Stavanger Bay let me down to the rest of the world

sandpiper stood against the whipping wind, her muzzle held directly against the squall with the long wisps of her tail bowing starkly away from her lithe frame. the bay had been thoroughly scoured, and no evidence of settlement existed within its wave-washed bones. eventually, they would challenge its empty halls with conquest -- but for now, sandpiper looked over the choppy bay where the grey sea spanned into an endless fog.

it was a cold place, but a place not unlike home. she wondered how her father would feel to learn that they had made it, they had witnessed the frigid depths and swum to the tall spires that marked their end of the gauntlet. sandpiper had completed that task this morning -- bone-tired but proud, she now stared over her dominion with the coldness of a wolf borne of the rough sea.

The shore was bathed in pastels from the setting sun, which was tolerable in its brightness to her. Narcisa had yet to travel this far up the coast and thought it smart to know all the areas around her new home, so here she was, feebly stalking the beach. She was primarily here to familiarize herself with the area but also kept her senses sharp for any signs of food, for her skin still clung ghoulishly to her bones from the lack of nourishment. The harsh wind battered her disturbingly light body, and she nearly feared being toppled over. Still, being in her new home gave her a semblance of hope, as she'd managed to snag a few things to eat in her short time here.

Narcisa stopped to allow her milky pink eyes to scan the surroundings, and they quickly noted another wolf ahead. They were gazing out at the sea, and she glanced that way as well only to see nothing. Perhaps they were deep in thought. She gave a low chuff in greeting, taking a few more steps forwards, though she was still quite a ways away.

Sandpiper only spent a little time studying the swell of the waves before a soft chuff met her ears over the roar of the sea. She pulled both ears back and pulled around, her gaze settling on a wolf splashed by colorless defect. 

immediately Sandpiper assumed there was something wrong with the creature: color had been bled from every aspect of her, even her eyes -- when Sandpiper met her gaze it only reinforced her conclusion. She pulled back and stared rudely, her tail lashing in annoyed confusion: "What the hell is wrong with your eyes?"

Her tone wass accusing,  and she stood defensively over ground as she awaited the freak-of-nature's answer.

Narcisa blinked at the first words that left the vixen's mouth, and the eyes she had so rudely criticized narrowed. They don't have color. You see the blood vessels underneath, so they look pink, She blandly explained while boring her offended eyes into the fiery wolf before her, not appreciating being gawked at. Narcisa quite liked her eyes, thank you very much. (Well, except for their sensitivity, but she could work around it.) Her previous pack's medic had been astounded by them and studied the eyes of other canids just to figure out what caused hers to look the way they did.

She didn't bother saying anything else, tail flicking in slight irritation as she stood still and wondered how this wolf would respond. Most would expect her to have snapped back, and most would have retorted in some way, but Narcisa didn't have the energy, nor was she a fan of conflict. And to be fair, her eyes were quite strange.

they don't have color, the she-wolf stated. no fuckin' shit, sandpiper thought -- that was half the damn reason she had issue with them. what kind of wolf doesn't have color in their eyes? she lifted her muzzle and cast the pale wolf the most scrutinizing of glances -- still entirely unconvinced that there had not been some sort of plague or disease that caused her lack of pigment.

sandpiper froze at the connection - was this contagious? she stepped back, her tail lashing in agitated fashion against her hips not unlike a cat's. "i didn't ask for your life story." she snapped rudely, staring for a moment at those peerless, waxen hues. "i don't want whatever  you have... so... kindly take a hike."

Wow, she thought, impressed at how incredibly and unnecessarily rude this wolf was. Unfortunately for the vixen, Narcisa was as cool as the sea beside them and only gave her an unamused stare, blinking slowly. You asked, I answered, She responded cooly, beginning to step forwards again but giving the fiery wolfess a wide birth. Oh, and it's piebaldism—not contagious, Narcisa added without bothering to spare her a second glance. Paying little mind to the other wolf now that she had passed her, she stopped and rose her snout to the air to sift for any scent of prey. With the wind picked up as it was, perhaps she'd be able to track something.

lmfao i am so sorry sandpiper is such a binch

sandpiper raised her head as the female countered; she made sure the angle of her jaw protected her throat, but kept her posture higher -- instinctively and subconsciously, she was matching the female's height tit for tat in a competitive display of entitled derision. her tail lifted and as the female stepped forward sandpiper pressed the distance with equal steps.

she didn't know what piebaldism was but it sounded suspiciously like a disease. sandpiper prided herself in her brilliant russet coat -- to imagine being infected with whatever terrible sickness plagued this wolf caused her to shudder in disgust. her gaze remained fixed on the wolf as narcisa gave her a wide berth: probably a wise decision, as sandpiper was the type to be chompy if the occasion arose.

"whatever it is, i don't want it on my beach. i didn't stutter when i said take a hike." she growled, stepping hotly after the female as she scented for prey.

I love/hate her so much, lmfao.

Narcisa gave a sigh through her nostrils. Of course she would still be bothered by her mere presence; why wouldn't she be? This wolf seemed like the type to need something to be huffy about. She gave the vixen a momentary sideways glance but no more acknowledgement than that. It didn't matter what she said—it was clear that any words would set this one off.

Narcisa would be lying if she said she weren't irritated, and it was this irritation that rooted her in place, despite not visibly giving the mouthy stranger any attention as she drew her gaze back towards the land beyond the coast. However, if she tried to make a move, Narcisa was ready to react. She kept her chin subtly dipped down to protect her throat, as she didn't trust that the stranger was all talk, though her head was held high as if still mindfully scenting the air.

dw i actually h8 lil sandpaper here, so you are in good company

sandpiper's expression darkened as the wolf remained rooted to the spot -- first she was colorless, was she now witless too? her ears pulled flat against her skull and she jutted her jaw out in a displeased frown. as irritable and nasty as sandpiper could be, she was not usually physical -- most wolves unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end of her vitriol cut bait well before she had to enforce herself. for a moment sandpiper wrestled with what to do: without smokestep here to back her up, she was effectively on her own.

smokestep. she thought about her brother, and what he would do -- which would have been take no shit, from no-one. recalling her brother's take-charge-don't-take-no-for-an-answer attitude reinforced sandpiper's conviction this gal needed to scram -- afterall, stavanger bay was to be theirs' soon, and interlopers would simply not be tolerated.

"i will only say it one more time. you better beat it." she summoned a magnificently deep growl to complement the threat -- and this time, she meant it.

Ah, there was something—her nose caught wind of a potential meal nearby. Groundhog sounded lovely for dinner. She was fortunate enough to not bear witness to the fiery wolf's exaggerated expression, as she was absorbed in more important concerns like filling in her starved frame.

When the noisy stranger yet again felt the need to snap at her and add a growl, Narcisa responded with, So much stress is bad for you. She did not look to her as she spoke, having no desire to. Instead, she began to stalk off away from the coast—more out of hunger than anything, but she also wasn't in the mood to sustain injuries, especially in such a weakened state. Still, she'd bet she could still beat the short female with her skills alone. Unfortunately, it wasn't worth it. Well, whatever; hopefully, she could snag something.

Narcisa stopped suddenly, finally turning to glance at the vibrant wolf. Name's Narcisa, She introduced herself with a smirk and a quirk to her brows as if speaking to a friendly acquaintance. Maybe her cool head in this situation could leave them better off than they started. Probably not, but either way was fine with her. She wouldn't let this wolf get under her skin. If the other wolf's temper would allow it, she'd finally do as she irritatingly demanded and leave the beach.

Sandpiper simply stared back at the female, half expecting some sort of physical recourse. None came, which was probably for the better -- she didn't want to catch whatever disease that was, or explain to Smokestep how her big fat mouth found her in a heap of trouble. 

She lowered her head as the female turned around and supplied a name. None was given in return, though she did follow at a distance to ensure Narcisa's departure.