The Sentinels no roots

@Embry <3

The brute had opted to step outside of the hold of the bay for the day. Something in him had urged him toward the ashen waste of the woods. He had spent a good amount of his time pondering on the spirits that his mother had spoken so fondly of. The skeletal brute wished that he could believe her word – she'd been so certain – but he had never found himself in the presence of such things. Still, he wandered through the wild wood like a prowling jaguar on the hunt for spiritual prey. The roll of his shoulders afforded him the mask of a true beast of war. Were it not for the desolate waste in which he roamed, he might have truly appeared as a jungle cat.

The winter winds brushed through the sentinels with a hushed reverence that he could not help but to notice. Ford paused in his steps and cupped his ears forward, peering through the land of his mother's birth with a cold expression. He could not help but to feel as though whatever spirits that had resided there before had long since vacated with the burning of the kingdom.

It would have been an outstanding thing to have seen the woodland in its prime.

With a heavy sigh, the titan breathed in the taste of winter and thought to return to his bay. At least there he knew the powers of the earth. More than that, the warhound knew the strength of the swell. As much as he wished that he could love the forest the way that his mother had, Ford did not belong there. Half of him was just as tied to the trees and the undergrowth as it was to the water, but his mother had not had quite the same burning whip of a tongue as his father had. His spirit was one with the sea, and that would never change.

Thank you for getting this up. I must say, I'm diggin' the name.

For the first time since his eleventh month on earth, Embry knew he was not far from home. 

He took one gulp of that fresh, briny air, and the fur along his neck pricked upwards. A rogue's instinct fought the overwhelming tide of nostalgia that pilfered his thoughts and occluded what doubts he had hitherto harbored. So many things had changed since he had last felt the silken touch of sand beneath his paws... Would his old friend even remember such a transmuted specter of that former child? Even now, Embry was not sure whether he would recognize himself when he faced the shoreline once more.

It was unlike Embry to lose himself, but nonetheless he stood for the brevity of moments it took; oblivious to the world but for that of a single sound: the ocean. He closed his eyes, and no matter how far he was, the notes of memories replayed themselves upon a single flight of that saline aroma. There he was: two years younger - yet hardly any smaller - ambling along the various inlets of the cove. Alone, but in no way depressed or forlorn, for in the distance he could spot the frothy caps of waves sending challenges bowling into the earth; crashing into his body and forcing him to repel. This was his childhood playmate, you see. And he could have asked for no better teacher as time wore on, to instill within him the virtues of the sea.

Why did I come here? He shook the question away. The answer no longer eluded him, nor sought pretense. What mattered was that he had returned, just as the tide. And truly, he knew the answer. 

I have never left.

Throughout his travels elsewhere, no wonder could enrapture the poor boy more than that of those beloved, cerulean depths. His heart quickened, and in the midst of the trees there lived no more incongruous a sight than this: a massive, bear of an Embry seated tranquilly among the corpses of fallen majesties.

You're so kind! I am digging you :)

Through all of the difficulty in finding himself in the woods of his mother's birth, the titan wished that he could have felt... something for the loss of it. It was not only in that, but in all things; the warhound suffered from a powerful apathy. He had been raised to know what was right by his people, and how to defend those who had pledged themselves to him, but he had not felt the sting of loss or the touch of love that would have lightened his soul. Once, he believed that he had allowed himself to succumb to rage, but that had even been a fleeting thing that had been washed away with the touch of the sea and the breath of the saline breeze.

So it was when the skeletal titan caught scent of a stranger in the woods that his mind found a thousand different ways to respond. Pride told him that he was to protect the burnt forest; he was a guardian of that which his parents had left behind. Wrath reminded him of the sly female who had attempted to slither her way into the path of Velen and himself, and that there were vile creatures who were capable of awful things. Greed gnawed at the marrow of his bones as if to say, 'this forest is just as much yours as the bay.' But he could not find a means to act on such temptations. Instead, the warhound prowled through the winter wood in search of the unfamiliar.

When he sighted the male, he knew that it was no-one he had known before and no-one who was hunted by him. The stranger seemed as though they were mesmerized by the luring of the swell on the other side of their ashen burial ground. For several long moments, Ford watched the figure with a calculated stare. He did all that he could in an attempt to read the other wolf without having to speak, but found little that he could ground himself with.

The titan appeared much like a reaper amid the dead landscape. It was as though he waited for any sign of life to pass through so that he might collect his debts and move on. With a heavy breath, the massive wraith made move to approach the other. Once he had closed a good deal of the gap between them, Ford released a chuff to announce his presence. It was then that he drew his crown upward and slowed his pace to afford him a moment of observation before he would have been required to speak. The mismatched tone of his eyes searched the features of the wanderer without emotion or need – only to understand.

well thank ye :}

 

Embry shivered, though not for reason of anything palpable that stirred him. No, this was something deeper. Most certainly something he had felt before.

His eyes snapped open. The scent of the ocean grew stronger, it seemed, and for all the tranquility that encompassed his being, he felt just as calm as that of a babe in the womb or a soldier in the heat of battle; floating - suspended - in the muffled depths of maternal waters. All sounds seemed intensified and alienated: his breathing, his heartbeat, and the ghost of what once might have been wind sifting through the leaves of the Sentinels. 

Initially, he detected only the strength of scent from the newcomer. His orbs perused the ashen clearing slowly once, twice, until his heart seemed to freeze. For, at first glance, what he saw was like something out of a dream (or nightmare); something he had only heard in tales from youth. He blinked, and steadily met the male's gaze. He tried not to acknowledge it, but somehow he felt as though he was looking into glass and nothing more. Something about it deeply compelled him... It was almost as though should he only look a little further through the pane, he might make an astonishing discovery.

And so, the crippled grove watched in stoic silence as the gilded boy met the phantom.

The sentinels were – ideally – a natural guard against the sanctity of their bay. The desolation had created an eerie and otherworldly sort of place that was a deterrence against travelers and trespassers alike. Tragedy had provided them with a blessing in disguise, and time would correct the harsh lashing against the wild wood. By the time that the forest had returned to its greatness, Stormrift would have found itself at the peak of its existence; it would not have needed the ghostly remnants of the trees to provide protection.

In spite of this, Ford could not help but to find himself among the ashen corpses. It was as though he felt a natural need to tend to the woods. Loyalty had been impressed on him since birth, and he knew that his mother's love for the sentinels was deeper than most anything that he had ever felt. It was only right that he should tend to her homeland if she could not do it herself.

So, the stranger who had caught his attention had made himself into a possible threat. The titan was not certain of this, but he closed the space between them in a few great strides and drew his crown upward. With a carefully calculated furrowing of his brow, the warhound searched the features of the mocha-tinged male. The scents that clung to the other's pelt were foreign to him – he had not been there long. “You know, you're close to paradise... as unlikely as that seems in a place like this,” the brute finally remarked. His voice was a smoky baritone as it left his throat, and he turned his head toward the bay – through the trees.

Embry's soft, cerulean orbs traced the spectral male as he approached. He could detect a certain hostility in his motions, but from what Embry could gather it was from honorable intentions, so he remained placated. He couldn't completely connect his scent to this world they stood in - truly, this brute smelled less of the forest than of the sea - yet he appeared to retain the features of the woods, anyhow.

When the sylph spoke, Embry did not move his gaze to follow the other's. Instead, he observed the brute; trying to untangle the odd premonitions he exuded. The words he spoke were surprising, for they did not ask for any excuse or introduction for his being there. He felt as though he was in the eye of a storm: a time of confusion and serenity. Once again, Embry felt a surge of curiosity.

"Is that so?" He assumed the brute was speaking of the coast. It was the only thing beyond the forest in the direction to which his eyes were locked. However, Embry glanced around the current settings with a twinge of sympathy and reverence. "I was beginning to believe that I would never find it." 

 And he paused a moment to gather a long sigh of the wood's hearty, ligneous aroma. He admittedly enjoyed keeping the company of a wolf that, for once, mirrored a tame aura, if not mysterious. "Do you suppose you could take me there?"

Ford thought it almost an odd thing to say, that this man believed he might never find the lapping waters of the oceanside. It seemed as though the sea had a way of reclaiming whatever it was that it felt belonged to it. For all of his traveling, the young Mayfair-Cairn had been returned to the water’s edge, and he knew that he would not stray far from it again. Whether it was that he felt he belonged there, or that he could not pull far away from the grasp that the swell had on his being, the brute belonged to the water.
 
There was a quiet request to be taken to the bay. The warhound latched his sights to the stranger without asking for anything further. One way or another, the cream and chocolate fellow would have found his way to the seaside. It would have been best if Ford had been the one to oblige in the request. With a low nod of his head, the titan turned away from the ashen forest and began to prowl toward the land that he had claimed for himself and the others of Stormrift.
 
“Are you of the ocean?” he inquired with a glance toward his companion.

Embry watched the male nod and shook out his hazel coat, relaxing slightly in the newcomer's presence. The two took up a similar pace, prodding along the sooty earth.

Embry cocked his ears when he was adressed, somewhat relieved that he would clear the silence that had fallen. The question perturbed him, though not for cause of the content of itself. It was just that it had been so long since he had met a fellow wolf who loved the sea - for it was like looking through a window, truly, to see this fellow beside him - and it was unnerving.

"I was practically born in it." He responded, after a moment of consideration. He had concluded, after all, that if ever there was a wolf to blatantly trust, it might be this one. He had a tacit aura of wthholding certain moral laws, and that was all Embry could ask for. "I liked to use the waves for training. They can teach you better than any other the virtues of strength." 

He kept his gaze firmly ahead, eager to spot his first glimpse of the ocean. His heart seemed to jump with every step that drew him nearer to the shore. "I assume you are also no stranger to the sea?"

Practically born in it seemed a promising answer. The titan’s kneejerk reaction was to have scoffed at something like that, but even he had not been born in the swell, as much as he would have liked to claim. Instead, the prowling jaguar nodded softly to his companion – it was good to have those of like-mind around him. For all of those who did not worship the sea in the same manner as the Cairn children, Ford wished he had one that did. Though he did not know the name of the man who walked alongside him, he felt that didn’t shine a true light on what rested beneath the surface.
 
“They can teach you a fair bit more than how to temper your strength,” the warhound remarked with a curling leathery lip. The other male ventured to guess that Ford was not a stranger to the waters. That was an apt assumption to have been made. Sea salt clung to the wraith’s coat as though it had been there since his birth. There was something primally leviathan about him. “You are not wrong. I have belonged to the sea my entire life,” Ford responded in a level tone.
 
The duo passed through the trees and broke the edge of the terrain where the wood met the oceanside. There, the titan turned his attention to his companion and motioned with a short gesture of his muzzle toward the sands and the beach. The bay never ceased to amaze him – no matter how often he had seen it – and he wondered just what this fellow would have thought of the land that Ford had claimed. “This is Stormrift,” he introduced in a quiet rumble. His gruff tone was like the sound of thunder in the distance; fitting for the brute to reigned over the territory.

Embry listened politely as they traipsed along, tilting his head every now and then. He thoughtfully picked his way around the underbrush, crowded with fallen oaks and alders, and remained attentive despite his anxious mind, which truly rested upon nothing other than the thought of that magnificent, rolling tide.

He nodded when the wolf confirmed his observations of origins on the strand. It hadn't been difficult to derive, after all, and it made the stranger all the more accountable. For a moment, Embry struggled to find anything more to say. Indeed, it might have been important to exchange names or some sort of title, and yet his chance was broken by the eruption of his associate's stentorian voice. Stormrift... 

Embry was not given long to dwell on the name, for his eyes soon betrayed him and lifted at the first sight of fawn earth. And there it was: home. His breath caught in his throat, in which a century or more seemed to pass. He had all but dreamed of this day, when he would run along the shore again. He was all but fit to burst into a galloping run when - having briefly forgotten the presence of what could only be the land's owner - he cast a sideways glance at his guide, and within his eyes there was a implicit gleam that spoke a world of inexorable gratitude. Whether or not this dark fellow was aware, this was a metamorphosis in itself; what stood before him was not the Embry of before, but himself as he was in the days of his earlier youth.

"Well," he grunted, rendered half-speechless by the sight. "It's..." 
Ah, but there is something else one should know about Embry. He never left a sentence without a proper beginning and end.

Upon this day, however, such a feat was much too negligible. And so, when he uttered the word "stunning" it was lost in the great speed of his departure, for he had waited far too long, and his verve had finally overpowered him. His paws kicked up sand like steam beneath him, swirling as though from the great fire that was Embry. The water grew closer and closer until all he could do was leap, as a fox in snow, into those cold, briny depths. Long-lost friend, he smiled. I hope you have not forgotten me.

There was a transformation on the other man’s face as they passed into the bay and he was left to behold the territory. It was as though he had been traveling through the desert for years on end in search of water and after all that time, he had finally stumbled upon the one thing he desired most. Ford was not unfamiliar with this sight. It did not perturb him that the stranger felt so overwhelmed that he would forget his words in the glee that flooded his system. It was a good sign – to know the ocean with such fondness. It showed that he would be capable of true devotion, if there ever came a question of it.
 
The titan watched as the other fellow sprung through the sands and into the arms of the water. He followed the stranger’s movements with a keen eye, drinking in all that he was learning through simple action and reaction. The wolf did appear as though he was perfectly at home in the embrace of the ocean. It seemed as though it mattered very little that their bay was gripped by winter and the waters were cold against the flesh. It only mattered that he was there, and that was something to be marveled at.
 
With a prowling figure, Ford moved across the earth and found a place where he would be comfortable. There, the titan lowered himself into a seated position in the sand and allowed his gaze to travel along the shore – along his claim – with a ghostly smile that turned the edge of his lips upward. It wasn’t necessary to pull the wolf from his moment of being reunited. They would have time to continue their conversation when he had had his fill of the saline breeze and the lapping of the swell against his frame. Until then, he was free to do what he wished.

Embry appreciated his companion's patience and surged a few times around the waters, relishing the gentle sway of the tide against his fur. Only when he was satisfied did he realize that it was winter, and there was snow on the outskirts of the Sentinels, and that he looked rather vacuous there in the icy water. He might as well be inviting illness into his body. 

Memories of his mother ushering him from the gelid shore flooded his thoughts as he picked his way back up the sand; dragging his sopping coat along. He gave it a loose shake as soon as he was free of the frigid depths, though he made sure it wasn't with enough vigor to assail his friend, who, to his delight, seemed to have a hint of a smile upon his face.

Embry trotted towards where this stranger's trail across the sand ended, and it was here that he sank gratefully into the sun-touched beach. It soaked up what remained of his sodden pelage; embracing his body like no other floor on earth. His gaze never left the ocean, however, throughout this ordeal. He couldn't trust himself not to lose it should he glance away, and so his orbs were locked on the brilliance of the shining surf. 

He was content with just sitting there, and saying nothing.  The ocean was all the conversation he needed, after all. Yet, he felt as though he owed this kind wolf some sort of introduction since he himself had been willing to share so much. 

"My name is Embry," he publicized, his voice softer at first than intended. For being so large, he could often be very pacific in nature. "You must be the leader of this Stormrift you speak of." 

Once the male seemed to have sated his desires to be with the ocean, he turned to where Ford was lounging on the beach and approached. The water droplets did not bother the titan. He relished in the touch of the sea against his coat, no matter the form. When the brute trudged himself closer and found a place beside the warhound, Ford glanced to him with a small smile on his dark lips. The sound of the waves played against his ears like music that could not have been recreated anywhere else. The cold winter wind whipped through the trees to the south of them and sent the leaves rattling at the touch. One ear swiveled atop his crown to listen to the sound of them.
 
This was the moment that the stranger became known. He introduced himself as Embry and ventured a guess as to the role that Ford played in the Stormrift pack. The titan turned to his companion and nodded his head slowly. “Embry,” he tested the name against the back of his throat and found the sound of it to be a satisfying one. “Yes, I am the Aegaeon of Stormrift – ally to the titans and leader of the wolves here,” he confirmed with a careful smile that appeared ghostly against his features.
 
“I am called Ford,” the sea wraith then introduced.

Embry nodded thoughtfully when the wolf spoke his name. It appeared he was pleased by the title, or at least as he spoke it, the word seemed mellifluous enough as it escaped his maw. Nearby, a seagull lighted upon the waves; reappearing only breaths later with a fish squirming in its capable beak. 

Aegaeon. Embry tilted his head at the word. Ally to the titans. Embry returned his gaze to the wolf when, out of his peripherals, he spotted the cautious hint of a smile. So, you're called Ford. He played with the new troupe of words in his mind, and found that they were quite outré in countenance. Naturally, he longed to know more.

"This Stormrift..." Embry's voice softened, as though in reverence to the scenery and the name of the pack. In truth, there was a hurricane taking place within his soul. For so long, he had neglected company. He had rejected the idea of packmates. His affairs with Jhala had taken their toll, and he was one who learned from mistakes, after all. So, why, then, did he feel that this was different?

He took one glance at the shoreline and knew that, just as it had been back near the glen, his ultimate fate sat within this Ford's paws. The difference here was that the ocean was near, and the two wolves were inevitably linked by dint of admiration for that powerful force. "If I promised an unremitting love of the sea, and through this, a similar bond for my pack - who, I know, kindle similar sentiments - what would you say to my request as to comitting myself alongside them?" 

His middle name would have been a better fit for his nature, he was certain. Though the stories that were told of Lasher Mayfair were fond ones that his mother carried around in her heart. The inky wraith did not believe that he would have done the name justice, or that he could have lived up to the way that the man had been. Instead, the titan had sought to make a name for himself with his own skills and characteristics. He still carried the name of his grandfather with great care. Ford might have been a savage creature, but he did not wish to dishonor his mother, or the memory of her father.
 
The wolf Embry spoke again, phrasing his query in a peculiar manner. The titan could not help but to smile softly at the request. Surely, he would not have allowed the sea-dweller onto his beach if he had not thought of offering him a place among his ranks. There was a great protection that rested on the bay; not just anyone was permitted to enter. The sandy-colored male should have felt fortunate for this.
 
“We would be pleased to have you,” the warhound answered with a firm nod. He turned his mismatched gaze onto the newcomer with a thoughtful expression and hollow eyes. “Welcome to the rift.” The beach was just as much Embry’s to protect as it was the rest of the pack. Without the aid of them, it would have been a sad sight. The brute knew that he had been fortunate in his members. All of them were vastly different from each other, but they brought a great benefit to the pack, nonetheless.

Embry watched the wolf in the interval between request and response, his gaze level and searching. Ford was a fitting name for the male, for Embry felt that indeed he was wading through a strong river. His tense features visibly softened when he was given the affirmation of his acceptance. 

Welcome to the rift. There was something to be said for that phrase. He liked the sound of it, for sure, but there was also a sense of history that Embry rather enjoyed. Clearly, the pack had a deep and diverse calling. Just what was out there, Embry had no clue. But he would find out, soon enough.

"You said you were the Aegeon," Embry didn't miss a beat. "Would that be a reference to some oceanic entity?" He was taking a blind guess here, but his curiosity simply could not be abated.

They were all relatively new to the bay, so it could not be said that there was a deep history to the culture that Ford had sought to form. He had grown under the looming shadow of his father – the Leviathan – and had known the wishes of the brute were to inherit the land that had been intended for him. Of course, Skellige had wished for his children to claim the territory his way. The titan had shed that idea and crafted his own path. He had found a way to encourage those who came from all walks of life – who could learn and grow as one – and he believed that he had bested his father in every way with that.
 
Only time could tell, though.
 
The question was a good one, and Ford glanced to his companion with an approving smile and a small nod of his crown. “All of our ranks are based on gods of the ocean and its depths. Aegaeon was the god of violent sea storms and ally to the titans. It was clever of you to pick up on that,” the warhound remarked in a pleased tone. Most of them were happy enough to have a place among the ranks, but few had actually inquired what they meant. Even the lowest members had a deep meaning in their place within the pack.

"Well, thank you," Embry was happy to see that Ford found his question agreeable. It was true that he was intent on learning more about Stormrift and its way of life. The ranks were aptly derived, considering the origins within which they were sequestered. But there was more than just the gods that caught his ear. 

"Ally to the titans, eh?" He shifted in the sand, managing to shake a few kernels from his pelt. The change in scenery still came as a shock to Embry, who had for so long dreamed of the shore. It was all he could do not to roll in it, but in such company, he was sure to maintain an earnest composure. 

"When you said you were leader earlier, you mentioned them... Do you believe in these gods and titans?" He looked out at the ocean swells with veneration in his eyes. "Indeed, it seems they could be the only cause for such a powerful force." 

The desire to learn more of the pack was more than agreeable; Ford encouraged it. He wished that all of the members had found the same curiosity for the ways that he wished to establish. Sooner or later, they would all grow to understand why their pack was structured the way that it was. He was keen to ensure that everyone had found a place for themselves that inspired growth and improvement. Knowledge was the beginning to all of that. Without knowing what it was they were intended to achieve, they would likely stay stagnant. This was fine for anywhere else, but the warhound had aimed to accomplish so much more with his pack. He aspired to more than just greatness.

It was then that Embry asked about his beliefs in the idea of gods and titans. There was a soft remark about the vastness of the sea, and the power that resided there. Some would attest to a higher being based solely on that. It was a fair thought, even to one like Ford. The titan had a different response for his companion, though. “I believe that we can become them,” he answered carefully. “This is why we aspire to eliminate weakness and fear in each other. I should like to see all of those in the rift become god-like in their own way.” A lofty goal, but one that he believed was entirely attainable.

Embry could tell that he sat in the company of a great leader. There followed this brute an air of assurance and wisdom that compelled Embry to measure himself; how he interacted and presented his thoughts. It felt that Ford truly wanted to usher and witness improvement within his pack, both as individuals and as a whole. That was exactly what Embry had been searching for.

Though visibly surprised by the wolf's response, he found the words almost prophetic in tone. There was a quiet power in their solemnity that echoed the dark depths of the ocean. 

"And you will be our guide?" Embry gazed speculatively across the sand, partially by dint of conversation and partially by raw inquiry. Where had this male come from? What was his story? And more, had he bridged this gap between mortal behavior and that of a divine's? 
 

Ford did all that he could to study the features and reactions that flashed along Embry's face. He could not have gauged his responses without having done so. It was safe to see the look of surprise that had echoed in the other male's expression when the warhound had mentioned his belief in gods and titans. In many ways, he had found it hard to wrap his logical and rational mind around the premise of things beyond what he could see. His mother had held a firm belief in spirits, and she had openly shared this with all of them as they had grown. Their father had imposed the ways of the witchdoctors on them, and the powerful presences that prowled in the depths of the ocean. Ford had known both well, and he had sought his own pathway to learning more.

“In all that I can, yes,” he answered stoically. “My hopes are that you will all grow to be guides to our youth, when they should arrive.” He did not anticipate that he would ever return to his homeland again. He had been given a destiny and a path on which to fulfill that, and he had taken it in great strides. He was a titan, after all; there was no room for his failure. In that, he believed that the pack he had founded would become the very same.

Embry liked the sound of that. Somewhat satisfied for the time being, he paused in his interrogation to ruminate. The barrage of information was so much of what he had for so long thirsted for, that to have it fed in such rapid succession felt gluttenous.

He listened to the soothing rythem of the ocean, and now he believed he could understand Ford. He could see, perhaps, that should there ever be a place to perfect one's destiny, it would be along this shoreline. And not only his destiny, alone.

Growing up, Embry had firmly subjected himself to the idea that combat was his sanctuary. As he developed, and his knowledge became less finite, a seed was planted. And as it grew, he learned that in all honesty, it mattered little that he achieve too much in terms of personal gain. He wanted to make an impact on everyone. 

A mentor, he concluded, could function as more than just an educator, but as a path towards the future. It made him struggle to find a response as he sat there, in complete awe at the entanglement of these aspirations. 

"Guides to our youth..." he murmured, repeating those holy words. "Yes... Yes, I do believe in what you propose. And I do believe that, with enough work, we will get there - all of us. If not by the end of your life or mine, then through our offspring, and the generations to come." 

The silence did not bother him at all. He had offered Embry a great deal of information to wander through, and there would be more as time passed. The sound of the ocean was all he needed in their moments of speechlessness. Each crash of the waves was like a breath of fresh air in his lungs – he was so closely tied to the swell and the moving tides. While the other thought, the titan found a sense of peace with the offer that had been placed on the table, as well as the answers he had provided to all of the inquiries. He had been honest, but he had also done well to shine a pleasant light on the hardship that many of them would endure.

When Embry spoke again, Ford's ear turned to catch the words. It seemed as though his companion believed in the message that had been given. It also seemed as though he was willing to release the need to attain godhood in his lifetime, if it meant that his youth would attain it. That was a noble thought, but the warhound did not believe they would need to pass such things to their children. It was more than possible that every wolf in the rift would be capable of achieving their goals, and hi goals for them.

“Have faith and confidence in yourself and those around you, and you will find that we are capable of astounding things,” the sea wraith offered in a gentle tone. The hollow glint of his gaze turned to latch onto the features of the sandy wolf at his side. “Even godhood.” The tenacity in his voice should have been enough to inspire an army, but he offered those words only to one wolf. All the while, he searched Embry's features for the signs he would need to understand.

Embry listened; receptive. His cobalt gaze sobered upon the line where the waters ended, marked by subtle indentions on the bank. A gentle wind stirred the honeyed fur along his neck. 

His new leader's statement was one that seemed to silence the world. Embry could hear nothing but that final remark: even godhood. There was no chorus of scavenging seagulls or hum of ocean waves to follow this. For a good few breaths, Embry could have sworn that the seas had been eavesdropping on their conversation. 

Embry broke his gaze from the outer world, turning it inward towards the dark male adjacent. There was a fire in those eyes, paradoxical as that may sound being so linked to the elements of water, and every time he blinked it seemed to spoke the flames. 


"Well, then," Embry murmured, half to himself. He was dimly aware that this wolf was speaking to him as an individual. This was a personal interaction going on, and yet he felt as though he was among an overwhelming majority; a sea of wolves beneath which stood this commander. Of course, Embry realized, this was true - that indeed the ocean was just as much a part of the pack as he was. And he shook his head with a wondering, nonplussed smile. 

"I'm ready to begin." 

:) fade soon? And maybe sometime we can have a training/Yoda (XD) thread or something where they continue this whole godhood journey/progression thing? It's very intriguing to say the least. It would be interesting to have group assignments that were based on rolls like DnD but involved ocean missions

We can close it out with your next reply! I'd love another thread. <3

All of them were individuals. Though he could easily clump them together under the same classification – squalls – they each had their own interests and strengths. They were entirely their own people, and they didn’t deserve to be treated the same. While he may have offered each of them a similar message, Ford had learned well enough that it was not appropriate to can his responses. He needed them to feel as though they were valued and appreciated. The titan needed them to feel inspiration to move forward, or else he knew that the rift would fail… and he would not fail.
 
Embry stated that he was ready to begin. Ford had no reason not to believe that the sandy male would give everything that he had. That was all that he could ask of them, after all. The titan only wanted them to give themselves to the group. One day, it would all have paid off, but he was not foolish enough to think that this time would arrive before it was meant to. They had a great deal of work to put into their home and into each other before they would reap the benefits.
 
With a sigh that passed through his nostrils in a great plume, Ford rose from his place in the sands and offered a slight curling of his dark lips to the wolf at his side. “You will do well here, Embry,” the titan stated with a light dip of his crown. “Take some time to settle in. Learn about your packmates.” With that, he turned his attention away from the newest member of the rift and set out for the trees on the western side of their land.