somebody go get the coroner, there's been a mishap

ooc. pre-emptively marked M because of the boys

Some exploration was in order, now that he had tracked down the unofficial Matriarch of the clan. Perhaps he, too, would opt to settle here. At least for now. Winter was beginning to tighten its grip on the northern continent, but he rarely found himself troubled by the cold temperatures. To a certain degree, he enjoyed when the snow covered everything and his breath escaped in wisps of mist. The biting chill of the ocean, on the other hand, was another matter entirely. Whatever had prompted him to swim from the mainland and towards an island he could see from shore, he couldn't remember it anymore. Instead, he was aggressively shaking water from his thick, dark pelt, and muttering creative curses all the while. He would warm up soon, the hellish beast always ran a bit on the warm side, but it still wasn't exactly enjoyable. He plodded up the beach, chilly sand giving way beneath his ash cloaked paws. There was an interesting stone structure just waiting to be explored, glass windows stained with bird shit and scattered sand. Even better, it was right up at the edge of the sand, so he didn't need to walk very far. He stooped to fit through a fractured hole in the bottom corner of one of them, horns knocking a few stray shards free to land on the concrete with a soft tink, tink, in his wake.

Out of the elements and ensconced in a strange shelter, a long sigh escaped him. That was already much better. Thick banner swaying gently across his hocks, the dark brute pressed deeper into the stone sanctuary. Weeds and grasses poked up through cracks in the smooth stone floor, while vines broke through the occasional hole in the ceiling. The light dimmed as he moved along, though there were windows all around. The beast picked his way across the debris littered ground towards a window, and found dark thunderheads closing in over the little island. No matter, he would simply wait it out. As the wind picked up outside, it howled past any gap in the walls and ceiling it could find, but couldn't break through the choking overgrowth to chill the air inside. Then, lo and behold, a fireplace, set into a solid, windowless stone wall. Well, it had been a little while since he'd lit a fire, but there was no time like the present to try. Many of the vines that hung through the ceiling were easy to trim, rearing up on his hind limbs to tear them down with his teeth. Once they were piled up in the tile lined pit, he simply struck some sturdy stones together until it caught. Greenery didn't always burn well, but the woody stems of the vines worked well enough.

Flopping down heavily onto his ruby stained flanks, the damp male stretched his forepaws towards the flickering flames and waited for the warmth to settle all the way into his bones.

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