+10 Practice speed or strength (double from site-wide exp boost)
+10 Leave a trail of confusing tracks (double from site-wide exp boost)

He would find himself jogging up and down the shoreline, zigzagging and jogging in place from time to time. He were wanting to keep up his endurance and strength, and what better way to do that than to practice on sand? The way it made it just a little bit harder to move than on more solid ground was something he found both annoying and useful, and with him wanting to become stronger and be able to both defend himself and the ones he cared for (which was a short list) as well as just wanting to draw blood, Arkyn knew that he needed to make sure he didn't slack - not even for a day.

And with the sand he also saw opportunity in trying out ways to make his tracks harder to follow, or just downright confusing. He would first try walking along where the ocean touched the blackened beach, watching as his tracks slowly faded away whenever he took a break from jogging. Sure, it was a good way to make tracks confusing, but it didn't work quick enough. So the yearling then tried walking backwards, trying to make sure she walked in a straight line while doing so. But nobody ever told him how hard it was to do that... After a little while would he decide to take a bit of a breather, now staring out toward the vast expanse of water and allowing for his mind to wander.

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Khal hadn't returned to the shoreline in the south since he'd been swallowed by the Mist, but in bitter defiance he had rushed his first visit even without any good reason to be here anymore now that the Lagoon had fallen to the same plague. Whatever that had been penance for, Khal had not accepted it. Would not. And he refused to fear the ocean whether it had been his own god or Voluspa's who had forsaken him. If anything it had only made him more determined to master the natural order of things, so that maybe next time they could be more prepared. When he reached the obsidian sands he was not alone, and he watched from a distance the much grown form of his cousin @Arkyn, both half-native and Greyflood like Khal himself but he hadn't seen the younger male since he was a small child. Khal would watch as he walked backwards in the sand and curious if it was something useful they might learn together he would say, "What are you practicing? Arkyn right?" He added as an afterthought, realizing that there was every possibility he wouldn't be recognized. "I'm Khal Valour." pathfinder +20 Discuss the features of a territory (site-wide double exp) outlaw +10 Practice speed or strength (site-wide double exp) outlaw +10 Leave a trail of confusing tracks (site-wide double exp)

(1/2) +10 Practice speed or strength (double from site-wide exp boost)
(2/2) +10 Leave a trail of confusing tracks (double from site-wide exp boost)
Back and forth would he switch from walking backwards to zigzagging, then throwing in smudging his prints as well as throwing his paws side to side in dragging motions instead of picking up his paws. After several feet would he turn around to inspect his work, and here would it be that a voice would call out to him, causing for his body to slightly stiffen. Yellow eyes would land upon the brown lion, taking in the smoke looking marking that was on his face. But what really intrigued him was that this lion knew his name - and he wasn't at all familiar with who he was.

"Yeah," the colossal would reply, a brow rising slightly. Arkyn wasn't the best at keeping on with family, whether that meant meeting them or just keeping tabs on his own siblings. Hell, he didn't even know if they were still around Amaryllis or not. The Brynmawr was beginning to realize he enjoyed the life of solitude, being able to do pretty much whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. But before he could ask who this lion was would he go into introducing himself. Valour. So he was related to Nymeria, and if only he knew that one of @Khal's mothers was his own aunt, too.

Circling back to the question Khal had asked, Arkyn would glance back over toward the trail he had left in the black sands. "I'm trying to learn ways to make it harder to track my prints. It's easier to do in the sand than on harder ground." But he knew he would also need to learn how to learn there, as well. One step at a time, though.

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Khal watched with purple and silver gaze glittering with curiosity at his cousin, who had been a small cub the last time the Valour had seen him. There was no recognition on @Arkyn's face when he turned to look at Khal but he wasn't hostile either so that was promising. Before he'd spent the last few months lost in a foggy purgatory the Valour had wanted to be a simple ranger like his native kin, but there were many skills he had found himself wishing he'd possessed when it had become himself who was the prey. And now it seemed he had a family member already interested in such a trade. "Sorry, I should probably explain. I'm Morrigan's son. She told me about you guys in case you ventured north and needed looking after one day." He would take a few steps closer, examining the way Arkyn had come. He'd done a good job, "Think you could show me that? Or we could practice together?" He padded out into the ocean himself but resisted the urge to glance down the beach to where he'd been separated by Voluspa. He didn't want to think about the Mist today.

(2/2) +10 Practice speed or strength (double from site-wide exp boost)
(2/2) +10 Leave a trail of confusing tracks (double from site-wide exp boost)

@Khal explaining just how they were related would bring a nod from his head. "Morrigan is my aunt," he would respond with a neutral tone, yellow eyes watching his cousin. "Avaneira's my mom." His tone would become a bit distasteful as he spoke his mother's name. Even if there were a hundred and one reasons why she had left him and his siblings all Arkyn saw was a woman who couldn't hack it with motherhood. There were many days where he felt the anger toward her overwhelm him, and on those days he would venture to the peaks to visit his father. But all that usually did was make it worse...

He would be brought back to the now when Khal asked if he could show him how to make his tracks or if the yearling wanted to practice together. "Sure," he would begin, giving a half shrug. "I have no idea what I'm doing with my tracks but I've also been jogging up and down the shoreline. The packed sand is nice to run on." At least to him it was. Without really waiting for a response to see what his cousin wanted to do would Arkyn take off back down the shoreline in a brisk jog, large paws hitting the sand hard. He would go on for a couple of minutes before stopping, taking several moments to regain some of his breath before jogging back down where he had come from, purposely making an effort to step on his tracks to make them mush together; maybe this was a good way in trying to confuse others on following his prints.

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+10 Leave a trail of confusing tracks ( x2 exp ) (1/2) +10 Practice speed or strength ( x2 exp ) (1/2) +10 Scout a neutral territory ( x2 exp ) (1/2) Khal couldn't help but notice the vitriol in his cousin's voice when he said the smaller Greyflood sister's name, but Khal couldn't blame him. There had been moments of resentment for his own mother when she had chosen duty over her children, but she at least had made efforts to remain nearby. Avaneira had done no such thing for her own cubs, leaving them with no parents at all. That ire didn't seem to extend to anyone else in the family at least, and Khal was grateful to have someone to practice with. If he truly intended to leave pride life behind, there were things he had learned from his months alone that he would have to hone. Especially when he had to consider protecting Voluspa from her enemies. He watched his cousin for a moment longer before noticing a palm frond nearby, stark green against black sands. He picked up the branch in his teeth before turning his back and beginning to move as quickly backwards as he could manage while also keeping his balance. Avoiding the wet sand that would be difficult to brush he began dragging the frond behind him as he moved backwards, seeing how well he might be able to hide the tracks while still moving quickly. He ended up tripping and sitting down hard on his own tail more than once and probably looked ridiculous, but it if worked it wasn't stupid right? "Where are you staying now?" he would ask @Arkyn as they worked, his words a little muffled by his gritted teeth.

Once he would hit the spot that he had been using as a stopping point would Arkyn turn and begin to jog back toward @Khal. He'd watch as his cousin used a palm frond to brush away at paw prints, watching him trip over himself and fall back onto his tail and haunches more than once. He'd stifle a chuckle at this, most certain that he looked just as dumb when he walked backwards to try to make it look like he were walking in the different direction that he actually were heading in.

Once he was close to the lion would he slow down to a stop, shaking out his mane as he was asked where he were living at nowadays. "Some days on the beach, others in the woods." Arkyn was still on the fence about joining any pride, finding out he much preferred being on his own. He knew there were perks with being apart of a pride, but there were perks with being a rogue, too. Like only having to worry about yourself. "I visit Vermeda now and again to see my father's grave." A shrug of his shoulders would be given with his words, ears flicking back halfway before twisting forward once more. He scented the Brook on the brown lion's fur and wondered if he enjoyed living there. "How's the Brook?" Voicing his own thoughts would the Viking glance over at the ocean, watching it while he waited for a response.

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+10 Leave a trail of confusing tracks ( x2 exp ) (2/2) +10 Practice speed or strength ( x2 exp ) (2/2) +10 Scout a neutral territory ( x2 exp ) (2/2) As Khal continued his experiment down the beach he realized it was working somewhat but only if he really concentrated on it. Maybe there was a better way using something heavier that could even be used on other terrain? He would have to keep looking into it but it was good to know he had kin interested in the same sort of thing. Most of his Valour family were not focused on any sort of subterfuge. As falling onto his rump heavily again Khal would finally admit defeat on using the palm fronds and instead simply began to run back and forth across his own tracks, observing the way they changed at different speeds. He listened as @Arkyn explained all his haunts before it was his turn to speak again, "The Brook is good for the moment. But it seems like things in the prides never stay that way for long," he said, finally trotting over with sides heaving from his sprints. "How do you like living as a rogue?"

The colossal would watch @Khal as he struggled with using the frond before giving up entirely, instead taking up to jogging back and forth and doing what looked like trying to cover his tracks by running over them several times. It was a funny thing how others wanted to keep their whereabouts and trails secret from others, not wanting to be followed, but Arkyn also wished to not have unwanted guests sneaking up on him.

A nod would be given to the lion's words, knowing only too well that prides never stayed the same for long. It were how he lost his only home in the Cove; not having that constant in his life was something he struggled with from time to time, but the more he spent on his own the more he were becoming comfortable with the solitude. "It's different," Arkyn would begin answering Khal's question, taking a moment to gather his thoughts before continuing. "Even though you don't have the safety of a pride or borders it's nice to just do your own thing and not really have yo worry about consequences." It wasn't like the Brynmawr was out wreaking havoc, but it was nice to not have to wonder whether or not a pride would frown upon his actions.

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