✦ Want a Drink? ✦

[Jenni Deer]

Fire showed up again and she was able to see enough as she placed her feet against his back and yanked him harder. Once the legs were free, however, she felt the falling back as she released his neck, hands on the shoulder, and lifted herself over him as his back smashed against the cave, Senju roots wrapped around him tightly, and they also aimed to pull the bear towards the floor and clamp his muzzle shut. "Once you two calm down and stop throw temper tantrums because I woke you two up early, we can talk, like adults." Maemi panted towards the two of them, at the ready to move again if she needed to.  

[Valbjorn]

Bjorn would feel the girl flip over his shoulders, followed by the roots growing out of the floor and wall again to lock him in place. Looking over to Grym, he’d see the massive bear rooted down and muzzled, but still growling and struggling to break free. Bjorn would do the same, his large muscles straining against the roots as he growled.before shouting angrily. “How bout you release us and explain why you’re here, b***h? Then maybe I won’t rip your head off...” after a few minutes of straining against the restraints, the large man would huff aggressively before relaxing slightly. Grym, however, really not liking being muzzled, was still fighting the bindings. “Alright... alright... just let us go..... and I’ll explain our side as well...”  

[Jenni Deer]

Maemi heard him yelled at her, in anger and feral way as she stayed calm. Slightly crouched and ready to move again if she had to. At least she finally got the bear down and it seemed, the larger male as well. Minutes passed while she listened and it seemed that the male had stopped struggling, there were no sounds of the rocks and roots ground against each other from him. The bear, on the other hand, was definitely still fighting. The man who was large had requested for her to let them go and that they would explain their side of the story. Maemi glanced towards the bear, unsure if she would believe him. Seconds passed as she nodded in the darkness and the roots let up and retracted to their original spots but still was at the ready if needed to be. "I was seeking shelter with the lions from the storm, happened to see you two as... statues? Or so I thought." Maemi explained, unliking this darkness. Maybe he figured out if he was calm and quiet, Maemi would have a hard time pinpointing where he was? No matter. While the roots by them were dormant, she used the roots at the entrance of the cave and slowly removed the rocks, one by one, enabling fresh air to entered the cave and the sounds of the storm continued. The lions were at the outside as she snarled lowly, to let them know not to enter just yet or attack. With the minor light the lightning provided, she then realized how blonde his hair was.  

[Valbjorn]

Feeling the roots loosen and retract, Bjorn would sigh slightly with a low annoyed growl at having been tied to a wall, basically. Grym growled as well when he was finally released. Watching as the girl started clearing away the the collapsed boulders, Bjorn would walk over and start pulling the larger ones away, tossing them deeper into the cave like they were almost nothing. “Brother, make us a fire... lightning flashes aren’t much good for consistent light...” he’d grunt and growl back at Grym as he listened to the girl snarl at the lions. A few seconds later, there was a loud thud and a whoosh of flames as a pillar of fire erupted in the middle of the cave, finally giving them some warmth and a consistent, though flickering, light source.

“Yes... we have a tendency of encasing ourselves in my steel when we hibernate.... makes it easier to not have to worry as much about being ambushed.” He’d say calmly, letting his black steel armor recede to just show his normal skin. If the female looked him over, she’d see he only really wore black pants, his feet uncovered, but with thick calluses and long claws extending from each toe. His upper body was completely uncovered. He had long scars across his chest and abdomen that had obviously long since healed as well as claws extending from each finger too. His blond hair and beard both hung down to his shoulders and chest, with his bright blue eyes shining out in the firelight, staring down at her. “The humans call me Bjorn Jernhud, this is my brother, Grym..... when I heard the sound of large cats snarling, I thought you were the last village leader we served, Taka... she fought with a pride of lions... and dressed similarly to you.... I thought maybe you’d come to either drag us back to the village, or kill us for desertion...” Grym would plod over closer to Bjorn and the girl before sitting down with a grumpy huff, he still wasn’t very happy with having been tied down, and especially not with having his muzzle tied shut.  

[Jenni Deer]

"A man of your word..." Maemi whispered as it seemed that he was definitely, a man of his word despite looking like he was ready to eat her and not in a fun way. When he got close to help with the boulders, Maemi didn't mind and kept out of the way of both Bjorn and Grym in case they had second thoughts about keeping her alive. The lions growled towards Bjorn but it wasn't a loud growl, just a growl of discomfort at being in a territory with another massive predator. Usually, predators avoid each other. The cubs, however, having no sense of discipline like the grown-ups does rush towards Maemi as if she was the one to better protect them than the adult lions. When the clearing was clear, they entered and rested at the opposite side where the massive grumpy bear was sitting. They enjoy the light but were still wary of the big two predators in the cave. The cubs then ran towards the adult lions and started to cuddle up to them and knead for milk from the lioness, having been hungry from the day's travel.

It seemed that they both encased themselves with steel while sleeping. "To be honest, that didn't look comfortable," Maemi remarked, almost talked about home and the bed but she froze. She hasn't been on a bed in a long time, not since that day. Suddenly, she was slightly homesick as her arms were brought up and she crossed them in front of her chest. She heard his explanation about to why they attacked as she frowned, brows furrowed for a moment followed by a raised eyebrow. "I don't think I've heard a leader named Taka. I could be wrong. Though, if I was one, I would just leave you two alone..." Judged by the scars on the man and bear, she wouldn't mess with them. The fact that she made it out that minor fight alive was a shock to her but she doesn't show it.  

[Valbjorn]

Bjorn would hear her mutter about him being a man of his word, grunting softly with a nod as the lions growled softly at him and Grym before crowding themselves against the opposite wall of the cave, the Cubs running to the female before going to their mother for feeding. When the girl said she hadn’t heard of a leader named Taka, Bjorn would lean against the cave wall, his arms crossing over his broad chest, “Ivilice Takamatsu, she went by Taka among the higher ranks of the village... She was the Hokage of Konoha, the last of four that I served under before leaving.... I just couldn’t stand how she was running the village anymore, and Grym and I decided we should just return to the wilds....” Grym would give a soft, affirming grunt before Bjorn looked the girl over I honestly have no idea how long we were in hibernation for.... Is the United Hidden Villages still attacking the larger villages? They used to like attacking Konoha in my time there quite a bit...” At this point he didn’t care that much what happened to the villages, he was just trying to get a sense of how much time has passed. “And I gave you our names, girl..... how about you give yours?” He’d say with a gruff, but not aggressive tone to his low growl of a voice.  

[Jenni Deer]

Walked to the fire and in front of the lions, she sat down by them and sighed, she was tired from the travel herself as she listened while Bjorn talked. Maemi frowned and shook her head. "No. The current Hokage is... Sadayo I believe that was her name. I know because we-" She stopped herself as her facial expression showed pain for a moment as she exhaled slowly, not yet realized that her hand was into fists. One of the cubs had its filled as he was curious about the other large predator, the bear as he was watching the bear's movements, sniffing and jumping back a few times as it dared to inch closer and closer. "The wilds gave me a different peace, I can see what you mean." Though many would say she was running away from her problems but to her, she was facing them head-on, if she was able to find any that was for sure and the lions can take part in enjoying the meal afterward. Her eyebrow rose when he mentioned UHV... which was something from the history books. "I used to heard stories from them but no. They haven't been around or active since they had been destroyed." Maemi was now curious about how long they have slept. She frown when he seemed not to like the idea that he gave her their names but she didn't return the favor. "No one said I had to give you mine, especially to a man that keeps calling me a girl." She snarled under her breath, slightly bittered at his wordings.  

[Valbjorn]

Bjorn would watch her body language as she spoke, noticing the clenched fist as she referred to herself being with another person. He had a sense that something bad had happened. When she said that the UHV had been destroyed, he had the sense that it had been quite a while since then by the way she spoke of it. Grym would watch the small cub as it slowly edged curiously towards him, lowering his large head, the bear would sniff at the small cub before slowly reaching out one of his massive paws to give the cat a light scratch on the head. Hearing the bitterness in her voice along with what she said, Bjorn would shrug slightly, “When I was trying to figure out human social patterns, it always seemed to be rude to not introduce yourself when meeting someone new.... and I don’t know what else to call you but what I can see that you are, since you haven’t given me a name to use...” the large man would give a somewhat amused huff before scratching his long beard with his claws. Looking towards Grym, he’d switch back to bear speak, “Hey, brother... go check if any of our last big kill survived however long we were hibernating... with my steel sealing the cavern, it might still be edible.” Grym would grunt slightly before standing and walking away from the fire into the darkness of the cave. A few minutes later, he would return carrying an elk nearly as large as he was in his maw. Dropping it near the fire pillar, he would plop back down as Bjorn shrugged himself away from the wall, walking over to it, “Looks like it’s still edible... help yourselves.” He’d say calmly before ripping a leg off and holding it into the fire.  

[Jenni Deer]

The cub jumped back slightly, still rather cautious as Grym lowered his head to sniff it, even the massive sniffs, the cub was rather intimated by him. A large paw outreached as it instinctively lowered itself to the floor. The mother growled as she got up, prepared to pounce but then stopped herself when she saw that it was giving light scratches on the head. The cub would purr if it could but being of lion breed, they don't purr. Maemi's eyebrow rose when he said when he was trying to figure out human social patterns as she blinked towards the bear and back at him. He called him his brother. Maemi was now, rather confused by it all. It wasn't any of her business, however. Her expression changed into a scowl as she sighed deeply. She hasn't 'heard her name in a while and she wasn't yet ready to hear her name being used by another. "Alright. My name is Mae." Bjorn growled and grunted at Grym, startled the cub as it quickly went back to its mother's comfort. The bear got up and went into the depths of the dark cave and brought back a rather large kill. The lions sniffed and growled at smelling the game as they glanced towards Maemi. She paused for a moment, seeing Bjorn cooking his at the flames as she growled lowly at the pride before they got up and started to eat the game as well. The cubs are attempting by watching the adults but not doing a very good job of it yet. Their sharp teeth still help them get some pieces of meat. Another thunder rolled as Maemi was quiet before speaking, "We can leave when the storm passes if you are still wanting your cave back."  

[Valbjorn]

Bjorn would pull his elk leg out of the fire, poking it slightly to see how much it had cooked before biting a large chunk off with his fangs. Grym would bite a few big chunks off himself, sharing with the Lion pride. Once Bjorn had swallowed his bite, He’d give the girl a slight smile, “Nice to meet you, Mae.” He’d say calmly, taking another bite and chewing. When she said she and the lions could leave once the storm passed if Bjorn and Grym wanted their cave back, the big man chuckled slightly, “If it’s been as long as your tone suggested, I think we’ll probably go wandering again... We actually just stopped in here when the winter snows got too heavy and food was becoming more scarce....” he’d say as he looked out of the mouth of the cave, then back at Grym, then gave Mae a glance over. He was kind of curious what had driven her into the wilds. She didn’t seem to be quite like him, it wasn’t something she had grown up with. “Bears are generally solitary, though brother and I had gotten used to being around others.... and he seems to be sharing well enough with your pride there...” he’d gesture with his clawed hand to the huge bear sharing the kill with the Lion pride, even the young Cubs, “Maybe we could travel together for a while... I can help you learn to hunt better, if you need... maybe you help me get a better understanding of the world around, since from how you spoke of the UHV, I get a sense I’ve been in hibernation for something close to a generation...” he would notice that Mae wasn’t eating and reach over and rip a chunk of meat out of the huge elk’s hindquarters. Holding it towards the thin girl, the larger man would speak, “Here, eat... first rule of surviving the wild, never pass up a meal... you never know for sure when your next one will be...” he’d say slightly seriously before ripping another chunk of meat off his elk leg.  

[Jenni Deer]

The lions already had their fill and they didn't eat that much as they headed back to their spot they were previously resting. The cubs, on the other hand, were still tearing the meat but not eating it until they get a warning growl from the lioness, not wanting the cubs to waste the food. The cubs let out a small mew before hopping over to the group and started to play against each other for a bit before falling asleep on a full stomach. The male mentioned heavy winter as she thought for a bit, when was the last time they had a bad winter that he was talking about? Her eyes gazed over towards the lions and bear eating at the carcass. Before all this, this would gross her out extremely, despite being a mortician. Possibly because her job was clean when this was messy as hell. Maemi became silent while listened to him. It seemed that he wanted to travel with her and even offered her to 'hunt' better while she helps him understand what's going on with the world around and he was possibly hibernating for too long. How did a man seal himself in steel and just watched the world go by? Maemi wondered if she did something similar would the pain in her heart go away quicker? A slice of meat was held towards her as she hears him. Maemi scowled softly then reminded herself that he was being nice. "No thanks. We had a game earlier, still rather full from that one." After some consideration, maybe having a human to talk to for a bit, pained as it was but at least with him, he has no knowledge of her history or where she's from. "Yes, we can travel together for a bit." Though she wasn't sure about his comment about teaching her how to hunt when she had adapted pretty quickly with the lions cause they would disown her if she wasn't any help with getting their game.  

[Valbjorn]

Bjorn would grunt softly when Mae mentioned that they had had another kill earlier and she was still full, hitting the cave floor next to him with his fist, he would hold the chunk of meat he’d ripped off so that as the stone spike extended towards the flame, it would skewer the meat and carry it into the fire to be roasted for a bit while he continued to tear large chunks off the leg he held in his hand. Once the bone was basically cleaned, the large man would snap it in half with a loud crack and suck out the marrow as the huge bear finished having his fill of the rest of the carcass and plodded over to lay down behind Bjorn and Mae. sitting down, Bjorn would lean back against the large bear’s side and chuckle lowly, “Alright... Well, if we’re going to be traveling together for a while.... maybe we should get to know each other a little better... how long have you been living in the wilds? I can tell from your general behavior that you grew up around humans....”  

[Jenni Deer]

Maemi flinched and was ready to move when he hit the ground by him as a steel spike went up towards the flames as it started cooking. The man had no manners as he snapped the bone in half and started to suck the marrow. Her eyes glanced over to the lions as they were falling asleep. Ears slightly twitching and few yawning. Then a thud, her head turned to see what the noise was and it was just the bear, Grym, landing behind them. Bjorn and Grym. What odd names. They certainly couldn't be from around here at all. A half-bitter smile formed on her face as she knew perfectly well that not too long ago, she would be completely utterly disgusted with the pair of them. And now? It doesn't bother her anymore. She had a goal in mind and she planned to reach it. The woman visibly flinched when he brought up that they should know each other better and asked how long she had been living in the wilds and that she grew up with humans. Her face turned to face the massive man with no manners and the full bear behind him. "Just a few months. Been learning from them," She nodded off to the pack of lions, "And I adapt pretty quick."  

[Valbjorn]

Just a few months, eh?” Bjorn would comment as he placed his hand on the floor of the cave, causing the spike to recede out of the fire, thinning enough he was able to snap it off the ground before taking a bite out of the lump of meat. Once he finished chewing and swallowed,he would Turn to look at the small girl. “Looks like you’ve learned decently well for a short time... I grew up in the forest... had to learn how to behave around and communicate with humans when I joined Konoha when I was.... maybe a bit younger than you, I’d guess...” he’d take another bite before continuing. “Animals are masters of body language, you know... so, what kind of tragedy drove you into the wilds? I can tell by your reactions to me that you grew up used to a good amount of material comfort and strict behavior standards....” the large man would finish the chunk of meat and pat his stomach slightly, this having been apparently his first meal in a couple decades or so, before letting out a low burp. Chuckling slightly, he would lean back against Grym, picking scraps out of his teeth with his long claws. “From what I learned among people in Konoha, it’s possible for people to leave that kind of conditioning behind.... but it takes a while, more than a few months...”  

[Jenni Deer]

Her eyebrow rose when he mentioned that he grew up in the forest and had to learn how to behave and talk around humans. Part of her wished that she had that kind of lifestyle, maybe the loss wouldn't be so heartbreaking. He brought up about animals being master of body language and went as far as to ask what tragedy drove her to the wilds, causing her to flinch at the memory as she glanced away from him but she was still listening in case he tried something. She doesn't trust him at all. He brought up about her conditioning as she wasn't sure what to think. How did her reactions made him think that she grew up with material discomfort and strict behavior standards? He was starting to annoy her. Maybe this was a bad idea. "I'm not going to tell you, it has nothing to do with hunting or your desire to know main events while you slept." She said in a tone that also meant for him to drop it and it was strong. She was not going to give him the answers he was seeking from her. Her hands were hidden between her chest and legs, but her thumb was constantly going to her left ring finger and felt the gold ring band around it.