Canada wanders along the uncharted wilderness, a tiny white bear shuffling along behind him. He keeps his head down, his golden hair bouncing softly as he walks. He can't quite explain how he came across the polar bear, just that they ran into one another and a strange sort of friendship blossomed.

"Kumajimbo, do you know a game we could play together?" he asks the animal.

Kumajiro tilts his head as he looks up at the boy. "Who are you?"

Canada looks away, fiddling with his clothing. "I...I think I'm Canada..."

He sighs as he keeps walking, feeling far lonelier than usual. Québec told him that he couldn't play today; apparently France wanted him to stay near the home-front. Canada is friendless for now.

He wanders over to a river, admiring the way the waters seem to almost be at a standstill, yet the current is still present. It's serene, peaceful, the perfect place for a little nation to sit down and try to find some sort of entertainment. He settles down and dips his toes into the water, smiling at the cool feeling.

His violet eyes wander along the banks and the swaying trees, he notices a brown animal paddling along the minuscule waves with a branch in his mouth. Canada's face slackens with curiosity as he leans forwards, watching where the beaver is swimming to.

He quickly notices a half-made dam, a strong structure blocking off a narrower part of the river, a few small gaps allowing water to flow through. Canada gets up and starts to run along the riverbank, wanting to get closer to both the dam and the beaver. Kumajiro waddles along after his friend, his fuzzy face set in a neutral expression.

As the blond nation gets closer, another thing catches his eye. There's a girl sitting on the dam, her feet in the water. The beaver swims over and pulls himself onto the bridge, setting his find down as the girl reaches over and strokes his wet pelt. The rodent doesn't seem to mind her touch.

Canada's attention is only on her. There's a weird feeling that's blossomed in his chest, but it's almost the same kind that he got when he first ran into Québec. She's a nation of some sort, maybe a micro-nation, but he's never seen one like her. Every nation he's run into has light hair like his own and eyes ranging from pale brown to green to blue. This girl has darker hair, darker skin, and darker eyes, and yet they work for her.

The girl kicks her legs out of the water and tumbles into the chilly waters, making Canada gasp. He reacts in a second, sprinting towards the dam and clambering onto the thick logs. The beaver shoots him a glare as he gives the animal a quick apologetic smile, but his oddly-coloured eyes flicker back to the water in an instant. She hasn't resurfaced.

He kneels on the dam, feeling rather shaky and unstable as he peers into the water, searching for some sign of the strange girl.

There's a large splash as she reemerges, sending water spraying everywhere. Canada shrieks and lurches backwards, realizing his mistake too late. His balance tips and he goes tumbling head over heels off the other side of the dam, plunging into the darkness of the river.

He flails, his clothing tugging him down as he sinks lower and lower. He tries to scream, bubbles escaping his mouth in a rush as he squeezes his eyes shut. His lungs ache for air, his head starting to pound as his ears scream from the pressure increasing all around him. He can't even tell which way is up and which is down, giving his arms weak flails in an attempt to right his body.

A hand grasps his arm and he feels himself being tugged down into what he thinks is the bottom of the river, only causing him to panic more. As soon as he struggles, two arms surround him from underneath his armpits and keeping pulling. His lungs are getting more and more deprived, his head aching as he feels himself slipping away into unconsciousness.

All at once, he breaks through the surface. He gasps sharply, coughing and choking as he tries to dislodge the water from his eyes. The strong arms don't leave, still hauling him to the side until the cold of the water disappears and is replaced with warm grass.

Canada shivers, trying to get a hold of himself as he takes in slow breaths. The same hand that grasped him before rests on his shoulder, making him groan.

"Hey, are you alright?"

He slowly opens his eyes, staring up into the concerned face of the girl that had been sitting with the beaver. Her dark hair is loose and soaking wet, clinging to her face as water droplets run races down her features.

"I...I think so..." Canada squeaks, his voice still incredibly weak and scratchy.

"I'm sorry I scared you. I didn't think anyone was watching me," she explains, resting her hand on his back as she helps him into sitting position. "Um...why were you watching me?"

His cheeks flush with pink as he looks down, his one odd little curl drooping. "I...I saw the beaver, so I followed it, a-and then I saw you. When you fell in-"

"I didn't fall. I jumped," she says as a soft giggle passes her lips.

"O-Oh..."

There's silence for a moment. The girl takes her sleeve and scoots closer to Canada, reaching up and using it to dry off his face. He squeezes his eyes shut involuntarily, surprised by her kindness.

"Well, be glad I was there. You nearly drowned." A fleeting smile crosses her face as she shakes her sleeve of excess water.

He watches her for a moment, liking the smile on her face and the comfortable feeling she's giving him. "Uh...can I ask why you jumped in the river?"

She turns her face to him, shrugging. "I'm not sure. I like rivers. Rivers feel...right. I think it has something to do with who I am." Her eyes widen a little as she seems to remember something. "On that thought, who are you?"

"I'm Canada, I think," he says.

"You think?"

"Uh...yeah, I mean....I've got a name in my head that tells me I'm Canada, but the people around here are calling the land something else."

"Oh...you're a country then?" Her expression softens with respect and awe. "I knew you were sorta like me the second I saw you, but a country...woah."

"What? Aren't you a country?"

That makes her smile fall. She looks away, brushing her damp hair out of her eyes as she lets out a long breath. "No...I'm some sort of smaller part of a country, like a state or a province or something. I don't know yet."

"Oh..." He frowns, not liking how she's suddenly become so sad. "Well, I could help you find out." She smiles at that, making his face turn red again. "But...what should I call you until then?"

"I've got two names. One of them is human, another is my...race, I guess," she mumbles, starting to run her fingers through her hair. "My human name is Adalene, which means first daughter. I'm also Métis, which means I'm a mix between Aboriginal and French."

Canada's eyes widen. "French like...France?"

She nods, although her expression looks as though she'd rather not mention anything. "He's...my dad," she whispers the last word, wincing.

"That's really cool. You're extra special or something, I...I guess," he says with a kind smile.

It's her turn to blush. She fiddles with her hair, starting to tie it into long braids. "Oh...no one's ever said that to me before." Her eyes fall to the river as a thoughtful look overtakes her. "But, then again...I don't think I've had another person to talk to for a while."

"Me neither," he whispers, fluffing his slowly-drying hair as he looks at his feet. "So...could I call you Métis? Unless you want me to call you Adalene...then you could call me Matthew! T-That's...that's my human name..." he stammers, his voice growing quieter and quieter with every word.

She gets to her feet and brushes off her clothes. "Métis is fine," she says. She offers her hand to him, something he accepts. She pulls him to his feet, another small smile gracing her lips as he grips her hand. "Did you mean what you said? About helping me find out who I am?"

He nods, shifting on his feet nervously. "Y-Yeah...if I can."

She squeezes his hand, looking rather relieved. "It'd be nice to have a friend, Canada."

His eyes light up at the idea. Another friend, someone else to talk to and play with; it's perfect.

"Want to meet Kumajojo?" he asks. "He's my polar bear."

She nods, an eager smile brightening her face. "Okay, and you can meet Hudson! He's the beaver." She laughs a little. "Maybe I could teach you how to swim."

He can't help but smile as they swing their intertwined hands between them. "Yeah...I'd like that a lot, Métis."