The Sentinels toto….

Well this isn’t the right way.

The five month old stood awkwardly in the woods, blinking owlishly up at the trees. Vaguely, he remembered that trees did exist around the plateau, but who the hell knew if this was the right way. Carlisle squinted at the sky.

I know I heard the ocean.

Unable to find his sister, despite following her trail for what seemed like forever, Carl, idiot he was, had gotten turned all the way around. Subsisting on small critters sluggish from fall, he made a meager living out in the world on his own. Enough that a thin layer of fat sat across his ribs and padded his frame, just a little, enough that he wasn’t skeletal or anything. That’d be gross.

Carlisle stuck his tongue out at the sky.

Boo, you whore.

He’d find the ocean. Just give him a minute.

the dryad kept himself busy in the autumn days since his decision to make the battle-worn woodlands his home. there was exploration of the northern reach that still required proper investigation, along with an assortment of other meticulous tasks one might be charged with upon claiming a land.

but he did not claim the woodlands, no, he simply protected it.

the last few days had brought several aiano to the blooming village. in their presence did he find comfort and a foreign warmth. it appeared today was no different.

he caught wind of the boy before he spotted him, and trailed after the youth's scent with light paws and a warmhearted sway of his tail. it was only when the slender figure of adolescence appeared off a few paces did the man's lips part to speak.

"mirfae," he called out with a soft ring, hoping the boy might pause his steps and allow the older man to join him.

The voice of another made him jump, but mostly just confused him. The boy blinked a few times, shyly waving his tail.

Um. Hi. Sweating, if he could, Carlisle plastered on a big, “please-don’t-kill-me” smile.

My name’s Carlisle, not Murphy. I don’t know any Murphys. Oh fuck, had he walked into somebody’s house? He would do that, he considered, but only as an accident. He tucked his feet together, swaying side to side idly.

His mom would be so mad at him if he died here.

it was only upon closer inspection that he could fully take in the boy's bird-boned appearance. he was yet young, and while perhaps at the age to wander past his homeland's safety, the child did not smell of any distinct aroma. only that of wildness and unaccompanied youth.

"mirfae," he correct with a light chuckle and gentle tone. "it means child, though carlisle will do just as nicely." he missed the warmth of children and their natural joy. they felt as if they were a soft flame of candlelight in a winter's night.

"you look hungry," he stated with a sweet-tempered glance towards the boy's slim sides. "there is some fresh squirrel in storage not far from here," he revealed as his attention turned towards the heart of the sentinels. "would you like some?"

he kept his distance, not wishing to scare the child off or frighten him with impure suspicion. the dryad would move only if the offer was accepted.

The man mentioned food, but not a name beyond “murphy” which..meant child, apparently. Carlisle was skeptical, a small frown on his face, but food made the face go away immediately.

His stomach growled, and he was immediately nodding, up and down as fast as he could make his head go.

That would be really nice uh…sir? Marina had at least taught him to be polite, but without Brock…Carl was more than a little lost and wrong-footed. That may have also been because of the general seclusion of the wilderness, though.

Carl winced at a string of drool slipping past his lips, taking the initiative to slurp the rest back into his mouth. He couldn’t help the sudden overproduction, as his stomach cried for nutrients.

He did come trotting over though, trusting the man to not bite him at this point, because that would be weird.

a soft laugh slipped past the dryad's lips as the child's eagerness for food became apparent. he waited for the boy to walk near before he began to turn in the direction of the cache he'd prepared and set off for some nutrition.

the mirfae, despite his lack of parental or familial scents, was well mannered. barbatos assumed he'd learned such behavior from someone of importance, but who? "my name is barbatos," he introduced before pressing into the more personal questions.

"how long have you been on your own carlisle? i can not imagine it's been easy."

Let me know if this isn't okay!

When she caught a hint of Carlisle's trail, the first thing Marina did was call out to @Chakliux. She did not wait for him to answer. Instead she pursued that trace of scent at a frantic pace, running until the trace became a trail, until the scent thickened and in the distance she saw two figures.

Carlisle! She called out, not quite registering the man at first. Carl - And her voice broke into a half-sob half-laugh of relief. Marina swept past the stranger with only a passing glance of confusion — why was a strange man with her son? — and bundled her son into her arms if he'd let her, muzzle pressing to the top of his head as the tears began to fall. She'd found him. He was okay; he was safe.

But @Brockleigh was not with him.

cameo!

the man was given a level look as the scarred seal hunter arrived behind marina. while he was pleased to see mother and son reunite, he kept himself watchful.
the other was a stranger and would be treated as such.