I don't mind at all! And no worries! ^^ Oh, and actually Onawa is almost always fully visible, but we can just say that Nayati was kind of blocking Nian's view of her! SoSuWriMo 289

Nayati knew that Onawa was intentionally teasing him for being such a worrywart. It was a problem of his to over-think things and to do so so spectacularly that he got himself all worked up for no good reason whatsoever. Even though the man knew this about himself, and knew that was exactly what was going on right now, it was difficult to escape the cycle once it had been started and he was in the middle of it. That was why, when the world cooperated, he went on a hunt to stop his thinking that way. Hunting was the one thing he never over-thought. It was instinctual. He knew he was good at it and he did not have to worry. When it came to hunting, everything just flowed, easy as a river's course. Now that that option had not proved viable today, he was stuck. Stuck, and admittedly rather miserable and grouchy.

However, when someone approached, the Gadui Kanati did his best to push down his negativity and turned to face the man with a muted but friendly smile. "Good morning to you as well." Nayati had seen the man around the village, but they had not formally met as of yet. "Oh, just talking to my lazy excuse for a Spirit Guide," he said, motioning to the side where Onawa was laying contentedly. She did nothing to acknowledge this small poke at her pride, knowing full well that the Utina did not mean it. Nayati moved to stand, so he did not seem so lazy himself. "I am Nayati Utina, it is good to meet you." Being a Master now, he should probably make more of an effort to meet all the members of the tribe.

SoSuWriMo 445

As Nian addressed the Spirit Guide, one of her large, grayish blue eyes opened and looked at the warmly hued wolf. Onawa was not a pompous creature and had grown accustomed to the canines here not treating her exactly in the same manner that she had been used to back in the Great Tribe, so when one actually addressed her, she was quite impressed. Her elegant head rose up and now both eyes were opened and focused on the male. "Apology accepted." Her voice had a timeless and ethereal quality to it. "If Nayati appears somewhat off, do not pay it any mind. His thoughts are running faster than his reason right now." The Gadui Kanati shot the Spirit puma an annoyed look, but she merely grinned and returned to her previous position, eyes closing once again. She just loved to tease him when he got into one of his ruts and it of course only served to work the man up further. He did not wish to make his new acquaintance uncomfortable (or more uncomfortable) so he worked hard to keep his cool composure.

All negative thoughts seemed to fly away from him though as the other AniWayan introduced himself and gave his profession. Nayati's father was a scout in the Great Tribe, and so he had a great fondness and appreciation for the profession. "Yes, I suppose you would be answering to me. You're in luck, I actually know quite a bit about scouting. It is the profession path my father has. I am glad to know that you are around then, Nian, and I will be willing to help you in whatever way I can." As long as Nayati had been here, he did not think they had had a scout. It would be extremely helpful, both to him as a hunter and to AniWaya as a whole, to finally have someone watching the lands. Even though he was of a Master rank now, the Utina man did not want his fellow tribesmembers to be intimidated by him or to try and treat him differently. He had not taken the post for praises after all, but to help his tribe.

As Nian held the board up, Nayati looked at it with curiosity. He had never seen anything quite like it. When it was revealed that the other man was looking for someone to play a game with, he saw the perfect opportunity to distract himself and to get to know his fellow AniWayan better. "Well, I do not think I know the game, but I would be interested to learn it and to play with you," he said with a friendly smile.

Sorry, this was longer than I intended XD; SoSuWriMo 579

Scouting was a profession Nayati could have easily found himself in. In fact, it was most often that a child took on the profession that one of their parents held. For a little while Nayati had shadowed his father while Ohitekah had been out on scouting missions but eventually he had decided to follow the path of the hunter instead. For one, scouting and hunting were two professions that were quite closely related and the two paths crossed often so it was not such a huge jump to make. Also, being his parents only son at the time, he had felt a great need to help provide more and had felt that hunting was the best way to help his family along. It had turned into his passion and he had never looked back.

Nian seemed quite excited to know that the Gadui Kanati had some familiarity with his profession path and Nayati was equally pleased that he could be of help to the new tribesman. "What you have already done is good--it is important that scouts know the territory intimately. Our professions are actually closely interwoven. Scouts are meant to keep track of what is going on in the lands and when they find a game trail they should inform the hunters and even help the hunters on tracking the game. It is also your duty to help look after the safety of the borders with the warriors and to help deliver messages throughout the tribe." Hopefully this was giving Nian a better idea of his job and Nayati wasn't just repeating things he already knew. "The next time I go on a hunt I you should come with me. I can show you ways to spot a trail that are not always entirely obvious. It would also be good if you gained some proficiency with a bow, which I can teach you also." Honestly, the Utina thought it important for most members of the tribe to have some skill with some sort of weapon or hunting implement, but for a scout it would be good for both hunting and defense if the need arose.

Time for such things would come later though, as he was quite interested to learn of this game that Nian wished to play. When the other male sat, Nayati returned to his own seated position and he looked at the playing board with interest. At the mention that it was a sort of hunting game, the Gadui Kanati was instantly more interested; perhaps he would actually be able to participate in this game with some amount of skill. When Nian explained his new name for the game, Nayati smiled, laughing lightly. "Clever," he said. He himself was not much of a wordsmith, but he appreciated the skill in others. The Utina listened carefully as the game was explained to him, watching was the pieces and the design of the board and how it was to be used were pointed out to him. It was a new sort of game to him, but Nian did a very good job of explaining it.

The hunter nodded his head when he was asked if he understood. "Yes, it makes sense. It seems very interesting and I would be happy to give it a try," he said with a smile. "Who should play which part?" Since it was Nian's game, he felt it only right that he decide who would play the wolves and who the wapiti.

Awesome, thanks ^^ SoSuWriMo 343

Nian wasn't the only one excited at the prospect of having someone to work more closely with. Nayati, while he often enjoyed hunting on his own, also enjoyed working with others and now that he was a Master he felt the need to pass on his knowledge. Aurelè had been a good hunter and he had enjoyed the times they had talked and worked together, but the woman had disappeared from the tribe's lands and he had not seen her in moons now. Ever since the pale woman's departure, he had had no one to work with when it came to hunting. Nian was a scout, not a hunter, but as he had explained they would be working closely despite their profession path difference. "I will be sure to come find you the next time I go out on a hunt then! Yes, winter is not the best season to be teaching and it is more difficult to get around. Have you ever ridden a horse? They are not always the best for scouting but they do make it easier to travel in the snow." Riding would certainly make the other man's job easier for the time being.

The fact that one wolf against all those wapiti would be a huge disadvantage was clear to the Gadui Kanati. If one were to go after a large herd it was foolhardy to go alone. It made much more sense, to him, that there would be more than one wolf, so Nian's addition seemed a smart one from his perspective. It was thoughtful of Nian to allow Nayati to play the part of the wolves in this first game. It would indeed be more intuitive for him. "Okay." He watched as the scout made his first move. It was clear the real action of the game would not start until they each had had a handful of turns, so he simply made a simple move forward with the first wolf piece. "Easy so far," he said with a hint of humor in his deep voice.