Wheeling Gull Isle Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life

Skip me, Stag is just on his way <3

By the time Stag returned from briefly exploring their makeshift rendezvous, he saw that Wylla had departed. He'd known her goal to decamp and inspect the island that lurked in the distance, and it was here his eyes strayed. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the waters had somehow drawn away -- being an acolyte when it came to the sea and its nature, Stag had no idea there was such thing as roving tides.

He questioned what kind of magic, dark or otherwise, could possibly bend the enormous waters so that they receded in such a perfect manner: here was a strait of sand perfect for a sunny mid-day stroll, interrupted only here and there by lolling waves that had not met their mark on the mainland.

He thought of that one-eyed woman engulfed by the mouth of the cave; he thought of that dark smear in the sand -- a shiver went down his spine.

Stag followed after Wylla's pawprints, which were neatly indented in the slick sand. It would be a while before he came across Wylla, Hua, or even Maegi (he would miss her entirely until he came close, truthfully, for she kept her distance and remained partly concealed by the shadows of the tree line).