Horizon Ridge he is too young to have learned to hate himself yet

the young savage moved across the barrow fields and away from the sounds of ghosts that lingered at his tail. if he could have remembered the sound of his father’s voice, he was certain that he would have heard it on the wind. in many ways, it was fortunate that he did not recall the gruff tone of the old man. in few ways, it was a pity that he did not.
 
illidan moved on lengthy limbs and closed a great deal of distance until he had found himself under the safe net of a vast swatch of trees that stood tall. it reminded him a great deal of the blackpine, and the forest allowed him to feel a sense of security that he had not known for a very long time. so, he prowled beneath the dim light of the overcast skies. the boughs loomed overhead and shielded him from flurries of snow that spiraled down to coat the earth.

Shhh the timeline is fineee

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The man had left.
Perhaps not cowardly, but yet it made him feel less. He trusted his sister, of course, but he didn't trust the skeletal, marred sea witch. She reeked of wrongness and even Grezig asked for nothing heinous.  That said enough to Derg that, without an appropriate confirmation of the pack's ways, he would not join. Not for Grezig, not for no one. It made him selfish, possibly, but it also made him smart. Not again would he be caught in a situation where he had no free choice.

He wandered up into a forest. Letting the trees envelop him in their arms and shelter him partly from the unforgiving wind that sprayed sand and salt into him. Even though he'd tried washing in the river, which proved freezing cold and left him running just to keep warm, ice frozen into his fur and snow blanketed his back.
Now, he searched for a meal. Something to reignite the warmth in his stomach and keep him going until his destination.
Wherever that would be.

In his hunting, he was distracted by a form moving through the trees. A deer? No. Lupine. 
Derg chuffed, not wanting to startle the other. He couldn't decide if they were a man or boy, but they certainly had growing room. Derg approached, body speaking friendly manners, yet as he neared the scent of that sea-witch drifted to him. It hit him then that the pair were similar, perhaps the same.
Her son, unmistakeably with the colourings. 
His ears tilted as if contemplating whether to interact further with the adolescent further. Torn between two minds. He took a soft sigh, he had to ensure Grezig would be safe. The boy would certainly have sway over his mother. If that was who she was.
"Hello there," he started, not unsure, but careful, "I suppose you come from the sea pack dwelling just over." He gesticulated towards Rusalka. Hoping his hunch was correct.

---

​336 words

thank u for saving this <3

the voice of a stranger shook him from his mindset and caused his head to turn sharply toward an unfamiliar figure. the young ghost latched his sights on the face of the male and he drew his skull upward in hopes that he would not give away his youth. though he was not yet a year, the wildling had learned more of adulthood than most others his age. illidan had shed the skin of a child several months before returning to the coast. it was only his frame that reflected his true age.

the remark was a peculiar one. it seemed that while this male was a stranger to the young boy, he was not a stranger to their pack. illidan drew his crown a bit higher and canted it to the side in a questioning manner. his ears were cupped forward and his hawkish gaze did not waver or turn away from the unknown figure at his front. he did not smell of the cliffs, so it seemed that he was not speaking directly to an enemy of his home.

“yeah, rusalka is my home,” he answered with a small nod of his head. “why?”

---

When his suspicion was confirmed, the man felt something ease inside him. Only small knot, however. He didn't know if this boy was as accepting of Grezig as his mother but...surely there was something good.
Illidian. His name returned to him, the women had spoken of him. The boy. 
Derg smiled softly, his head tilting slightly to counter the boy's own direction. 
"Illidan, I believe. My sister, Grezig, spoke to Caiaphas of a boy. I assume he is you, no?"
He paused for a moment, letting him process the information. He wouldn't wait for confirmation; either way, Grezig was his pack now. Surely harm wouldn't come to her.

"My sister joined your pack. I'm happy for her though I do have concern because I will not be there for her." He paused again, tail still waving softly by his hocks. "I hope you could provide some security for me. Making sure she is safe there."
A fondness lit his eyes, the dark hazel looking back at the hawk. Was this such a good idea? Yes, he shouldn't second guess himself. He watched the silent language of the other to see how he reacted. If he had indeed chosen correctly. If he was right or wrong, only time could tell. When he'd find his sister again, he'd know. 
But for now, if he could find a sort of guardian for her, even though she could take care of herself -- no, that wasn't his true worry. His true worry was her being miserable and forced to do the worst. She'd escaped it once, once again she would not be put into it. Not if he could stop it.

So he stood before the growing man, putting his faith in what he'd learned from his sister about the boy. And hoped for the best.

---

​​313 words

when the stranger spoke his name, the young man felt his heart thrum wickedly in his chest and his eyes narrowed sharply on the man across from him. surely, they had met before but he could not recall anything about their meeting. it left him with an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. that was, until the other spoke of grezig. suddenly, it all made sense to him. this man had met both grezig and caiaphas. he revealed himself to be related to one of them. that, too, left a strange feeling to flutter around inside of the dark-hooded young man.

he could not recall grezig ever having mentioned a brother who was in the area. he hadn't even known that she had joined the rusalka group. with a furrowed brow, the ghost turned his attention back toward the sound and lingered there with a troubled expression. this man wanted illidan to keep grezig safe and to make sure that no harm fell to her. that was surprising, to him.

“where have you been, though? if you're worried about her... why don't you stay?” he demanded sharply, drawing his sights back to the other male. who would leave the safety of their family in the hands of a young man who had not even reached his full adulthood yet? surely, this man could not have trusted illidan that well. no matter what grezig might have told him, it seemed too peculiar. as though he wished to make a point of this, the ghost took a step forward and drew his crown upward.

“you might know my name, but you don't know anything else about me... why would you trust your sister to me?”

---

He thought for half a moment before replying, "Your pack isn't right for me." He wouldn't stay where there could be problems with him and an Alpha. Not when Grezig would be stuck in the middle of his mess. His head tilted slightly more, letting an ear drop. He wasn't sure why he was trusting a boy. One who, may be impressive in stature, may not have the capability of fighting. But no, he didn't need to use brawn over brain.
He had the influence that Derg would exploit.

"I don't want my sister to be unhappy. I'm sure that's enough of a task to trust someone I don't know with." The man let a smile hint his expression. He wouldn't be sour if the boy would cuss him out for being a fool -- and yet Derg half expected him to just understand and accept his concerns. Or something along those lines. He'd never asked for a favour before. But if he felt the same about Grezig as she did about him -- he was sure she'd be safer. Happier.

---

190 words

illidan wasn’t certain if he liked grezig’s brother or not. for what it was worth, he could certainly see the similarities between the wolf before him and his sister. he thought it odd that they would not wish to remain together in the same grouping, whether derg liked the premise of rusalka or not. the young ghost was not foolish enough to call out the man on his poor life choices. he could not speak for the bond between all siblings. after all, he was still driven to sink his fangs into his own brother’s throat for the turmoil that he had caused their family.
 
“very well,” the ghost remarked with a small nod of his dark head. “i owe her for the care she showed me when i was young and separated from my family.” it didn’t matter that her bother knew these things. illidan had used grezig as an adoptive mother when he had thought his blood relatives to be dead. she had tended to him, even on the days when they did not get along. he felt as though he owed her something for what she had done to assist him.
 
then, he drew his crown upward and latched the hawkish yellow of his eyes to the other wolf’s face. “she won’t be unhappy when she has the support of rusalka at her back.” that was a pointed statement; it carried the weight that he believed in the pack his mother had created. it was the same promise that he had breathed into firefly. the pack was there to support its members.

---

Derg nodded slowly, happy with the response from the boy. He noted the pride the man held with his pack; the stance he took. The man lowered his head a little, averting his eyes slightly. It'd do well to not challenge the other at this time. So Derg merely nodded again and started into motion again, "I guess I'll let you continue your day then. My name is Derg, by the way." He tilted his darkened gaze to the bright eyes of the man. And decided then that he would prove to be a  greater man than any he'd hope to become.

The earthen man dipped his head and, providing no other questions were asked, took his leave and left the man to continue with his day.

---

​​130 words

just like that, the brother of grezig was there and then he appeared to want to move on. illidan was still shocked that he had found himself in the position to meet the man he’d heard nothing about. there were a million questions that raced through his mind, but none of them were set free. he felt like the world was spinning around him, and he was intended to steady it back down. all he could do was latch his eyes on the retreating figure of the wolf called derg and realize that he wasn’t even sure how to treat their meeting.
 
“should i tell her… i ran into you?” the young ghost called to him with a frustrated hitch on the back of his words. was there any sort of message that he would have for her? after all, weren’t families supposed to be closer than that? illidan felt as though he had more care for his family than derg had for grezig. but he knew better than that. illidan cared about caiaphas and raleska. he cared for svalinn and even firefly. the young man did not care about his brother ephraim, though.
 
regret filled him for having called out to stop the retreating wolf. if they shared a similar relationship, illidan felt as though he might have made a mistake. instead, he stood his ground and prepared himself for whatever response he might receive from the strange male.

---

Derg paused, tilting an ear backward. He let his gaze follow to meet the boys. Would it be hard to hear his goodbye from another?
The man simply pursed his lips, contemplating. His sister, one he should stay and protect yet she'd survived alone all this time. It wouldn’t matter. She could handle a goodbye. 

“If you wish. I will return one day, I promise her that.” He smiled softly, knowing that neither would be too hard to find for each other. Perhaps when he’d return he’d be greeted with nieces and nephews; a new generation to teach. 

The man slipped off, again on his hunt, without another word.

---

​113 words

 

the answer that was given left many things to be desired. the young man scowled at the man as he turned to retreat. he still did not understand the things that derg had said. he didn’t know that he ever would. things were so difficultly black and white for illidan. he cared for his siblings and for his mother, or he despised them. even still, he did not know how grezig would feel about her brother leaving her to live on her own in a pack where she knew only one other. he didn’t think that was good, and he couldn’t wrap his mind around doing it to one of his own siblings. still, that was how things were. it was a fact that he could not change.
 
after derg had slipped out of sight, illidan turned himself back toward the sound and began his trek there. his gait was quick, and he made little time of the distance that stretched between him and his home. once he had found the edges of the sound, he breathed a deep sigh. the ghost wondered if he should speak with grezig immediately, or if he could wait to talk to her about his chance meeting with derg. he opted to wait; the boy had still not seen her since she had joined their beachside pack. he wasn’t yet prepared for their reunion.