Dragoncrest Cliffs So you found another way

Tagging @Prince but AW !

In the night, he felt most comfortable, moving freely whilst many slept. It was the easiest time for him, when he was least at risk of running into another body; Hvitserk did not hate those he shared a home with, he simply wasn’t the type to actively seek out companionship or social interactions of any kind. The only one to ever be accepted at all times, no matter the circumstances, had been Freyja—she was, by far, his more favoured sister. He adored her with all his heart and had not once passed up an opportunity to be at her side, and that was how his childhood had been spent; following her as they helped one another out, with her handling all social exchanges. She was his voice—but now they were apart, and he had to learn to function on his own.

The troubles surrounding what he knew he should do kept him from straying beyond that which he was used to; he moved mostly at night or when others were not around—the exception being Portia, whose role in his life as a child had earned her a permanent spot on his list of trusted individuals, to the point where he could speak to her as freely as he needed to—and generally kept to himself or, in the very least, out of sight. Yet tonight, as he patrolled the southern border, he did not intentionally hide or make any other efforts to conceal his presence; he considered himself neutral, neither seeking nor avoiding contact as he reinforced the border by both urinating and rubbing himself on anything he happened across.

Although it would be a few more weeks before Wildfire could know for sure, she decided to take her increased appetite as an early sign of pregnancy. She smiled to herself as she padded back toward the woods from the beach, slowly going into tracking mode as she went. By the time she arrived at the edge of the forest, she was fully invested in finding some small game. She dropped her nose to the forest floor and began winding among the trees in search of a scent.

One promising trail led her toward the borders, where she spotted a tall figure roaming the fringes of the territory. Wildfire paused, trying to make an identification. Hvitserk? she guessed, her black tail twitching as she watched him hike a leg and refresh the scent markers. She had been close to Freyja, once, and was fairly familiar with Eske. But she admittedly didn't know this particular Kru very well, which was something she could change right now.

"Hey there," she called out to him, making no effort to advance unless he seemed open to it.

A voice caught his attention and he paused where he stood, head swinging around as he glanced back over his shoulder. It wasn’t difficult to find the red coat of Wildfire, at whom he stared for several moments before remembering she’d greeted him. Turning his entire body around, the yearling gave a dip of his head whilst his tail brushed over his hocks, back and forth, acting how he knew to come off as welcoming; it was nothing compared to how he’d greet Portia but it was better than just staring and then walking away, which he occasionally did to strangers.

Hvitserk turned back around, paused, and then turned again so that he was facing her. Tossing his head in the direction that he’d been going in before she appeared, he invited her to join in on his patrol.

When he motioned for her to join him, Wildfire hesitated. After everything she'd been through—and now with the hopeful pregnancy—she didn't really want to get that close to the borders. Besides, she was in the middle of a hunt. But Hvitserk would be there and she didn't want to miss out this opportunity or seem rude. After a moment's deliberation, she picked up her little feet and trotted to walk abreast of him.

"Hvitserk, right? I'm Wildfire," she introduced herself even as her chestnut eyes warily swept their surroundings.

The second she joined him, he was on the move. He walked along slower than he’d previously been going, mindful of his pace and where she was. He kept his eyes on the path ahead until she spoke, then threw a glance her way and let it linger whilst she surveyed their surroundings. A frown tugged at the corners of his lips, though he didn’t have to think for long before understanding her hesitance; truthfully, he’d nearly forgotten the reason for their past battle. Tossing his muzzle in the direction of the lands beyond their claim, he let out a low growl and snapped his jaws at the wind, immediately after which he looked back at her and offered a wag of his tail. Freyja looked up to her when they were children, which meant Hvitserk had to watch out for her now; though he was no longer at his sister’s side, a part of him still, and would always, answered to her.

He waited a moment or two after before nodding his head, confirming his identity but saying nothing in return; he knew who she was, he could not forget, but he would not break his silence in order to make this known. And, should she not steer their direction elsewhere, he’d continue forward at a steady trot, eager to keep moving.

He almost immediately assumed a familiar archetype: a stoic guardian of few words. Wildfire smiled to herself, then laughed when she realized Hvitserk reminded her of Gavriel, which made a lot of sense, considering. She took a moment to ponder about her former traveling companion and wonder how he was doing these days. There would always be a slight bitterness in her heart over his rejection of yore, though she hoped he was doing well.

In any case, Wildfire sensed that Hvitserk wasn't big on conversation, so she didn't try to force it. She plodded along beside him, glancing at him every now again and musing quietly. She didn't know how he and his ilk could stand this particular call of duty; it seemed dreadfully boring to her and she'd only been doing it for about forty seconds now.

As the silence was broken by laughter he paused and turned, regarding her with a questioning stare. He glanced around at their surroundings with great curiosity, wondering what it was that had made her laugh, but found nothing. Confused, his brows pinched together and he went back to looking at her, this time expectantly, awaiting an explanation. He wondered if maybe it was a huntress thing—he assumed she still favoured the trade, as that was really the only memory he had of her—and if something had happened that he just couldn’t see. Maybe a bird? He looked up towards the sky and searched, but once again found nothing. Now even more confused, he turned his attention back on Wildfire, expecting her to understand and answer his unasked question.

They didn't get far before Hvitserk paused and gave her a questioning look. At first, she merely lifted her eyebrows as if to ask, What's up? When he looked around, then back to her, then up at the sky, she did her best to follow his gaze, wondering what had prompted all of this. Only when their gazes eventually reconnected did it slowly did it dawn on her that he might be reacting to her laughter a moment ago.

"Oh," she blurted, smiling crookedly. "I was laughing because you remind me of Gavriel, that's all. Don't mind me."

The laughter was explained, but it didn’t offer him much insight. Reminded her of Gavriel? How? He continued to stare at her for another long moment, an inquisitive glint in his eyes, but that was about it. He didn’t act on his curiosity at all, just sort of shrugged his shoulders—shrugging off the comment, perhaps?—and continued along with his patrol.

He peered at her a moment, saying nothing, before eventually resuming the patrol. Wildfire chuckled under her breath, then picked up her own feet again. She found herself wishing he seemed more talkative, because she quickly grew awfully bored.

And then her stomach snarled so loudly that there was no way Hvitserk didn't hear it too. "I think," she announced, "that's my cue to go find some lunch. I'm going to catch something fresh, if you'd like me to bring some back here?" the Feisripa offered, in part to make up for bailing so quickly. As soon as she had her answer, she departed with a final dip of her smudged snout.