Phoenix Maplewood Just a rhyme without a reason

Whatever the outcome of his attempt to run away, Atreus found himself determined to conquer the moraine. The morning sky drained of color as he marched across the rugged terrain, the sun soon hidden behind wispy clouds. It started to drizzle and the youngster snorted but pressed onward until he reached the far side.

He slumped beside the edge of a woodland, the colorful leaves immediately catching his eye. Atreus didn’t move toward the trees nor their cover, instead huffing out a breath as he turned to survey the moraine behind him.

Void was on the wander yet again. He'd headed to the Snowforest Taiga from his mountain home, and after his traveling, he reached the spot. He was searching for prey or a stream or water source so he could quench his hunger or thirst, but instead he found a youngster. Quite young to be out on his own, Void guessed he was less than half a year old. 

Then again he was out on his own at an even younger age, so he was one to judge, but he didn't find himself very judgmental, more worried for the pup. He'd never felt worried for others before so the feeling confused him. He decided to slowly approach the young boy, as to not scare him, since his form was quite large and scary.

"hey there buddy." Void said when he got close enough to the boy for him to be able to hear and see him. "you lost or something? or just out on your own?" he asked. The pup smelled of a pack.

Atreus had never met a stranger. And the boy certainly wasn’t the gregarious type, so that wasn’t a turn of phrase. He had literally never met anybody outside of Redtail Rise. And because he was young and ignorant, he hadn’t expected to cross paths with anyone out here, on the edge of these flamboyant woods.

His spine went rigid as Atreus sat up straighter, then cautiously climbed to his feet. The man reminded him of Aventus, though he was much larger than the boy’s father. His eyes were gold rather than silver. They pierced into him and the Bearn looked right back, intimidated by the stranger’s sheer size, though he refused to show it.

No, Atreus replied to the man’s seemingly well-meaning questions.

It was bravado much more than cheek, though he wasn’t lost and didn’t want this guy knowing he was alone (and that nobody knew he was here, to boot). He was naive and could be rather stupid in the way of little boys, yet Atreus wasn’t a complete moron. He was a creature of instincts and his told him to be very, very careful right now.

"Huh. Just a young explorer then? I was out on my own since I was 2 months old, well, I hung with my brothers for 2 months, but by the time I was 4 months old I was traveling on my own. Thought I was bold but I nearly died several times, cause then I wasn't this big and strong. Was bigger than you but not by much. Its alright to be a lone explorer, even at a young age." Void said, sharing some of his personal background with the boy to try and comfort him since Void could sense his tenseness. "You don't have to talk to me." He added. "If you want I could go." He didn't want to add anymore unneeded stress on the youngster

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.

"My names Void." Void replied. "If you don't mind, whats yours?" He asked. Then he gestured with his ears towards a more covered area. "want to head over there, to get out of the rain a little bit more?" He asked. 

He wanted to keep the pup talking, to keep him comfortable, and maybe eventually get some information out of him, like where he's from, why he's on his own, if he has a pack, if he was a part of a pack, if he has parent's, siblings, relatives, or anyone that cared for him. Void didn't mind opening up about his own pup-hood to try and keep this youngster comfortable, though he'd never acted this calm and open around anyone. Not even Rodyn knew about his youth years.

The man called himself Void. In the next breath, he invited Atreus to come with him under the cover of the nearby woods, teeming with maples. The boy looked dubiously at the nearby moraine again, listening to the whispers of his inner voice. They reminded him to be careful, though there was nothing particularly untoward about an offer to get out of the rain.

Sure, he agreed, plodding slowly toward the tree line. My name’s A—ncelin, he added, deciding at the last moment that he didn’t want to give away his actual name, though he could not have said why.

He ignored the pang in his chest when he inevitably thought of his brother. His jaw clenched as he tried to push thoughts of him from his mind.

"nice to meet you Ancelin." Void replied to the young boy. He then settled himself down in a less-wet spot, by the roots of a maple. When he was laying, he wasn't as intimidating by appearance so he hoped that would help Ancelin get comfortable with him, though the price to pay was a damp underbelly.

"do you/did you have any family/siblings, Ancelin?" Void asked. "I had 3 brothers, well, 4, but one died before even living. The other 3 I haven't seen since i was 4 months old. And my mom I haven't seen since 2 months of age. Never met my dad." Void told the boy.

He felt a little peculiar when Void called him by his brother’s name, though not in a particularly unpleasant way. The lie hadn’t even come out that smoothly and yet he’d accepted it so readily. It was like discovering a hidden superpower.

He thought about it all the way to their destination: the roots of a maple. Atreus blinked, surveyed the ground littered with multicolored leaves, and then took a seat. No sooner had he gotten situatated than Void asked a question, though he didn’t wait for an answer before telling Atreus a bit more about himself and his background.

When Void fell silent, Atreus waited a few beats, just in case he wasn’t finished. Then rather than answer the question, he asked one of his own: How did you survive? All by yourself?

He couldn’t help but hear his father’s voice echoing in his head. “We are strong together,” Aventus had said, “stronger than we can ever be alone.” But Void was living proof that a young man didn’t necessarily need a pack. Atreus wanted to know his secret to success.

"I don't know. It wasn't easy, I faced death a lot of times. I wanted to give up quite a few times, when it rained or snow and I got cold and sick, when I couldn't get food for days, at one point I had gotten bitten by a raccoon and the bite got infected, and I couldn't walk for days. But determination. I kept telling myself that there wasn't anywhere else to go and that giving into death would be proving my mother right, that I was weak and worthless." Void told the young boy, being completely honest with him with everything. 

"I wish my brothers had ventured with me though. The solitude I live in is less than ideal and I've been incredibly lonely for a long long time." He added, a dark look crossing his face.

“I don’t know,” was possibly the most disappointing answer possible, though Void didn’t stop there. He talked about battling the elements, becoming ill and even being attacked by a raccoon. Atreus was torn between admiring the guy’s fortitude and wondering if Void was fucking with him, telling tall tales.

He finished by confessing to loneliness. He missed his brothers. Atreus looked away, trying not feel his own feelings on such matters.  He felt prickly all of a sudden. He wished Void had given him a real answer, some hint on how to make it on his own, besides sheer dumb luck.

After some deep breaths of the rainy air, he turned back to Void and asked, Why don’t you join a pack?

"I'm not the kinda guy that could work under someone else's control. I really want a pack, friends, family, ally's, anyone really. But I'd need to be in command. I get to tense and easily hotheaded and angered by being told what to do." Void admitted. "If you're still around on your own when I do start a pack, you'd be welcome to join." Void said with a friendly tone in his voice. 

The boy had never answered his question about having siblings so Void didn't press him. "Any more questions?" He asked. He'd answer anything to keep this guy around. While he was with him at least he was safe. "Or anything you want to tell me about yourself?" He added, a little hopefully.

Void apparently had issues with authority. Atreus didn’t like being told what to do, either, but he didn’t think anybody did, did they? Rather than compromise his true nature, the man seemed prepared to live by himself until he found companions that didn’t mind obeyind his command. Even at his young age, Atreus thought that sounded pretty stubborn.

When Void extended an invitation to join his hypothetical pack, Atreus didn’t know what to say. Before he could gather his thoughts, the swarthy man asked him if he had any further questions or wanted to talk about himself. He definitely had no interest in the latter, though he was curious about something.

I could only be in your pack… if I let you control me?

That was kind of how things worked in Redtail Rise and, he supposed, probably other packs. But there was a difference between heeding his family—his aunt, his father—and choosing to submit to a stranger. Atreus supposed it would be nice to get away from the rise he loathed so much these days, though that was literally the only reason he might entertain the thought.

"Not control. I wouldn't want a pack with control. More like where we all help each other out, and while some may have more authority than others due to age/experience, no one will be fully in control of anyone else. I would do ranks by order of joining too, since that would show loyalty. So my first pack member would be 2nd in command." Void explained.

"Would you ever want to lead your own pack?" Void asked, hoping the boy would respond but not knowing if he would.

Void swiftly clarified, insisting he didn’t seek to control anyone. The theoretical pack he described did sound a lot like Redtail Rise, except that he was pretty sure ranks worked differently there. Actually, he didn’t know much about how they worked or what they really meant. Truth be told, Atreus had never really given the hierarchy much critical thought.

So he didn’t know how to answer Void’s question, nor what to make of the inference that should he agree to join the man’s pack today, that would make him second-in-command. On one hand, he liked the thought of power. Who didn’t? But little as he knew about the exact mechanics of it all, he knew the leader held a great deal of responsibility too.

I don’t know. I’ve never thought about it before, Atreus said. It’s probably a lot of work, isn’t it? You have to take care of everyone and keep them in line, don’t you? He paused, thinking of his Aunt Avicus, then seemed to counter himself by saying, But you also get to boss people around, do whatever you want and eat first after hunts, right?

"Yes, you do have to keep everyone in line, but the whole pack kind of takes care of itself. Others may come to you with problems, but you won't have to figure them out on your own. The pack will be there for advice and guidance, even if you have to make the final decision in the end." Void explained. "And yes, you do get to tell others what to do, and if first pick of prey after a hunt is what you want, then you can get that. The pack will always respect your decision, though taking prey first may not be smartest, if you are young and healthy, and there are older or sicker wolves in need of food." Void explained.

Atreus listened to every word Void said, though the point that stood out in his mind was, “The whole pack kind of takes care of itself.” That knocked out some of the cons, he supposed, making the whole prospect a bit more appealing.

His lips pulled into a frown as he considered Void’s point about the old and sick. Wouldn’t that be wasting resources, since they were going to die anyway? Even Atreus could recognize that thought as uncharitable at best and problematic at worst. He didn’t plan to get sick or old, though as a youngster who couldn’t hunt for himself yet, he admittedly relied on his pack for survival.

At some point, the rain had stopped. Atreus tilted his head to peer at the gray sky. The wet foliage looked particularly bright against the dim backdrop. Suddenly he felt compelled to take a proper look around this forest, preferably before nightfall.

The rain stopped. Can we walk and talk? he asked Void, rising onto all fours and shuffling without waiting for an answer. Are there other, um… perks? To being a leader?

"The pack looks up to you. Even though you are a wolf, just like them, the idea that you were there from the beginning, that you had the first ideas, that you brought this whole thing together gives them the idea that you are more than just a wolf. That you are better than them, wiser than them, stronger, even if you in reality aren't much more than they are." Void told the young boy, rising to walk with him as he answered the question. Ancelin (Atreus), seemed to actually be interested in this conversation now, and Void was glad.

What if you weren’t there from the beginning? Atreus wondered as his feet carried him over leaf litter slick from the rainfall. Do you have to start a pack to become a leader? What if I’m in a pack already and want to become a leader there?

Some water dripped on him from a maple overhead. He shivered at the chill, giving his coat a good shake. But his head remained turned toward Void, thirsty for an answer.

"No. Sometimes the leader will choose an heir, sometimes his son/daughter, but not always. But always a wolf he deemed worthy of the role. So then, the pack would know that the previous leader, who they thought of as this great individual, deemed this new one worthy, and will pass their views on to the new heir, once they become leader." Void explained. He was starting to 2nd guess that the boy had been in a pack, due to how little he knew about it.

"Pack life interest you at all? Or leader life?" Void asked.

This conversation reminded him of the one he’d had with Aventus while learning about scent markings. Atreus didn’t know what “idyllic” meant, otherwise he would’ve thought it applied here. The scenario Void described sounded sort of narrow-minded and unrealistic.

He didn’t say anything though, until Void questioned him again. I don’t know, he repeated, glancing away through the forest.

He liked the thought of living on his own and being responsible only for himself. But Atreus knew he couldn’t survive without the support of a pack by merit of his age and experience. As much as he hated Redtail Rise lately, he needed them—or at least a support system of some sort—until he was older.

His eyes moved back to Void, wondering for the nth time how he’d coped by himself at such a young age. It made Atreus jealous, though he simply couldn’t fathom it. He could always try, though he didn’t exactly feel ready to face the risks Void had mentioned.

What’s this place called, do you know? he asked as they continued striding through the autumnal woods.

"This whole area is called the Snowforest Taiga. I'm not quite sure what these specific woods are called though, haven't really ventured in them before." Void said.

He then paused and turned to Ancelin (Atreus). "I can tell you are pondering what to do with your life right now, torn between idea of your age and lack of skill best fitting pack life, but your heart dragging you out on your own. If you want, I could stick around with you for a bit, and train you through the basics of living loner life." Void offered. It would benefit the pup as well as give Void the opportunity to keep eyes on him and make sure he was alright.

What was snow? And what was a taiga? Atreus opened his mouth to ask, though Void cut across him with another monologue. It was like he read the pup’s mind, which surprised the Bearn to a sudden halt.

He stood there, processing what was being offered. They barely knew each other, so why would Void want to bother with any of that? To put it more bluntly, why did Void care? It made Atreus suspicious and uncertain… but he was also desperate to feel like he mattered to someone.

Maybe, he eventually said, noncommital. Can I think about it?

In the meantime, he ought to get back to the rise. He could see the edges of the world dimming beyond the riotous treetops.

"Yep, thats fine. I'll hang around these woods for a couple days, you can come by again, or not. If you don't, no hard feelings will be held, but if you do, I think we could build a relationship, and you could learn how to be a strong loner from one of the best." Void said, holding high pride for himself.

He dipped his head to the boy. "Safe travels Ancelin, wherever they may bring you." He said, and started to pad back in the direction he came, deciding he'd find a place to make a makeshift home for a couple days.

Okay, cool, he breathed, letting Void makes his last sales pitch before remembering to say, Thanks.

He watched the man turn and go. A moment after he disappeared toward the far side of the maples, Atreus turned and plodded back toward the moraine. He knew he should walk faster so he would be back before nightfall but there was a lot on his mind, weighing down his steps. And he was never in any particular rush to return to the rise.

Thanks for a great thread!