Cerulean Cape maybe if we tell people the brain is an app they’ll start using it

No one tells you when you sign up for friendship that you might end up with a shattered heart. Yet surprisingly, Furi’s disappearance didn’t upset the Kru the way she thought it would have. There was no sadness or anger or guilt, there was only the crushing weight of loneliness and the sickening feeling that she had been abandoned yet again. And why was that? What had she done so wrong that she continued to be tossed aside like a piece of trash?

There wasn’t even doubt this time around, there was only acceptance and the pain that came with it. Furi was gone and she wasn’t coming back. Yes that reality sucked but what could she possibly do? She wouldn’t chase after those who did not want her, she’d constantly be exhausted if she did. She could only wait and hope and distract herself until the misery subsided and what better way to get her mind off things than a nice long walk along the beach?

She’d slipped past Drageda’s borders late last night and continued her trip through early morning, eventually finding herself along some shell infested beach when daylight had revealed her whereabouts. She’d probably have ended up lost were it not for the plover that sat contently on her back, her guide back to the cliffs that she had bribed with berries and twigs. It chirped loudly as a mole crab burrowed itself into the wet sand beside her paw and without any warning the shore bird fluttered down to peck at the escaping meal. 

She plopped her rump to the ground and watched with mild amusement as the plover continued to search for the crab, russet ears twitching every time the bird let out a cry. Eventually she picked herself up and began to dig at the soft sand, pausing every now and then to sniff for the shelled escapee. No luck. She rocked her hips until she fell back to the ground, wet sand clinging to her snout and haunches. For a moment she thought she felt some fleeting happiness but it was short lived as her mind wandered off and began to wonder if this perhaps was where she’d first met Furi.

She was avoiding the field now where it seemed both of her rivals tended to; it was a prime spot, for sure, but not worth the grief it seemed.  Still, the shores to the north held prey, and she wasn't going to write them off entirely just because a few wolves got a little possessive.

She was also digging for crabs in the beach, the action generally bringing back memories of Vlad, if only because of the way he'd mispronounced the word.  Krebs.  Her lips titled up; if she caught one, she'd dedicate it to him as she enjoyed it.  But no krebs seemed to be forthcoming.

She was intent on the ground, so didn't notice the other wolf until she was a fairly short span away.  Her ears shot forward with surprise, but she recovered quickly... no trouble here, just minding my own business.

"Any luck?" She called over, wondering if perhaps the other had already found the prime spot.  Who knew, maybe she'd share.

The voice had startled her and the instant fear that it was one of the sea witch’s members sent russet hackles prickling along her spine, head snapping towards the wanderer while Rose stood to back away. The initial terror fled from her features when she realized this was not one of the Grimnismal wolves, but the obvious uncertainty remained written plainly on her face all the same. “I’m afraid not” she responded, observant eyes tracing over the earthen woman while her nose wiggled at the passing breeze. She smelled of the sea, but then again, everything smelled of the sea around here. 

Rose let out a breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding until now before slinking down to a sitting position, attention shifting back to the plover while she silently left the decision up to the stranger whether or not their conversation continued.

Ah, too bad.  "Me neither," she responded companiably, coming a bit closer so that she could take the other's scent.  When she did, she drew back and frowned.  "You're from Drageda?" she asked, turning a bit more wary.  She didn't know if Thuringwethil had made it open season on her, but now she was going to find out.  There didn't seem to be recognition, but she wasn't taking chances.

Her brow furrowed at the mention of Drageda, chin tilting slightly upwards as Rose pondered on how the sea dweller knew of the cliff side where she resided. “I am” she confirmed, head swinging to the side to stare blankly at the woman who seemed more cautious now than she had been just moments ago. Rose was, for the most part, obviously of what went on outside of Drageda’s borders but even she could tell there was some sort of tension between the her pack and the stranger that stood before her now.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite” she announced after a moment, ears twitching atop her crown while her face remained stoic and unamused. She wasn’t interested in fighting someone else’s battles and had no intention of making a new enemy during her brief getaway, that much she wanted to make clear.

Rosalyn barked out a laugh at her statement, then gestured to her half-healed wounds in illustration.  "Last of your lot I met didn't quite have the same idea."  She said a bit wryly, but then gave a small wink.  She heard a note of truth to the words, and figured if she was gonna jump her, she'd have done so by now.  

"You here for just the crabs?  Or got another reason to be all the way over this way?"  If hunting was going to be a loss, then maybe conversation could at least make this trip out not pointless.  If the girl was a loner, she might have tried to recruit her... their crew could use a few skills to round it out.  But chances were pretty small she'd want to leave the other pack... aside from Rosalyn, she remembered them to be an almost fanatically loyal bunch.  She didn't remember this one though.

A smirk tugged playfully at the corner of her lips, a quiet hmph slipping from the russet kru at the woman’s smooth remark. Those of the cliffside tended to be hotheaded but Rose didn’t believe them to be idiots. They didn’t seem the type to pick fights for no reason so she naturally assumed the scars that laced the stranger’s body were rightfully owed. 

She momentarily considered offering her healing services but the idea fled from her mind before she even had the chance to entertain the idea. “I needed a little vacation after some recent events fucked up my emotions” she answered plainly, attention briefly turning back towards the plover who had finally decided to give up on their meal.

She didn't elaborate on how she had definitely earned their ire, instead choosing to focus on what she said next.  Some trouble then?

"Few things better for fucked up emotions than a walk by the sea.  Cept maybe good company," she said, knowing she was definitely overestimating her own intrusion here.  But she hadn't been chased off yet, so hey, it wasn't completely untrue.

"Ye ever think of running off and becoming a pirate?" She asked, nonchalant enough.  She had already guessed what the answer would be, but it didn't hurt to ask.

Her eyes remained firmly placed upon the sea bird as it hopped around looking for another crab, russet fur tangling in knots while the ocean breeze continued to roll in off the waves. The kru didn’t offer a response to the earthly woman’s first few words, only signaling she had actually been listening at the mention of pirates.

Rose, unlike many of her cliffside companions, hadn’t been raised beside the sea and had no idea what a pirate was. But judging by the casual way the woman asked her question, it sounded like it was a common term to know. “What’s a pirate?” she answered with a question of her own, making it obvious she had in fact not ever dreamed of running away to become whatever a pirate was.

That she wasn't expecting!  "What's a Pirate?  You've never heard the tales?"  Rosalyn tended to genuinely forget that not everyone grew up in a place where such things were common.

She was delighted to be the one to share then.  "A pirate's a wolf that has seawater runnin through their veins.  Sometimes they're pillagers, but sometimes they're just free.  No loyalty to any but their crew, and no expectations cept to treat crew like family."  She grinned.  Her mother had only really told tales of the bad sort; the only kind her homeland had much dealing with.  Still, "It always sounded a bit ideal, when I was younger," she added, though wondering what this girl would make of it.

The story was, interesting to say the least. It sounded like a decent lifestyle, was even enough to cause a mix of curiosity and fascination to cross the russet girl’s features, yet no further questions came, afraid if she learned more she might actually consider running away to join a so called crew. “Sounds nice enough” she answered with a shrug, briefly turning back towards the cliffs as a friendly reminder to herself that she had somewhere to return to. 

“Family can be a bit of a pain though” she hummed, not surprised to hear they had the whole treat everyone like family thing going for them as well. It seemed to be a common reoccurring theme amongst the few packs she’d been in and while the idea certainly sounded pleasing to the ear, it’d also be nice if she could just cut ties when needed because honestly that would make things a whole lot easier for everyone involved.

She didn't lean in on the conversation, so Rosalyn's assumption had been correct... she wasn't questioning her placement among the other things.  She could respect loyalty, even if she hadn't been willing to stick around.

"Aye, though I can't say I have too much experience with it." She had had few in recent years worth deeming such, and they always seemed to vanish in the wind. "Worth it, to have someone at your back, regardless."  She wasn't great at letting others in on her problems, and recent events with Smokestep had shown that he talked a big game of trust, but he wasn't so willing to play either.  The rest of the crew seemed to have their baggage too... family, but a family at arms length.

"Yours causin problems?" She asked, sitting down.  She didn't really care, per say, but others' drama did tend to get her mind off her own, and she loved a good spill.

“Something like that” she shrugged while licking her lips, debating whether or not to go into detail about her problems. Last time Rose had shared what was on her mind she had a whole emotional breakdown and she really didn’t want to go through that again. But, strangely enough, talking with a complete stranger who she didn’t give a damn about made it a whole lot easier for her to find her voice. “She wasn’t family but a friend of mine left recently and I guess I’m not taking it well.”

“I should have expected it since everyone always leaves in the end” she began, glancing out towards the rolling waves “but I kind of hoped she’d be different.” Furi had certainly seemed different but Rose, who had been abandoned one too many times in her life, could never actually fully believe someone would stick around. You either left or were left behind but no matter what the fate was inevitable.

She had a seriously dour outlook for one so young, but Rosalyn couldn't exactly argue with her outlook.  After all, she'd seen much of the same in her own experience.  "They do tend to, don't they?" she agreed conversationally.  "You so sure she isn't coming back?"

Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't.  And usually they didn't for good.  But, conversely, to Rosalyn it always seemed like friends came around more than family did.

Once upon a time she might have been surprised to hear someone agree with her pessimistic views, but the older she gets the more Rose realizes that her story isn't an original one and that others have been abandoned too. "I hope she does, but I mean, if she left she must have left for a reason." At least she hoped there was a reason for Furi to suddenly pack her bags and disappear without any warning.

Even if there wasn't one it didn't really matter, why she left wasn't important after all, it's the fact that she left without saying goodbye that stung the most. "I just hope she's happier now cause I sure as shit don't want to have my heart broken for nothing." Ok, heart broken might be a bit much but it sure feels like that right about now so let's just stick with that.

"Sometimes you gotta clear your head," she said with a shrug.  Though it could be she was gone forever, which, well... happened sometimes.  But it didn't seem like this stranger was interested in running off herself, so getting all feelsy with her would probably be a waste.

"Maybe she is," Rosalyn said, not unkindly, but the statement was probably the bare minimum here.  She didn't have any assurances she wanted to give, though - people left.  "Personally, I think she'd be crazy to go inland.  But I guess some aren't so attached to the shore."

 The conversation stalled after that, and eventually, they parted ways.