Sea Lion Shores of the ebb and flow

After the glacier, she did find her way to the coast and got what she wanted. It was a simple venture, and one she felt was overdue. Just.. a step back for herself to breath, especially when she had this looming sense that it had to be now or never. She wouldn't go north enough for the cliffs (as she wanted to get back to the mountain soon) but she could spend a day just milling over the beach. While she could afford it. Pretending, maybe for half a second, that it's all easy and right again.

Nevertheless, the weather was mild, especially for autumn, and so far, her travels were relatively peaceful. Of course, she intended to keep her distance from the sea lions, but everything else was fair game as she wanted to see what she could scavenge out here. As she trotted around a tidepool, she enjoyed the tang of the brine on air, and moved on easily.

as she was growing, nüwu gained a greater freedom which she loved dearly, the expansion of her world. the children knew how to safely cross the bridge, and so mama allowed it- and nüwu carefully picked her way across the shores near yuèlóng, constantly careful, watchful. when she came to the shore with the great beasts, the sandy girl made a wide semi-circle around them, not wishing to test her luck at her small age. instead she looked further across the coast- and gaze latching onto a blonde figure by a pool, she made her way steadily toward her at a slow, unalarmed gait, curious as usual.

Occasionally something on the ground would catch her eye and warrant a pause--a stone to turn, a piece of plant-matter, a shell, and whatever else. There was also trace of all manner of other traffic, some new, others old. Not all of it predator, of course. Some of it, she simply couldn't identify and it all fell beneath the general sense of seaside prowling.. exactly as she wanted, if only for a moment.

In the distance, her ears turned up the rising sound of gulls as they took wing again. Further away than that was sea lion ruckus and then, after a good little while of prowling along on her own, she noticed a sandy-colored shape heading her way. She kept true to her own route, aiming to meet--for she may as well. This was the first canine face she had seen in a time.

Opalia noted first how well she was painted much like the scenery, and second, a lingering thought as she got a longer look at her details--her markings, then how young she was. Not much different from Hydra and Dirge's brood. The Drakru felt herself tense with a thought but refused to hang herself on it now. Hei, aulana.. she said smoothly once there were only few lengths left between them. Though she spoke her familiar tongue, it was still clear it was a greeting--hopefully. Her tail swayed softly. The unfamiliar girl smelled of the sea, entirely. A lot like she had at her age. You must live near here, right? she went on to say as her paws stopped, her stance in a quiet strength, but inoffensive--no threat to this beach or its dwellers.

she greeted her in a different language. were nüwu unilingual, she might've told opalia my name is nüwu, not aulana. being a speaker of mandarin and some greek, she took it as a foreign greeting just like 你好. it was easy to assume that much. 

she nodded to the question, i'm from the island, yuèlóng. the sandy girl gestured her dark muzzle to where it sat on the sea, before turning back to her companion, sniffing a few breaths through her nostrils. you smell like, um. minty, and meerkat- she recalled, eyes rolling upward as she thought. are you also from the moonspear? she wondered with a quizzical tilt of her head. that was what meerkat had called it, anyway.

Her ears tipped delicately and she noticed the girl's freckles a bit better. The island, right. It was getting pretty close to here and following the gesture only served to remind her. At any given time, there seemed to be some variety of packs scattered along the coast so this was of no surprise to her. She had heard vaguely of the island sorts from Hydra's doings with them, but Opalia had not gone looking for them.

She didn't know she had any need to, really.

Since she had no reason to withhold, the golden gona answered first with a nod. Sha, I do run with Moonspear now, she replied. Are you friends with those two, then? she went on to mention conversationally (as she was going to get). She still kept a bit of distance with her alpha's youngest litter, but knew Mintaka was one of the friendlier ones of the bunch. Meerkat was hard to miss too but again, Opalia was not close to very many around. Originally, I am from the coast north of here. So sometimes I still like to visit the beach, she provided after a hint of a solemn silence that she didn't want to let drag on, just in case she wondered why she might be here. I'm Opalia. was what she punctuated with.

yes, friends. nüwu agreed. perhaps the others thought their meetings too brief to consider them such, but nüwu would call anyone a friend. opalia shared that she was from further north upon the coast, and the girl's emerald gaze widened slightly. wow, she gasped, i think if i moved away like you, i would miss the beach. clearly opalia did too. when the woman introduced herself, nüwu wagged her tail, i'm nüwu jiang.

The golden gona answered with a soft, slow nod. It's good to have friends on the mountain, she answered, more faraway than intended at first. Maybe she could work with that connection the girl already had to some of Moonspear's affiliated though. It was something, at least, and she felt a hint of tension leave her expression while watching the young wolf back. Opalia tried not to project anything too overly familiar, even with that in mind. A vain thought that felt like an abrupt conclusion so soon: she liked her freckles (they were familiar to her given the many family incidents, reminding her of mom especially) though, and her coat made her think of the beach--not just because they were on one. She looked.. so very suited to what she imagined island life might be. 

Yeah, there is nothing like it, she sighed, trying not to get too nostalgic over sand. I used to wonder if I would ever come back. But, I can always visit at least, she said, finally looking past the young wolf towards the scenery. Do you want to explore some tidepools with me? she offered, matching the light sway to her tail. It was not any kind of intensely promising venture (especially to someone local), but Opalia simply wanted to take in some beach while she was here.

whatever feelings lingered behind opalia's words, nüwu was too oblivious to detect any of them, and only nodded in agreement. opalia also seemed content with her place, but the way she looked out across the shore made nüwu wonder if she spoke the whole truth. still... she had no time to question further, and was instead eager to jump onto the offer of exploring with an eager nod and a wagging of her tail. of course! the little scientist agreed, already scampering towards the nearest pool. mama says you can get all kind of little food in here, nüwu shared, looking down into the waters.

When her suggestion was received with ease, she felt a spark of relief--but nothing about the sandy girl had led her to believe she would be disagreeable to such a notion. In fact, very much the opposite; she was a stranger from the island largely still, and a young one at that, but she was making for easy company. Or maybe Opalia simply wanted to feel this way, here--where she wanted to take a step back, not carry the weight of it all so badly for just a moment. Anything uncomplicated.

Your mama is right, she grinned--a rare glimpse of the gesture, short-lived, but she turned her sights beyond as she walked light across the sands. She stared across the beach, then to the horizon. She had a lot of good memories pouncing little treasures in the small pools. Some early, fleeting glimpses to those times long past. There's all sorts of things to find. Depending when, and where, she imparted, though most of her experiences were based near the northern cliffs. I haven't had any crab to eat in a really long time, so if we manage to find any of those hanging around.. oh, they're done for, she said, teeth clicking with the smirk, and a hint of hope in her mismatched eyes as she now scanned the sands properly.