GARY "OAKPAW" SILVIS ✧ FIREBALL — THE ASCENDANTS — TAGS[/color]

He had gone out of the territory deciding to take his studies further than just in the Ascendants camp, the caracal had brought his animal companions along one with the wagon and the other resting between his shoulder blades with her paws on his head. He finally settled the wagon where it wouldn't move and trotted along the uncharted territories with a twitch of his whiskers feeling blades of grass tickling his toebeans the entire time, he had his satchel clinging to his body and it would bounce off his side as he finally made a quick lookover the area before settling down beside the red wagon. He would start writing down things in the journal of his labelled "animal behavior" which was silly since he was one but it was mainly aimed towards animals that didn't speak like them and were more feral to say the least, the caracal would watch a few birds that soared through the sky as his sea kissed eyes surveyed the area once more in hopes for a larger animal like that bear he had been observing before he had gotten injured.

He would let out a soft sigh laying on the rock with his paws over his journal as he watched Lunae start to leap around through the lush grass, her ears curved forward and just when she looked like she was tired. She took a dust bath, chinchillas enjoyed their dust baths was what Gary had come to know since he had gotten Lunae and Squirt from his grandpa. His ears pressed against his cranium as he let out a soft breath laying his head on his large forepaws, his eyes still watching Lunae but his thoughts seemed to carry him away once more. The caracal always seemed to get distracted by his own thoughts and it was often troublesome especially when someone was trying to get his attention. His thoughts were currently on Pallet with his grandpa and everyone else there. He recalled his grandpa's companion a metallic hummingbird and a dragon that was not menacing looking like the one that he had seen in storybooks as a 5 month old.

He could still remember when he had been younger, how he sometimes laid on the dragon's belly while skimming through some of his grandfather's books. The memory made a soft smile appear on his maw, he hadn't realized that his eyes were closed but once he reopened them he would see his chinchilla hopping over in his direction. She jumped into his arms pressing her muzzle into his chest, he rested his chin on her head "Lunae, you troublemaker." He mumbled quietly before he looked over the area once more but a dark figure caught his eye and he'd squint, truth be told, Gary didn't have the best eyesight and probably needed a pair of glasses. But the dark blur made him frown, he couldn't believe it.

It was Ash.

Ash didn't have the greatest tendencies of staying in one place. He was restless -- he'd already wandered away from the island, and it'd only been a day. You'd think Ash would spend the time trying to get used to his clanmates but no, here he was. Pikachu scampers on ahead of him, but Ash isn't really concerned, despite his insistence that the pika wait up. Pikachu was pretty hard to miss, after all -- all yellow fur and stripes. Very unusual. Plus, Pikachu wasn't leaving him behind. Ash could still hear the rodent's squeaks as the other urges Ash to go faster. First of all, rude, but secondly, probably for the best. Ash's tail wags as he hurries after his tiny companion, laughing. He and Pikachu may not have gotten along well at first, but that was all behind them. Now, Pikachu doesn't even flinch when Ash lunges for the much smaller creature, only moving so that it's not accidentally crushed in the savannah's assault. Ash hadn't ever been really great at being gentle, much less in play, after all. Wrestling isn't exactly easy with a creature so much smaller, but it's fun anyways, Pikachu flailing between his loose paws. It's nice -- with somewhere to go back to, Ash doesn't even have to worry about food or shelter! He has all the time to play with Pikachu in the world! Though they should probably do some training, Ash just doesn't feel up to it right now.
It's a minute later that Pikachu wriggles away from Ash's paws. Ash blinks, a little startled by the abrupt ending to playtime, seeing the rodent's posture. Was something wrong? He blinks and then pulls himself to his paws, ears set somewhat uneasily. It's not anything bad, he supposes, but his companion's alertness does, in fact, make him uneasy. Especially when he begins scampering away, pausing just long enough for Ash to get the message to follow. So Ash does, gaze focused solely on Pikachu with a look of concern. He nearly walks into a tree or two, honestly. Pikachu giggles at him for this, so Ash realizes that the situation isn't dangerous or anything, just interesting. Maybe Ash should work on their communication skills more? He thought they'd been good at that, knowing what the other was thinking without the other having to say it, but it wasn't foolproof, apparently. That was fair -- it's not like Pikachu could speak to correct Ash, anyways. Ash never actually knew why their animal companions could never speak. They just -- couldn't. They were smart, though. Sometimes smarter then them, maybe even by a lot. They just ... couldn't make words. It was very odd.
It's only after a minute of walking that Ash finally gets what Pikachu was so interested in. The savannah's ears perk up, hearing something just a little distance away. Pikachu spends a moment looking in that same direction, before, in another moment, he's crawling up Ash's leg to take a cozy perch between his shoulderblades. It's common enough Ash doesn't even notice, despite the abruptness of the movement. Maybe because, looking over his way, is, in fact, Gary, of all people. I mean -- he wasn't terribly close, but Ash would recognize that brown fur anywhere. I mean, they'd spent their whole childhood together, so not knowing would just be an insult.
"Gary?" Ash squawks, rather loudly. He's not sure how he feels about this encounter, honestly -- on one hand, it was nice seeing the caraval again. Despite their ... mildly unfortunate relationship, Ash still cared for Gary, and he just really wants to grin like an idiot right now. On the other, their previously mentioned unfortunate relationship makes Ash wanna pick a fight or yell or something. Seriously, a seashell, of all things. I mean -- their relationship was potentially salvageable, it's not like Ash felt any real animosity towards Gary. But. Ash didn't know how he'd go about fixing it, especially considering Gary had been the only one in Pallet even near Ash's age. Besides, Ash was a little too short-tempered for something like that, it'd probably backfire on him pretty badly. Oh well!!

GARY "OAKPAW" SILVIS ✧ FIREBALL — THE ASCENDANTS — TAGS[/color]

"Gary?"

He knew that voice all too well, he remembered how back then that very same voice had taken several different tones or expressed different emotions. It made his long ears twitch reminding himself that they were under a rivalry status, he didn't know how this would end but he rose to his large paws twitching his whiskers a bit still squinting a bit and he hopped off the rock that he had perched himself on top of. He was rather mature when he was around others but he didn't know why but something always clicked inside of him that seemed to make him a bit immature but he did his best not to overboard especially since his sudden cockiness went hand in hand with Ash's hot-headedness.

"Well hello, Ash." He swallowed a bit as he walked a bit closer towering over the Savannah by quite a bit "I didn't expect to see you here but, knowing you I assumed you'd leave Pallet eventually." He said in a calm manner flicking one of his long ears to the side and he let out a soft sigh that escaped his slightly parted jaws, he felt Lunae hop after him and brush against his legs only to hop onto his back. Lunae took the time to blink at Pikachu offering a friendly twitch of her long ears as if in a way of greeting the other companion animal. He felt his lips tugging upward into that slightly cocky grin that he always wore as a child, a mischievous child that is before he finally calmed down and paid attention to what his grandpa had to say.

"Hello Pikachu." The caracal said in a smooth voice and blinked his seagreen eyes using his large paw to scratch under Lunae's chin, his whiskers twitched once more and his short tail would wiggle a bit as he tilted his head in a bit of curiosity "So where are you staying?" He knew little about the clans seeing as he was staying in one of them, the Ascendants, he wasn't sure where Ash was staying. He was quite curious. "If you're staying anywhere or sitting long enough in one place, that is." His tone was a bit amused as he would finally sit down with both pointed ears angled forward waiting to hear what the other's answer would be.

It's somewhat judgingly that Ash looks at Gary, eyes now narrowing as he remembers just how tall the other was. Ash was pretty big himself -- he was half serval, everyone knew that much. But seriously. And anyways, Ash had been planning to leave Pallet for ages to get stronger. "Well, obviously!" Ash says, all that brashness of his shining through like some sort of beacon. Ash wasn't all that articulate to begin with, but Gary just sort of. brought it out a lot more. Really, he and Gary brought the worst out in each other -- that or their inner child. Probably child. Or maybe both?
In any case. Pikachu, still on Ash's shoulders, of course, offers a squeak and a wave at Lunae and Gary's greetings. Then, promptly, the little yellow Pikachu scampers father up to settle between Ash's ears. Ash, as per usual, doesn't even respond beyond the slight shifting of weight.
"Well I joined the Typhoon. They're pirates, it's cool!" Ash says, a little smugly. He may not agree with all of their morals, like stealing, but that didn't mean they weren't still cool!! ... though, Ash still had to get actually get to know them, eventually instead of just. Not being in camp at all. Oops. "I'll probably only be there long enough to train, though," Ash shrugs. The group seemed strong enough, and he'd love to form connections, but he wasn't gonna be there forever. There was a reason he left Pallet, after all. And why he was here instead of actually doing stuff in the Typhoon.