had tzila bothered to look to her far left, she might have spotted the unusual sight of sand flying a short distance away. astaroth, completely oblivious to the nightwalker's presence, was shoulder deep in the sand. he had spotted a crab not terribly long ago and had made the childish mistake of playing with his food which consequently earned him a rather nasty pinch on the nose.

now, frustrated and still hungry, he sought his revenge. the crab had buried itself beneath the sand but that didn't stopped the inky ghoul from giving chase. he'd dig to china if it meant killing that vile little pinching machine and trust me when i say, he will kill it.

he'd taken notice of his little audience the moment she'd turned in his direction much thanks to a helpful gust of wind. visibly he paid her no mind, far too engrossed in his hunt to bother sparing her a glance. it was only when she chose to close the short distance between them did he pause for a moment and lift his head to formally acknowledge her.

a smile, toothy and sly, was quickly tossed in her direction before he turned back to his now decently sized hole. he thought, perhaps inappropriately, that it was the perfect size to bury a body in.

he gave a few more minutes at weakly working the ground before he pulled himself up and out of the hole, a quick glance given to admire his work. "was after one of those mean little buggers. red, walks sideways, likes to pinch" he let out as she turned to glimpse at the crashing waves.

"judging by your choice of words, i'm guessing you don't live there anymore" he assumed as he fell to inky haunches, his tail brushing lightly in the sand behind him. "how come?" he questioned, interested in hearing her story so long as she was willing to share.

watching out for the pinchers would have been some pretty useful information about twenty minutes ago. "i'll make sure to keep that in mind for next time", he let out as he picked up a paw to rub against the sore spot on his nose.

his face twisted at her brief explanation, ears swiveling forward when asked of his own former home. "a volcano. you ever see one?" he asked, an idea popping into his mind the moment the words left his mouth. "you know, if all you have are bad memories of the coast, then we should make some new ones...good ones" he suggested with a tilt of his head.

he'd heard of whispers of there being a volcano in these wilds, but this was the first solid evidence he'd gathered since leaving his home. "really!?" he let out, ears swiveled forward to capture the full extent of her story. "must have been neat to watch, or terrifying, depending on where you were". rumors of a volcano's power had been passed on through generations in his bloodline, and he certainly would have wished to be far away whenever the fuming mountain erupted.

a glance to the water stole his attention away from his thoughts, feet moving to the beat of the crashing waves until his ankles were submerged in seawater. "you up for a game?" he suggested with a swish of his tail, a playful grin spread wide across his maw.

"we should!" he replied with earnest at her suggestion to go see the volcano for themselves. seeing an active one had been on his bucket list since the moment he could wander from the den, and the idea that he might actually get to cross that goal off his list was almost more exciting than his suggestion for their game.

"ever play tag?" he asked with an arch of his brow. the childhood game was one he'd play during all hours of the day, even in adulthood. without waiting for a response, he waltzed up and aimed to tap her shoulder with an inky paw before bouncing a few paces back. should she show an interest, he'd turn and bolt back towards the direction of the sea.

he might have misjudged her enthusiasm for games.

he'd expected her to follow, though not with the force that she did. as soon as he glanced in her direction his face lit up with surprise. her eagerness to tag him back was much enjoyed, and he quickly began to leap over the crashing waves to avoid her paws.

unfortunate for him, his footing got swept away by one of the waves and landed him headfirst in the sea. he resurfaced quickly, mouth full of water and eyes squeezed shut as he attempted to shake free his head of any droplets.

he turned to face the sound of her voice, eyes blinking a million times a minute to try and soothe the sting of saltwater. without much warning he swung his muzzle to the side and let the water dribble out of his mouth, a small piece of seaweed yet stuck between his teeth.

he didn't bother with it for now and instead turned back to face his inky companion. "i'm good" he let out, eyes narrow as he tried to focus on the features of her face. playfully, he rose a paw out of the water and aimed to tap it against her nose should she let him. "you're still it", he teased.

"catch me if you can!" he shouted as he turned and booked it for the shoreline, deciding then and there that he he stood a better chance out of the water than he did in it. laughter escaped him with each step, his tail swaying playfully at his backside as the sand began to cling to his soaked paws.

then, rather abruptly, he came to a stop so that he might turn on his heels and face his inky playmate. hoping to tease her yet a little longer, astaroth stuck his tongue from his mouth in a childlike fashion, the mischief clear on his features.  

his face contorted from mischief to regret in a matter of moments, her snarls sending his ears flat against his skull. "wait-" he shouted at her retreating form before taking a few steps in the direction she'd run off in.

he didn't bother to give chase, his attention set on her figure until in vanished completely it the distance. confused, and a bit bitter at the sudden end to their game, astaroth turned and made his way back up the beach, mind desperately trying to figure out what he'd done wrong.