Gilded Bay you pinned me with your black sphere eyes

It was peculiar that two creatures of such opposite mindsets would find themselves in such a situation. One as genuine as Dalia did not seem to belong under the rule of the guarded inkhound. She – so open with her thoughts – and he – so ruled by pragmatism and yet so cold. So early in the stages of his claim, Ford knew better than to turn away good candidates like herself. After all, she had pledged herself to the sea. He would find himself fortunate if he could fill his ranks with others like her.

Again, she reflected how he had come to her from the swell. The titan did not disagree, for he believed that he had been birthed by the sea itself and that he was as much a part of it as it was of him. They seemed to fit well together. Ford did smile fondly at her comment, bowing his head to her as a show of thanks. “Very well then,” he agreed in a quiet rumble. “We have a path of difficult work ahead of us, but it will be good to add you to our numbers. My brothers shouldn't be far behind,” he turned his crown to glance down the coast.

Then, the inkhound returned his gaze to her for a moment before gesturing in the opposite direction. “The land I will claim should be on the other side of those cliffs.”

All of his mother and father's stories filled his head. He had never walked along the beaches of the Teekon Wilds, but he knew them well from tales passed down. In time, he knew that he would become more familiar with them than he had been for his own home. In that, there was a modicum of sadness, but he knew that he was fated to fulfill his duty. There was no honor in a pampered life. Ford was only pleased that his siblings had followed.