A Mixed Fellowship (Closed)

[Aren]

Upon reaching the stranger's camp, Aren swiftly removed himself from atop Crow's horse, thought this wasn't entirely without difficulty. He liked horses well enough, but he certainly didn't enjoy riding them, and he imagined they enjoyed carrying him even less. And so, the Akalak patted the beast's side, in apology for being forced to ferry his considerable bulk around. "Aren," he said with a nod, as he approached the human and his canine companion. At the mention of having a messy camp, the Akalak smiled, and he was forced to comment on the state of his own house, "You should see my place." It was, least of all, in order. Aren shot Sam a glance as he knelt down in front of Kegan's furry friend, and extended his hand towards the animal's head. He thought this was a good way to get to know his master; if the dog was friendly, then he'd been well cared for. If he growled, or tried to snap at Aren's hand... well, that kind of behavior had to be learned. Of course, maybe the little fur-ball was some type of war-dog who had a distaste for the color blue, but the test was otherwise valid.

[Aiken]

Aiken chose to stay in fur-form to save a considerable amount of energy. Shifting wore him out, and his limit for running, or walking at all, to a few miles. Without the added benefit of being able to hunt whenever, conservation was of utmost importance for now. Besides, there would be plenty of time for pleasantries and such when they got to Endrykas.

These thoughts, however, hardly lingered very long in Aiken's mind. There was another canine here, and the kelvic was wary. Certain dogs, clear descendants of wolves themselves, were less approachable. At lease by an intimidating wolf, who would be more than happy to attack if the situation called for it. But he wouldn't, because there was no need. He would stay close to Sam as he was, making no move either offensively or defensively. He knew what his strengths were, and exactly what he would do if anything happened.

However, with a decent ability to speak the canine body-vocal language, he didn't need to try very hard to convey that he was more than willing to stay on peaceful terms with Arnett, so long as he did the same.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam shot a glance to Aren, smiling slightly. It seemed for the moment that he was making friendly with the other man's dog. His own hand dropped down to rub behind Aiken's ears instinctively. Had he been more conscious of Aiken, rather than having his attention on this stranger, he might not have done so. For all he knew, it would irritate the kelvic. But Sam's instinct with animals was to show affection; it was part of forming any sort of rapport with them. It had been a long time since he had had a hunting dog, but he imagined the theory might go the same with a kelvic wolf. Of course, if he had thought about it, which he wasn't at the moment. Instead he looked from the Akalak reaching out to a dog to the dog's owner. With any luck, he wouldn't mind another person touching his animal. He was sure that between the four of them, this man wouldn't be a problem if it came to violence, but it would be inauspicious to have conflict so soon on their journey. "I have food to share, if you like," he offered to Kegan.

[Kegan Emrick]

Kegan was more than happy to invite the newcomers into his camp. He was surprised to see the akalak who introduced himself as Aren reach out to pet Arnett. Arnett stuck out his black nose and sniffed at the tall man's hand. He flicked his pointy ears back and nuzzled into Aren's hand. Arnett for the most part followed Kegan's lead when dealing with strangers. If Kegan accepted them then he always would. He trusted Kegan with his life. Aren's blue skin did not bother Arnett like it would with most other dogs. He had been in Riverfall for a while while he was a pup with a traveling breeder. Arnett licked Aren's hand and let out a little woof. Kegan chuckled "Looks like you have a new friend tall one." he said with his green eyes pointed up at the tall man with a smile. Kellan was happy that Samael had offered food but he could not take it. "Really, it is fine. Arnett and I are good hunters. I'm sure you need it more than I do seeming that you have been traveling. Speaking of traveling, where are you guys headed if I may ask?" He was not sure if they would tell him but there was no harm in asking. Arnett noticed the wolf staying close to Samael and he let out a small woof as if to say "hello". He was not sure if this was a peaceful wolf or not. He of course wanted to be friends with the canine. Arnett was happy to be friends with anyone. He knew how to show his welcome and he padded over to where Kegan and himself were keeping a few fish that they had caught that morning. He picked a good sized fish and walked it over to Aiken. He dropped it at his paws and stepped back. It was the universal canine sign of "you are welcome here". He was willing to share his territory with this newcomer but in the end it was his territory and he hoped that his wolf knew that.

[Aiken]

Aiken closed his eyes as Sam's fingers scratched the sensitive spots behind his pointed ears. No one had touched there since he'd left home, and it felt better than a full stomach after a day of running and sleep.

As Arnett gave his peace offering, Aiken yipped an accepting reply and sat down in front of the fish. It wasn't his favorite by any means, and smelled strangely to boot. But to refuse the offering would be an insult, and deserving of a beating of the offender. That really didn't matter though, as Aiken was always welcome to a meal, fish or not.

He wasn't sure how he was supposed to eat it; the skin seemed thin, like a wrapper, and easily tore out of the way. A few bites into the bloody pink fish-meat, a thin bone caught on his tongue, and the only way he could get it off was to cough it out of his throat. Eventually, Aiken managed to find a method of picking the meat off the fish using just his front teeth, concentrating on what was going in his mouth rather than taking giant bites and finishing quickly.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam was immediately concerned about the delicate bones in the fish, but Aiken discovered the hard way and he was intelligent enough to eat around them after nearly choking on one. He smiled and started digging in his packs for food, anyway. The four of them would tax Kegan's supply if they all partook without bringing anything to the cook fire. "Well, why don't we eat, then?"

[Aren]

The Akalak did not seem inclined to partake of the meal, as he simply gazed out at the Wildlands. He almost thought he could smell the Sea of Grass, which was of course impossible, as he couldn't even lay eyes on it's outer frontier. Still, this fact didn't seem to stop him from thinking about it, though what he was thinking even he wasn't sure of. A mixture of happiness, anger, apprehension, anxiety, nostalgia and about a billion other emotions threatened to overwhelm him before he finally took a deep, calming breath. The fact that Aren wasn't eating would have immediately raised concern amongst any who knew him well, but besides that, his uncharacteristic silence was a telltale sign of the turbulence within him. Finally, he spoke, though it wasn't at any of his traveling companions, and it wasn't even in a language they were likely to understand, "We don't need to try and kill each other. I want to be your friend, and you do not want to be my enemy. I'm still kind of angry from last time, but I'm willing to let sleeping kelvics lie." Apparently, it seemed the Akalak had taken to muttering in Tukant at what appeared to be nothing but thin air, "So what do you say, truce?" He was attempting to reach some type of agreement with the Sea of Grass, but he would have to wait for his answer. This was a silly notion, of course, but in Aren's opinion, it certainly couldn't hurt any. Who knows, maybe the Sea will finally take him up on his offer. Not likely, but hope was a stubborn desire.

[Kegan Emrick]

Kegan sat down near the fire and Arnett sat down next to him. "I just ate but if you need to use the fire or if there is anything you need just let me know." he said with a smile. Kegan ruffled Arnett's shaggy white fur "Are you making new friends bro?" he asked his furry companion. Arnett let out a small woof and layed his head on Kegan's lap. Kegan looked over at Samael. "That is a really beautiful wolf you have there. Any man who is good enough with animals to gain the trust of a wolf will always be welcome at my camp." he said with a smile. "By the way, where are you guys headed, if I may ask." They seemed to be in much to large of a group to just be out on a leisurely stroll. Of course, no one really went on a leisurely stroll through the Wildlands either. It was not exactly the safest place. He really wanted to move his camp to a new place but where that was going to be was still up in the air. He had a good camp set up here but he worried that sooner or later he was going to be faced with an enemy that his sword and Arnett's claws and fangs could not handle.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"I think if we stop long enough for a hot meal, we'll want a nap and lose the rest of the day's travel," he said with a smile, but he started pulling out some salted elk from his last hunting trip with Jaeden, some fruit and nuts. He would share with his companions, but at least Kegan and Aren seemed uninterested in lunch. He sat down by the fire and started cutting up the meat, offering bits to Aiken and hoping he wouldn't mind the salt that preserved it. He ruffled Aiken's fur again, scratching behind his ears. It had been a while since he had had any sort of canine (or, in this case, lupine) companionship. Not since he was a child. Perhaps he was good with animals in general. Horse was busy tearing up turf for a snack. "Aiken saved me from a bear, so I don't know that I can really claim any sort of credit for him being around. He probably figures I'll trip and hurt myself if he isn't around." He grinned. "But we're headed to Endrykas, and then I think Aren and Crow will continue on to Riverfall. You're welcome to join us if you wish. Strength in numbers on the Sea of Grass, you know."

[Aiken]

Aiken's husky laugh almost made him choke as he swallowed the last bit of fish he could stand. It wasn't so much the flavor as it was the smell and how hard it was to eat without killing himself. A nap, however, he could do with. Then again, when wasn't a nap a good idea when he'd be perfectly protected.

He laid down, curled slightly onto his side. His eyes closed while Sam kept at his ears. It was in his head now; he'd either lay down for a ten minute nap, or he'd be out for the next few hours. He couldn't care either way, just as long as they'd let his eyes close.

In a few minutes, Aiken was half asleep. He didn't think it would matter very muvh anyway, since he wasn't conversing, and he wouldn't be eating. Sam was nearby, and it only did to relax him further.