Brynhildr languished under the late-spring sun. It was hot today, and she was sweltering under her dark coat. She cursed her heritage and groaned, sinking down until her belly fur was flush with the earth below. One ear flicked, then her tail swished. She groaned and stood back up, utterly uncomfortable, and desperate for something to occupy her mind. Life was boring! She wanted adventure, roguish encounters, brawls and quick-witted banter. Not this... this aimless sweltering She crested a low rise, and her brows would lift. A small grove of redbud trees danced before her,dainty little branches waving in a breeze that was nowhere near brisk enough. Please tell me there's something interesting hidden inside there. Please, please, please... "Talk" "You" Think

The east seemed to be Áki's chosen stomping grounds.. for the moment, at least. Though he had explored a vast stretch of land along the coastline, there was much more for him to see and his restless paws carried the massive beast through the young redbud nook. This place had a strange air to it, a feeling of newness, from the freshly budding trees to the loamy soil that squished lightly beneath his paws. His tongue lolled from the side of his mouth as he panted, feeling the effects of the summer sun as it scorched his pelt.

Though the breeze was pleasant, it provided little relief from the relentless heat. However, it did bring him a whiff of a stranger, the foreign scent tickling his nose and causing his ears to swivel as he searched for them in the distance. Only when his paws brought him closer to her would he dip his head in solemn greeting, letting a bark sound as he eyed her from a distance. "Greetings, lady," came his deep voice as it echoed over the distance that separated them. Only the faintest hint of fatigue from the summer heat touched his accented voice, and his eyes shone with genuine curiosity as he studied her.

table by argent/neffs

The woman's ears perked and she turned on her heels. A bark, a voice, and... The fuck is this? Delight and uncertainty mingled within her chest. He was, uh, different to say the least, and her boredom rolled away like water on a wing. She smiled broadly and when she spoke aloud, her voice held a mischievous tone. "Hello to you too!" Gods above, but he was large. Bryn looked him up and down and swished her tail, clinging to the thin veil of maturity that was keeping her from prancing around him in circles, asking a thousand questions. "Kudos for correctly identifying my sex, but I'm hardly a lady. Brynhildr works just fine." She quirked a brow in his general direction. "You look like someone who has a story or two!" A laugh bubbled up from within her chest and she took a step to the side, resuming her examination of the brute. "What's your name, stranger?" She wasn't really one for courtesy, so she was left to hope that the man wasn't one to stand on ceremony... or manners, for that matter. "Talk" "You" Think

The company of another was always a welcome distraction. As his tongue lolled somewhat comically from his mouth, he found himself grinning a bit at her, wanting to seem somewhat pleasant. Though the stranger's gaze shone with surprise, he was grateful that she didn't gape and question what he was right off. With little hesitation he padded a bit closer, once again dipping his skull to her in polite greeting. "Brynhildr it shall be then," he corrected himself with a soft chuckle. If she didn't want to be called a lady, he had no intention of doing so, even if she certainly looked like a lady. "And my name is Áki."

He wasn't entirely sure what she was implying by her next comment, but he let out another harmless laugh in response. "I suppose I have a few," he mused aloud, shrugging his massive shoulders as he tilted his head curiously to the side. "Though my life has been infinitely more dull than I prefer. Which is why I have become a true vagabond -- I am destined to be a rogue," came his cheery explanation, his grin subsiding into a more quiet smile. "What kind of stories interest you, Brynhildr?" He truly hadn't lived the life he had anticipated, which was why he'd left the tribe he was raised in to venture on his own; and though he'd found some interesting creatures along the way, he wasn't sure much of it was entirely noteworthy.

table by argent/neffs

The man was polite and mannerly, his tone light... Entirely pleasant! Bryn felt herself starting to relax a bit, get truly comfortable with the situation. He called himself Áki, and she rolled the sound of it around in her mouth. It was unfamiliar to her, so she concluded at last that he was certainly from no land like this one. Perfect! Locals were always so boring after all. He asked her what manner of stories she enjoyed and the woman let out a laugh. "New stories," she declared with a smile. "Things get so worn out after a while, it get's boring! I'm a bit of a wanderer myself, if only because most things can't hold my interest for more than a day." The world offered so many experiences, and Brynhildr didn't want to miss out on any of them. She shifted her weight on her paws, and quirked a brow. In her experience, rogueish folk made for the best companions. They weren't meek or spineless followers like pack wolves. She wasn't made to be anyone's lacky, that was for damn sure. "So where do you come from originally? Is it anything like this land?" She gestured to the nook which surrounded them, but she meant the continent as a whole. It was dramatic and varied, but the possibility that his homeland was something unknown to her was enough to get her paws itching. She felt wanderlust begin to take over her heart once again. "Talk" "You" Think

Áki felt his tail batting lightly behind him, his posture growing more relaxed by the minute. His skull would tilt downward, his crimson gaze curious as he assessed her, wondering what sort of woman she was. She had the build of a fighter, albeit one build for dexterity rather than brute strength, quite different than his own bulky, oversized frame. The woman admitted she had difficulty staying interested for things in much longer than a day and he found himself chuckling. "You feel like a kindred spirit," he admitted in his thick tongue, his eyes flashing with subtle excitement. His own interests tended to be quite fleeting, especially in regards to where he lived. His tribe had never stayed in one land for more than a season, and even then they rarely made permanent dens and never grew attached to one particular area.

Her question, however, left him temporarily stunned. Where was he from? Everywhere, he wanted to answer, though it was no more than truth than telling her he was from nowhere. "I am from the north," he admitted after a moment. "Not necessarily north of here, just... north in general." The harsh lands of mountains made of ice and snow had always been his abode, though there'd never been one particular area he'd called home. "This place is far too hot for my comfort," he admitted, shaking his tusked head from side to side as he pondered -- why had he come here anyway? To see something new, of course. He'd kept close to the shoreline, finding comfort in the frigid water of the ocean and the salty air of the sea. "And I miss the reindeer," he huffed after another moment of thoughtful consideration, eying her. "But what of you, Brynhildr? Tell me where you come from."

table by argent/neffs