tags for ref - anyone is welcome to find him!
Warning for swearing.
The Isle's scent was fading.
No longer the quiet stronghold it had once been, the boy had watched from the shadows as wolves came and went. As the days went by, he found it harder and harder to justify the actions of
@Iseul. She had welcomed the rat man and his stinking comrades with open arms, let him lead beside her even. All for what? For their silly little gang to ruin their home and leave it as rotten and as stinking as them? He loved Iseul, he truly did, but as he grew so did the feelings of resentment inside him.
He thought of
@Ines as he crossed the river for the final time, the trail of
@Colt hot and putrid in his nostrils. Fuck Colt, and fuck the Isle. A branch scraped painfully along his side, he tore it from its bush with a frustrated growl and a snap of his teeth.
White hot tears slid down his cheeks as he entered the forest, though he hardly felt them as light rain began falling from the gathering stormclouds. He would find that wretched man and he would teach him a lesson. For Ines. For Iseul. For Mama and Papa's legacy.
The Isle was no more. Scattered, fragmented; and Boone knew not where Iseul had gone.
Much less at the forefront of his mind was the red-eyed westerner and his gang. If his suspicions had been correct about him, he'd either fuck off or take the land for himself. Boone found himself not particularly keen on dealing with it. He'd explore his options, he thought; take his business elsewhere for the time being. No use beating a dead horse. Maybe he'd come back to Iseul when the time was right.
The river's edge began to disappear from view behind him and his coat is given a rough shake. Directionless, his feet take him into the thick woodlands with heavy steps and a gentle sigh that passes from between chapped lips.
And then, he looks down. Whose goddamn baby was that?
When he tastes the air, he smells the piney bogwater Isle on the little guy's pelt. This must've been one of the kids Iseul was looking after. Hey, little man,
he is gentle in his approach, cautious; this kid didn't know him, and he didn't know this kid, but his gut swims with the desire to help him. my name is Boone. Where's your mama?
His mind swirled. Over and over again the currents of his thoughts raged and dripped from his chin to fill his mouth with a salt-tinged wetness. He shook his head, tasting the air, and cursed under his breath.
A rustle behind him - he half expected to see Colt's wretched face but instead he locked eyes with the rugged features of the cowboy. What was he doing here? Had he followed him? He didn't know much about this guy, but he knew enough to put two and two together as the man introduced himself. So this was Boone. Hackled raised, he spins to face the man as he approached. Despite his gentility, Matteo was loath to trust him. For all he knew, he could be a friend of Colt. And he was so much bigger than him.
The question caught him off guard. White fur, the warm scent of milk. Was it his fault? Had he not loved her enough to make her stay? His lip trembled. "None of your business," he sniffed, puffing out his chest to appear larger than he felt beside the man. "Anyway, whaddya want, Boone?"
This kid didn't trust him. Which, honestly, he couldn't exactly blame him. But how was he to convince a strange child that he wasn't here to cause him harm?
He softens, bringing himself a bit lower to the ground with a gentle sway of his tail. The little guy's display of toughness brings his ears down against his skull as he tries to crack a smile. I reckon you're tryna get outta dodge before Colt pulls his head out of his ass and realizes you ran off,
he quirks an eyebrow knowingly. me too, kid.
He stays put, decidedly, not quite ready to sit, but not wanting to approach or start walking away under the assumption he'd follow. You hungry? You look it.
Beady amber eyes watched as Boone's tail stirred, but it was the contorted grin that finally won over the heart of the boy. Matteo hesitantly wagged his tail in response, though his haunches remained stiff.
The mention of Colt sends the hairs on the back of his neck bristling. "Something like that," he snorts. He still didn't fully trust this guy, but at least it seemed like he wasn't part of the gang. Shuffling his paws, he plopped himself down in front of Boone and let out a big sigh. For the first time since crossing the river, he'd begun to think with his head instead of the feelings that weighed on his little heart.
Even if he did find Colt, what then? And what about his family? Could he be putting them in danger? "Jus'- don't tell anyone I'm here, alright?" he gazes up at the cowboy, "Isuel would worry an' Ines-" He lets out a shaky breath.
The mention of food was a welcome distraction - he nods stiffly. "I could eat an entire river of fish right now."
That seemed to have worked, at least somewhat. Had the mountaineer hands, he would have mimed a zipping motion over his lips. Secret's between you, me, and God.
As Boone looks down at the poor kid, this jumbled ball of raven fur, his chest tugs. Where the hell was Iseul? Where were this kid's parents? His siblings? Did he have any? He leaves all of these questions to flit about in his mind for now. He'd been a boy too, once; a boy like him with wide brown eyes and no one left to make him their problem.
A lump forms in his throat.
Let's get you some supper. We'll hop down by the river and I'll catch us both somethin', how 'bout that?
He lumbers forward with a motion of a hefty paw. I hear there's a nice coastline up this way, too. I ain't never been to no beach, though. Can't promise it don't suck.
It was some mixture of relief and guilt that the boy felt when Boone agreed to hold his tongue. Part of him wished the cowboy would just leave him here - return to the Isle and fix it all...somehow. But Matteo was old enough to realise that some things couldn't be fixed with a simple press of a button, no matter how much he wanted them to.
The mention of the river makes his heart swell nervously as images of Iseul began to surface. "Let's be quick about it then," he manages to choke out eventually. It felt a little rude to say decline the offer once Boone's metaphorical olive branch had been accepted. Even as his stomach churned and his appetite shrank to the size of a mouse.
Stiffly, he follows the cowboy's lead, ears pricking at the mention of the coast. "Heard about this beach place before," he muses, "From Iseul. Said things about some Moon-something, can' r'member the name exactly." Moontide. He remembered it crystal clear. "Can't suck more than here."
Perhaps it was the naive hope that Iseul would be waiting for him on the beach that drove him to follow Boone as they walked, even as the thought of her brought the anger bubbling right back.
One thing Boone specifically noticed was that this boy refers to Iseul by her name, not as mama or nothing. Was she not his mom? Maybe she wasn't. Either way, he doesn't ask for clarification.
He keeps his pace to a slow trot, every so often glancing to his side to ensure the little guy is still following. Poor thing couldn't be more than a few months old.
How the hell could anyone abandon a poor kid like this?
Were you born in the Isle?
he finally inquires, an ashen ear swiveling to bat away a gnat that happened to hover close to his face. He keeps his nose to the air, attentive, in case something a little more filling than fish happened to cross their path. I'm gonna guess you ain't from moon-somethin', at least.
a chuckle follows. Maybe they could go there, if their luck ran dry — and if this kid could learn to trust him.
Boone was good company; he talked a lot and sounded a hell of a lot like Colt, but there was something about his gentle demeanour that the raven boy drew comfort from. He didn't half ask stupid questions though.
"Well I didn' jus' magically appear here," he snorted, as if the answer was obvious enough. But they had time to kill and Matteo didn't particularly feel like hunting in silence. "My mom and dad founded the pack, but they left and took Ever and Manias when me and Ines were tiny." He barely remembered much of his siblings aside from Ever's obnoxiously loud voice and Manias' soft snuggles. "Don' r'member much about 'em to be honest, but Isuel said they put us in charge," he paused, tasting the air, "You can see how that turned out."
When he could scent nothing of use, he turned to Boone with a toothy grin, intent to turn the interrogation onto the older man. "How 'bout you, big man?"
His parents left him and took two of his siblings. Jesus, how awful was that? Boone found himself frowning, even as the little guy seemed to shrug it off as if it were nothing.
And now, Iseul and the other pup; god knows where either of them went. He clears his throat as the dryness of it begins to take hold. You've been through a lot,
his shoulders slump. Did he even realize that? it's okay to let yourself miss 'em. Believe me.
The question is turned on him as the trees grow more and more sparse, transitioning to a wide stretch of pale foothills as the sound of rushing water grows closer; seasalt clings to the humid air. There's a heavy pause, a thickness to it, as his eyes gleam with something unrecognizable. I was a lot like you,
his lip curves into a smile, one of fondness. my mama and my daddy both kicked the bucket when I was real young. Don't got no siblings. I had to learn how to live on my own.
he draws a slow breath. Damn near didn't make it.
Mount Chesney. He thinks of the temple, the way his mama wrapped herself around him after worship. Catching fireflies and holding them in a soft mouth, the redness of daddy's face when his bumbling son tracked muck from the creek into the den. He thinks of how he doesn't remember what their voices sounded like.
And he looks down at this child; this little boy so disenchanted already, and he fights the tears that glaze his eyes.
But the river's not too far, now. You ever been fishin', l'il man?
It’s okay to let yourself miss them.
Truth be told, Matteo thought often of them. Though he hadn’t fully understood what had been happening at the time, he did have plenty of fond memories, blurry as they were. When they came to mind these days he only hoped that they had found happiness, wherever they were; the idea of missing them when life without them had become so normal was almost foreign to the boy.
“I…” he began, eyes glued glumly to his paws as they neared the familiar sound of the river. “I don’ miss ‘em. They’re happy out there. I know it.” Not quite a lie, but not quite the truth either. Matteo gives his pelt a shake and takes a deep breath as Boone resumes his rambling.
Kicked the bucket? “So, your mama and papa, they’re…” Gone? Dead? Never coming back, like his. But that was normal…right? Except Boone never had an Isuel, never had someone to teach him anything. “H-how’d ya do it? Without ‘em, I mean.” As sheltered as he was, Matteo simply couldn’t fathom the idea of having to do everything alone.
He meets Boone’s gaze with a mischievous grin as the subject changed. “Duh! Bet I can catch a bigger fish than you!” And as the cowboy’s words replayed in his mind, the raven boy found a weight lifting ever so slightly off his shoulders.
The boy says he doesn't miss them. And maybe that were true; maybe he hadn't enough memory of them to even know who to miss; maybe he had no memories to look back on with a tightened chest.
And maybe it was better that way.
I prayed, for a while,
he draws a breath, then, a clench to the knuckles of his forepaws. but I stopped one day. Whatever I was doin' wasn't enough for the man upstairs to answer me, apparently. I don't know if I ever really thought he was there.
Another pause.
But, um, I'onno. I grew up real fast. Had no choice. Taught myself everything I know now.
And then, a look.
I don't want that for you, kid.
His steps land upon the edge of a sturdy rock along the riverbank. The boy hollers, as if setting a challenge, and Boone chuffs out a loose chuckle. I bet you can.
He stares down into the ruddy water as it weaves around debris, soaked twigs and moss and fallen leaves. And there, they would wait. Watch where you step, and keep your eyes peeled.
He spoke of prayers and some sort of guy living up in the clouds; Matteo fuzzed his nose in confusion. Never before had he witnessed such a thing, let alone heard it speak. As much as he found camaraderie in the shared experiences he and Boone had gone through, he certainly spoke a whole lotta nonsense sometimes. "Sounds like you're making stuff up," Matteo offered with a snort and an apologetic grin.
And then Boone says he doesn't want the same thing to happen to himself. "You barely know nothin' about me," he meets the cowboy's gaze matter-of-factly. Though his words held no bite whatever pity he felt for him melted away. He didn't want to be end up like Boone - all melancholy and strange in the head. "B'sides, I got Iseul, wherever she is." Did he?
Stepping carefully past the man on the rocks, he acknowledges his warning with a flick of raven ears. "There's a better way, y'know? Rather than sittin' on your butt. Makes 'em come out faster." The boy would wade belly-deep in the water towards a cluster of water flies, eyes alert for movement and ears pricked for Boone's reaction.