Dragoncrest Cliffs you wake up pissed or something?

they moved as one towards the whale, not too terribly far from where the two of them had been wardens. he could not deny that today had perhaps brought him a bit closer to @Chacal. not that he wasn't close to his siblings but...

i be wantin' to pirate. for real, y'know. he told her as he began to work off a piece of blubber.

exhausted and craving the nutrients of it.

Chacal gave praises every day for the blessing that had been left upon their shores. It would leave them without food insecurity for some time to come, and would give them all a nutrient boost going into the harsh cold of winter. She'd already noticed that her daughter, in particular, had been eating a lot from the carcass. Her fur was thick, fluffy and glossy- and she was starting to get a bit stocky around the middle.

She'd pulled a strip of blubber from the whale for herself and had settled down alongside the young mercenary. She smiled at his confession. 

"So you want to be a pirate, an' part of a pirate crew?
But tell me Quennell- what does being a pirate mean to you?"

what did it mean? he felt he had a pretty good answer, for once.

it mean adventurin'. it mean goin' and seein', gettin' tales to tell and collectin' de stuff ya like. sometimes you be doin' dat. his head gestured back towards the borders with blubber hanging from his teeth.

y'know dat girl from de ot'er day?

there could be none other! and he did not know exactly why he felt compelled to bring her up. well, no, that wasn't true, wasn't it?

An adventurer. She was glad to hear that that was how he imagined a pirate lived their life. She had been told stories, of course, of the history of Sapphique, and how at times, the packs that had lived along the coast had been rivals. She'd heard of mutinies, of betrayals, of how wolves would either band with their chosen leader, or choose to opt for their own survival rather than risking their own skin. Certain codes and morals were highly valued- but were best if kept a bit loose. 

What it meant, to Chacal, was that he intended to explore, and that meant going away from the pack for some time. As a mother, she preferred to keep her young close but...They certainly were growing up. Quennell and Aminthe were grown now, and at the age when they should learn things on their own, not shielded by their mother's wing. 

Naturally, he'd be drawn to the excitement of the life of a rogue. There wouldn't be much she could do to stop him, nor would there be much reason to tell him to avoid it altogether. All she could do was prepare him, and hope for his safe return. 

"If it is a pirate that you shall be, 
den your fate might draw you away from de sea. 
As much as I do not wish to see you gone,
dere do be some adventures you should go on.

Do you 'aver a tour in mind?
Or any dreams of what you would like to find?" She asked. At the very least, having a vague idea of where he might end up might give them some idea of where he could be found, if need be. 

He didn't linger long on the topic before he brought up another thing that seemed to have caught his attention, and she smiled faintly, wondering. That was another aspect of travelling- meeting other wolves. 

"Aye, you mean de girl from de Rise?
De one wid de icy blue eyes?" She enquired.

this turned into a wall of dialogue; i can edit as/if needed <3

well the good news was quennell had every intention of sharing. perhaps oversharing. especially as he felt that the two topics connected greatly with one another.

'er, uh, swordfish and i be wantin' a huntin' trip. well he be doin' huntin'. deer an' goat, long de mountain. but dat girl? leelee, i t'ink maybe she be interested in — him. him. him. he thought about the tunnel and grew flushed all at once. for a moment his gaze embarrassedly darted down to the blubber at his paws. de sea. piratin'. so maybe we see 'er too when huntin'.

an' i be wantin' a crew, like you an' sobo. mir. mamans. he was getting older by the day! independence and ferocity came with such yearnings he had discovered. but i be lovin' sapphique an' i dun want'cha t'inkin' else.

A hunting trip? This pleased Chacal. The boys were growing up, and wanting to spend some time with just others their own age was very natural. She envied him, a bit, for his youth- for the freedom to wander and hunt, to search for treasures and woo admirers. Quennell seemed to have no shortage of any of those, and she was glad for him. It pleased her, too, that he had found a friend in a pack that was very nearby...Their bond with Redtail Rise seemed to be growing, and she was pleased that it seemed to be happening organically. 

"I t'ink you will 'ave a splendid time,
hunting goats along de ridgeline. 
Be careful where you tread, an' mind de weather-
dose cliffs be perilous when de winds get bitter."

She approved of the boys going for a hunting trip- but obviously, couldn't just tell them to go off, have fun, without doing the very 'mom' thing and telling them to make sure they were careful. 

"Slip a word to your mot'ers, when you intend to go,
an' we will be waitin' for stories when you come 'ome." 

Of course, the boys didn't need permission, by this time- but the pack loved their children, old and young. Even Chacal checked in with the others before she went out for a trip that took her more than a day. 

She smiled, glad that the boy was ambitious. The ways of Sapphique had shifted with time. After having decreed that the rank of leader could no longer be challenged and taken by brute force (as was the way of man, she'd been told) it was now in the hands of the women who established their home. Women would hold the pack, and keep it and help it flourish. But the men who had come from those women had grown to become worthy. Sobo had been chosen to join the leadership and be an advisor, a sign that his input was valued. It appeared that he would not be the only Sapphique-born man to want more than to simply exist within the pack. 

"Sapphique will be a part of you, Chéri, toujours." She said, pressing her muzzle to his temple briefly. He  could be both loyal and free at the same time, and she wanted him to know that. 
"Now- tell me about dis 'Leelee' of yours."

he knew they'd be wanting to go soon. that @Swordfish seemed just as excited as he did about heading out into the world. admittedly quennell wondered what it was like. life beyond the coast, into the great unknown.

it didn't seem all that great, but he had no experience to say yet.

as for leelee —

i dun know. sheepish, boyish. shy unlike the normal boy he usually was. i like 'er... he mumbled softly before he promptly filled his mouth with blubber. as if that might stop whatever chacal could possibly respond with.

His reply was brief, and his demeanour became somewhat shy. Perhaps he had not taken or had this chat with anyone else- she might be the only one to know, she thought, and perhaps only because she had intercepted the two on their way to the beach. She smiled faintly and nodded, sparing him eye contact so he might not feel cornered into sharing information. Still-

"What do you like about her?" She asked. It was one thing to feel affection- but learning to recognize and talk about those attractive qualities was an important part of defining true affection.

it did help, to not be looked upon directly.

oh, she be a — good kiss! well, she be good. she be wantin' to learn 'bout us an' tell me o' 'er own. she not be laughin' when i talk 'bout piratin'.

then a softer pause, not yet done but trying how to tell his favorite part without exactly saying it.

when she be scared o' de tunnel to sea, she trust me.

Chacal couldn't help but wonder why Lilia had been so curious, and had the urge to ask Quennell if he'd even stopped to consider that the girl might actually be a spy, but given the fact that they were on friendly terms with the Rise, it seemed inconsequential. It seemed that Lilia took him seriously, and that made him feel good about himself. And she trusted him too, when she was frightened. No wonder Quennell was smitten- the young girl had boosted his confidence. 

"You be a good wolf, Quennell. 
I am glad to hear she make you feel so well. 
A friend who makes you feel like de best you can be,
An' makes you act de best you can be,
Dat be de sort of friend to keep." She said. 

"She be cute, too. Dat be important." She added with a chuckle.

fade? <3

his sister was wise, as to be expected. only he did flush vibrantly at her last bit, immediately slapping a paw against the sand.

chacal! he laughed but wished to ward off all this talk about him and leelee.

In mirth and wildly pleased with his reaction Chacal tossed her head back and laughed- a full-hearted, belly laugh that felt wonderful. As a peace offering, she tore off another piece of blubber and tossed it toward Quennell, content to finish snacking alongside her faithful guardian, doing her best to hold back little giggles every time she thought about the way he'd shouted her name. 

<3