Sea Lion Shores what vexes all men? a woman

summoning @Maera ♥! i couldn't help myself, lmao. hopefully sea lion shores is ok!
:-)

Atlan’s fury has finally passed, Their wrath having been exhausted and with the deity’s exhaustion is a relieving calm and clear skies and beautiful weather. Axolotl is grateful to be alive and grateful that those unfortunate enough to have been washed up on the Isle have also survived. The worst has come to pass but before them lies an incredible opportunity to take the fortune that Atlan has given them in return. The weighty and pending decisions of the group are tucked aside as Axolotl crosses the natural land bridge that is just beneath the lapping waves. It carries him to the mainland. He does not intend to be gone for long — a few hours at most (as he told anyone whom was willing to listen before he departed) — he seeks to survey the damage wreaked upon the neighboring territories of the mainland and assess if any herds have yet returned or if they have remained skittish of the coast. The Isle is self sustaining and while marine life has returned to their seaweed littered beaches the leviathan seeks more substantial food. Perhaps, even, he can manage to convince those well enough to partake in a hunt to see the entire pack’s bellies filled with real meat. Something more sustaining than fish, crab, and the occasional seagull. If not an elk or deer then a sea lion, perhaps.

He moves off of the sandbar and into the water, splashing his way to the shore where upon reaching dry sand he gives his coat a hearty to shake to dispel as much sea water as he can though he is drenched and his fur stands up and sticks together in salted spikes and uneven tufts. The shores are absent of the noisy barks of the sea lions, likely still recovering from the storm as the wolves of the Isle are. In a way, that thought only feels right to the leviathan: the Isle became their salvation against Atlan’s unleashed ire and it’s only natural path is to now become their home. He trudges through the sand, glacial gaze focused upon his path as he side steps a pool on his journey to the heart of the territory.

finally i can reply to this♥♥♥ - i wanted to wrap some other threads and straighten mae's timeline! 

Unaware of the damage the recent storm had brought upon the territories near the coast, the fiery Sveijarn had spent the past few days retracing her steps back west. She had liked the mountains, she had enjoyed the lake, she had loved the little meadow she had found afterwards, but most of all, she had missed the sea. 
Plus, seashells were one of Maera's weakness, and her den would need some housewarming decorations.

Shortly after arriving to the coastal lands of the Wilds, Maera had found herself a den, this time, replacing Neverwinter for Ravensblood forest. Despite her liking for the sea, Maera still felt more comfortable sleeping inland than near the shore - even if she found the waves' back and forth to be a soothing lullaby she felt less lonely when surrounded by trees.

Night was still hours away but dinner was overdue. With her tail straightened out behind her and her nose hovering above the ground Maera left the forest and headed towards the shore. She trotted around caprisiously, her direction changing erratically as she searched for either food or treasure - whichever came first. 

eep, so excited for this! ♥

Axolotl has no grand illusions of what he intends to find as he heads further inland, away from the reaching and vast sea, but it is not a familiar streak of red. “Maera?” He murmurs to himself, a furrow to his brow as he forgets about his originally intentions: to search for viable and sustainable food sources and to assess the damage taken in favor of the Sveijarn. Or whom he has a sudden and fierce hope is her. He would know her anywhere, he thinks if only because her red agouti color is so very rare to him. Exotic in a way he had never known upon the coasts he has lived. “Maera!” The leviathan calls out to her, drawing closer with the intention of causing their paths to cross. He will, perhaps, feel bad about interrupting her later for she does appear to be on a mission of sorts but for now all he can focus upon is the relief that she is alive and appears to be in good health, and the unbidden joy that their paths are, once more, intwined.

me toooooo 

The sand felt good between her toes. 
Maera continued to sniff here and there, turning brusquely everytime some other scent filled her nose, or some other thing caught the corner of her eye. It was then that she saw it.
No, not him yet, but a crab that tried to bury itself into the sand a little too late to escape from Maera's sight. 
Food first it seemed.

Quickly, she attempted to nugde it with her paw, careful not to get caught between its claws but hoping to turn it upside down. She is still oblivious to the fact that a crab wouldn't be the only thing she found today. With her jaws clicking and snapping over the crab in an attempt to snip off its legs so she could try to crack it open with more ease.

Then, she heard her name in the wind. As brusquely as on their first encounter (and every encounter really since Mae is flighty as shit) Maera turned herself around to look for the source, forgetting all about the crab and its little legs. Axololt!, she said to herself, recognizing instantly the man she had shared a meal with. Her tail innevitaby began to wag, and Maera wondered why her legs felt like melting at the sight of him.
what the fuck, she thought, giving herself a little shake before taking a few steps to meet him halfway.

"Axolotl" she barked with a smile. Her food had probably gone away by now but it didn't matter, she'd found something, someone,  better.

axo is such an awkward bean, lol.

The leviathan watches as the fire kissed woman moves to meet him halfway and feels his breath catch in his throat for a small moment. He used to think the sunset over the Sea was one of the most beautiful things he’s ever seen but he has found something to rival it and because of this he is a mixture of things. Perplexity at the helm. The leviathan is not necessarily perplexed because he finds Maera beautiful — that is easy enough in and of itself to understand; he thinks, perhaps, it is because that she affects him so and yet he barely knows her. He hesitates as the distance between them rapidly closes, unsure how he is meant to greet her. He desires to close the distance and press his muzzle against her cheek but does not for the worry that it would be too forward and too familiar. For some reason, he is (pleasantly) surprised that she has remembered his name and he thinks, errantly, that he rather enjoys hearing it pass from betwixt her lips. “You are well?” Axolotl inquires as his steps cease. Alas, his numerous mentors had never seen fit teach him When Talking to Your Crush 101 as the role of Atlantian is not passed from father to son and there (in their eyes anyway) was never any need to teach the (then) fledgling apprentice how to properly speak to women he harbors an attraction for. The leviathan was not born to be a charming beast; far too pious and focused upon his love and devotion to and for Atlan to have ever given previous inkling to the notion that there could be something else. He offers her a soft, sheepish grin as his tail flicks against his hocks in joy before it stills, waiting for her response.

For a moment, Maera too found herself unsure of how to greet the man. Secretly she wished for their nosed and skin to touch, even if briefly, but as he made no move that suggested he wanted this as well, Maera limited herself to give a timid bow of her head. Only the female's smile and hazel eyes betrayed the flame's elation.

Pleased to what her little treasure hunt outing has come to, Maera lets a small yip to slip for her mouth before Axolotl's question reaches her. At first she feels complimented by his concern towards her well being, but then she wonders why would he doubt it? After the success of their hunt together one would think it was clear that both could take care of themselves. Maera was oblivious to the storm that had almost washed off Axolotl and several others. 

"i am" she confirmed, her tail drawing figures in the air as it continued to wag. "are you?" she woofed, flooded by a sudden concern that he might not be so. 

Impulse grips him tight and slowly, glacial gaze searching for any sign that she does not welcome it — for if she gives him any physical indication otherwise his steps will cease — Axolotl slowly diminishes the distance between them and reaches out to touch his nose to her cheek, tentative if only because he is not sure how the gesture will be received by his companion. The leviathan is not necessarily a timid beast by any means of the word but for some reason Maera’s comfortableness with the tentative touch matters to him. She appears, from her yip and the wag of her tail, to be as joyed to see him as he is to see her. It gives the leviathan the encouragement he needs.

The flame kissed Sveijarn confirms that she is, indeed, well, and there is a soft wave of relief that rushes through him to hear it from her own mouth as opposed to going off just his observations. He can read Atlan, he can navigate the stars and the Sea as any Atlanian before him but the talent does not extend to his own species beyond what is instinct; though body language is easy enough to read and understand it is everything else that serves to puzzle the leviathan whom has always felt more connected with the Sea than he has any one wolf. “I have fared better than some,” He admits and then realizes that she may not have been on the coast for the hurricane that tore through. “A hurricane came through the coast. I was stranded on Wheeling Gull Isle but I was not the only one. Many wolves washed up ashore. I’m assessing the damage and trying to find herds in the hopes I can gather those who have enough strength and whose injuries are not too bad to hunt.” That, of course, is contingent on what he finds.

Admittedly, though the leviathan does not name this desire, he feels duty bound to protect them, to take care of them though many are strangers to him. Atlan brought them all together, after all. It is destiny that they band together just as the next logical move is to make something of themselves and claim the Isle as their own. For now, the most important thing is seeing those injured and weakened by the hurricane returned to strength and health. The lack of sustainable food took it's own toll on the leviathan but he has been a coastal wolf all of his life and he can survive off of seafood alone if he must.

Obviously Maera was as lost as Axolotl when it came to knowing the 'how to's to interacting with someone who inexplicably made your knees weak. She had thought they were past the greetings when suddenly the man reached out to her. She felt the coldness of his nose climb onto her cheek and in the form of a shiver, run down her spine until it reached the very tip of her tail. She sought to touch his skin too and when the moment, ever so brief, was over Maera was left with a strange craving for more. 

The smile that had settled upon her face, was somehow brighter now, and though she did not need to smile to shine because of the brightness of her coat, Maera found it completely impossible not to. That until she watched his face become more serious and heard him speak of the disaster. The simple thought of him being injured and this wonderful casuality not happening made Maera's face contort into a frown.

He could've been dead and she wouldn't even know.
But again, so could every other wolf she had ever encountered in her lifetime.
So could her family but she didn't think of that - to her they were ghosts but not because they were dead but because they were nothing but memories, silhouettes that came alive only in her dreams. 

He speaks of others and Maera feels another something bubble in her stomach.
Jealousy?
Quickly, she reprimands herself for the thought - she doesn't even know who they are. In fact, all she knows is that there are possibly injured wolves among those others.

"i'll help you" she declared, not even asking if he wants her help because in her mind, it is assumed he does - just as much as she wants to give it to him. 

Axolotl feels a small swell of warmth in his chest as Maera accepts his small and brief touch and returns the touch. He draws back to give her space and takes note of her smile and how it lights up her entire face. There is a soft twitch of his own lips but he is not unburdened and already the guilt of how easily he has let himself be distracted from his true purpose begins to eat at him. The sandbar has taken it’s own beating and even if it hadn’t it was only present during low tide when Atlan’s waves recede along it. Not anywhere near enough that it is visible or that it could not sweep a wolf off to sea with a particularly strong wave. It poses it’s own threats. The leviathan is a strong swimmer but he does not think that even he can realistically make the swim from mainland to the Isle without drowning — or coming close to it. For the moment, the leviathan is as stranded on the mainland as he was previously on Wheeling Gull Isle.

This gives him ample opportunity to fulfill his initial objective. Axolotl is drawn out of his thoughts, ears cupping forth atop his skull accented with a soft furrowing of his brow when Maera declares that she will help him. It comes as wholly unexpected to him. He hesitates for a moment before he asks, “You will?” simply because the leviathan had no designs of asking for her assistance especially when he does not have anything to offer her in return for her help (or so he thinks, anyway).

"of course" she assures, her hazel eyes seeking his as she stands firm on her offer. She does not how she can help or if she is even of use in this situation but whatever she can do, she is willing to do it. "what should we do first?" she asked then, a set of tickles climbing up her spine as she realized how naturally it came for her to speak in plural. 

Surely there was lots of things to do if the disaster had been as bad as he described it. Get food, get shelter and get the injured healed. While Maera thought of herself as capable to cover the first two items of the list, being a decent hunter and being able to move around freely to find said shelter for the other wolves, she worried about the last item. 
Maera, as an aspiring naturalist, knew of plants among other things, but she was no medic.

With her eyes blinking expectantly at him, she waited for any instruction. 
Her treasure hunting had soon turned anything but. 

She assures him that of course she will help him and Axolotl is filled with both gratitude and delight that are not entirely unselfish. Her willingness to assist him and the wolves of the Isle offers a distinct boon of spending more time in her presence — something he was not about to turn down. “Thank you, Maera,” The leviathan gives voice to his gratitude, ears cupping forth as she turns to him for instruction on what they should do first. “They have plenty of shelter and fresh water,” Axolotl prattles off, as if he is speaking to himself, arranging the motions of preparation that the elder Atlanians had forced him to go through in times of crisis. Atlan might be calm once more but they were not yet entirely out of dangerous waters yet. “We track for nearby herds.” The leviathan decides, turning his glacial gaze to from the landscape back to Maera. “The hurricane forced the herds to abandon the Isle and there is no telling how long it will be before they are comfortable enough to return. Seafood and seagulls are not enough to sustain.” Especially not those injured who needed to regain their strength with rest and food.

Axolotl only hopes that the hurricane has not scared them off from the coast as well. He is not sure how well the fledgling group will fare if the herds were driven further inland. Getting the food from the coast to the Isle would prove to be challenging enough without adding extra distance and numerous chances of ambush from other predators to the equation. “I also came to asses the damage done by the hurricane but it appears the Isle suffered the very worst of it.”

Maera recieved his thanks with a graceful bow of her head.
Truth be told, Maera rarely played the role of good samaritan, so the warmth that began to climb in her chest was oddly unfamiliar to the her. Life had told her to rely on no one but herself, so the flame didn't ask for favours.
Altruism was a trait lost on her, mostly because to help others they have to be present and with almost every figure on her life eventually disappearing, Maera had never really felt needed.
Still, there was something that had woken an unknown desire offer her help to the man.  

She listened silently as he unknowingly checked off some of the first items on her mental checklist. Her hazel eyes never strayed from his, just as her attention. She was completely and wholy here with him.
"im right behind you" she barked as he grew quiet once more, then with a gesture of her muzzle she motioned for him to take off. Then her nose glued to the ground in the same manner as when she had first arrived at the beach earlier in search of treasure, she began to search for any trace of the herds.

Axolotl’s glacial gaze held steady as Maera’s hazel gaze met his. There is a charge to the moment absent of challenge but electrified with something else and not anything Axolotl can readily place. She gestures for him to take the lead, giving voice to her support. He takes it effortlessly, turning from her to begin the journey a little further inland in search of something that does not bear the mark of the sea upon it. Eventually, after the pair wonder for a bit Axolotl’s steps cease and his head bows to the ground to drink in the musky, woodsy aroma of a small elk herd. His ears pivot atop his skull and his head rises to look at his lovely companion. “An elk herd,” Though likely she can smell this for herself. “We have some time before the tide lowers and the sandbar becomes accessible once more.” It would be wise, after all, to know something of it’s roaming pattern so they could find it with relative ease once more should he be able to do as he seeks. He bears intent to follow the herd at a safe distance but for enough time to gain some familiarity with how and where they move.

maybe we should begin to wrap this one up? last few rounds?

Without saying anything else, they began to tread inland. Maera follows him closely, her nose hovering over the floor as she then quickens her pace just enough so that she's no longer behind him beside him as they had walked on their first meeting. 

Eventually, their search proved to be fruitful as they picked up on the scent of an elk herd that had been near not too long ago. Maera nodded silently, confirming she too had picked up on it, then as he mentions the tide and the sandbar the flame's throat feels suddenly tighter. Going with Axolotl to the island is something Maera wishes to do - if not she wouldn't even be standing were she is - but the idea of going and then having no possibility to leave until the tide allows her to again sits heavy upon her head.
She doesn't want to be stuck where she could become rather than an aid a burden.  

"perfect" she barks, her head lowering once again to recognize what direction the herd has headed.
"lets go" she adds quickly, taking a tentative step forward in the direction her nose points her to.

i went ahead and slapped a quick conclusion on this so we could focus on our more current threads. i hope that's ok! ♥

She gives vocalization to encouragement and Axolotl offers her a sage nod. From that point on the pair move in relative silence broken only when either of them had a question for the other. Axolotl was content to follow the herd for a few hours watching their grazing pattern. When he deduced they did not stray at all too far from the grasses of the shore — drawn by the taller heather grasses as they were — he let Maera know that the tide should have receded enough for them to go to the Isle and the leviathan led the way across the sea that separated Wheeling Gull Isle from the mainland with the intent of giving her a tour that focused on all the important parts of the Isle.