The islands aren't a bad swim for a summer day. Fortune is more than willing to exploit that. Exploit the weather. Take the day for what it is. She's looking for somewhere to hunt, looking for somewhere to be. Anywhere to be. Sure, Celestial is her home now, but things are different. They're her family, but... are they really? Yeah, sure, by blood. But it doesn't really make sense to her as of yet. Dagger is here. Acapella is here. Outside of them? Well, she longs for her brothers. Where had they gone? What was taking them so long? She forces the thought out of her head. Fortune can't bother thinking of the things that would destroy her, right? Has to push that away. Moving with her long, powerful strides, the girl finds her way to the center of the island. Birds. Birds everywhere. She could hunt and hunt and hunt all day long and there would still be a sustainable amount of prey for ten more wolves. It feels strange, it feels lovely. She has a purpose here. Fortune makes her way from tree to tree, sniffing, trying to identify the game birds. Had to survey her options before actually taking one down, right? fortune shock & awe

There was hardly a rock that Oleander hadn't overturned in his search for Peregrine. He knew that he should just give up, perhaps something had come up and she needed to take care of it. Perhaps he was being foolish, after all he hardly knew the woman. But he had started to enjoy her company, and he had been looking forward to having a home. He wasn't one to settle down with ease, so taking that big step had really been sticking his neck out there. The wolf held no grudge against her though, everyone had things that needed to be taken care of and things that not everyone needed. Sighing, he decided that he was just going to go for a little swim. The heat was getting worse and worse lately and both him and Cedar could use a bit of cooling down. As soon as the ocean came into view, Cedar made a run for it. Ollie chuckled as his brother splashed into the surf, his cream marked head shaking back and forth. He took a more calm approach to it, walking into the water until his paws could no longer touch. Paddling around, he dipped his head under and broke the surface with a huge sigh. He could feel his body temperature returning to a cooler state, easing the burning of the sun above them. Catching up to Cedar, both canines noticed that there was an island nearby. Huh, they hadn't thought about checking those for a MIA wolf. Without a word they set off for the sandy beach, shaking out their fur as soon as they could stand again. Oleander's ears perked up when he heard the faint calling of birds, and glanced at the jackal at his side. Was there a large nest of them here? He didn't need to ask the question out loud, because the further in they walked inland the louder it got. He felt like his head was pounding with all the sound, his ears pinning flat against his head. Why the hell would anyone want to come here? Seeing that his brother was pained by the noise, Cedar took off running and let out loud, high pitched yips. Any birds near them took off from the trees, and the wolf relaxed. Pausing, he was unsure if he wanted to go further in. There would surly be more birds, he could hear their faint, nervous coos. Unsure of what he should do next; stay or go? "OLLIE SPEAKS" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS"

Ground nesting birds. Quails, pheasants, shit that can't really fly all that well. It runs away. It runs away... none too quickly. Fortune's posture is low, her chest close to the ground as she scents the birds. Tail stiffly flagging behind her body, slinking along the ground. Birds. Birds were fun, birds were a challenge but not too much. She was going to settle in to her rhythm. It was easier that way. It was far easier that she stalk after them this way, stiff, gaze honed in. Fortune was nearly holding her breath, as quiet as possible as to not scare the birds. When a runty creature streaks past her, Fortune lets go a sigh-- pure frustration. "Can you like, fucking not?" It's a terrible sound, the short thing barking at her birds to scare them off. There's a glare, a growl in her throat as she steps from her cover. She turns, staring at the creature and the wold behind him. "Fan-fucking-tastic." There was a sigh, racking through her lungs, coursing through her system. Fortune does her best to force her hackles down, but the frustration is clear on her face. It rings true in the look she fixes the pair, head shaking. Still, Fortune is trying to force herself to look less absolutely frustrated. "Uh. Well. Hi." The girl shakes her head once, posture shifting to something less on edge. Trying to smile. Right. Fortune is working on it. fortune shock & awe

He hadn’t realized that they were not alone on the island, not until Cedar’s running brought a string of swear words out of a female’s laugh. Oleander dropped at her aggressive tone, hoping that she hadn’t seen him. He had no interest at all in interacting with one with a temper such as hers, and wondered if he would make a run for the water without her catching up. Cedar stood at his side with his lips flipped upwards, irritation clear on his features as pale woman made her way over to them. Realizing that there was no escape, Ollie picked himself up to his full height. His ears were flat against his head, his tail tucked to his belly the closer she came. She muttered out a slight greeting, but it was quite obvious that she was still frustrated. It was easy to see that the wolf was very uncomfortable, and he longed to just turn away and make his leave. But he didn’t trust to turn his back on her. So they both stood their ground, Cedar letting out a few more yips like he was trying to piss her off. Ollie shouldered his brother who fell silent, looking back up to the huntress. "Paenitet, sorry..." he muttered, turning to look down at his paws. His skin was on fire as the doves called above them, not all of them could be silenced by Cedar’s running and this woman’s lashing words. It made him feel more upset, and he bounced slightly on his paws. The need to run was growing stronger and stronger by the moment, and the jackal was picking up on it. Looking up at the taller canine, he turned back to the stranger. "There is no need to lash out like that, Oleander didn’t know that anyone was here and neither did I," he said, and it was his turn to show his irritation. Already he didn’t like this woman, and wanted to return to the mainland with Ollie. "OLLIE SPEAKS" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS"

The brave's eyes fall on the man, brow quirking slightly. He's submitted immediately, and it leaves her confused. Baffled really. "The hell are you apologizing for? You're fine." He's dark, and as she nears, Fortune realizes that she's larger. Plunking her ass on the ground, trying to look less intimidating in an effort to get the creature to stop grovelling, she disregards the jackal completely. Fucking thing is obnoxious. The woman instead looks to the other man, the creature that looked so timid as he was all pinned together. Coiled. Why was he so fast to submit? Fortune has not been known for her finesse with the meek. It's not her cup of tea, but here she was, putting on her big girl panties and trying. Okay she tries. As the jackal speaks again her gaze snaps to his face, words dancing on a fine line between sarcastic and serious. "I could sit on you. I'm not going to. But I could." There's a glare at the creature, but she drops it. Too much focus. Freaking annoying. If the wolf could speak for himself he'd probably be doing a lot better. He'd be doing far better for himself. Little thing was controlling, keeping the man under his thumb. Talking about needing to be liberated, right? Fortune tries to bring the calming thing back, tries to steady herself and steady the man before her. "You're okay. I'm not going to eat you or anything. Just trying to hunt 's all." Steady, looking at the creature with her bi colored eyes. Trying to be open. Trying to be okay. Still feels like she's trying to juggle a madhouse, Fortune is. Between this creature and the short one, there's a weird dynamic. She can't say she's about it, this weird vibe. Still. She's sitting, she's trying to be calm. Trying to bring it back. Still frustrated, but trying to exist as a functional member of society. That was appropriate, right? fortune shock & awe

Oleander didn't feel comfortable around this wolf at all. He could see that she was trying to remain calm, but she had already showed him just how quickly her attitude could change. She was unpredictable, and that was the wrong kind of wolf to hang around. Her words didn't sit right with him, and he flinched backwards slightly like her words had been a physical blow. "For startling you," he said said simply, his words soft spoken and almost whispered. He found himself taking a step back, shifting his gaze off of her and back towards the ocean. It was a short run, and he was smaller than the strange woman. Either way, he was far from feeling safe and all he wanted to do was leave. Her comment to Cedar had him looking back at her, his lips twitching slightly. Ollie didn't anger easily, but it bothered him that a stranger would speak to his brother that way. He hadn't meant any harm at all, but it was clear to him that she had violent mood swings. The wolf appreciated that she was trying, but it was simply too late to change his mind on her. He had no intentions of getting mixed up with a wolf of her caliber. "We will leave you to hunt then," his words were dry and short, something that was unlike the kind, yet reserved gardener. He took yet another step towards the water, not wishing to turn his back on her. Oleander's teal eyes remained narrowed, and Cedar just turned and left. He wasn't taking any of her crap, and unlike his brother he was not so cautious. Looking back at his companion, Ollie turned and took what he hoped was his last look at the lady. She was just too quick to bite out sharp words, and he would look for something to do elsewhere. "Die bona, good day," he said with finality. At last, taking a chance, he turned and headed back for the ocean, his ears pointing back and listening for a pursuer. -exit unless stopped- (This means that Fortune can stop him, it's an attempted exit) "OLLIE SPEAKS" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS"

Had he been hit as a child? There was something incredibly confusing about someone that was so quick to submit, so quick to quiet as he was. Why was he rolling over so easily? The brave, sometimes the bold. Sometimes too bold, and here she has, she's scared it away. Who would wander around followed by a jackal, of course, is beyond her. Confused, carefully composed, and more than a little lost. Fortune is still trying to figure out what's happening, which end is even up in this entire conversation. He gets up, and she can't help but call after him (not getting up, not wanting to scare him further), voice echoing in her chest. "Wait--" Well, she'd said it. What else is there to come? Fortune gropes for words, trying to un-fuck them in her mouth as she says them. "You don't have to go, I was unreasonably bitchy." Right. That was a decent apology. Still, Fortune doesn't pursue him. If the man wants to go, he can. She fucked this one up, and she's allowed. They're both entitled to their own awkwardness, for that much she's aware. Still, Fortune is bothered by it inwardly. She's bothered by herself. Typical. fortune shock & awe

"Wait--" The gray brute stopped, but Cedar did not. He was done with the foolish woman and her insults. Not seeking permission from Oleander -- simply because he didn't need it -- he stepped into the ocean and headed back to the main land. The wolf watched him for a moment, and then turned around when the woman spoke again. His ears flickered, it wasn't really an apology but it was better than nothing. "You have ira anger in your heart," it wasn't a question, but a statement. To him, she had made her anger obvious by lashing out at them for that. Yes, Cedar had interrupted her hunt but there were so many birds around that starting a new one wouldn't be hard. The birds pretty much ruled this island, but their coos were not as irritating as the shrill calls of most birds. She could have acting out of surprise, but the vulgar words that passed her lips had been something else. It was what led him to the conclusion of her anger, but he had been wrong before. Still unsure if he was going to stay, he stood half way down the path home but still facing her. "I am Oleander," he said after a bit of a pause. Conversing was not his strong suite, but at least he knew the basics. Their previous exchange had been short, there was no desire in the wolf to have shared his name then. But she called after him, and it made him think that she might be as lonely as he was. Sure, he had his brother, but the fresh new company was nice. Maybe not always desired, but he had his basic needs as well as anyone did. "OLLIE SPEAKS" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS"

Fortune isn't going to offer something more to someone who was so quick to be the kicked puppy in this situation. The little bastard had scared away her prey, and that was fucking irritating. That, and whatever that thing was, it was fucking annoying. As she watches it return to the sea she wonders if she should be more compassionate, more forgiving. Probably. He is not kin, so she's not obligated to give a fuck. Still, she's at least willing to feign some sort of softness coming back into her features. It was half sincere, at least. She'd give it half. "Only sometimes, but you look like you're all fear, all the time." Fortune studies the man with her heterochromatic gaze, curious. Openly curious. At least he gives his name. "Fortune Adravendi." Her family was fucking massive, there was no doubt about that. She watches this Ollie creature for a reaction, for any sort of recognition as he follows. Fortune is almost hoping that he has no idea who they are-- easier that way. Fewer questions to answer. She'd called after the creature because she was tired of being on her own, but it was beyond her to know what to say. It was always beyond her. Typical Fortune, after all. fortune shock & awe

He shook his head when she said that he held a lot of fear. No, it wasn't fear that controlled his life. "Not fear, caute, caution. The wolves here are all new to me, and unlike those at home," he said slowly, chewing over the words as they left his maw. He needed to be careful around strangers here, and since she had reacted to them appearing in such anger it wasn't out of character to seem afraid. She had surprised him, that was for sure. He wasn't a coward, or that much of one, but he knew not to get himself into stupid situations. He dipped his head when she gave her name as well, her last name holding no meaning to him. Since coming to these lands he hadn't met too many wolves, mainly keeping to himself and his garden. Falling silent once more, he allowed the silence to spread between the two of them. Ollie was never good at keeping up a conversation, and was more than socially awkward. Tearing his gaze away from her, his blue eyes looked up at the doves in the trees around them. He did feel bad that they had interrupted her hunt, even if she hadn't dealt with it in the most gracious ways. Clearing his throat, he peered back down at Fortune. "Would you like to hunt? I could help, since Cedar scared away your last columba, dove," It was only fair, right? While it hadn't been him himself that scared the bird away, it didn't mean that he couldn't help. The jackal was his brother after all, and while he was a bit more... emotional than the wolf he still meant well. Perhaps a hunt would do him good, it wasn't his best skill by far. Learning from someone might help him out for when he was on his own, he couldn't always rely on his smaller brother. Oleander could only sustain himself on rodents for so long, it was hard to take down anything larger when he was on his own. Bird wasn't exactly his meal of choice, but he wasn't just thinking about himself here. Tipping his head to the side, he waited to see when the female would decide. If she said no, there was nothing else here for him. "OLLIE SPEAKS" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS"

As the man speaks, Fortune finds a small smirk washing over her face. There's a truth to his statement-- she feels it too. "You can say that again. They're different here alright, I like it." Her tail wags, head high. Right. Interaction could be hard, but he was smart. He was agreeable. She should work pretty hard to be agreeable too. It was going to be easier that way, it was going to be more conducive to her knowing this creature. Meeting. Knowing. Getting accustomed to all the different things that happened in this place that Fortune supposed was her new home. There's not a hell of a lot of grace to her, anyways. That would probably come with time, but for now she lets herself be rough around the edges. Harder to change yourself when everything around you was changing too. "Only if you teach me how to say that," She's trying. She's trying to be friendly, but it's taking a lot of her capacity to process everything else. Fortune's tail wags for a moment, her excitement hanging in the air. Strange syllables, foreign to her tongue. Foreign to everything she knew and understood. They were interesting, and she wanted to pick up and absorb as much as she could. "Do you bird hunt much?" After all, if she was dealing with an expert, they'd have a pile of prey quicker than you could blink. If not, at least she was a competent teacher. So it goes. fortune shock & awe

Oleander's ears perked towards her when she said that they were strange her, something that caught his interest. Was she not from this area either? In his travels he had met a lot of wolves who were new to this land, and an equal amount who were born here. The hustle and bustle of this continent were something that he was not used to, at home hardly anyone traveled around except those who lived their lives as traders. But here, there seemed to be wolves from all sorts of different walks of live. It was a diversity that he had never seen before, and honestly it excited the splotched man. How many personalities and histories clashed here? How many were seeking a new home, and how many were running from their past? They were questions that he would never have answers too, but he thought of them nonetheless. His tail swung behind him as he chewed over her words, wondering if it would be rude to ask where she had hailed from. Was it something that was brought up in normal conversations? He wasn't sure, and Cedar was usually his translator for that type of thing, but the smaller canine had taken his leave. Glancing over briefly to where his brother had swam off to the main land, he thought about calling him back. It took a lot to refrain himself, but the jackal didn't leave his side without good reason. This Fortune must have really pissed him off, a thought that made him smile slightly to himself. What a touchy creature he was, always jumping to conclusions and running off when the going got tough. Oh well, he was on his own for this one. Deciding that it would be rude to ask of her back story, he remained silent. When the damsel asked to learn how to say the word he offered, he turned back to her with a large smile on his maw. He loved teaching others about Latin, it was a language that he had yet to hear here. He missed speaking it, but only him and Cedar could converse in their mother tongue. Dipping his head, he paused so that he was able to iterate the word with more skill than if he was walking. Tossing all his focus into it, he sounded out the word with as little speed as possible without becoming offensive. Conversations were touchy things, and there were a lot of rules he had to constantly remind himself of. "Col...Um...ba, columba," Latin had very few harsh exaggeration of vowels, the only stranger thing was that the 'ba' went up at the end like a question, although it was not as harsh. A slight rise in pitch was all that was needed to say 'dove' the proper way. She asked him if he was skilled in bird hunting, and his grin faltered slightly. Ollie wasn't too good at anything that didn't involve plants, so he slowly shook his head back and forth. It was embarrassing to admit, but Cedar was the one who was far more skilled in hunting than he was. Without the jackal at his side, he was sure that he would have starved already. Rabbits and rodents were just about all he could hunt down on his own, birds were a prey item that he had never even thought of trying. Although, when crows and songbirds tried to get at his seeds and plants he wanted to bite into their feathery bodies, but that was Cedar's job. His ears twisted backwards ever so slightly, wondering if the woman would think him a fool for being so unskilled. "OLLIE SPEAKS" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS"

It was an irritating little thing, and Fortune wasn't really sure what was going to happen if she had someone like that following her around. Someone who was going to be by her side every waking moment of every day? That sounded terrible. That sounded awful. She likes her alone time, she likes to be social when she makes the decision to do it. There's something in her chest, something in her head that rings true to that. An introvert. Granted, it would be nice to have someone by her side to hunt with. It would be nice to not have to fight the larger prey on her own. Not like a companion animal would be worth the stress. She had a pack now. They could hunt with her. It was all in the same, right? Or something like that. Co...lumba. Columba. Dove?" The syllables taste funny in her mouth, and she trips over the first one for the first time. A soft snort in her chest, but she's smiling. There's a sense of accomplishment that comes with conquering the first word of a new language. All it takes is one step, right? One step to start a journey, and she would have a journey of goddamn discovery on her hands. That was fantastic. That was great. Fortune's eyes burn bright and soft. He canted backwards, and Fortune sits on her haunches. There's a soft inquiry to the way she searches his face, trying not to scare the near stranger away. She was trying. Real and honest, the girl was trying. Master hunter of the Celestial pack, it was literally her job to teach. But she wouldn't tell him that. She would only offer herself and what she could do to help the man. Everyone deserved to eat, right? "I'll teach you, but I need to know how much you know. Without a starting place, we... well, we don't have anywhere to start." With her neon eyes, she searches the man. It's careful. Things will be okay. Fortune is trying to reinforce to him that everything will be okay. Self sufficiency isn't going to be that hard. They've got it under control. Ideally. fortune shock & awe

A tender smile spread over his inky lips as the woman sounded out the strange word, testing it out on her tongue. He knew how odd it could be to learn a new language, he was lucky that he had grown up with parents who spoke both. They often mixed Latin words in with the more common tongue, a habit that he had picked up on. He did miss speaking it so much, but it wasn't like he never used it. Cedar spoke it as well, but Fortune was also not the first to ask to learn it a bit. "Bene factum, well done!" he said with a small laugh, feeling a lot more at ease around the paler coated woman. It always brought him joy to teach wolves new things, it affirmed his choice in coming to this odd land. Knowledge was such a powerful thing, sharing it was just as easy as learning things. His tail swished behind him, falling silent as he mulled over his thoughts. Would she like to learn more, or was one word enough for now? Unable to predict her thoughts, he glanced at the woman once more. "Your name, at least in terms of wealth, is actually the same in Latin as it is in your tongue. Mine changes just slightly, the plant oleander is called Cleander. Very close, ipsum," The gray man chuckled quietly, his head shaking back and forth. There were actually a lot of words that stayed the same in both languages, it was quite surprising and made learning it all that easier. Fortune turned the conversation back towards him, asking just how much he knew. The man grew slightly sheepish, his teal eyes tearing off of her face and looking at the island around them. "I hunt rodents mostly, never avium, birds," he said slowly, his teeth gritting slightly as he admitted just how lackluster his hunting skills were. Licking at his lips, he risked a peek up at her. Would she be angry by his lack of experience? Did she no longer want to teach him? The fear was not easy to swallow down, but he was able to suppress it from his face. "OLLIE SPEAKS" -- "CEDAR SPEAKS"

The man speaks so much, and Fortune tries to follow. The words he says, they are foreign and musical and wonderful. Everything brings her to life on days like these. Her tail wags briefly, listening to the boy speak with interest. "Ipsum," Fortune grins, tail wagging softly. Eyes on the man's face, a certain grin playing on her features. Her tail is wagging, she's learning. Learning new things is always the aim, right? Supposedly. He'd never hunted birds. That was quite alright, of course. Fortune takes a few long, confident steps. "Come, I'll teach you." And that was all. She would show him how to bring them down, how to find the ones that were easiest for eating. Solid pickings today, of course. There were many birds for eating, many things that could be taken down and devoured. That was probably a good thing. Wouldn't want to go hungry after all. She's been teaching the children lately, teaching a grown man should be no different. "It'll be fun," Fortune quips over her shoulder, leading the way to where the ground nesting birds were the thickest. It was low she dropped, waiting for Oleander to follow. fortune shock & awe