" Whoo*"
Halfdan finished his drawing while looking at the remaining dye that he made from the fruits and other materials. As a modern man and CEO of a big corporation, he had countless knowledge about things like dye which was used to make food coloring and industrial coloring.
Thus, the question was what painting he was painting with this painstaking method. It was the faces of his former family before he came here. His love for them never faded even though he reincarnated into a different world because humans were emotional animals in the end.
Crunch*
Suddenly he heard crunches of branches as he turned his head around to see a few children similar to his age.
They were looking at his painting with glistering eyes since they thought it was cool. Unlike other tribes, his father never prohibited others from learning things. He even encouraged other children to learn after witnessing the great development of other kingdoms and fluent merchants who were smart and resourceful.
" Who are you?"
Halfdan asked with a sheepish tone, knowing these children were probably playing around before finding him.
The leading girl hit her chest with a smile as she spoke loudly.
" Helena Bordotter. I am the greatest warrior of my age. Who are you?"
She didn't fear Halfdan who was isolated in the middle of the forest with a thick coat. He wasn't holding any weapons or items to protect himself in the forest, so she was sure that he was familiar around here despite his young age.
" Halfdan Magnusson. I am the son of the chief."
Halfdan spoke calmly, looking at the children with a slight interest in his eyes since he also noticed they weren't holding any weapons despite visiting the forest.
The forest itself is a good place to play around and gather items but for 3-year-old children it was like inviting death because the beasts inside the forest were dangerous enough to injure adults.
Especially northern areas like their home had wolves, bears, boars, etc. Each one of these animals was a threat to young children like them. Although wolves were more docile to the children, the other animals were extremely dangerous like boars which would charge toward them without any thought.
" You shouldn't be here, Helena. This area is marked by the wolves and they would attack you if you cross their line."
Halfdan said lightly with a serious face. Even though they were children of Vikings which made them stronger than any ethnicity, they were still far from beasts like wolves.
" I know. My uncle taught me. I am here to collect berries to eat, but why are you here?"
Helena didn't worry about wolves because she learned their habits through her uncle who was one of the best hunters in their tribe.
" I am accustomed to this place. Elders taught me about this place and I accompanied them in my free time to learn."
Halfdan spoke honestly, believing in her words since Vikings despised lying due to their beliefs even though they often used deception for battles. Hence, there was no need to worry about her validity.
" Is that so? Do you want to become friends?"
Helena nodded without questioning as she tried to befriend Halfdan out of her curiosity and instinct. She respected the chief and she believed it would be great to befriend Halfdan who seemed to be smart by his looks.
" Sure."
Halfdan didn't refuse her intentions to become friends as he also desired to have some friends. Moreover, Helena seemed to be smarter than most of the kids and a nice kid.
" Oh, by the way, this is Harold and this is Arne."
Helena introduced two boys with her who were silently listening to their conversation. They seemed to be around 4 to 5 years old due to their larger builds and they were acting well behaved unlike most of the kids of their age.
" Nice to meet you."
Halfdan didn't hesitate to greet them with a smile while the other two scratched their faces with embarrassment.
" Don't take their actions seriously. These two are too shy to meet with new people, so they always stuck around me."
Helena hit their backs with a grin as they turned their heads around with embarrassment. This was the beginning of their friendship that transcended death.