In which a small catfolk ranger converses with a giant dog

"So, if you tell me your name I will give you a piece of snerky." Amerasu purred her words in her quiet voice. It was not a weak voice, simply a one unused to talking.

The catfolk put her paw in the pouch containing her snerky rations as her new companion stared back at her. They were sitting in the forest near enough Castle Calaelen to hear the construction work, but far enough away so as not to be able to make out what all the yelling meant.

"Snerky then name." The voice of the large creature sitting next to Amerasu was gruff, his words broken up by barks.

Amerasu handed over a piece of snerky which disappeared rather swiftly. 

"Well? I cannot just keep calling you 'dog', please tell me your name."

"Not dog. Ovcharka. Name be Isgrimnur. More snerky?"

"Not yet! I shall run out if you continue to eat them so rapidly. We are not close enough to the castle to replenish my supplies at present. I would like to know more about you, Isgrimnur. Such as, where are you from and what does 'ovcharka' mean?"

"Isgrimnur from woods. You be catfolk. Isgrimnur be ovcharka. Snerky now?"

Amerasu sighed and handed over another piece.

"For every five questions you answer, you get a piece, understand?"

"What be five?"

Amerasu protracted five claws. 

"That amount."

Isgrimnur cocked his head as he considered this clearly difficult concept. 

"Yes, five then snerky. Less big words, yes?"

"Ok, I'll be more concise from now on. I apologise. I am more used to conversing with elves and they demand a higher standard of conversation."

Isgrimnur glared at Amerasu. She had not realised that a creature with no visible eyebrows could appear to raise them.

"Fine. Why did you follow me?"

"Town smell bad. Amerasu smell good. Snerky smell gooder."

"'I'm very glad I smell better than that town. I prefer to be out of towns. The woods are my home too. I miss them greatly. Especially whenever we are in the Mouth of Doom."

"Doom Mouth where demon smell bad?"

"Yes, that's the place. Unfortunately we've got to spend more time in those foul smelling places. I made a promise to the feathered one to travel with his group. It's not a permanent arrangement. It's part of my training as a clouddancer. Once I prove myself I can go back to my clan.You would of course be welcome to come back with me, though many of the dwellings are in the trees. How do you feel about trees? Do you climb?"

"Tree be good. Ovcharka not climb. Amerasu be odd. Cloud no dance. Snerky?"

"Soon, not yet. Two more questions," Amerasu raised her paw and retracted three claws "A clouddancer doesn't mean a dancing cloud. My clan is called Cloudchaser. It's a difficult concept to explain in Common. I suppose it is my job. I am a clouddancer, I must be swift and exist as part of nature. I must share my talents when they are required. There are times where I wish that I had not signed with this company. But Jirki said I must venture into truly unknown territory, far from any catfolk to properly test my skills. What is more unknown to my kind that such a foul place? It offends the nose, just walking in takes strength, the stench is ghastly. Plus there are spiders. I hate webs. They are so sticky."

"Sticky be bad for fur," Isgrimnur wrinkled his nose at the idea, "What be Jirki? 

"Jirki is my mentor, he's an elf. Our clans have an agreement with each other, they help train our cattens for the jobs they will do when they are of age. I miss him every day. I spent almost every waking moment of my life with him for five years, being apart from him is hard."

"Amerasu talk too much. Want snerky. Then us be run, yes?"

"Yes of course, this must be boring you.  Here, we'll both have a piece and go find Drusilla. I hope you like wolves."

Isgrimnur bounded up in one swift motion and turned his head back to Amerasu.

"We be run now."

She tucked her pouch back into her pocket and followed.