Whitefish River rune

the land narrows here into green. good hunting to be found. the earth is rich. perhaps i will tell solveig of where to find fresh trails.

eivor maintained her guard as she trotted along the river, having drunk her fill at its head.

He once again slipped from the borders and headed towards the grassy plains their home overlooked, figuring that he hadn't run into much trouble last time – both at the river and when he had returned home – so what was the harm in a repeat adventure? Besides, he felt like he had explored the same tracks over and over at the Plateau – he grew curious about what world was like beyond Raventhorpe's territory.

Arrax paused as he neared the flowing waters, spotting another roving further ahead, her back turned to him. For a moment, he mistook her for the mysterious wolf he had met the last time he was here, though this woman's coat had a far warmer hue.

He watched for a moment before beginning after her, tail waving nonchalantly in the air.

"the day is good, little drengr," eivor greeted the boy in solveig's tongue as she stood from the icy water. he promised to be broad-shouldered already and she wondered how much hunting he had done outside the territory of his clan.

"i found the tracks of elk. will you go with me to find them? we will tell the dróttning when we come back."

The stranger mirrored his own mother in looks – tall and well-muscled with a golden-beige coat. She even spoke in Solveig's tongue, a language that was being taught to the children in tandem with Common. Arrax's ears perked forward at the word drengr, delighted at being called such, especially by one that wholly embodied his idea of a warrior.

"Heil," he replied quietly, listening then to her invitation. Unexpected though it was, the boy almost immediately agreed, hesitating only as he thought of his parents. The Cairn children had been taught to be wary of strangers, but the fact the woman spoke their own tongue had him trust her.

Besides, their pack was few; Arrax was doing a service for the family in helping track down prey.

The image of a proud Rusalka greeting him upon their return flashed in his mind, and the boy straightened with a determined nod, wordlessly requesting her to lead the way.

let me know if this isn't welcome!

Procrastination was a terrible thing, and Calahan had fallen victim to it. He had hardly any marked out claim on the river, despite coveting the region and it's lush waterway, the aspens that stood proudly tall. Yet again, there were strangers here. The sepia-cloaked man curled his lip in distaste, approaching the duo with haste.

He recognized the younger boy, the one who'd halted his thieving attempt at the plateau. How ironic, that Calahan was now the one who intended to chase him out of the region. The pale woman, he did not know. It mattered little.

"What business do yew two have 'ere?"

all good with me!

she would have walked on then, keeping in sight of the plateau, had not their small hunting foray been halted at once.

a thickset man with heavy musculature and river-eyes stalked out. like the boy in the mountains, he acted as if he had a claim. "you stand very close to raventhorpe," she said with a friendly, inquiring air. "it is i who should ask what you are doing."

the grey eyes, however, held his own, and she had shifted to stand in front of the ravenclan child now. "if he comes closer, turn and run back to the settlement. tell your mother and father," she murmured for his ear.

And me! I love it, hehe >:D

Before they could even begin the first steps of their hunt, another appeared – a man Arrax instantly recognised. The short fur at his hackles prickled, wondering what the trespassing stranger was still doing around their home, and why he was acting like he owned the place.

The woman seemed to share Arrax's sentiment, posing a polite question for the man in response to his demand.

He acknowledged her hushed warning with a flick of his ear and a small nod, torn once again between obeying an adult versus heeding his own wishes. He did not want to turn tail and run at the first sign of danger, especially in front of a fellow warrior. Especially in front of the would-be thief.

"Go away!" he shouted. Had it been any other stranger, the boy would have remained reticent, but the man before them had a black mark against his name in Arrax's books, and he was undeserving of pleasantries.