XV. THE DEVIL

HE/HIM

He had never seen any appeal in living in a group before now.

He had been born a loner, and he always assumed he would also die a loner - maybe with a bit of family hanging around, if he ever managed to build a functional relationship with any of them. He couldn't deny the benefits of a group, though, especially after years on his own. After all, they protected each other, and while he wasn't about to trust that someone still wouldn't eat his head in the middle of the night, perhaps the chance would be at least slightly lessened. Safety in numbers, and all that.

Still, Valery was doubtful. He really didn't think he would like anyone, let alone have anyone like him. He knew that membership wasn't forever, at least - he could leave, if he really wanted. That, in the end, was the only reason he was willing to even consider this. He wasn't exactly sure why he ended up deciding to try and join a group of pirates - water wasn't exactly his thing - but he had made the journey anyways, completing much of the trek to the island in his avian form out of laziness. It was, after all, faster to let the ocean air carry his large form than walk along the railway. Only when he caught the strong scent of other animals, a clear border, did he drop in altitude, landing a few metres from where the tracks finally met the island. He winced as his form shifted into a more common one for him - a small sunglow fox, bushy tail flicking back and forth as he took a seat and tucked his paws in.

He wasn't normally one for niceties like following border rules; he usually had no trouble wandering into territories to find food, only to be chased out by a patrol. What little common sense he had, however, had decided that if he wanted to actually be accepted to the group, he better wait instead of charging right into their camp. He definitely wasn't going to be patient about it though, that was for sure - his ears flicked in annoyance as he waited, green eyes narrowed as he peered into the jungle trying to pick out any signs of life.

Before he had been captured and tortured, Michael had never thought he would join a group either. As far as he was concerned, he and Trevor were enough of a hassle to keep track of and alive, and that was only the pair of them. The thought of possibly getting attached to a whole group? It had been petrifying to the bobcat, who had tried so hard since his childhood to not care for anyone but himself. But then his damn emotions had gotten in the way, of course. He had gotten too attached to his traveling companion, sacrificed himself for the idiot, and then ended up in the Pitt. Even then, the fugitive had considered his stint in the desert dwelling group just a temporary gig. Just long enough to get himself back on his feet, so he could go back to his old life. However, then he had met Roxie, and she had brought him here, and he had gotten attached once again, only this time to a sister... needless to say, Michael was a very poor example of listening to your own advice. He even knew full well that this would probably all blow up in his face one day, when he lost everybody around him he had come to consider friends. Yet still, it didn't stop him. He really must've been losing his mind.

The thief had come to make visiting the border at least once a day a bit of a habit, at least ever since the Kaito incident. He didn't want anymore assholes thinking they could steal from him coming in, and it seemed only natural that they would sneak over the border – even though he had seen a fair few creatures now emerge from the sea. Regardless, Michael felt a bit more safe knowing what could possibly be out there, so after he had pulled on his jewelry and bid goodbye to Trevor, the dark furred bobcat made his way out and towards the very clear line in the sand that separated Typhoon from loner territory. Upon seeing a fox at the border, the fugitive felt a bit hesitant, fully aware of just how many within the Pitt were foxes. He shook it off quickly, however, not wishing to stereotype based on species. Just because a great deal of Pittians were foxes didn't mean every fox was a Pittian, right? With this in mind, Michael padded up in front of Valery, sitting down and glancing at the other over his aviators, mismatched blue eyes gleaming with curiosity, "Hey there, you're new... can you tell me your name, and why you're here?" He didn't smell of any of the other groups, yet he had actually stopped at the border... he had to be interested in joining, at least in Michael's mind.