SERAPHIM IMPERIALIS Seraphim decided he quite liked the ocean. It's constant noise was comforting, a presence he could count on to always be there. Watching the waves roll in and out was mesmerizing. The sea life caught up in the tide pools was like nothing he'd seen before, and he was even getting better at fishing! Ever since his jaunt to the Rio Grande, Phim had been feeling a lot more comfortable with wandering a ways outside of his father's borders... Even if maybe they didn't know exactly what he was up to. This time he'd even tried to find Eva and Angel, but they were no where to be found. Knowing his siblings they were probably training, learning, studying... And then there was Phim. A goofy grin spread across his features at the thought. There was no resentment there, because it wasn't something he was ashamed of. The ambition, the drive to be the best... that just wasn't him. He was more content with his wanderlust, his curiosity, a beautiful day. What else did a wolf need? The ocean seemed to call out to him, so the gargantuan young lad stood and shook the sand out of his coat, oblivious to the dangers which likely surrounded him. He knew nothing of riptides or large ocean fish, nothing of sting rays or jellyfish, only that the water was beautiful and still warm, despite the season's growing chill. He waded in until the water had soaked halfway up his legs, and smiled. Phim dragged in a deep, chest-swelling breath of salty air. This was the life. "Talk" "You" Think

He didn't know why he was wandering out of the land where he'd found asylum. It wasn't as if the larger boy had beckoned him or given him any inclination that it was proper or even acceptable to follow him. And yet something drew him after the darker fellow, and so he would follow. He'd purposely left Miliani, telling her he would check out their surroundings and reminding her it was imperative she stay hidden and more importantly - out of the way. She had begrudgingly obliged him - for now - though he knew it wouldn't last. When he returned she would certainly be in the middle of some sort of trouble. It didn't much matter, he'd always gotten her out of it before.

A sigh fell from his lips, one of equal parts contentment and uncertainty. He didn't know his role here, didn't know what his future might begin to look like. He'd eaten, and rested, and his strength and vigor were slowly returning - as was his weight. But that didn't mean he could begin to forget what had happened, or what might happen. It was his sister he truly feared for, but today.. today he needed time for himself.

And so he trailed timidly behind the larger, filled-out boy so willing to leave Imperium. He had likely been born here, Shaw reckoned, and probably hadn't a care in the world to go wandering. Shaw admired his bravery as he slunk into the waves, allowing the water to swallow up the lower portion of his legs. "Are you not afraid?" came the query from inky lips. He couldn't hide in the shadows forever, after all.

SERAPHIM IMPERIALIS Phim thought he was alone, and not that the idea of company was unpleasant, the sudden intrusion did cause him to jump. That was on bad thing to be said about the beach, the constant noise was a drain on his senses. He tossed a gaze over his shoulder and found another young male. He looked to be about Phim's age, but quite a bit smaller. Seraphim grinned a wide, inviting smile. He tried to catch the boy's scent but the brine of the ocean overpowered all else. "Hi there!" he exclaimed. "What is there to be afraid of?" The way he saw it, he was Valentine's son and Valentine was the strongest, most amazing leader in the land and he wouldn't let anything hurt them! It was entirely naive, but that was the product of his lack of education when it came to the sea. In all likelihood one of his caregivers had taught him and his siblings about the sea, but Phim probably just hadn't been paying attention... "Talk" "You" Think

Amethyst eyes examined the brave boy before him. He looked a lot like Valentine, cloaked in that same steely cobalt. It would seem safe to assume this was the man's son. He rocked onto his haunches, clearly uncomfortable with the unpredictability of the sea. He'd never seen a body of water like this before. The boy quickly greeted Shaw, offering forth an exclamation filled with exuberance. Well, at least he didn't hate Shaw for following him. 'What is there to be afraid of?' Shaw's ears flicked back. Did the boy not know? "Being eaten," he answered matter-of-factly. "There are bigger things than us in the sea," he noted with assuredness - though he honestly couldn't tell you a single thing about what might be lurking under the waves. "Anyway I guess you're alright so those monsters must be lurking elsewhere." He didn't want to seem so afraid, after all. "I'm Shaw." He cast his eyes appraisingly beyond the larger boy, almost waiting for some sea monster to rear its' ugly head. ""

SERAPHIM IMPERIALISPhim could see how nervous Shaw was, but he decided not to comment on it. He'd seen it with the other pups in his Daddy's pack, sometimes fear made people mad. Plus, he supposed he could see how something so big and weird would wig a wolf out. He could only shrug when the other boy claimed that there were bigger creatures than them out there. Probably! But there were also bears in the woods, that didn't keep him bound up in his den, right? If he was afraid to go new places he'd never see new things! But, he didn't want to argue and risk offending his companion. "Maybe!" he said with a genuine smile. "I've always wanted to know what the inside of a monster's gut looked like." His smile turned lopsided and his eyes crinkled up at the edges. If he had his way, he'd rather put Shaw at ease so he could enjoy this the way Phim was. Absently he wondered if he was always filled wit that sort of trepidation, and what living that kind of life would be like. Of course, this thinking was born from the privilege of safety and love. "I'm Phim! Er- Seraphim, actually. But everyone calls me Phim." It just seemed to suit him better. Seraphim sounded so grand and serious, where as the young brute himself was anything but. He wondered what Shaw was doing out here, with no one else. Did he sometimes get lost too? Not that Phim would admit that his wanderings had a way of turning sour, but hey! Life was funny that way sometimes. "Talk" "You" Think

The other boy was funny, and Shaw found a smile cracking across his lips. Perhaps he ought not worry so much. If a sea monster were lurking nearby, he surely would have swallowed them both whole by now. Since that hadn't happened, he supposed it would be okay to let his guard down just this once. Besides, he didn't have his sister here to protect. The boy, who had always been referred to as 'boy' in Shaw's mind before now, introduced himself as Phim - Seraphim, rather. Shaw offered a smile and a nod in affirmation, that was a nice name. And he had a nickname, something Shaw hadn't realized he'd wanted until now. Everyone just called him Shaw. Not that there was much of an 'everyone' anymore. His sister was all he had in this world. His tail batted idly behind him as he took a step closer, trying to play off like he wasn't still afraid of the water Phim was standing in. He allowed it to tickle his toes, but he would go no further just yet. "Are you one of Valentine's kids, Phim?" he remarked after allowing the question to rattle around in his head for some time. It never occurred to him that Phim might not expect such a question given that he probably didn't know Shaw was currently taking asylum in Imperium. ""

SERAPHIM IMPERIALIS She boy smiled, and Phim counted it as a great success. He was pretty good at this 'socializing' stuff! He turned a bit, displacing water with moderate splashing, so that he could face Shaw at a better angle. He would ask about Phim's parentage to which the boy swelled with pride. "Sure am! My Mom's Cascade. Are you in my Daddy's pack? Why haven't I seen you around?" Phim had been almost certain he'd met all the pups that one day this past spring, when they'd all romped about and Angel had stood up for him. He smiled at the memory. But still, he would have remember someone like Shaw, all quiet and curious. All the other kids had been a bit rowdy, after all. Had Phim just missed him amidst the chaos? Maybe, he thought suddenly, Shaw was new which would be even better because that meant Seraphim would be able to show him around all the cool places, and introduce him to Angel and Vana and it would be awesome! His tail sloshed about in the water, his eyes lighting up with imagined adventures. If Shaw was from somewhere else, he might have all kinds of stories about places Phim had never seen before, and that thought was the best yet! "Talk" "You" Think

It was a comfort to see the Phim's lighthearted nature. Shaw was anything but lighthearted, having to care for his sister and make all of the decisions for their fragile family. He'd been thrust into adulthood so early that he didn't even know what it meant to be a child - and he would soon lose that opportunity when he gained enough weight to fill out his nearly adult frame. No one would expect him to act like a child then. His answer came as a confirmation from Seraphim. He was Valentine's child, and also Cascade's. So this was one of the children she'd told them about in the battlefield. "Your Mom's the reason I came to Imperium," he offered the boy, both answering his question about residing in Imperium and also giving him more information about how he'd gotten there. "She found my sister and I in the battlefield and invited us to stay in Imperium until we decide what to do." He'd just about decided that as long as no one harmed them in Imperium they were very, very likely to stay. "This is only my second day in the pack," he added on for further information. His right forepaw drew up high near his chest as something scuttled across it in the shallow water. His amethyst gaze snapped downward as he shuffled back on his remaining three paws, realizing that it had only been a crab that frightened him. ""