Gilded Bay i don't mean a big reduction in the price of beer

@Death <3

It had been several weeks since she'd left Moonspear, and honestly, if Mintaka hadn't been so interested in seeing absolutely everything they probably would've gotten further than they had. But she'd really enjoyed it so far - exploring and not being watched all the time. The biggest downside was that she was hungrier, but even that was survivable. It wasn't like they were starving or anything, even if she had lost quite a bit of puppy fat in the last few weeks. 

It was cold where they were, likely because of the lack of cover from the brittle wind and the approach into winter. But the mountain had been cold too, so she wasn't going to complain. Silver fur fluffed up against the chill and she shook herself, trotting a bit to keep up with her companion. 

Apparently where they were going was really cool. She just couldn't tell whether it was cool temperature-wise, or objectively cool. 

The hard ground turned soft under her paws, clinging to her fur like mud but not quite. She frowned, pressing her paw harder into the soft ground and making a better print, her tail starting to wag behind her. As they walked, the wind died down and she didn't have to fluff up against it anymore, and there was a weird rushing sound that filled her ears. The smell of salt drifted in on the air. 

"Oh wow!" she breathed, when the expanse of water came into view. The girl picked up the pace and ran down, dodging more rugged terrain and skidding to a halt just before she touched the ocean. "It's huge! This is the ocean?" she asked, spinning around to face the larger wolf, eyes round and excited. "It's so cool!"

He guessed he didn't mind going this slow - is what he thought when they finally reached the ocean. Minty stopping for everything and anything would've been more charming if he wasn't so worried about her former packmates coming after them. He didn't trust her aunt to keep quiet about Minty's whereabouts, not that he trusted anyone. It made him grumpier than usual, though he tried to hide it. Sometimes he succeeded in doing so, like today. He had something special to show her - ten times more interesting than all the things they'd stopped for along the way.

His tail swished calmly as she looked at the ocean. He had about expected this reaction from her. He didn't have eyes for the ocean this time, focused entirely on her. He cracked a smile when she exclaimed, but was quick to hide it. Sure is. He answered, running to keep up with her. Did she even know how to swim?!

He followed her until the edge of the water, not wanting to get in. You're gonna catch a cold. He warned worriedly.

Mintaka didn't share the same fear as her companion. While, yes, it would be bad if they were caught up to, she doubted that Hydra would come looking for her. Surely her mother had better things to do than find her wayward daughter. She had a pack to lead, after all, so Mintaka would be as meticulous as she wanted in her exploration.

Luckily for both of them, Minty did know how to swim. She flounced directly into the water, shocked at how cold it was, and turned back around to look at Almight.

"I won't go under or anything," she assured, tail swishing back and forth. The sand felt different under her feet beneath the water, and there were several small... creatures, crawling next to her feet.

She looked back up at the boy. "What all lives in the ocean?" she asked, trotting back up to stand by him, fur clinging to her belly.

Alright, she'd probably have to suit herself then if she wasn't gonna listen to him. Then he remembered her aunt's warnings and well, he got strangely nervous. What if she really did catch a cold? He knew nothing of healing or perhaps food that would lift a fever... Should probably look into that given it being winter and all.

Uh, probably some dumb ass fish... He answered unsure. What did she think he was, a diplomat? And some gross jelly creatures, they sometimes get stuck on land so they're probably dumb as well. They kinda freaked him out.

Mintaka let out a laugh at his description, animated and genuine. "Fish are pretty dumb," she agreed, figuring that he was probably insulting their actual intelligence rather than just using the phrase arbitrarily. The jelly creatures sounded pretty weird. "We'll have to help them back into the water if we find any." They probably needed water, right? If they were anything like fish. 

She crouched down to nudge one of the sideways-walking creatures that crawled along the sand. "This thing has a hat on, like a snail," she remarked, flipping the poor hermit crab on its back. "Do you know what it's called?"

He cracked a smile at her - it's a wonder the grumpy boy could make her laugh so brightly. It had been easier, just caring for himself, having no one to worry about - yet he much preferred Minty's company than his own. He hadn't felt attached to his mother, his half-brother, his packmates... But Minty had ensnared him quite easily.

Of course Minty was nice enough to want to help out the strange, creepy jelly creatures. You're sure you'd want to touch one of them? They look... unpleasant. He commented unsurely.

As she got distracted, he got a little closer to crouch down and look at the creature she'd found. He'd seen the things before, but he had no idea what they were called if he was being honest. I'd call this one Jerry.

"If they needed help, sure. Why not?" she asked arbitrarily, figuring that she was probably much better equipped to help a jelly creature than most. It didn't matter how unpleasant it was. 

I'd call this one Jerry.

Mintaka's chest warmed. So he was in the habit of naming things, as well. "Then... I'd call this one Barry," she said, touching her nose to the shell of the hermit crab next to Almight's. "I think Barry and Jerry are in love. They're getting married, like, tomorrow." It was something she did often, these stories. Not a lot of people were fans of her playing make-believe, and she wondered if Almight would be one of them. Blue eyes flicked up to the boy. 

"I'm really glad I came with you," she told him genuinely, a small smile on her maw.

She was so nice it hurt to be honest. Almight was a pretty selfish dude and wouldn't dare touch something icky if it meant saving it, but this girl would? Weren't girls like, really scared of getting all dirty? Some guys had told them this, and since they were cool and older than him he was convinced by the truth of their statement.

He let the topic rest as she went on to craft a story around his silly little gag. He chuckled. Objection. He rumbled lowly in a voice he tried to mask as anything but his own, nudging another hermit crab next to Barry and Jerry. 'Cause Terry here is head over heels for Jerry as well. He challenges Barry to a fight to the death! He announced, turning to her with a smile.

Yeah? You havin' a good time?