Oh we were sea bound and aimless at best...

All it took was one bad storm for Dómari's life to be changed forever. Some how he'd managed to end up separated from the rest of his family and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't find them. He'd walked numerous routes but each new turn made it seem like he was only getting himself more lost. The boy sighed and shivered. He was hungry… well he was a yearling now, so he should be able to sort of fend for himself right? Peering through the fog Dómari remained unusually quiet. It was hard to get his spirits up and he couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever find his family again. Walking absently up a root he balanced there for a moment as he looked out across the marshlands, his keen sapphire eyes peering through the fog.

The dread pirate Isakov had been abandoned by his crew and left for dead in the haunted swamplands of the great witch Moira. How was he to survive? Would he ever get out of this mess alive?

Leaping up, Dómari scrambled up onto one of the lower branches of the tree on whose roots he was perching… well… maybe flailed up was more accurate. When he stabilized himself he peered out again but the fog was still to thick. He couldn't see anything.

If only he could find a landmark, perhaps he could hunt for the infamous buried treasure of Moira's late husband the Duke of Jarlsberg. He would just have to be very, very careful not to wake up any dragons while he was here.

Trick!

Dómari gets a trick!

A gust of wind blows across the moor, rattling the tree that the yearling is standing on. It picked up to huge, fast breathes that whipped up the fog. With one last blow, the wind topples Dómari off the branch! Dómari loses 16 gems!

Diarmuid was feeling uncharacteristically broody as of late. While not typically one sulk, being separated for so long from the Xanilov children he had sworn to protect was deeply unpleasant. If Valeriya didn't have his hide for this, surely someone else would. At the very least, her words would be just as biting - he had no doubt about that. A frown creased the warrior's lips as he made his way through the swamplands. The weather was dreadful today, which didn't help his already sour mood. The fog was thick, hanging over the wet earth like a curse, as though it might never lift. He really wasn't in the best of moods. If anything, he was disappointed in himself - would the other guards, if they'd found the children by now, ever think highly of him again? His only job was to protect them and he couldn't even keep track of them. A soft breath of air escaped into the chill air. He was always on alert as he traveled, searching and hoping for some hint of them, or anyone who had seen them. Conversation with strangers had never been his strong suit, but he didn't hesitate now to bother everyone he came across with the same question. Had they seen a group of children? Hell, he'd even explain what each of them looked like if they seemed the least bit willing to help. Each of his leads had come up short though, and though he was feeling a bit hopeless, to say he was losing hope would be far from the truth. His nose twitched as the scent of another wolf touched it. His posture stiffened instinctively as his head dropped, aiming to grab hold of the scent and follow it. It wasn't easy to track it though the foggy swamp; the air was heavy here, and rather still other than the slow-moving fog clouds. It took him awhile, as he trailed after it, before it hit him suddenly. It was one of the children. He only caught Domari's scent alone, but his pace quickened. At least he was on to something, after so many months of what felt like aimless wandering. Determined, he continued onward - his jaw clenched as he waded through a particularly large swath of earth that was more water than land. When he finally saw him, it was from a distance - he was perched on something, seemingly staring through the fog, at what he wasn't sure. "Dómari?" Diarmuid's voice boomed out as he drew closer. He hadn't felt so joyful in some time, though his face was characteristically stoic still as he took the last few strides toward the boy. God, he looked much older now - had so much time really passed? "Talk" "You" Think

Oh we were sea bound and aimless at best...

Dómari sighed and wondered if perhaps he could manage to fall asleep in the tree but then again it probably wasn't a good idea to fall asleep where monsters and ghouls could be lurking around every corner.  Probably best to keep going.  Just as Dómari was about to carry on his way a huge gust of wind came up from nowhere and the tree shook violently. "Whoa!  Wha-"  The boy scrambled to hang on but one more gust proved his undoing as he fell with a splash into the muck below.  Oh yuck….

The dread pirate Isakov awoke in the muck, he'd been knocked out by some strange magical force, no doubt this was the work of Moira!  Now he was trapped in this mucky goo!  Well, if the old witch thought this could control him she was in for a surprise!

Flailing Dómari squirmed in the mud before finally pulling himself free and onto the shore.  "Alright, Moira!  If you think the dread pirate Isakov will quiver before you like some newly hatched chick then think again!  I demand you come out and fight!"

The brave captain would be met with nothing but silence.  Well… certainly served her right he supposed, clearly she was afraid of him and would stick to doing her sneak attacks from the shadows.  Well then, it was time to put his tracking skills to the test.  If she wouldn't come to him then he would go to her

Dómari started scrambling through the brush, intent on following an imaginary trail until someone said his name and caused him to nearly jump out of his skin as he whirled around, ears pinned, hackles raised and his tail between his legs.  Slowly he blinked as he stared at the man, brow furrowing at the scars and ruby eyes.  He…. he knew this man.  "Diarmuid?  Diarmuid is it you?  Diarmuid, hey!!"  Forgetting that he was still covered in muck Dómari lunged toward Diarmuid, tail wagging furiously and flinging goop everywhere as he tried to tackle the older man.

If anything at all truly brought him joy, it was serving the Xanilov family. At first, it had been just that - service, nothing more - but he had quite quickly become loyal to them, and to Valeriya in particular. By proxy, he had grown equally as fond of her children. He'd do anything for any of them, with no question - his life mattered little if it was not being put to use by serving them. As Dómari noticed him, Diarmuid let out a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. A great weight lifted off his shoulders as a sense of purpose settled over him. He'd noticed that Dómari had been distracted.. by something, he wasn't quite sure what. Has covered in mud nearly up to his ears, and the sight actually brought a faint smile to the man's face. "It's me indeed," he found himself chuckling gently, though his own calm serenity was slightly interrupted as the boy aimed to tackle him. His smile only widened; Diarmuid never shied away from affection from the Xanilovs, even if he didn't always return it as quickly or at all. It was disappointing that nobody else was with him, but that didn't mean they were lost either. He could only hope they all had found one another. He ignored the mud that transferred from the younger boy's coat to his own, shaking his head, his grin widening. "I don't think I've ever been happier to see anyone in my entire life." He pulled back to get a good look at him. He was much bigger than when he'd seen him last.. had so much time really gone by? He fought the urge to shake his head incredulously. "Tell me, have you seen the others, Domari?" "Talk" "You" Think

Oh we were sea bound and aimless at best...

Dómari tried not to cry but it felt like he'd been on his own for forever and finally seeing a familiar face filled him with overwhelming relief. Especially after his brief altercation with the golden-eyed man. Dómari had had enough of strangers! His tail continued wagging. "Me to! I'm so glad to see you! I've run into ghosts, and weird bugs and a mean, old grump that tried to eat me!" He couldn't wait to tell Diarmuid the story of how the great captain Isakov managed to outrun the great dragon Grindlewyrm.

His tail slowed at the mention of the others and Dómari hung his head. He tried to speak for a few moments but all that came out was a chocked sob. "I-I…. don… know." He swallowed hard. "I g-g-got separated." What if they'd gotten eaten while he was away? What if Grindlewyrm had found the others? Dómari felt immensely guilty for not being with the rest of his family when they needed him most.

If Domari was here, there wasn't much chance that the others were too far away.. right? He wondered how long it had been since he'd been separated from them. Diarmuid wondered, too, how Valeriya was doing. He'd always known being away from her, but he hadn't known quite how badly. At least he saw her in her children - the mask Domari wore on his face was so reminiscent of her own features, and his eyes the same vibrant blue. He was brought back to reality as the boy spoke, his words eager as he explained what he'd seen. Ghosts and bugs and someone that had tried to eat him? He felt a flash of protectiveness surge in his chest, though he wondered if Domari was.. stretching the truth at all. Though the thought of him, or any of his siblings, being in danger was deeply unsettling to him. "Weird bugs?" the older man asked after a long moment of thought, chuckling at the thought of what he could possibly mean. The light-hearted mood seemed to shift rather quickly as the boy admitted he'd been separated from them. Though his heart sunk, he wouldn't betray the disappointment he felt. It wasn't hard to be strong for him, though honestly little would truly ever break his spirit and his drive to reunite with the Xanilovs. "Don't worry," he told him gently, bumping his snout lightly on Domari's shoulder. "We'll find them, if I have to go to the ends of the earth to do it. Would you know, though, that I met some wolves who'd heard of your family?" He grinned again, trying to keep Domari from feeling too glum. There was no need for crying now. "They didn't know their names, but they'd heard of them. Seems the Xanilov legacy lives on even in these lands." "Talk" "You" Think

ooc: sorry it's short, muse is low ><

Oh we were sea bound and aimless at best...

What was he doing?! Pirates didn't cry! Dómari swallowed sharply and wiped at the tears from his eyes. "'m sorry," he mumbled feeling suddenly embarrassed. He'd never hear the end of it if any of his siblings had seen that outburst. How could he even call himself a dread pirate? Dómari nodded as he registered Diarmuid's first question. "Big red and black bugs that sting you. They were as big as my face!" He shuddered, he didn't want to run into those things again, that was for sure.

His eyes widened as Diarmuid mentioned that some wolves knew his family. "Whoa, really? Do you know where they are? Maybe Sinny and all the others are there already and they're waiting for us!"

Diarmuid desperately wished he could make everything right again. To go back to how things had once been, he would give anything for - but he knew he would do all it took to help Domari find the rest of his siblings and get the family reunited once again. He had sworn his allegiance to Valeriya, so long ago now, and wasn't intending on ever breaking that. "Don't apologize," he shook his head dismissively. He wouldn't tell any of his siblings about it, the thought wouldn't even cross his mind. It was a given that he might feel upset being away from his family so long. Hell, even though Diarmuid hadn't cried, if he was about to cry he could've imagined it happening now. He found his lips twitching up in a slight smile at the boy's excitement. "Slow down," he chuckled softly, shaking his head. "They didn't say where, but they said the pack was called Yfir. Perhaps we can question some of the nearby packs if they've ever heard of them, and go from there." Diarmuid wasn't afraid of entangling himself in politics and sure wasn't afraid of overstepping boundaries to search for information. "What do you think, Dom?" "Talk" "You" Think

Oh we were sea bound and aimless at best...

Dómari felt a surge of hope and confidence at Diarmuid's words. They were somewhere and they were ok. A pack called Yfir. Yfir, yfir, yfir. Ok, he had that memorized and he was going to ask everyone he ran into about it. Dóm nodded eagerly at Diarmuid's plan. "That sounds like a great idea! Who should we ask first?" He was practically shivering with the excitement of seeing his family again though for a moment he wondered if they could cover more ground if they split up. Dómari hesitated to suggest anything because he was afraid of being alone but if them splitting up meant a greater chance of finding his family then maybe it was worth a shot.

"Do… do you think we should split up?"

Diarmuid swore that saw the fear leave Domari's eyes. He hoped desperately that the boy didn't take this knowledge as certain proof that his siblings were alive and well, but if he needed hope that was well and fine. They all needed a little hope now and then. Finding Domari had definitely given Diarmuid some of that. A faint smile returned to his grizzled features as he watched Domari speak, but it seemed the tone turned a touch more somber again as the boy asked if they should split up. In reality, it was the best way to cover more ground. But part of his mission included keeping track of Domari as well as retrieving the others, and he knew he needed to find a balance between them. "A smart idea," he'd muse, his voice low as he considered it. Briefly he closed his eyes, as though slipping deep into thought before eyeing Domari again.  "I say we split up, but only temporarily. For no more than a day or two at a time. Close to sunfall, I'll call for you and we'll regroup. That way we can cover more ground while still staying in touch." The more militaristic part of him knew he could cover more ground on his own, but he was sworn to protect Domari as much as the others and he wouldn't willingly leave the boy on his own now that he'd found him. "Talk" "You" Think