Lost Creek Hollow eyes like frozen planets

It was cold, and she was alone.

Everyone was gone.

Somehow, she had become separated. Forgotten, maybe. It didn't matter — except she was alone, and it was cold. These two things were everything.

The snow fell and she was numb; but the river moved endlessly, and Iris moved towards it because there was nothing else for her to do.

@Sandulf recovered. she spent her days with @Wren and @Shadowpaw, helping ash star where needed. today she followed the river, enjoying the spread of frost at the edges of the bank. but she was not here alone. a young wolf proceeded in her direction. silvertongue was silent for a moment, then called a wolfish greeting, tail swaying once.

tossing her in here for that sweet sweet merc base/guardian thread hope u guys don't mind LMFAO

wren was never far from silvertongue's side for long. today she went along with her on a typical walk; she watched her lover's strength grow, learn to walk again with a new gait. her pride blossomed.
her old habit of compulsive border-marking remained. when she'd stepped away to mark a nearby tree, silvertongue had locked eyes with something — someone. and now wren noticed.
while the sharpfang approaches the newcomer in peace, wren's face contorts in territorial suspicion. her nape flares. words threaten to break loose from her lips, but she stops herself before anything can come of it when she noticed the spindly, fine-boned figure.
a wayward child.

She was oblivious. The scent of wolf was akin to warmth, and to the child the world was only cold. The ground was hard, the air bit at her throat when she tasted it, the sky wept ice; and the water, although fast in pace, stung to touch.

Iris drank quick laps of it. A tendril of water dripped from her chin when she paused, hearing something — then seeing the silver woman; a gray man nearby to her — her tail curled promptly to her belly.

Hi, she squeaks.

It doesn't occur to her to be nervous, or to ask about the water. It was here, and she was thirsty.

the girl was polite if not well-versed with border etiquette. silvertongue gave a long look to wren and then stepped forward once more. "this is riverclan. are you alone?" she inquired, ears swinging forward with interest despite her odd trepidation. she knew this child was not one of the creek's and did not think she had come from kvarsheim either.

wren let loose a chuff. the hubris of this little sticky-fingered whelp to waltz in here and drink their water!
she should have felt sympathetic immediately, and she knew this, and yet it did not fully come to her until the tiny peep of greeting was heard. silvertongue introduces the clan while the songbird bites back her agitation. did borders mean nothing anymore? and where the hell were this girl's parents?
my name's wren, she gestures to herself with a lift of a forepaw. that's silvertongue.

This? Her eyes wandered up the spine of the riverside and back, drifting between the two women. What an odd thing to do, naming a river. It was just a river.

The more sullen one spoke and gave names. When the silver lady stepped forward Iris was a little bit more receptive, and watched her. She gave a nod, then leaned closer to the silver lady and whispered, Do all rivers have names?

the moments went on and no older wolves arrived. the girl and silvertongue leant toward one another, and in that moment the sharpfang knew she was alone. "even if we do not know what a river calls itself, i am certain they all have their own names." her gaze was warm if worried. "what is yours, niña?"

it was another one of those moments where wren truly realized how out of place she was here.
riverclan was peaceful and kind. they met strangers with grace and good attitude, even trespassers; and it made her feel strange, the way she exchanged glances with silvertongue as the clueless girl went on about rivers and their titles. there was no suspicion in the blue eyes of her lover. it made her think of akavir.
the set of wren's face morphs into something unreadable before she softly asks amid a silent moment; are you hungry, or anything?

Her name? Oh, yes.

My name is Iris. A glance from the warm woman to the other, who asked her questions.

Lack of food had dulled the girl's reaction time. She had slaked her thirst with the river, but the offer of food made her slowly realize she was actually very hungry. Like a pit had opened in her belly.

There's food too? There it was, the glow of hope in her tired eyes.

"there is," silvertongue said in a kind voice, glancing to wren now. her lover's hard edges had gentled, smoothed. "when is the last time you saw your mother or your father? what direction?" she asked, stepping aside to invite the child closer with a twitch of her muzzle. ash star would need to add her say, but they could offer the girl rest and a meal while she was here.

i can-- i'll bring you something, from the caches.
wren felt the time to call ash star over was nearing, and the last thing she wanted to do was feel the disdain in her gaze. there is a soft, wavering look shared between she and silvertongue as she turns back toward the riverland. the hard questions to ask would belong to her.
after a short time, she returns with the hind torso of a rabbit. here, she noses it toward the girl. it's not much, so, um, let me know if you want more.
she was trying.

The girl was thoughtful, distracted.

It was a mountain. She couldn't recall the name of it, though. There were a great many mountains and in many directions, and for a moment Iris looked dreamily one way, then another, and gave a shrug.

The other woman, the one who was cold like winter was cold, left then. Iris watched her go and soon enough she returned, bringing a rabbit torso and placing it at Iris' feet.

The girl was elated! She looked to Wren with a new appreciation and then shyly, to Silvertongue as if to ask permission to eat, and when granted she tucked in to the meal, eating it very carefully the way a bird might peck and peel.

iris did not seem to know where she was. silvertongue shot a grateful glance when wren returned, crouching to watch over the pup as she ate. "why don't you stay here for a bit? maybe we can get word out to your family." somehow. another pause and then she called for @Ash Star, politely asking for the other leader's attention to be shown upon this particular situation.

Ash heard the call and headed towards it. She had been waiting for it since her words with Wren. But she was surprised when upon arrival she came to a pup at their borders and both Silver and Wren.

Her eyes softened a touch as did the rigidity in her stance.

You called? voice soft.

wren can be skipped now!

ash star. wren makes an attempt to hide the sour buildup of contempt that now roiled in her gut. the girl seems afraid to eat, and when she does it is polite and dainty. she reminded her of —
the realization then grabs her by the throat. this child shares both the name and spirit of her sister, like a vision of her filtered in soft amber and chocolate, and the warrior suddenly felt tossed into the throes of memory.
iris.
she gives a kiss to the temple of her lover before she removes herself to the seclusion of the trees. unless needed, here she would remain.

Stay? Iris thought she would like that.

It was cold everywhere but here. Here was a bit warmer, and they had food. It wasn't a difficult descision; but she would defer to the adults, because the adults knew better than her, always.

A new face appeared—and with a wide-eyed look, Iris saw Ash Star and then wedged herself a little bit closer to Silvertongue.

wren retreated; a flicker of tension sang between she and ash star, but she could not address it now beyond a vaguely questioning look to them both. instead she offered iris a fond look. "this is ash star. this is iris. she is lost," silvertongue now said to her co-lead, "and she does not seem to know from where she comes." riverclan was small but their caches had held. the sharpfang felt that they had a little to offer.

Blue eyes flicked to Wren and she raised a brow. To hold grudges was unsightly. She had said her piece had been honest would not forget what wren had done or said, but she could move on from it. Hadn't she moved on from it all, but it seemed Wren could not. Her damage ran deep. Perhaps it was a product of hard living. Oh well it didn't matter.

Current company needed her attention not a wolf with scars of both physical and emotional. But perhaps that was a cruelty of Ash Paw. She loved Silvertongue in spite of and because of her scars. Perhaps the difference was Wren had not gotten to know her first like silver had. And well lets be honest Ash wasn't kind.

Ash smiled softly at the girl. Well lets bring her in give her a place to rest and eat. Sometimes with peace and rest we can remember things. It may not all come back, but some.

with that, the girl was welcomed. silvertongue still looked at wren, then ash star, but for the moment iris became her focus. "welcome to riverclan. here we take certain names. you would be irispup. think on it." she lifted a paw to beckon the girl closer, deeper in the packland.