Two Rivers Isle it's the living who are ghosts.

attn: @Ulrich / @Adylaide — wanted to see how this goes for TRI maybe, no pressure :)

Scents of two marked the land heaviest.

He gave a pause, a thoughtful lifting of a rear leg to scratch behind his ear. He felt the gentle strain of scar tissue on the underside of his neck.

The scent of two was not nearly as daunting as the scent of many, clustered together in uniform fashion. Yet he understood the fact that, in some ways, two might be even harder to appease. For they may have no wish for another!

However he could not call out, ask them properly about things and places. For no voice blessed him. Perhaps that alone would have him sent along his way by the pair. Regardless, despite his silent status, he remained respectfully on the fringe on their scents.

vague on the timeline. Adylaide can join or not. Up to them. We can thread in the meantime.

Ulrich had taken to patrolling the borders of their isle whenever he got the chance. He perhaps did it too often, but it made him feel safer and more in control when he had something productive to do, and he could not spend all of his time hunting fruitlessly for prey that mostly lived underground and was currently hibernating. So he patrolled. This gave him time to think, although that wasn't always a good thing, as he had a habit of overthinking. When this happened, he merely pumped his legs harder until it was too difficult to think for lack of air.

Today he came to the southern river and began his trek along its banks, occasionally glancing up and out, across to the other side. He never saw anything or anyone when he did this--except today. Now. Right this second. There stood a wolf. A wolf who looked to be on the edge of death, so gaunt was his appearance. The river here was not quite frozen completely, but it was sluggish and barely moved, and so was not too loud for a conversation. Who are you? he demanded. What do you want here? Food was assumption. Ulrich had half a mind to chase him off, if that was the case, and yet... Had he not spoken to Adylaide about allowing others into this little pseudo-pack? Otherwise they would not survive long. Well. He'd just have to see.

The man who came made demands that were rightful. Befitting. Makan was not blind to how his status often presented him to others. A ghoul come to haunt, a scavenger looking for handouts.

He liked to think he was beyond that nowadays.

Lote had taught him a bit more about living, Teya had taught him about fishing. He was not dead weight like his appearance might suggest. Unfortunately his ability to vouch such was limited.

He carefully dropped himself down low, a soft turn and tilt of his head. An exposure of his throat to the man, so that he might see the scar that lined his neck. The damage that hindered him from a finer voice.

The man said nothing, and yet dropped himself into what Ulrich assumed at first was a submissive pose. A pose he himself was familiar with as something he'd had to do before leaving his original pack with Adylaide. He had often prostrated himself before the king, or watched others do it. He relaxed then, as this stranger was showing him respect and a lack of aggression. And then he caught a flash of a different color on the man's throat and squinted, stepping closer to the water's edge to get a better luck.

A scar. A scar on the throat. He blinked. Was the scar a coincidence or had the man been showing it to him. Did he need healing? Ulrich grimaced; neither he nor Adylaide knew much in the way of the healing arts. Or... perhaps this accounted for the man's lack of speech? Are you injured? he asked. If you've come for healing, I'm afraid we cannot do much for you here. Can you speak?

Ady had heard Ully's tones and had headed in that direction. Did they have another beast at their borders. She moved in the same spot she always did. Behind Ully's hip and back, knowing he wouldn't want her inbetween him and whatever creature was in front of them. 

She saw the wound and she frowned. She had seen that before, or wolves that had spoken against her father. She winced in sympathy. This was probably not something Ulrich was used too, because usually when that was done these wolves were then unable to speak of their injustices and they usually disappeared. Ady had never questioned after them, because frankly she was afraid of the answer.

He probably can't talk. At least not well. She whispered to Ully as she arrived.

He could not! No matter how grand his desire to.

He shook his head softly in the form of a No — as the woman arrived too. Unknowingly she spoke for him in a way. Carefully he lowered himself even further. Prepared to fully expose his underside entirely to the pair. The only two who claimed this isle!

His tail thumped against the cold, snow dusted earth. A soft warbling sound in his throat.

Look, no harm!

Perhaps some of Adylaide's softer nature was rubbing off on him, because when the stranger across the river made that soft noise from his obviously destroyed throat and thumped his tail on the ground, all caution seemed to thaw from him. This man was harmless, and clearly subservient. Ulrich looked at him with kind eyes, hoping he'd be able to see his expression from across the water. Do you... need a place to stay? You'd have to work if you came here, but we share the work equally. There are only two of us now, but three would make a stronger claim. This is Two Rivers Isle.

He cut off speech there, realizing that the man would not be able to answer him in words. Ah, if you want to stay, just nod, he said, feeling awkward, not wanting to put emphasis on the man's throat injury but needing to acknowledge the disability it caused all the same. If the dark one chose to stay, he was sure they'd all find a way to communicate.

Ady would never tell Ully, but he had always been a bit soft. Not in a bad way. Just kinder than a lot of the other soldiers. Make no mistake he could and would take someones life. Fight to the death if he had too. The scars that criss crossed his gorgeous pelt was enough to prove it. However, he kept that part locked and barred. 

Questions bubbled deep in Ady's throat. She wanted to ask fifty million things. However, she also felt it a cruelty to ask the wolf so many questions at once. To let him answer simply one at a time.

She wagged her own tail at his greeting and submissive crouch.

He needed little convincing.

The pair seemed kind, welcoming, despite his struggle in the speech department. He already knew all the things he could do to repay his stay!

His head nodded up and down at once, tail wiggled behind him. More than prepared to give himself up to the River wolves.

um hello yes I love Makan so much that I wanna cry. That is all. Welcome to TRI! Please submit Makan as Pledged if you would like to, and put Two Rivers Isle in the "reason" box, but becoming pledged OOC is not necessary so no pressure.

Ulrich felt his heart melt for the wolf across the water. He had never felt this way toward anyone, except perhaps Adylaide, and he did not know what had come over him. He hoped trusting this wolf was not a mistake, but he supposed only time would tell. All right, then, he called. Follow me on that side and I'll lead you to a safe place to cross. Being sure the dark man was following, he slowly led him towards a shallower part of the river, where there were stepping stones to get across.

[Fade?]

Ady watched her husband help the other wolf across. And if entirely possibly her heart grew even fonder of him. He was so sweet. Her mind circled to how good of a father he would be, but she quickly quelled that thought. 

Though it was a dream, she didn't wish to have him running scared if she brought it up within only days of being together in an official capacity. But she couldn't quite hide the lovesick smile that lit up her face and eyes. Oh to be in love, what a wondrous thing.

She would greet the silent wolf as they crossed and help them to find a place to settle. How lovely it was to go from 2 to 3.