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The past few days had been nothing but non-stop traveling, punctuated by occasional wolf encounters and exhausting hunts. The hunts themselves were never successful due to her lack of experience, and any scrap of food she’d managed to get her fangs on had been rotting leftovers from someone else’s kill, resulting in an extremely thin Andronika. However, with every failed hunt, she was learning, so hopefully she’d catch something eventually… For now though, she was hungry, she was tired, and she looked like a mess. So, when she’d rediscovered that familiar saltwater scent and registered she was near that big body of water again, she turned her sore paws in it’s direction and began heading for the sound, determined to at least get in a bath, if nothing else.

She slowly dragged herself down the incline and eased her paws onto the sand, pausing so as to adjust to the new terrain. The princess had arrived on the coast a while ago and had already felt the world-shaking sensation of shifting grains between her toes, so the sand did not surprise her anymore, but it was still hard to navigate on when she found herself buried a few inches beneath the foreign substance with every step. The grating sand also didn’t feel so good against her travel worn feet, but at least the fading winter temperatures had kept it cool. Still adjusting, she awkwardly loped down towards the shore, each foot lifting higher than normal and kicking up a flurry of sand in its wake. Her awkward trudging returned to a normal lope once she’d stepped onto the wet, hard packed sand near the water, her paws making a delicate trail of prints that would no doubt be washed away by the next wave, and she then began to wade out into the water.

She hadn’t been on the coast long, at least not in comparison to how much time she’d spent in other places, but it was slowly starting to grow on her. Inhaling the salty scent of the sea, feeling the rising and falling tides swirling around her legs, hearing the sounds of the waves crashing onto the shore, and staring wistfully out at the endless expanse of blue before her… Not to mention this sound was neatly tucked between two cliffsides, giving her a tranquil sense of solitude. The entire setup was just incredible therapeutic, and it helped her forget her troubles. Truly, her curious mind still wanted to explore and see what all this land had to offer, but she wouldn’t mind setting up a home on the coast once her thirst for adventure was quenched… For now though, she simply bathed.

Holding her breath and squeezing her eyes shut tight, she plunged her body into the water entirely, soaking herself from head to toe and staying under for a few seconds before jerking back up again, tossing her head back and sending a spray of sea water behind her. Dirt and sand briefly clouded the dark, aquamarine waters around her as the filth fell away from her pelt, but with the constant push and pull of the tides, the murkiness dissipated quickly. She then proceeded to smooth down the damp fur on her body with her nose, getting more meticulous with the grooming.
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After a few clensing licks, the once refreshing coolness of the water began to seep down through the youth's fur, slowly but surely making the water's temperature known. Shudders of discomfort pased through her upon the discovery, coaxing her to cease in her grooming every minute or so to retreat further inland, giving her pelt a good shake and hoping it'd do something to warm her up, but never did. Then, of course, the freezing winds began to rake their icy fingers through her fur, positively chilling Nika to the bone and making her lower lip start to tremble. The water had felt good at first, but now only made her feel as if she might turn into an icicle. With a clean pelt and slightly trembling form, it might be a good idea to exit now...

However, just before she could turn around and flee the frigid waters, an alarming sound met her ears, causing the yearling to freeze in place and perk her dripping ears. The sound mixed so well with the waves crashing onto shore that she almost dismissed it, but instead of fading away like the crashing waves, it proved to be getting progressively louder... closer... It was the sound of sand being tossed up on the beach, and paws lightly slapping against the damp grains: the approach of a stanger.

Having grown a little more familiar with the concept of traveling and meeting fellow travelers, she was not as wary starngers as been upon first entering the Wilds... but she certainly would not greet the wolf with a welcoming smile. Her rigid posture did not slacken, and once deciding there was, in fact, a creature behind her, she was quick to look over her shoulder and pin the other with stern, wary gaze, just slightly twisting her body around to see.

The wolf was an unfamiliar one (as was to be expected) and bore a pelt of pure whites and grays, only faintly tainted by the sand caking their legs. They did not appear aggressive, but she certainly wasn't going to trust the creature just yet... They looked strong too, certainly capable of running her down should they so choose, only further encouraging her suspicion... With the scent of the sea emanating from all around her and clogging her sesnes, she could not tell the wolf's sex by smell alone, but her curious eyes quickly checked the specimen over. Wiith a faint pinprick of heat rising in her cheeks, she could conclude that he was a male.

Her eyes quickly darted back to his.

"Enjoying the show, are we?" Came her flat inquiry, wondering how long he'd been there before she'd become aware of him.
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Towards his playful "maybe", she offered a disaproving "hmph", her eyes narrowing skeptically, then raised her head in a slow, dignified manner and turned completey around so as to properly address this stranger. She feigned a look of disinterest, her eyes now half lidded and a small frown on her face as she looked him over, her head held high in a poised and haughty fashion. Her mannerisms were something akin to a princess staring down a pauper. Of course, in her mind, that wasn't very far off from the truth, but she did want to know a little more about this wolf instead of just wrting him off as "unimportant".

"A bit rude to just watch a lady bathe, don't you think?"

Prhpas it wasn't that rude, all this considered, but him just standing there, watching her in silence did feel like an invsaion of her privacy, even if she couldn't consider the Sound to be her private quarters. It also didn't help his case that he seemed to have no reservations about it; he just cheekily agreed to doing it. Just who did he think he was? No, really, who was he? Did he belong to a pack, or was he just another one of the homeless wanderers she'd been running into? Might he be of high status? Once again, she attempted to pick up his scent, gather a little more information, but the sea still thoruoughly clogged her senses, causing the girl to give an impatient huff. Suppose if she wanted to know, she'd just have to ask. 

She opened her mouth and drew in a breath, ready to ask some of the questions on her mind, but the boy went first, his eyes returning from the distant landscape to fixate on her. She wrinkled her muzzle and jerked her head back, a look of disgust evident on her face. He wanted her to what? "Pardon?" He went on to say the grass would dry her off and get rid of the sand, but that didn't really make much sense to her. She'd just took a bathe to get clean; wouldn't rolling in the grass just get her all dirty again? If she'd botherd to consider his situation, the fact that he was probably a local and knew more about this kind of thing than she did, she would've taken his advice more seriously, but now the girl only dismissed his absurb suggestion. Now that he brought it up though, her pale green eyes did momentarily dart down, observing all the sand that had reclaimed her damp form after stepping back onto the beach. True, she was free of the dirt, leaves, and other foresty materials that had been matted into her fur, but now she had all this sand to worry about. She looked no better than him... No better than before, really, and she smelt like salt. So much for getting clean. Upon meeting this realization, embrassament towards her lack of forethought twisted her stomach and heated her furred face. Why had she not thought of that before...? Now his advice didn't seem so stupid, at least not in comparison to her own choice of action. Still, regardless of how she felt, the humilitation only flashed across her features for a second before her eyes sought him again, the look of false apathy having returned.

He'd muttered something about needing to soak in freshwater, like a warm spring, causing the youth to internally groan. But I don't know where to find any around heeeeere, she internally pouted. Perhaps he would know. He certainly seemed to know better than her... but before she could ask, he flashed her a smile, turned away, and bolted across the sand dunes. Indignation flashed across her features, eyes wideneing and jaw agape. She wasn't finished yet; she didn't say he could leave.

"Hey!" 

Determined to see just where he thought he was going in such a rush, she leaned back on her haunches and took off, aiming to follow the stranger. He could at least give her his name, or his origin, or status, or something! Deep down, the self centered female probably didn't even care that much to know all this, but it was his rude leaving and abandoning her in the middle of a conversation that prompted her to give chase. She would have the last word, thank you very much.

Unfortunately, she was not as experienced on the sand as he was. Whereas he could balance his weight well enough to run at a steady lope, her body sunk deep into the grains with every paw step, and the sand seemed to grab onto her when she tried to leap again, as if she were stuck in a swamp. Her movements were slow, laboured, and far more trouble than he was worth. After a few more awkward strides, the front half of her body sunk in and stayed low as the back end proceed forward, causing her to go face first into the ground. With a muffled yelp, her muzzle dug into the beach and her body dove down, getting partially consumed by the sand. It wasn't anything serious; she wasn't stuck and was perfectly capable of standing up again, but when she did, she gave a low groan of exasperation upon discovering she was now entirely caked by sand, looking like a creature of tan fur verses one of pale silver's, creams, and greys.
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"I'm well aware," came her huffy response, followed by the youth blowing air through her nostrils so as to rid them of the intrusive substance. Had she'd known this would've been the outcome of her galloping across the sand, she would've never tried to get his attention in the first place. Or even chase after him in the first place for that matter. Her cheeks now burned with a mixture of hot frustration and humiliation, only made worse by his calm suggestion to go wash off in the ocean. How silly and stupid she must look to him! Some strange girl first bathing in freezing cold water only to step back onto shore and get dirty again, then go running through the sand and get even more filthy by flying face-first into it, carrying all the grace of a blind, two-legged squirrel! 

Clearly, her chance at a respectable and dignified first impression was lost, so with that in mind, she just gave a long, exasperated sigh and turned herself around, trudging back towards the dark, aquamarine waters with a defeated pout. The waters seemed colder upon the second entry, sending an immediate chill down her spine that triggered a tremlbe in her lips and legs once more, but she ignored it. Maybe it was freezing, but the cold seemed to help calm her ashamed nerves, washing away the humilation like it washed away the sand. Still, even after most of the substance had been cleared from body and the burning feeling had mostly subsided, her irritation was not entirely gone. Was she irritated that she made a fool of herself? Irritated that she couldn't control the world around her like she wanted to? Irritated that she didn't get her way? Who know's. Whatever the case may be, she figured, for all this trouble (a majority of which was mostly just in her head), she was at least getting his name, if nothing else.

She padded back onto the shore now, pausing on the wet, well-packed sand that did not cling to her body so as to shake herself off and get a little drier before walking onto the sand that would cling to her body. Then, she willed herself to drip dry a little before moving forward, and while she waited, she figured now would be the time to throw her inquiry at him. Despite everything, she still fixed him with an intense glare and held herself in a pompous manner, like none of that had even happened.

"Do you have a name, or shall I just refer to you as 'Sand Boy'?" 

The name seemed fitting, since he clearly knew more about the properties of sand than she did, and their encounter had entirely revolved around the pesky substance. 'Course, by that notion, she might as well be Sand Girl.
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Something about the - dare she think it - cute tilt of his head and his insinuation for her to call him 'Man' made something flare in her chest, but she forced it down, along with the smug smile that tempted her lips. Trying to keep her expression as unamused as possible, her half-lidded gaze scanned the male from head to toe and back up again with an arching of her brows, not lingering on certain places like they had last time, but her point made all the same. "No," was her casual, matter-of-fact response.

Perhaps cutting him down made her feel better about her own plights, or maybe some cruel part of her simply enjoyed it. Regardless, she decided she was perfectly satisified with calling him "Sand Boy", and the thought finally forced out a small, cheeky smile.

She wouldn't offer her name unless he asked, seeing how she wasn't so enthusiastic about having her noble title tied to such undignified circumstances, so a change in conversation was in order. Craning her neck so as to see over his shoulder, she steadily rose to her paws and coyly brushed past him, eyes trained on the grass ahead. Of course now she'd take his advice.

"Now what were you saying about grass?"

Her muzzle noticably wrinkled as she plodded across the uneven surface, still disgusted by the sand and envious of Sand Boy's ability to traverse across it with such ease. Was there a trick to it, or did it just come naturally after a while? If the latter, she vaguley wondered how long he'd been here, on the coast.
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Ah, just what she'd thought he'd said. She had heard it the first time he gave his advice, but asked a second time just to change the subject of conversation. She did notice his bark and irritable huffing, plus the way his voice sounded flatter than before, suggesting her comment had gotten to him. Oddly enough, though there was a trace of satisfaction lurking in her heart, spurred by the idea that she could influence others with her words and had more sway that she thought, there was also a bit of... disappointment. As if that somehow wasn't the response she'd wanted... but what else would she expect from saying something like that? Strange, but she was quick to push it aside, not really caring enough to do some in depth analysis of her complicated teenage feelings. Instead, she simply plodded over to the grass patch he gestured to, her gait lightening and becoming just slightly more graceful as the sand lessened.

Once among the green again, she pointed her muzzle down at the grass and stared at it with a slightly disgusted look, realizing now that she didn't really want to roll around in it like some lowly commoner, especially not with him watching. Her eyes even darted back up to Arlo a few times, betraying her inner misgivings about the situation. She'd have to do it though. Even if it wouldn't look so... majestic... she'd much rather roll around in the grass for a minute or two than trot around caked in sand. Giving a sigh of defeat, she lifted her muzzle up and attempted a look of poise and pride, then lowered herself down to the ground, first beginning in a normal lying down position before awkwardly stretching out her legs and slowly rolling onto her side. From there, she pushed further and ended up on her back, forehead pressed to the hard ground and focing her eyes to squeeze shut as she did so, legs tucking in close to her body.

She felt blood rushing to her crown and a sickening sensation that made her feel as if her organs had flipped, and these two feelings of discomfort only aided in evoking embarrasment. She couldn't see Arlo's reaction from this position, but quite frankly, she didn't thing she wanted to. This definitely not the most dignified thing to do... she could hear her mother scoffing in disgust now. Her rolls got quicker, but not by much, and she had turned over to both sides about three times befoe stopping short and lifting her head off the ground, eyes narrowed in an annoyed glare towards the alabastor wolf. "You know you don't have to watch this, either," she barked hotly, her illusion of "better than you" clearly disrupted by her demeaning position.

Though not her favorite thing to do, she did start to feel the sand loosen from her fur, getting brushed away by the small blades of grass that combed through her fur with each roll. Once satisfied with the state of her pelt, she finally rolled completely back onto her belly and stood up, proceeding to shake all remaining debris from her agouti patterned body as a final touch. She looked ruffled and maybe just a little green tinted in some places, but overall a lot cleaner, and she felt cleaner too. After surveying herself with approval, her half lidded gaze found Sand Boy once more.

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Once her eyes had found the boy, she discovered he had put some distance between the two of them, perhaps intent on leaving until her voice caught his attention, causing him to halt and look back. She flinched awkwardly at this, feeling heat suddenly rise beneath her fur upon realizing their business was done here, that she was unnecessarily prolonging the interaction. She'd been upset before, when he'd seemingly just walked off in the middle of a conversation, but that wasn't the case this time. Even she could see that there was nothing else to be said or done here. Her fur was dry and sand free, he probably didn't want to stick around after her biting comments, and for all she knew, he might have somewhere else he needed to be. It was time to depart.

She still stood there, staring him down with a blank expression as the awkward silence stretched, filled only with the sound of waves crashing upon the more distant shore. Nope. Nothing more to ask or say it seemed. Alright then. She cleared her throat and lifted her head haughtily, faking an air of righteousness she didn't feel. "Well, it seems your advice wasn't useless, so..." Incapable of saying "thank you", it seemed that was as close as she'd get. "I'll be taking my leave now." The agouti youth wasted no time in spinning on her heels and trotting off, her gait returning to a somewhat graceful lope now that she was away from the wretched sand. Speaking of...

"Goodbye, Sand Boy," she called over her shoulder with a smirk, feeling it was imperative to get that last jeer in before disappearing. 
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