Know Who's Callin' Though the Number Is Blocked

@Wake @Esmerelda potential joining depending on how this goes

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At first there was nothing but the sound of crashing waves. It was peaceful, familiar, even despite the proximity of the roar.

Then it was wet.

Seawater lapped at her soggy sides uncomfortably as the dragon managed to crack her eyes open. The first thing she was met with was pale shores leading into rolling hills. Unfamiliar hills... Kei's joints felt stiff, not in a painful way— it was more like she hadn't used them. Maybe she hadn't...

Where the hell was she.

Kei forced herself to her paws and shook the excess water from her pelt. Her memories were foggy, but even with the haze she knew better than to sleep so close to tide. Something happened... no injuries so she could cross that off the list... was... was it possible to have one of those weird wake-ups twice?

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Another one. This time, another female. The Lady Sea granted them a boon this time, seeming to know that she had sent more than enough males at them recently. Ceridwen and Cyrelias before this one. Curious that, now that Esmerelda thought about it, she found all the females, and Wake found all the males. Was it some joke that the gods here played on them, testing Wake's patience with it all? Or was it some sort of coincidence that served in favor of them, for Wake could easily drive out any male that did not fit.

This one was able to rise and shake herself awake, seeming more alert than she'd seen some wolves rise with. It had gotten better the more their disorientation had faded, but this one seemed... quick-witted almost, or fast to accept and acknowledge whatever had happened to her.

“You have woken upon the shores of the Saltwoods,” The Mystic would say as she strode closer, her posture fitting her role without putting off any threat or aggression. “How are you feeling?”

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It took no time for her presence to be noticed, or maybe the other had been there the whole time. Either way, she at least seemed to know something about wherever she ended up. “That a place orrr—” Kei paused taking a better sniff at the air. It was difficult to tell by the shore, but a few scents seemed to linger. Popular place, or maybe some new group setting up shop. “'M I steppin' where I shouldn't?” It hadn't been intentional, of course, but after getting out of the whole ordeal with Northfall, Kei really had no plans to debate where she should or shouldn't be along unfamiliar shores.

“I'm fine. Probably just fell asleep somewhere I shouldn't have.” No way she was swept up by a current after all those months in rough water, but really she couldn't say. The last thing she remembered was a bit of wandering after leaving Dragonford and then...nothing? She never heard of a Saltwoods and the nearby landmasses also looked unfamiliar. Pretty at least...far nicer on the outside than the abrasive dark rock of Leviathan's Sepulcher.

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“A place and a pack. We’ve taken up residence here.” She appreciated the other wolf’s question, and her following one as well. “No no. Your alright. I’d rather make sure you’re feeling alright than you worrying about being on our island.” Besides, the girl hadn’t proven a threat at all anyway, not to mention she probably felt like a waterlogged rat at the moment. Exhaustion, too, likely.

“It’s possible I suppose, but the Lady Sea isn’t generally kind to those awash in her waves. Besides, there’s been a good number of wolves waking up along our shores lately.” Esmeralda still wasn’t quite sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, but for now, she was taking it as a positive. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?”
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“Heh—” It was...weird hearing such a passive response. She had been stuck in the middle of a war for a short period and even before that throughout her childhood, so now stumbling upon claimed land and get out or die not being the first words on someone's lips... well, it was surreal. “Ah, yeah, should probably get used to that. Had one fall out of the sky on my old island.” ...Maybe not the most sane sentence to prove she didn't hit her head, but oh well. “You don't need to worry about me or your resources, I can take care of myself. I'd rather not be in debt to a stranger anyway. But uh...” Kei flicked a paw in the air gesturing to either her or the island, “What's all this 'bout. Or if you happen to know any neighbors, since I seem to have ended up completely displaced.”

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“Out of the sky, you say?” She could not help the way her eyebrow raised, but let it shift to a smile rather quickly. “Well, I appeared in a bubble from beneath the sea, so I guess crazier things can happen, hm?” No less sane than the inky girl's own, but Esmerelda did not spend long on that subject.

“I insist. No debts to repay, no pressure.” If she declined further, Esmerelda would respect her decision, but she did wonder why the wolves of this place seemed so... guarded. Had something happened, before she'd first arrived? It was possible.

Since she did not quite understand what "this" was in reference to, the Mystic gave an answer that covered all of it in rather broad strokes. “The Saltwoods is this side of the island. Where the ruins begin, our territory ends. We are a... ragtag group, but we take care of one another. Plus, since we're on an island, there aren't many neighbors to worry about. The closest I know of is one somewhere to the southwest. A fair distance away. Other than that,” She shrugged. “We keep to ourselves.”

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A...bubble? Well, that was definitely a new one, but the balance of this place never was fully aligned. Kei wasn't sure what disrupted the natural order here, but she's seen plenty of errors to know it had to be something huge. Something that one wolf likely could not fix. “Really, it's fine. I appreciate it, but everything has a cost, even if it doesn't come from you.” Take food from one pack and end up the enemy of another, etcetera etcetera.

“Most don't like the whole ocean thing...soo, why here? Not enough trees to piss on in the main land?” It was more private, she supposed. Dragonford was supposed to be as well, but Venny had chosen a place directly neighboring another pack. Of course that didn't go well, but she had always been one for seclusion. “You know their name? Your neighbor's that is—” Best she knew of was Empyrean. Event Horizon dispersed or moved not long after she left andd... well Northfall of course.

“I take it you 'aren't like other packs' then.” She had heard that a few times now, which was surprising after growing up alongside the ones of her home. Some were greedy, some just wanted to survive. Seemed most here just wanted a place to live in peace...which...was different. She shouldn't feel so conflicted about that, it was a good thing...and something she also wanted, but it was easy to abandon your morals when a better offer came along.

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Her silvered head tilted just slightly as the darker wolf spoke of everything having a cost; there was likely a significant amount of history that led to her feeling that way, making her wary and guarded. Esmerelda couldn't blame her but as a wolf who did not require others to pay her back for the things she did for them, she didn't quite understand it, either. In the end though, if the lass wanted to fend for herself without help from others, the Mystic would not push assistance on her.

“The ocean provides for us in many ways and we are more of a sea-faring crew, as it were. Plus, if most "don't like the whole ocean thing" then there's less squabble and bickering over the land and prey it all comes with, no?” She smiled. Truly, they had set themselves up for success by putting themselves on an island not far from the mainland. It was close enough that they could find bigger prey if they needed or wanted, but far enough that it would be troublesome to be an annoyance to their group.

“I do not but I believe they live towards the colder areas of the land. I'd be happy to know more, of course, but I have not personally made my way down there yet. But yes, I like to believe we're a touch different. There's no lifelong commitments needed here and all we ask if if you take, you give back as well, just as the sea does.” True, they were a motley little group but so far, they seemed to be doing just fine and really, that was all that mattered, wasn't it?

“I am Esmerelda. Your name?”

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“You'd be surprised.” The words were muttered under her breath as Kei's eyes scanned back toward the mainland. The same had been believed by others once before, but that didn't stop the squabbles over pointless shit. “Islands are secluded. Safe. But it makes you easy to isolate. If you can survive off this berry sized land alone, then that isn't much of a problem, but if you need to rely on the mainland, you better be friends with anyone who settles close. It doesn't take much to keep you here once there's a force out there waiting to hold ya.” It's why the Order never disclosed their location. They too were secluded, even if it was in the mountains. There was one path in. One path out.

She fought with the frown that threatened to pull her lips, but ultimately lost at the returning grumble of her stomach. It wouldn't be the first time she mooched while she made a plan... but she'd rather not make any more enemies. That was specifically why she couldn't mooch. She'd have to pay them back in some way... but maybe there was a way to make it work for both of them. “Kei...” It...really doesn't help to have a name that sounds like you're being dismissive. “Hey, listen. You said you haven't explored out there, right? Well I have. Not— this area, but I've been around. I'm not really eager to throw myself at the first pack I find, but if you're as 'tame' as you claim to be, then maybe we cut a deal?”

“I'll be honest. I have nowhere to go, and I'm fine with that, but right now I don't know what's where and that doesn't bode well for me.” No reason to explain why. There are plenty of perfectly good reasons that don't include being a runaway in times of war. To be fair, it was never her war to fight and she did try to stop it. “Let me crash, I get my bearings, then I can tell ya what I know. Perfectly sustainable, you only have stuff to gain. I can hunt and fight too.” If the fight was one worth sticking her nose in...but she didn't need to know that. Right now she was still a stranger and she only fights for what she believes in.

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She was cynical, which wasn't a bad thing if it was balanced out by other factors. Too cynical, though, and one became a storm of negativity. Time would tell which one she'd be. Esmerelda liked to fashion herself as a positive realist; she knew that certain things would happen, whether she wanted them to or not, but she would also always do her best to find the silver lining in it all. Perhaps Kei's ability to see silver linings had been stripped from her, or perhaps she'd never learned to look for them. Far be it from her, though, to teach when she had not been asked or invited to.

Still, she made a good point, one that the Siren would certainly keep in mind. She would nod as she took in this information and digested it, storing it away in the surface-level recesses of her mind so that she could remember to talk to Wake about it when she saw her. It would be easy to remember when it was also attached to the offer Kei put forward. It was a smart one, well thought out despite her having thought of it on the fly, and one that benefitted the both of them. Their decision would be easy, since Esme knew Wake would trust her to make one like this.

“That's sounds great, actually. You'll be an Outrider of the Saltwoods, then. As I said, we're an easy-going group, so if and when you feel like its time for you to move on, just give us a heads up. There are no ties other than the ones you want to create, so feel free to get to know everyone, or don't, but you should at least meet our Captain, @Wake.” There was a gentle wave of her tail as tide washed and bubbled at them. “We can head that way, if you like.”

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It was hard to tell if her unsolicited advice had been appreciated or irksome, but Esmerelda seemed to consider it all the same. Briefly at least...but it was more than some were willing to take. In the end, it didn't really matter to Kei what she chose to do with her words. What did, was the quick approval of her offer. “Outrider it is then.” She confirmed with a narrow dip of her snout. It was good that she wouldn't be pushed into being buddy buddy with everyone. That meant she could actually chill out during her rests instead of forcing grating interactions, but who knows? Maybe she would make a friend or two. “Yeah, sure. Maybe you can explain whatever hierarchy ya got goin' on here so I'm not steppin' on toes while we're at it.” Kei had heard of Captains before, but more so in phrasing versus full effect. Not that she was great with authority in the first place, but it helped to know who she should probably try with.

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close out here?

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