Sea Lion Shores Not all those who wander are lost

The girl shared a story of her travels, mentioning that she had not seen her home in some time. Smokestep had always admired the life of a vagabond but knew that he would never have suited it. He was a testy fellow the further inland he got, and though he had not spent a great deal of time away from the sea, he knew that it didn’t last forever. It was fortunate that he had been able to claim the bay that his father had held when he’d been born. It was fortunate that he had a slice of the ocean to call his own, and the strength of the Ironsea crew at his back. The young pirate felt as though he could not be stopped, so it was difficult for him to imagine what it must have been like for her to travel so long on her own. Even when he had trekked from Warsaw to the Ironsea claim, he had always had Sandpiper at his side.
 
“Pleasure to meet ye, Brynn,” the pale marauder offered with a bow of his head and a dramatic wag of his tail. The sea dog lifted his skull and met her with a spark in the red of his optic before he offered his own calling. “Me name’s Smokestep.” Of course, the young Captain was fond of finding stray young women and charming his way into a conversation with them. He cast her an inquisitive glance, as though a thought had just struck him. “Will ye always be a roamer? Have ye thought o’ settlin’ down?”