Whitefish River From Fiji to Tyree and the Isles of Ebony

It had only been a week but Atreus already felt some of the extra pounds slipping off him as he walked tirelessly through the wilds. He had never been sorer in his whole life, he was pretty sure, and part of him yearned to go back to the caldera and relax. Another, larger part of Atreus was well suited to ranging and enjoyed returning to it after a long hiatus. That part of him reveled in all the sights and smells of the uncharted wilderness.

He missed @Amalia, which made him wonder if there were any wolves nearby. It would be nice to talk to someone after days of solitude. Atreus grunted as he pushed onto all fours, stepping out from beneath the shadow of Blacktail Deer Plateau where he had spent the night. He tipped his head into the air to sniff—he thought he picked up traces of wolves on the wind in either direction—and then walked toward the nearby riverbank to take care of his thirst.

Void has trekked down to the river for some fishing. He knew Meyl was not a fan of fish but he was, and perhaps other members of his pack were. But when he got to the river he was greeted with a scent he recognized, but could not immediately place. And then it hit him. Bear! The boy he’d found all those months ago, and then was gonna fight that girl Amalia over. Bear was here! Void broke into a sprint towards where the scent was coming from and soon the boy, who was no longer a boy and was a young man at this point, came into view. He stopped running then, and trotted up carefully, unsure if Bear would remember him. He looked at him, a solemn look in his eyes. “Bear.” He said

He bent to drink, tongue scooping cold, fresh water that felt so refreshing going down his throat only to hit his stomach like a slow punch. Ignoring the slight discomfort, he drank until he rinsed the night’s dryness from his mouth and raised his head, turning just in time to see a swarthy figure approaching.

Atreus’s hackles prickled, though they smoothed when he recognized Void. He blinked at the old nickname, then began to smile. It had been so long since they’d seen one another. He wished Void had seen him while he’d been much fitter—he felt a brief flash of self-consciousness about the extra weight still clinging to his bones—but he quickly brushed away those thoughts and focused on the man in front of him.

Hey, man, it’s been a long time, he greeted, tail swaying as he faced his old friend. How are you doing?

He smiled when Bear recognized him. "I'm great, actually, thank you. I have a pack now, that I lead, not too far from here. We're called Midnight Scar, right up by the Thunder Dome, if you ever want to visit." Void told the young man. "How've you been, you look to be in good health." Void said, commenting on the fact that the young man wasn't the skinny, underfed boy he was when they first met. A little chub was alright, and showed good health.

He had been prepared to forget all about his body image, then Void indirectly commented on it. Atreus laughed self-consciously, taking the words in the spirit they had been offered, which was well-meaning. Deeper down, though, it fed into his drive to get back into better shape.

Maintaining his focus on Void, he replied, Oh, that’s awesome. Congrats! Thunder Dome? He mulled, then shook his head. I haven’t but that’s a really bad-ass name. So’s Midnight Scar.

He paused, pondering how to answer Void’s question. It wasn’t a difficult one to answer, except that Atreus really hadn’t been doing anything noteworthy lately. But it had been a long time since they’d spoken, so he reached all the way back to summarize.

I lived with Mereo in the canyon for a while, then they disbanded. I did a really short stint in Akashingo after that before I hurt my leg and decided to take that as a sign to go live with Amalia. Surely Void would remember her! We’re living in Brecheliant, almost due south of here. It’s a really peaceful place. What’s Midnight Scar like?

Ah, of course he was with Amalia. It made Void a bit annoyed but it is what it is. If it made Bear happy, fine.

"I lived in Moonglow and then Moontide for some time before moving to my own pack. We're still very much a work in progress, and very small, but our goal is to become a pack with a main strength in battle, but also strong hunters." Void explained.

Those pack names were only vaguely familiar to him. It sounded like Void had only just transitioned to leading his own pack very recently. Atreus’s tail swayed as he absorbed this information. He had always loved gathering knowledge about other packs in the area. His prior leaders would’ve loved the intel, though he somehow doubted the Brecheliant leadership cared much.

Reminds me of Mereo, Atreus commented when Void emphasized battles and hunts. How many wolves live there? Do you have barracks? he questioned, content to collect information just to satisfy his own curiosity.

"Right now there's only 6 of us, but there are 2 females in the pack, my mate, and then another, who are both soon to be due with babies, so we'll grow, maybe even double, in size soon." Void said proudly.

"We have dens, the very basics right now, just nests in caves for the moment, because we're still working on building and growing in size, but as we grow, I'll specialize housing for certain ranks." Void explained, answering his question.

Void mentioned a mate and Atreus’s lips parted. He very nearly interrupted him to ask about her, yet he clapped his mouth shut and waited for his old friend to finish first.

That’s awesome! he said when it was his turn. So, you’re hitched now and you’re having kids? That’s really exciting, man! Atreus’s brain paused for half a second to ask why he kept saying “man,” though he didn’t linger on it. It sounds like you’re living the apple pie life. I’m happy for you. Maybe one day, I’ll follow in your footsteps.

Those last few words came out without thinking and, this time, Atreus’s brain demanded some air time. Since when did he even want any of that? Sure, he supposed he liked the idea of a relationship—he thought briefly of Inkeri—but had he ever really thought about having a family of his own? Did he want to be a dad? Did he even like kids? He’d never given it much thought, same with leadership.

He blinked at himself but Atreus didn’t say anything further, stashing those thoughts for later deliberation, when he was alone again.

Void blinked, and looked Atreus in the eyes after that last statement. "I'm sure you will. The begining is rough man, I'm not gonna sugar coat it. I was thrown into life in a rough way, abandoned by a mother who didn't want me, thrown out at 3 months old to fight for myself with my 3 brothers. We could've very easily died. For all I know they all died. I've not seen them since we were 6 months old. But I made it. I pushed through, pushed through those bad years when i first got to these areas. And now I'm here. Happy and healthy." He promised.

Atreus fidgeted a little under Void’s unexpectedly direct stare. He listened silently, even though he’d heard this story before. He had not forgotten it—how could he?—and to this day, he marveled at this wolf’s resilience. He admired it too, of course.

I’m really happy you overcame all that stuff and found your happily ever after, the yearling repeated. If I’m not keeping you too long, I’d love to hear all about your lady. Who is she? How did you meet her?

"Her name is Meylodi, or Meyl. She looks quite like me, big, muscular, black base, but she has some gray on her, and more amber in her eyes. She's got a personality that works well with me, snarky and spiteful but strong and resilient as well. She'll be due in a few days time, and I'm hoping we can get strong pups, from such strong parents. I met her near Moontide, she challenged me to a dominance battle, and I accidentally hurt her and then took care of her, and well, fell for her." Void said.

Atreus listened silently as Void spoke. His lips twitched into a grin at the way his old friend described his partner. He seemed so smitten. There was part of him that felt envious of everything Void shared—the same part of him that had blurted earlier, he supposed—but mostly, he was just happy for the guy.

You’ve really got it all, he observed. I’ll stop keeping you from it. I’m glad I bumped into you, it made my day. I’ll stop by again someday, if that’s alright with you. For now, I’m gonna head out, and Atreus made a sweeping motion at the wilderness around them which he was eager to continue exploring.

Void dipped his head in understanding and parting. "Of course, you're welcome whenever. Safe travels, my friend." He said, and started back where he came.