Gilded Bay a place in the sun

Hoping to grab @Tachyon for a thread. :3

A raw and raging shore with crashing waves and craggy cliffs. Yep, this was what ole Goldhawk wanted. He was from shores just like these, though his home had been packed to the rafters with jolly folk and hardy warriors. This bay, magnificent though it was with its stone spires, had nary a soul in it right now. Just Sergeant Goldhawk, who had been living here for a few days now, holed up in an albeit comfortable little cave in a hill overlooking the ocean. Oh it had been fine really, but he was a bit cold and lonely…

Ach, never mind. He’d be fine eventually. He had faith that the pack at Donnelaith to the near east would have room for him someday soon — though he had sensibly (if begrudgingly) considered the possibility of wandering elsewhere to find an alternative pack. Right now it was the middle of the day and he traversed the damp shore, brown eyes searching dully for yet another darn fish for his lunch. But you know, it was bloomin’ cold out here.

Come on out, you blighter, Goldhawk barked quietly up at the clouds that hid the sun. Do your shinin’ — that’s what you’re supposed to do, isn’t it? Blaze your bloomin’ bottom off. Goldhawk stopped, and frowned moodily at the non-existent sun. Come on then, give me a bit of well-earned warmin’. Come on, you blazer. COME ON!

thank you for starting!! tagging lasher for visibility

at first tachyon had been reluctant to leave his sentinel near the den. the calamity that had ensued when the rogues had trespassed had rattled everyone. at length he realized he was useless just sitting there, and after quietly informing @Lasher of his plans, he set out towards the shore to track the rogues. despite his exhaustion he pressed on -- and while he made pathetic progress, at length he made it to the bay where there were several unrecognized wolf scents. his ears flipped forward in surprise as he heard the chatter of another -- his posture remained unassuming as he pulled close. was this a rogue, one of the careless wolves that dared violate donnelaith's borders? he felt his skin crawl but tried his best to suppress the involuntary prickling of his fur. "who are you talking to?" he called out, unwilling to appear as if he were trying to sneak up on the loquacious fellow.

While not bad tempered at all, Goldhawk was certainly capable of being a tad impatient — especially when it came to being bally freezing. He'd been living in a secretive little cave that served as an excellent windbreak and a warm place to sleep, not to mention just a few long strides from a very fish-heavy part of the bay, but getting to and from the cave could be damp. And with the cold breeze and lingering chill of the Winter... let's just say Goldhawk really needed the sun to come out and do its business.

One golden ear tilted all the way back at the sound of an approaching so-and-so, but he didn't look at the stranger at first, choosing instead to keep up his glare through the clouds. A certain hidden ball of flamin' gas that refuses to come out and do its bloomin' job, wot, he replied fiercely. Then he turned to regard the grey stranger somewhat apologetically. Sorry for the hullaballoo old chap, but I'm as chilly as an icicle in a snowdrift.

tachyon craned his head back, following goldhawk's gaze towards the cheerless clouds overhead. like them, a certain listless gloom seeped tachyon's countenance. it was cold -- and as the warm-colored wolf reminded him starkly of the bitter winds he felt a wry shiver wrack his spine. he sniffed the air judiciously, finding no trace of the pale wolf (wednesday) or her counterpart (gristle) on the man's hide. all the same, his suspicions were not entirely assayed. the wolf could just as easily be an ally -- an informer -- and he regarded him with carefully placed doubt. "you live around here?" tachyon was not one to dawdle from hitting his mark -- the sooner he cleared up what this wolf's business was in the bay the sooner he'd feel comfortable around the wolf. "specifically, did you have anything to do with the raid on donnelaith?" he leveled his gaze on the cheery fellow, giving him the hairiest eyeball he would ever receive as he awaited an answer.

Given how grumpy Goldhawk was about living here and not in some handsome seaside packland like what he imagined Donnelaith to be, he could only give a dull shrug to the first question. It wasn't very sociable of the gold-furred ranger for sure, but he was feeling a little fed up at the moment. But all that was forgotten at the next question — the grey stranger got his full attention as Goldhawk stood upright, ears erect, eyes alert. A raid?! When was this? I didn't hear about any bally raid or I'd have been on it sure as fluff on a bunny's behind. You're speaking to Sergeant Goldhawk, sah, friend to Donnelaith, albeit one who is jolly well out of the loop! You biffed away said invaders, I trust?!

lol i could just imagine a redwall hare in that last post ahaha you nailed it

tachyon stiffened as the golden wolf immediately alerted, as if outraged by the news. he regarded this amber-hued wolf carefully, confusion clearly coloring his monotone muzzle. the wolf's deportment was quite interesting, and while tachyon slowly felt his suspicion ebbing, he was loathe to commit the folly of trusting a complete stranger. he leaned back, considering his options before he spoke.

"friend of donnelaith? through who?" while not naturally cold or distant, tachyon had a reason to remain tentative in his faith of the stranger. "we did.. biff.. away the invaders.. but we don't know the nature of their mission -- why they targeted us, who they are -- they came close to the den, i think." his brow furrowed as he recalled the two wolves. "one was huge.. bigger than me, white with black peppering her coat -- didn't look like a woman to me." his frown deepened. "the other was equally large, agouti male." he hadn't really been able to catch either of their eye colors, and he felt a flush of disappointment raid his confidence in himself. "all else i know about them is they didn't smell like they lived inland." he couldn't be positive -- donnelaith itself was situated not too far from the shore, and brine permeated all that made the coast their habitat.

Hehe! I'm flattered~

Goldhawk sat up straight as he listened, standing to attention, brow furrowed with indignation that his one-day home had been attacked and — even worse — he hadn't been onboard to bat away the flies. As for the friend nonsense, his golden muzzle twitched proudly. A friend is a friend, and I won't cheapen that fact by letting some loopy-furred interrogator question it, wot. Be a good sport and take my word for it — I'd have been out there swashbuckin' with the rest of you if old Donnelaith had room for a passing soldier with oh so much love to give, he concluded dramatically.

tachyon's ears pulled back as he deciphered the thinly veiled insult in the golden-hued wolf's words. he felt stung, and it showed on his countenance. with a slow roll the wolf retracted, his expression churlish as he considered how to best respond to such a deliberate amount of ostensible vagueness. at the same time, he had only been part of donnelaith a short time -- what if this very wolf was an old friend of lasher's, or pearl's?

it was this that saved goldhawk from any further accusation. visibly rumpled, tachyon walked away stiffly. "i see." for so much love to give, goldhawk sure didn't mind skipping on details that would assure tachyon he was not part of the band of pirates that had raided his home. tachyon was not about to torment his ego or the wolf any further, and with his nose to the ground the male started rummaging the snow for any scent of the rogues around them.