AW rune hunting!
SKILL: hunter

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There was a treacherous part of Samo that longed to obey. To be instructed, ordered, told what to do. Always certain in his purpose and necessity. He had not understood the simplicity and stability of an indentured life until he was suddenly set adrift from all bonds. So long he had wanted freedom—and now that he had it, he did not know what to do with himself. Once a slave, always a slave. The mark upon his face had inscribed his purpose onto his soul.

Samo tried to shut out his inner doubts. He focused on the numbing bite of the cold on his paw pads instead. At least this was real and present, and kept his thoughts from straying back to darker times, to the memories of saltwater clogging his throat or to the terror of a bronze gladius held against his neck. He tried to think of the scents that entered his nose instead, and of winding his way among the bare trees.

Snow clung to his fur as he set to work assembling the first of his traps, carefully arranging the sticks to prop up the killing rock. As he worked, he kept an eye out for anything unusual nearby—one of those strange stones of power, or something else.

He hadn't been looking for Samo, really. But when Nate crossed the wolf's tracks, he'd decided, impulsively, to follow them. He was curious, and worried, and moreover driven by an impulse he couldn't quite name but which demanded things of him nonetheless, like making sure the newest member of their merry band was settling in. As well as could be expected, anyway, given their circumstances....

Nate wuffed to announce himself by, trotting in the easy steps of a path through the snow Samo had already trudged. But paused a respectable distance off, in case he wasn't in the mood for socializing. For — well, any reason.

Blue eyes flicked to the stone. Not the artistry of human hands, by any stretch of imagination. But — clever. And it might get them something besides marrow tonight, if spirits were kind.

That's not bad. Have you got something to bait it with...? Macabre as it felt to taunt prey with the hope of a decent meal, only to make one out of them instead....

Rune Discovery : 「 Failure」 

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It is cold and quiet in the Lapis Nestle. Where once an abundance of life filled the air with a vibrant fullness, all lies frigid beneath the snow and the ice; the only sound to be heard is the distant roar of the Isle and a low rumble signifying yet another fissure forming in its wake.

You continue your conversation, and the stones here remain silent.

skill: hunter

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The unnatural silence was broken only by a short bark. Samo turned to look at the wolf who’d given it, and greeted Nate with a respectful nod of his head. He met his striking blue eyes, finding himself again unable to look away; though a part of him was cautious of anyone new, he could see no reason to fear Nate. There was good in him, and warmth flickered in Samo’s gaze in return.

In any case, there was much their chief needed to be told. The stigmata on his face itched, and only then did Samo did look back down at his trap. He could not help but wonder about the scarring Nate himself bore, but he could see no recognizable marks. Even if there were, he was not sure he’d recognize them in his body. It did make him wonder if he and Nate had more in common than he’d initially realized, however.

He shook his head at the man’s question.

I was going to look for some hawthorn berries, said Samo. They keep well into winter, usually. But winters usually end… He trailed off.

Would they see another summer? The question lingered in his mind more often than he liked.

Would you like to look with me? he offered. Perhaps Nate already knew where to find some trees. If not, he thought, they could search together.