Stone Circle Its starting to look a lot like christmas

For @Skáld, if ya want! ike wants to play with his buddy again! Otherwise open to anyone!

Ike stepped outside his den again, to the enjoyment of snow. It wasn't just on the ground now though. It was falling from the sky. He didn't get to see that all the time and it made him happy. He remembered how much fun he'd had playing with young Skáld in the snow last month and he wondered if his little friend would want to play again. 

"Skáld!" Ike called his friends name. "Its snowing again!" He said happily, looking around to see if the young brown boy was coming.

He ran when he heard his name, and huffed at the snow that fell. The temperature was lower now, even puffs of his breath seemed to have little impact on the denser, colder flakes that fell. The ground was covered, and the snow that fell simply added to the carpet that grew thicker and thicker with each snowfall. Still, Skáld wanted to see the snow piled higher. He brushed up against his friend, grinning as he jostled his corly-coated shoulder against Ike's pale fur. Then, he got an idea. 

He began scuffling snow with his front feet, casting it out through his hind legs and behind him. Then, he'd move to the side, and cast more snow back. "Let's make a pile and jump in it!" He said. Realizing there was still a language barrier, he showed Ike what he wanted. He scuffed a few more pawfuls of snow into the pile he'd created, and then pounced in it. "Like this! But....Big pile!" He said, lifting a paw to indicate the height of the pile he wanted to create.

Ike did not get that Skald wanted to jump in the pile so that would be a. fun surprise when he realized, but he did figure out he wanted to build one. “Ok! Let’s build a BIG pile!” Ike said, nodding enthusiastically so Skald knew he agreed even if he didn’t understand his words.

He started scooping up the snow and patting it into the pile Skald had already started. He also wanted to show his friend that he’d learnt a piece of icelandic. “Gunnar teach me Icelandic” He said to Skald in english. “Just this thought, ahem, Halló, Hvernig hefurðu það?“ Ike said, doing his best to say “hello, how are you?” in icelandic

Beeeg Pile-uh!" His best attempt at mirroring Ike. He nodded happily and was about to turn and start kicking snow at the pile when Ike mentioned Gunnar's name. His ears perked, and he tilted his head to the side, curiously. But when the unfamiliar words became ones he knew, he dropped into a playbow and yapped happily. He bounded toward Ike and then dropped into another bow, but much more formal this time. 

"I am good. Thank you, Ike. How are you?" He asked, keen to know if Ike would have a response for the question he'd learned now to ask.

Ike smiled at Skalds attempt to match his words. And then how happy he was to know that Ike knew some of his language. He knew some of the words Skald said and could piece together what his answer was, but he wasn’t sure how to say it in icelandic. “I Understand. But i cannot answer.” He said. “nei get sagt á icelandic.” He said in icelandic (no can say in icelandic). “Sorry.” He said, not wanting to put Skald down. He started to kick snow into the pile Skald had started.

Skáld did not fret when his friend wasn't able to answer him. It was obvious, though that he was trying! He began kicking some snow into the pile, and the curly-coated boy did as well, quietly thinking to himself. He wondered if Ike might would want to teach him some words in English, so that they could share the responsibility of learning languages. But for right now, the focus was on kicking snow at the pile. 

It got a bit tougher as it went on. Having pulled the snow from the area immediately around the pile, he now had to rove outwards a bit, and kick the snow back a bit harder in order to fling it at the pile. It was fun though- he laughed and smiled as the sprays of snow were sent behind him, occasionally in Ike's direction as well.

Ike chuckled when the snow hit his face and intentionally made sure some of the snow he was kicking hit Skald back.

The pile was quite big now, probably big enough for Ike to jump in. So Ike looked at Skald and nodded his head towards the pile. "You go first." He said. "Skald First." He added in case that was easier to comprehend

The excited boy would not need to be encouraged twice. 

He dipped into a crouch, his tail waving from side to side, and after wriggling his bottom to get his hind paws sunk into the snow for grip, he launched himself high into the air- arcing at the fulcrum, and with front paws extended before him, he dove into the pile and sank in all the way up past his ears and to his shoulders, the way a fox will when hunting prey in the snow. For a moment, he stayed where he was, breathing warm air into the snow that was packed in around his face, laughing. His body, hind feet and tail were all that could be seen of him, until he planted his hind feet, and pulled himself free. 

Snow clung to his curls, so he squared his feet and gave his whole body a thorough shake to get the snow off himself, giggling. He pushed the snow back into the hole where he'd sunk in, to prepare the pile for Ike, before he gave a bark of encouragement, waiting for Ike to take his turn.

Ike, who was probably more than double Skalds size, didn’t need much distance or power to push himself off into the snow pile. So he jumped from about half s foot away, landing the pile and curing his legs, as if he didn’t he would’ve hit them on the ground.

With this tactic he too sunk into the snow till it was over his head and only his ears peaked out. He took care when stepping out to keep the pile in tact as much as he could as to preserve it in case Skald wanted a second turn. He came out smiling and shook the snow from his already white fur

Wound up with their rigorous new game, Skáld bounded around and laughed when Ike found himself face-deep in the snow as well. It was ridiculous to see, so he imagined that that must have been how he'd looked too. When Ike pulled himself free from the pile, Skáld whipped in tight circles- fast enough to make himself dizzy- before he flung himself at the pile again. 

He staggered sideways as he bounded, and ended up jumping straight toward Ike with his paws outstretched.

Ike chuckled and let Skald hit his chest and bring him to the ground. Though the boy was much smaller and he could easily throw him off, Ike let Skald keep him pinned, just for the fun of it. He wanted to see what the boy would do next.

Going to fade this here, if that's OK? I gotta get this kid up to date!

He laughed as they tumbled together, and squealed when he realized he'd completely bowled Ike over. The dizziness passed, but he covered Ike's face with excited licks while he had him on the ground, before he flopped down beside him and began to wriggle in the snow, as though trying to make a wolfish snow angel. Once he'd filled his coat with snowflakes, he got up, and dashed off- barking at Ike to chase him. 

He would treasure their memories together- but would never quite understand why it was his friend was taken away from him.