Galvynn takes in a deep breath as the spray of ocean salt and wind hits him. He was so used to the forests, but it was impossible not to feel the awe of the ocean. It was pure and unbridled nature, who wouldn't love it? He plops into the sand to watch the waves come in.

Bucky bounds through the sand and into the water. If Galvynn was happy to be here, then Bucky was in paradise. It was hard not to laugh watching the giant badger trying to stomp on fish and shells. He snuffles through the low tide before sneezing because he got too much water up his nose.

"Careful Bucky, don't drink too much, I don't think this water is good for you friend." It was almost like a parent watching a child. He smiles and leans back into the sand, ready just in case Bucky wades out too deep.

The fisherman on the sand bar in the middle of the inlet don't seem too enthused. There is a lot of muttering about how the badger is going to scare off the fish. Another of the men says they aren't biting anyways to stop their whining. The third man tells them both to shut up. 

---

SPOILER: Click to show

Quest Name: Moving Islands
Participants: Two or more
Location: Coastal Regions, Open Sea
Post Requirements: 5 posts per person, 200 words per post
Reward: +1 Renown
Description: While enjoying a day by the sea, a few locals have ended up on a small island, either fishing, swimming or just taking in the warm spring air. However, this random, inconspicuous sand bar, island or patch of land happened to be the back of a Shoalback Leviathan which has been disturbed and is now headed out to deeper water. The creature has begun to move out to deeper water, leaving those left on its back stranded. If not assisted they could end up lost forever. Be cautious, even though these creatures are not typically hostile, they can get scared easily and will lash out, using their massive body to create waves. If they are harmed or injured, they may dive beneath the surface, bringing anyone still on or attached to them down with it.

A while passes, the fisherman focusing on the water, just trying to catch something for dinner that day and mostly ignoring the noisy badger. The water water lapped at the sandbar strongly. Some of the fishermen grumbled in annoyance as the tide kept pushing their lines back toward them, but over time the rate they caught fish started to pick up a bit.

"Got another one!" One of the fishermen called out happily as he tossed a large fish into the bucket they brought with them. Across the sandbar, there were several buckets spread out that were starting to overflow. It was a fairly large sandbar, almost like a small island that was resting in the middle of the Luna Inlet. How so much sand had gathered there overnight, they didn't know, but they all took the opportunity to use it as a fishing spot, and it looked like it was paying off!

Only one fisherman looked a little concerned. He held up a flopping fish with a look of confusion.

"This fish isn't supposed to be in shallow waters. This fish should only be out in open ocean..." He mumbled, looking back toward the land. Their view was blocked by a few trees that they hadn't noticed were also new. How did these trees grow on this sandbar? Was this even considered a sandbar if the sandy beach turned to soil and grass? Something was wrong here.

He walked through the trees and finally saw it. The shore was barely visible on the horizon. Looking to either side, it was the nothing but water as far as the eye could see. They were nowhere near the shore anymore! It was like they were on a small island out in the ocean!

In a panic, he ran back to the group, shouting.

"Guys! Look! We're in the middle of the ocean! What the hell's going on!?"

Usually Galvynn was on the more observant side, you had to be when walking through the forest. You might be an emissary of nature, but not everyone will know that immediately. Also there tend to be people, especially kids, who get lost in the woods and need help. People floating off to sea was not something that was on his radar.

He looks up and raises an eyebrow at how much smaller the island seems. Was it always that small? Or were they on a boat? Pretty stange boat to have sand and trees in it. When the group starts to get more animated and realize their predicament, Galvynn starts to catch on to the panic as well.

"Uh Buck, how far out was that island before?"

Grr....rrggh....grr.

"Yeah that sounds about right." Galvynn stands and brushes the sand from his coat before cupping his hands around his mouth to shout, "Hey! Don't worry, I'll find a way to get you back!"

He puts his hands on his hips and looks down to the rune badger, "Any ideas?"

Grrrggh.

"First off, neither of us could pull an island back to shore, second, do you have rope?"

Grr, but dejectedly.

"That's what I thought, come on friend, we don't have much time."

Galvynn heads into water and starts to swim out to the island. Bucky is more reluctant, but he eventually follows after. It isn't until he tries this swim that he realizes just how far out this island has gotten. Those fisherman would never be able to make this swim at their age. The druid pulled his tired body onto the shore of the island with a huff. He flops into the sand, Bucky doing the same.

"Well youngin', ye got a magic boat or something?"

"Uh...not quite. Don't suppose you feel like swimming? I can help guide you."

"Well....I never learned to swim, Tony has sciatica and Reginald is scared of seaweed."

This was going to be a problem. Galvynnn pulled himself to his feet and shook the water from his hair like a dog. What to do?

Hylltywyll yawned and stretched his arms and legs out as he awoke in a hollow in a tree. This had been a great spot to sleep that he'd found last night. The sounds of the waves really were great at lulling him to sleep. The shade of the tree was cool and comfortable. He rolled over, about to go back to sleep for just a little longer.

"How are we going to get back!?" Someone shouted, panic in his voice.

"We worked all day to get this fish, we can't just leave it!"

"Well, if we're stranded on this damn island, I vote we eat Josh first."

"Idiot, we have all this fish. Why would we resort to cannibalism?"

"We can't eat this fish, we need to sell it!"

"WE CAN'T SELL THE FISH IF WE'RE TRAPPED ON THIS ISLAND, HUTCHERSON!"

Hylltywyll rolled over grumpily peaking his head out of the tree with squinting eyes and and a scowl on his face. How the hell was he supposed to sleep with all this arguing? He loved a good argument, but not when he was trying to sleep. And what were they talking about, being trapped on an island?

He glanced around, looking to either side. Wait. What the hell? Where was the coast? He knew he went to sleep on that little island in the middle of the inlet. How did he get all the way out at sea?

Well this was getting out of hand quickly and Galvynn's inexperience at dealing with people was coming to the forefront. As the group grew more agitated, he was more worried about what he could actually do to help. The ocean wasn't exactly his most familiar terrain so the answers weren't immediately apparent to him.

"You won't have to leave your fish, we will figure something out." Galvynn tries to speak above the crowd, but their yelling all but drowns the druid out.

It isn't until Bucky steps in with a snarl and a stamping of his paws that the group pays attention. They give startled shouts before looking to the pair.

"If you're going to eat one of us, we vote you eat Josh first."

"WHAT?!"

Galvynn puts his hands up to try and stop them, "We don't want to eat anyone." He sighs. "We want to help, but there are a lot more of you here than I was expecting and the island floated farther than expected....Do any of you have something to cut down trees? We could make a raft."

"Saws aren't exactly good at catching Fish."

"I...I guess that's fair." Galvynn puts his hands on his hips as he thinks. Should he just swim back to shore and try to find a boat? Whatever boat they used probably floated away when the island did.

Hylltywyll rested his head in his arms and leaned against the opening in the tree as he listened to the conversation. It was a rather rude awakening, but now he might as well enjoy himself a little. These guys were crazy. Talking about cannibalism when they had all this fish, not to mention they still had all their fishing gear. They really had it out for Josh.

Hylltywyll chuckled to himself, not feeling like he was in any of the danger himself. He could get off this island any time using his magic, unlike these fishermen. He could tell just by looking at them that none of them had a significant amount of magic. Only one person in the crowd stood out. A younger guy with powerful light magic and a fair bit of earth magic. He also seemed to be the calmest one among the group and didn't seem like a fisherman judging by his clothes.

"You think the island might just... turn around?" One fisherman asked, hopefully.

"Doubt it."

"Maybe we can just knock these trees down. They're not that thick, right?"

One fisherman walked up to the tree Hylltywyll was watching from and put his hands on it, bracing to try and give it a push. The tree didn't budge in the slightest, but the man jumped backward with a shout as he locked eyes with the Fairy.

"Ahh! What's that!?"

The other fishermen looked where he was pointing and spotted Hylltywyll, a toothy grin on his face. These guys were so easy to mess with. He hadn't even done anything and they were freaking out. All the panic from being trapped on an island already, it really made this too easy.

One fisherman pushed another one forward. "You can eat Josh, just let the rest of us live!"

"Seriously, what the hell!?" Josh shouted in annoyance.

Hylltywyll retreated back into the dark inside of the hollow trunk. The fishermen stared at the hole, watching for any sign of the strange little creature, until they suddenly heard a sound behind them.

"Boo."

The fishermen turned around with shouts and backed away. Hylltywyll was suddenly behind them, standing on the sand, laughing at their panicked reactions.

---

Blink

For now, Galvynn just ignores this continued insistence that someone eat Josh. At least some of them seem to take to the idea of building a raft. That was probably their best option honestly, though without tools this was going to be....difficult.

As everyone freaks out over Hyll, Galvynn actually breathes a sigh of relief. OK, maybe this is someone Galvynn can actually have a conversation with. The fairy at least seems to be much more calm than the rest of the men.

"Hey, sorry they bothered you, they are just stuck...and looking for a way off. Do you live on this island? Does it usually float around?" The druid walked a bit closer to Hylltywyll so he's not shouting.

Bucky does seem much more wary of the new arrival. He sticks close to Galvynn's side stretching out his neck to try and sniff the fuzzy fairy. The badger immediately retreats if Hyll looks his way or addresses the sniffing in any way.

The rest of the fisherman slowly scoot their way down the beach. These two weirdos can figure it out, they had to discuss how they were going to best cook Josh. Some want barbeque, but others think a stew would be better.

Compared to the crew of fishermen that were devolving into cannibals at , quite frankly, a startlingly fast rate, Hylltywyll was calm, collected, and maybe the most sane person here. Unusual for the tiny menace to society. At least one other person here still seemed sane, though Hyll was wary of him and his big badger.

"I don't live here." Hyll answered with a shrug. He didn't know how the island had moved, or if it did that often. It was his first time in such a situation himself. He just had no reason to be concerned about it, unlike the fishermen that were now trying to break some branches off the trees to build a fire.

Hylltywyll turned to the badger that was sniffing its way toward him and gave it a low growl until it backed off. He turned back to the man who was with the badger, his hands held up and ready to cast a spell if need be.

Teleporting behind the fishermen to scare them was fun, but it may have been a mistake. It left him out in the sunlight, exposed. He couldn't hide in the shadows on the sunlit beach. It didn't seem like these two were hostile at least, but he would keep his guard up.

"I think your friends might be going crazy." He said, pointing to the group that was chasing one of them around with ropes in hand. He assumed that one was Josh. "Do you think they'll really eat that one?" Hyll asked with an amused smile. He was starting to suspect these people really wanted to eat Josh and had been waiting for an excuse.

"I doubt they consider me a friend, I don't have too many human friends...if any." He gives a little smile and laugh.

The smile, however faint, doesn't last as he watches the fisherman chase each other around. They still have the fish they just caught, weird they are devolving so quickly. Maybe they were just looking for an excuse? That doesn't exactly make it any better.

Bucky keeps tight to Galvynn's hip like a kid hiding behind their mom as Hyll growls at him. Eventually, he too is distracted by the scene of the fisherman and finds something else to stare at.

"There has to be a way to get them off the island before they devour him, but I am not sure....I could carry some of them, but that would take too long and likely cost Josh an arm or a leg." In fact, they should probably step in and separate the rest of the group from Josh before someone takes a bite.

Galvynn puts his hands on his hips and sighs. What was he going to do?

"I don't suppose you have anything to help cut down trees and make a raft?" He looks over to Hyll. "Oh...right human greetings, I'm Galvynn by the way."

Hylltywyll could relate to not having many friends, if any. But while this Galvyn guy seemed sad about that, Hylltywyll didn't care. He didn't need friends, especially if those friends resorted to cannibalism as fast as these weirdos. He guessed he might not be considered much better than them though, needing to drain magic from other people to survive. Well, he would definitely consider himself better than them in every way.

Hylltywyll chuckled to himself and looked over at the chaotic group. He didn't think these guys would be capable of working together for anything right now except cooking Josh. Now this was entertainment! Why would he ruin this by building a raft?

"I don't need a raft to get out of here whenever I want. I'm just still here because this is fun to watch. You think Josh can get away?" He asked, like an audience member watching a play more than someone watching a man fighting for survival. To be fair, Josh was doing surprisingly well against the rest of the group. He managed to climb up into a tree with a fishing rod in tow that he was now using to jab anyone who tried to climb up after him. If Hyll had a bucket of popcorn, he would have been eating it while he watched a man fall on his butt after taking a fishing rod to the face. He settled for one of the perfectly good raw fish , picking it out of the bucket and starting to bite into it.

"Oh, my name is Hylltywyll." He added between a couple mouthfuls.

"There's only so much space on this island...not a whole lot of room to hide." In the distant background the yelling intensifies as the chase continues.

Josh has climbed a tree and the others are trying to hook his pants with a fishing line. They toss their lines out over and over, but can't quite get the angle on it. Josh is crying. This is getting worse by the second.

"We should probably help him first...if you can get everyone out of here without a raft, that would be great." Galvynn brights a bit with a smile.

Bucky, seeing Hyll grab a fish, takes this as an invitation. He tips over one of the baskets and goes face first into it. An easy meal was the best kind of meal in his opinion.

"Do you need me to do anything to help?" Galvynn looks down to Hyll. He wasn't exactly sure what Hyll was or what he was capable of, but he was a friendly face. That was enough for Galvynn to trust him.

Hylltywyll gave Galvynn a slightly irritated look. Get everyone out of here? That was rather presumptuous. True, he could, but it was still presumptuous to assume that, or that he'd even want to. He was having a nice time watching the show. They could make a play about this. They could name it "Survivor: The Moving Island" or something like that. Well, if Josh survived. If he didn't, that name might not be as fitting. Maybe something like "Cannibal Island".

Hyll swallowed one more bite of fish and tossed the rest onto the ground near the big badger. Food was tasty and he could still enjoy the flavor of it, but it didn't make him feel satisfied at all. Not since he started requiring a new form of sustenance. Even after eating nearly an entire fish that was almost as big as he was, he felt hungry.

There was some good food nearby though.

"I don't really feel like getting everyone out of here. I'm enjoying the show. But, I guess I can do it. For a price." He asked, looking to Galvynn.

He glanced over at the group with a smile. One fisherman had managed to snag a hook on Josh's shirt, but it just ripped the shirt without pulling him out of the tree. Lucky for him, but it seemed that luck could run out at any moment. Hyll looked back to Galvynn again, his message clear. He didn't have long to think about this deal, for Josh's sake.

Bucky lifts his head hearing the fish thrown his way, but the bucket is stuck on his head. Galvynn would deal with that later, the insipent cannibalism seems much more important at the moment. It seems like most people have forgotten how to live without the comforts of a city.

"I don't exactly have coin...not a whole lot of use for it given my...well everything. I have some um...nice river stones, sticks, a pinecone I thought was really nice."

Galvynn produces the items as he calls them out. If Hyll was after money, it was clear Galvynn didn't have any. The druid did have lots of random bits and bobs he'd found along the forest floors. Anything from the woods was likely to be on Galvynn's person somewhere.

"I um, I'm sure the fisherman could scramble up some coin...or I guess I would owe you a favor? Trading and batering really isn't something I do often....mostly just letting birds take some of my hair for nests or trading a squirrel acorns for walnuts. Does anything like that interest you?"

The earnestness of the druid is easy to spot. The naiveity is also on full display. It was like if you gave an animal sentience then asked it to trade stocks. He has no idea what the value of anything is, but he's deadset on finding something that will appease Hyll.

Hylltywyll's ears perked up and he looked at the items being presented. He was interested in the river stones for a second there. They were pretty shiny after being polished by the river water, but he already had a payment in mind that he wanted more. He shook his head.

Galvynn seemed pretty innocent, or maybe it was just naive. An easy mark for scamming out of everything, probably. Hyll could probably take him for everything he's worth if he wanted, but all his worth was apparently sticks and acorns, which he wasn't so interested in. That, and his magic. If he was fine with giving away some of his hair to birds, then this wouldn't be so different, right?

"Uh-uh, I don't want any sticks or acorns. I just want something to eat." Hylltywyll said sadly, holding his stomach and acting innocent and sweet. "Food like this doesn't actually do anything for me." He continued, looking at the buckets of fish for a moment before looking back to Galvynn. "I have a special diet. I need magic. Just let me drain some of your mana, and I'll get all these fishermen out of here. How about it? Do we have a deal?"

Hylltywyll stuck out a little hand to shake.

Galvynn does seem a little disappointed the river stones aren’t accepted. He thought they were really pretty. He tucks them back into his pocket, fine then maybe he can trade them with an otter who wants a new tool stone or some other fey creature he runs across.

Hyll’s assessment on Galvynn was spot on though. He had nothing of value in the traditional sense. A lot of his things could be repurposed for alchemical or magical purposes, but still it is just raw material found in the woods. Nothing about his outfit and kit is exotic unless you've never been in a forest before then it would be.

He raises an eyebrow at Hyll’s offer, “Eat magic, huh? Interesting...Is it like a curse or just your preference?”

Galvynn looks down at the hand and just sort of places his hand on top of Hyll’s having no actual idea how a handshake works. His own mana and magic feels completely natural, like the embodiment of the trees themselves. There’s also hints that mixed in there some of the magic isn’t his, there’s something more powerful entrenched inside of the druid. What that is might be hard to place.