Elk Charm let no opportunity go by. He watched with some surprise as she gathered mussels from the rock—he had seen them before, of course, but had never realized they could be food. Something more useful than jagged patches to avoid with his paws. He watched carefully how she cracked them with her teeth, hoping to remember the technique for later, and murmured his thanks as he swallowed one.

While they ate as they walked, he listened. Nate offered many names. Of them all, he only knew Chakliux. And Elk Charm. And now Nate himself, of course. He would not have minded to listen in quiet. Or, perhaps, he did not know how else to be anymore.

But Nate had not forgotten him, and his ears perked up in surprise when questioned. He was seized by a moment's hesitation.

Before coming to this land, I travelled far. Across the Alps and to Rome itself, said Samo. After I...arrived here, I met Elk Charm. I went hunting with Chakliux and the other Seal Hunters. There was a storm, and I was lost. I ended up someplace north of here. The mystery of just how he had come to this land remained unsolved. Perhaps, he thought, Nate might understand.

But I found my way again, he continued with a tentative smile. Your friends, perhaps they will make their way here too. Samo knew all too well the sort of dangers that could waylay even an experienced traveller, but there was no reason to speak as such.