Wheeling Gull Isle when i was a child, i caught a fleeting glimpse

set last night

There were pack-scents beyond the bramble forest, but Maegi ignored them. She was too rattled by the sudden change of location for the Redhawks (or wolves that smelled like them, anyway) to stop—and she knew @Titmouse was in agreement, even if they hadn't discussed it. They forged on, wasting no time, and arrived at the shore. The tide sank low as the moon rose over the waves.

Almost there, she murmured to Titmouse as they padded across the now exposed land bridge. There was a couple of inches of water blanketing it but not much more; they sloshed through, Maegi too excited to stop even to breathe. And the island rose up ahead. . .

Except, as they arrived, alarm bells immediately sounded off in her mind. For the scents that lined the edge of the beach were not the familiar warmth of Coelacanth or musk of Stockholm; there was no Moorhen, no Driftwood—nobody she knew. Instead, a collection of very unfamiliar smells greeted them, pungent and foreboding.

The Undersea wolves had been supplanted.

Shit, she mumbled, sending out a howl before falling into her own personal downward spiral of worry. What had happened to their old friends? Who were these newcomers? Had everything changed here, despite appearing much the same?

He stalked alongside Maegi and while his heart was with her, everything else was like the frayed end of a tether; he could not focus on the path ahead any more than he could discern the differences between trees creaking, birds calling, and the incessant fever-mad sensation that they were being followed. That death, in some capacity, had chased them to and from the Wilds.

Death; it smelled like family, sounded like the shrieking call of hungry hawks ready to pick the meat off of your bones, and always came when you least expected it.

Together they crossed to the island that had once been a place of respite. Titmouse did not know where they went in earnest, he did not care about the road ahead of them or their trajectory. He looked to every shadow as if it might be made of teeth. When they came across the land bridge and loitered upon the outskirts of Undersea together, Titmouse became aware of a difference in scents—Seelie was not here.

Shit. Maegi said before lifting her voice in a howl; he would have helped, but that was one aspect which Titmouse had yet to regain. He wallowed in the worried sentiment while pacing beside her instead.

this is short my bad

A howl, and she was on her way to the source. At the edges of the island stood two wolves painted in shades of grey and ivory, both with notable scarring- the male, missing an eye, the female, whose mouth stretched upward onto her face in a permanent grin. The man briefly reminded her of Mal, with his dark face mask and warm gaze, but she shooed that thought away. The empress hid any judgement behind her polite exterior, standing still and offering them both the distant smile of a hotel receptionist. Welcome to Yuèlóng, She introduced the place, What do you seek?

When the woman appeared upon the horizon, Maegi froze. Slim, and that dark head and lighter body. . . She'd seen her before—and that description had once been notorious. The feeling passed as she grew closer, though, for both the scent and the finer details were not what she remembered. A relative, perhaps, but not her.

Yuelong, Maegi repeated briefly, before turning her mismatched gaze fully upon the woman. Hello. We used to live on this island, seasons ago, when it was under the care of a woman named Coelacanth. . .'Seelie' for short. Obviously that isn't the case anymore.

Oh, Jaes, she hoped they were okay wherever they were. She couldn't bear the thought of the seawolves lost to some tragedy, whether brought on by nature or enemies. They called themselves Undersea, she explained further. Do any of them still live here?

Ice trickled through her veins as a thought occurred to her: what if these wolves had been the ones to drive away Coelacanth and her family? 

She couldn't—she wouldn't—let that stand. She would have to avenge them. . .an impossible feat, given her condition and the fact that she and her husband were grossly outnumbered.

A small whine pulsed from Tit's pursed lips, as he came to the same conclusion as his wife. They shared mirrored fears of the demise of Undersea and the loss of Seelie, and for a moment while they were still waiting and harboring their doubts, Titmouse drew close to Maegi for the comfort of her touch. When someone did finally appear he drew away, striding a step forward to meet the oncomer with a bristling nape.

He said nothing. The stranger was just that — not someone he knew, not Seelie, and not carrying any scent he recognized as being from the island home that once was his paradise. Maegi spoke up first, of course, as Titmouse was not yet used to having his voice back even after all these months. He fell in to a more comfortable silence and watched the dark-capped woman.

The male was silent, bristling- which caused Huā's tail to raise ever-so-slightly- a tell that she was in charge here now, though the gentle sway of it encouraged him to be not afraid. She looked then to the woman, dark ears shifting forward as she listened to Maegi quietly. None of the words were familiar, until Undersea, which caused Huā's gaze to brighten in recognition. I did not meet this pack- the island is empty when I come here with my sisters, at the early part of the year. But once, I had a new member who came, call Thresher, and she tell me how she lived here with Undersea before. Hua explained, and continued- She has left here now, but she is the one who showed me the labyrinth. Huā revealed, assuming Maegi might know of it, if she had lived here as she claimed. Unfore-tunately, I do not know any others who live here, who lived there once too.

So that was one mystery solved—unless the woman was lying, of course. But there was no reason to think so, and the name 'Thresher' chased any doubt from her mind. Maegi smiled softly in remembrance of the girl, born not too long after she'd arrived on the island. She wished the Corten had stayed. Evidently, none of them had.

Thank you, she replied, still worrying over the Undersea wolves. They stood at foreign borders, now—but she already felt the peace and calm of the island coming over her. It was something she craved in her darkest days, something missing even in her most favorite of places in Blackfeather Woods.

The island may have changed hands, but the island itself had not changed a bit.

Maegi glanced at Titmouse, wondering if he would say anything. Since they'd met, she'd been the talker, owing to his ruined throat. Even with his speech somewhat retained, she still spoke much more. But he deserved to ask any questions he may have, or voice concerns—

Should they stay? Should they go—but where? 

No other place beyond Blackfeather was as much a home to them.

Unsettling as it was to find the island void of anyone familiar, Titmouse was matching his wife in his own thinking; the island itself was not any different, they knew this place better than anywhere else. There were issues with claiming the dark wood for themselves again and the pair had been driven this far afield because of them; to Titmouse it was the combination of bad memories with bad scents on the wind—this island was the furthest thing from the tunnels of Sithis and the relatives that had been caught so close-by. It was a haven for the two of them once and it could be again.

He was silent, the fur of his nape bristling but contained against his neck by the leather band of his collar. Titmouse turned and drifted closer to Maegi, brushing shoulder-to-shoulder with her, while keeping his eye trained singularly on the girl he did not know. He wanted to trust that things would be safe here, different, but after all that the pair had gone through already... It was difficult (maybe impossible) for Titmouse to take things at face value.

A low murmur issues from him then, bundled in his chest. A note of concern, lilting like a question. He will do whatever Maegi wants—anything he chooses will be far worse in the long run, as history had shown him. A moment later he clears his throat and says lowly to her, We stay?

And then they were quiet again, a thanks slipping from the woman before she glanced at her silent man. Huā's gaze flickered between them as if she'd been left out on some private joke; she wondered if they would turn their tails and leave now that Undersea was gone. She could feel the man's warm gaze on her, and then the quiet words slip from his mouth, and though she knew they were directed to his friend... We... we have room, for more. And then she fell quiet again, knowing it was not her choice even if she always appreciated extra bodies.

"We stay?"

Maegi pondered his question for a few seconds, staring blankly at her mate. Only the woman's words brought her out of that trance, and she turned to the seawolf fully, meeting her gaze. Yes, if you'll have us, she decided. The sand beneath her feet felt suddenly warmer, and she felt some weight lift from her heart.

I'm Maegi, and this is Mou, she introduced themselves, with a small gesture to the man at her side. We'd be happy to help provide for your pack in exchange for a home here.

Only if the alpha female—or so Maegi assumed she was—pried further into their skills would she elaborate. After all, who would want a half-blind man and a crippled woman within their ranks, with winter breathing ice down their necks? The two of them had often relied on the kindness and sympathy of others; this situation was no different.

They were in agreement. Maegi made the introductions and Titmouse turned his attention back to the woman, then sat down next to Maegi and began kicking at an itch beneath the collar. It twisted slightly and then rested when he stopped.

There was a nervous energy about Titmouse; he did not know how to feel in the moment, as he was sorrowful for the absence of his friend Seelie, but hopeful that life could continue in some form upon the island. Above all he dreaded the chance one of his siblings might become aware of him here - or Hydra - and had this woman known of the price on his head, would she really be so willing to let them stay?

The woman- Maegi, as she called herself- seemed to make the final choice, offering to provide for the pack for as long as they could call it home. Huā was already happy to welcome them- but she wanted to make sure she understood the pair (and though any could lie about their skills, they would be proven capable or incapable soon enough.) Very well then, I will be happy to have you. Where do your talents lie? Huā questioned. They were already in, technically- but some answer was better than none. Realizing she had been focusing on Maegi much of the time, she glanced to Mou- but he was silent, itching himself beneath the collar, and she wondered if he was always so quiet.

Ah, so the time for elaboration was upon them.

Maegi dipped her head respectfully. She'd prepared for this. Mou is a warrior, a fighter, she said, gesturing toward her husband. He can help protect this place. As for me, I know some healing, and can care for children, too.

As long as they weren't hers, that was. She tended not to lose pups that weren't of her flesh and blood.

But hopefully that would suffice for the dark-headed leader. Maegi was still curious—her resemblance to that woman from the past was striking, though perhaps she misremembered, or her brain was exaggerating. She kept her eyes trained somewhere near the guardian's sternum, careful to show deference.

So different from Seelie. . .and yet, something about her reminded Maegi of the Corten, too. Maybe it was just the salt air entering her lungs again.

Maegi could speak for the both of them; it was curious to Mou that she would specify he was a warrior, which wasn't a lie exactly... But he wasn't a very good one. He turned an ear to the sound of his wife's voice but did not correct her.

Mou thought of the puckered scar along his throat; he rarely focused on the old wound, the scar tissue having smoothed somewhat over time and the fur having come back to a marginally acceptable level there. He thought of his missing eye, plucked by the three dark sisters maliciously. He was a warrior only for surviving it all.

When his counterpart mentioned children he had to bite back a small whine, swallowing it and the painful sentiment it drew from him. He looked away from them both, trying to will away the images of their son and daughter, the sound of their cries for help lodged in his ears, the smell of smoke filling his nose, his lungs --- but otherwise, silence.

feel free to post again or archive as is : )

The man was a warrior. Huā thought he certainly looked the part, with the scar she could glimpse upon his throat, not to mention the much more noticeable missing eye, and nodded to Maegi's words. And the woman, a healer and caretaker- that was perhaps even better. They rarely had long term doctors here; Huā hoped Natshana would stick around, but it was too early to be sure. These are all fine skills. I do hope we will have children in the spring to care for, And that hopeful flash in her eyes made it clear by we, she meant me- but she was too focused on her dreams of a family with Mal to notice Mou's pain in that moment. And... at present, we have another healer who reside in the large cave in the hill. You can ask her, maybe, if you want to work in the same place. Huā offered. She wasn't sure if Natshana was a team player or not, nor Maegi, but it was up to the both of them- the empress would lay down no specific guideline. You are both welcome here, then. The girl smiled and wagged her tail, looking to Mou momentarily before turning back to his ghostly companion. She'd gesture for them to follow her past the borders, from there they were free to roam.

She nodded at mention of another healer, ignoring a double set of heartaches—the absence of Hemlock, her once teacher, and the mention of children in the spring. Keeping busy would be good for them both. She glanced at Mou with a little smile, pleased that they were to be invited into the fold without much fuss.

Thank you, Maegi murmured, voice barely audible above the rhythmic rush of waves. With quiet but confident steps, she followed the leader—she'd never gotten her name, but she'd only realize it later—and the pair eventually broke off from the seawolf.

Home, home again. How long they would remain this time was up to cruel fate; if it were kinder, these short days and endless winter nights, they might find themselves on the island living comfortably for longer than they could imagine.