glares down the man as he protectively backs up until his butt is touching Sedna’s shoulder.

"speech"

A smirk paints Sedna's face as Erik growls and Akito scrambles to her rescue. She could diffuse the situation, but she would rather see how Viðarr copes with the chaos of six puppies on guard, already clearly protective of their mother and each other. To help put the other children at ease though, she tips her head, welcoming the viking closer, "Peace you lot, Viðarr is a friend." It wasn't like she had kept it secret from her kids that Raijin wasn't their only dad, but she was never sure how much they actually listened when she told them so. This did, however, present her with a perfect opportunity. "Yer it." She declared to the viking with a yawn and rolled her shoulder to tuck her head across her paws, eyes closed before they hit the ground. With how often Raijin was away, it was nice to have someone other that Kuroo and Usagi to offload the kids onto for a break.

"speech"

It seemed to be a particularly spicy lot of pups, gathering around him with suspicion. It was nice to see, watching them all be so wary and against a stranger being so close to their mother. His relationship with Sedna didn't have a name, in his mind. For something strange, it was also hilariously uncomplicated. They are uncomplicated creatures. Complicated, in the most uncomplicated way. As he gazes to each of the children, he sees little bits of himself in each of them. It didn't cross his mind that some of them weren't biologically his. If they were not his blood, then they were his bones, his heart, his soul. It was all the same.

He strode closer to Sedna, offering a smile to the children. He peered to Sedna for a moment at the child's question, an unspoken do they know? She calls him by only his name, and Viðarr takes the hint. "I am Viðarr Trygg," he gives the introduction on his own, as well. The children were beginning to gather around, and now... he doesn't quite know what to do with that, with himself. At least Sedna knows, reaching out to swat him and declare him it. This seemed like a good game, actually. Viðarr perked up, taking a few long, bouncing steps away from the pups, giving them a chance to scatter.

"I am coming to get you!" He declares, beginning his chase towards whichever pup was closest. The steps are an exaggerated trot, each movement suspended, slowing himself down and giving the kids a chance to run.

"Viðarr"