Phoenix Maplewood Just a rhyme without a reason

Atreus had never met a stranger. And the boy certainly wasn’t the gregarious type, so that wasn’t a turn of phrase. He had literally never met anybody outside of Redtail Rise. And because he was young and ignorant, he hadn’t expected to cross paths with anyone out here, on the edge of these flamboyant woods.

His spine went rigid as Atreus sat up straighter, then cautiously climbed to his feet. The man reminded him of Aventus, though he was much larger than the boy’s father. His eyes were gold rather than silver. They pierced into him and the Bearn looked right back, intimidated by the stranger’s sheer size, though he refused to show it.

No, Atreus replied to the man’s seemingly well-meaning questions.

It was bravado much more than cheek, though he wasn’t lost and didn’t want this guy knowing he was alone (and that nobody knew he was here, to boot). He was naive and could be rather stupid in the way of little boys, yet Atreus wasn’t a complete moron. He was a creature of instincts and his told him to be very, very careful right now.