Two Rivers Isle the living do.

this can be AW if it doesn't work with her timeline, just let me know :)

Makan took to the willow tree woman quickly.

How charmed he was by her in all ways! So perhaps it should have been no surprise that he came now to find her, with a bundle of gifts. A fish, a set of leaves still attached that he had thought had been beautiful. For no flowers could be found in this weather!

He had not given thought to what he might do if he did not find @Iseul in this little search — or if somebody intercepted him first!

will literally bend over backward for these threads hehe, I can just be vague about her little gossip thread! 

iseul was left alone to think again. she was young, and this was no secret. youth was often paired with the shadow of inexperience. despite how closed off it felt to speak of romantic feelings with her family, this is a moment where iseul wished she had her mother or perhaps her auntie to talk to about these things. how could someone like her possibly navigate the world of attraction when she has practically no working experience in the field?

well, perhaps she'll just continue to learn as she goes. immersion sometimes can be a great teaching method after all! it forced her to think on her feet and think quickly. in the moments when she had too much time to think, her tongue was tied up and her mind grew foggy. perhaps that's why she and makan were so quick to understand one another? they both rather rely on actions instead of words, which often take forever to think of.

speaking of which, she can see his smaller appearance come into view. and he appears to be carrying something with him (was it a snack, maybe?). a bright smile etches itself onto her face and the girl offers a 'woof' of greeting as she comes to walk in his direction.

She is there, radiant as always!

Even if he had only just come to meet her. He cannot imagine a world in which he finds her anything less than radiant. Strong, tall, beautiful.

He felt a sudden bashfulness as he remembered he was carrying these things for her!

Softly he set the gifts down. Mindful to be careful with them.

He offered a garbled little whuff himself, then nudged the gifts forward some. Then beckoned her to come closer. To see what he had brought!

he comes forward, his own little greeting fills her ears and the girl cannot help but allow her tail to wag behind her excitedly. she hadn't expected to feel so close to him in such a short time, yet here she was, being showered with gifts. she steps forward to peer over what he has brought her.

an audible little gasp can be heard from her as she looks over the gifts, jadeite eyes twinkling at the thoughtfulness behind the items he chose. 

a fish! iseul enjoyed fish probably more than the everyday wolf and could not be more excited by the idea that makan was talented in the waterways. maybe he'd be willing to teach her someday, as her ability to catch the slippery water-dweller was more often than not unsuccessful.

and a collection of leaves, seemingly collected with care with the eye of a talented florist. she knew better than to expect flowers in such a bare season! and she felt so special to know that such things were collected for her, despite the troubles that most likely came with them.

and as she comes to look up at him, her paw reaches to brush against her chest, as if to ask "is this all for me?"

She found a way to impress him at every turn!

He watched as he motioned at her chest and his tail began a stirring wave behind him. Excited, delighted!

He nodded softly and used his muzzle to gesture at her now. Then down to the bundle of gifts, before he raised his head to return his gesturing at her. A small smile played at his dull features as his tail continued its rhythm behind him.

As if to say —

Well?

What did she think!

what did she think?

iseul's front paws start tapping in the snow beneath her. and she even utters a little squeal and sways from side to side too. it was a happy dance, one meant to show her excitement! either makan just psychically knew what iseul liked, or perhaps he had enough knowledge of courting to just... know what gifts are meaningful and what ones aren't. either way, iseul was just happy at the fact that someone thought she was worth spoiling.

so she comes to step over her precious gifts carefully and brushes her nose against his cheek. a soft rumble of affection for him erupts from her throat with a bit of playful grooming against his unruly tufts.

A trilling (granted, deep and rough) sound ruffled his throat.

Then she is showing him affection again! This time he is bold enough to lean into it more so than last. Even if he remains very careful and soft in these touches. His form hunched and lowered softly. Prepared to defer to her in all ways on this...

Courting! He supposed it must be so!

He only wished he had the voice to tell her that was what he'd like. To court her and woo her as she so deserved.

Instead, he reached to nibble teeth through the fur of her strong shoulder.

he didn't seem to mind the close contact, as he rumbled his own little message to her and leaned into her touch. maybe from an onlooker, this seemed too forward considering the two didn't even have an official talking stage with each other (which, unknown to iseul, was probably the best considering her counterpart had no ability to actually speak beyond the noises he already communicated to her!)

even more so, iseul enjoyed the fact that makan was so expressive, even in his speechless state. there were many things she found to be so interesting about the man, and in a way, his mysteriousness was just another added benefit under his name! it was like reading a book that simply wrapped you up into a warm hug and kept you wanting more.

she liked the feeling of excitement that released butterflies into her ribcage when she was around him. and feeling his teeth help clean and comb through her fur floods her cheeks with a violent blush. was everything so meaningful when it came to things like courting and crushing?

when she pulls away from him, she would come to scoop up the gifts. gently now, careful to not disrupt his careful packaging, she would look towards the den she had dug at the base of one of the many miniature hills that were scattered across the open part of the isle. and she'd come to look back towards makan, hoping that he would accept her offer for a lunch date.

He did not think long on how he could do this all day. Tend to the soft tangles she carried over the sloping, strong bones. He only wished that the weather had been warmer! That he might show her a favored spot in the river, but, ah...

His cheeks remained flushed.

She prepared her things that he had given and he almost suspected that she might be off! Prepared to enjoy them. He would find no fault in it.

Only she wished to invite him along! He knew such a look!

His hips briefly wiggled with how strong his tail moved behind him, a soft pattering of his paws against the snow ground. Yes! Yes! He was prepared to be led by her. Very much how their first moment spending time together had gone!

eating alone felt a bit like a somber action to iseul. she remembered the great dinners and feasts her family held together, all sitting with each other whilst eating, drinking, and speaking to each other as a family. in her many days and nights alone and away from others, iseul had come to grow homesick for the cultural everyday things she used to overlook while with her family.

on one hand, she was going to be able to show makan something that she valued -- time spent with others. on the other hand, he was getting a free meal with it. overall a win-win situation if you asked the girl! so, with her shadow in tow, iseul would come to lead them on a polite march toward her den.

it certainly was not much on the outside. just a humble den with a wide opening. but with an invitational swing of her head, the girl would come to invite him inside. makan would come to see that the den was perhaps larger than his own, and rightfully so. iseul had taken the creative liberty to give herself plenty of room to stand at full height without issue, which meant high ceilings and a low floor.

she had placed the collected leaves and branches by her sleeping place, marked by a large divet in the floor where she slept curled up. the fish would take precedent in the middle, a place where eating often occurred for the girl. she would come to lay down with the fish before her, and she would turn to see if makan was willing to stay, if he had even entered at all!

It was a grand place!

Certainly more than the gnarled roots he claimed for himself. With its sparse covering and lack of leg room. He could not help but feel a sudden bloom of embarrassment befitting a single male. What if she wished to see his own den! How it would pale in comparison to her own beautiful abode.

He had not yet dared to step fully inside.

He had recalled the protectiveness some felt over these kinds of spaces, of the importance and value of them in the life of others. She very may feel the same!

So he crooned a garbled note to her of curiosity when she turned back to face him.

Did she mean to bring him in, or only show him a view of it?

curiously, he was still outside and offered her a note of explanation. and now, iseul felt quite rude for not properly inviting him into her home! she could only imagine the swat upside the head she would have gotten from her mother and auntie for her lack of manners. and for a moment she can almost feel the phantom throbbing against her temple!

but instead of just belting out a single response, she comes to stand to 'formally' invite him inside. considering the fact that makan had already offered gifts, he was practically the spitting image of a perfect, respectful guest in the home of a Yoon! so, in hopes to show that he was welcome, iseul comes to the entrance and places a small kiss against his muzzle.

and with a few steps backward, she hopes to almost draw him in!

They had kissed twice. Three times? Maybe, he did not keep a perfect score of this. Yet still he flushed hard each time. Cheeks practically buzzing with her touch.

He had never been invited into a place with a kiss!

Yet it was all he needed to be easily coaxed to follow her in. Minding his manners and sitting opposite of her, so that they may face one another over the meal he had brought for her. His tail carefully tapped at the earth beneath them as his eyes crinkled softly with a small smile on his lips.

What a wonderful home she had made here and how blessed he felt to be invited in!

A soft excited sound buzzed in his throat.

he enters and soon finds his place across from her.

it feels proper in a way, to be sitting across from him and ready to share a meal that he had meant to offer her. and she feels a bit gristly to have to do the next thing - split the fish.

but thankfully, while iseul is not the most skilled fisher, she is talented when it comes to filleting, so to speak. with a speckle of artistry in her work, the girl comes to grab ahold of the fish and begins to feel out with her nose and teeth where she can begin.  like a master of the craft, she finds the gills and drags a sharp tooth against the belly of the fish. with a bit of twisting and pulling and biting, she manages to break the gills from the fish and begins to pull down the fish's belly.

with one clean swoop, she manages to get the part removed, as well as some of the organs, which she picks through gently and sets aside with the gills. had she been a talented butcher who used a knife, she'd have been able to split this fish more evenly into beautiful fillets. but alas, she's only got paws and sharp teeth, but this would still be enough!

with tender care and one of her inner toes, the girl comes to begin tearing the fish into even slabs. she's more tedious during this, as to ensure that she does not rip the meal into uneven parts. and it wasn't until the end that the body curved, where one part of the fish had the tail, and the other didn't.

so, out of respect, she places both before makan, and with a beckoning nudge, she offers for him to pick his favorite.

He watched in awe as she worked. Splitting the fish and tending to it with a great care.

It brought him a great joy to witness. It also allowed him to come to the conclusion that he should bring more fish to her. Every catch! Every day! Perhaps an impossible feat, but his heart felt committed to the idea in that moment.

Although he had not expected her to offer him first choice! For this fish had been a gift for her!

He cannot!

It would be with a thin smile that he shook his head side to side. Then gestured at her. You first — he may have said if he could have used words!

raised by wolves yet still taught his manners!

iseul was the type that would brawl whenever someone tried to pay for tab. and while she was not opposed to arguing with makan, she was also aware that politeness was meant to be appreciated. not only that, but she didn't quite know this man well enough to decide if fighting over who gets what was playful or downright annoying to him.

she'd take the safe path, much to her dismay. and despite the fact that she liked to have the tails to crunch on, she decides to push this larger half towards him. he could use the meat on his bones anyways, iseul was fat as a tick compared to him! and perhaps in hopes that he may not try to complain or shove it back, she swoops ahold of her half and begins to chew with purpose.

now she waits to see if he will do the same, or try to wiggle away the smaller piece from her.