His claws hooked against the rocky slopes of the island, clambering up slowly but surely as the waves chased him, licking at his heels and drenching his already soaked tail. He gritted his teeth, he was as good as a climber as any, but this island's rocky-turtle neck was proving a real challenge in these conditions. The rain and waves made conditions treacherous at best, a weaker swimmer would have had real trouble even bridging the gap, least of all if they had the misfortune to fall in. Would probably drown, their bloated body washing ashore when the worst of it had passed. Morbid thought, that. He crested the ridge, looking like a drowned cat as he looked at the forest below, the steep, if not almost conical volcano rising out of the centre.

table coding by bunni ♥

I wish you could see me for something more than the things I'm confined and condemned to be

Now nearly at the six-month mark, Stjarna was given more freedom to roam from Álarr though the man insisted on at least being within calling range. She'd convinced him to take her to a new island and since they were already up north they went swimming across the frigid waters to one with a huge mountain on it. She settled in the sun to dry out and once she felt better she took up the cliffside, climbing over the rocky terrain and up to the top of a ridge. Down below her lay a forest! She gaped in awe and almost missed seeing a familiar blue and red form.

Star perked up and bounded toward the man. "Hey! Hello! You sure do visit a lot of islands. My name is Stjarna, I thought I should come say hi."


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ooc: Álarr is present nearby

Scaling down the ridge, claws gripping to slow his descent, he found himself amidst a dense forest. The soil was slightly wet under paw, but not saturated to slow him down much, just dark with all the shadows of the trees, the distant rustle of movement. Birds maybe? There was too much cover, too many shadows where things could be lurking. So far his time in Boreas had been mostly uneventful, there was no outward cause for concern and yet Ronan would look over his shoulder regardless. That's just how the world had shaped him, thoughts kept him awake at night and the quiet was just too quiet.

Till it wasn't.

"Hi." Ronan offered his own greeting, not overly surprised that they had run into each other once more. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're following me. You're not, are you?" He asked, stressing the word with more meanness than necessary. He arched his shoulders slightly, leaning forward in an oppressive hunch, old habits died hard.

table coding by bunni ♥

I wish you could see me for something more than the things I'm confined and condemned to be

The man responded gruffly and she shook her head. "Nope. Why, you want me to? What's your name anyway?" She eyed the path she wanted to take down, sizing up the rocks and the route before she started climbing down. Her claws were out, allowing her a bit more grasp as she worked her way down to the forest. She wanted to see what it was like and with a little tenacity she soon made it to the floor of the basin where trees stretched above her. Stjarna bounded over to the nearest tree, taking a flying leap with her claws out. She clung to the tree then scrambled up to a larger branch. Oooo she liked the smell of these trees.


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Ronan's expression flattened, ears flicking. He didn't think the kid was lying, more often than not they were too honest for their own good. Sad dumb stuff at even stupider times, that and the girl seemed genuinely confused by his question, his concerns not even a flitting thought through her mind. He sighed, his shoulders slumping, seeing no reason to be so aggressive to a literal child. It was a him problem more than her one, as much as he didn't want to admit.

"Ronan."

He wasn't sure what kind of trees these were, fir maybe? Coniferous if nothing else, dense and bushy regardless of what time of year it was. Hell, he imagined winter storms slammed against this island pretty much all the time in winter and yet they seemed to be doing just fine. Though he supposed the stone turtle-neck was probably doing a lot of heavy lifting- he glanced back the way he came, the ridge loomed over head like the volcano in the middle of the island. No matter where he looked there was rock, ancient and sturdy.

table coding by bunni ♥

I wish you could see me for something more than the things I'm confined and condemned to be

At last she'd gotten a name out of him! The man stated his name was Ronan and that was enough for Stjarna. She didn't need a last name, heck she rarely acknowledged her own and was just fine laying it by the wayside and only going by her first. She settled her balance on the branch, lifting her head higher as she sniffed the trees. It was then she saw a squirrel go dashing across a nearby branch, taking a flying leap and then climbing higher up the neighboring tree. Shoot… not that she really thought she could've caught the thing. They were notoriously difficult to get a hold of. It was interesting though that there was some native wildlife on this island.


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