Wheeling Gull Isle and i'll be happy to see those nice young men

@Yunxu

 

from where she hid behind moor-rocks, nüwu spied upon seagulls that squawked and strutted upon the shore just ahead. she had eaten them before, when brought by mama... but living and moving like this, she wasn't sure how she could take them down. it seemed a hopeless task without training... thus she only observed for now, making mental notes of their activities and behaviors towards eachother.

yuèlóng's island is not the lagoon – nothing could ever be, and yunxu misses it even now – but he finds he still enjoys it in its own way. the sea is the sea no matter how far he's come from home; the air smells of salt and the way wind stirs the waves against the rocky shore brings its own sort of calm. he picks his way across, re-familiarizing himself with the feel of sand beneath his paws and seaspray whipping his ink and foam fur into salt-encrusted spikes he'll be unable to groom out in a few days' time.

he's uncomfortable among the forests and meadows inland, but at least it allows him to keep his fur smooth and neat. the feeling has never not bothered him, but it's still better than being away from the sea.

he traces the path of the seagulls in flight as he walks, swooping down from sky to sand. he has never found a shore not full of them, and this one is no exception. while he prefers hunting fish and seal, gulls are easier to find, and he isn't as picky when it comes to his meals as he is when it comes to his fur. 

crouching lower to the ground, yunxu steps towards the largest outcrop of rock he can find, the one most likely to hide him from their view. they pay him little notice as he moves along and into cover, and as he rounds the edge of the rocks and spies the child already ducked down behind it, he comes to an abrupt stop.

he lasts all of five seconds, standing there in awkward silence, before instinct finally kicks in. "hello?" he ventures, leaving her plenty of space in case she's startled to find a stranger appearing behind her.

wow i suck im sorry

she was so focused on the gulls that she barely noticed his approach, and her head whirled to look at him when he spoke. he looked like... a bleached version of mama. nüwu contorted her face into a childlike expression of confusion, who are you? she whispered, careful with her volume so as not to scare the birds away. they were fun to watch, after all. oh, and be quiet, i'm watching birds! she directed him in a little hiss, uncaring that he was older between the two of them, and she probably shouldn't command him. don't wanna scare 'em off. she explained, before her enerald gaze drifted back to the flock.

UR FINE IM ALSO SLOW ksldgjdsg

yunxu startles a little when she whirls to face him, even though he’s expecting it.

she doesn’t seem too bothered by him. yunxu drops his voice as he draws closer, lifting his chin over the crest of the rock to mirror her posture. “ah – i am yunxu,” he says. she hasn’t seemed confused by the language so much as his appearance; for now he sticks to chinese. “huā’s brother,” he adds after a little pause. it’s meant as more of a reassurance, though the way she turns from him before he’s finished speaking indicates she doesn’t need it.

she’s no adult, but age has never factored into how easy yunxu has found it to talk to anyone when strict rules aren’t involved. he looks between her and the flock of gulls for a moment before he focuses his stare on the birds, unaware of both wolves nearby.

“are you watching for anything in particular?” he asks, watching them as they pick their way over the sand and looking for any injury – a hurt wing would be best. hunting isn't a sport to be won by finding the hardest prey. it's best when things aren't any more difficult than they need to be.