Wheeling Gull Isle he left it dead, and with its head he went galumphing back

Moorhen lead @Tahani across the sandbar, swimming against the current when it tugged insistently at their heels. Frequently, she shot looks at the other woman out of the corner of her eye. She didn't trust the northerner, and it likely showed in the set of her spine. But Moorhen was prepared to do whatever she needed in order to defend the sea wolves, so she didn't fret overmuch about whether or not she was making a mistake. She was beginning to wonder if these motherhood hormones were making her soft, but that was a question for later on, when she didn't have a stranger ascending the beach alongside her.

Call for her, she said to the woman, as she had done with Takiyok.

Tahani kept her eyes on the woman, but for different reasons. she felt uncomfortable here, especially when the water grew insistent. she had never experienced anything quite like this before. her guide was her sole anchor, the thing that kept her on-track. without the scout, she'd be hopelessly lost.

finally, they reached the island, and Tahani shook out the water from her thick pelt before turning her head toward the other. call her, came the simple command.

swallowing, the healer lifted her head and let out a low, lilting note for @Currituck, fur rippling in a sudden gale of sea breeze. there were tremors running through her as she listened to it echo and fade, and then waited, waited, waited. . .

wondering if this was truly the end of a too-long nightmare.

Currituck didn’t have the chance to go back and see her family one last time. A storm came upon them and swallowed them whole, leaving an empty feeling in her chest. She is thankful that Takiyok has found her and where to find her but it hadn’t meant she was too happy about it.
 
Another howl cuts over as she meanders through the sandy shores of the island. It’s familiar, like Takiyok and she wonders if she’s come back to see her again so soon. It hasn’t been too long, he thinks, but… she shrugs it off and turns, trotting alongside the coast until the opening to the island shows the same brown wolf as before and the same… not the same big white wolf as before.
 
Everything happens all over again, heart leaping into her chest as she sets off, aiming to crash into the large wolf just as unceremoniously as ever before.

As she had done during the reunion with Takiyok, Moorhen stepped back to allow the family room to have their... emotions. It didn't seem like they needed her help, and it wasn't something she wanted to be involved with, either. Instead, she merely watched, still suspicious of the other woman. Moorhen didn't like strangers coming to the island, and she especially didn't like them coming and interacting with Seelie's lambs. But it looked like Currituck was happy to see her, and Moorhen supposed that made it alright. Maybe.

The banded woman settled back, but remained present and watchful.

it still felt like a dream, even as Currituck ran toward her, sending the sand flying. only when she had her daughter in her embrace did she know it was for real--everything, for real! the tears hot on her cheeks, quickly cooling on the winter air; the sweet scent of the girl, now laced with salt; the aura of home that surrounded them suddenly, even though they were far from the glacier.

home was where family was. she didn't have everyone back, yet--but thank god, at least she had Currituck.

oh, my baby, Tahani whispered hoarsely, rocking slightly on her paws in rhythm with her pounding heart. my sweet baby. my Tatik. this continued for a short while before she finally trailed off, words becoming inadequate for what she felt. she sniffled, blinking the remainder of the tears away, and finally pulled back with a beaming smile.

Takiyok was here? she asked, ears pushed forward atop her head. the others? Shivali, Siarut, your cousins. . .? Currituck was old enough now that she didn't feel the question was too demanding, though she was afraid to overwhelm the girl, so soon into their reunion.

Her body squirms with delight, holding on as long as she can. Takiyok hadn’t stayed, something that had brought sadness, but Tahani was here. What did this mean? Would she go with Takiyok too?
 
“She was here. She told me about the storm,” she says and looks down, slowly peeling herself away, but when she’s asked about the others she only shakes her head. She worries about the lot of them, especially Siarut. He hadn’t been in great health the last she’d seen him and Takiyok hadn’t known either. Currituck sucks and steps back, looking up at the tall woman, expecting her to say she has to go back too, but… maybe, maybe. She doesn’t even want to ask.

[pirouettes in]

As she had when Takiyok had come to the island, Coelacanth arrived on the scene but lingered at the outskirts of the tableau in case her presence was unwelcome. This reunion was different. Watching this wolf greet Currituck was what Seelie imagined she’d looked like upon seeing Thresher again after the long weeks without her — and though she was glad for the pair, her heart ached.

Another goodbye, so soon after all the others?

Shyly, and utterly against her better judgment, the Aralez inched closer. She approached Moorhen first, nosing at the Akhlut’s cheek — and quietly watched the interaction between the girl and her…mother? When she judged it an appropriate time to speak, “Welcome Undersea,” she offered simply, the silky susurrus of her voice giving nothing away. “Curri-tuck ŭmma?” Now and again, when she pronounced the girl’s name, there was an odd space in between that stressed the last syllable.