[Exploring: Mount Volkan]

Auðr figured it would be a good idea to get more familiar with the surrounding lands, they were hemmed in to the north by another pack and there was another neighbour only a stone's throw away so they decided to start with the easiest to access land that didn't belong to another pack. It was a strange thing, to go from the cold snow capped mountains of their new home to a large mountain that seemed to repel some snow itself, the stone under their paws radiated some heat, getting less warm as they climbed. Auðr stopped half way up the volcano and turned to look at the world from their new vantage, a forest of now naked trees lay right at the southern edge of the mountain, from here they could even see the southern coast though it was barely a sliver on the horizon.

Speech

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His dad had told him about some of the weird places that were scattered around the two continents, and it was his mission to see them all. The old man wasn't one for exploring much lately, something about being old. Whatever. So the young titan cut a path through the snow with little concern, his bulk paired with a dense coat that kept him from really feeling any of the encroaching chill that seemed to grow with each passing day. The wisps of smoke that emerged in a steady stream from the crown of the titanic mountain drew his attention, and like a moth to a flame the aurora painted yearling moved towards it. Cords of rippling muscle pulled him up the precarious slopes, loose rock tumbling away from his paws every other step. What's more, there was a small canine figure standing at the precipice. Better go see what was going on there, yeah? He didn't rush, if the stranger left he wouldn't be particularly crestfallen. There would be other strangers, other weird locales in which to meet them. No big loss. As he crested the summit, a wave of unnatural heat washed over him. He exhaled heavily, shaking his head in disapproval. What the fuck was this? It's winter, he was supposed to be safe on top of a fucking mountain. Now he was warm? Absolute bullshit. Golden eyes peered over the ledge, and deep below the earth there was a faint reddish glow. Ah, he'd heard about this one. The old man had mentioned there were a few volcanoes around here, and not to get too comfortable around them. Well, he'd stick around for a while, and if that molten rock started looking too friendly he'd just leave before it all came spewing over the edge. Simple enough. Heavy skull swung about to fix his sunlit gaze upon the stranger, a diminutive creature who seemed closer to his sire's age than his own. "You live here?" he grunted as he drew closer, utterly unbothered and thus unwilling to mask his ambiguously nordic accent. "Wouldn't mind picking your brain about this place, never seen a volcano before." he added with a quirk of his brow, nodding towards the yawning pit of the mountain's maw just off to their side.

Honestly Auðr hadn't really expected anyone else here but a large practically florescent youth was working his way up the mountain towards them, the words coming from the boy's lips surprising them in two ways. A somewhat familiar lilt to the youth's voice and... "Nej." Auðr laughed. "No, I am simply a passerby, drawn by curiosity." They appraised the youth before then, running their gaze over him. He was more in line with their siblings than Auðr themselves. They shrugged. "I am a stranger to these lands, there is little I can say aside from what I know of volcanoes generally."

Auðr turned their attention to the stone below their paws, observing for a moment it's pock marked surface. They wondered if it had errupted within living memory, if the heat waves distorting the air above the mouth of the volcanoe was any indication there was certainly an active lake of lava within it's chambers.

Speech

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The familiar lilt of accented vocals hinted at a shared language between the two, though the cosmic titan did not press further. He'd get around to it eventually. The stranger admitted that they were merely a traveller passing through the area, who'd had much the same inclination to explore the edges of the volcano's burbling throat. The petite stranger's soft shrug was followed by a claim to ignorance linked to their unfamiliarity with the region. He huffed lightly, spur-lined shoulders lifting in a half-hearted and dismissive shrug of his own. "That's fine." he assured the stranger. Gilded eyes drifted towards the steaming pit upon whose precipice they idly stood. Hard to say if it was bull-headed self assurance or apathy that left his heart empty of terror at the sight, but regardless he was more curious than anxious to stand so near the deadly abyss. "My da told me a bit about a the volcano once, said it erupted when he was younger. One of the nearby packs was displaced for a while, and the skies were full of ash for months after." he drawled conversationally, his attention slowly drifting back to the strange wolf. They were older, but not near his sire's age. With a flick of his tail and little more to offer on the subject, the young brute switched gears. "Valerian Aeris," he introduced himself with the off-handed brusqueness that most young males kept in spades. "you?" the question was paired with a lifted brow that otherwise didn't disturb the stoic mask laid upon his primeval features.

The ascent continued and soon enough they were standing upon the lip of the mountain. Auðr was almost surprised by the heat they could feel, though they were not eager to lean over the edge they could see the lava level wasn't that close, it sat deep in the earth still and yet there was a strong warm air current blasting up from within. They tilted their head towards the yearling as he continued to speak and Auðr couldn't help but snort at the words. Frankly any pack that settled itself in the shadow of the volcano was foolish and evidently had reaped what they had sown... What that said about their brother's choice of lands Auðr could not say. They knew that ash often led to fertile land but they could not imagine that outweighed the risk of an active volcano. Still that was good to know, something Auðr tucked away in the back of their mind to let their brother know, it was always wiser to prepare for that possibility and not need it than to be caught unawares.

It seemed neither of them had much more to add and Auðr frankly took a few extra steps back from the edge. The young man introduced himself and Auðr did their best to try and file that name away, it was hard to keep track of names with so many sounds they still struggled to figure out. "Auðr Trygg." They responded, not bothering to soften their own native tongue when it came to their name. "My brother has claimed the nearby mountains, so I am making sure we are familiar with the other territories around here." Auðr gestured towards the west, the snow capped peak of the mountain clearly visible. "That this volcano is not dead is good information."

"Speech"

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