The Sunspire I'm just sitting here remembering how your lips taste

Bernard listened intently as Wraen verbally went through the memory. Her story definitely fit under his definition of "strange", that was for sure. Seeing her struggling to contain her laughter made him laugh a bit, himself. Did he say air again? He guessed, hoping that was what happened, because it'd be hilarious. The fellow didn't sound particularly bright.

"Yup!" Wraen nodded in agreement, "at that moment I was in a serious danger of falling down from that tree, because he was so hilarious and... well, come to think of it... kind of right as well." She spent the next three minutes laughing heartily at the memory of the event. 

"Want to try out too? I know more riddles," she asked, thinking it would be a curious and amusing sequel to the first story.

He laughed wholeheartedly and shook his head, deep voice carrying loudly through the trees. Wraen's unbridled laughter far outmatched his own,, but the fact that she was laughing so hard kept him at it. When she finally caught her breath, Wraen asked him if he wanted to try answering some riddles. The wolfdog wasn't the best at them, but at least he was smarter than the brute she'd questioned before. Sure, lay it on me, He answered with enthusiasm, stomach now sore from the spasming of his lungs.

Disclaimer - riddles are not mine.

"Okay..." Wraen fell silent then, contemplating of whether she should give Bernard easy riddles or go along the same road she had taken with Siarut. And deciding eventually for the latter. If the first encounter had been so hilarious, she sure as hell wanted the second to be the same.

"It does not burn in fire, it does not sink in water - what is it?" she asked, "I can be as generous as giving you one clue, if you require it."

Oh boy, Wraen was starting it off difficult. Bernard sat in thought for a moment, echoing the riddle in his mind. ... Air? He guessed jokingly with a chuckle. It sort of fit, right? But the wolfdog knew this was not the intended answer. Really though, could I have a clue? He was already struggling, it seemed. Well, at least he wasn't foolish enough to use the same answer for everything.

"Nope - here even the Air-guy would not have got it right. Air makes fire burn and air is within water as well - how else would fish live there?" Wraen explained. Besides she thought that Bernard was smarter than the other guy, though, in her opinion, he should have tried a little harder at guessing. 

"Hmmm..." how to give a clue and not give too much away? "Think about winter," she finally said - that was quite a big clue already.

Ah, yes. Well, air probably didn't burn, but he didn't think about how fish lived in water and that they actually... breathed. Those scaly creatures confused him with their existence. Getting his mind back on track, Wraen gave him the clue of winter. The answer had to be some kind of inanimate object, so what non-living thing is associated with winter?

The first thing to come to mind was snow, as the season coming meant snow would be everywhere. Fire made it melt, which was different from burning, so he checked that one off the list. But did it sink in water? Bernard never paid attention to little things like what snow did in water. Wait... what if it wasn't snow specifically, but ice? Ice always sat on top of water, and it would also be melted by fire. Finally, the wolfdog arrived at his answer.

Oh, ice! He exclaimed with realization, feeling confident that the answer was correct. Still, he said, I can't be too proud of myself when I needed a clue, though. Give me another riddle, and I'll try to answer without one. Bernard  knew he wasn't the sharpest fellow ever, but he didn't think he was dull as a rock, either.

"Good one! You are ahead of the Air-guy one to zero," Wraen nodded and appreciated the effort Bernard had taken. Had he guessed wrong again, she would have to seriously rethink of, whether her riddles were too difficult and vague to guess.

"Alright - here goes another one: who speaks in all of the languages of the world?" she offered, considering this one to be on the same level of difficulty as the previous one. "Word of advice - think about simple things, don't invent something overly complicated."

"Who speaks in all of the languages of the world?" She asked now. This one felt even harder than the last, at least for him. Wraen gave him a tip to think of simple things, which he supposed helped him, but this riddle just felt so much more open-ended than the last. Who, or presumably what, would be able to speak any language? Did it make a sound, or was it more like a gesture universally understood? There were lots of those. Well, he may as well just take a shot.

Hmm... a smile? Bernard guessed without confidence. It worked, in his mind―it was a universal sign everyone understood, right?

"Good shot, but not - try smiling at a wildcat and see, what happens," Wraen said and winced at the memory of, how her last meeting with the small and vicious feline had ended. Not pleasant and she had not even tried to smile. 

"Think about reflections," she suggested. "You look in the water and see yourself. If you called out here, you would..." She was practically feeding him the right answer now.

Darn, he was incorrect. The way Wraen winced suggested she knew this from experience; he'd have to ask about that story another time. Then, she gave a clue. Reflections... Bernard repeated internally. She then started a sentence for him to finish. If he called out here, in the mountains, his voice would... Echo? The wolfdog offered. After the word left his lips, he exclaimed, Oh! I get it now. Bernard chuckled. I'm not the best at these, it seems. I do think I can continue on now, though. He heaved himself to his feet.

I can try more while we explore, He then suggested. It'd probably help ease his nerves, if only a little.

"Correct! And don't be so hard on yourself - you, at least, said "Air" only once," Wraen said with a chuckle, as she got to her feet and stretched, getting ready to continue exploring. 

"Now, you are eager," she replied to his request, "most people would have asked for me to shut up or would have went away. You must really like me, if you can stand the know-it-all for so long." She teased him a bit and then thought for a bit. 

"What kind of stones you won't find in a lake?" she finally asked.

There was this very tempting riddle - It can't walk anymore, but it can sing - but I doubt that either of them are familiar with the term "drunk people". :D

Lol yeah, maybe drunk from some kind of berry? But I don't think Bernie's experienced that before.

I do really like you, He asserted. A lot, he added mentally. I don't think you're a know-it-all so much as I'm a know-nothing, Bernard added jovially. After a moment of walking side-by-side, Wraen gave him another riddle:

"What kind of stones you won't find in a lake?"

He hummed in thought. What kind of stones were in a lake? Surely Wraen wouldn't ask him a question that required him to be some kind of stone expert to answer, so... what were qualities of stones in a lake? They're underwater, right? Things that are underwater are wet, right? So the kind of stones that weren't in a lake were... Dry stones? Bernard cringed when he answered it, immediately fearing he sounded like an idiot. Was the answer that simple?

"In that case we complement each other nicely," Wraen replied boldly, but it was evident that she was quite flattered by Bernard's admiration. She beamed at him then looked away in embarrassement of her own giddiness.

And that is, where Bernard saved the whole situation again, by guessing - correctly. Not so much a riddle as something to boggle one's mind. "Well, you could have said air, of course - it is a popular choice as of late," she began with a sly smile, "but you are absolutely correct. A dry stone in the water - that is one I have to see yet."

"In that case we complement each other nicely."

He smiled softly when he heard that, pleased to know she felt the same way. To what extent, though, he couldn't be sure. Wraen worded her sentence to sound like he'd gotten it wrong, and he cringed further until she revealed that he was correct. You toy with my emotions... I thought I was wrong again, Bernard said breathily as a sigh was released from within him. It was clear he didn't mind, though. But hey, I did it! I'm satisfied with that.

"Well, you should not take seriously everything I say," Wraen grinned and added, "just the rest of 99%, since I am your beta and everything." But all in all she was very fond of Bernard and his ability to cope with her manner of expressing herself.

"And you should not be so hard on yourself - you are currently the sharpess stick in the drawer I know," she complimented him. "Ooooh, this smells good!" she stopped suddenly with her muzzle lifted up and her sniffing the air. The scent wafting towards them was something she could not yet name, but tasty and intriguing nonetheless.

I'll try to keep an eye out for the 1%, then, He played along. Although Wraen was the beta, he felt that she saw him as her equal, and he appreciated that.

"And you should not be so hard on yourself - you are currently the sharpess stick in the drawer I know," She complimented. Before he could respond,​ she stopped and said, "Ooooh, this smells good!" Wraen sniffed at the air, and he did too. It did smell good.

What is that? Bernard asked curiously, continuing in the smell's direction.

"Let's go and find out!" Wraen told her companion and made a headway towards the woods, following the wonderful smell. Whether she and Bernard would find a gingerbread house at the end of the path, remains to a secret. All I can add that no evil witch tried to eat them or was shoved in the oven for that matter. And that at the end of the day they returned safely home.

I think that we can have a new thread. :)