Sequoia Coast Even if the sun crashes into us

@Caiaphas

All along the coastline was erected a hazy grey curtain of rain, each drop uncertain whether it wanted to freeze or not. The result was a sort of supercooled mist that, upon touching the ground, crystallized. The sand under Kaliska's feet was therefore frigid and unusually solid. The coyote hybrid scarcely noticed the cold, given her paw pads were largely desensitized, but the semi-solidification had forced an exasperated huff more than once when it insisted on holding fast to her feet.

Kaliska's narrow snout lifted to the sky and she blinked against an onslaught of drops. She need only breathe deeply to catch the mingled scents of Caiaphas and Gluskap permeating this stretch of beach. They were strongest in opposite directions, such that the fair Eyjolfur hovered for a moment, unsure. She could rejoin her brother by going south, or she could pursue the faint whiff of her sister in the north.

Deciding at length that her journey would have been a useless waste of time and energy if she went after Gluskap, since he'd been with her to begin with, the sly little coywolf licked water off her lips, shook herself violently, and began journeying swiftly in the direction of a northern, cliff-crowned cove barely visible through the rain.

NI HAO

Gluskap's arrival had caught Caiaphas off guard -- so much that as of late she had doubled her vigil along the strand. The brood's appearance (although a welcome one) had been the last thing in the world the waif had expected -- and it lent an erratic and excitable air to the already galvanic wretch.

And there it was, though she had not counted on it -- the scent of Kaliska sharp and familiar on the lashing wind. Caiaphas shuddered under the veil of pressing cold and rain, and with a cackle set sail along the strand -- a jubilant ay yah yip resounding down the borders. Seeing Kaliska's wiry frame only seemed to escalate the fervor of her gait -- in so that the little grey blur-thing came headlong down the bosk-way to greet her sibling.

Out of the monotonous rain, charging from the direction of the distant cliffs, appeared what seemed to be a floating blob. The curtain swallowed the silver body, leaving only the black cur's head visible, so that Kaliska could have been bearing witness to something truly horrifying. But rather than fleeing at the sight of it, the hybrid began to canter toward it, and only upon realizing that it was moving equally quickly did she allow herself to gallop.

The resulting crash would likely render both Caiaphas and Kaliska temporarily immobile, for there would be no escaping the rattling of their skulls from the impact. This did not deter her from charging directly at her sibling with her fluffy tail moving like a rapid metronome. It was well worth it, she thought. This journey had been a search for Caiaphas, and if nothing else, then smacking head-on into her sibling would account for any trouble Kaliska and Gluskap had been through.

Despite the deluge that hindered her progress across the crisp-frosted sand, Caiaphas felt her stride lengthen wildly -- her angular shoulders opened to full span and her gallop extended to its' full fruition. She was unbalanced, wildly barreling forwards like a swaying boulder -- and so lacking was her control over her momentum she had no time to alter her course as Kaliska rose from the haze to meet her.

The result was a resounding smack of angular bones and coarse fur -- her eyes fell shut as she felt the collision rock her and propel her backwards. The sudden impact would have been laugh worthy were it not for the pain that followed; with a scowl Caiaphas collected herself from whence she had been flung by Kaliska's velocity, and delivered the dark and impish creature a heavy gaze of disapproval. She sat in the cold sand and rubbed a broad paw against a new egg-sized bump on her skull, continuing to sulk outwardly. "Even your re-appearance causes me sizable pain."

As intended, the pair of hybrids collided with a tremendous amount of force. Kaliska richoted backward off Caiaphas, and only as he fell into a heap on the sand did she regret her refusal to redirect her momentum. It could have been a chicken rather than a bone-rattling demolition derby, but then there was little fun in that.

Though every inch of her body protested with aches, she found it in herself to laugh raucously. "Wuss," she jeered playfully, struggling to her feet and finding the impact had left her head spinning. She readjusted her stance several times but couldn't seem to stop from swaying drunkenly. "Where... the hell have you been?" giggled Kaliska, slowly shaking her head but finding no relief. "Gluebreath and I've been looking forever."

Kaliska's familiar laugh incited a strangled chortle from the dark-helmed wretch, though the instant the snicker expelled from her lips she nearly cowered by the painful protest her head issued. Reminded sharply of the egg, Caiaphas rubbed the affected area tenderly.

She watched carefully as the female unsteadily wavered before her -- suspicious of another onslaught, Caiaphas primly righted herself. "I've been here." She answered simply -- a boring answer -- though her ears flew forward at the mention of their brother. Wondering if there was some sort of scheme (or perhaps a family-planned ambush) Caiaphas surveyed her surroundings tensely, looking for the copper-headed male. "Are you guys staying?"

Kaliska nearly snickered when Caiaphas looked around but like her sister, didn't favour the jolt of pain that shot through her head when she snorted. "He's not here," she assured her sibling. Kaliska had lost Gluskap in her travels and not been terribly inclined to find him again. She was fond of her brother, but there was a mischievous allure to being without him. He was boring, anyway, and rarely took part in her games.

"I better be staying," she said, feigning affront. There was, of course, the possibility that she wasn't welcome to, but Kaliska chose to ignore that. She wasn't one to believe she was unwelcome, even when it was painfully clear she wasn't, which wasn't the case here. "I walked way too far on these pretty paws to go back there." Besides, Kaliska had decided somewhere along the way that going back wasn't worth it. Even if she never found Caiaphas, she was determined to find somewhere other than her birthplace.

A wave of relief briefly sparred with the onslaught of head-pain as Kaliska revealed she had no intention of wandering off -- though Caiaphas was quick to try to suppress any visible sign of it. While she had been pleasantly surprised (and briefly pleasantly PAINED) to encounter her sibling again, any visible signal of affection would likely open her to ridicule -- Kaliska was intrepid enough she likely caught on, and Caiaphas quickly looked to the ground.

Gluskap's absence did not worry her -- yet not for the same reasons it did not worry Kaliska. Caiaphas knew the male to be quite strong in both physical attribute and conviction, and imagined he was not far. "Good." She puffed out her chest, eying the female slyly. "There's a pack not far from here."

There in Caiaphas' eyes sparked the briefest hint of gladness, but before Kaliska could pick up on it and turn it into a joke, her sibling had looked away. A knowing smirk stretched the coywolf's lips as she forced herself to stand steady and lift her head. Her nose flared but the only scent she could catch was that of brine; there was nothing to suggest there were wolves in these parts.

Little did Kaliska know that all signs of the pack Caiaphas spoke of were hidden behind walls of cliffs, inaccessible but by one single point.

"I don't smell any pack," she said disbelievingly, shooting her sister a leery look. "Sure you aren't delusional?" Of course Kaliska knew that Caiaphas was sound, at least in her own unusual way. It was meant more as a jest than anything, and it gave away her interest in Caiaphas' sly hints.

She was relieved her emotions had not been detected by her sibling -- what a cruel game that would have been -- and swallowing a sigh she looked up along the strand where the interminable ocean dwelled vast and uninterrupted by shade.

"The pack is beyond the bluffs." She motioned towards the misty cliffs, which were barely discernible in the hazy rain. She collected herself then, rising to her feet in a brisk gesture -- dropping her head then to shake the accumulated water from her pelt. "Follow closely, and don't say anything -- the Alpha is a real dick." She nearly giggled to herself at the new game she had just devised -- and without looking to see if her dear sister had rose to follow her, Caiaphas stalked assuredly to the Sound.

The two would chat amicably for some time -- Caiaphas would (reservedly) show the dark sibling her homeland -- and at length the two would depart ways.