Two Rivers Isle From Peru to Cebu, hear the power of Babylon

He had never ventured so far west before. It was wild (wild), especially considering how few canine scents he came across out here. When he finally did strike gold, Atreus was so thirsty for company, he nearly stumbled across the borders. Fortunately for him, they were demarcated by water, which brought him to a halt.

He stood there, toes practically dipping into the water, craning his head into the air to sniff out details. Atreus didn’t catch many scents, though they were strong enough that he didn’t doubt there was a claim here. He thought about howling for an audience but decided it might be more prudent to walk along the territory’s edges and see what he could learn without disturbing the residents.

But all the while, he kept his eyes, ears and nose peeled for any signs of a guardian who might intercept him.

with the newest flux of excitement coming from colt's gang, Iseul had felt conflicted about many things. in many ways, the girl was inexperienced and therefore would find herself bending to the will of others for the sake of fluidity and avoiding splintery conversations. and yet, iseul also felt that it was within her every right to protect the isle in the way she deemed appropriate. last time she had checked, ady and ulrich left her in charge, and no one else could challenge that.

it was thrilling to have such a bold thought, but iseul was still a gentle being, even in her most frustrated moments. she would have to come to a solution about the newest visitors and whether or not they were to be trusted fully. and perhaps she would even come to know that colt wasn't all the honest man she chalked him up to be. but that was for another day.

instead, she was found once again fishing. she was chest deep into the water on her side of the isle (which when taking into consideration her tall height, was pretty deep). it was still pretty early in the summer, and the fish didn't seem to be traveling too far thankfully. there would be enough to stockpile with drying, should she be able to catch more. 

she had already dunked her face in once, evident from the drippings from her ears and whiskers and a slight scowl from disappointment. though the fish were coming to return to the spot near her feet, Iseul caught the scent of another and now comes to lift her gaze from the river. she would come to scan the shoreline and the deeper parts of the trees, curiously and anxiously wondering when a figure will catch her eye.

leaving vague! <3

He eventually found someone, though it wasn’t a guardian. Rather, she wasn’t guarding anything except, perhaps, her fishing spot. Atreus slowed, eyes fixed on the would-be fisher, waiting to watch her work. He remembered fishing with Ink and felt a small pang deep in his breast. But then the stranger caught sight of him and the weight of her gaze compelled him to move closer and properly announce himself.

Hello, he greeted, careful to mind not just his manners but his posture as he approached the outer bank of the stream where she was partially submersed. I don’t mean to intrude or anything. My name is Atreus and I’m a scout just out here… scouting, he said a little foolishly, smiling a little at the way it came across.

Atreus fell silent, allowing her to respond. Much of her body was hidden by the water and he did not want to look at her too directly, though he caught glimpses of what he thought was a solid build and peridot eyes that really contrasted the earthy hues of her pelt. She was pretty, though not as striking as Ink, an intrusive thought which he immediately suppressed.

a ruddy boy with soft corners comes to fill her view, seemingly blessed by the two celestial bodies that harbored his eyes. and with him, he carries a scent she cannot recognize, perhaps from a land far from the isle and the hinterlands.

there was rigidity within her, though it would come to relax when she hears his words. not only does he introduce himself, but he does so in a respectful manner. while other inhabitants of the isle did not view it as important, to Iseul, respect was everything. in fact, it was not something she believed needed to be earned -- it was something that everyone deserved -- and it was something that others could lose, not necessarily earn.

the isle leader comes to bow her head, neck curling to where her forehead could nearly skim the water's surface. and when she comes to lift her gaze to look over Atreus, there is a kind glint in her eye as she speaks. "This Two Rivers Isle," she comes to say to him, "Iseul, leader." a paw comes from the water and comes to touch her neck, a visible guide of it being her name.

"Where Atreus from?" she comes to ask him politely, "from away? or close?" 

The way she talked reminded him of Ink too, though where his former crush said too many words at times, Iseul said fewer. His head cocked, intrigued by the speech pattern, though he didn’t comment on it. Atreus’s ears twitched as if they were actively drinking in her words.

Not too far, he answered her question, glancing over his shoulder to peer at the distant Barriers. See those mountains? I live just on the other side of them. His eyes tracked over the peaks, turning back to face Iseul as he added, Mostly east but a little south. It’s only a couple days’ travel, if that.

Now he took a moment to think on Iseul’s mention of the isle. He wondered how many wolves called this place home. Did they all speak like their leader? He peered curiously into the territory behind her, though he couldn’t see a whole lot besides nature. It was picturesque but not very informative.

How many wolves live here? he wondered, then glanced from side to side. Are there many packs in this area? It kind of has the feel of being… Atreus paused, searching for a word. It’s like it’s wilder out this way. Everything feels bigger, more spaced out. I don’t know if that makes sense.

she followed his direction to look towards the mountains, head tilting in the slightest. she hadn't traveled there, at least not in her active memory she hasn't. they looked big, to say the very least. but it also brought a lingering question of what this boy was doing so far away from home -- did scouting require such mileage away from what he knew?

to her foreign ears, she could come to agree that his words did not make sense. but she would decide to leave this part out for the sake of making something good for the isle from this. "some," she comes to tell him, "friends and family here in isle." had he wanted a number answer, atreus would be stuck because Iseul was still learning how to say them properly as well as committing them to memory.

and as for packs? 

"none. isle is alone. some others here wanders. but no groups." in one way, it brought peace to iseul. they were secluded here, away from the risk of war and others. but it also was a place of loneliness, there were no bonds and allies to grow out in the hinterlands. "iseul has friend, in moontide by ocean." she comes to point in the general direction of the path she took to reach the tide pools where she once met Heph. "only close pack to isle." but 'close' was more of a stretch these days.

"what atreus call his home? many there?" it was only fair to ask the same questions back, although Iseul did so more to allow the boy to speak of his own home if he had any desire to. it was unlikely that there would be a chance to form a strong bond with a group so far away, but one like Iseul could always hope at least.

Although Iseul didn’t answer his question directly, she more than covered it otherwise. Atreus didn’t know anything about Moontide, yet if it was near the ocean, then it was quite a ways! Was that truly their closest neighbor? It was hard for him to comprehend, especially since living in the crowded Sunspires not so long ago. Even Brecheliant essentially shared a border with Akashingo.

He couldn’t decide if he envied this isolation or thought it might be incredibly… well, isolating. It would mean endless days of exploring freely without worrying about running into pack borders. But Atreus remembered just how lonely he’d gotten on the road only recently, so the idea definitely had its pros and its cons.

I live in a pack called Brecheliant. The territory is a caldera, which is like a lake inside a mountain, he decided to share forthrightly. I like it there, though mostly I just picked it to be close to my sister, Amalia, Atreus added, not bothering to make the distinction about their lack of biological ties. If you’re wondering why I’m so far away from home, it’s ‘cause I got lazy and…

His head ducked a little, heat blooming under the fur of his cheeks. Maybe Iseul hadn’t noticed. Did he really want to point it out? Atreus huffed out a breath, lifting his head and twitching his tail. Something like a sheepish smile crept over his face.

…and fat. I got fat, he declared, taking ownership of it, and I decided that getting back into scouting was a good way to work off some of the extra weight.

fat?

all iseul could see is that he is well-fed! and that is never a problem in her book. she comes to look at him, a little bit closer than before, eyes scanning about before she comes to the same conclusion as before. not fat. just cared for! she comes to offer a supportive smile. 

"ah." is what she says before nodding her head. Iseul never likes to comment on other's weight, mainly because she has had plenty of unwanted comments come her way before. she'd spare atreus her poor attempts to say she didn't think of him as fat and just let him ride out his pride. actually, another idea comes to mind.

"does atreus want to, ah–" come on brain, think! "come see isle? or swim in rivers?" it is an insider's peak that she;s offering! and not to mention that swimming is good exercise, too.

He blew out a breath, feeling a little embarrassed but trying to suppress the feelings of shame brewing in his (oversized) gut. Iseul didn’t comment on it beyond a polite, “Ah.” It was actually kind of a funny reaction, which distracted him into a smile.

Atreus considered her invitation for a moment, then shook his head and said, I don’t want to intrude or take up all your time. Besides, he said, there’s so many places around here to explore without stomping all over other packs’ territories. So I think I’ll go do that, though I appreciate the invitation. And the trust.

He bowed his head to her, then paused a little awkwardly. He supposed he’d just sort of dismissed himself. Atreus hadn’t really intended to do that right this moment, though he stood by his word. Iseul probably had better things to do than hang around here entertaining an inquisitive guest.

It was nice meeting you, Iseul. Thanks for the chat, Atreus said in closing, dipping his head once more as he began to retreat from the isle’s borders.

she is surprised that the boy doesn't wish to see what the isle offered, but maybe to a native speaker, it seemed a bit suspicious if you consider yourself a mistrusting person. she can only laugh to herself with his awkward mannerisms but comes to place the name of Atreus into a fond spot of her heart.

"Goodbye," she says to him then, "be safe." iseul has not seen all what the Hinterlands have to offer, but she's seen enough to know that there are spots with certain airs of danger and risks of being lost. she hopes that the boy's scouting skills are sharp as she watches him recede.

last from me, thanks for coming by! <333