Wheeling Gull Isle not all treasure is silver and gold

11am, Sunny, 21°C

Marlow awoke the next morning to the familiar sound of sealions roaring, and seagulls cawing and circling above his head. Slowly he unfurled himself away from the large shrub he had sheltered beneath, and stretched out his paws into the sand as he released a long, tired yawn. Immediately his warm amber gaze drifted past the writhing crowd of sealions to the smudge in the sea to the east, an island he now knew belonged to @Hua and her pack. Excited to take up her off of a tour, the silver male wasted no time in approaching the dark expanse of water which swelled between his island and hers, snapping up an unfortunate seagull as he went.

Once his paws touched the water and the salty waves lapped at his chest, instinct quickly kicked in. Clinging the dead seagull between his jaws, he was forced to huff through his nostrils as he paddled. Luckily for him, the tide was on his side and the ocean current swept him further east, making his journey a little easier than it might have been had he been forced to swim against the waves.

As he approached the island, it was immediately obvious that it was much larger than the one he had just swam from. There was more vegetation too, with a dense coniferous forest situated towards in its centre, along with some steep rocks where numerous birds congregated. The shore itself appeared rocky, with sharp ledges and deep rock pools making it more difficult for Marlow to decide where to come to shore. He ended up just allowing the waves to guide him in, and clung onto the nearest rock when he was inneviatably swept up to it. Hauling himself out from the sea, he took a few precise leaps forwards to stabilise himself on a flatter area of rock beside a deep pool, before finally shaking out his pelt and dropping the soaking-wet dead seagull at his paws. 

He then sent up a howl for Huā, eager to be in her company once more despite his damp and bedraggled appearance.

The howl that came excited Huā, who had been watching her children as they relaxed and played. Knowing she ought to go, she appointed @Daiyu to the task of stand-in sitter as usual, kissing each of her children atop their heads before making her way out of the den and across the moors, towards the beach where the song had come from. Soon he became visible and she moved towards his direction, able to make out the wetness of his coat, which caused her to laugh, and the wet gull that lay at his feet- which she did not want to assume was a gift, and so did not pay it another glance, not wishing to seem greedy. 

Marlow, She purred warmly, tail waving behind her in greeting, rising over her back with confidence. She dipped her head to him too before her snout rose again. I am glad see you here. When you tell me you will come, I am not sure that you will, but I very happy you stick to your word, and happy show you Yuèlóng island. She turned her back to him then to face the island that she knew so well, and tried to looked at it again with a newcomer's eyes. She had first explored it with Mei and Ying... what was the most eye catching thing that ought to be explored first? The hill that rose above the rest of the place? The dense forest that kept them safe? Or should she share the unseen things: the caves, the tunnels, the labyrinth? Huā turned her gaze back to him, looking over her shoulder to see if he would request to explore any specific place first, or let her decide.