After resting, the wolfdog had decided to turn himself on the coast. Amoxtli and his sister had found a small area that provided seclusion and some moderate security from the outside elements; a dusty little cavern just on the coast was what had kept them safe and dry. It still dribbled through the moments of silence, but the rolling waves that accompanied the steady droplets inside their hole had been enough to lull the two to sleep. Once morning struck, Oxtli had offered a gentle nuzzle into the crook of his sister’s neck and had set out into the sands in search of gems. On their arrival, he had already come across a peculiar shiny stone that had been buried in the seaweed and had been washed to shore. He’d left it in the cave to keep it safe.
 
The sun was high overhead, beaming down on his thick coat. Feathered ears swiveled back and forth, listening intently to the happenings around him. The mutt did not want to stray too far from @Coelacanth but he could already feel the thirst for exploration in the pit of his gut. And in spite of the devastation that had plundered the land, Oxtli was interested in how far it stretched and how many others were there. The scent of wolves was on the air, but it was faded and did not seem to last long when the Tervuren managed to catch a whiff of it.
 
A noise shattered the thought that had been stuck in his head; the sound of a sharp bark rang towards him, followed by another. His eyes darted wildly in search of what could be making such a sound, only to catch sight of a great wallowing creature in the sands some many yards ahead of where he stood. Amoxtli paused, canted his skull to the left, and peered curiously at the sea lion. It slapped its great fins against the wet parts of the sand, creating a loud cracking noise. Once it had done this, the ocean dweller pulled its head backwards and barked three times. The Corten boy jittered at the sound, lowering his torso towards the earth playfully. Another sea lion emerged from the waters, returning the call of its companion.
 
Without questioning the safety of these creatures, Amoxtli’s willowy figure shot forward until he could have pressed his wet nose against the creature. It turned to him with an expression of shock and began to beat its arms against the sands, kicking up granules and spattering the Corten with them. His mouth curled in a wide grin and he tossed his head back in a show of excitement. The sea lion was not impressed, and bellowed another great bark. The other lion made a remark from his spot in the water.
 
For a moment, the Corten was envious. Even these creatures had a voice. Feeling the spattering of sands against his soot-masked face once more, he watched the sea lion wallow. It turned a pair of beady dark eyes on Oxtli’s figure and lunged its head toward the wolfdog. Surprised, the Tervuren bounced backwards and flagged his tail behind him excitedly. When the sea lion barked once more, Amoxtli parted his mouth and try as he might… the only sound that fell from his inky lips was a raspy and quiet hoof.

It was positively thrilling for the boy to find this creature on the shore and to have it so openly bark at him; his fiery gaze was alight with joy as he bounded around the hapless ocean-dwelling animal. The more that he seemed to toss himself about in the sand, the further it seemed to agitate the lion of the water. Even the other sea lions seemed to grow weary of the bouncing Tervuren and tried to wallow away. Amoxtli could not contain another quiet huff of a bark, hoping to entice the creatures to return to the sands with him and continue their play.
 
Were it not for the soft noise that sounded the presence of his inky sibling, the boy may have continued on his pursuit of the beasts, blissfully unaware of her. Once he turned his muzzle and pointed it in her direction, his fiery gaze lit up with happiness and his mouth parted in a doggish smile that allowed his coral-colored tongue to loll. The calm blue of her gaze was a comfort to him, even in moments when it was not necessary to have her right beside him. Oxtli had never once found himself tired of her companionship, and the Corten boy did not believe that he could. Their lives were so closely interwoven with each other; he was not certain of who he was without his dark counterpart.
 
Not too far away from the two wolfdogs, there was a dark figure. Once the ink and ivory man had caught Amoxtli’s gaze, he flattened his ears to his crown and breathed a quiet breath towards his sister, who had also found the stranger in her sights. Stepping beside her so that his coat brushed faintly to her own, the boy peered questioningly toward his sister first, and then to the dark man who had not yet announced himself. For a fleeting moment, the Tervuren thought perhaps that he had lost his voice too. Drawing his ears forward once more, he held his gaze on the intimidating figure of the dark man and nudged his sister’s neck softly. Perhaps it was she who knew him from somewhere; but he was quick to strike that thought. Judging by the look on his dark sibling’s face, she did not know this man either.
 
Lifting his tail upwards, Amoxtli wagged his rear so swiftly that it caused him to spin in little half circles. He held his head lower to the ground. The land was not claimed, but the Corten was a cautious lad and preferred simply to show that he would favor submission over physical altercation. With an inquisitive look to the male, the boy canted his head to the left and flicked a single ear backwards as if to say who are you, dark stranger? Have you come to speak to the sea lions too?