Stavanger Bay Whale Watch

A cold and clear night slowly gave way to a frigid dawn. As the sun rose in the east, fingers of light slowly stole up and over the ridges of Silvertip Mountain, bathing the shoreline beyond in soft golden light. As the radiance crept along the sand and struck the foamy crests rolling onto the beach, it revealed a grisly sight. Overnight, six minke whales had beached themselves. Their lifeless bodies bobbed in the surf, which was tinged red with their blood. The cause of their stranding was unknown, though to the practiced eye, it was clear that all six are were pregnant females.

Offshore, a dark fin cleaved the sea's smooth surface, the blood in the water having drawn at least one unwelcome guest who would prove dangerous to any creature that ventured into the shallows to investigate the rorqual carcasses.

Authored by: Kat (Wildfire)

She'd departed the mountainside and stolen away to the seashore on a whim. In her bout of quiet introspection, her steps brought her to the sandy shorelines of Bay beneath a cold morning's light. While not fully intentional to visit the former lands of many of her comrades, she did not hesitate when its former borderlines skimmed by underfoot, and she proceeded until the waves crashing filled her ears.

The dark Rikudou breathed deep -- sea salt's scent was so distinct, and wholly anticipated. But not alone. Blood stung her senses, even raising itself over the sea itself. She ebbed forward, eyes squinting as her steps turned a touch more tentative. Bodies? Large.. bodies? She watched, uncertain of what she was seeing. Such large beasts, bobbing motionlessly in the bloodied waters, together. Something about the sight certainly inspired hunger.. but a growing trepidation kept her well at bay for the time being. More observation was necessary and she was keen to do so from the sands.

The reeking winds gusted, whipping her furs back against her sinuous frame. She grasped for an understanding, but could only cite the sea's overwhelming power and mystery as cause.

he did not know the word for them, but their scent had drawn him from the borders od donnelaith, where he had been visiting blue willow, with persuasion that she should return unto the plateau once more upon his lips. the thick, salted scent of blood clung to his senses as he emerged onto the sands.

he was not alone, the man soon discovered, but the lithe blackfur went unaddressed as the man stepped to explore the massive bodies of the beasts that had washed ashore. but beneath the heavy smell of blood and fatty tissue there lay a more delicate fragrance.

unpracticed, lasher would not have known that this was the tendril of existence that once tied six whale calves to life within their mothers -- there were twelve dead upon this rimed strand.

he shuddered, backing away and casting a glance toward his silent compatriot. "i cannot tell what manner of creature could slay a beast such as this."

Her muzzle wrinkled and lips lifted to taste the full effect of the scent, she hadn't noticed his come upon them as soon as she might have liked. But, his presence was swiftly established as neutral, and perhaps even for this time on the beach here -- a certain sort of camaraderie drawn from the pursuit of knowledge. She squinted at the massive creatures, puzzled. 

"Something impressive, certainly," she agreed with a pensive weight on her words, and swallowed thoughtfully. Something fierce, cunning, probably fast... and definitely bigger than any land predator she'd ever dealt with. If some beast out here in the vast waters could do this, a meager canine stood no hope. "I wonder if it will come to claim its spoils.." she chuffed. If not, it was a matter of time before scavengers descended on a treasure like this. Never had she laid eye upon a kill so mighty that it was downright suspicious.

he moved his tail once -- the scent of his compatriot grew more familiar, and he gleaned her name from the collected chaff of his memory: "amekaze, of the sunspire." lasher smiled toward the woman, but his attentions turned to the whales once more.

"if it killed them in the ocean, perhaps it will be unable to walk the land, despite its obvious breadth." it would be the only hope of the earthen creatures, for if such a massive creature had dual abilities, he did not know how they would be able to stand against it.

Recognition on his part prompted a soft nod. "Formerly of the Sunspire.." she corrected in good humor. She twitched her tail. "Of Moonspear, now." After, she watched his expression, curious to see if it registered as familiar as well. How far had word spread? The Sunspire had always seemed to stay hidden so she'd never expect news of their absence to get around quickly. This was a good test of it and after all, she did hold the Plateau and its wolves in an esteem few could ever hope to gain of her.. even with her fellow alpha's sour spot for them.

"Most likely," she agreed. A reasonable hypothesis considering she'd seen so few creatures transitioned from sea to earth in all her years here. "So very few can go both places, and for good reason." Nature had likely needed to specialize fiercely in order to make for a powerful ocean-dwelling predator. Just as she, or any other inhabitant of the top of the terrestrial food chain, would fail miserably hunting under the waves.

 She still had many questions -- chiefly, what killed with such abandon then just let its spoils wash ashore like this? But such was the ocean itself. The mystery of it simultaneously unnerved and fascinated her in a very precise way. "Have you tasted sea beasts like those before?" she asked, curious. Despite her brief stint as a beach scavenger, her experience was mainly with smaller finds, although she wondered if it was similar to sea lion.

"moonspear." he did not know the name, or rather, had not. but he had recently seen junior's sister there -- that was how he preferred to think of the girl, rather than as the daughter of fox or peregrine. "i am acquainted with wildfire, who moved from the caldera to moonspear. it sounds a lovely place."

she spoke with a singular intention beneath her words, and he hummed beneath his breath. "never. i am from far inland, the plateau of blacktailed deer, and very seldom do i come to the saltwater." as he spoke, however, he was inching forward. the six whales were quite dead, of that lasher was certain, but his concern was for the reappearance of that which had slain them.

Tiamat only watched the wolves in conversation for a short time. The wind blew wildly in her ears; it did not permit her to here them over its complaining strain, and so she cupped them backward. Her head was set squarely beneath her shoulders, whiskers tickling the sand as her attention fell to the beached beasts that were her favorite meal. It seemed these two had no interest in it, and so Tiamat approached slowly from behind, though angled herself outward so as to circle and not be missed by their eyes. Her own had studied the water for some measure of time; there was no point in trying to garner what they said from afar, better to see if there was any other culprit in this besides the pods stupidity and the oceans decree.

Visibly, there was certainly one dorsal slicing through the water to feed. Certainly if she delayed, more would come to claim the carcasses; there was plenty, and there was blood. If the sharks ate it, they were her subjects of test... and the other continued to swim near its victim and not bob itself. Self preservation was typically one of her foremost qualities, but there was a feast before her, and although she could never feel pangs of hunger Tiamat knew better than to presume she wasn't. It had been some days since she had a meal of substance.

Still...

Tiamat moved near to them, tail flicking behind her. She set herself apart from them; even if they smelled different, they could be old friends. Thinking of taking a dip? Came her query, and as her gaze panned back to the water, she hummed out a dark: I wouldn't recommend it. One ear was toward them, the other toward the water as she surveyed it.