Phoenix Maplewood Just a rhyme without a reason

If the man minded his brevity, he didn’t show it. He took Atreus’s response in stride before launching into quite the soliloquy. The Bearn didn’t have much choice but to listen to every word, though he did find some things the stranger had to say rather intriguing. For instance, he’d somehow managed to survive on his own since he was little more than a weanling.

It caught him a bit off guard when the stranger insisted Atreus didn’t have to speak to him, that he could go. The pup’s lips parted but he wasn’t sure how to respond. He sensed a trap. His eyes squinted as he somewhat abruptly remembered this actually wasn’t his first stranger.

He thought about the unwanted guest he and his father had chased away from the rise’s borders. But they were nowhere near the rise now, so it was a whole different dynamic. Atreus should probably take the out… but then what?

He blinked as the drizzle suddenly picked up to a proper rain, still light but insistent enough that it demanded attention. He gave his head a little shake, ears flapping noisily, but never once took his eyes off the swarthy male.

What’s your name? he found himself asking.