Continued from here...

Ambling from the bay, around the outskirts of the bamboo, Kuroo leads Nami toward the Ancient Oaks. The massive trunks spread out to leave room for thin trails barely seen beneath sprawling ivy. Summer's heat dies down as the sun dips below the horizon. With Autumn just around the bend, a cooler albeit balmy breeze whips around them with a bit of vigor. Having not been out to the ancient forest in a few weeks, Kuroo felt as if he had forgotten how beautiful the place was. There were fewer fish, yes, but there were plenty of other things to hunt such as deer and pheasant. Their scents linger on the game trail he takes Nami down as he leads them toward the center of the forest.

His companion, Saru, quickly takes to the trees and scampers up the wide trunks to leap from one to the other. Kuroo smiles and gives his head a little shake before turning his attention to Nami beside him. "So, Nami, what do you think so far?" He asks, not only to make polite conversation but also to get to know more about her and what she thinks. "Is Tojo-Kai living up to its name?" There is humor in Kuroo's tone as his eyes crinkle lightly at the sides.

"Speech"

Wow, these trees were incredible! Nami had been all over the world, at least that was what her last few years had felt like, and she'd never seen anything quite like this oak forest. The tree trunks were massive, even the smallest ones easily dwarfing the width of the largest wolf she'd ever seen. They stretched both tall and wide, some having fallen on top of one another to form little dwellings of their own. Her jaw unhinged, looking comically awed as she wanted through the forest, her gaze constantly darting this way and that, never focusing on anything for long before looking to the next thing. Their little journey was helped by the slightly cooler air that whisked through the forest, the air invigorating in contrast to the warmer months that Auster had been facing. She admittedly was looking forward to a cooler, rainier season, even if it made swimming in the sea a little more challenging. "It is," she answered Kuroo as they walked together, watching Saru dancing from one tree to the next. "Though it's been a long while since I settled down anywhere. I worry I won't be very good at it," Nami admitted, giving a hint of her anxious nature away.

Having committed most of the game trails to memory, Kuroo lets his gaze wander to Nami more than the path in front of him. He knows Saru won't allow them to get lost. Instead, Kuroo's expression crinkles slightly as he notices the hint of anxiety in her voice. Even through her obvious delight about how wonderful the forest is, he can understand her qualms about settling down. Rather than answer right away, Kuroo lets the words fall silent between him as he looks around at the moss-covered forest. As huge as the trunks are, there is a comforting presence about them. Even if a storm were to whip through, they would be safe.

"The thing about Tojo-kai," Kuroo begins after a minute or so, "is that it's okay if you don't want to stick around all the time. Hattori is flexible and honestly, we have claimed enough land that you could be in part of the bamboo or the forest and not see anyone for a whole season," it is then that he smiles at the humor his next comment brings him. "The bay on the other end, unless you stick to the very opposite edge, you'll probably get sick of seeing me eventually," Kuroo lets out a laugh, hoping that poking fun at himself will help ease her anxiousness.

"Speech"

As though tempted by Saru's climbing, Nami loped forward a bit ahead of Kuroo, finding a tree that had not fallen but instead grown nearly sideways. She'd seen similar trees before, but never ones so large, and she climbed the horizontal section of the trunk with ease, following its slight arc up before hopping off of it, deciding not to risk injury. As comfortable as she was with the vast depths of the sea, heights were another story entirely, and she felt a slight sense of relief when she landed on solid ground again. "I've been on my own for so long that I don't think I'll be doing that," she admitted, letting out a bashful laugh. "I come from a big, big family - my pack back home was huge. Too big, even. Made me feel crowded, I guess," Nami explained. The weight of her family's expectations had been too much for her to bear, and she'd left to adventure and see the world on her own. After so long, though, she'd gotten lonely. It'd taken her a long time to admit it, but now that she had come to terms with it, it made sense. And finding somewhere where she could belong was slowly easing that feeling. Kuroo, of course, was a huge help with that. "I don't think I could get sick of seeing you. Maybe you'll get sick of me," she suggested, half in jest, though she was unintentionally giving away even more of her anxieties again. It wasn't like anyone she'd really met had liked her enough to stick around and seek her out again, except maybe Jynn.

His steps pause a moment as Nami lopes forward. At first, he is confused, hesitant that maybe she is running from him. Feeling silly of his insecurity, he smiles when she hops up onto an old, fallen log. Stepping forward to close the distance between himself and where Nami jumps down from, he listens genuinely to what she has to say. Kuroo feels his own mixture of emotions at her telling of her past. She had been alone, but he had never really known that feeling before. Usagi had always been with him from the day they were born and he still made sure to see his brother at least once a day since they'd joined Tojo-Kai.

He wondered if she missed it. Though she mentioned feeling crowded, did she miss her family? Continuing down the path through the old tree forest, he lets his gaze move from Nami so she doesn't feel nervous or anxious or whatever from him looking at her too often. It was hard. She was nice company and her attitude and kind face made it hard not to smile. Her jest at herself makes him chuckle too with a shake of his head. "I am hard pressed to believe that will ever happen," he jokes back though there was honesty in his words. Kuroo was dependable, if not predictable. He did practically the same thing every day and even through the grumpiness of Hattori, he stuck to Tojo.

"Do you ever miss home?" Kuroo is surprised he asks, but he knows it's because he misses home. He knows she doesn't have to miss her's, but maybe he did. Either way, it would be conversation to fill the stroll until they made it to the clearing he led her toward.

"Speech"

A real, true sense of belonging was a feeling Nami always chased. She'd never really found it, not completely, and while she was hopeful such a thing might be here in Tojo-Kai she wasn't overly optimistic. Sure, she always seemed to find the bright side of everything, but she hadn't had a good track record of things sticking. Kuroo being here made things feel better though, and she was grateful for his presence, both in her life and here, right now. "We'll see," she teased back. Her overly cheerful, bubbly personality seemed to grate on people's nerves sometimes. Not that she couldn't be serious when she had to be, but she tended to want to push past the negative things quickly, a trait not everyone cared for. She could easily imagine a day when Kuroo might not be eager for her company, but the reverse seemed an impossibility. No, he was too good and too kind to ever get sick of. His question made her pause, both in thought and action. She'd stopped near the base of another tree, impressive in width, with a thick layer of moss that clung to the trunk like it was part of the tree itself. It climbed higher than she could even see. "Sometimes," Nami admitted, though it made her brow furrow in thought. "It's strange. Back home I felt like I didn't fit in well - my family, and most of my tribe, really, were all.... no-nonsense. I wanted to leave as soon as I could." She wasn't sure there was a better way to describe it. She'd always worried about letting them down, in a way she hadn't felt since. "But now that I'm gone, I find myself missing them and wondering if I'll ever find wolves that value the same things as I do. They were all fishers, like me. It's how we survived." She shrugged, hoping that made sense. You never know what you have until it's gone, isn't that how that saying went? Not that she regretted leaving, but at the same time she wondered what she might be like if she'd toughed it out and stayed. Not that any of that mattered now.

Kuroo and Nami are more similar than Kuroo realizes. Her bubbly personality feels natural to him. He was similar and still is compared to many who lived among the bamboo. Optimistic, happy-go-lucky, always seeing the bright side of things. Others tended to see him as silly and unable to be serious. Yet, there was a serious side to Kuroo that honestly, he didn't like. Being glum, moody, and negative just felt... exhausting. It was a lot of work to frown and be serious all the time. He wasn't sure how his brother managed it. Like ever. Which is probably why he spent so much time trying to make his brother happy. Usagi deserved it just as much as anyone else.

He thinks about this with a smile as she teases him back. Kuroo is pleased that Nami is similar as he begins to see it. Did others feel similarly about her? As if her pep were unbearable? He felt that way sometimes, but most were good at hiding it. There wasn't any shame in it, not anymore. He was too old to care what others thought of him. If he wanted to be happy, he was going to be happy!

Kind of lost in thought, Kuroo managed to take a few more steps past where Nami stops before he hears her words. Turning to face her, he closes the distance so he too is beside the massive moss covered tree. He looks up, admiring the way the tree and the moss lives in perfect harmony. Why could the rest of the world not live the same way? Kuroo knows all too well what she means. Since he's been a pup, everyone around him had a similar no-nonsense attitude about them that always had them snapping at him for smiling or laughing too much.

At first, he nods slightly so she knows he's listening to her. But he takes a moment to contemplate the right words. Not wanting to take over her feelings, Kuroo decides a different route. Instead of agreeing that he too felt the same as she, he wanted her to know that she had a place in Tojo-kai just like he did. "Hattori did not deem us Kariudo for no reason," his lips turn up in a smile as he brings his cherry blossom gaze down from the tree to Nami. "Your tribe are not the only wolves that enjoy fishing. While some in Tojo are no-nonsense, ok most of them," he laughs lightly, making a joke to lighten the mood, "I've yet to experience any negativity toward a brighter outlook," Kuroo's eyes crinkle slightly at the edges where he smiles. He hopes what he says helps her.

"Speech"

Nami wasn't really the type to dwell on the past, at least she tried not to be, instead focusing on living in the present and taking things as they came... but thinking about her old life had a way of reopening old wounds. Just a little, but enough to catch her by surprise and give her pause for a moment. As long as she didn't feel like her easygoing, happy-go-luck spirit was being squashed here in Tojo-Kai she was happy to continue making a life for herself her. She was more than competent at fishing and knew deep down that her skills were something any pack would be lucky to have, but that didn't stop the self doubt from slowly chipping away at her. Kuroo had a way of making those thoughts seem much quieter, almost nonexistent. "I know, you're right. And I feel very lucky to have found you," she added earnestly. She certainly didn't want her friend thinking she didn't feel he was a kindred spirit, because she did. "Are there any other fishers within Tojo-Kai?" Not just wolves who could fish, but those who loved it, the way she and Kuroo did. His words did help, and she felt her mood brighten once again. She brushed off thoughts of her past with a flourish of her tail as she ducked behind the massive tree, which enveloped her completely from sight for a moment before her head poked out again. "Good. Let us be the light in the darkness then. Even the most serious of wolves have the capacity to smile." She grinned at the thought, flashing a look Kuroo's way. No, Nami wasn't so naive to think that a good attitude could solve all the problems in the world, not even those within Tojo-Kai, but it didn't hurt - and she made a silent pact then to intentionally bring joy to all her packmates, however she could. If anything, it wouldn't do any harm, and it might even help some of them.

Kuroo practically beams at Nami as she reassures him that she's happy to have found him. Truthfully, it had been awhile since he had made a friend that similar in ways to him. Someone who was positive and thoroughly enjoyed fishing?! It was incredible! He even lets out another laugh, a small shake of his head. "No one as dedicated as us, but I believe Askell enjoys fishing from time to time," Kuroo thinks on it for a moment before suddenly Nami is disappearing behind the large oak tree. The trunk is massive enough that she completely disappears. Taking a step back, he leans slightly to try and see her when she peeks her out from around its side.

He laughs again, grinning back at Nami. "The light in the dark, I like that," Kuroo comments, his tail wagging a few times. In the next moment, he leaps to the side and around the trunk of the tree toward Nami. With his next leaping step, he aims to nudge her shoulder with his nose. Pulling away quickly, he grins and runs a few steps away. "Tag, you're it," Kuroo winks, his lips pulled up wide with a cheeky smile before he is taking off into the oak forest.

"Speech"

It wasn't a big deal that none of Tojo-Kai's hunters were as passionate about fishing as they were. Between the two of them they could definitely keep them well-stocked on fish and other seafood as needed. Nami wouldn't mind taking charge of that responsibility, especially with Kuroo at her side. They didn't talk for long about such things though, the mood shifting to something a little lighter and more playful. There was no need to be all serious, not when the day was such a lovely one and he company was just as great. "Hey! Not fair! I didn't even know we were playing!" She chirped in response, feigning the slightest bit of indignation as he initiated a game of tag first, nudging her shoulder before hopping away. Letting out a laugh she moved to follow after him, ducking back around the wide trunk of the oak tree she'd snuck behind to try to follow him. Her limber legs helped push her along with ease, just barely managing to nip at the tip of his tail before scurrying away again.

Kuroo laughs as Nami calls after him, her teeth barely grazing the tip of his tail. He turns to look over his shoulder at her, smiling wide and bright. "How else was I supposed to get a lead?" Sticking out his tongue, he then gets an idea. Dipping around the back side of a tree, he pokes his head out to see where Nami was. "Would you rather a race?" Kuroo asks, his head tilting before he dips back behind the tree. "Whoever gets back to the bamboo first wins?" He pops his head back out before darting over to another tree. "Loser get to make dinner?" His eyes crinkle at the sides with how much he's smiling. Shaking out his fur to ready himself, he's sure Nami wouldn't turn down a good race!

"Speech"

The mood, though it had turned a little bit somber for a moment, quickly brightened again. Nami tended to always bounce back quickly, whether it was just from an emotional conversation or actual hardship. She preferred to look forward, to focus on enjoying the moment and whatever came after it too. They slowed for a moment though, Kuroo suggesting they race instead. Now there was an idea! Already she was trying to plan how she'd get an advantage over him. Not that sorting out a dinner for the two of them would be punishment at all, but she could pretend. Her own eyes glimmered with laughter. "You sure you're up for such a challenge?" Nami crouched down, looking like she was about to lunge forward and tackle him, waiting for the cue. "Ready.. set.. go!" Though she aimed for him, at the last second she diverted to the right, making a beeline for the edge of the oak forest. This race would be a tricky one, with all the obstacles in their way. Glancing over her shoulder to search for him, she very nearly stumbled over a thick tree root but she regained her balance and her speed quickly returned. Nami vs Kuroo for Race Round 1 / ??? Age: Over 1 Year Size: Medium Build: Light Skills: Novice Navigator & Intermediate Hunter

"I'll never say no to a pretty girl making me dinner," Kuroo winks, his smile widening as his tail wags back and forth happily. It was new to him to be so openly friendly and a little flirtatious with Nami, but with their personalities being so similar, he had a feeling she wouldn't take it the wrong way. After all, he was just being honest!

Feeling the anticipation rise in him, his body tenses and nearly vibrates, waiting for the go signal. Nami doesn't keep him waiting as she shouts 'go!' Her body careens toward him and he's left pulling back in surprise, a little yelp to follow. When she clearly misses him and continues on toward the bamboo, Kuroo lets out a laugh and shakes his head. That had been a good trick!

Undeterred by the juke, Kuroo shakes it off and picks up a fast run after Nami. He watches her trip over a root looking back at him and he worries if she's alright. Wanting to make sure she was okay, Kuroo pushes forward, jumping over roots and nearly tripping over rocks as he races to catch up. His lungs begin to huff and puff, muscles tiring, but he doesn't give up. Not yet!

"Speech"

Kuroo vs Nami for Race
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1
Size: Large
Build: Balanced
Skills: Master Intellectual & Master Hunter

The compliment earns a brief grin from Nami, though she doesn't let it deter her from trying to win. Though not normally competitive she found herself wanting to impress Kuroo, though whatever outcome happened she'd be equally as happy about, whether it was her responsibility to prepare dinner or his. Both sounded like great outcomes to her no matter who won. A laugh left her lips as she flew past him, only gaining distance on him for a moment before he appeared in her peripheral vision, catching up to her. She didn't quite catch that he'd slowed for a moment to check on her, instead climbing back to her paws and kicking forward even harder than before. She heard him scrambling just ahead of her as she aimed to pull past him, hoping she could maintain a lead on him, however slight it might be. Nami vs Kuroo for Race Round 2 / 2 Age: Over 1 Year Size: Medium Build: Light Skills: Novice Navigator & Intermediate Hunter

Racing through the oaks was more difficult than Kuroo thought! Even as he pulled ahead of Nami, she was quick to catch up with him. His paws stumble over roots and fallen trees. Though his longer legs can clear some of the logs that lay across their path, he still struggles to maintain a good speed. He can hear her pulling up beside him, putting on a burst of speed that pushes her ahead of him. A laugh leaves him as he enjoys his time running through the woods with Nami. But he wasn't about to let her win! Lowering his head, folding his ears back, Kuroo puts on one last burst of speed to see if he can come out victorious!

Namoo

table coding by bunni ♥

Kuroo vs Nami for Race
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1
Size: Large
Build: Balanced
Skills: Master Intellectual & Master Hunter

And the winner is...KUROO

KUROO

NAMI Lost the race Totals: NAMI: Speed Roll: 40 Stamina Roll: 31 Balance Roll: 21 Total: 92 Speed[40] + 5% Bonus[2.00]: 42.00 Stamina[31] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 31.00 Balance[21] + 5% Bonus[1.05]: 22.05 Total[95.05] + 5% Bonus[4.75]: 99.80 KUROO: Speed Roll: 77 Stamina Roll: 32 Balance Roll: 21 Total: 130 Speed[77] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 77.00 Stamina[32] + 5% Bonus[1.60]: 33.60 Balance[21] + 5% Bonus[1.05]: 22.05 Total[132.65] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 132.65