anything at all can happen just before the sunrise [Brynjar]

It was still fairly early in the morning when Yrsa was forced awake by the pups she’d recently acquired. They were finally starting to look well fed and healthy, and they were now her constant companions. Naturally, she didn’t mind the company, and they weren’t the first pups she’d trained, so things were coming along nicely.

Deciding to take a walk around the village and see if any other early risers were already out and about, Yrsa had washed and dressed quickly, and slipped quietly out of her parents house. She was unable to wander off in the woods as often as she used to, because the puppies weren’t entirely trained yet, and she didn’t want them running off after a squirrel and losing sight of them, so she had to settle for staying within the village area.

It was chilly in the morning, but Yrsa had never minded the cold, and the thin whisps of fog that floated over the distant fields seemed almost magical to her. Her mother would tell her to get her head out of the clouds if she ever heard her say something like that, but Yrsa had learned to keep such fanciful thoughts to herself. Especially around her mother.

She’d paused to admire the view and didn’t immediately realize the puppies had spotted someone new until she heard their high pitched puppy barks as they ran over to their new friend. “Aksel! Aleksia! Hush!” she hissed at them, not wanting to wake the entire village with their noise or her yelling. She didn’t need to listen to her mother complaining that the neighbors were upset with her. Again.

Finally getting a look at who they’d approached, Yrsa wasn’t entirely sure what to do next. It was Brynjar. He was the Radningar of Skagerrak, which meant he was important and she was fairly certain a pair of ill-mannered pups nipping at his ankles wasn’t the best way to make a good impression. But from what she knew of him, she didn’t think he’d be too cross with her. She really hoped, at least.

“Good morning!” she called in greeting, hurrying over to scoop up the mischievous pair of pups. “I’m sorry if they were bothering you,” she added, praying there would be no hard feelings. It wasn’t as if they’d peed on him or anything.