Wheeling Gull Isle i know, i know

set immediately after this thread

Something, or someone, would soon shift. She kept her guard as she patrolled, muscular legs carrying her hefty frame around the border's perimeter. Her head lifted high, Ying sniffed the air for any nearby scents and greeted each one with a chuff, finding @Fengmian's to be the most interesting.

yoink

it was not long after he'd been accepted into yuelong that he set about refreshing the borders; he did not want any fellow pack member that didn't recognize him thinking he didn't belong here.

he returns her chuff promptly and stalks in her direction as he reflects on the presently vague outcome of the other thread.

i see what you mean now.

Silently, she turned over her shoulder and chuffed her agreement. She's paranoid, the guardian explained, shaking her head, It's put everyone on edge. These suspicions hadn't been confirmed with anyone else, but Ying thought that the effects were obvious.

A careful glance was shot in either direction, her voice listed from a hushed whisper to its normal volume. There were curious ears everywhere; with so much going on, Ying didn't doubt that someone was trying to listen. Is the island everything you were hoping for?  She flagged her tail, hoping to hit his hocks in playful fashion.

i don't doubt that.  but it was best not to speak of such things so brazenly, out in the open.  come see me tonight, if you'd like to discuss it more.  he knew very little of huazhen — less than he'd ever known.  but he knew how to make himself useful, and despite his rough edges he had some kind of natural charisma.  he thought he might be able to test the waters, see how everyone else felt ... but also believed he could do so without setting off any alarm bells.

hmmm, he ponders aloud, moving to bump the side of his hip against hers.  it's ... i don't know.  they had just gotten here, after all, but he couldn't help but feel like... it's lovely, but it also feels dangerous.  i don't like being so closed off.

in the distance he sees a pair of something move, but at further inspection it was a small group of wild ponies.  he bristled momentarily before turning back to ying.  is there somewhere especially nice?

Is there somewhere especially nice? 

She thoughts about it for a moment, head tilted back with a pensive hum. There weren't many places worth exploring, from what Ying had gathered. Her "favorite" area was the border, if only because of how much time she spent there.

However, she also spent a considerable amount on time on the eastern beach. There were traps set there, both by Nukilik and Lei; if they were lucky, one of them might be holding dinner. 

We'll walk to the other side of the island, Ying told him. Sunset had already begun, and if they were lucky, the pair would arrive at its peak.

it took her long enough to respond to his question that he figured she liked the island about as much as he did.  with any luck they could be out by the end of summer, depending on how recruitment went and how many on the island were willing to follow.

he gives this line of thinking a break, mostly because his writer feels like they have driven it into the ground.  

what's over there?  he casts a look at the ponies grazing and then turns his back on them, following ying to their destination.

how long have you been here?

Curious, Ying turned toward the herd. She hadn't noticed them before, and wasn't very impressed now, but Feng seemed interested. She shrugged and said, Let's go find out. The beach would always be there; maybe they could meet there, rather than in her den as she had imagined. Lead the way.

he hadn't intended to alter their course, but had no problem doing so.  he turns back around and crouches low in what grass there was to be had, given all the sand.  creeping closer he notices how stocky they look; two wolves would not be able to take down one of these ... and part of him has no desire to.

i have never seen one of these, he mentions, at least not like this.  they're small.  still bigger than a wolf, and packed with much more muscle, but compared to a horse?

They're so pretty. The huntress crouched down beside him, watching through childlike eyes as the creatures continued to roam. She wondered where they had come from, and how long they might intend to stay. Being the Gēnjú, she wondered if a pack hunt might be beneficial. 

Ying set her head down against outstretched paws. A distant whinny caught her attention, and she immediately perked back up with tail beating behind her. In the distance, one could see the silhouette of what appeared to be a foal. Look! she whispered to Feng, pointing excitedly to the babe.

he is glad she thinks the same as him, and shows his wonder more openly.  his mouth parts loosely, brows raised.  oh, he says, not knowing what else to say.  they must have been here a while, to have foaled already.  he could not tell from here if it was a colt or a filly.  do you ever wonder why wolves don't get to have patterns like that?  he had seen a wolf-like creature once with a brindle pattern, although he didn't know the word for it, but nothing came close this.

Although uniform in color, there were some interesting patterns to be found among the inland wolves. Her mind instantly roamed to pelted coat of Mal, which she had only been able to admire for a moment before having his image tarnished. 

She shrugged her shoulders, wondering if Feng might have an explanation. Sometimes, parents make some weird babies. If Mal were the father of Hua's assumed litter, she could only imagine what their children might look like. Maybe there's a wolf out there who looks like one of those.

meanwhile, feng had never seen a wolf like mal.  perhaps it was a good thing; if he had, he may never have posed the question at all.  if you say so, he says with a noise akin to a laugh forced out of the nose, maybe you're right.  in his experience, she so often was.  the women in your family are certain to have interesting children.  he says this casually, oblivious to two very important things: the empress' pregnancy, and the feelings of her sister.

What's that supposed to mean? She turned her attention from the ponies and shifted to face Feng, her expression twisted into offended humor. Why just my family, hm? The original offense was slowly morphed into something more mischevious, more willing to entertain his slight.

Ying lifted herself up into a seat and carefully groomed the pelage on her breast. Clearing her throat, she announced, My children will be perfect. Much better than your children, I'm sure. Her heat still had yet to come, though she was holding onto hope. Becoming a mother wasn't something that she was interested in, but at her age, what other options did she have?

he was caught off guard that his comment has roused her the way it did, and his ears fell back for a moment in surprise.  he made an audible hrk noise before clearing his throat.  the jiangs have markings and colors that i haven't seen anywhere else.  other than himself, of course, but he considered himself to be an anomaly.

i'm sure they will be, he interjects before she finishes by saying her children would be better than his.  he clicks his mouth shut and snorts.  hey!  he takes one of his legs and pushes it against her shoulder, and one of the horses takes off.

look what you've done now, he goads, wearing an expression of mock-offense.

Oh! Several ponies followed after the first, pushing the herd out of sight. Seeing no reason to remain quiet, Ying bent down and snapped at Feng's offending leg. Then, hoping to keep him from retaliating, she leapt and aimed to land on his side.

She drew in several deep breaths, noting how heavy her chest felt. It probably wasn't cause for worry, so Ying decided to ignore it. You know that they'll be perfect, or you know that they'll be better than yours? It's important. Childhood crushes forgotten, she did hope that he found someone worthwhile.

the ponies crossed over the horizon, and he continued to stare ying down until she broke his concentration by lunging at the leg he held against her.  before he know, she'd landed against him.  he pressed his forehead to hers with force; he was as physically bull-headed as he could be mentally.

at least the first part, he says, with how i was raised, i don't know if my kids would be any good.  i haven't thought about it really, he says, taking a moment to move his face back, kids.

something flickered inside him at the thought of it, but he was quick to snuff it out.

Heaviness seemed to spread between them. She backed away, removing herself and instead settling beside him. A steady southward breeze blew over the bay; Ying closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the moment.

You're too good of a man to be a bad father. They all had their flaws, their troubled pasts. Fear of forcing her trauma onto her own was one of the things holding her back. I remember when we were kids. She mused on the thought for a moment, eventually re-opening her eyes to look at Feng's face.

she moves away from him and the coldness of the breeze that cuts between them is striking.  ever the gentleman, he ignores it.  even if he weren't to ignore it, he does not know what else to do with it. 

silence falls over him at her words.  he doesn't know what to make of it.  he's tried to be a good man — oh, how he's tried! — but it's never seemed to matter to anyone, or amounted to anything.  until.

it wasn't so long ago, if you think about it.  sometimes, when he was speaking with her, it felt like no time had passed at all.  sometimes it felt like another lifetime.  i don't miss it, though.  children had so little autonomy.  there are so many things we can do now that we couldn't when we were younger — or even back home.

Traditional, conservative... Even as an adult, Ying knew that her options would have been limited. There wasn't much mobility, and especially not for a woman. Though she wished for the simplicity, she knew that her freedom was worth much more.

Like what? Ying asked, turning to him a curious smile, What's the wildest thing you've ever wanted to do? For her, it was probably to lead an army, and now look!

feng was a man of simple pleasures.  his wild streak was fuelled by ying more than anything.  he had to reach back years to find some ghost of a thing that might have once been called a dream, something that got snuffed out in his boyhood.  when i was young, he begins, folding one leg over the other, i wanted to lead, too.  i think more than anything, i just wanted to be respected.  i wanted loyalty.  but i didn't want to have it centered around ... he trails off.  she can guess; just insert anything that they grew up with.  tradition.  religion.  fear.  i think one day, i will.  i don't have any desire to lead, but i'd like to advise.  i'd like to be put to work.

which is not quite what she asked.  that doesn't sound so wild out here.  but back there?

Possibilities seemed endless here. She understood what he meant, and nodded along to the sentiment. Advancement was a child's dream back at home, but here, in the Teekon? Anything was possible.

I can see it, Ying replied with a nod. Looking pensively into the distance and using a paw to unironically stroke her chin, she continued, Big Feng, sitting at the top. Seems fitting-ish.

he looks at her sidelong, brows furrowed.  ish?  though she was right (as usual), his pride would not allow for her to think this way.  give it time, he says gently, i will prove myself, if i am given enough of it.  he says this without room for negotiation. 

it's getting late, he says.  the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the air was noticeably colder.  let me walk you to your den, he says, and the pair depart that-a-way.