The sun would set into a cool milky moonlight and the boy on the precipice of being a man would watch it as it slowly went. As many times as it crept away it always returned, it was faithful and reliable. Temorask sighed softly at it, thinking about a great many things to be on the mind of a beast his age. Most of his people had scattered into the wind, even those loyal to his bloodline had not been loyal to him. Had it been his fault? His training had not been complete, but his advisors assured him that he was fitting into his role just peachy. Could it be they were lying for his benefit? Temo knew it was part of their job to do to the pack, would he be able to discern if they did it to him? The Hounddut wrinkled his nose, he’d like to think that would be able to tell such indiscretions. Or perhaps he hoped, prayed if prayer was a think his people did. A huff of air would slightly puff his floppy lips, looking like a bounce house mid-inflate in a moment before it slipped through the edges of his mouth to the world around. I wonder how many tennis balls he could fit in his mouth? The boy-king smacked his lips, staring at the sky as it turned into a cold darkness, speckled with only faint sparkles of stars past wispy clouds.

Behind him was the muttering of advisors, likely wondering what sorts of things their leader was pondering in the distance. He was draped in moonlight, fading his tans and creams into almost an ethereal whiteness. Chartreuse eyes would turn back to his council then, deep in thought.  "I think I’m going to take a short trip. Not far, not long, but I’d like to see what this so called ocean looks like. If I’m able to do so. No need to bring the rest just for a sightseeing outing. I’ll travel straight there and straight back." Temorask’s advisors would shift uneasy, obviously uncertain that he should step away from his people. A couple muttered about safety, one muttered about world-knowledge, another tried to mention personal freedom but was side-eyed into silence. The Hounddut would simply watch his councilmen and women chatter for a moment before finally sighing in agreement that they really couldn’t tell their High Lord no. It was typically not in his nature to pull his position over them to get things he wanted—Temo respected his advisors—but he desperately needed to step away.

Seeing the ocean was as good as any excuse to do so. Birds had sang songs and occasional loners had told him and the people about this “ocean”. It was far enough away to give him some time to himself without prying eyes and fearful people, but not so far as to keep him removed from them for long. So he calmed his council and told them to tell the remainders he was scouting ahead and they could rest for a couple of days. The boy-king was certain his people would appreciate that anyway, they had traveled long and under great stress. As he moved away into the night he worried that his people would never be a pack again, he worried they’d scatter to the edges of the Earth… It would be his fault. Green eyes squeezed shut tightly, trying to ignore the gnawing fears. There was an odd smell in the air—saltwater—and it seemed to match this “ocean”, so he imagined he was in some way, still moving in the right direction. The bulky sight would travel through the entire night, arriving to a small channel as the sun was slipping back into its place. On the other side were the oddest little trees he’d ever seen in his life. Gnarled roots and twisting and combining, tall and shaky. The crashing of waves could be heard all around, the ocean was to the side but what odd trees!

He allowed himself a slight detour, he could do these things as he pleased, especially by himself. It was unsettlingly freeing; it was almost unfortunate he had such a strong sense of duty to his people. Temorask approached the channel, looking down at the water and the trees across the way. As a man who could not swim, he was tentative for a moment, but upon realizing it was shallow enough he could walk through he moved across with comfort. The Hounddut male pulled himself up on the shore about as delicately as a hammer hitting an eggshell and the trees snapped around him. What he didn’t have in height he had threefold in weight, bulky and heavy. Temo was larger Hounddut too, for each foot in height he had, he also had nearly one-hundred pounds in weight. The three foot tall man was just shy of three-hundred pounds; he really was just big boned though!  The forest would be much easier to traverse on the way out, he decided, looking back at the trail of carnage he had left in his accidental “bull in a china shop” hiking.

The High Lord enthusiastically studied the mangrove trees for some time, occasionally stepping in puddles or finding himself following a strange noise—calls of birds and squeal of monkeys likely—but he stopped flat upon coming to the cliff side. Ah the familiarity, he sighed with nostalgia. These were not scalable like the cliffs in The Stronghold (not even for a Hounddut) but they still reminded him of home. The male would sit and smile at them as the sun trickled overhead before a sound would catch his attention. There was another around, he could hear them and before they even showed themselves fully the boy would introduce himself in true enthusiastic Hounddut fashion. ”Salutations! I am Temorask, son of the late High Lord Rawn and his wife, late High Lady Delia, direct descendant of the Great Savior Brutus; The Boy King and Wayfinder, new High Lord of The State, Guardian of his People! I apologize if I have transgressed too close to your dwelling! I was simply seeking this thing called an “ocean” and caught sight of these odd trees and decided to inspect them. We had cliffs like this in my people’s homeland. Lovely!”



OOC| basically he’s coming to visit. Obviously there is no real Hounddut pack but it's a major part of his backstory and it’s easy enough to NPC.

   Lorcan spends a lot of time in trees. Is it a height thing? Probably.

   There's a dog down there with at least half a foot on him, trudging through the mud and gawking at the goddamn mangroves. Lor follows him from the canopy, pretty well concealed by all the sounds on jungle animals that have the dog so fucking enthralled-- until the wind shifts. He's got quite a sniffer, that's for sure.

   "Salutations!" Oh, here we go... "I am Temorask, son of the late High Lord Rawn and his wife, late High Lady Delia, direct descendant of the Great Savior Brutus; The Boy King and Wayfinder--"

   "Yeah yeah," he huffs, weight balanced between two branches and carefully searching for one that can hold the whole of him, so he can look as disinterested as he feels, "welcome to El Dorado. I'm Lorcan, Lark and son of some names you've never heard before-- both too late to their graves if you ask me-- Riverine, Syn Cardrys, yadda yadda." The Aviari hops to a not-too-distant branch, settling down on it, so his legs dangle on either side. He rolls his eyes as Temorask goes on, but lets him finish. Sounds like he might be important.

   "Ocean? Yeah, we got that. There's more outside our borders, though. Trees are called mangroves, they clean up swamps, and the cliffs keep people out. Why should I let you in?"