<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/1/14/Momoa.jpg)</div><br/><strong>Who:</strong>Open<br/><strong>Where: </strong>Horse Annex<br/><strong>When:</strong>shortly after dawn<br/><hr/><div style="text-align: justify;">Lars’ eyes turned to the pup when Naliya said her name. He saw her chase her tail and chuckled. He envied the pup, somewhat. It seems like she had not a single worry, that everything was all fun and games. Lars knew why he couldn’t gather the courage to let Naliya know clearly what he wanted with her. He had gone through the motions once before, only to be told by the girl that someone else had been faster than him, and that she had already given her consent. As he brushed Tikka, he felt that the deep feeling of betrayal that had pushed him to take everything he could carry and head out into the dead of the winter was still there, but it had ebbed some. Maybe by the next summer meeting, he would find in himself to forgive the man who had been his best friend since childhood.<br/><br/>Lars gave her a smile, when she said she’d feel safe as long as he was around. He felt like an idiot for not taking his chance when it had been so easy. There would be other occasions, but still. He wasn’t exactly proud of having backed down when he was so sure he wanted it and that she wanted it too. If there was someone else interested in her, she certainly didn’t appear to have feelings for anyone else. He nodded his head at her request for him to take care of the other side of the horse as well, this morning. He understood that she had to prepare everything, make sure everything would be in working order. <br/><br/>Lars was impressed by the ermine’s hunting skills. It was no longer so white anymore and it was still fascinating to watch it  run towards the exit, most likely eager to get out of Runa’s reach so her catch couldn’t be stolen. As he resumed brushing the mare, on the second side, he pondered the use of the ermine and the wolf, regarding rodents. It was definitely a good side that these two predators could keep the pests out of the food reserve and warm areas. He was always amazed at how easily she had the animals listen to her, but rather than to make her blush with a compliment that could come across as rather insistent – he had told her about how impressive it was to him before – he kept quiet and focused on the task.<br/><br/>“We’re hunting elk today, I think.” Lars said, but his words sounded halfway between a statement and a question. Today was a big day for him. Although no one had said it or even alluded to it, today he wanted to prove that he was more than an extra mouth to feed on the winter’s reserves. He would show his worth as a quite decent hunter and he hoped that he would get to bring some meat back to the camp. He wasn’t really nervous, and appeared to be outwardly calm, but he was tensed like poised and ready to join when the leader of the hunter would call for the group to leave.<br/> </div>