pile of Polaroids — joining

[Verdigris]

  [font=trebuchet ms]They’d been walking for ages.

  Well, maybe “they’d been walking” wasn’t the best way of putting it given that her companion was flying, but it got the point across. She was tired, and she couldn’t imagine the parrot that had been assigned to guide her was doing any better. Why her father had thought a far-off band of pirates was the best place for her, she would probably never figure out.

  He’d said he’d come get her “when it’s safe back home,” whatever that was supposed to mean. She got the feeling he was in danger, but then why was she the one that had to leave? What would anyone have to gain by hurting her?

  Still. Things would probably get better soon, and then she could go back home. If he thought it was best that she stay with these people, then she had no reason to believe they were dangerous.

  As they arrived at the end of the railroad tracks, the parrot flew down and perched atop the wall. Looking back at her, they nodded, as if to confirm that yes, this was the place.

  ”Thanks. Have a safe trip home,” Picturepup said to them, taking a seat and tugging loosely at her red bandana. Apparently satisfied that they had done their job, they took off and soared into the distance, her eyes following them as they went.

  Lowering her gaze to the clouds on the horizon, she let thoughts of the oncoming storm occupy her mind. Rain, snow, or sleet, maybe the precipitation would clear her head. Staying outside during bad weather was the archetypal bad idea that parents and family members always complained about, but when had that ever stopped her? The pirates probably wouldn't care either way.

[bubblegum]

[Keona.]

[div style="width: 527px; line-height: 1.4; text-align: justify; font-family: palatino; font-size: 11px;"][align=center]— blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings and learn to fly —

Pirates surrounded Keona since birth.  Her first moons placed her on board her father's ship, among his rambunctious crew.  Born on the water, the tiny fae touched earth for the first time when he took her to the Typhoon, intent giving her a more stable home on land.  Stable in location at least.  Still she remembered the rocking of the boat, the waves, the music... Memories she'd hold onto.

Now she knew the jungle like the back of her paws.  Like a shadow she disappeared into the undergrowth, a flash of spots in the dappled sunlight, a pair of pale sea-green hues gleaming.  Feather-light paws carried her across the dense forest, ears perked at the sound of a voice.  Distinctly Goldie's.  Given current location, the little striker supposed the captain found someone at the gate.

With a flick of her tail, the feline popped up behind her captain, turning her useless eyes in the direction of a new scent.  No need to make any of her own inquiries.

✯ — keona sibéal ó faoláin. female. striker of the typhoon. blind. rusty spotted cat.  ref. bio.

[Verdigris]

  The sound of footsteps crunching on sand drew Picturepup's attention to the approaching feline- and immediately her eyes widened. For one thing, she wouldn't have expected that this group would know how to tame birds, too, though she supposed it made sense when she thought about the correlation between pirates and parrots. (The creature on the bengal's shoulder was clearly an eagle, but eh, tomato tomato.)

  More worrying, though, was the obvious look of pain in the bengal's eyes with every step she took. She looked, to put it bluntly, like she'd been trampled by a camel. Still, the medic would probably be along soon to lecture her about running around in her injured state, so no need for Picture to waste her breath. "I was gonna stay here," Picturepup answered, twitching her ears. "Dad said home wasn't safe."

  Another feline approached, and said nothing. Turning to glance at her, Picture offered her a small nod in acknowledgement, and also said nothing.

[Masie]

Amber optics were clearly visible in the green brush behind both of the currently present animals apart form the puppy. "Golden." a chittering sound preceded a rustle in the bushes which was immediately followed by the emergence of the raptor from the greenery of the forest. Having the Alpha moving around like this was alarming, considering she'd been unable to get back from the meeting on her own! Masie was concern about the Bengal's health. However, she was not dim and knew the Alpha would not accept anyone's advice. Plus how could she give advice when no one could understand her?

After staring at Golden for a few seconds, Masie walked forward a little further, lowering her head so she could see the puppy properly. This was a kid so she couldn't see them being turned away, so her first objective now was to sniff, rub or otherwise investigate the newest member of the group so she could be familiar with her new typhoon pack mate.

[bubblegum]