Heartleaf Creek [SoW Drop] trouble the water

Eros continued to watch Isidore, all shimmering and kinetic, and couldn't help but wonder if maybe the rude part was his allowing the other wolf to walk obliviously into such a dismal pack as they were. Still, even grieving company provided security. It was certainly a lot better of a net than just Eros himself, or no one at all.

The next question got another quirk of expression that could have been mirth. Not a way he'd heard it phrased before, and for a split moment his imagination conjured Issa suddenly revealing a selection of worldly wares with which to purchase his place in the pack. He hadn't always taken these social contracts so lightly, though.

Eros had always had high expectations for himself, and saw service to others as the most crucial role one could play from a very young age. His morality system, his strong sense of duty, his determination to improve the lives of those around him had driven everything and when others had conflicted with those ideals or otherwise fallen short, Eros had been unable to understand much less empathize - he could not compromise values that were so rigid.

It had cost him so much of what he'd thought he'd been protecting, and now he had enough life behind him, enough mistakes, to really see it. Archer's death had to be the end of the damage he would cause in the name of order and principle. With all that he'd built himself around razed, it felt as though nothing was left of him at all but the wisp of a ghost, but that was what he had sowed.

So, what did he want from Isidore? Truth was, he knew better now than to ask anything at all, even as alpha. He had his wishes, though. Eros gestured with his muzzle for him to walk with him. Still waiting for that sudden burst of noise from behind, still needing to be in motion.

"Price of admission is one heart-shaped leaf. They're quite rare, but you look like you've got an eye for treasure."

His tone didn't change, but that minute smile was just a touch more wry. He didn't want to be responsible for holding Isidore to any specific expectations, and couldn't they say anything to each other now? Then tomorrow, Iss could seem an entirely different wolf, or situations could change that required a shift in responsibility and obligations. Why even try to hold someone accountable for a future they couldn't foresee?

There was no way for Isidore to know what the pack he was joining had been through, or the fact they were all grieving significant loss. He'd no clue what was going on in Eros' head, or what he used to be like - what might've been lost in the aftermath of a life turned on its head.

But Isidore had never experienced Eros, and had never officially joined a pack, so he didn't know what to expect or assume.

And if there was nothing for Isidore to expect out of him, out of the pack, then he wasn't going to try and guess anything. Best to go in with fresh eyes and all that, he figured. There would be plenty of time to learn, and he didn't want to join with a mind already clouded in pre-judgment.

Price of admission is one heart-shaped leaf.

Something about Eros' smile told Issa that this was a fee of entry tailored to the younger man individually, and delight crept across his expression before he schooled it into something more serious, albeit playfully so.

"Finding treasure just so happens to be my specialty," he assured, tail swaying as he trotted alongside his companion. "Give me two days, and I'll find you the best heart-shaped leaf in the entire forest."

The entranced deer seemed more distant now, physically and metaphorically, though Isidore did plan on coming back in a few days to see if they were still there or if they'd disappeared into the water without a trace.