Wheeling Gull Isle well you left me anyhow

AW but I also want a @Huojin thread perhaps? :3 pping hua bc I can but shes not a part of this thread so no fancy npc business

nüwu had begin to explore the land where they lived. it turned out, the world was one heap of sand and grasses surrounded by (almost) unlimited water. it was intriguing, and gazing at the sea held her attention, but she preferred to head to the north shore when possible. the south shore had a distant view of the mainland, which was somehow upsetting- seeing infinity disturbed by an interference which she was not old enough to care about yet. and so as mother followed leisurely, many yards behind with a careful eye on nüwu, the little thinker set her eyes on a great rock. it rose above the sea, and immediately the girl thought it seemed a good diving board to throw herself off of. she did not dare to climb it now, but her mind felt as if there was an itch left unscratched.

there were more wolves here, it seemed, than huojin had once imagined. his small world of three had grown to four, then five.. and now these new faces were appearing (at least!) once each day.

he was perched atop his normal seat at pride rock's entrance, staring idly over the sea's vast expanse. there was another girl nearby; she smelled similar to the one from before, but seemed less interested in engaging.

well, far be it from huojin to make the first move.

her gaze settled on the red smudge perched upon his throne. he was small- not much moreso than her though, and at once she realized she had been that small too. and in time he would be like her. a wary glance was shot to her mother, and then dark paws were carrying her toward the rock and where it kissed the sea. there was no hesitance as she watched him like he was a lab experiment, settling at the base and wondering if he would come down. if not- even better, perhaps. maybe she could travel up and see what it felt like to hover at a height.

anything beyond their home went ignored, including the steadily approaching dappled girl. huojin watched her settle in a seat, then turned away to see if she might disappear.

still there? okay.

he walked to the rocky edge and looked over the perch, studying her features with a careful eye. he wouldn't be coming down, but she was welcome to come up.. for a while, anyway.

she went unacknowledged for a moment, until he came to study her too. two scholars. her blue eyes met his with a silent question, but there was no answer found there. so her feet found the stone, and she made her way up slowly and carefully. head lowered to the ground as if she could imagine a myriad of scents- but there were only a few, one of them the milky smell of the boy. her snout lifted as she came closer to him, but found little need for the childish babbles she was capable of. the sea was the most interesting of all, despite the stranger, and she settled beside him to watch it, feeling as if an anchor was dragging her to leap.

huojin didn't really want to be this close, but he wouldn't argue. she wasn't saying anything and that made her company much more enjoyable. he pointed at a large wave forming in the distance, then watched with a blank stare as it slammed against pride rock's edge.

saltwater splashed upward onto their perch. huojin shook the water from his waves and giggled quietly, entertained by the ocean's show.

he pointed to the water; the wave that crashed upon the stone and scattered droplets onto the both of them. nüwu licked at a drop of saltwater at the corner of her mouth, not one for giggles but appreciative of the way huojin found joy in simple things. her expression remained empty as sirens and alarms blared in her head loudly, urging her to move forward. but she nailed her paws to the stone, afraid of her own urges. instead she let herself be distracted by the boy, as she tentatively leaned towards him, wanting to lick at a droplet on his cheek and yet unsure of herself. and of his boundaries.

nüwu didn't seem quite entertained. huojin thought that was strange but didn't know why, and didn't have the capacity yet to ask. oh, well.

she cleaned the droplets from herself with marked attentiveness, then leaned forward, as though wishing to do the same for him. 

huojin complied by taking one step forward, then another, until he was beside her once more. she would be allowed one (1) lick before he got tired of this.. or maybe two, if he decided that this was okay.

to her delight, he came closer, allowing her mind to leave the tempting depths of the sea and focus on her new task. her eyes fell to the wetness on his cheek, and then she reached out delicately with her snout and lapped the saltwater up, squinting slightly at the strange taste. she didn't mind it, though- was instead intrigued by the flavor. after the single lick she stepped backward again, respectful of his space. she headed to the other side of the rock, knowing it was not really different over here, but gazing back to see if the firecracker would follow.

nüwu's gentle touch was more soothing than huojin expected. he blinked his eyes once, and when they reopened, she was already walking away. like any child would, he followed after her, wanting to see whatever had caught her interest. the lionet stopped just short of where she sat and stared blankly while awaiting further instruction.

wrap?

dark ears swiveled back as huojin followed her. she turned away from the water, back to him. he was a mystery, just as she, just as the ocean... she wished to learn of it all. a sigh escaped her; there were no words to understand him yet, nor words to open her own mind. nüwu wanted to know him more, but it was difficult now. rather than continue with the little interaction, she blinked at him unreadably, before trailing her way to the base of the rock, likely to leave unless stopped.