Áskell had trouble getting to sleep. He'd been tossing and turning for most of the evening and as dusk rolled around he decided to just get up and explore the mangroves. There were barely any stars in the sky by the time he arrived and it was clear he was traveling on the tail of a rain storm for when he arrived at the mangroves there was water dripping off the leaves and the earth was saturated with moisture.

He leapt onto the nearest roots, his tail waving wildly as he caught his balance. Whew! That was close. He'd almost slipped head first into a thick puddle of mud. Not that he was adverse to getting dirty but if he was going to get covered in muck and mud he'd prefer to do it in pursuit of prey or with a bit more style than just landing with a undignified splat.

The young swamp wolf had gotten the fire started outside his den, and Bug was comfortably resting in a mud puddle by the entrance. the frog knew how to toss sticks onto the fire so it didn't die while his companion was away, and could be trusted not to accidentally cook himself. Now that the rain had cleared up, this was an opportune time to get some cooking done. Today's dinner would consist of a catfish, seasoned with whatever he could find on his way back. The fish itself had a good enough flavour that he wasn't too concerned with adding anything extra. Carefully clutching the slippery carcass by the tail, he was endeavouring not to ruin the skin further, as it would be critical to keeping the juices inside while cooking. He was really going all out, treating himself to this nice meal. After being stuck inside all day during the storm, he felt he'd earned it. It was easier to move through the mangrove during the night than the day, thanks to the algae blooms that illuminated the waters casting everything in stark relief. He enjoyed taking walks at night, seeing the familiar landmarks in the faint blue glow made it all seem alien. Movement caught his eye as he was closing in on the den, and he looked over to see another wolf perched on the gnarled roots that made up the only stable footing in the mangrove. Clearly not a native, as he seemed to be unsteady on his feet. The way his tail flagged for balance and the concentration he could read in those furrowed brows, it spoke of someone just figuring out their way around the swamps. He hadn't seen many wolves with such stark markings around the swamps, they were usually mottled and muted to blend in. This was part of the reason he found himself so captivated, tracing the clean break between the black and white portions of the boy's pelt. He wasn't quite so concerned to be without his mask, given that outpacing the stranger would be a cakewalk on his home turf. So, he decided to try his luck with making friends. It took a moment to shift the weight of the fish so he could safely put it down over one of his paws. "Hey, here for the light show?" he said with a small chuckle, tilting his head to one side ever so slightly. "speech" thinking "others"

Áskell paused in his movement as he spied something moving in the water below him. He hesitated for a moment but soon realized it was just a branch and not one of the giant reptiles that could eat wolves. Once he was sure he continued on his way, picking paths across the roots and admiring the faint glow that seemed to envelope the mangroves. Áskell slowed as he heard sounds of movement. He turned to see a handsome yearling with a most unusually colored pelt. Err… maybe? He wasn't quite sure in the low, glowing lights if the greenish hues on the boy's pelt were indeed their natural color or if it was moss growing on him.

"Hey, yea this is a weird sort of place isn't it? Do you know what makes everything glow like this?"

The strange male seemed hesitant as he moved a bit closer, and the mud-hued wolf could help his stubby tail twitching with amusement. It was always so entertaining to see strangers in the swamp, they often were outright horrified by the volume of muck and slime everywhere, or wary of the wildlife. "Hey, yea this is a weird sort of place isn't it? Do you know what makes everything glow like this?" the rich tones of his voice seemed to echo through the quiet of the mangrove swamp, which was rarely all that noisy to begin with. The smaller wolf bobbed his head with a cheerful grin. "There's little critters living in the water that glow when they're disturbed, or if they're feeling some type of way," he explained, verdant gaze dropping to trace the whorls that formed in the water as the phytoplankton moved about. To demonstrate, he stretched out the paw not burdened with a fish and skimmed it over the surface of the water, triggering a far brighter display. "You get used to them after a while, but they make it much easier to move around without tripping over something." he admitted with a small chuckle. He tipped his head to the side as he looked over at the stranger again, with his contrasting colours and curious mind. He didn't have anything better to do, and making at least a few friends was always important if you wanted to get anywhere in life. "I was about to get started on dinner, would you care to come sit by the fire while I cook? I can tell you more about the mangrove, if you'd like." he offered, cocking his head in the direction he'd just been heading. He wanted to get the catfish seasoned at the very least, even if he would now be dipping into his stores at home rather than picking fresh stuff. "speech" thinking "others"

Áskell gazed down at his paws before reaching out and swatting the glowing patch in front of him, it suddenly grew brighter. Little creatures, hm? He glanced at the other wolf who reached a paw out into the water and stirred the water lighting up and following his paw. The stranger invited him to join him while he worked on his dinner. Áskell felt his heart flutter at the offer but hid the feeling. This was similar to how he'd felt about the girl Azzurra and he just didn't know what to make of it. Kári had explained to him a little about attraction and he figured that made enough sense when it came to the girl but why was he feeling that similar flutter around a boy? Áskell shoved the thought aside, trying to focus on having a decent conversation.

"Sure, my name is Áskell Klein by the way. Have you lived here in the swamp long?"

The rough swat of a pale paw against the lightly glowing water caused the disturbed area to flare brilliantly to life, before settling back to the gentle ebb and flow in tandem with the currents. Emerald eyes saw the shuffle of movement that indicated the dark furred boy intended to join him. He stooped to pluck up the catfish flopped over his forepaw, but paused when he caught the boy's voice. "Sure, my name is Áskell Klein by the way. Have you lived here in the swamp long?" the quizzical vocals thrummed in the late evening air. Moss dappled features curved into a warm grin as he replied. "Bog, good to meet ya. And yes, I've lived here my entire life. Born and raised in the mangroves, been on my own for close to a year now, unless you count Bug." he said, and promptly picked up his catfish. There was a strange fluidity to his movement as the mud-hued healer traipsed easily over the roots of the mangrove, broad paws finding purchase with a practiced ease. He did endeavour to slow his pace, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to make sure Áskell was still on his heels. It really wasn't a long trip to reach the far bank that he lived beside, where the gentle curve of the water flowing deeper into the mangrove created a nice open space that only flooded in a particularly rough spring. A practiced leap from the nearby roots and onto the sandy shore, where he saw that bug had done an excellent job of keeping the fire stoked. Since bog was only occasionally capable of forethought, the large frog had been forced to drag the flat slab of slate out of storage so his companion could cook whatever he brought home. Now, the thin cooking platform was resting beside the steadily crackling fire, waiting for its prize. Upon noticing the stranger trailing after his companion, Bug began to quietly croak his anxieties into the cool night air. "Bring stranger. Less food. More danger." the amphibian warned, though his canine companion pointedly ignored the statement. He placed the catfish down, and looked over his shoulder to where Áskell was hopefully still close behind. "Make yourself comfortable, I have to grab a few things from my stores, be right back." he called out gently, expression softened with a friendly grin. Without further ado, he trotted into the yawning mouth of his den, dug into the space between the thick roots of an ancient, gnarled maple tree. "speech" thinking "others"

Áskell cocked his head to the side as the other boy introduced himself as Bog and just Bog. No surname. It was possible he didn't wan't to share his last name due to some disreputable relatives so Áskell chose not to press the issue. He was interested to learn that Bog had lived in the mangroves all his life. He couldn't help but wonder if the other boy was an orphan to. Bog gracefully picked up his catfish and took off farther into the groves. Áskell swiftly followed behind, taking time to enjoy the view of the forested area as well as the wolf walking in front of him. He quickly looked down at his feet. His cheeks felt hot. What was going on with him?

Áskell leapt to the sandbar with practiced precision. Having grown up next to the volcano he'd gotten good at mountain climbing early in life. He knew how to time his jumps and gauge distance for it had cost him many falls as a pup. "Ok, sounds good." Áskell sat down near the fire, his tail wrapping around his paws. "So, it's just you and… Bug? Doesn't it get lonely out here by yourself?"

It didn't take overly long for him to locate the herbs he wanted to use for seasoning, and with a mouthful of a few choice sprigs of dill, fennel, and a few water chestnuts that had been coarsely ground, all wrapped in a large fern frond. A crude knife made from the sharpened tine of an antler hung precariously from the side of his mouth. He emerged from the cool underground den to catch his new companion settled by the fire, highlighted by the flickering tongues of flame. Just in time to catch his question, as well. "So, it's just you and… Bug? Doesn't it get lonely out here by yourself?" the young male asked softly, a hint of concern notable in his brows. Shaking his head lightly, Bog plodded over to where he'd left the catfish on the slab of stone. He set the bundle of herbs and blade down beside the fish, and with his mouth freed up he could finally give a real reply. "Nah, my family lives here as well, but by tradition my sisters and I left my moms' den at like.. six months. I still see them every now and again, when we run into each other around the mangrove, and at gatherings." he explained absentmindedly, pulling the knife towards him and deftly slitting the belly of the catfish in a practiced motion. He'd been prepping these fatty fish for a while now, it had become a bit of an art form now. He pried the ribs open with a small crack, and scooped the undesirable offal free. He left the meaty, succulent bits that he liked, but removed the intestines and stomach. Verdant gaze flicking to the side, he searched for wherever Bug had settled for the night, and found the large frog had hopped over. The pair had a bit of a routine by now, and Bug knew he was about to get free food. The moss-dappled healer tossed the refuse to the frog, who readily devoured it, sand and all. "I also get to meet strange folks every time I head out to explore, too. Or when folks like you wander into the mangrove, sometimes they stop by to trade." he said with a grin flashed Áskell's way as he set the knife down in the sand at his side. It would get cleaned once the fish was cooking. With one claw, he peeled the wrapping away from his seasonings for the meal. "Where are you from, anyways?" he enquired, scooping his ground water chestnuts into the opened belly. From there, it was only a matter of carefully rubbing the fine herbs into the skin on both sides of the carcass. With that done, he set about the business of carefully sliding his paws into the sand beneath the stone slab and lifting it onto the fronts of his forelimbs so he could get some leverage and place it onto the tall stones he'd placed in key spots around the fire pit to support it over the coals. Then he flopped back onto his haunches, and then over onto his flank so he could face his dinner guest and listen to whatever stories he might have to tell while he waited for their dinner to cook. "speech" thinking "others"

Áskell listened as Bog stated that his family was still around but that is was tradition for wolves to strike out on their own at six months. It was nice his family was nearby but Áskell couldn't imagine being sent off on his own at six months. Even as a yearling he felt like he barely had himself together.

He watched curiously as Bog used a knife to cut open the fish and he stepped a bit closer. "So, what are you doing? Why are you cutting up the fish like that?" Maybe he was crude but he typically would just start ripping the fish apart and swallowing down chunks. Of course the bones were a problem when one decided to eat a fish that way.

"I'm from Habari. We're the pack that lives on the volcano northwest of here."

In all honesty, he'd been a bit too caught up in the process of gutting the fish to notice that his dinner guest had gotten closer. "So, what are you doing? Why are you cutting up the fish like that?" It was only when he looked up to answer his question that he found himself faced with those vibrant mismatched eyes and nice cheekbones right there, and nicely highlighted by the flames. A soft Oh! escaped him, and he blinked at the larger wolf for a moment. Remembering the initial question, he brought his gaze back to the now softly sizzling fish on the stone slab. It was easier to talk when he was a bit flustered if he was keeping his paws busy, so he plucked his antler blade back up and started busily wiping it through the dry, sandy soil. "I've been trying to take up cooking my meals every now and again, because catfish are pretty easy to catch and there's a lot ya can do with them. Taking out the hindgut keeps the poop and half-digested food inside from spoiling the taste after I've seasoned it." he explained slowly, letting small clumps of sand fall away from the blade with each pass through the sand. "I give those bits to Bug, cause he doesn't really care either way," he gestured vaguely with the knife to the goliath frog who was now cleaning the mess from his snack from his mouth with his tongue and one webbed front foot. "and once it's seasoned with whatever herbs I've picked up lately, I let the whole thing cook on the fire. The meat just tastes better like that, so it's a little treat for myself every now and again." he said with a shrug, and found himself satisfied with the now cleaned blade in his right paw. There was a brief silence, and then his own question found itself answered by the boy at his side. "I'm from Habari. We're the pack that lives on the volcano northwest of here." Áskell mentioned, and received a curious hum in response. Glancing over, Bog found his brows lifting in a mixture of surprise and intrigue. "What's it like living near a volcano? I bet ya never have to worry about the cold." he chuckled warmly, eyes crinkling in the corners to pair with his soft grin. "speech" thinking "others"

Bog turned to look right at him in response to his question and Áskell suddenly realized how close he was to the other boy. His cheeks felt hot and it wasn't the fire, he was struck dumb for a moment, staring into the others eyes before Bog started working on the fish again, explaining what he was doing. Áskell was dimly aware of his heart beating a bit harder in his chest than he remembered and he tried to focus on what the swamp wolf was telling him about cooking and seasoning food. "Wow, you're really clever. I never would have thought of trying to cook my food." He'd used fire to smoke food for preservation but never to cook something to just eat.

After the explanation a moment of silence fell between them. Áskell fidgeted, unsure if he should try to fill it and if so how but soon the conversation picked up again. He grinned. "Well, it depends where you den. Some parts of the rocks and caves do stay pretty warm but it smells weirder there."

Áskell settled down on a nearby log, stretching out along it. "So, do you have any friends you hang out with?"

Being complimented for his skills was always a welcome surprise, as he rarely thought of himself as being especially skilled in any regard. Everything he did was purely on a whim, with little care for the rest. After a brief moment, the dark furred male launched into a brief recounting of his life living around the volcano to the northwest. "Well, it depends where you den. Some parts of the rocks and caves do stay pretty warm but it smells weirder there." the boy said, which was met with another curious hum. He haphazardly tossed the cleaned blade in the direction of the den mouth with a flick of his wrist, letting it thud against the hard packed, damp sand at the entrance. "I think I noticed somethin' like that at the Hot Springs when I visited last, its kind of a sulphur-y smell, yeah?" he replied as he turned back to face his dinner guest. He watched the larger wolf move to a nearby log that lay partway into the clearing around his den site. As Áskell settled down on the lichen covered log, he stretched out along it and got comfortable. There was a bit more of a wait on the fish to be finished cooking, he could tell by the way the fat and juices were beginning to sizzle vigorously around the carcass. So, do you have any friends you hang out with?" the boy questioned once he was settled. As if on cue, his amphibious companion disappeared into the lightly glowing water of the mangrove with a splash. He'd be back eventually, Bog rarely worried about him getting hurt. "Uh, sometimes I run into some of the other yearlings while I'm out and about, and we do stuff together. Oh, I also met this nice lady named Jynn. She ain't a wolf, I don't think. We went explorin' together for a day, which was nice." he drawled with an easy smile, leaning further back onto his elbow and letting the warmth from the fire soak into his bones. "Ya got friends in that volcano crew of yours?" he returned with a quirk of his brow, auds perked. "speech" thinking "others"

Bog caught on quick, mentioning the strange sulphur-like smell that he'd noticed at the Hot Springs. Áskell nodded rapidly. "Yea, exactly like that." It wasn't a very pleasant smell for a place to sleep so it was important to choose a good location. Áskell preferred to den on the base for now but he had his eyes peeled for a nice cave somewhere higher up, especially for the winter.

Bog explained that he'd run into a few other yearlings as well as another creature named Jynn but from what Áskell could gather it didn't sound like he had any long-term friends that lived nearby. Áskell's question was turned back on him and he had to think for a moment. "Not really, unless you count my brother Jigsaw." He just really hadn't tried to get out and know the other yearlings in the pack. "Any uh, girlfriends? Boyfriends if you're into that sort of thing?" He tried to ask casually.

It seemed that he wasn't alone in being, well, a loner of sorts. Áskell seemed to hesitate for a moment, considering his own ties. "Not really, unless you count my brother Jigsaw." he finally admitted, and there was a moment of silence before the larger boy spoke up again. The hint of uncertainty in his voice made Bog's ears perk curiously. "Any uh, girlfriends? Boyfriends if you're into that sort of thing?" he questioned and for some reason it caught the lichen dappled healer off guard. He knew, of course, about the concept. However, courtship of any kind was not something that typically found itself at the forefront of his mind, or fell within the range of his skillset. He chuckled lightly, eyes crinkling at the corners and emerald eyes twinkling with mirth. "Nah," he laughed with a small shake of his head. "half the folks 'round here are related to me, and I've been a bit of a hermit. Ya'know there are some real big wolves out there? Like, real big. Scary, too. I'm always worried they'll snatch me up for dinner if I'm out there at the wrong time." he chuckled, though the notion of large and potentially dangerous strangers lurking around every corner had always set him on edge. It was why he wore his mask whenever he went out, and set time frames with Bug on when to send his mom out with a rescue party. Fen was a skilled warrior, and wouldn't hesitate to rend apart a complete stranger if she needed to. "Makes it hard to wanna get out there and meet new folks, but I've been tryin' to explore more lately." he added with a bashful smile and a half shrug. He quickly cut his gaze towards the fish. It would be done soon, the juices were beginning to run clear and sizzle with a light crust around the carcass. It smelled divine already. "Why ya askin'? Ya got a thing for mud monsters?" he questioned with a wry smirk, rolling over to rise back onto his paws. A deft flick of his paw lifted a well worn stick that had a charred, blunt end. He shot a look over to Áskell and poked his tongue out slightly. "I'm jus' teasin'." he commented before setting himself to the task of using the fire-hardened end of his stick to push the cooking stone off of the coals. He worked quickly and carefully, tapping it inch by inch from the bed of glowing coals until it slid onto the sand on the opposite end of the fire pit. There, the sand would soak up the residual heat and start to cool the meat until it was cool enough to divvy up and then eat. "There we go, once that cools y'can tell me if my cookin's any good." he chuckled, circling the fire pit and rummaging around the base of his maple tree for some loose branches that weren't too damp. There weren't too many left, so he'd have to go collect more soon. With the ones he could find, he trotted back to the fire pit and carefully placed them within the bright coals and let the flames start up again. A bit of warmth and light to see by while they ate, to make conversation easier. "speech" thinking "others"

Áskell took some encouragement from the fact that Bog didn't have any sort of lover but the other boy was vague on his preferences. Though perhaps that was a good sign. Most other boys would balk at the idea that they might date the same sex so perhaps the idea didn't bother Bog all that much. He could understand some of the hesitancy and nodded. Not all wolves could be trusted.

"Why ya askin'? Ya got a thing for mud monsters?"

Oh shit, busted. Áskell's mouth was left hanging open for a second before Bog said that he was just teasing. Oh… well… huh. Áskell's mouth closed as he tried to figure out what to say next. Thankfully the conversation turned back to the fish. He smiled. "I'm anxious to try it."

Still struck by the earlier comment he decided to take a risk and share some of his feelings. "I just was thinking about what dating someone would be like. Just wondering if you'd ever thought about it. My brother hasn't either and since I'm… an orphan, I just… you know, wondering."

Whether his dinner guest was feeling bashful or outright nervous, it was lost on the amateur chef. He was thinking about dinner, and whether this new concoction he'd stuffed his fish with would be a success. "I'm anxious to try it." Áskell commented, to which the short stub of his tail wiggled gleefully. He only hoped it wouldn't disappoint, and put the poor young man off of cooked foods forever. Brilliant emerald eyes found themselves locked on the growing flames, lost in thought. It took a moment for him to register it, when Áskell spoke up again. This time, the hesitation in his voice was noticed. It took a moment for Bog to tear his attention away from the dancing flames, and back to the dark furred boy's features. "I just was thinking about what dating someone would be like. Just wondering if you'd ever thought about it. My brother hasn't either and since I'm… an orphan, I just… you know, wondering." he explained softly, and it wasn't hard to imagine a dark blush painting his cheeks. The healer blinked at his companion for a moment. "Oh," he grunted quietly. Dinner was now forgotten. Any bravado was lost in the face of earnest interest from a cute boy, and the notion that he would now have to say something back. "well, I don't really know much either." he admitted with a light shrug, unable to look away from Áskell's face for more than a moment or two. "Maybe you can take me to see that volcano of yours, and we'll call it a date?" he offered awkwardly, his own cheeks heating up beneath green mottled fur. "See where that leads us." he added, and then decided he needed to be doing something. By nature, Bog was not especially skilled in the social aspects of life, and he tended to bounce from one thing to the next without ever sticking to something for long. There was a nervous twitching of his bobbed tail as he plodded to the cooling catfish, the sensitive pad of his nose moving in close to the cooked meat to test the heat it gave off. Since his nose wasn't immediately burned, the swamp dweller opted to skitter towards the knife he'd foolishly discarded before. Maybe cutting it in half would be best. Give his guest the head, with all the best parts, and leave the fleshy tail for himself. The brain tended to liquefy while cooking, and only partially solidified as it cooled. It would be funny to watch Áskell try it. He pointedly looked away from his guest, nervous now that he had admitted interest in.. dating. What if it was a joke? Oh man, what if he had jumped the gun and made plans too hastily? Okay, now was not the time for that. If he lost his cool, dinner would probably get ruined while he tried to cut it up. He sat down carefully at the edge of the stone slab, and pinned the point of the blade against the spine of the fish. From there, he only needed to apply pressure to the handle with his paw, holding everything steady, and the blade would do the rest. Sure enough, it sliced cleanly down the middle and there were two halves of a catfish left. "Alright, food is ready!" he announced, unable to temper the broad grin that managed to make its way onto his face. He grabbed the cut end of his half, leaving the charred tail hanging from his maw like a strange tongue. He didn't much care if there was sand in his food, and so he simply ambled back over to where he'd left his larger companion and flopped back down into the sand by the fire. "I left the head for you, make sure you crack the brain case and try that," he said with a tiny smile. From there, it was beyond his power to maintain the self control to wait any longer. Bog tucked greedily into his catfish, savouring the flavours he'd managed to add to the fatty meat. "speech" thinking "others"

Áskell's heart was racing, his nerves tumbling over and over as he waited for a response. At first Bog stated that he didn't really know much about dating and that sort of thing either but then he suggested that Áskell could take him to see the volcano and call it a date. Áskell was struck dumb for a second. Did… did he just… did he just get a date? His first ever date? Áskell's expression was taken over by a wide grin. "Yea, that'd be great! The volcano is really something, we'll have to ask my alphess of course but if not there are some pretty neat territories nearby." He had a date! Áskell watched for a moment as Bog busied himself with tending to dinner. He was trying to imagine how date's went and what you were supposed to do on a date that was different from just hanging out with a friend. He felt a little ache in his heart, wishing his father were still alive to give him advice or that his mother had cared enough to stick around.

Áskell was pulled from his thoughts at the call of dinner. He eagerly padded over, still fidgeting with excitement and nerves. "Wow, that smells amazing!" The fish was divided and Áskell eagerly consumed his dinner, pausing only to shoot Bog a questioning glance as the other man insisted he try fish brains. Áskell had never really eaten anythings brains but to impress his potential boyfriend he'd definitely give it a try. "This is really good, I can see now why you take the time to prepare it this way. So the uh… the brain. How do you get it out of there do you just bite into the skull?"