Gilded Bay ebbed and flowed

it was warm, warmer than it had been in past days. this was obviously agreeable to govinda, whose thin pelt had made winter unbearable last season and would certainly do so again in the coming moons. he stood right on the edge of the water, letting the small, cool waves float over his toes. watching, as it ebbed and flowed.

ebbed and flowed.

life was still very much a holding pattern. he felt as if he was waiting for something, but what? the days were still monotonous, the nights lonely. the once ever-cheery man had sank deeper with each sunset into depression, and there was a glaze over his eyes as he watched,

as it ebbed and flowed.

ebbed and flowed.

@Ford

The warmth was something he did not need, and so it was not appreciated. There was a portion of him that believed the ocean provided him an ideal amount of heat that he could not find elsewhere. There was nothing he could do to prove such a theory, but he carried it with him as he trailed the edges of the lapping water. The sharp glint of his gaze latched onto the distant ocean expanse. The length of his inky limbs carried him further along the coast than he had wished to travel, until he had found himself in the heart of the other bay.

Ford was not alone there.

The inkhound latched his mismatched gaze on the rugged brown shape of a stranger. For some time, he continued to stand ankle-deep in the tugging water. He observed as the other wolf lost himself in the swell. There was not much to read there, and so he closed some of the distance between them with a few lengthy strides. When he had drawn close enough that the other might be able to hear him, Ford released a chuff of warning to show that he was there.

a shiver ran down his spine as he turned to find the other wolf there; he looked like a walking skeleton, pale markings over his skull, his ribs--the rest shadows. god, maybe he had died, and this was some sort of extended purgatory. so reincarnation wasn't real, after all? was this his escort to whatever hell to which the divine had assigned him?

hello, govinda said stiffly, warily staring down the stranger as he gave him a quick nod. his ears canted forward. can i help you? where are you taking me?

he couldn't be dead, though, nor this man, who smelled of the earth, of salt and sea and living things. were scents this vivid in the afterlife? govinda supposed he would find out soon enough. once the burning started. . .

The golden stranger offered a greeting. It was stiff and wary, but that was to be expected. Ford did what he could to make himself less imposing. It was a difficult task for one of his size – his features – but he made himself smaller and more approachable. With that, the warhound stepped closer to the stranger and created a curling smile that tugged on the corners of his dark, leathery lips.

“I just saw that you seemed to be admiring the sea with as much care as I do,” the inky titan explained. His voice was gruff and smoky, but it did not seem to hold an ounce of malice in it. The mismatched gaze that sat inside his skull did not betray a single emotion. There were no windows to what the titan was feeling or thinking. His tone and body language was all there was to read.

“Do you call it your home as well?”

the skeleton had an empty voice, but the smile did him some good. at the query, govinda gave a smile of his own, nodding slowly as he continued to stare at the waves. all my life, he replied softly. almost. the years inland seemed trivial, now; this was his true home. always had been, always would be. he would never leave the coast again.

govinda turned to face the brute, eyes glowing like twin sunrises. i am govinda, he introduced himself, lowering his muzzle. he shifted, relaxing a little bit more as the threat seemed to fade away. hopefully. you are? he asked politely. he had never seen this wolf before, nor anyone that looked like him. then again, it had been a long time since he had been this far south.

the world he once knew so well might as well be an alien planet, now.

The stranger's soft response was respectable. Ford could not help but to note the reverence in his voice when he regarded the sea. It was as it should have been for everyone, but he felt as though he would never see a time when that became a reality. As though he needed something to battle this emotion, there was also a jealous protectiveness that he felt over the vast stretch of water. It was as though he felt that everyone should respect, but no one deserved the sea. For a moment, the great warhound was trapped in this thought. After a second, he pulled himself from it and offered a smile to the other wolf.

He was introduced as Govinda. Then, there was a question for the seabound titan. He turned his features toward the male before offering his own calling. “Ford,” he stated in a level tone. “Pleasure to meet someone of like mind.”

"likewise," govinda responded, his smile growing broader. it was the first time in a long time that he felt. . .normal. just a scout, moving down the coast, meeting new faces. he had thought once that all of his old life was just that: old, fallen away. but this interaction felt comfortingly familiar, and he let himself sink into it, relishing the moments he was given with the other man.

skeletal, but friendly. just went to show that you couldn't judge a book by its cover.

"do you live nearby?" he inquired, tilting his head. he felt uprooted, but perhaps that was simply the moons spent tethered to morningside that gave him the sensation. the need to seek another home tightened his belly, but he had spent many seasons without one; why should he search for one now? still, it was useful information, even if he didn't come knocking at ford's door.

The sea wolf was a peculiar creature. Ford was a beast of war, and a harbinger of death. He knew this about himself well, but he knew better how to control the urges within him. Despite the fire that burned through the pit of his gut, the Mayfair-Cairn was a skilled man, who had honed a craft that his father had never learned. He knew how to talk to people without allowing his pride to overwhelm them. Though the young warhound had never seen wolves more devoted than those who were pledged to his father's numbers, Ford had his own theories that he could compose a mightier alliance than Skellige had before.

The smile that adorned the other male's muzzle was a good sign. The titan returned it without faltering, knowing what good acts of kindness could earn him. When the golden-brown wolf inquired as to whether Ford lived near there, the skeletal wraith nodded his head carefully. The subject was difficult to approach for one like him; to feel as though he had claim over a land without actually having done so yet. His eyes darted toward the other with a peculiar intensity, though his smile never faded. The hollow, emotionless glistening of his mismatched gaze was almost demanding.

“I am seeking to claim the bay down the coast,” he gestured with his muzzle in the direction of the crook of land that he aimed to make his home. Surely, Rannveig and Velen were already quick to patrol the borders and to demonstrate their intent. “What of you? Is there a claim with your name on it?” the powerful creature then asked. The soft rumble of his baritone seemed genuinely curious, and he canted his skull to the right some.

ford had piqued his interest; govinda gave him a long look, undoubtedly intrigued. "best of luck," he said sincerely, thinking of all the troubles that had befallen him in command of morningside. "one needs wolves to claim a land, at least a few of them. that, i do not have. so no," he concluded, "not as of yet. i sleep wherever i get tired," he added, grinning.

funny little sentiment. there was some sadness behind it, but it was humorous on its face. a man with nothing to call his own, and yet the world was his oyster because of it.

"perhaps i will come and sleep by your bay," govinda said, his smile growing dimmer but no less friendly. "we'll see where life takes me next." it was not out of the realm of possibility. he had taken a liking to ford, despite his initial intimidation. if the company he kept was just as solid, it was a tempting line of thought.

There was something appealing to the thought of sleeping wherever one found themselves at the end of a long day. Ford could not help but to imagine himself under similar circumstances, able to trek wherever he desired and rest only when he had grown tired of wandering. It was almost unfortunate that he had been destined for much more than that. It left him with a feeling of having missed out on a great opportunity and a means that would have changed his life. Ford had been burdened with the bloodline of the Cairn and the Mayfair wolves, and he was expected to do something with it. Surely, his father would have hunted him down and skinned him alive if he had ever caught wind that the young titan had squandered all the good fortune that had been passed to him.

The wolf Govinda stated that he might find a place near the bay. The skeletal warhound smiled at the thought and nodded his head. “You are welcome to,” he returned confidently – his smoky tone hung in the air for a moment as the waves pulled away from the shore. “Should you need a place to call home, you would be welcome among our kind,” the titan then added, swinging his crown around so that he could face the soft brown admirer of the ocean. There was something in his features that suggested he was not the type to simply give in to offers of that sort – that he was preordained to follow a path entirely his own.

How kind the world had been to Govinda.

Ford then realized that his goal there was not only to gather followers for his claim, but to increase its power with the aid of alliances. Though he often cursed the harsh words that had fallen from his father's lips, he knew that there was knowledge there. So, when he turned to regard the male with a careful stare one last time, he felt that it was important for him to ask. “And if you should find a claim of your own, with others who would follow you, then the wolves of Stormrift would look kindly on an alliance.” There, his brow furrowed over his mismatched gaze and he nodded his head carefully to the other.

he knew the pitch well, and flashed ford a rueful smile. commitment--he didn't want to think about that, just yet. particularly not among wolves he barely knew. he had done so with morningside, but that had been a different time. he'd been younger, more trusting. no longer. . .

now, that, i'd be happy to do, govinda spoke again, in reply to the prospect of an alliance. your family has a friend in me, rest assured. i hope that settling the bay comes easy for you all.

winter was coming. why would he not just join up? for all his noble traits, govinda had always been too much of an idealist for his own good. ford's offer was just shy of perfect, and he found himself not willing to settle for anything less. the pursuit of perfection was his folly; it always had been and always would be so.

It was promising to know that there were others out there with like-minds and a willingness to open themselves up to the prospect of an accord. It said a lot about both parties, but Ford knew that the premise of such things would mean the difference in success and failure if they should find themselves in a difficult spot. His people would always come first, but he knew that they could lend their strength if there was a promise from another to share their own, as well. The thought put him at ease for a moment, and he swung his head around to face the other wolf with a ghostly smile on his dark lips.

“We are no strangers to hardship, and we have always endured. I should hope that you have good fortune when you decide to claim your own,” the proud brute offered with a low nod of his crown. There was something in the air that had made the decision for him; Govinda sought to take his own chunk of the shore. It was almost as though the seabound soul within him had spoken to the same one in his companion. Ford knew the look in his eye – the need for perfection – and he was not about to try to persuade the other male to abandon his cause. It would not have been a kind light to shine on himself.

“I should return to my own, Govinda. Please visit once you have found that your wandering heart has settled,” the warhound offered with a fond sort of smile and a dip of his head.

lovely to meet you, bhai, govinda murmured, smiling. we'll meet again, rest assured.

govinda remained by the waves, waiting for ford to depart. he would watch him leave when he did, admiring--and fearing--the broad shoulders, the rippling muscles. a good friend to have. . .a powerful enemy to make. he would make sure he stayed on the man's good side. god help him if he stepped the wrong way.

once the dark form had disappeared over the horizon, he turned and loped back up to the plateau, depression ebbed. . .for now.

The term was lost on him – a language he did not understand – but he accepted it as a term of endearment, as that was how it was presented. Once he had dipped his head, the great warhound set off back the way he had come from. Over sandy hills and rocky slopes, the inky titan traveled without stopping. The light beyond seemed to flicker before fading behind the mask of a looming mountain. It was not until the tendrils of darkness enveloped his frame that he turned his head back around to gaze through the darkness toward where he had met the golden stranger.

Ford should have hoped that all of his meetings would be that pleasant – that he would find others who adored the sea with their entire form. The titan could only wait to see what the future would hold for him. Instinct had told him that Govinda would provide a good ally, when they had both settled. There was still a part of the warhound that wanted the golden seawolf for himself. Stormrift would have profited greatly from that kind of mentality, he knew.

Once he had reached the bay, the weary figure found comfort in the cavernous den that he had turned into a home. Moonlight flickered from the top of the ocean outside and cast a pale blue light on his hole in the stone. There, he drifted into peaceful slumber.