some pirates only liked to stay by the sea.

it made sense, of course. the ocean's siren call was a tough thing for anyone to ignore, but most especially if you had salt water running through your veins. hawthorne, however, does not mind venturing further from the coast. the grass crunches delightfully under his feet, slowly dying from the autumnal chill. the cold does not bother him though and he strides forward easily, his gait even and perky. so far this island was beautiful, and he was buzzing with excitement to see even more of it. the smell of fresh water carries him forward but the fields themselves give him pause — lilac eyes sweep across them, eager to put them to memory. the openness of them seem barren but he knows better than to judge a book by its cover, and as he moves forward he is smiling widely.

that smile holds fast.... right up until his paw catches on a small hole left by some digging creature and he falls face-first into the dirt. oof.

@Church

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Church had become so accustomed to being the only tiger around that when she actually spotted @Hawthorne she froze. Initially when she had come out to the fields it had been to catch a meal for herself and of course to mull over the fact that her new mother was now the proud owner of a pride. Church wasn't necessarily sure what all of that meant, she wasn't necessarily used to lions and their politics but was willing to go wherever her new family went. She had all but put other tigers in the back of her mind, thinking perhaps that she would never see another of her kind again. So naturally when she saw him, she froze. The ivory tigress watched him curiously and even stifled a bit of laughter the very moment he face-planted into the grass. "Are - are you alright?" She calls out to him, peeking over the tall wisps of grass around her to get a better glance at him. He was much bigger than her and older too but that didn't make her any less curious of him, another tiger.

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as he lays on the ground, hawthorne has a moment to think that he was very glad that no one had been around to see his misstep. oh, he never would have lived it down if one of his crew saw him now! but the fields are quiet and he thinks he's almost managed to get away scott free. hawthorne is just about to begin the process of picking himself up when her voice calls out — the voice small, and coming from an equally small mouth.

ah, drat!

purple eyes widen as he turns towards her, seeing the way she's barely large enough to peek over the grass here. but what he wasn't expecting was to see stripes. he is far more used to seeing lions that seeing one of his kind here makes him forget about the dirt smudged across his face, and the ache that's brewing there. ahoy, little lass! he calls out — a brilliant grin twisting his lips, eager to give her a dip of his skull. respectful and polite and nothing like the pirate captain he calls himself. i'm just fine, but i appreciate your concern, miss! he waves a free hand as if to show that he was a-okay; the only thing bruised here was his pride.

just be sure to watch your step, eh? i don't want you taking a tumble like i did! he says, pairing the words with a little laugh — always happy to joke at his own expense.

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Ahoy, little lass! I'm just fine, but I appreciate your concern, miss! just be sure to watch your step, eh? I don't want you taking a tumble like I did! Naturally Church cannot help but smile at @Hawthorne innocently. She liked him, not just because he was another tiger but because his voice was different. She hadn't ever heard someone talk like he did and she found him to be interesting. "Yes, of course. I'll be careful." She agrees with him, carefully moving forward in the tall grass to move closer to him. "Your voice, it's different. Did you come from the same jungles as I? There were a few of us when I found my way here.. other tigers I mean. Were you one of those tigers?" She asks him then, suddenly greedy for information that he may or may not have. It was just refreshing to be meeting another tiger that was kind, or in the very least he appeared to be kind. "I'm Church." She offers to him simply.

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