hang on to the glory at my right hand

Swimming in the sea felt strange.  In the streams at home there was no current to battle, the bottom was always within reach,  and the distance was short.  Not to mention the taste of salt water...  It took Nati a few practice swims, going out a short distance then returning to land, before she felt the confidence to swim out to the close little island.  She was drawn in by the sight of the large mountain in the center, like a beacon of sorts.

These new lands truly would not cease to amaze.  She had hardly been anywhere yet, but the ever-changing foliage and scenery had her convinced that she could always be surprised here.  She liked that.  Growing up, there was a limit to her knowledge.  Here she could learn everything she needed to rise to power, to be the goddess she knew herself destined to be.  A satisfied smile lit her maw as she walked up the beach, into the trees and toward the mountain, and it remained throughout her walk.

The light had waned as she swam to the island, and now, as she dug out the ground below the arc of a tree root, darkness fell.  She could rest for the night, but she would not sleep.  Excitement had adrenaline pulsing through her veins and the energy was sure to keep her eyes wide open.

natiel.

Gideon was impressed with this land. Who knew he could ever give up his precious Redbuds? Surely they were a glory to behold just then, but winter had not been kind to the man. Moving south had not been a choice so much as once again succumbing to his will to survive. The island had seemed to lurk not far off shore, and Gideon's choice to swim out to it had been driven by a need for solitude more than a sense of adventure. All the same, when he arrived battered and breathless on the other shore he found that solitude held somewhat less value to him. Lesson learned. It took him a long moment to recover. He sat panting on the shore for a long moment, eyeing the lapping waves in a tranquil silence. From within the lush vegetation dozens of birds called out their warnings, alerting one another to his presence. He did what he could to ignore the clamor, closing his eyes and falling into the sound of the waves. The sun had practically dried him by the time the russet man stood. You could hardly blame him for being curious after exerting so much effort to get here, could you? The sun was setting, and still he found himself exploring the shoreline. He had found crabs and driftwood, kelp and plenty of dead sea creatures as well. Gideon was nigh overcome by a childlike glee, so the reality of finding somewhere to sleep crashed down around him with more force than he was expecting. He groaned, and turned his gaze to the rapidly darkening tree line. Dusk would be almost impossible to navigate in that mess. His eyes focused ahead with purpose, keen for any sort of loamy soil or rock structure he might be able to shelter in for the night. What he found was a fae, who had apparently beat him to it. Gideon stuttered to a stop, a peculiar look affixing to his face. He had hardly expected to find another wolf here, and he was frustrated to see she had laid claim to the only den site of merit he'd come across so far. He was half tempted to turn away and sneak off while she was distracted, but he could hardly afford to be antisocial now. Surely she had come from the other direction, she could at least tell him if he'd have any luck continuing on, right? "Hello!" he called out, tone uncertain and forcing volume into his voice that he wasn't normally comfortable with. You're in my spot, he wanted to say, but held his tongue. "Is it worth my time to continue on if I'm looking for a place to stay the night?" He hoped the frustration wasn't evident in his voice, but it was all he could do to hold it at bay. He cursed himself for the umpteenth time, knowing he ought to have just remained on the mainland. "Talk" "You" Think

hang on to the glory at my right hand

The island started out peaceful. She had arrived alone and explored in quiet, only the natural sounds of the sea and local wildlife to meeting her ears. The air had been clear, free of the scent of another, very obviously the island hadn't be touched by paw in a while. But, like gold, nothing peaceful can stay. Nati would've liked to pretend that bothered her, and in fact she often did, but in reality she welcomed interruption and company. Loved it in fact.

So, in natural Natiel fashion, she grimaced when the male arrived in front of her. She looked at him with narrow eyes, acting as though he'd disturbed a slumber. At his words, though, her expression softened slightly. She couldn't exactly look cruelly at someone looking to rest, could she? She thought back to her walk from the beach, her eyes shifting toward the sky as she did. No, she certainly hadn't passed any suitable locations before this one, they had all been too small or cramped looking. And if she couldn't fit, this big brute would have no hope whatsoever.

"No, I'm afraid not. Unless you like to sleep with your feet in your mouth." She smirked a little. It was quite the visual. A more charitable wolf would offer her spot, or suggest sharing. There was plenty of room under there if they dug a little more. But this was a stranger, and there wasn't a stranger in the world who could be trusted to sleep beside you.

n a t i e l .

The woman did not seem at all pleased with his arrival. He didn't blame her, of course. If he'd been in her shoes, Gideon is certain he'd feel at least a little bit threatened by a stranger appearing out of no where, searching for something he obviously had. Despite himself, a laugh bubbled up and out of his mouth. "Hardly, I can't remember the last time I gave them a good wash," he quipped, voice laced with more sarcasm than he might have allowed if he'd given himself a moment to think about it. Of course, he was too crestfallen to give it much thought. If she hadn't found even a single candidate, there was no way he would. Gideon cast a forlorn look at the depth of the trees. He'd likely have a better time finding somewhere out of the wind here on the shoreline where he could at least see. He cursed the day's earlier jovialities for distracting him from the ever present need to survive. Okay, perhaps that was a tad dramatic, but it wasn't like he wanted to spend a night unsheltered if he didn't absolutely have to. "Well, please don't be offended, but I trust your judgement less than the island's interior." He made to continue along the beach, taking a few steps forward before a thought struck him. "What's your name, stranger? If I'm beset by beasties in the night, I need to know who to howl for." He was half tempted to send her a wink. Gideon wasn't sure what had imbued him with such a mercurial spirit, but he would credit at least a shred of it to the woman's own barbed tongue. He didn't feel she was he sort he ought to restrain himself around, if only because she had already been a bit crude herself. "Talk" "You" Think

hang on to the glory at my right hand

More often than not, Nati found her attitude met with negative responses. Anger, sadness, pity - she'd seen it all. It was nice, from time to time, to have a little banter with someone with the same sensibilities. The male's reply intrigued her, and she finally raised her head from her paws as her smirk expanded. It was fair, not to trust her. She wouldn't trust him either. They were strangers. "While I am a very honest lady, I can't argue with that decision."

He made to leave and she began lowering her head back to her paws, but he stopped abruptly. Gathering that he wasn't headed anywhere just yet, Nati pulled herself out from below the root, lowered her chest in a deep stretch, then sat back on her haunches, tail wrapping lightly around her paws. Her head tipped slightly to the right as she pondered how to respond. She'd told plenty of strangers her name, there was little power to it, but here she hesitated solely for the potential amusement. "I suppose you already know where I'm sleeping, so keeping my name a secret wouldn't keep you from sending the 'beasties' my way, would it?" She gave him a straight-face, attempting to look serious when anything but.

"It's Nati. Now, good sir, I'll need your name to share in tales of my heroics on a later date. Listeners will want to know who I rescued from the mysterious island creatures."

n a t i e l .

The woman took his lighthearted speech much better than Gideon would have expected. In fact, her lack of reaction was enough to make him look twice at the strange fae. She claimed her name was Nati, and he ruminated over the information. "I'm Gideon," he said with a small chuckle. "Though 'Good Sir' works just as well." He had no doubt this prickly woman would have far more backbone than he if they found themselves facing any sort of 'beastie' as all. "I suppose a night out in the cold is what I get for taking a spur-of-the-moment swim," he said with a shrug, by way of explanation. He still wasn't sure what she was doing here, but he always wasn't going to press her for that information if she wasn't willing to share. She was here now, taking up one more cozy spot on the island than might have been available to him alone, but beyond that he just didn't care. The man turned back towards the ocean, where the moon had just begun to shine it's silver light down upon the wave. True night was rapidly approaching, and he sighed. Oh well, he'd faced worse nights. At least there was no snow or hail or driving wind. He would do his best to find somewhere nearby, fully intending to enlist the stranger's help should something surprise him in the middle of the night. "Well, good luck with that," he said at last, with a gesture to her make-shift den and a slight shrug. He would find somewhere warm and cozy of his own to spend the night in!... Right? There had to be more than one spot on this entire island to build a dan! "Talk" "You" Think

hang on to the glory at my right hand

It appeared, to Natiel, that this brute was the most indecisive wolf she'd ever met. Gideon (that was his name, she knew now) seemed uncertain as to whether he wanted to continue walking, stay in that same spot, or go back to where he came from. She gathered that he wished he were still on the mainland instead of an unfamiliar island at night, but why swim out here if he wasn't prepared to stay? Perhaps he was the type with a wandering mind and lost track of time as he marveled at the wonders of the island. That she could respect, at least.

Nati remained silent, watching the brute, until he wished her luck with her den. She snorted in response, shaking her head with a small smile. "It's certainly better than sleeping on an open plain," she replied, thinking back to when she first left the pack. "Or sleeping on the dry sand of the beach. I suspect it would be very unpleasant to wake up to a little crab pinching your toes, no?" Crabs were, in fact, the least of her worries on the beach. What other kinds of animals could lurk in the sand? What could come up from the ocean and eat her in her sleep? She imagined amphibious reptiles with massive teeth and it took everything within her not to visibly shudder.

n a t i e l .

The first stars were just beginning to appear in the sky. Gideon used them to distract himself from the idea of crabs pinching him in the night. He sighed, grumbling something unintelligible (even to himself) under his breath. At least it was a lovely night. The spring air was warm, the climate peaceful, and it would do him no harm to wander the shore a bit longer in the night... Right? Well, it was his only option, so he might as well get used to it. The dusky woman was cold without being impolite, necessarily. Gideon could respect that and looked on her with new interest. What was she doing on this island, anyways? He hadn't expected to find anyone else around, which was part of the reason for his sudden exodus. Low and behold, there she was. He considered himself a bit of a queer fellow, so what did that make her? Still, it was against his nature to badger anyone with questions, so at last he turned away for good. The night was pleasant, but growing stronger by the minute. It wasn't like he had much time to spare. Perhaps he'd run into the woman again in the morning, but that was an issue for another day. He turned with a flourish of his tail. "True enough. Pleasant dreams, Nati," he called out as he went. "Don't let the hermit crabs bite!" He had a few more miles left in him, and he figured that was plenty of time. He paced on, already daydreaming of somewhere cozy and warm. -Exit unless stopped- "Talk" "You" Think

OOC: Sorry this is wrapping up so soon, Gideon's just not the type of guy to linger and bother someone else! xD But if you want I could start another thread for us for the following morning?

hang on to the glory at my right hand

She contemplated a bit of an interrogation. She was curious about why he'd come out to the island and what kept him there through to dark. She wondered if he enjoyed the same things she did, as he certainly seemed to. But it appeared he'd finally made up his mind as he turned and began to walk away. Nati felt the sudden chill of loneliness, a feeling that came each and every time she had decent conversation and the hope of a friend, and her voice softened from its previous, teasing tone. "Back at you, Gideon," she replied just loud enough to reach his ears.

As she watched him go, she pondered whether she would seek him out tomorrow. She had yet to explore the mountain, after all, and it wouldn't hurt to have some company. Nati turned once he was out of sight and crawled back into her makeshift den, her tail curling around to cross her nose. Yes, she'd look for him tomorrow and see if he'd like to join.

n a t i e l .