Water had become his guide. After finding the river among the cedars, the young captain had resolved never to leave it again if he could help it. His heart seemed to beat stronger, in rhythm with the rushing water in his ears. Now he could only hope that the flow would eventually lead him to his sister, or at least someone who knew something! It felt like he had travelled the entire world in his search, and he was still no closer, no news had found its way to him, no familiar scents had crossed his path; Is this really the Mother's will..? Not that he would know. All he'd heard of the Goddess had been from secretly listening in, hiding or pretending to sleep. Those stories and lessons had been for Bennet's ears only, the legacy of a dragon. But what the boy had learned intrigued him, and he knew that his foster mother had believed ardently in the All Mother, as had Kjors, and both of them had passed on that faith to their chosen daughter.

Real or not, their believe was what had gotten them chased from Hearthwood, it was what, according to Aleksei, had gotten the dragon killed. And he had to trust that it had kept the rest of his family alive. But with no more knowledge of the Mother's ways, Kyrios had to follow his own creed, and that meant the river. It had been easy enough, tracking it through the open land from Cedarwood Forest, even as it broke apart and came back together in multiple paths; He simply chose the largest one. But now things were getting difficult. He was nearing the mountain again, with no intents of going back up into the heights, but hoping he could find a branch of the river running along the base. However the foothills were covered in dense forest, seeming to grow denser with every step, trees and shrubs crowding the banks of his waterway. It was unlike any woods he had ever seen too: the trees low and gnarly, underbrush full of heavy, dark ferns and tough bramble, and a thick fog hung between the trees, obscuring the road forwards even further. He had to trust his ears, trailing the continuous rumble of the river; At least that never fails..!

And yet, it seemed to be changing, the roar increasing in magnitude up ahead. Hoping this meant the woods were opening up, the boy increased his pace, slipping several times on the bank as he struggled to pass thorny branches reaching out over the water, leaving a few bloody streaks along his flank. Then finally he reached the epicenter of the noise, eyes widening at what he saw, so different from what he'd expected.

Word count: 460

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de

The water before him was wilder than he had ever seen, milky-blue ice-melt and bright white form swirling and cascading through a mass of dark, jagged rocks, jutting out of the water in every which direction. The roar was almost deafening, a constant, gurgling rush as more water filtered down from the mountains to add to the masses. Growing up, Kyrios had thought Hearthwood River was mighty, it's waters ever flowing, colors shifting in the light from emerald and shamrock greens to the deep, dark indigo of the most treacherous parts, mint colored foam lapping against the banks and around the round, flat stones he'd used to jump across many times. But this, this was an entirely different beast, ferocious, sharp edged and deadly without a doubt; A true home for a sea serpent.

But he wasn't allowed much time to admire it, as the sound of someone crashing through the copse drew his attention. The initial call was drowned out by the water, but as the stranger drew closer, the sounds of approach were unmistakable. Spinning around, the pale yearling cocked his head high to look into the woods, and just then, another wolf tore out of the thicket, slamming right into him. Kyrios staggered, paws stumbling backwards in an effort to keep his balance, teetering on the very edge of the rapid pool. He had little attention for the other as he struggled to not stumble into the sure death of the wild water, front legs crossing back and forth in front of each other.

It took a while before his was secure enough to start moving forwards, at which point he slowly inched himself off the edge and onto more secure ground. Only then did he turn to face the stranger, ears flicking at the blurted apology. "Should prob'ly watch where ya' going then," he pointed out in response, though his voice was light and a crooked smile played at the corner of his mouth. The other boy could be little older than himself, slightly larger, and certainly much stockier than the gaunt Aegina, but with a clear, puppy-esque awkwardness as well as a youthful honesty to his features. He looked terribly upset, all crumbled up and shy, so Ky moved quickly to reassure: "'least you didn't push me in." The pale head jerked towards the churning waters, tone still light and friendly; "No harm done. 'am Kyrios." He smiled and nodded at the other lad, waving his tail pleasantly. This was his first time meeting a male age mate.

Word count: 423

Burtn @DA & Dawnthieves.de