Gilded Bay sat on the roof and kicked off the moss

Hemlock felt strange leaving @Reed and @Droman behind but she had given them the instructions to keep an eye out - with the new quiet recruit and her young child she felt oddly protective on them and worried for the natural curiosity of the little one. Coelacanth's scent wasn't so heady, so charged, and Hemlock had a feeling that soon there was going to be more for her to do. She would return to the island soon enough but the first day that passed and then the night too had her contemplating so much more than her simple 'mission.' She was self directed to start her cache again and was driven to prepare before the Aralez required anything more than her well wishes. 

Hemlock woke early in the morning with the day just breaking to thoughts of her last time of gathering and seeking a stock with puppies in mind. She had served as Lotte's midwife and had barely managed to keep enough for herself when her own time to whelp came. Now would be different. Along the shores little grew that she was familiar with in her quest to assist the quiet dark wolf in her childbirth but she knew where some places in the Hinterlands might have what she needed. She merely needed to work up the nerves to return to the areas closer to Teaghlaigh and Lotte's final resting place. She doubted she could actually go that close to the Strath and she knew she dared not return to Lotte's grave but as the Stormborn turned away from the lapping waves along the shore and steeled herself again, she promised herself she wasn't going to break apart over those thoughts anymore on this trip. 

@Raven <3

Thank you for starting! Ahhhh it's awesome to thread with you again! <333

Since her ascension to alphaship, Raven's mind had been running in overdrive. She'd been so stressed out by the pressure she felt the title placed on her. Perhaps her expectations of what was required of her as a leader were a little unrealistic, but the position had always been held by individuals she'd felt were so much stronger and bolder than she. Her parents, her aunt and uncle, her younger sister...all of them seemed to be cut from a different cloth than she was. But she couldn't let her packmates sense any instability on her part. After everything they'd been through in recent weeks, they needed to feel like there was a firm hand on the steering wheel. So she put on a brave face and threw herself into it 110%, just like she did anything else, and kept the quiet little meltdowns tucked away for the times when she was alone, in private.

This morning, she had decided to do a little scouting for medicinal plants. Returning to her routine proved to be very relaxing and therapeutic for her, and soon she found herself on the far northern side of the Redhawks' territory. She could smell the ocean air from here, despite the fact that it lay many miles in the distance, and it piqued her curiosity. She had never seen the ocean before, and now that they were this much closer...

Before she knew it, her feet were flying beneath her, carrying her at a speedy clip in a northerly direction, away from her packlands and toward the restless coast. As she ran, the salty tang in the air grew stronger, luring her onward toward the unknown.

- - - - - - - - -

Some hours later -- she knew not how many, but the sun had tracked quite a distance across the sky by then -- she picked her way through the reedy beach grass that swayed in the breeze. The soft roar of the waves pounding the shoreline filled her ears and piqued her curiosity. The soft sand gave way weirdly beneath her paws, and she stumbled every now and then as her feet shifted unexpectedly beneath her. Emerging onto a small dune, she finally beheld -- for the first time in her life -- the ocean.

Her lips parted in awe as she gazed out over the endless blue expanse. She'd never imagined that a body of water could be so huge. Images of Lake Rodney from her homeland flitted across her mind as she thought back to the times she'd looked out over that and thought it to be so vast. It was nothing compared to this. The water's rippling, shifting surface stretched forever into the horizon, and she felt for a moment as if she were looking at the very edge of the world. Mind thoroughly boggled, she gingerly made her way down onto the harder-packed wet sand and edged closer to where the foamy surf lapped and receded. The first time the frigid water kissed her toes, she squeaked and hopped backward, both confounded by the energy with which the water moved and simultaneously thrilled by the wonder of it all.

At first, Hemlock wasn't planning on approaching the darker wolf as they came along the shore. They were ships passing in the night, so to say, and their courses could have continued on without ever exchanging a glance or a word. In many ways Hemlock had become more cagey and scarce since the birth of her children, and although she was (slowly) relearning to trust in others a great deal of who she had been before was gone forever. She was naturally cautious, but even she couldn't help but a quick laugh as the dark wolf yelped in shock at the cold. "It does take time to get used to." Hemlock said good-naturedly, calling out across the sandy expanse.

It was an assumption from the way the others face looked and the vocalization that they'd never encountered the sea before and she could remember the way she had reacted the first time she'd felt it's bitter lapping. So much was different now, and while she still didn't have the taste for fish as a primary meal, she did have a greater appreciation for what the sea was overall. It had become a guardian to her children, for one, and it was a boundary for her pack for another, and it provided unique food and unexpected bounties. She had enough seaweed though and it was never in short supply, so she'd only planned to skirt the area and then head down towards the woods - but she could take her time. There was no rush necessary, after all. 

A little cream-colored sea foam clung to her inky black toes and she kicked her feet to no avail -- it stuck to her like velcro. She sniffed it gingerly, stuck out her tongue and licked it...and made the sourest face as she attempted to spit it out. She'd never tasted anything so salty! A voice carried over to her from somewhere nearby then, and she glanced around briefly until her eyes landed on a gorgeous she-wolf draped in shades of flame, her coat brilliantly aglow in the rays of the sun. For the briefest instant, she thought it was Wildfire -- but that passed quickly as she realized it was someone else entirely.

She barked a laugh and nodded, replying with "I've never...wow!" She looked at the approaching stranger with a grin, tail wagging amiably...and then jumped again as another swell of seawater lapped around her ankles. "I've never seen anything like this before!" she added a little breathlessly, her eyes full of wonder as she looked around.

 

Hemlock had come across the wilds this way; well, Isley had. She had come an entirely different woman since that creature had touched these shores and who she was now paled in comparison to the fire that had filled Isley's soul. She had been a tease then, something sultry, and now she seemed to just be and that was enough. That had to be enough. Her children knew no better and even Ceallach and Eirlys probably didn't remember much of her spirit before. They had been too young. And Tapat, bless him, did he even remember her now at all? 

She gave a little hum as a smile broke almost reluctantly on her face as the darker wolf showed just how enraptured she was with the sea. It had been wonderful to behold, after all the thick greenery of Awenasa, and it was so different she couldn't help but love it. "Until I came here I had never seen such a thing. Now I am surrounded by it." She said with a soft chuckle. "The sea is a constant companion at least, it is predictable." Unlike others, which was nice, and had sort of reaffirmed her belief that she should place her trust in things that couldn't run from her. 

Vaguely she remembered the pack scent that clung to the other wolf, even beneath the brine she could find familiar notes. She wasn't so certain that she'd comment, however, and tried to at least save herself the prospect of tasting her foot in her mouth again. "I am Hemlock Kali, from Undersea." She offered, green eyes shifting from the dark woman towards the lapping sea and it's broken froth and back. It was nice to forget (or ignore, as it was such a welcome distraction) her woes and her goals alike and just take a moment with another soul to enjoy things. 

EDIT 6/3: I just noticed that Hemlock has been placed on PPC. In the interest of wrapping up some of my older threads, I'm going to add an ending to this and fade it out so it can be archived. When you come back off PPC, though, I'd love another thread if you're interested! <3

She listened as the other explained her own thoughts on the sea, and she felt a little tickle of envy. To lay alongside these whispering shores at night, to feel the icy seawater kiss her toes each morning, to smell the briny perfume of the ocean on her children's fur...these were things that appealed to the romantic in her, and she wondered why no one in her family had ever thought to explore and settle somewhere on the coast. Her eyes followed the low waves that surged toward them, rolling to a fizzling hiss around her ankles, and she could understand the hazards such a place might pose -- particularly to puppies. But what did they miss out on in exchange for their inland safety?

Hemlock, she whispered under her breath, thinking it a lovely name. Her golden eyes moved back to her newfound companion as she added an introduction of her own, "I'm Raven Redhawk. My pack recently moved to Heron Lake Plateau, not terribly far from here. I am their alpha." She almost withheld her rank, not wishing to tarnish this chance meeting with formality or intimidation (not that she could imagine anyone looking at her would find her intimidating). But some part of her thought it wise that their neighbors know who she was. "Tell me about your pack, Hemlock?"

The two fell into step beside one another and walked the shoreline for a time after that, getting to know one another while sharing details about their respective packs and their shared interests in botany and medicine. Later that afternoon, Raven would depart to head back home feeling confident that she had made a new friend and forged the beginnings of a positive relationship with another pack in the wilds. She didn't think it was a bad start for a newly-minted alpha.