Ankyra Sound see the TURTLE of enormous girth, on his shell he holds the earth

@Wyatt

their claim had been made, and it seemed as though it had gone by faster than the boy would have ever expected it to. when he had been with kavik and liri, their search for a home had taken them across a great stretch of land and had placed them in the path of harm on numerous occasions. to know that the boy had a home – his true home – was something of a strange feeling.

illidan prowled across the sands, nearing the water a few times but eventually pulling away from the lapping sea. he had done what he could to make himself feel at home beside the ocean, but it seemed as though he had been dropped in a world that was entirely unfamiliar to him. the wildling knew that the days in which he could roam the trees on the plateau were gone. he did not allow himself to miss them; he could not.

Wyatt's decision to leave Lost Creek Hollow had been abrupt. With an inadequate knowledge of the Hollow's neighboring territories and undeveloped survival skills, he had carelessly set off north-bound in the direction of the Sequoia coast. "Screw them," Wyatt had thought, "I can survive on my own!"

Days later, Wyatt was barely hanging on. An excruciating combination of hunger and fatigue was weakening him considerably. 

Wyatt had found the sandy shoreline—something he had already decided was bothersome—and a fresh implication of a near-by pack. Even Wyatt knew that with a pack came a cache and he needed anything from the stockpile. He was eagle-eyed as he slithered down the shoreline in the direction of Rusalka's claim. Not even the silhouette in the distance could deter him—at least, that was what Wyatt so naively believed.

the shape of a dark stranger pulled the light of his yellow gaze upward. instinct told him to react harshly, and so he listened. the hackles along his back rose upward in a threatening manner as he lunged forward, aiming to intercept the trespasser before he could venture further into their intended claim. with a wild, thunderous growl, illidan made quick work of the space between them. the sand at his feet was kicked up behind him, forgotten in his duty to protect his mother's home – his home.

“you'd better have a good reason for being here,” illidan snapped, keeping his pace so that he could cross in front of the lean-limbed stranger. the flare in his eyes was composed of all savage things. the wildling appeared as though the blackpine had crafted him and dropped him there to defend all surrounding landmarks. he had been made from the wild in order to act as a guardian over it.

Or maybe the silhouette would deter him. Illidan's contour grew as he approached, and Wyatt quickly realized he couldn't face him on alone. So instead of facing the opposing wolf head on, he obeyed his instinctual plea— Wyattsubmitted. Wyatt dropped his body onto the coastline and set his gaze on Illidan's chin. 

"I—yes," he botched, "I do have a good reason to be here." Lie, Wyatt, lie! "I, uh, was lookin' for a home—if possible." That much wasn't a lie. He did need a home, for now. "I can do stuff to help, too."

the stranger was quick to drop down into the sand. it was almost a shocking turn of events – at least, to have happened so swiftly. the expression did not seem to shift on illidan's face as the unfamiliar figure tried to bumble his way through an explanation. really, he wouldn't have been much good to his mother if he just allowed random passersby to traipse through the sound on a whim. while the ruddy creature may have been searching for a home, the dark-hooded wildling was not keen on the idea of him wandering through the beach that they had intended to claim. with the trouble from the wolves on the cliff, it didn't shine a very kind light.

“you're more likely to get some fangs in your rear end instead of a home,” he snorted with a curling lip. the sharp light of his yellow gaze remained firmly latched to the lean figure. it was a careful balancing act that he had to try to keep up; this idiot might have been foolish enough to cross into their terrain, but he was still a much-needed number that could have been added to their ranks. “can you swim?” he opted to ask, frowning gruffly.

Illidan's advice was heard loud and clear. "I-I, yeah, okay," Wyatt replied, "I understand-d." Despite his usual aloofness, especially in Laurel's presence, Wyatt had quickly perceived his position. He was a loner who was tresspassing, and he knew what happened to infringers. TL;DR: Wyatt was in some deep shit. 

When asked if he could swim, Wyatt glanced at the ocean beside him. Although it was tempting to lie, he knew that it'd only do him harm. "N-No, I don't," Wyatt admitted, recovering a marginal portion of his confidence. 

He couldn't get in trouble for telling the truth, right?

the wildling furrowed his brows over his sharp yellow gaze and frowned at the spindly creature who was cowering before him. his size was marginally more impressive than wyatt's, but he knew very little about how to throw his weight around. if looks could have put someone in the ground, though, illidan would have mastered that a long time ago. the surly expression that was imprinted on his features was more than enough to provide the stranger with an idea of how he was regarded.

when wyatt responded that he didn't swim, the savage young man breathed in heavily and exhaled through widened nostrils. he turned his attention toward the lapping waves with a single ear swiveled off to the side. there was something to fear in the depths of the ocean – he was certain – but he knew that he could not have let the potential joiner know such things.

“guess it's time to learn,” illidan spoke in a clipped tone. he darted the hawkish yellow of his sights back to the doleful and scraggly thing and waited to see what sort of a response he'd get from those kinds of demands.

"Guess it's time to learn," Illidan said. 

Unsure of what would come next, Wyatt lowered himself closer to the damp shoreline and watched Illidan closely. He didn't want learn how to swim; it was far too cold to get wet and the scale of the ocean was intimidating. "We could, uh, hold that off for now?" he suggested. "And, instead, we could get to know each other and all that??" Wyatt chucked nervously and anticipated his fate.

the dingy wolf made a comment about holding off on the swimming lessons. illidan wasn’t pleased with those who liked to push their duties to another day. laziness wasn’t a good trait to carry around, or to boast so easily to those you had just met. to express his distaste for such plans, the dark-hooded ghost cast a surly frown toward wyatt and furrowed his brow tightly across his sharp yellow stare.
 
“let’s get to know if you can swim,” illidan stated – his tone suggested that there would be little room to move on the subject. his muscles were taut in preparation for the thin male to turn and flee; he would chase, and he would catch the wiry fellow with a snap of his fangs.

Wyatt was stuck between a rock and a hard place; his swimming lesson was imminent. Avoiding Illidan's hawkish gaze, Wyatt turned towards the surf. "Y-Yeah," Wyatt replied uneasily, "You're right."  

With his attention towards the lapping tide, he hesitated. The ocean was a strange and mysterious entity, and Wyatt wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. It's boundaries stretched for miles, and he saw no end to it.  Truthfully—as much as he wished to deny it—it frightened him.

Wyatt took a step towards the ocean and then looked back at Illidan, his tail wagging apprehensively as his hocks.

of course he was right; he wouldn't have said it if he hadn't been. besides, if the stranger wanted a home then he would have to learn really quick how to handle himself in the ocean. there was plenty of opportunity for food there, and illidan wasn't about to recruit a slacker into their ranks. he could already feel the burning gaze of his mother's gaze on the back of his skull at the very thought. these were the proving grounds; if wyatt could pass, then he could stay and call rusalka home.

the dark-hooded ghost trailed after the wiry boy until they had arrived at the lapping waters of the sea. if illidan had known more about the fears that swam around in the stranger's head, perhaps he would have been softer on him... and perhaps he would have been much crueler. there was no saying what would have been inspired in his mind at the sound of such simpering. “it's not too bad if you don't go out too far. just paddle when you can't feel the ground anymore,” he instructed with a motion that said, go on, then and a nod of his muzzle.

“it's not too bad if you don't go out too far," Illidan had said, "just paddle when you can't feel the ground anymore." Wyatt was not inspired by the other wolf's reassurance. He knew what he was capable of, and swimming was not one of his talents. With salt filling his nostrils, Wyatt crawled forward until the tide covered his toes; there was no going back now, he knew. 

With a heavy sigh, Wyatt resumed his advance into the sea. He walked until his toes barely grazed the seaboard underfoot, and he began to pedal. With his breath held, Wyatt glanced inland and realized how far he had gone. Panic ensued abruptly, and Wyatt's treading evolved into thrashing.

the dark-hooded boy watched the other male tread into the water at a severely reluctant pace. illidan followed a short ways until the water lapped at his chest and he could feel the pull of the waves as they roamed back out to the great stretch of ocean. as much as he wanted to seem confident, he could easily understand the fear of the depths. after having spent so much time away from it, he hadn't been sure how to approach the water when he'd gone back. if it wouldn't have disappointed his mother greatly, illidan would have likely made a home for himself in the blackpine and left the vast depths alone.

as the dark stranger continued his slow plod through the waves and into deeper water, the young ghost followed him with a sharp glint in his yellow gaze. he seemed to be doing well until he turned around and saw just how far out he had managed to go. it was then that illidan noticed the distinct desperation of his movements and how quickly it had changed. he was scared and he was going to drown if he didn't calm himself and focus.

illidan became slightly concerned with the other boy. he would figure it out, right?

Nope—Wyatt wouldn't figure it out. 

He continued to thrash; Wyatt was tiring quickly, and was aware that it was increasingly difficult to keep his head above sea-level.

maybe not...

things weren't looking too good for the wiry boy who had ventured into the water. illidan could see that he was losing his strength and the pull of the waves was eating at whatever remained. the ghostly youth furrowed his brow and squinted in hopes that he would see a recovery, but all he could make out was the bobbing of the stranger's head against the lashing of the waves. it seemed he was going to have to play the role of the hero for a moment.

with a heavy huff, illidan raced forward and plunged into the sea. the chilling grip of it was enough to spike his adrenaline, if not the fact that he might have sent someone to their death. it was fortunate that the strength of his limbs allowed him to make quick work of the space between them. once he was close enough, he dove and attempted to latch his teeth to the scruff of wyatt's neck.

Panic consumed Wyatt—he felt nothing but unbridled fear as the current continued to pull him under. The bite of Illidan's jaws was the thing to pull him from his turmoil, and he felt an overwhelming sense of relief as he felt the drag from the Zeta's strength. 

Unsure of what would help Illidan best, Wyatt began to kick again in an attempt to resurface.

gods, he might have been wiry, but all that thrashing did not make for an easy task for illidan. the dark-hooded boy did all that he could to pull them back to shore, and it was with a grunt of relief that he felt his limbs strike against the thick sands of the shore. the muscles in his legs quivered as he hauled the dark fellow onto the beach and then released his grip on the stranger's scruff. it was then that he cast the wiry boy a surly expression, doused from head to toe in briny water.

“so that's the first thing you'll be learning to do,” he said with a thoughtful frown. then, he shook his coat to free some of the loose liquid. he breathed a heavy sigh and glanced toward the tumbling waves that lapped lazily at wyatt's feet.

Once they were ashore, Wyatt dragged himself aimlessly until he felt as though he was on solid land. He unsteadily pushed himself to a stand and hacked his lungs out before he turned to face Illidan. "Yeeeeeah," Wyatt agreed, "I will."

He paused for a moment and considered what had been said. "Wait..." he trailed, his eyes sweeping to meet Illidan's chin, "Does that mean I can... stay?"

illidan watched with a prune-like expression as the dark boy retched sea water onto the shore. he wasn’t certain if wyatt knew that it wasn’t supposed to be swallowed. then again, it seemed as though the wiry fellow was about ready to suck in anything in an attempt to get out of the grasp of the waves. he managed to wheeze out that he would learn to swim, but the ghostly rusalka wolf could only shake his head in disbelief. he didn’t imagine that would be anytime soon.
 
“yeah, it means you can stay as long as you earn your keep,” he then responded with a firm nod of his head. in that moment, he realized that he didn’t even know the other boy’s name. his brow furrowed softly and created a small crease in his forehead. “i’m illidan. what’re you called?”

Somehow, he had managed to gain acceptance into the pack. Wyatt watched Illidan, dumbfounded by the other wolf's confirmation. "I-I will!" he promised; there was time to figure out how he could contribute. "I'm Wyatt," he replied to Illidan's query. Perhaps, this would have been an ideal time for him to thank Illidan for his mercy but, Wyatt had never been one to harbor proper manners.  

With Wyatt's acceptance in Rulska confirmed, he was free to explore the beach in peace. Illidan left the juvenile to his own accord, allowing him to investigate the area as he pleased. Wyatt's first investigation involved the cache that had attracted him to the shore; he ate like a king that night.