>>tldr at bottom <<

breath misting about his muzzle, salty water dripping from panting jaws, legs trembling from fatigue. the current had been stronger than he had figured, and his fur hung from his frame. all he could scent at the moment was brine and cold wind, no hostile scents, just himself. alone under the cold full moon. the peaceful lapping of waves lulled him to sleep under the cover of palm trees on the overhanging shore, the scratching of birds and small crustaceans making his ears twitch. fading peacefully into the sweet black slumber of the nearly-dead.

he was woken by the crash of angry thunder, clouds black and menacing as the waves were thrown against the shore, cold frothing water reaching him and drenching him further to the bone. he had no clue what day it was, or how long he had slept but the sailor knew that this was not the time to play games with the sea. she was vicious and very unhappy, throwing a fit under the influence of the storm, as a lover's spat often went, one indignant and one defensive. hauling himself to his paws, the wolf dragged himself further inland, heading up a slope and down into a dip before cresting a greater hill. his paws were numb and sore, stiff and cold, bringing him great agony as he loped across the island, searching for a high point to be safe from the storm.

lightning crashing into the tree beside him, he was flung away with a cry of surprise, twisting as he tried to regain his feet before slamming into the trunk of another tree. whimpering softly as his head spun and brought back the ghosts of his past, he was haunted by the sound of a great horn entangled with ringing screams in his ears. he could see their faces, all of his crewmates, caught in terror and horror as their ship began to sink, water gulping into the wooden hulk thirstily, everyone's voices in a ringing scream of agony. he couldn't remember how he had come to escape his sinking ship, having vowed to stay upon the galley.

but now, here he was, laying against the trunk of the tree, dazed and haunted by those that he could not save. the storm raged on as he fought fever and death, alone as water swallowed the island. he struggled from his state as the roaring waves came crashing up the slope. standing his ground as the water roared up to his head, the sight of a volcano catching his eye. There! his mind screamed as he dove into the water, letting the vicious current toss and tanglehis battered body, roaring in pain as he struck a tree. pushing off of it, he gasped for air as he began the hours long fight towards that distant volcanic island. as he fought and struggled, time slowed and he lost track of anything but the journey to get to safety.

hours later, after many breaks as the storm subsided, he drifted with the aid of light paddling, the cold biting through his thick undercoat finally, a few leagues from shore. relaxing into the water, he nearly let his eyes close, before the words of his beloved entered his ears, his beautiful and long deceased mate, their children at rest with him. strength, or was it adrenalin, flooded his limbs and he began the fight anew, voice raised in a triumphant exclamation as he reached a point in the tide that would sweep him in to shore. paws stumbling in the tide, he surged towards the safe sandy beach with what was left of his fading strength.

legs giving out, he dived against the island's sands gratefully, loving the feeling of the sun on his coat, drying him out. he would spend days on that forlorn coast, the storm having washed away any recent scents there, causing him to believehe was alone. he survived off of fishing from the sea, digging up herring eggs from the kelp and cracking open coconuts, not too keen on traveling into unknown lands. and then came the patrol.

he hid from the group of mismatched animals, their strange odor filling his nose as the sea wolf observed from the rocks just out from the shore, his dark face barely showing among the gull-excrement covered rocks, blending in the rest of his body. diving into the water as the patrol passed, marking some sort of border, he observed with cautious curiosity. it would pass like this for a while, the sailor observing from hiding spots capable of hiding his fur, listening to what he assumed were natives, speaking. to his surprise, he could understand them, and to his tired relief, they did not approach any harm. next time ... he would show himself. he had always cleaned his messes after dining, burying the bones of the fish in the shallow tide with a quiet thanks.

today, the patrol would come, he knew from enough observation, and he was hungry. picking along the coast, he nipped and pulled apart kelp wrought in tangles, mindless of the birds in the sky. he was a traveler, and he knew where to find the most delicious foods. to him? the herring eggs were his favorite of all foods, aside perhaps from whale. snapping up an abandoned nest of eggs, the sea faring brute settled on the beach, happily feeding his thin frame upon the eggs.

shells cracking under powerful jaws, tart yolk spilled into his mouth as his tail swayed in happy cadence to his chewing. swiping his tongue around his jaws, he went about cleaning himself up to look presentable. tied loosely around his neck was a piece of fossilized wood, a chunk of metal shorn through it with the slightest piece of fabric tugged through the same holeas the metal. gathered remnants of his galley now resting deep at the floor of the sea. he didn't have any gifts that he could give to this island group, except for the bodies of a few of the birds wheeling high above.

he would catch one as a gift, he decided. taking his body out into the waves, he waited in wait upon the kelp-strewn excrement-covered rocks. surging upwards in a mighty leap, he caught the wing of a lowflying bird in his teeth, smacking another from the skies with his forepaw. struggling the birds to the stone, he quickly delivered a killing bite to his first catch, before turning to the dazed gull laying on its back. "i thank perideus for your noble life." he rumbled in thanks to the bird, quickly ending its life. gathering both birds into his jaws, he headed back to shore. laying the bodies upon a large palm leaf, vinicius turned to face the jungle, his tail curled about his paws, and brown-green eyes gleaming with excitement.

>> tldr: his ship went down in an accident with sharp rocks, he is washed ashore to a random island, is woken by a storm and is forced to leave that island. sees the typhoon's island and struggles towards it. successfully makes landfall, recovers and hides from the passing patrols until he knows enough about them. catches two birds as a sign of peace and is waiting for a patrol to find him now. <<

head swiveling at the light voice, the scent of the small fae filling his nose. brown-green eyes sparkling, the sailor bowed his head, extending his form to the sandy beach, "Hola, señorita. My apologies, little miss. My boat sank into the ocean islands away, and I've been stranded for quite some time. I've been on this stretch of coast for a while, watching your patrols. I apologize for hunting upon your land, and the reason I did not approach your patrols, was from wariness. I've been captured by islanders before, and nearly sacrificed. Bad experiences, my fault really. Got turned topsy-turvy." he murmured as he sat up from his deep bow.

"I fear i have nothing more than the prey of your people to offer in good meaning greetings. I am vinicius marin, a sunken sailor. I pray to cause no offense, señorita. I would like to offer my services to The Typhoon, and my apologies for not meeting you sooner.", he bowed his head again, "I promise to bring sweeter gifts than that of a half-drowned man's pelt, if i may have the time to procure such things."

he truly meant no harm, curious of this group and their customs. perhaps ... perhaps he could set up as a merchant here? an ode to his lost beloved and children? the village still burned brightly in his mind as his ship drifted away, no ammunition or arms on board, and too far to aid the northern coastal village from the raid that had taken everything from him. this little fae before him, carried some sense of power, a sense of belonging and by the gods, did he wish that he could feel that once more, that he belonged somewhere else rather than just the sea.

keona reminded him of his own children, about the same size and just as sweet looking. banishing the heart-rending thoughts away, he breathed out quietly, inhaling her scent and remembering the courts of his childhood. he remembered the gardens, the grand libraries, the grand hall in the trees ... she smelt like home and it disturbed some part of the long-removed noble to remember things that took place centuries back in time, in such vivid detail. "Are you ... fae, my lady? Pardon the crude question, but you remind me of my home and the fae that we would sometimes see in our dealings." good memories, those, before the fall of his own family name. before the wars.

the sailor's attention was next caught by the irishman, delight forming in his eyes as his tail began to wag, enjoying the thick accent in his voice. oh how he had missed speaking to another, as if it had been more than just days since he had spoken to another living thing. dipping his head in greeting, he grinned good-naturedly at the male, "Hola, Kian Ó Faoláin, and Keona Ó Faoláin. It lies in my pleasure to be grateful to meet you upon this coast." he murmured, with another bow to keona, correct that her presence demanded respect and power. he could hear the pride in the man's voice, and he too shared in it. wait until his cousin learned of the fae!

at the welcome, he grinned even wider, doing his best to be solemn, "My great gratitude, ser and lady. The fae back home were the easiest to deal with, and the most delightful. A joy to be invited to any of their hosted events, and a joy further to be spoken to by two of the fae and welcomed to their group." oh, the great memories. it had been so long ago that his family had fallen from the royal graces, that he was mostly unaware of the deviation in his own family's blood.