With all the sadness and losses Helidos kept being subjected to, they at least had some kind of good luck. Well actually, they had quite a few positive things: they had enough food to eat and water to drink (for now), they were all healthy and for a while their territory would be safe from rivals since their foes were also quite low in number, though nobody knew yet if they had birthed any young. But the most significantly different thing that they had not had before was that they had kept their home growing bigger and stronger. There were new areas that Helidos had claimed on the edge of their lands, varying in the type of habitat and location. After all his time within the pack, it was promising and exciting to see this expansion and he hoped they would continue to grow even when he was not there to see it. Eclipse decided to investigate each addition to the territory in time, as it made practical sense to know each part of his homeland and he was too proud a Helidos member to not know everything that was going on around the place. Whilst he had a bout of curiosity on that cloudless day, he had decided to visit one such new area, which consisted of a river and some hills. He walked through the soft grass slowly, taking his time to watch every little rustle in the breeze and feel each smell almost as if it were a vision of colour before him. Here he was relaxed, for he knew he was not in any rush to get back for anything. It was not that he was slacking much, he still tried to get involved with the warriors and hunters where possible without treading on their toes, but the fact that he had nobody really to go back for. So he spent his days mostly just wandering and finding pleasure in things he had always been too busy to appreciate previously.

Reaching the two distinctive trees on the plains beside the flowing water, he stood in their shade and cast his gaze out over the view before him, waiting for several minutes as his nose and ears twitched. Once he felt confident that there was nothing to be alert for, he trotted down to the water's edge. His mahogany pelt swished each time his paws planted on the ground, though it had lost its original shiny lustre and had a few greys and whites appearing around his muzzle and face. Looking down at his reflection in the gently rippling fluid, he could immediately see the signs that hinted to his age but he was unaffected by their presence, believing they only proved that he had been resilient and intelligent enough to live for so many years on this earth so were nothing to be ashamed of or depressed about. The brute laid down on the soft mud of the bank, extending his neck out so that he could sip the fresh liquid. Flicking his golden eyes up as he drank, he watched the large mounds of earth across the river before him, a passing thought entering his mind of how those peaks would be the perfect spot to take his pups, to show them how on one side of that boundary was everything their great pack owned and on the other was the wider world full of so many interesting, beautiful and dangerous things, where no two wolves nor two packs were the same and so it would be up to them who they trusted and where they would venture. However, he of course had no pups and his one opportunity to be a caring and informative father had been and failed. Eclipse did not know how he felt about not leaving some sort of legacy behind when he eventually passed on, he wanted his existence in the world to make a difference even when he was no longer there and he'd always thought that would be in the form of his offspring that he would raise to do good like he had. He blinked hard and forced his wishful imagination to pass, lifting his head and licking his muzzle with his replenished tongue. Suddenly it occurred to him that perhaps there would be fish in the river that he could try and catch. He began to peer around for a narrower and shallower section of the river where he would go over to, hoping that it would be easier to spot any of the scaled aquatic creatures from there.

The fresh water had a nice, cooling effect as it enveloped his pads and lower legs, the colder liquid helping to refresh his calloused paws and it brought a contented sigh from his lungs to feel it flow directly over the tough skin and draw the heat from his body. Eclipse padded carefully along close to the edge of the river to avoid disturbing any fish in the deeper flow that were headed to the shallow pool and also so he could hop out of the water if necessary due to a hidden current or other danger. The water glistened under the sun, and he began to wonder if these long hot days would pose a threat in the near future, either through causing droughts or something greater that he couldn't even imagine. Hopefully not. Helidos had been through enough already and Eclipse would want to help all he could but he had little experience with natural disasters and that left him with an uneasy feeling. As he made it to the shallows where there was shade cast by reeds near the muddy bank, he scanned the flowing liquid for any dart of shadowy movement. He believed that the fish would be staying around the reeds that created patches of darkness to make them harder to spot by the predators that targeted their flesh, so he stayed by them. His ears swivelled back against his head and his tail hovered just above the surface of the water as his gaze tried to look past the shimmering surface and search beneath the low water, but the babbling of the fluid seemed to distract him. Memories were mostly painful for the old brute, and there was one in particular that centred around a fast-flowing river which still stuck in the recesses of his mind. The Kou'hai River was of course calmer and smaller, and he was lucky to not have developed a phobia of all moving water due to the gushing waters that caused him a great tragedy, but still it triggered that memory.

With his concentration lacking from the mental distraction, suddenly he was reminded of his task as something bumped his leg. Eclipse continued to remain still, knowing his sense of smell was useless for catching the underwater animals so he had to rely solely on eyesight or even sound. Therefore he could not afford to spook anything, since if it dashed away he could not track its scent and his relatively bad eyesight would mean he would lose it. His pelt aided him, as the brown looked natural like wood, and the darkness that formed beneath his body apparently attracted a fish to swarm around him as if he was part of the reeds. He tilted his chin down slowly and saw the fish swim out between his front legs, again smacking him with its tail as it went. Eclipse waited for the right moment and then propelled his maw into the water, jaws wide and quickly snapping shut as the male snatched his scaley prize. Water splashed at his whiskers and chest as the creature struggled but he managed to keep his grip latched just above its lashing tail, even though it made his head shake. His eyes squeezed shut until he pulled the medium-sized fish from the water and the heavy splashing ceased, and then he began to walk back towards the bank, gold eyes glued to the fish as it writhed, not wanting to lose it.

When the mahogany brute got within a few feet of the land he finally looked over to it as he prepared to step up onto the bank, but was surprised to see another wolf sat there. In his surprise, he lost control of the prey in his maw and it slipped from his bite and went flying towards the lanky male he now recognised as Warrior Teeku, whom he'd met with some Erenyx brutes on Isle De Muerto. He stopped in his place by the brink of the river, eyes widening for a moment as it seemed the fish was going to slap Teeku straight in the face. “Oh dear…” Eclipse muttered, slightly worried about the fish hitting his packmate and moreover concerned about it possibly landing back in the water and getting away. He couldn't help but to allow a slight amused smile border his lips though, but he was quick to display a sheepish grin to the warrior instead. “See, you can't escape the fun and action even by staying on the sidelines! Why don't you come in? It’s safe, the water is shallow and the river bed is solid so you can't sink, plus there's a few fish.” His tone was polite and friendly, trying to deflect any ill feelings Teeku might have toward him but he hoped that he would see the humorous side anyway. Why he hadn't entered the water already was a mystery to Eclipse, but then again with what he had experienced in the past himself he could understand if the other was cautious, though here there was no need to be and maybe he could get him to see that. His focus rapidly switched back to the fish, making sure it didn't get back to the water and wondering if his packmate would help catch it.

Eclipse cringed slightly as the fish did indeed hit his packmate square in the face, loudly as well. Teeku had jumped up and backed away in surprise, but was relatively unharmed by the sudden assault and also luckily realised that there was a risk of the creature flopping its way back into the river and Eclipse's efforts would therefore be going to waste, so had swiftly sunk his teeth into the fish and killed it. It seemed its flesh wasn’t quite to the younger male’s taste however, judging by the displeased look on his face as he bit into it and how he quickly pulled away. The brown elder smirked briefly and gave a thankful nod to the brute, who was now laughing at Eclipse’s words. Seeing the amusement in the other and that he wasn't angry at what had happened brought a grin to his own maw as he then stepped out onto the bank, pawing at the motionless body to check it was definitely dead and how difficult the scales would be to remove. He didn't enjoy eating that part of the fish and so would rather remove the weird outer skin if possible without having to rip into it with his teeth and get bits stuck in his mouth. Perhaps it would be more polite to try and skin it later though, seeing as he had company right now. As he glanced to the warrior, he moved the fish into a shaded spot in the reeds before padding back into the water, finding the cool liquid too soothing to be away from for long. "No, I agree with you. The accidents aren't the fun, but the unpredictability of fishing and hunting is, I think." He chuckled as he waded in the river, moving through the ripples slowly and relishing the relief it had on his skin.

His gaze trailed around the river and its surroundings, only looking back to Teeku when he spoke again. He identified immediately that the brute was not at ease with the idea of getting into the water, his body quite anxious and his eyes examining the liquid carefully, yet he moved closer to the water's edge. “You don't have to get in the water if you really don't want to, but I can assure you it's safe. It's not a very deep river, and if anything should happen there's a trustworthy packmate here to help you.” Eclipse stated reassuringly, wondering inwardly if the warrior simply hasn't been around rivers much or had memories of a bad experience which made him avoid them. Either way, he would be willing to help, but he wouldn't pressure anyone to do something they weren't comfortable with, unless of course it was a certain young wolf who was refusing to eat. "Yes I remember meeting you, Teeku. And since you forgot, I am Eclipse, an Elder now. But there's life and strength in these old bones yet, for which my rank betrays me. Are you still a warrior? If so, do you intend to work for a promotion at all? We are lacking some leading ranks to guide the others, and I could help train you if you'd like.” The elder male took charge of the conversation, hoping it would distract Teeku from his fears plus he was genuinely happy to finally have a student to teach should his packmate accept his offer.