[Dixie]

    For some reason, she still stood with Tortuga. Part of her wanted to reject them all, escape like she had planned. But with the change in leadership, and the hurricane, something in her would not let her leave. Even if she was upset about something, she could not abandon what was her family. Once again the pack changed lands, and once again she made the trek. Would their allies know, or care that they had yet again moved? She wondered more and more about the packs outside of Tortuga more and more, but it also made her more unwilling to try and make an escape. Maybe in her older age she could find something to do, settle down with a simpler job and enjoy whatever she had left.

    Age was not actually something that got in her way, she knew as she had cleared away a place to put her den. She had been helping around the pack like any pack member would, with setting up in what was now their land. For this day, the sun had already hung in the sky, and was now falling back down, turning the sky a mixture of colors that she took her time to watch on the beach. Even if she was not a crafter, she worried that they had lost many materials, which is why the dog was finding herself searching the beach. If there was anything useful to have washed up, she wanted to grab it before the waters could try to reclaim it. So far she had managed to snag a few large shells, and some solid, nice driftwood. If it was useful to anyone, she wasn’t entirely sure.

    But as her fur grew heavy with salt water and sticky with sand, she sat down, looking towards where the sun was setting. Even if she had been fighting her depression, getting over the loss of some of her children and friends, she still could find peace in the sky before the sun dipped below the sky and the moon would be coming out. The only sounds that surrounded her were the crashing of the waves, and the distance calls of birds. There was a sadness that dug at her, though, looking at the sky. As she heard the approaching of footfalls, she would sigh, not sure who was coming, but speaking anyways. “Even after all the shit we’ve been put through, the sky still looks beautiful, doesn’t it?” Her voice was a mixture of sadness, annoyance, but also awe. Like maybe something in her was beginning to accept everything that had befallen her. As soon as the moment was over though, she would be as upset as she always was. But she could enjoy the moment.

[Makoshark]

The sweet surrender of silence forces me to live alone
Locked and loaded, where the hell is peace of mind?
I wait on you inside the bottom of the deep blue sea
I wait on you inside the bottom of the deep blue

"speech" | thoughts

 
The move had gone smoothly enough, but Mako wasn't happy with the reason. So many had been killed and many more had left during and even before the hurricane hit. Their numbers were down and the young Kraken felt saddened at the sight of the srumbling empire... and paranoid that he would lose their loyalty to the new Captain. It was a risky move allowing an outsider to become Captain, but they didn't know what he knew. For now they couldn't. Maybe someday things would be different, but the way things stood currently he saw his choice as a tactical one.

Mako walked the beaches of their new land alone, the string of feathers around his neck fluttered in the breeze; one for each member of his family that was lost or missing. He hadn't had much time to process his loss. His siblings and parents... most of his family was gone now. He thought of it often but for some reason he only felt numb inside. Perhaps it was too much loss all at once and his brain and heart didn't know how to cope with it yet. The boy stopped when he heard others ahead of him on the beach. He turned his good eye toward them a little and realized that he didn't know them like he should. Of course one was Dixie. He'd never spoken to her before but he'd heard a lot from others. And she did show up when he announced Desdemona as the Captain. Surely she had an opinion but he didn't want to ask it. If he did, and she didn't agree with his choice (as he was sure that many didn't) then it would only solidify her opinion of him. It would keep him from being able to gain her trust and loyalty.

He took a deep breath and quietly joined the two females, taking a seat to watch the colors of the sky reflect on the water's surface. The ebb and flow of the tide was comforting in a way... perhaps it was because he'd known it since birth. Their new island was somehow the same as what he had always known but... there was a bit of fear involved in making the choice to move to an island. Or more... he felt fear of the nature of the ocean as he never had before. By choosing this place, he was giving his fear a big fuck you. He couldn't be ruled by it. He refused to be. So the pirates would remain tied to the sea. Orange eye shifted to peer at the other two, unsure of what to say to them but he couldn't just sit in silence like an idiot... "Aye..." he nodded slowly. "It's decent."

[Dixie]

    When Dixie realized the person who was approaching her was her child, she felt some comfort overtake her. As much shit that was thrown their way, she always felt a calm and happiness take over when she saw her children that remained. "Aye. Shows ye the world just keeps on movin', and we've to keep movin' with it." Scylla’s accent had really thickened since the last time they spoke, she noticed. Dixie felt that for herself, she still had somewhat of a southern accent with hints of the Tortugan accent, but her daughter had truly picked it up. The two touched shoulders together for a moment in comfort, and Dixie felt her smile becoming real.

    "This new land is.. decent," Scylla commented, and Dixie nodded. They both shared the thoughts of losing the place where Scylla's siblings, Dixie’s children, were laid to rest. As another person came to join them, Dixie looked over to see one of the new alphas, Mako, joining them. His short history that she knew of went through her mind, which centered around one fact: he was Raikov’s son. She hadn’t understood why someone else had the title of Captain and Mako hadn’t taken it, but in all this, she had grown to not care. Maybe it had been what Tortuga needed, she didn’t know. She couldn’t take out her anger on this boy for the sins of his father, though. She gave him a small smile, showing he was welcome to join them.

    ”Aye...It’s decent.” Mako nodded slowly, and Dixie nodded as well with him. “Tortuga has moved before,” Even if the move had upset her, in this moment she was the most adult adult present, and wanted to offer comfort. “Each time we rebuild to be stronger, and only nature tries to take us out, and yet it fails.” She remembered the pack, Paradox, that Tortuga had aided Nardir in taking out after they had attacked the Nardirian people. “Have you both found new dens? Explored the island?” In Dixie’s eyes, Scylla was her child, who she could dote over as much as she wanted and could check in. Mako, to her, was still a child, and she felt could still use an adult presence to make sure he kept up with what was needed until he was old enough. She thought he had grabbed the reins at too young of an age, but it had been her job to help children, had it not? She would help their Kraken if she could, and dote over her daughter at the same time.

[Makoshark]

The sweet surrender of silence forces me to live alone
Locked and loaded, where the hell is peace of mind?
I wait on you inside the bottom of the deep blue sea
I wait on you inside the bottom of the deep blue

"speech" | thoughts

"Tortuga has moved before. Each time we rebuild to be stronger, and only nature tries to take us out, and yet it fails. Have you both found new dens? Explored the island?"
"Yes. I've been charting the island. Found a few crannies that've potential. You've found somewhere nice 'n all?"
The girl ignored his presence and Mako nearly bristled, but he turned his chocked down scowl into a charming grin. "O'course. I wasn' old enough to explore the last one much but this island seems promisin'." He was annoyed, making notes in his head but unwilling to react in any way just yet. Trust had to be earned after all and if he managed to get Dixie on his side, surely her daughter would follow. At least, he hoped that would be how it went. The pack was in a delicate state at the moment and any wrong move could hold disastrous effects, if at least in the young Kraken's head. 
"I hear ye've been aroun' a while, Dixie. My father spoke highly of ye and I've heard aroun' that ye've been second mother to half the damn empire," he grinned broadly, speaking directly to the lady. It was time he stated what he was there for and got back to his own business. "I was wonderin' how ye'd feel about pickin' up 
the Keeper rank again and possibly even Shark?" It was a lot of responsibility but he had his reasons. If she was willing to take up the ranks herself, it would set her. Put her in a position of authority and he knew from listening to others that she was trustworthy. He was sure she could handle it, but he wasn't sure if she'd be willing.

[Dixie]

    The island was nicer than the land they had lived on before. It would be harder for escapes (she was still on the edge of if that was good or not), but it probably made it easier for the border guards. For now she had just stuck her nose deeper into the island, not spending much time at the edges, because the edges literally was just water. She turned slightly towards her daughter as she spoke, smiling at the sound of her voice. "Yes. I've been charting the island. Found a few crannies that've potential." Dixie beamed proudly at her daughter. Of course useful Scylla would be one of the pack members to try and map out the land first. Dixie had explored, but hadn’t truly tried to find anything yet. There was a den, but other than that she had been keeping to herself.

    You've found somewhere nice 'n all?" Dixie nodded. “I think I found a good place close to the water. It would be nice to wake up every morning to a nice view, don’t you think?” Before she had always thought of what would be best for the pack. Where would her sleeping place be with best serving the pack? But now she wanted what she wanted, and the crashing waves brought some kind of peace to the dog. She turned her attention to the new Kraken as he spoke. "O'course. I wasn' old enough to explore the last one much but this island seems promisin'." She wondered if he missed the old territory at all. She wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t - he had barely spent his life there, after all. This is where he would truly grow and learn the terrain. But she still missed the old territory, and even the one from before that. It was mainly the memories, and the bodies.

    "I hear ye've been aroun' a while, Dixie. My father spoke highly of ye and I've heard aroun' that ye've been second mother to half the damn empire," She nodded, but found it slightly surprising that Raikov would speak well of her. Then again, she had done nothing to make him hate her. "I was wonderin' how ye'd feel about pickin' up the Keeper rank again and possibly even Shark?" Picking back up the rank of Keeper didn’t surprise her, as she had always had that rank. She had only abandoned it because she planned on leaving. Now that she wasn’t though, she could pick it back up. And plus the rank of Shark? It wasn’t something she was familiar with, but she had always been a quick learner. “I can pick the Keeper rank back up. Someone needs to take care of any future pups, after all. And for Shark, I can learn to do that, I bet. I’d be honored to have the rank, Kraken Mako.” Little Mako. Somehow she felt some peace settling over her. Maybe she was getting back into the swing of things, or maybe even somewhat starting over. She would do better this time.