Two Rivers Isle somewhere new

ich'aak had only discovered the riverbound inlet by chance, having trailed a wounded deer down from the taiga and deep into forested territory. the trail had grown cold - or perhaps ich'aak was too inexperienced to track it - either way he set down at the split of a river and took weary laps at the pool's edge. parts of the river were glazed over by encrusted ice -- some places looked too transparent to hazard, but ich'aak was light and nimble and skirted across the icy barrier without harm.

a forest rose before him, studded with douglas fir and pine -- he passed along their solemn rows quietly until he heard the tread of another. curious but not willing to expose himself to harm, ich'aak halted as the figure came into view. a female -- his jaguar green eyes apprised her dusky-clad figure, the prominence of her ears and the thinness of her limbs. that she was like him -- or at least closer than their wolven brethren -- evinced no warmth from the male, who simply elected to study her until told otherwise.