Gideon awoke, stiff as a board. He'd found somewhere to sleep, alright... It might not have been the most comfortable, but he had put up with it just fine. A bit of driftwood had jammed up in the beach, the sand building behind it and leaving a depression of sorts in it's wake. It was hardly secure, but after a bit of digging it was out of the wind and snug. He'd awoken the the sound of crashing waves and gentle sea breezes... ... And seagulls. Their raucous calls pierced the morning air, as well as his ear drums. Grumbling, he heaved himself upwards and slunk out of his makeshift den, rounding the pile of driftwood and glaring at the shore where the villainous birds flocked. Ah, well then, he thought, making quick work of the scene. A dead seal had washed up in the night, and they were feasting upon it. Gideon charged the kill, more out of spite than genuine interest. The birds scattered as he let loose a savage, rambling snarl. The seal itself was already well mangled, and rotten. The stench of it was almost too repulsive to bear. No, this was certainly no feast for him... That didn't mean it could be a meal for those blasted birds either. He circled it with a mean eye, promising a quick end to he birds which lurked just on the edge of his reach, squawking in frustration. "Talk" "You" Think

hang on to the glory at my right hand

Despite having a decent and cozy den site, Nati hadn't slept a wink. It didn't come as a surprise to her. She had been excited when she'd found the spot, adrenaline spiking, and had figured she wouldn't be sleeping. It was still important to be comfortable and secure, though, which was why she'd kept her spot despite the male's need for a place to sleep. Gideon, that was his name, she recalled as she emerged from her little whole and stretched out.

She felt a bit bad about keeping the den despite knowing she wouldn't make full use of it. And she'd been quite short with the brute on top of it. So she set off to follow his trail, back to the beach, and to a scene that was quite amusing. Gideon faced off with a flock of ravenous gulls, and the conflict appeared to be driven by a rotting corpse. A hint of the scent blew by her nose and made her face wrinkle of its own accord. She called to the brute from the edge of the beach, the disgust on her face seeping into her voice. "Are you going to eat that thing?"

n a t i e l .

Gideon was dead set on ensuring that if he got no rest, these damned birds got no meal. It only seemed fair, right? So engrossed was he in this never ending game of whack-a-gull that he didn't notice the same dusky fae from the night before come upon the scene. It wasn't until her voice floated towards him that he paused, focus breaking for just a moment. His head whipped towards its source and he opened his mouth in wordless surprise. One opportunistic bird used the moment to dive in, intent on even a single morsel of flesh. Gideon turned with a savage growl and lept, but he was a moment too late. The bird flew off, letting loose a self-satisfied scree, which Gideon answered with some colorful language of his own. With a disgusted huff he launched a half-hearted snap at the nearest rat with wings, before abandoning the carcass entirely. The birds dove with with cries of delight. He turned towards Nati and began walking her way. "No, I was not. Hungry or otherwise, nothing is worth the gut rot it would give me." He tossed the scene one last withering glance. "I was awoken to the caterwaul of hell's demons. Turns out it was... Well, I'm sure you can piece the rest together." He gave her a shrug, as if his morning so far had been perfectly rational. Really though, who liked seagulls in the first place? It wasn't like he needed a reason. In truth, he was a bit surprised that she had apparently sought him out, or at least cared to greet him again after their first meeting. He knew he'd been a bit gruff, be he wasn't about to apologize. After all, he still had a crick in his back form the uncomfortable confines of the meager shelter he'd been able to find. "Talk" "You" Think

hang on to the glory at my right hand

Her presence momentarily became a distraction. Gideon turned to her voice and a gull swooped in, eager to take advantage of the opening. They really were tremendously annoying creatures, seagulls. It seemed to her they served no purpose aside from screeching loudly, trying to steal your food, and taking no care with where they dropped their... business. She'd been fortunate not to deal with many of them in her original homeland, being far from a major water source, but since she'd arrived here she hadn't left the shoreline and they hadn't disappeared. She observed as Gideon turned to make a final stand, but thought better of it and gave up the carcass. Her head tilted to the side in confusion.

Why walk away after all that work? Granted, she couldn't think of a great reason for the work in the first place. It was a rotten carcass after all. But he explained after a moment that he had no intention of eating or keeping it, that his patrol was merely one of revenge. Nati could understand that and she nodded knowingly. "I see," she responded with a smirk. "I'm glad to hear you don't have a death wish." It would be a shame, she thought, for him to poison himself before she could properly apologize - or at least, before she could do what she considered an apology without actually saying sorry for anything.

So down to business. "I was wondering if you'd like to explore the island with me. I didn't get far last night and I want to reach the mountain. Maybe we could find some food that isn't decaying along the way?"

n a t i e l .

Natiel seemed amused by his exploits, and perhaps a bit confused as well. Gideon did not begrudge her the vague misunderstanding, when he did not completely understand it himself. She claimed she was glad he did not have a death wish, which forced a dry chuckle from deep in his gut. "Not on most days, no," he shot back, wit uncaring if she did not find his macabre humor very funny. To surprise him further, she had apparently come with an offer. "I want to reach the mountain," she said. "Maybe we could find some food that isn't decaying along the way?" His brows shot skyward and a slow, contemplative smile curled upon his lips. A decent meal sounded good, but more than that he was eager to find a more suitable place to sleep for the night. "Sure, why not?" he said at last. The typically gruff male was intrigued by the woman before him. Frankly, he respected how little she had seemed to care about his presence the night before. Most strangers wanted to talk upon meeting, and ask about family and history and goals, and blah blah blah. He personally wanted nothing to do with any of that, but apparently neither had she. It alleviated much of the pressure he typically (secretly) felt around strangers, and the thought of spending the day with Natiel was free of his typical anxiety. He outstretched a paw and made a sweeping gesture, a bit overdramatic but that was his way. "After you, then. And if you spot any half-decent den sites, let me know?" He gave her a withering look, but one which lacked all malice. In the back of his mind, he hoped she had a half-decent sense of humor, or she might very well end up skinning him by the end of the day. "Talk" "You" Think

hang on to the glory at my right hand

It wasn't often that she found another with a sense of humor that meshed with hers. It seemed, however, she'd met another of a few matches with Gideon. So far, their teasing banter took somewhat legitimate stabs at each other, but in such a way that it truly was meant to be friendly. Some wolves would be upset or offended, but as far as Nati was concerned she only felt a need to one-up him in her next remark. The look she gave him when he responded about his death wish said 'Wow.' She rolled her eyes and scoffed, but smirked all the while. Her smirk transformed into a genuine smile when he accepted her offer of companionship for the day.

Of course, his kind acceptance was followed with yet another snarky comment and she couldn't help but chuckle a little as she began turning back in the direction she came from. "As you wish, good sir." With a swish of her tail she started off, taking deliberate steps toward the center of the island and the mountain that stood there. She debated for the first few minutes whether to strike up additional conversation with him. Some people liked to explore in silence and she could understand why, though she wasn't that type exactly. As they passed the strange trees that covered the island, she was tempted to get closer and examine them. She hadn't paid a ton of attention when looking for a resting place the night prior.

She paused, finally, and turned briefly to the brute. "If you want to make small talk while we march, you could tell me what brought you out to this island yesterday. But if you'd prefer to walk in silence that's fine too." She shot him a quick smile before setting back on their path. It was much easier to put the ball in his court than to battle her own indecisiveness for the entire day.

n a t i e l .