The tide was unbelievably low today, which of course lent itself to a little beach and sea exploration. When she made her way out to the island, Iskra was unbelievably grateful for the chance to simply escape herself and worry about nothing else except for seeing some new things and enjoying a new land she'd yet to explore. Dripping salt water, she'd loped excitedly along the beach, chasing after a flock of seagulls and laughing as they were forced to take flight, landing far away on the great swaths of exposed sand.

When that game lost it's thrill, she found herself drawn to something out in the water. It was... a small patch of land? No. It didn't look natural. Like the castle, this was something that had been made and left behind for discovery. Fending off that pain in her heart, Iskra set off again through the water without a second thought, happy to continue her pattern of escapism especially if it meant she'd get to see what that structure was.

Bobbing along abreast the old, wrecked vessel, the woman drank in it's great size. Barnacles and seaweed covered the majority of it's surface while more of the seagulls were perched here and there. It took ages to find a good spot to haul herself up, and by the time she managed it her first few minutes aboard were spent panting in a heap.

Gryphon had spent a great deal of time after he'd met up with Dragon that spring making his way slowly through Boreas, trying to seek out the rest of his family. They needed to be brought back together somehow, by someone, and it was certainly far past time for him to take up the mantle of responsibility he had always claimed. So far his half-siblings were proving elusive - other than Dragon, he had not found any of the immediate family, and he was getting worried. He felt bad that the rest of the pack had scattered as well, but frankly, they weren't his problem. The Ancoras were quite enough to worry about right now... if he piled more worries on that he'd break down either mentally or physically. Hell, he was surprised he didn't already have ulcers.

Wandering along the coastline in the south, something out in the water had attracted his attention. It was a big human structure, like the castle Dragon had housed them in. Could one of the Ancoras be living there, drawn by the familiarity to the castle they'd had to leave?

He hesitated for a long moment, debating with himself the likelihood of that versus not particularly wanting to get soaked with salt water. In the end, the possibility outweighed the discomfort, and with a sigh he waded in until had to start swimming, then struck out for the island with powerful strokes.

He hadn't quite made the island yet when he spotted a wolf struggling out of the water onto some old wrecked boat - the wreckage putting him in mind of the huge ship up north near where he'd grown up. There was something familiar about the partly-submerged wolf, so Gryphon changed course towards the wreckage. By that time he'd witnessed the wolf managed to drag themselves out of the water, and so didn't have to waste time figuring out the best place to do so. He went straight towards where he had seen them, and followed suit.

It was a bit easier for him, with his greater reach and strength, to pull himself onto the wreck. He pressed his hindpaws against the broken hull, hooked his forelegs onto the deck, and with a surge of synchronized effort heaved himself up.

He avoided the sodden heap of exhausted wolf by the simple expedient of stepping over her as he cleared the deck. Now that he was close the unusual color of her pelt, and her familiar features all stood out to him. "Iskra?" he questioned with some surprise. "What are you doing way out here?"

Panting and laying about on the barnacle-covered vessel, enjoying the brief rest and chance to let her fur dry out before she set about exploring to see what she could see, It had not crossed her mind that she might soon have company. If it had she might've tried to avoid such a thing. Iskra was hardly in the prime state for chatting with anybody these days. Hell, she wasn't even enjoying her own company.

This was why when another sopping wet form clambered aboard to join her, Iskra - in less than ladylike manner - scrabbled about on the deck in a panic to achieve a standing position as far from the new arrival as possible. It was not pretty, and made that much more embarrassing when the new arrival recognized her, and she in turn recognized him. Wonderful. Just splendid. "Stuff and things, mostly," she answered in a tone that somehow was not nearly as smooth as it needed to be to properly deliver that phrase.

Studying him a moment, Iskra sat back, her expression guarded. She hadn't exactly gotten to know Gryphon very well, and definitely didn't meet him in the best way initially. "What are you doing here?"