The Tourney at Ashford

"What do you think they hunt here Walder?"

The dog looked up at the young heir, but didn't make a sound. Desmond had taught him to be quiet when they were hunting, after all. The pair walked slowly through the woods, exploring them casually, while looking for signs of what animals lived in the area.

Somewhere nearby, there was another Walder, though he accompanied a girl instead of a boy, and was of a shorter breed than the other Walder.

Having gone out on her own, since all the adulting was just plain boring, Gwen was taking in a first impression of the forest today with Walder, even if she had her bow and arrows with her just in case they came across something. Walder on the other hand was eagerly sniffing the ground for small game until he caught the scent of the other dog and he elicited a brief and quiet bark, and then began to follow the trail of the the other Walder. Gwen followed behind him, curious of what the dog had caught the scent of.

Walder stopped. His ears perked up and he turned.

"Lead on." Desmond commanded. "Let's see what's out there."

The dog moved forward quickly, restraining himself from running, as Desmond followed at his normal pace. Soon, he had led them a fair distance back along the path they had taken, finally stopping and letting out a low growl. Following the dog's cue, Desmond stepped behind a tree and waited while Walder prepared to greet whatever was coming.

Walder stopped, raising his snout from the ground to sniff the air as he stood taut and ready... then he quickly trotted forward to find the source of the scent.

The blonde girl and her dog soon appeared through the woods, and upon spotting the other dog, she put a hand on her canine companion to hold him back, though the dog remained on guard.

Gwen looked around. This didn't look anything like a wild dog, so maybe there was an owner nearby?

The Terrick Walder studied the other dog and its owner for a few moments, then glanced towards a nearby tree. A sharp whistle caused him to relax as a light haired boy emerged and joined him. Together, they approached the others with a friendly demeanor.

"Hello! My name is Desmond. This is Walder."

"Hello," she smiled a little uneasily, her lips pressed together. "I'm Gwen, and this... is also Walder."

The Forrester Walder tilted its head curiously as it heard its name twice. Noticing the dog's reaction, she stiffled a brief giggle. "He is Walder, too?"

"Really?" The boy crouched a few paces away, studying the new dog from a distance. His Walder stayed at his side. "This one is named for one of my cousins. I'm not sure which one, though."

Seeing as how Desmond was a child and clearly not a threat, and was engaging in the crouching, the feist dog named Walder approached closer to the Terrick boy, its wagging tail clearly showing its interest and friendly intent. Its breed was the kind made for hunting small game.

"You have many cousins named Walder?" she asked curiously. "Walder, sometimes Wally, is Walder because the master of the hounds said that was his name. I don't think he looks too much like a Walder... Wally is nicer."

The boy whistled again, causing Walder to relax. The larger dog was lean, almost appearing malnourished. He seemed healthy, though, suggesting his thinness was a trait of his breed.

"Hello, Wally." Desmond presented his palm. "Walder's a common name among the Freys. That's what I've been told, anyway."

Frey... her lips pressed together again as her thoughts rummaged through the lessons of the great houses of the kingdoms. "Uhm... I'm not familiar with the Freys... are you a Frey, then?"

Wally happily gave the boy's hands a few licks. Dog-friendship established.

"The Freys serve the Tullys, as do we." He knew he'd forgotten something. "I am of House Terrick."

Desmond gave the dog æ good petting. Walder, meanwhile, approached the girl. Playfully, he rolled over in front of her.

Gwen smiled to the thin-looking hound and carefully extended her hands to pet Walder's exposed belly. Likewise, the second Walder was greatly enjoying the new attention from the new small human.

"Oh," she nodded a little as he said he was from House Terrick. She didn't know much about it (or anything, really). "I'm... uhm... Snow. House Forrester, but, Snow."

"I'm happy to meet you both, Gwen." So was Walder, who rolled back and forth happily. "The woods were a bit too quiet."

"It's better here than back at the great hall..." she frowned, knowing she hadn't performed very well. "I like being out with the trees back home than being inside and having to do all the grownup-stuff... you probably get to do more fun stuff."

"A lot of time is spent preparing me for the future." he shrugged. "But, Walder and I sneak away to hunt or fish when we can."

"Mm," she nodded, being able to relate to the feeling of being prepared for the future. "Lots of places to sneak to here, I think. You think we can fish here too?"

"I hope so." he smiled. "I don't know how good the fishing is here, though."

"Me neither. All I heard people talking about was some white stag... or I think it was a stag, they said?" she shrugged. "But... I don't know... we'd probably get in trouble if we went out looking for it?"

"Adults will worry, but there's nothing wrong with hunting." he shook his head. "I suppose we could try to form a hunting party."

She was quick to smile. "We should! But no boring grownups."

"We'll see who we can find." he nodded. "We'll need to learn more about the area, too. Hunting in a strange place may be difficult."

She nodded as well, thinking of what could have caused someone to go missing on the way here.

"What is hunting like where you come from?"

"The land is forests, hills and plains." he shrugged. "With a variety of game. We do raise hunting birds at Hawkspray. I don't have my father's skill in falconry, but I'm learning."

"Oh~", she sounded a little impressed. "I've never tried hunting with a bird before, only with dogs. How do you do that, exactly? Like, does the bird chase out other birds, or...?"

"Birds or other small prey." he nodded. "The falcon is released to seize prey as it's flushed out."