Wheeling Gull Isle salt blooded

@Hua and @Ying, if she is still present. Dated the 26th. Night. Overcast.

She traveled north. Towards the coast. Those simple words she had uttered recently when with Astaroth, had stuck. Wedged firmly in the deepest recesses of her mind. Revisit my roots. The phrase echoed over and over, drumming on the inside of her skull. Thanks to some snippets of information from her dark friend, she knew that there was a pack, residing on the distant island. The force that drew her there and away from the side of her companion was a strange one, yet fully understood. Maybe, just maybe if she dared step back into pack life again...coastal pack life, then she could discover the true path she was destined to walk on. It would either heal her, or corrupt her from the inside out.

The tide was low, affording the dark female a trek across a stretch of land, only to soon be devoured by the sea in the upcoming hours. She inhaled a sharp breath, still getting accustomed to the sharp tingling of the salty air. She'd adapt. She always had before. This was no forest, no sturdy mountain. It was ocean front, like her birth place. But this was not where she had been born, and that was all that mattered. There were no scars written beneath the sand here. Emerging onto the main stretch of beach, powerful scent markers acted as an invisible barrier, forcing her to stop just shy of the pack's front porch. Gleaming silver eyes scanned the distant waves, tracing the churning froth that crashed and twisted. After her moment of admiration, Tzila tipped her head back and released her eerie song, requesting an audience.

Yuèlóng was busy these days with coming and going. For a while there she'd been worried about their numbers- so had Ying- but now she was confident that word of her pack was spreading. Or perhaps it was the intrigue of visiting an island and finding people present- but whatever it was, it had her answering calls left and right like the receptionist at an office. This song pulled her up from where she lay beside Atausiq, resting, and towards the coast. 

No longer did she ever feel elegant in the face of her guests- she was a round little thing, ripe with children and lacking the lithe qualities she'd had just two months ago. But Huā would do what she could to feel like empress- and so she approached the woman with a careful gait and tilted chin. The girl was near Huā in age, dark with captivating mercury eyes and a nape dipped in red wine. Admittedly a pretty girl. Huā gave her a little once over, before introducing herself. I am Huā. You stand at border of Yuèlóng, what bring you to us?

Her wait wasn't a long one, as a figure emerged from the heart of the island territory. A lovely female with sandy fur and a darker head and eyes as pure as the ocean. The way her sides bulged showed she was heavily pregnant. Before acknowledging her, Tzila took her in further. She was around her age - not a yearling unfit to lead like someone she knew back in the Haunted Wood. Her immediate, instinctual response would have been to step forward rigidly, all posturing. To test their suitability in a position as leader. Tzila was often accustomed to pushing the envelope like this, but this time was different. Instead, since she sensed no direct challenge towards herself and keeping in mind her reasons for seeking out this pack, she offered a subtle dip of her muzzle in both respect and congratulations. 

Reclining smoothly on her haunches, Tzila considered the simple, yet weighted question. She hummed thoughtfully, though without doubt. "A few things. But I am driven mainly by a personal quest of self-discovery." She would spare the mother to be the intricate details unless asked. Surely Hua, in her awkward state at this hour, was eager to get back to the comforts of a den. "I am Tzila." Her silver eyes fell again on the crashing waves in the distance, then back to twin aqua pools. "I grew up along a coastline, not all that different from this one. If you would have me, I would like to experience that lifestyle again here." She explained, keeping it short, leaving out how she had come to know of Yuelong until asked.

The girl before her dipped her snout before settling back rather comfortably, providing the answer that she was on a quedt of self-discovery. Huā was no stranger to that- it was what Ying did all the time. Run off somewhere to "find herself". Had Tzila abandoned loved ones too? She shook the thought away, feeling she was being too judgemental. This was not Ying, and to the empress, the dark woman's future here ought to matter more than her past. 

She introduces herself as Tzila, explaining she'd grown up by the beach and was looking for a home here. It was always nice to have those who were familiar with the beach; they would not complain so much about living here as some others once had. But a new recruit ought to be skilled, and so came the routine. Alright. Tzila, what skill you carry? What you can bring to Yuèlóng? Anyone who is helpful can have home here.

The woman of light and dark, contrasting furs, known as Hua, hadn't given much away about her demeanor, but seemed neutral. She wasn't radiating arrogance or an imposing air, like her late leader, Vengeance had. One positive box checked marked. The question that followed was one the shadow keeper expected. What could she, as an individual, offer Yuèlóng?

Lowering her head with a subtle dip of her chin to fix the Empress with meaningful silver eyes, her reply flowed like a steadily trickling stream. "I have honed my skills in combat, both defensive and offensive." She felt no need to list her residence in Nightwalkers on her resume. That was a page in her book that may just as well be ripped out. "I am well traveled. I may not know every inch of the Teekons, but I have been around." Her ears flitted back, eyes darting down and to the side in a thoughtful squint. And then "I remember some of my basic knowledge of seaside living, mostly revolving around small prey." Then, that was it. With her qualifications listed, Tzila gave Hua the floor again.

Tzila seemed prepared, her answer coming readily, which satisfied Huā. Combat- always useful, especially at this time, when there would he new young to protect. She was never one to turn down a good mercenary. And perhaps if Huā were a warrior herself, or not pregnant, she might've tested the woman right here- but she was not such, and besides, she felt that she could trust the dark-furred girl.  

Then came well-traveledness, and coastal hunting... both of which were useful. Huā, despite her scout qualification, had truly only explored through the coast and the wilderness that belonged to Hydra. What lay beyond was a mystery to her; places only Ying had dared to go perhaps. The woman was qualified enough, and so Huā dipped her head slightly, Seem like you very well-qualified. Welcome to Yuèlóng, Tzila. She would step aside, motioning a wave of her tail as if to invite her to follow Huā into the heart of the island. 

wrap here is ok with you?

Works for me!

Well then. That was almost too easy. The empress, Hua, accepted Tzila easily into the fold of Yuèlóng. She had suspected from the get go, that her skill set would have set the stage in her favor, and she was right. In return, the Shadow Queen only offered a modest smile. "I would like to think I am, yes. But you can never know too much." Another appreciative dip of her dark head. Giving the woman an admiring look (for she was quite the beauty!), Tzila stepped forth and fell in stride alongside her. The poor thing looked like she'd burst at any moment. She couldn't imagine her discomfort. "I won't keep you. I will manage to find my way around on my own." She tacked on - a hint to her self-sustaining nature. There would be time to catch up and to know one another later. With one last glance, she branched away to head down the beach.