Dragoncrest Cliffs we’ll go to a place that is safe from greed, anger, and boredom

The sun had barely started to rise over the horizon when Hyacinth woke up. The children thankfully hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night, so he was able to get a full night’s rest. He hoped Zephyr was able to as well.
When he looked to his side, he saw the silver coywolf’s sides gently rise and fall. So too did their son, one of them at least. @Hermes was nowhere to be found. Panic gripped his heart immediately until the boy leaped on top of Zephyr with a smile. And now he feared he’d disrupt his sleep
No, no! Don’t do that-! He reached over to gently grab his son by his scruff. By the look of his pout, Hermes didn’t like that one bit. 
Hyacinth swiped his tongue over his face a few times to try to soothe him, but it didn’t help much. It’s ok, baby, he cooed. Um.. how about you take a morning walk with papa? Hermes was old enough to run up the walls of the den, he was sure a quick walk wouldn’t hurt. His son seemed to take a liking to the idea too, cause as soon as Hyacinth got up he hopped after him.
The two traveled through the wood and towards the shore. Hermes led, eyes wide and dancing everywhere. His “ooo’s” and “aah’s” warmed Hyacinth’s heart.
The two eventually came upon the seaside. Hermes took quite a liking to the warm sand. He leaped through it like a fawn in spring, giggling all the while. Hyacinth joined him. Father and son laughed with one another as they chased eachother across the beach. The rest of the world melted away in that moment. Hyacinth felt featherlight.
That is until he tripped over something.
He could hear Hermes cry ”PAPA!” as he rose back to his feet. Don’t worry. Papa’s ok, he reassured, Papa’s oh—
Something lodged its way into his throat. His eyes grew wide with horror as they locked onto what he’d just stumble on.
”ooooo…” His son’s astonished coo woke Hyacinth from his daze. Hermes, wait! He lept over to stand between Hermes and the dark mass. Don’t- don’t t-touch it, he stammered.
Father and sons golden eyes locked onto someone else’s pair. They were glazed over. It’s dark fur, peppered by lighter brown from its head to its back — her fur — was waterlogged. Her body was untouched by wolf, beast, or disease. And yet she was still dead.
Get back baby. He swallowed the bile that threatened to rise out his body. Hyacinth ushered his son away with his snout. It’s n-not safe. Dangerous.
Oh god.. oh god. Must he always run into fresh bodies like this? Hyacinth didn’t know what to do but call for @Erzulie and @Rosalyn.

sneaking away to the beach unnoticed was no easy feat for normally-timid coraline. she did not like being away from her mothers — but neither did she enjoy being so far from the sea that enchanted her so, or the feeling of being a rather disappointing daughter to the strong and haughty pair of women. mireille made a much better mini-me than she did. the sea-child desperately wished to emulate her sister in this, so rather than ask either of her mothers to accompany her to the beach, she set off on her own with a determined set to her babysoft jaw.

the sea was welcoming, despite the humid nip in the air that promised another imminent drizzle of icy rain. coraline strolled along the sands merrily, fancying herself ruler of the beach for a few blissful moments; fierce and in charge, like her mothers, but without the need to rule over wolves. she would sooner rule the sea, which was much prettier and more interesting than wolves.
if she thought to avoid wolves, however, coraline was terribly wrong. when a call rose for her mothers, she couldn't help but feel compelled to answer. at first, when she saw the dark figure and his small companion hovering near one prone on the sand, she thought little of it aside how unwelcome the intrusion was. the girl approached reluctantly, opened her mouth to inquire after the nature of this strange activity —
and promptly realized something was terribly wrong about this scene. something in the strange contortion of the body in the sand, the lack of warm scent emanating from it. the way the bigger wolf was pushing the smaller one away, as if the one in the sand was dangerous. after a few seconds, a few more feet closer, something clicked in coraline's head. this woman was dead.
she screamed.

ooooo…
Hermes curiosity could not be kept at bay, and he approached the stranger. Who was she? Why was she sleeping in a place like this? Silly!, he thought. She should be taking a nap in a den like his. Certainty not out in the open where she could get in the way of playtime.
He was inches away from the woman when papa told him to wait and suddenly leaped in front of him. The boy whined insistently, but Hyacinth still wouldn’t move out the way.
Then he spoke again. Don’t touch it. The words were hushed and scattered. Hermes had never heard papa sound like this. The unfamiliarity of it made his heart clench.
His eyes went from Hyacinth to the woman. He hadn’t noticed before, but her eyes were just barely open. She was awake.. he thought.. but she had yet to move. 
Hermes looked to his father for reassurance, but he only pushed him away. His little heart began to drum. Hyacinth told him it wasn’t safe. It was dangerous. daygerous? the boy croaked. 
Suddenly a girl he had not noticed until now let out a shrill scream. Hermes let out a scream of his own. All the dread boiled over then, and he began to cry loudly.

hyacinth had never called for her in such a way before.
erzulie looked sharply up from where she had been watching a dark fin dart through the water, far below her perch among the cliffs. and then a glance around for her growing, gangly, running children. the obsidian soon coursed along coraline's trail after the fact, spice-hue legs carrying her with a seawolf's rangy gait down to where a small crowd had gathered.
first the thin scream of one child, and then that of her own child; erzulie growled as she arrived among them, offering a brush to coraline and then another to sobbing hermes;
two-toned eyes flicked forward then, widening with horror at the sea-stained body of a girl, eyes wide and drowned in her sable face. the healer let out a ragged breath, inching forward to investigate with a sniff.
she could scent nothing beyond the sea, and this terrified erzulie with a deep wrench more than she would admit.
"come away, far away," she urged them, voice taking the tone of an order. she would lead them a fair distance from the body and then turn back.
already in her mind the swift quickening thought that her girl and his son, and the both of them, had been exposed to a deleterious, invisible rot. but she did not want to frighten them. "we should bury her," she murmured to hyacinth, though she was disinclined to do anything until her wife and the others arrived. mismatched eyes searched them all. "are you all right?"

Yes, he confirmed with a comforting lick to the forehead. Very dangerous. Hyacinth couldn’t explain how exactly and he didn’t wish to. Not now, nor did he ever. He just needed to focus on leading his son away as quickly as possible.
He paused, however, when he saw a little girl approach. Wait-! The warning came to late. A horrified scream came from her as she set her eyes on the deceased, and that triggered wailing from Hermes. Hyacinth tried to soothe the two with promises that things would be ok, but they seemed to be drowned out by their terror.
He felt as though he had no control over the situation  until Erzulie came. A welcome arrival for sure. He’d breathe a sigh of relief had all his breath not been caught in his throat. 
The woman’s comfort towards Hermes was followed by his own. The combined effort calmed his son somewhat, though he still choked on the occasional sob. It was easier to usher him away.
Hyacinth turned to Erzulie and nodded at her suggestion. To her question he replied I— He briefly glanced at the shaken children. I wish they hadn’t seen it.

posting to keep this moving! <3

she nodded. there was nothing to be done about it, however. 
the woman called for arcelia and clementine to join them there upon the beach. they would be entrusted with the care of the children; after a muttered explanation, she turned back to hyacinth.
"we bury her close to de saltwater." whatever impurities the body might have should be scourged with constant chafing.
a look spared for each poor child, and then the man himself before she turned back to walk toward the body.