it seemed no matter where the wind might take him, his feet always lead him back to the coast. the touch of the sand was warmer now than what it'd been when he'd first arrived in the wilds, the sun finally beaming down enough to bring a little heat to the shoreline.

he'd been making his way down the coast, feet just barley out of reach from the crashing waves, when he thought of ying. she'd mentioned living on the coast, but where specifically he could not recall. had she ever told him? curious if she was near, he sent up a call for her before plopping down on his haunches to begin the start of a very poorly made sandcastle.

his castle, or at least that's what it was supposed to be, was looking more and more like a sad little mountain as the minutes went by. thankfully ying didn't take terribly long to arrive, or else he might have made an entire collection of the tiny mounds of sand. he leans in to reciprocate her greeting before he reveals, "i didn't find the volcano yet, so i am making my own."

carefully, he lifted a paw and proceeded to poke a hole along the top of his creation, a satisfied smile creeping along the edges of his lips. "ta-da!" he exclaimed with childish glee, as if he'd just won first place at a school science fair.

he gave a nod to her comment, confirming he had no intention of finding the volcano without her. he just wanted a bit of a head start so that they wouldn't spend their entire lives going in circles in search of one specific fuming mountain. "i promise not to go find it without you", he let out with a smile as he leaned down to give a poke at her side.

inky ears gave a twitch at her question, surprised she did not already know what it was for. "that is where the smoke and magma come from when it erupts", he revealed with a motion to the top of his creation. "the one i grew up on was empty though, like a giant cave."

"hmm" he thought aloud, unsure how to go about explaining his knowledge of volcanoes without confusing her any further. "my mother told me magma is like water and fire mixed together. flows like water, burns like fire." he knew it wise to keep your distance from a volcano that was on the verge of erupting, for one could not usually outrun it's fury.

"when it erupts, magma and smoke pour out", he explains as he takes a claw to make a few squiggly lines going down the side of his makeshift model. "until one day, the volcano just dies and never erupts again." or at least that's how he assumed the fuming mountain went about the end of it's time.

"yuèlóng", he repeated after her, struggling a bit to get the syllables right. "i will have to visit sometime", he let out with a curious glance in her direction, as if asking permission if that would be alright. the idea of living on an island was an interesting one, and he found himself interested in what life might look like for those living there.

he watched her rise, eyelids fluttering shut a few times as she went on to ask him the name of his homeland. "avigilion, named after the first leader of my people", he revealed with a glance southward. "it is not terribly far from here, but the journey to get there is rather tough."

a smile etched it's way to his features when she confirmed he was allowed to visit, a few pleased taps of his tail only expressing his joy further when she began to test the name of his homeland for herself. "the people are strict there, but welcoming of strangers and those in need. the land itself is lush with greenery, and is still one of the prettiest places i've ever seen." he might be biased since that was where he'd grown up, but in all his adventures and places he'd seen - home had yet to fall inferior.

at her question of whether or not she could handle the journey to his homeland, he instantly lifted both forelegs into the air as a sign of surrender. "oh no, the mighty ying could most certainly conquer any challenge that she faced on the journey" he let out with a wink, believing her more than capable enough to make it to his birthplace.

so they came from similar backgrounds then, huh. "sure, we can visit whenever you'd like." whether it be tomorrow or years from now, he'd always be up for a trip back to his family. "i think my sisters would be particularly fond of you", he mused aloud. they'd always held an admiration for strength and beauty, of which both categories ying fell in to.

as for the topic of heat..."it is only warm during the midday", he revealed with a glance to the sky. "there are mountains near that keep the volcano covered in shade most of the time." he imagined living on an island, especially in summer, was not exactly ideal if she did not prefer the heat. "isn't it hot on the island?"

he gave a nod at her suggestion to visit his homeland after summer before he continued to listen with interest as she spoke. he could tell through words alone that he and ying were different in this situation, or at least that's what he assumed. she had chosen her family's happiness over her own, while he had chosen his own happiness over his family's, and not a day went by where he regretted his decision.

"why wait?", he asked with genuine interest. "if you have a dream, why not chase it?" he wanted to understand where she came from, and wanted to see her happy. he'd support her, no matter what, even if her family did not.

her reasoning, while a shock in the moment, wasn't really much of a surprise the more he thought about it. she'd told him of her wishes and he was, in all honesty, happy for her. "you will be a good mother" he offered as words of encouragement, certain her children would grow up to be as fierce as she. "and i will be the greatest babysitter if you ever feel like kicking them out for a bit when they are older", he let out with a wink.

"then i will make sure to get all my adventures done by the time you are ready, so that i can be apart of your dream too", he let out with a nod and a gentle bump to her shoulder. she would be with him when he accomplished his goal of seeing an active volcano, and in return, he wanted to be there for her when she accomplished her own ambitions.

his brow raised at her new name for him, and he instantly found himself wondering what it meant. however, rather than outright asking the meaning behind the foreign word, he instead thought he might challenge himself a bit more. "your language is interesting, you should teach it to me someday." it had been an unspoken goal of his to learn another's tongue since his mother had taught him pieces of her own dialect.

he took a moment to think over her question, to seriously consider what he wanted for himself past his own freedom. "i haven't really thought about what i want after i'm done exploring, but i know i'd like a family one day. children, grandchildren, a place to watch the ones i love grow." he supposed in a way, this was everyone's dream. "and i want to specialize in something. nature, hunting, scouting - i want to be able to teach others about the things i enjoy."

her reply brought forth a smile of his own as he tipped his chin upwards in thought. "hmm, i don't know, what's something you don't have that you want?" furs, gemstones, knowledge, inside information, gossip. if it was something he could obtain, he was willing to share it in order to receive her lessons.

"learning about nature has become an interest of mine recently", he revealed with a sway of his tail against the sand, recalling those who had taken time out of their day to share their knowledge with him. "and of course exploring is on my list of hobbies as well." was there anything else? "what about you? what do you like?"

she could not think of something either, leaving them pair of them standing in silence. "when i find something worthy, i'll bring it to you" he decided, still silently thinking over what he could bring as payment that would be equal to her lessons.

"ah, i should have guessed that since you are both a good hunter and fighter." he'd witnessed both up close, though admittedly the latter was more for play than anything serious. "but a spy huh? that's badass." he certainly wouldn't have guessed that in a million years, but supposed she did have the charm to pull off such a role. it made him wonder if she was a spy for her pack, or simply for herself.

he gave a half-laugh at her comment, full believing it to be true. he certainly didn't think himself capable of pulling off such a taxing role, and so commended her for being able to do what he could never accomplish.

he took a moment to stretch out his limps before he settled down beside her on the sand. he adjusted himself once or twice before he found a position that was comfortable, and let the warmth of the sun and background music of the crashing waves lull him off to sleep.