He wanted to go home. It was too cold in the north. Too many wolves. Too much drama. He preferred the quiet, the calm, the serenity that the bamboo provided. There was protection there. A sanctum for those who actually cared to better themselves. Ah, not that he thought himself better than anyone, but he seemed to care more about training than other pups his age. Was that normal? He wasn't sure.

Thoughts raced through his head as he made his way south. While he was supposed to be traveling with his family, he hadn't been particularly excited to go see Vidarr. Even if they weren't sure if he was really their father or not, Akito wanted nothing to do with climbing that mountain. Tall and foreboding as it was, he wasn't afraid of it. He would rather stay in the lowlands where it was warmer and snow wasn't threatening to fall before winter arrived.

Basically lost in thought, he was quickly pulled from it when a sickly sweet scent caught his attention. Freezing in motion with two paws raised, he turned his greyscale gaze toward a cluster of oak trees. They were still decently young and were almost done changing color. A mixture of warm and cold air brushed by him and that sweet scent too. His mouth watered and his stomach grumbled. Whatever that scent was pulled him close to the grove. A quick snack wouldn't hurt... right?

There was a loud buzzing that grew louder as he approached. Akito did not know about bees and how dangerous they could be. Typically this time of year, they were already hibernating for the winter and waiting to return for warmer spring temperatures. Something was causing them to stay awake and it rightfully pissed them off. Yet, the pup didn't know that and as he approached the thick oak tree with the hive hanging from a low limb, he was enticed even more. Tilting his chin up to look at the hive that dripped with honey, he licked his lips. He hoped he could reach it...

"speech"

Maki was a good girl, but probably not a very smart one. A smart person would hear the buzzing of bees and think oh, I should be careful or else I might get stung. Maki thought no such things, her head wasn't exactly empty but it probably looked that way as she bounded along, a spring in her step and a sway in her tail. She'd been thinking a lot about the creatures in Viddy's tales, how all the heroes always tried to slay them, instead of you know befriending them. She thought if she ever met a monster, the more teeth the better really, she'd want to know what its hobbies were. Maybe in the end the hero was the villain of their story, everyone had different opinions after all!

She kept walking, not really looking or seeing and- BONK

Right head first into someone, cause it was squishy enough to be a someone. She stumbled back, thudding against the tree and causing the leaves to rustle a little. Clearly agitating the bees who were butt ready to sting Maki till she looked more like a lumpy shroom than not so little wolf.

He was investigating the best way to go about grabbing some honey without getting hurt. Not that he knew bees stung, but by their buzzing noises, he could only assume they were not harmless. With a slightly furrowed brow, Akito lifted up his hind paws, standing on only his back two, and reached up to sniff at the dripping honey. Boy, it smelled so good! So far, though the bees sounded angry, they'd relatively left him alone. Until something or someone walked right into him. Whoever it was was big enough to knock him over onto his own bum and a surprised yelp to leave his lips. With the rising volume of the bees, he quickly opened his eyes to see who had just walked into him. What he saw was a girl that was about his age and size and made up of monochrome color as well. Akito's brow furrows as he lets out a little growl toward her. What had she been thinking?! Running into him like that! As he got up to stand, shaking out his fur, he felt a sharp biting feeling on his side. Another yelp rockets out of his mouth as he jumps. What had that been?! Twirling around, he felt another biting sensation on his thigh and butt. "Oi!" He exclaimed, eyes watery ever so slightly, as he turned on the girl, not realizing it was the bees doing it. "What're you doing to me?!" Akito quips as his ears flatten and he backs up his butt into another tree. The buzzing of the bees continues to grow in volume as a few more bite him and he tries to not yelp anymore.

Maki's ears flicked back in alarm, eyes widening as the boy oied at her. She made an undignified huh sound, only to yelp as something jabbed at her, leaving a burning stinging feeling it its wake. Her gaze darted back and forth, tracking the flitting motions of the bees as they buzzed all around, she didn't really know what they were since she'd never seen them before but was able to put two and two together, just about. Buzzing + yellow and black = a bad time.

"It ain't- oweee, it's'not me!" She yipped, hoping and dancing on the spot, trying to skitter away from their attackers. She, probably quite rudely, smushed herself against Akito's side, intending to use him as a puppy shield, bending down a little as if she considered crawling under his belly. Maybe if she made herself smaller they'd poke him instead?

Her protests have his eyes racing around them. As he backs against the tree, honey dripping onto his forehead, he feels her pressing into his side. Finally, perhaps a bit delayed for his normal aptitude, he realizes that the little black and yellow things buzzing around them were the things biting and stinging them. Another crying yelp leaves him as he raises a paw out to swipe at the bees. He's able to bat a few away, but that only infuriates the others more and invites them to attack him. "What'd'we do!" Akito cries out in a pained grumble screech. Pressing back into the girl to try to use her as a shield himself, he continues to swat at the bees.

Maki thought real hard, real fast, mismatched brows squishing together with her intense effort. It was not a noble or brave thing to do, perhaps even cowardly but it felt as though their backs were pressed against the walls. Bee butt blades pressed against their throats, they only had once choice...

"RUN AWAY!" Maki screeched, turning tail, comically near running on the spot as she failed to get traction on the wet and slippery grass. She had no destination in mind really, anywhere that was away from the angry bugs sounded a lot better than where they currently were. Sbe wasn't fussy and the new guy could follow her too if he wanted.

The girl's shout snaps him out of his panicked frenzy. RUN AWAY! Right, yes, that sounded like the right thing to do. It didn't matter anymore if it were cowardly. At this point, Akito saw it as the only way out. He turns and begins to scoop his paws into a running motion, following her comical theatrics of practically running in place. Grass spits out from under his paws under he finally makes traction and is stumbling into a clumsy run after the girl. His heart hammers in his chest as he pants real hard with his tongue flopping out of his mouth. The whites of his eyes are super obvious as he follows her through the gulley until the last buzzing fiend has been left behind. Finding another small grove of trees that hopefully didn't have any bee butt blade terrors, Akito swoops around a tree trunk and reaches his paw out to hopefully hook it around the girl's leg to stop her too. "Wait up," Akito calls out as he slumps against the tree and rests his face against the rough bark. Closing his eyes, he slides down the trunk until he is laying in the dirt and leaves. His ribs move rapidly in and out as he tries to catch his breath. "You-you're pretty brave," he mumbles quietly since it is the nicest thing he has ever said to anyone ever and that wasn't exactly something he had done before.

Maki stumbled as he hooked his paw around her leg, only just barely managing not to fall arse over tit in a jumbled pile of black and white. She hurried to stand a little straighter, holding in her breath as much as she could, much like someone who had run to catch the bus but didn't want everyone to see just how out of shape they were. Everything was fine, her heart totally wasn't thudding in her chest, slamming against her ribs like some old-fashioned dubstep beat.

"Oh I know." That's something Delphi would say, right? All bravado and confidence. If Maki had hair she'd be swishing it right now. Except they'd ran so hard and so fast that she also sort of wanted to puke. Maybe it'd be okay if she sat down a little, just on her rump.

Oh I know. Akito's face visibly tightens as he peers at her from the one eye that isn't smooshed into the dirt. Is she full of herself? His ear flattens slightly as he rolls his eye before closing it once more. The statement didn't deserve a response from him. He had been trying to be nice and instead of a proper thank you, she had to boast about it. He lets the silence settle around them as his breathing finally calms down. Rolling onto his back, he tries to get the stinging bites to stop itching. Whether it was appropriate to be rolling around like this in front of a girl was unimportant to him. She could see him get groomed by his mom for all he cared. When he notices her still nearby, he tilts his chin in her direction and finally gives her a good hard look. "Who d'you belong to?" Akito asks, voice gruff and maybe slightly annoyed.

Settling comfortably on her rump, she was still struggling to play it cool and slow her breathing, but it was hard to do since she was trying to keep it together you know. Not that it mattered since the boy had splayed himself out, clearly didn't a hoot what she thought-which...was kinda cool, actually. That serious and aloof air about him, that paired with his dark coat was like super cool. Like her character and not fake boyfriend Sabre. Cough, ahem, ahem.

"Belong to?" She tilted her head, ears flopping slightly at the tips. "Oh Heiðinn. M'not a vikin though." Though that posed an interesting question, what was she? She leaned forward, taking a proper deep whiff and didn't think for a second how rude that might be. Not thinking about the important stuff was something she did well ."Lez see...you smell like. Leaves. The sea?"

At the mention of Heidinn, Akito is slightly interested. So she belonged to his father's (well, kind of father?) pack. But she wasn't a Viking. His monochrome eyes glance her over with a thoughtful hum. Yes, she did look more... koi-like. Who were her parents? His eyes squint a little more even as she leans closer to him to get a good whiff. He pulls back, his ears fall slightly as his brow scrunched. Well, yes, one could say he smelled like leaves and the sea. But... its not like she smelled any better. Maybe he does lean back for a little whiff of her himself and notices how she smells like freshly fallen snow and... something sweet that he can't quite place.

"If you're not a Viking, then what are you?" Akito decides not to reveal that he knows of Heidinn and who lives there. He wants her to indulge the information herself first. No need to get into the sordid history of his parents... extracurricular activities.

"speech"

"Mmm. My Grammy lives in Ashen and my Daddy's dad lives all the way in Auster in some place called Toto." And since Oki was a mix of those two it meant she was as well, right? That made more sense to her than being a Viking did. Which wasn't to say she didn't think they were cool or awesome, but since her mums and dad did their own sort of thing, it made sense for her to follow in their footsteps. "So I guess I'm like them?"

Maki gave the boy a real good eyeballin', his coat was real cool! All monochrome and simplistic, in a fancy way though. Finally, deeming that she'd caught her breath enough, she moved closer, reaching out with a pale paw to give his horns a poke. Were they as sharp as they looked? She really was Oki's daughter huh, where were her manners?

Her words now have him interested. Both ears perk up and he brings himself to a sitting position. Turning to finally look at her for real for real, he gives her a good hard look. From afar, it probably looked like the both of them were just staring at each other. Cue the Spider-Man meme. Had she said Toto? Toto. As in Tojo-kai? Ashen was familiar, but not in the way she had described. Daddy's dad? Akito blinks a few times, his face scrunching up. Did she mean... Hattori? Hattori was her grandfather? A sliver of fear runs down his spine. Well, shit, he had to be nice to her now, didn't he?

Before Akito could answer, there was a big ol' puppy paw reaching right toward his forehead. Surprised that she had the audacity to do such a thing, Akito froze. Face smoothing out and eyes widening as he stared at her in surprise. She had... just touched... his horns... Excuse her, what the fuck? Not that Akito would ever swear aloud, but in his head, his mind was reeling big time. Every thought and emotion (or lack there of) went fluttering around as if they had caught fire.

"Did-did you just... touch me?" His voice is incredulous as he continues to stare back at her.

"speech"

Had she touched him? Well yes- but now she was almost doubting herself, falling for her own self-imposed and inflicted gaslighting. Pretty face, but not too much going on up there, it seemed. She didn't think to move her paw away, so he was staring there as her paw remained in place, hovering awkwardly as the muscles in her leg started to strain from the unnatural position. Akito stared at her and Maki stared back, like that weird Al song of: he looked at me and I looked at him, that verse repeated for what felt like half of the song.

"Um yeah, I think so?"She finally said, awkwardly, after what was frankly too long of a deliberation.

Seconds stretched far too long with her paw still resting upon his forehead. His eyes started to sting due to how long he stared at her. Was she just going to leave her paw there? He could see her muscles begin to twitch in her leg from the strain. What was up with this weirdo? His brow furrows as she answers super awkwardly. Gosh, could she be the strangest wolf he'd ever met?

Raising a paw, Akito quickly swats at her paw to move it off of his forehead. "Please do not," he says, just as awkwardly and clunky as she had just spoken. His lips tight, slightly puckered, eyes narrowed as he contemplated what to do next. Stay? Leave? Was his heart racing slightly? Blinking a few times, Akito clears his throat as his thought process finishes booting up like the internet from the 1990s. "Do you make a habit of just touching others horns?" His voice is dry, still slightly incredulous as he continues to stare awkwardly and... slightly annoyed-like at her.

"speech"

Please do not paired with the swat was enough for Maki to put two and two together. She oh'd quietly before lowering her paw, finally placing it back on the ground before glancing over at Akito again. This was awkward and a little tense, all the interactions she had in her mind always went so smoothly, her characters always knew the right thing to say, so why didn't she? His question made her herm softly, her brows pinching as she thought about it. She spent a lot of time alone, really, and when her characters touched one another it was dramatic and as far as she was concerned it fitted the mood and situation. But yeah, maybe with a bit more thought she could see why he'd think it was weird.

"Well nah but-"her expression pinched. "Are you always so serious?"She asked instead, imaging their conversation to be a battle of wits, their words crossed swords. Very cinematic.

His expression pinches before flattening. Going from trying to show emotion to a blank facade that was more stoic and gosh boring. Who did Akito think he was? Some broody anime guy that thought he was better than everyone else? Yeesh. He doesn't want to be offended by her comment, but uh he is. She can probably see it on his face. How the sheen of his eyes changes as he bundles up those emotions and shoves them down and away. Stash them away for him to contemplate later. Because he wasn't serious. Right? Definitely not all of the time. His lip twitches as he fights the urge to walk away. How dare some random girl just... insult him like that? Frankly, the boy doesn't have any words. He doesn't know how to be anything but serious. Quiet, reserved, pensive, stoic. However you wanted to put it, that was Akito. Words didn't come to him and when they did, they were... often forward and to the point. Blame it on the man who raised him. Or not. Because also, that man isn't his actual father because where the fuck had that guy gone anyway? Off to Nihon? On some diplomatic journey? Yeah right. More like wanting to avoid fatherly duties. Akito is not resentful of that. Nope, not one bit. Even his other father who could possibly be his real father (fucked up, right?) was alright in a way, but Erik was a lot more like Vidarr than Akito was. Anyway, getting way from the situation. Right, the girl sitting in front of him. Staring at him like he was a leper or pleb or someone not normal. No, she was the abnormal one. Touching his dang horns without permission! Silence was stretching again as he stared back at her as she stared at him. Their expressions pinched, very cinematic, swords drawn, pressing sharp blades as they battled their wits. "Are you always so childish?" The words bite as he says them. Slowly, carefully, particular to enunciate every syllable. Damn, he didn't need to be that mean to her, did he?

"Eh?" Was her very unintelligent response. The light were on but no one was home, probably.

She blinked at him, staring with mismatched eyes as if she couldn't quire fathom what he'd said. Reasonably speaking she understood what he was getting at, it just felt like a very...mean thing to say and frankly she'd never been criticised in this way before. Or at all really. Her family were content to let her do her own thing, she wasn't hurting anyone, so what was the harm in letting her float through life, head in the clouds? Except Akito here was clearly one of those realists, and honestly she was as baffled as she was hurt. it felt very personal, like an attack even.

Were she like Delphi or any other boss bitch OC she'd cooked up, she would have shrugged off his comment, might have retorted with a bladed whatever. Or some other clap back that would send the crowds cheering, applauding at her wit and sharp tongue. But in the here and now she was indeed just Maki, sweet and maybe a little stupid.

"Are you always so-so rude?"Was her clap back, would have been a little more impressive if her voice wasn't all wobbly. Conflict was fun and sexy in fiction, but in real life? Uh- she wasn't a fan.

She stared at him and so he stared right back. In a sense, he could see the hurt flickering over her face as she was probably processing his mean comment. Of course, he felt ashamed of himself right afterward. Definitely regretting the decision to be so... curt with her. Yet, instead of apologizing, Akito simply sat there blinking at the poor girl. His ears fold backward and his brows pinch together. Was she ever going to speak again? Should he leave? The tension and silence began to make his chest hurt. Man, he'd really fucked up, hadn't he?

After what felt like an eternity, her shaky voice finally clapped back. While the typical reaction would be to get even angrier, he instead sighs. Looking down at the ground, at his too-large paws, he gives his head a soft shake. "No," his voice is soft, a gentle whisper as he closes his eyes for a moment. Recollecting himself, he takes a moment before sitting up straight and pulling his shoulders back. Hattori would indeed be disappointed with his behavior. He had to be better.

"I apologize," Akito's voice is tense as if he doesn't want to apologize, but he knows that is the more appropriate answer. The realization that not every pup had to be like him was painful, but true. They were all so different from each other and he knew that. From the wayward souls of his siblings to the joyous demeanor of Kuroo and Nami and then to the ever present squint of Hattori. Maybe he just wasn't good at reading the room yet. He was still a pup after all.

Feeling more than awkward and unsure how to fix the situation, Akito glances away. Perhaps it was time to be heading out. "Nice to meet you, Maki," his voice is uncertain, but he still looks back to her when he speaks. "I should be headed back now," clearing his throat he stands and turns to leave. Moving his way south to head back across the Bifrost and to home.

- Exit Akito -

"speech"