Whitefish River frater meus, you're beautifully made

It was dark upon the flatlands. Even the silver moon casting its great spotlight upon the lands did nothing to rid it of its shadows. The wind rustled the grasses, tugging gently upon the fur of those out in the open, sweeping through the wide open spaces and filling the air with its song.

There was a river, at the edge of it all. Curving from the distant mountains, a silver streak like a fish’s silver scales. Beside it, a scar carved into the moonlit beach. Dark, foreboding, grim in every sense. The moon warped the frame until it was far more massive than the man beneath it. He had come here, his duty finished, and stood upon the precipice. One way, across the river where his scent would die out should anyone ever follow, led into the peaks and the unknown, the question. The other way, the mesa’s glowering shade in the far distance, standing at stark contrast to the flat surface in every other way. A waypoint, should anyone seek him.

He didn’t want anyone to seek him. Aquillius stood at the edge of the river, his single eye staring at the distant mesa, and he thought. He had an opportunity here. If he did not return to Akashingo, they would consider him a casualty. He shifted his weight, looking across the river. But, taken the other way, he had no idea where his father could be. Not the first clue, nor did he know who to ask. If Germanicus had come this way, he reasoned desperately, he’d have at least stopped at Akashingo right? So…either he hadn’t come this way at all, or he did and he avoided the Mesa wolves.

He didn’t know which hurt worse.

The raven stood at the crossroads, each way tempting him further, and waited for the demon to offer its deal.

The serenity of the darkness drew her in as if she were a moth drifting to the brightest flame. The grass caressed her with the ebb and flow of the wind to assist it. She felt comfortable enveloped in the tall grass as the symphony of noise wound its way in every direction. Refuge had been obtained in the tall grasses mere paces from the river, and the soft sound of rushing water had lulled her mind to peace as she laid in silence. A peachy figure who was not visible to others as she laid there wishing for every thought, but she could think nothing at all. 

She roused herself to shake away the evidence of her comfortable fortress of grass. Her paws carried her to the river in anticipation of another drink after a long days travel, but she stalled at the edge of the foliage to evaluate the area. Reeds on the waters edge still partially hid her as pale yellow eyes darted back and forth in the night. She felt the need to be hesitant in a new area. Creed opened her maw to scent the area. The scents from upwind appeared to belong to mere animals, so she left the comfort of her new found solitude to satiate the now burning thirst. 

The water was calm and cool in this area. The smooth river stones beneath her made gentle clinking sounds as she made her way from cover into the open area. She waded in the shallows to find the running water before sinking her head to drink. After she was filled, Creed turned her attention to the elevated area in front of her. It was much like the mountains she was soon hoping to traverse that laid beyond where she had come. 

The female's muted curiosity at the geography was drawn to a figure as they shifted in the dark. A figure so dark and upwind would have been hard to notice for most wolves, and she was no exception. She decided to remain quiet and drifted her way back to the edge of the cool water. She feared most wolves would not take kindly to being interrupted, but she could not find the will to pry her sore paws from the comforting water.

The ear upon the blinded side of Aquillius turned, slow, towards the sound of a disturbance. The boy did not turn to face it, at least not yet, waiting for the sounds to halt. He could hear the faint dripping of water from whiskers, barely audible over the sound of rushing water. But, even with his blinded eye, his hearing was strong.

Slowly he turned his head, staring out across the water until his eye picked up the faint shift of color. Even then, it took him a moment of focusing to realize it was a woman and not an oddly colored branch close to his face. He looked at her for a moment, letting it stretch, before his eyes looked to the distant Mesa.

Are you from here? His voice would ask the dark and the maybe-woman maybe-weird stick with his faulty depth perception.

Creed turned back to face the darkened figure as it spoke to her above the sound of distant rushing water. A question. One she felt comfortable enough to answer due to the absence of distinguishable features on the stranger in her dark surroundings. She readied herself before speaking leaving a moment of silence hanging in the air above the river; sometimes words did not come so naturally to her in conversation, but it appeared the calm of the night prompted her.

No. I'm from lands far from here. She felt no need to say more as she finally waded out of the water onto a small area of sand that protruded further than most of the rest of the embankment. She shook her paws from the water that still clung to them before once again looking towards the figure with pale yellow eyes.

Are you?

The woman, for that is what she was, not some odd looking stick, spoke back to him. She was not from here, a traveler, and his interest piqued as he turned his head to take her in with a single sweep of his eye, before his head pointed back to the mesa. Looming, distant, omnipresent. 

He licked his nose.

Yes. I was born in those mountains. He said, tipping his head to indicate the mountain range towering over them both. Then, he fixed her with a stare.

Have you happened to see a man about my height and stature, a bit more grey in the face and chest? Going by Germanicus? It wouldn’t hurt to ask, would it?

Creed met gazes with the stranger to discover one eye reflecting back at her in the dark. It was definitely unique, and she had never met another without both of their eyes. She tried to pay it little heed as to not offend while she glanced where he had motioned before realizing she was now being given undivided attention. She shifted her weight to another foot uneasily as she listened to his inquiry.

I'm sorry to say I have not. I have only met one other on my travels thus far, and he was not this man you speak of. She paused for a moment and looked to the mesa herself. The soft whistle of the wind blew at her fur as she did so. I am headed in the direction you appear to seek, though. Why do you seek him? Creed had her suspicions, but she would not assist in a malicious man hunt for another. She had already been down that road, and it had not ended well.

He sighed out a breath, gentle.

No need. If he has not come this way, he is doubtless not going to. He said, eye closing briefly. He opened the eye after a moment, focusing on the woman.

He is..important to me. If she was going towards the mesa, than it was not good or favored for him to reveal who he was. Aquillius quickly rolled through names in his mind, settling on one.

I am sorry to have bothered you. You appeared to be busy.

She let a gentle look settle her features and settled down to a sitting position with her tail wrapped around her paws. The ache in them had dissipated with her earlier walk into the river, and it made the sitting a more comfortable option rather than standing. She had a deep understanding of just how important those around one could become. Creed couldn't help to empathize with the stranger despite how vague he was.

You are no bother. Excuse me. I forgot to introduce myself, but I am Creed. Drinking is not quite a busying task. I will be sure to let this wolf know he is being sought if I ever happen upon him. She spoke genuinely. Always the helpful soul, but she did have a question of her own.

If it is not too much of a bother, would you mind me asking what packs reside close to here? So that I might avoid them on my future journeys. Creed had limited knowledge of what surrounded her, and while she could smell pack borders, she hoped someone who was a native could help her with the names of them. Perhaps who to avoid.

Aquillius tilted his head in acknowledgement of her statement.

I am Corvinus.

It hurt to not use his name as given to him by his mother, but he had made up his mind in some ways. He looked towards the mesa.

Akashingo claims the mesa. Brecheliant lies within the caldera to the south, to their west is Moonspear and Moonglow. Epoch is north of here, the vale among the mountains. That is the extent of my knowledge. He said, mentally wishing he could speak of Mereo, decry the knowledge that you needed to avoid it. 

It wasn’t like he hadn’t since he’d left. But it was too late to return now.

A pleasure to meet you, Corvinus. She listened to him carefully while mulling over what she was being told. All the easier to avoid if she could figure out what these packs before she stumbled upon their scent borders. It gave her a bit of comfort going forward if he was being truthful. Creed blinked before her eyes drifted to the quietly flowing water.

I shall do my best to drift from those places, then. These lands are so full of canids that I feel I will inevitably run into another, but I hope it is another traveler like us when that moment comes. She gave him a long stare before standing from her sitting position to look back the way she had wondered down to the river. The small walk did not feel as daunting as it had the first time she had walked it, but Creed felt the need to say more over her shoulder before she once again retired to the comfort of her haven. A parting gift, if you will.

May your travels be peaceful and long. Perhaps we will meet again.

Would this be an okay spot to finish up for you as well? ^^

Yes it would! Thank you for the thread <33!

Aquillius would dip his head low to his chest, respectful as his muscles loosened to begin moving again.

May the winds be fair to you, Creed. He would answer to her, watching her return to the river. Aquillius turned his eye to the distant slopes, then inward.

Without a word more, the boy vanished into shadows, concealing his journey towards the mountains he had been staring at.