The sea stretched out before her eyes, and she could hear it lapping at the beach in its slow crawl up the sand and back again. It would've mystified her months ago, but now... It was just water, coupled with the nasty smell of rotting fish and salt. The girl scoffed at the surf as she strode on by it, her gaze rueful as she peered along the sandbar at the birds coasting on the hot currents. Her gait was slow and steady, with a confident thrust of each leg propelling her forward - as if she had somewhere important to be.

But there was no such place.

When an errant gull chose to drift a bit too close to her, she paused and bared her fangs at it - lifting her lip and letting out a surly warning. The bird shrieked in response but did not leave. Something dropped from the birds location and nearly landed on Khatera's nose - narrowly missing its mark and splattering before her paws - and she recoiled in distaste. The scent of the bird's runny excrement was suddenly full-force in her nostrils.

Ugh, nasty! You piece of shit bird, you almost butt-bombed me! the girl rallied in to the air, her voice carrying above and beyond the roar of the waves. Her face crunched and crinkled as she side-stepped the splodge of white that discolored the stones, and she began to make her way once more up the beach.

She had broken from camp and struck down the shore, her mind preoccupied by woeful little things. The errant creature picked and prodded down the shoreline without purpose, musing to herself her newfound comrades.

She slowed to a halt as she saw down the coast a wolf that strode with the most intent of purpose -- noting how elegant she seemed as she marched along the seaspray. Caiaphas resumed motion, adopting a poorly organized lope in the wolf's direction. A cackle rippled from her muzzle as the wolf fended off a gull and its' 'wares' -- and she slowed down to a walk as she came within reasonable distance.

She said nothing, though a mirthful smirk pressed hotly against her features.

She plotted a course that would take her away from the sea-spray and its inhabitants, with a sneer directed towards the distant scribbles of birds. The offender had casually drifted away from her and now there was nothing but sea, stone, and autumn air to keep her company. The girl snorted to herself and muttered, Yeah, that's right you stupid rat-with-wings, you better run...

Amid her mutterings, Khatera was oblivious to the approaching stranger. She only realized that there were eyes upon her when a flicker of motion caught her attention - but even then, as her gaze settled upon the distant wolf, she wasn't quite sure what she saw. A part of her thought that maybe the gull had indeed heard her idle threat and come back with a flock of well fed friends with which to bombard her with shit. Ugh, that'd be the worst.

But the stranger was decidedly wolf-shaped. Curious - and always eager for the attention of others - Khatera loped closer until there was only a slight gap between them. Had this dark stranger seen her outburst? Hopefully not. Hey there pretty lady- she commented gaily, although for a split second after the words left her mouth Khatera found her tongue tying; she observed the narrow build of the girl, her pointed features, and regretted ever titling her as pretty. -did I disturb your beauty sleep? Clearly this one needs it.

Caiaphas instantly bristled, sensing somewhere in the wolf's tone that she was being patronized by the cavalier female. She jutted her thin chin, her slender muzzle contorted into a grisly sneer. Her right, sundered ear flickered in a gesture of mild indifference, as if the female had not just passively slighted her.

She then offered the blandest of smiles -- one that wholeheartedly reflected her own complaisant opinion. "If I need beauty sleep, then you need hibernation." The bland smile turned wicked and she regarded the straw-blonde and lean creature with disregardful yellow eyes.

Oh, this gal had a tongue on her! The witty response stabbed through the air and Khatera's ears fell back swiftly, as if to avoid the blow. She chuffed a non-committal little noise, as if the comment was ludicrous; too ridiculous to warrant a retort. Really, the golden girl just didn't feel like dealing with such an ugly little woman.

She was urged to investigate the stranger though, and did so in a subtle manner. A side-eyed glance coupled with a lazy batting of her lashes; a sharp inhalation similar to a derisive snort to gather the gawky things scent, and a moment of consideration to see if the scent tested true within her memory. Whoever this wanderer was, she looked like a Tortuga wench — or someone who had somehow escaped the clutches of a crew.

The salty scent of the ocean masked any tell-tale sign of Tortuga, though. This left Khatera looking cautiously over the dark girl in silence - an awkward situation that needed to be ended. You from around here then? Khatera piped up. Her voice had been stripped of its cheery, conversational quality and sounded rather droll now.

Curiously the interminable silence that stretched long and yawning before them before Khatera spoke did not unsettle the angular creature. She proffered a loathsome smirk as the silence bore into them -- and when Khatera spoke her tone lacked the sprightly air it held before.

It pleased Caiaphas greatly that she did not offer a retort. In a slithery, weaselly way, Caiaphas considered this a small victory. She puffed out her chest every so slightly and regarded in the same cool manner Khatera studied her. "No." She answered simply, hoping the succinct reply would spawn another endless lull of silence.

She waited, hoping to see the female fidget in the quiet. After a few moments she spoke again. "You must have a reason for asking that. Where are you from?"

No stated the hag in a flat tone, slicing through the tension that perhaps only Khatera felt (probably because tension always manifested around her). It was an answer but not the one that the girl had hoped for; she wanted information after all, if she were to find a place to stay. Then again, the messy state of this hungry looking thing before her was evidence of a rogue status. This was undoubtedly the wrong person to ask.

Khatera didn't fidget so much as shoot the other wolf a sharp look, and then begin regarding the surrounding area. It was a beach... And that was that. She'd seen plenty of beachfront property already - enough to span a lifetime in her short few weeks with the Tortuga wolves - and so the sand and sea held her attention for only a moment.

Hell, if she'd wanted to live on a beach and get sand in every nook and cranny, she'd have stayed with those pirates.

You must have a reason for asking that. Where are you from? The stranger finally questioned after a pause, and Khatera couldn't prevent a tiny smile from creeping upon her face. If her accent was gone - and perhaps she had shed it for good this time, how grand - then she'd succeeded. The surly manner in which wolves of Toraigh spoke was unbecoming; however, the clipped and backwards manners of the Tortugans was just as foul. Khatera shrugged her shoulders as her only answer. Tit for tat, and all that jazz.

Well, this was turning out to be quite the conversation.

She watched as the female remained quiet -- a wry smirk (one is tempted to call it a smirl) wringing her haggish features. Khatera, an unarguably sharp creature, had met Caiaphas' silence with despondence of her own. If the female was going to play Caiaphas' game, she was in for a surprise -- Caiaphas never played fair.

Most wolves would have likely reacted to silence by moving away or displacing themselves from the situation. Unlike the rest of wolfmanity, Caiaphas thrived when others were uncomfortable -- and with that ugly and insidious smirk still travailing her muzzle she rose and stepped dangerously close to Khatera. She would inch and inch and inch until they were within kiss or kill distance -- face to face with pretty wolf facing scullion coywolf; until they were close enough that each of them could feel the heat of the other's body pulsating through the brine-ridden air.

Her silent response brought about the next great chasm of emptiness; the stranger didn't seem eager to have company and did not continue the conversation, leaving both women in an awkward stand-still. Alrighty then, Khatera thought, and for once did not voice what was on her mind. She was ready to pull away, to depart and leave the wretched girl by her lonesome on the beach - and was starting to do just that - but then Khatera noticed how close Caiaphas was. Her own subtle lean away was directly countered by Caiaphas' lightly quicker lean close, and before Khatera could stop her, she was face-to-breath with the other wolf.

As this was very much unwanted, Khatera recoiled as soon as the abysmal little woman breached Kat's natural limits. She peeled back her upper lip in a very unladylike sneer. The fuck is your problem, Snapped the girl as she attempted to sever the unseen tether pulling Caiaphas closer. Get out of my face you freak. With a few more steps she could be free of this strange situation.

A sharp trill of pleasure escaped her slack jaw -- instantly her eyes were alight with impish satisfaction. The female's reaction was, well, quite customary -- most wolves did not like their comfort breached. Khatera was quick to recoil -- and she even swore! This elicited a throaty gurgle of relish from the wicked girl.

Bemused and most pleased with herself, Caiaphas inched closer -- settling into the sand in the same manner a cat would crouch. "I'm not a freak. I'm Caiaphas." She spoke up suddenly -- as if she were innocent of deliberately attempting to traumatize the stranger.