Big Salmon Lake Look at all those chickens

The dark maiden was a peculiar creature to him in more than just her sights. Her manner of speech was odd and so very unlike his own. Knowing that he had entered a world of new culture and that he was required to embrace it, the Nord did not disregard her words as being careless or lacking a formal structure. Instead, he offered her a soft smile; one that toyed along the edges of his dark and leathery lips. It did well to break through his harsh veneer and soften the grizzled maw of the northern warrior.
 
Elixir was prompt to provide him with answers to what her species was. Kodlak could not hide his interest. He had never had an interaction with the humankind before. He believed them to be something of myth – stories told only to poor pups in the chilling nights – and that they had never touched on the wild things of the earth. Still, this dark maiden knew quite a fair bit of them and she shared it openly. Domestic things were peculiar in such a savage setting; it seemed as though the soft creatures were always tainted by the roughhewn wilderness.
 
“Ah, yes,” he began after her questions had been presented to him. “Please forgive me. My culture is foreign to these parts. The Companions are an elite guild of warriors who fight to aid those around them. The Harbinger is their leader. I have taken the helm of the Companions in this, the fourth era of their existence.” It felt peculiar to have to describe his rank and life within that rank to the likes of a dark stranger. The lake was quiet, and it lulled him into an openness – a willingness to share – that he felt was an opportunity for growth.
 
“Did you dwell with these… humans for long? What has pulled you to the wilds?