Dead Empress Backwater is it real now?

Isidore is calling for leadership, @Eros specifically but also tagging @Viorel <3

Okay, it had definitely taken a bit more than two days to find the perfect heart-shaped leaf, but this was a very important task, and Isidore took treasure-hunting seriously. Especially after Eros had been kind enough to let him stick around, rest, and fill his stomach before going along his merry way.

This late into autumn, it was easy to find just any leaf on the ground, but that wouldn't do at all. Those leaves had been walked on, and torn, and rotten, so it had to be a fresher one.

So Isidore walked the banks of the creek in search for some remaining leaves that lingered on tall branches, just out of his reach. And he'd found them, of course, but after several failed attempts at leaping up and climbing to get them - which once landed him directly in the river - he realized that it was not a feasible goal.

It was beginning to look like he might have to settle on one that had already fallen. The level of disappointment Issa felt in the moment was perhaps childish and Eros probably wouldn't care much if he brought a less-than-perfect leaf, but still - it was the principle of the thing.

Just when he'd been about to give up on the whole mission and bring a subpar offering, the heavens opened up and luck shone upon him. A single leaf drifted down from a tree lining the riverbank, perfectly heart-shaped and untouched. Isidore had been nearby enough to scoop it up nearly as soon as it touched the ground, taking the stem delicately in his teeth and kept his treasure close. Still, it didn't seem like enough, because it wouldn't last, and this was a gift, which was unacceptable.

It took a little longer to find pine trees, but some crept in from the Wildwood, and Isidore managed to procure a bit of bark, sticky with sap, that he could press the leaf down into. The present wouldn't last forever, but it would last longer now, even if Isidore was marginally stickier for his efforts, fur clumped a bit around his chest and paws.

With everything deemed perfect, Isidore carried the little treasure to the border and tipped his head back, howling for an audience.

(This post was last modified: Nov 14, 2024, 07:23 PM by Eros.)

While Eros had learned a touch more about certain plants, he still did not have a satisfactory answer for what had occurred at that part of the stream. He'd returned to the site the next day and found the entire herd dead, and spent hours dragging every corpse out of the water so that they did not choke and pollute it. The pack was warned to avoid them, and he hoped the rest of the local wildlife were smart enough to do the same.

Every now and then he had nightmares about the event, fresh horrors sprinkled amidst the worst of his memories that haunted him much more regularly. Most often in them, he'd wake alone, and follow the pack's scent to find them all standing in the current of the same bend. @Ally always passed last, despite every frantic attempt of his to snap her out of the trance and save her.

Isidore returning was another reminder, but still; it was a largely positive occurrence. Eros had worried that the other man would return to that scene and something awful would happen to him because of it. When he spotted the sterling wolf a mellow smile appeared on his muzzle, and his tail waved slowly at his hocks.

"Iss. Good to see you again."

Had he found his perfect leaf? At least he didn't seem any worse for wear from first glance.

Isidore had gone back to the creek to find out more about the deer, but only after they'd all been dragged out of the water and placed elsewhere, which would've been more confusing had Eros' scent not been all over the place. It was a good idea to clear the water, but it gave Issa no new information about the mysterious deaths, much as he'd wanted it.

There was a little, fluttering warmth that began in Isidore's chest when he spotted the other man, a smile crossing his face and a wag starting in his tail.

Iss. A new shortening of his name that no one had used before. It delighted the silver wolf to know that his newfound friend was glad to see him in return, and looked - to Isidore, anyway - less stressed than on their previous meeting.

"It's good to see you, too," he echoed, eyes creased in a smile. "I would've been back sooner, but I didn't think just any leaf would do. The perfect one was... elusive," he admitted, an air of playfulness to the words, though he had taken this task very seriously.

He nudged the bark-pressed leaf toward the other man, a little sap still sticking to his paws. "So it lasts longer," he said by way of explanation, and settled back, awaiting the larger wolf's reaction.

Eros' intentions with the little quest had really been to give Isidore the easiest way of earning immediate approval as possible. He'd honestly expected his new acquaintance to pick up any old leaf then and there, the forests positively littered with hundreds of thousands of them which could be called roughly heart-shaped. When he'd gone his own way once more instead, Eros had known that it was not just possible, but likely, that they'd never cross paths again.

Yet here he was, and again he had taken that which Eros had started and improved upon it. His citrus eyes followed Iss's direction to not just a heart, but a framed one. He blinked down at it, so simple in its parts but by the whole... well, it said quite a bit about the wolf before him, didn't it? Eros stepped closer, properly taking the little piece of artwork in.

A small voice inside whispered that Isidore needed to run, now. That he was too good for these woods.

"... you weren't exaggerating," he finally said, little smile recovering from his surprise, "the Backwater would be honored to host a treasure hunter as fine as yourself."

A paw slipped forward to gingerly, carefully pull it to him.

(This post was last modified: Nov 15, 2024, 03:40 AM by Eros.)

Having his little arts-and-crafts project scrutinized was strangely nerve-wracking, and for a moment Isidore was afraid the other wolf didn't like it. Maybe he'd found a subpar leaf, or maybe he'd gone overboard. Maybe the offer to join was time-sensitive and it didn't matter how perfect the leaf was, if he'd brought it back too late.

He'd prepared himself for the rejection already. It would be little skin off his nose to move along and find somewhere else to stay, or just be on his own again, but there was this lingering want that tugged him toward this place. For what, exactly, he wasn't sure, but he knew he'd be disappointed to be turned away now.

Still, the regret of giving Eros a walked-upon leaf outweighed the potential lull in mood from rejection. Isidore was not one to half-ass treasures or gifts - they had to be worth something.

A smile crept up on his own face when Eros recovered, mirroring the other man's. Relief washed over him at the response, and he wagged his tail. "I'll be sure to stay a treasure-hunter worth hosting," he assured, stepping a little closer. Eros was careful as he handled the little pressed leaf, and Issa couldn't help the warmth that swept over him. He'd half-expected it to be left at the borders to rot.

"Do you mind showing me around?" he asked, then, eyes bright with excitement. It was his first time joining a pack, after all, and the prospect of spending more time both getting to know the area and Eros both were appealing.

Eros' smile deepened just a little bit at the recruit's sunny response, appreciative of his warmth. Who knew, maybe Iss could actually end up doing some good for some of the wolves around here. His family needed some kind of light, they deserved better than the darkness they'd been subjected to for so long now. Why not in the form of a charming young man who went so far out of his way to make things better?

"I have complete faith in you," he answered, almost playful. The request for a tour also received affirmation easily.

"Of course. We'll hit the pack den first."

After all, he needed to properly store this unique offering. His focus returned to it wholly for a moment, eyes fixed on that leaf even as his teeth gently gripped the very edge of the bark backing to ensure that it remained unbothered as he lifted it into the air and slowly turned to lead. Isidore must have brought it here from somewhere without it getting ruffled, and still Eros felt as though he might break it. The other wolf's little trick held wonderfully, though, and he gained confidence as they went.

(This post was last modified: Nov 15, 2024, 03:40 AM by Eros.)