Gilgamesh knew they would question his choice, but he was firm in the place they would now call home. As he stood upon the sandy shores with waves lapping at his toes, he smiled. Behind him, the chilly sea water seemed to wave good bye as his fur dripped from the recent swim over. They would definitely need to craft some sort of bridge that would help them get from here to the main shore at some point. It was one of the many thoughts that ran through his head as he looked upon the dilapidated structures. Through the trees and overgrown vines, he saw potential. There was shelter here, trinkets they could use for tools, and plenty of room to grow and obviously throw parties.

Turning to view the ones who had followed him after his claiming of the once Pirates, Gilgamesh smirked. Before he would speak, he wanted to get a fire started. ”Grab the booze and whatever snacks you would like to share. We’re going to have our first meeting,” he calls out in his deep rumbling tones that soon echo over the beach. Birds take flight from the grove of trees not far off. Even a small herd of donkeys take begin to run and hide around a nearby bend. At least they would have some amount of food here if they were able to control how much they hunted.

Moving to a flatter spot on the shore, he wanted their first official meeting to be here. This would be more comfortable for them. Something familiar to help get them settled in. Taking the time to gather some driftwood, he piles it up and lights it after a few tries of striking flint against stone. As the fire comes to life, crackling and popping loudly, he lets out a call for any others that would like to join. Any nearby loners that perhaps may be hiding on the island too. Gil would not be one to turn wolves away. If they needed a home, he would welcome them with open arms.

Settling down into the sand with a bottle of booze and a chunk of meat at his side, he glances around the bonfire to the ones who have gathered. He assesses them carefully and with pride. Gil is proud f those who have followed him and he cannot wait to see what the future holds for them. After giving everyone time to settle in, he begins his unfortunately long ramble.

“I hope everyone will be receptive of the changes that I want to apply; and if you don’t, make sure to speak up or forever hold your peace. This is our home now and soon, I would like to take over the archipelago for now before we extend somewhere else. The islands have materials that other packs do not have access to and that will make us either a target or somewhere others will want to settle,” he would not openly admit that he chose the archipelago for his wife either. That would be kept between himself and Modesty. “We will still raid and we will raid as often as we can. If someone else would like to lead a raid, come find me another time. That is a good way to get a promotion. I also will have bounties available for anyone who wishes to have something to do in between raids. We need more healers, that is obvious. Bring me one, someone who is proficient, and you will be rewarded. I will also be holding training sessions in my free time and others are welcome to do the same. I would like to start winning more raids so the more you train, the more you’ll be rewarded. If you start winning your fights in raids, there will also be rewards,”[/b] Gil pauses then and takes another good look at everyone to see their reactions. Did they like these ideas?

“Otherwise, train, get drunk, have fun, and don’t do anything stupid. I will not be cleaning up messes that I did not make,” he smirks again before taking a swig from his bottle. “Oh, and on the first day of Autumn, I will be holding a festival of sorts for any and all to come play and have fun before we begin raiding. So please work with me to get the structures fixed up and make space for visitors,”[/b] Gil lifts his bottle to the sky before looking at them one last time. “To the Raider’s Hollow!”[/b] He calls out with it leading into a sing-song sort of howl.

"speech"

Everything was changing for the young Calico Jack and, while what he had known is being left behind, the boy cannot help but feel… excited. Sure, there is a part of him that is sad to be leaving the black sandy beach where he had been born but time waits for no one. With Gilgamesh taking the reins as the new leader and with the Pirate’s taking on a new name, the future stretches out wide before them and the boy is eager to see what it holds.

The swim from the mainland to the island is easy for the boy and, as he stands behind Gil waiting to see what they will do. He looks over to where Rivin is. and flashes her a grin as their new King tells them to grab a snack and booze. The group moves around the beach, forging and gathering supplies for the very first official meeting, bringing back what they find to share as a group. With food laid out and bottles arranged, the boy picks a fat, plump piece of meat and a large bottle of booze before settling in to hear the King’s words.

Calico keeps a spot next to him open for Rivin, hoping his friend will choose to sit with him at the first meeting. Once everyone is settled, Gilgamesh kicks off the meeting and Jack pays attention. He nods along while taking small bites of the food, enjoying the meat after the exertion from the swim. At the talk of leading a raiding party, the boy’s eyes light up and he sits a little straighter, liking the sound of that. Yeah, it is true that the pack had a distinct lack of healers but Jack doesn’t really know of anyone who practices that. Well, beside that one boy he had met.

Talk of rewards has his tail thumping the sand and he takes a swing of the bitter booze, happy to drink to that. At the news of the festival, Calico Jack smiles and hefts his bottle to joyfully call out, “To the Raider’s Hollow!” With that he takes a long pull from the bottle before happily chomping into his food. Looking at Rivin, he asks, “If I led a raid, would you come along?” The question is serious to him but he says it in a light tone, willing to make it into a joke if she thinks it is a stupid idea.


"Calico Jack"

Well couldn't say she loved the idea of having to swim back and forth every time they had to raid, seemed like a good way to tucker them out before they even got to wherever they were planning to go but Flurry really didn't have any other criticism about her father's choice. She liked the beach and the ship well enough but honestly she also liked the idea of settling somewhere new, what really mattered to the young woman was that she was still with the piraters... er raiders now. It was how she'd been born, how she'd been raised, it was who she was and she couldn't imagine what her life would be in the event they ever went away. So she followed her father happily, she knew she needed to get off her ass and start proving herself but she couldn't help but feel a little proud to see her old man step up. She wouldn't let herself coast by on that though, no, she had more reason than ever to make sure she was getting herself out there, she wanted to raid after all and she needed to prove she could handle herself. Later. For now she was happy to drink! "To the Raider's Hollow!" She said, joining the toast before taking a healthy swig of her drink, grinning out at those around her. "Speech"

Art by Perencreste

Everything she had known before now had changed but, rather than be sad, Rivin felt… relieved. The change of scenery had helped calm that voice within her, at least for now, or perhaps it was because she had stepped away from training to focus on spending some time with Jack and preparing for the move. They were no longer Pirates, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t going to have their fun and stick together. Well… mostly. She was disheartened to know that Aresenn had chosen to go his separate ways, but she wanted to see her brother grow too. Maybe he would turn into a leader in his own right one day. Either ruling a pack or band or holding a worthy rank. She knew he was capable of it. Her siblings both had potential. She had said farewell, but she knew she would see him again. The yearling would follow after the others with her companions, each of them carrying as much herbs as they could from Fern Gulley. They hadn’t been asked to bring the herbs, and she had no idea if there would be anywhere suitable to attempt growing them, but hell, it couldn’t hurt to try. Especially if the island was meant to be their home. Once they had arrived Rivin would lead wolverine and bobcat to a spot to stash them for now. She was sure that Gilgamesh would want to talk to them and celebrate a bit. She’d even find some fish trapped in a tide pool on the way back. Snatching up a couple she padded to where Gil was, spotting Jack too. She’d set two of the fish down before padding over to sit beside Jack as she turned her attention to Gil. “Sounds like a solid plan to me. Change will be nice, and we’ll still have our fun. A light of mischief danced in her eyes. She supposed it might be a good idea to try and hold back from causing too much trouble. “On the note of healing, I’m working on that as well, as I mentioned before. I brought some herbs over from Fern Gulley, the land next to our old beach. I’m hoping to attempt to transplant some of them and get them growing on the island so we can have access to herbs here. Especially the ones that help with bleeding and cuts. She tells the man. She knows she has more to prove, and she figures the herbs might be a good first step. At the call, Rivin allows her voice to join the cheer.  “To the Raider’s Hollow!” She’d take a bite of her fish after that, an ear flicking to Calico Jack as he asked if she’d come with him if he led a raid. She cast him a cocky grin.  “Without question.” She leaned in, bumping his shoulder.  “Though maybe you’ll be up for helping me sharpen some of these skills first. I don’t want to just follow you, I want to kick some ass too! Then I can work on my patching skills after our training and fix you up. I can’t say for sure, but as far as I’m aware I’m the only one who has an active interest in healing.” Damn did that mean she was going to have to attend fighting and healing training type things? Hmm… "Talk," 'Think.'

Sparrow knew she should have felt… something about everything changing, but she just didn’t. Whether she was drunk or not, there was just nothing left and being drunk was just an easier way to pass the time. At first after Recluse’s death, Sparrow had locked herself away, screamed until her throat was raw and cried silently after that. She reflected on everything and felt like she had nothing. She had wanted freedom and fun times and she had none of it. Everyone she had spent years committing herself to was either gone or dead and the pirates that remained didn’t need her.

She felt too many obligations, too much pressure, too much loss. It was suffocating and Sparrow was sure she had died to her sorrows and all at once just… stopped feeling. It scared her at first- in whatever distant, logical way one can be scared without truly feeling it. There was no more anger or sorrow or desire to do anything different. She couldn’t even truly say she felt tired anymore, even though it felt like all she did these days was sleep and drink. She was thinner than she ever had been, her fur regrowing from Friar clipping it short so it would be easier for her to neglect and not look as bad. She wallowed in that, looking and feeling like someone unlike herself.

Then, Gil came and relieved her of her duty. She let him, knowing she should feel something for it, whether it was competition or insult or pride in him, but she didn’t. And then, like an old weary ghost, she simply followed. When he moved them, she thought surely she’d be upset, that she’d be homesick. She wasn’t and she wanted to feel sick at the notion, but it was what it was.

Now Gil called them and they gathered again, in a new area, under new leadership. Already he had a plan, was a better leader, but this wasn’t the freedom she craved when she created the pirates. This was a proper pack. She knew that, logically, but felt disconnected from it all, like it was happening around her, not to her. She sat and listened, still and as silent as a ghost.

   

Modesty had trailed in with the rest of the pack, taking count as she went. They weren't too worse for wear with the move, and while it had certainly been a swim, looking around she could see the advantages to the place. Large solid structures would provide shelter from the elements and she was sure they could make it work for them overall.

She let Gilgamesh have the spotlight for now, a small surprised smile coming across her face when he mentioned expanding into the archipelago. There had already been quite a bit of work done to the islands when Ashen had resided there and while the place was now in disrepair, it would be far easier than starting from scratch. A festival sounded fun, a lot of work but urgh she supposed she could put in an effort for him. Throwing her howl alongside his own, she was ready to join in the festivities, even if the others were mixed in their emotions, Modesty was ready to have a good time.

“Speech.”

Deluge might have gotten herself a little sidetracked on her way to Daager Isle. Not that she expected her Prince to come looking for her where the pirates used to reside, but she thought it was still worth attempting some sort of notice for the boy that had helped her drag her father home from Armada after whatever shenanigans he'd been into. She had detoured by the Alabastrine shrine and pulled one of the white vines from the birch trees, giving it to her seagull to deliver to the boy whose name if she had heard she had pretended not to hear at his birthday party. She wasn't sure he would know where the plant came from, but there were plenty in the Armada that would recognise it if her mother was to be believed. It was all the clue she could spare, and she would have her lapwing keep an eye on the place just in case he showed up.

As a result she had missed the first half of her father's speech, but she managed to catch the end, something about a festival and fixing the place up? Her ears turned back momentarily as she took in the carnage around them. It'd take more than a bit to fix the place up for visitors but whatever, she supposed it would keep them out of mischief.

Throwing her own voice into the chorus she was ready to get on with the celebrating. Didn't matter to her what they were called. She was keen to get raiding again.

"speech"

Sakana shadowed his mother, even though sometimes it felt like she was looking right through him rather than actually seeing him. It wasn't unexpected, he was the smallest of his siblings, built to blend into the background, but that didn't stop her despondency from ripping at his heart. He didn't care what they were called or where they were going, as long as he was with his mum, everything would work out, right?

He had been busy learning about different plants, and miss Patience... uh, well he supposed she was the Wife now? Had given him suggestions on things that might help his mum feel a bit better. When she settled, he leaned into her clipped side and set out some strips of seasoned rabbit meat for her, not really expecting her to eat them, since she hadn't been eating a lot lately. He turned his ear at the mention of fixing up the buildings and having a festival, and threw his voice into the song. He supposed, maybe he wanted to work on learning more about healing, and maybe he should talk to Gilgamesh about that when they weren't having a housewarming party. For now, he would sit by his mum, just in case.

"Speech"