Haunted Wood A lonely road

If you don't mind - I would like to continue this thread both because I like Bernard and I see him becoming great friends with Wraen and also that this thread counts toward her trade mastery.

"I will abuse my privileges of being a lady again," Wraen replied with a grin, happy that he big man had so readily complied to her wishes again. Curious things those males were - some were like rock walls and nothing could make them do, what they did not. Some were like clay - mould and shape them the way you liked. Though she had a feeling that Bernard was somewhere inbetween and that he was perfectly able to put down his foot, when it was required. 

"I have been self-teaching scouting for few weeks now and I realized that rather than just mapping the territories and knowing, where every place was, it would be nice to combine it with a practical knowledge," she explained. "For example - I want to find out now, what use could be that lake to me and my pack? What do you think?"

AAAAAAAAAAAA this is so late, sorry. I remember trying to write a response & getting distracted, then I guess I never actually finished one. :'^)

While Wraen explained her thoughts on how she wanted to go about being a scout, Bernard's grin faltered as he listened intently. However, he doubted he would actually be of much use, as he sure as hell would make the worst scout in existence. Still, seeing as she asked for it, he gave his opinion, That sounds like a good idea. You could discuss it with your alphas. Such information could help in planning for the future.

No worries. We all have lives besides Wolf. :D

Bernard misunderstood her question to him - she had wanted to know his opinion about the lake and it's uses, but decided not to point it out, or repeat the question. Another idea came to her mind instead, because she realized that a creature as big as him should have had his own tricks up his sleeve, when it came to survival. He had mentioned about living elsewhere, but she had the impression that he had come a long way ever since. 

"Seeing that you are big, fit and quite heavy looking - what did you live on, until you came here?" she asked.

Shit, I legitimately misunderstood what she meant, ajsidkfg. I'll just brush over it tho.

Her next question was unexpected, but it was a fair one. Licking his snout as he thought, he then answered, My father's breed is known to subsist on little food, luckily for me. I've been scavenging frequently and hunting deer when the opportunity presents itself. Once, I managed to take down an old bull moose. Bernard was still quite proud of himself for that one—while the bull was in the process of dying, it was still a hulking beast with fight left in it. He even had a scar from his efforts on his right leg.

That's what makes conversations real. Don't worry!:)

"Wow," Wraen had stopped in her tracks and listened to Bernard's tale with mouth agape. He had mentioned taking down deer and moose so casually, as if that was something everyone could do. And with his height and stature - that was not hard to believe. "You just made my wolfish self-esteem go underground," she said with a smile. "I have never been able to hunt deer and moose on my own."

Aaaa you're too kind. ;v; Also, trying out narrow formatting.

Bernard knew his physical strength exceeded that of most wolves, but he still hadn't expected Wraen to come to a complete stop with her jaws agape from his ramblings. He stopped when she did and chuckled humbly at her response, though he didn't want to make her feel inadequate. But you have your own strengths—you can find your way with ease while I struggle with left from right, He said transparently with another grin in hopes of lifting her self-esteem out of the ground.

Bernard tried to console Wraen, but his next sentence made her chuckle: "But I also have no idea, how to tell my feet apart. I mean - from front it's one left and right. And then you look from the other side and it is the opposite." This was the reason, why she did not like to solve problems, which only had two possible choices. There was always a third, always!

"Have you ever fished?" she asked, in case there were more hidden talents that the wolf-dog was not telling her about.

Bernard smiled at Wraen's dilemma. You do have a point, He agreed. But I'm sure you're a talented scout, nonetheless. Then, she asked if he'd ever fished. I've tried, but I think I'll leave that to the bears, He admitted before turning the question around on her. Have you?

"No, but my mom has," Wraen explained and glanced over to the frozen river. Surprisingly there was not much snow on top of the ice and it was so clear and transparent that, unless you stepped on it to test it out, you would not even realize that it was solid. 

She left Bernard's side and ventured nearer to the ice, to have a better look, then - very, very carefully she walked on it and observed carefully the doings and happenings underneath the cover. A flash here and a flash there confirmed her suspicions that the fish were still living underneath. Except... now there was a turn to look around and look for the spot, where they could get the air. It had to be a hole or a crack or something. 

"Hey - do me a favour, walk along the bank of the lake and see, if there is any place, where the water is seeping through," she told Bernard. "And I will keep walking here," she beckoned to the icy part of the lake. "There are fish underneath and quite lively as well. Which means that they have to get their oxygen somewhere."

When Wraen stepped onto the ice, his fur instinctively bristled in anxiety and protectiveness. However, she was far lighter than him; she'd be fine... Probably. Still, Bernard kept an eye on his new friend, prepared to dive in after her should she fall into the frigid water. Then, she requested another favor. He was fine with this, giving her a nod before strolling along the bank, scanning for any breaks in the ice.

Bernard never gave fish much thought and understood little about them. He always just assumed that if they were in water, they were good to go. But Wraen seemed to know quite a bit more, and he wanted to help in any way he could. Eventually, his eyes caught sight of a lengthy crack in the ice not far from the bank. There's a crack over here, He called to her, wondering what she would do with this information.

Wraen was so absorbed with the task at hand that she did not register Bernard's anxiousness regarding her safety on the ice. She - on the other hand - felt perfectly at ease, treading lightly over the solid and slippery surface with her head leaned down, scanning the area for any signs of cracks. 

Her companion was first to spot one and Wraen left her own research to run over and see, what he had found. It reall was, and when she landed with all fours on one side of the ice, it gave a sound, which was a mix between an "umpf" and gurgling, and some water appeared. "I think this must be it, though..." she looked back to the place they had left, "I kind of imagined that this spot would be bigger. Like you could stick your paw in and attempt to throw the fish onto the ice."

The idea was ridiculous, of course, because she had neither the skills, nor the right set of paws for that kind of work. But she spoke so earnestly, that a person, who had never tried fishing in his life, would believe her.

Bernard's body tensed as Wraen bounded over to him and landed with all four feet near the crack, causing it to creak and squelch as water was forced to the surface. He feared she'd be sent crashing below the surface at any moment, but this scene never actually unfolded. Relaxing just slightly, he listened to her musings with a thoughtful hum. The method she suggested sounded like it required a lot of precision and experience—two things he did not possess in this area of expertise.

I'd always just shove my face in where I saw fish and hope for the best, Bernard confessed with a chuckle. The thought of putting any part of his body into the water in this temperature made him shiver, so he suggested, Maybe we could practice fishing together when it warms up a bit.

"That sounds like a good plan," Wraen replied, leaving the unsafe place of ice and returning to the solid ground, where Bernard stood. After one last and long look at the frozen lake, memorizing it's location, as well as, what use could it be to her or anyone from her pack, she looked at her companion.

"Come on - I will show you the way to Moonspear," with this she took the lead and began padding towards her home.

Finish in your next post?

Sure! I loved this thread; I wasn't expecting them to get along so well! They're adorable. :'^)

He was relieved when Wraen finally stepped off of the ice and placed herself beside him. He'd just met her moments ago, and yet he was already so attached, so protective of her. Bernard had never clicked with someone so well before, but the feeling of being on the same wavelength as someone else was indescribably wonderful.

Wraen took the lead to guide him towards Moonspear, and he followed behind until they had to, reluctantly, part ways. But they would meet again. He knew it.