Two Rivers Isle eat popcorn in the morning, pancakes in the night

Shortly after meeting Legend, Totoro decided to head south rather than investigate the scents they detected to the north. They followed the winding riverbank, passing between two distant peaks until they came across a watering hole. They spent a few hours fishing the waters, then continued plodding due south into a great forest.

A strange feeling came over them the farther they ventured into the wood. Totoro slowed and came to a stop, trying to make sense of the apprehension thrumming through them. Their blue eyes scanned the forest, gray ears pricked to pick up any peculiar noises. Everything appeared calm and lovely.

Nonetheless, they found themselves turning and allowing their presentiment to guide them back in the direction they had come. Totoro moved at a steady clip, retracing their steps along the riverbed. They could see the plateau in the distance, the waterfall sparkling in the April sunlight. The closer they came, the louder the rush in Totoro’s ears.

Their instinct prodded them to veer west and go around the plateau, toward those smells. The river began to widen ahead and finally Totoro began to slow again, proceeding with caution. The niggling feeling released them, leaving the gray wolf to peer curiously at their surroundings and wonder what force of nature wanted them them here.

Totoro is just south of the isle but I wanted to put this here for visibility. :)

written vaguely, hope this is okay!

the waters had begun to roar again with life now that the winter ice had come and left. the days were growing warmer with each passing moon and iseul could not be more thankful. She had been able to see the stars more recently, along with the flowers that recently began to bloom around the isle and bring about some curious creatures.

and seemingly today was no different. the woman had tasked herself with remarking the borders along the edges of the territory, working her way from the middle down towards the southern tip where the rivers grew their widest. it was a risk to cross it due to how fast the current could secretly be underneath as the rivers grew exceedingly deeper in this part of the isle.

but her pondering comes to a close after the most recent scent marking, as some lingering smell from a wayward breeze comes to bring something fresh to her nose. The deputy would come to pause now, coal nose lifted and flaring as she comes to notice that the isle has a new visitor. her ears can be seen flying themselves all around, desperately trying to find a location of any sound that may not be coming from her or the isle itself.

with the most recent crop of puppies, iseul had more reason to be protective of the land her family called home. she can't seem to locate exactly where the scent comes from, but either way she would be at the southern border and send out a loud and echoing bark that would bounce off the trees and enter the open land. perhaps a welcome or a warning depending on how one would take the message -- but for the moment she did not care how it came across.

"you approach two rivers isle, stranger who walks near."

A new feeling overcame Totoro now. They were suddenly convinced they were in exactly the right place at exactly the right time. At nearly the same moment they acknowledged this premonition, a voice rose up in the air. Totoro’s ears pricked.

Two Rivers Isle, they murmured, lips curling before they tossed their head skyward and called back, “Halloo there! I wonder, is there a narrower part of the river where we could meet and talk, perhaps?”

Their blue eyes glanced along each fork of the river. To the right (east), the waterway remained wide. But to the left (west), it seemed to taper off in the distance as it approached the edge of a forest.

“Could we meet on the west side of your isle? I will not cross over,” Totoro amended their prior message.

If the distant caller agreed to their terms, Totoro knew they would have to backtrack south a little bit to find a safe place to cross ahead of the “Y.” In the hopes of receiving a positive response, they began to lope that way now, ears swept to the side to catch any further howls.

Perfect!

she can hear their messages, contemplating what choices she could make. the title of deputy certainly gave her the ability to make some form of executive choices, though iseul knew better than to do such a thing without consulting Ulrich and Ady. instead, she would come to agree to this plan and instruct the man to come up the west without crossing. "come west then."

she was learning how to use these new words so quickly! her tail buzzed with pridefulness as she came to dash into the treeline and find her way along the river until she came to where the river was narrower compared to the other side. she would emerge from the line soon enough where she knew the stranger would be able to see her.

while her posture and overall aura do remain friendly, she does still hold herself high, head swiveling and ears turning to see the first instances that the stranger has come closer to make the acquaintance. the river was grown quieter where it is narrower, so perhaps it would be easy not only to cross but to also hear one another.

They smiled at the response they received, hastening their step. Within a few minutes, they found a calm place to wade to the other side of the river. Totoro then bustled north, veering west along the western fork. Ahead, they could see a strip of open grassland gradually narrowing into the neighboring forest. They aimed for that green space.

They spied a figure standing near the water on the makeshift island. Even from a distance, Totoro could tell the stranger was of large stature. Trotting quickly along the waterway now, they rolled to a stop across from the unfamiliar she-wolf. Something leaped in their belly as their blue eyes gazed across the tributary at the she-wolf painted in earthy hues.

Halloo! they said, raising their voice a little, though shouting wasn’t really necessary. Thank you for meeting me here! I am Avery, though I prefer the nickname Totoro.

They smiled and waved their tail, waiting for an introduction in turn.

this creature was perhaps no bigger than her tail!

but who was iseul to judge, she came out of the oven huge [a fact her mother never lets her forget]. so upon seeing that maybe this stranger wouldn't be too capable of stirring up trouble, the deputy sucks in a relaxed breath and comes to listen to the introduction.

avery, though they preferred the nickname totoro. mentally, the girl replays the names in her mind to avoid the horrible splicing in her pronunciation that would be bound to come in later. "toh-toh-roh" she plays on her tongue slowly, looking to the other to see if she had it.

she comes to press a paw against her chest for a moment before coming to bow her head. "iseul, of two rivers isle." she says politely to the other before allowing her jadeite eyes to scan over the monochrome wolf before her. "what brings totoro?" 

the snow no longer fell and the river become freer with each passing day. and this one certainly did not look like they were struggling on their own. in fact, their warm aura made iseul assume that they were off living their best life at the moment.

She repeated the nickname back to them, the enunciation pleasing to Totoro’s ears. They bobbed their head approvingly, cerulean eyes gleaming like seawater as they waited patiently for her own name. It was soon given, a delightful moniker that bore repeating.

Iseul, Totoro said, it is nice to meet you! As for what brings me here… well, I am a nomad by choice, though I love meeting people and learning about their covens, they replied, remembering to amend, their packs, with a grin. Could you tell me about Two Rivers Isle? Anything you would like to share, I would enjoy hearing.

saltwater eyes shimmering like the purest of crystals, iseul could feel heat swell beneath her furred cheeks. she has seen many beauties of the world, and yet continuously finds new things to fascinate herself.

while one would feel apprehension sharing such details, iseul knew of no secret held within the isle. not only this, but she also lacked the understanding of why such a question would cause the lift of a suspicious brow. so perhaps without knowing any better, the tiger comes to share her words with the tiny totoro.

"two rivers isle is new," she comes to say, "not old like others." they had spent time together for a few months certainly, but only fate would tell if the bonds were strong enough to withstand the trials of the wilds. "i deputy," she says with a shift of her paws, "ulrich and ady are leaders."

perhaps unknowingly pleasing ulrich, she'd leave out the fact that ady gave birth.

"two rivers is like ah– family. everyone is... same." what she meant was that everyone was treated the same, though she wasn't quite sure how to get that part across! "forgive iseul, English is uh, not first speak." well, language, but hopefully totoro could put two and two together.

Their lips pressed together as they listened to Iseul’s voice, her accented speech making Totoro think of Marie. They gently set all thought of her aside and focused on what their new friend was saying. The pack was new, not old, like the others. They wondered about these other packs, though they reserved any questions until she was finished speaking.

I understood you perfectly! they hastily reassured Iseul. This is Two Rivers Isle and you are its deputy, serving your leaders, Ulrich and Ady. Everyone is treated like family. They paused thoughtfully before asking, Is it just the three of you? Are you family by blood or by choice?

when her words are recited back to her in a more cohesive form, iseul feels a twitch in her ears as she happily comes to nod her head. it was reassuring that for one, Totoro didn't make fun of her, and for two she was coming across as a lot more concise than what she was giving herself credit for.

"more, one came in winter, two earlier in spring. not all blood family, choice." it felt funny to say it all out loud; iseul for almost all her life had lived with others she shared blood with, it was all she knew. and now being in the wilds, she was surrounded by others who had never seen her face before and she slept with and protected those who would never share the same last name with her.

it was a break of tradition, to say the least, but she had come to learn so much from living with others who did not share her histories. "very different from iseul's home," she comes to say thoughtfully, "two rivers isle helps, for anyone who, ahh– wants quiet home." 

What was your home like, Iseul? they couldn’t help but wonder.

Since she seemed amiable enough but a little guarded—although perhaps the slight language barrier was only lending that impression—Totoro decided to share something about themself in the hopes it made Iseul feel more comfortable talking about herself. They smiled at her across the water.

I was raised in a found family myself, though my mother was from a very large clan of blood relatives called the Blackthorns. She loved them, she said, but she wanted to find her own place in the world. So I was raised by a group of women who were not related to us by blood, though we were no less bonded for it.

"iseul lived with blood family," she comes to say with a warm expression on her face, eyes glittering at the thought, "very far from here. everyone live in blood family homes there. not like here, where others, uh, live by choice." truly, iseul had no idea the number of miles she traveled unconsciously in order to arrive in the wilds. but she knew the land felt and smelt different and thus it was too far away to remind her of home.

when her counterpart begins by spinning their own tale of how they came to be, iseul listens silently and politely, nodding along as she could to show she was an active listener. "sounds like a home if totoro like it." it was perhaps all that a wolf would need, just knowing that somewhere there is someone who cares for them as if they did share blood. "but totoro no want home as n-no-mad?"

that word was new, but it seemed like she used it in the right context as to how she heard it.

What had brought Iseul here, so far from home? Had she simply dispersed or was there another cause? Oftentimes, terrible incidents forced wolves to leave their home. It was a trend they’d noticed while talking to many others over the course of their travels.

Before Totoro could ask, Iseul posed a question of her own. Sometimes, people like Iseul and places like Two River Isle sorely tempted them. From what they could gather, it sounded like a peaceful, familial home, and that appealed to them. But they were not yet ready to settle down someplace.

I enjoy traveling very much and am not ready to stop just yet, Totoro admitted, and there is part of me that thinks I may return to The Coven where I was born if that day comes. But it sounds like you have found a wonderful life here, Iseul, and I wish you and the isle the best. Thank you for taking the time to indulge my curiosity today.

Unfortunately, I’m planning on dropping this character. I was hoping you would conclude/fade this for us? :)

leave it to me! thanks for the wonderful thread <333

it seemed totoro had received all the information they craved to satiate their desire to learn more. and iseul was quite happy to oblige and offer what she could. when the other would come for their departure, the deputy would bow her head towards them and wish them safe travel to wherever they were heading. and lastly, an invitation to return and join them, if totoro ever lost their wandering bug.

until then, iseul watched them travel in the next direction until their small figure was no longer visible and the river enveloped her in a white noise.