Ankyra Sound There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic debris in the ocean.

The boy had learned to trust in his mother, even to stalk after her as she worked her tasks from day to day. He was still happy to patrol the rendezvous when both Erzulie and Rosalyn were busy elsewhere, but whenever he could, he'd find a way to follow after one of them and study whatever they were doing. It gave him the confidence to explore the territory; there was always someone present, even if Reyes occasionally got lost along the way. Aside from running in to the bear-like man (Vengeance) he had yet to be dissuaded from his adventures, and as a result Reyes had discovered a few secret spaces (which in all honesty, weren't secret at all,) and they'd become his backup haunts in moments of crises.

This wasn't one of those moments, but he'd dawdled too long while watching some gulls fighting over an angsty crab and he'd lost the trail of his mother Rosalyn; thus Reyes doubled-back to a series of tide pools to wait. Before long he was invested in the study of the pools: there were tiny fish trapped in one, some sort of pitiful mollusk in another, and in the largest one situated closest to the oncoming tide, a bizarre stick with a wing attached to it (humans call these umbrellas). It was a strange find, and at first Reyes wasn't sure what to do when he discovered it.

The object was partially buried in sand but the segment that was exposed fanned out, and he thought it looked like the wing of a bird, but it was bent and the flesh between the shining bones sagged in some places. It had a very peculiar color - and that's what lured him closer, that vibrant orange, the color of a sunset - but as he reached out to sniff at it, an angry little gust of wind caught at it and lifted the object partially free; the motion made him shuffle back and Reyes barked sharply in defiance, bristling and defensive, but not running from the potential threat.

Rosalyn and Erzulie probably didn't want him near their kids, which was totally fair; he wouldn't let them near his own, after all. Then again, he didn't really give a shit what they thought, and he was missing Drago and Isi something fierce. When the dust settled here, he would go get them; they would all live together again. It was almost perfect.

So he had little qualms about approaching the boy, on-guard over. . .something. It was bright and fluttery, almost like a-- well, fuck, he didn't know what that was. Brow furrowed, Verx chuffed as he padded up to sit next to the youth, looking down at him with a quizzical stare.

What d'you think that is? he asked rhetorically, because how the fuck was a literal child gonna know when seasoned Vercingetorix hadn't the foggiest? It was good to include children in adult conversations, though, or so he figured. Better than babying them, anyway. He sniffed, a little primly. You think we can eat it?

What d'you think that is? Called a voice he didn't recognize; his ears turned but he didn't stop staring at the odd shape waffling about in the wind. What if it tried to escape from the sand? Or bite him? Or fly away? As he envisioned the great orange wing taking flight on its own accord, the wind picked up and fluttered it violently in the opposite direction from before, and Reyes ducked uselessly. The object was nowhere near capable of hitting him, but he reacted all the same.

When the adult drifted closer, he finally dared a glance over to them - and chuffed at the comment about eating it. It didn't look like food! Or smell like it. But the scent of ocean was pretty strong, as well as a weird other smell (plastic) which was beyond foreign - it was wrong, whatever it was. Something inside of Reyes was resistant to the idea of getting closer.

But, alas, he had an audience now - and it was a big strong man! An adult! So with a low rrrrr! the boy charged face-first towards the suspended object and with a mad leap, tried to grab at the flesh of the wing. His teeth hit the surface and slid across it without puncturing it, and he fell chest-first in to the wet sand adjacent.

He tried mightily to stifle his laughter and nearly succeeded, though a small snort escaped his nostrils anyway. Shuffling his paws, he looked sheepishly contrite, molding his features into bland surprise if the boy were to look his way. Damn, that's weird, he remarked, shrugging. Never seen anything like that before.

Verx padded closer, sniffing at the object. It was salt-scented and damp, but it didn't seem like anything that would realistically emerge from the sea. Just part of the sound's strange charm, he supposed. He licked it and grimaced, shaking his head. Nope, didn't taste edible, either.

What's your name, kid? he asked, staring down at the youngster in the sand. He looked a lot like Rosalyn; this must be her boy. Who was the daddy? He found himself jealous, for a heated instant, of a man he didn't know.

The deflection left him winded for a second, but he was already scrambling to his paws. Sand flew where he kicked off the ground, launching in to another attack. This time his teeth caught upon the aluminum tines that kept the wing-shape open, and the feeling of it against his teeth made him balk and recoil. He didn't like the taste of it, or the cold sensation on his tongue. With a huff the boy gave up attacking and began to circle the object where it was rooted. He barked, snapping his teeth at the air as he grew agitated, but did not approach again. 

The adult was investigating the object too - licking it, but without much to add. When he turned to address the boy, Reyes puffed up a bit and proclaimed: Reyes! Rossa is my momma, an' Zoolie! I keep dem safe!!! Safe from everything within the realm of reason, which apparently excluded sea-garbage like this here umbrella, but oh well. He tried.

Sure enough, the fierce little boy was Rosalyn's (and Erzulie's; interesting) and Vercingetorix grinned at him. I'm sure you do, goufa, he remarked. You're doing a hell of a job so far, from what I can see. He didn't lack for courage, nor enthusiasm, that was for sure.

He backed away, dropping into a play bow, his long forelimbs stretched out ahead of him in the sand. Y'know how to fight? Verx drawled, baring his teeth a little. C'mon, take me down, dude.

Even as his spirits felt lighter, his chest felt tighter, as it could have been (should have been) Dragomir instead of Reyes in front of him. Instead, here he was on this stupid beach, playing with someone else's kid. What the fuck was he doing? Why was he here, serving as alpha goddamn fucking male of Rusalka?

Being commended by the man felt good, although Reyes didn't fully trust the words. He heard the man say goufa and his head tilted slightly, but then - when he dipped in to a play bow which did not need to be translated - he abandoned the weird wing thing and skittered closer. He didn't get too close because mom was always telling him to be careful of strangers; this guy was a stranger, sort of, mostly, even though the beach had begun to smell a lot more like him lately.

C'mon, take me down, dude. The man said with a flash of his teeth; but whatever enthusiasm Reyes had for fighting the bright orange alien thing stuck in the sand, he seemed to lose it when he saw those teeth. The boy stepped back and averted his eyes, looking at his little feet, the drag marks of wet sand from where he had been toiling against the umbrella —

He remembered the big man, the swarthy mean one who had picked on him, and shyly, nervously, shook his little head - n-no, he huffed, I be good... N-no play.

He didn't know what he was expecting, but he knew what he wasn't expecting, and this was it. Most pups seemed pretty keen on wrestling; Reyes crumpled, stuttering, shaking, scared. Verx dropped to his belly with a small whine, ears pinned back, his face perplexed.

Hey, bro, it's okay, he said quickly, trying to reassure the boy. I'm not gonna hurt you. I only wanted to play, a little bit. That's all.

What the fuck had he seen to react in that way? Perhaps he was all bravado, and the sight of teeth made it real all too quickly. Whatever the case, Vercingetorix relaxed his features from feigned ferocity to something much more amicable, blinking at Reyes. He'd let the pup come to him, this time. No more initiating.

What kind of games do you like to play? he asked, pushing the proverbial olive branch closer.

T____T Verx is such a good dad and he isn't even my dad.

The man bowed to him; not really, but, that's what it seemed like — Reyes wasn't used to adults getting down to his level and he was leery of the motion at first, wanting to get a good look at the stranger but also too nervous to let his gaze linger long. He was learning about the ins-and-outs of dominance. One side, the aggressor's, was from Vengeance. The other half of the lesson was coming from Vercingetorix, who seemed passive and submissive.

His little ears twitched to the sound of his deep voice, finding it pleasant. It resonated with some deep empty part of Reyes - the part that yearned for a father figure that he could respect, look up to, learn from... But he steeled himself against it all the same. I only wanted to play a little bit. That's all, the man explained - he seemed genuine, but what did a kid like Reyes know about genuine?

No, he repeated - cutting through the question as he heard it, and only feeling a little guilty for overriding an adult. He knew not to speak over his betters. This man was a stranger, and he wasn't too fond of strangers lately. I.. I play wiv my brother Scab, an' my... Sissers, nnn.. not bigguns like you. The boy lifted his nose with a sniff, almost looking proud of his little ramble-fest, and backed up against the sand.

Hmm. Alrighty then. He knew he could be fearsome, but hey, at least he'd tried to make amends for it. Reyes, though, appeared set against any sort of game Verx had to offer. After all, he was a 'biggun.'

That's cool; no problem, he responded, nodding. I'll leave you be if you want me to.

Hopefully, though, the boy would be amenable to some sort of activity. Vercingetorix was starting to warm to him. Too bad his time in Rusalka was short-lived.