Sea Lion Shores the rebirth

 

Hemlock was no fool to the times. She was grateful that she was considered malnourished; her underfed figure meant that she would not endure another heat this year. At least it would be beyond surprising and she had no desires to breed again. It was considered an epic failure and if not for her older children her younger would surely have perished. She let out a soft sound as she crossed the sandbar to touch down on the full earth again to start rummaging for herbs. She wasn't a fool and if she were Coelacanth she might have thoughts towards breeding and claiming the lands with her own young. Wasn't that what had been the fate of Teaghlaigh? Arturo had sired his own litters when the pack stood. 

But her litter had become Undersea's - and she trusted them to watch over Droman and Reed while she spent the day combing the shores. Already she had seaweed stretched out on the rocks to dry but she was hoping that she might find something different on the shores that could be useful. It was a guessing game as always if she'd actually find what she and the pack needed - but then, there was no true need yet anyways. 

continuing her abrupt departure from ironsea, sandpiper had headed north -- fording the unknown expanse with a resolved sense of confidence. it would do her good to leave for a bit, to clear her mind -- to get over how bitter she still was about rosalyn. the woman had at least tried to repair their frayed relationship, but sandpiper was having none of it. she was too young and too immature to let go that easily.

she had no earthly idea where she was presently, but as she wandered she caught a fire-kissed form in the distance. it was rare for her to behold a wolf cloaked in similar garments, and curiously she drew nearer. the she-wolf, clad in deep and enriching russet, appeared to be searching -- though for what, sandpiper hardly knew. she looked around them in puzzlement and at length offered a greeting by way of question: "lose something?" she had not caught the seaweed drying on the slabs ahead yet -- had she, she might have started with 'what are you even doing?' first.

 

When another found her combing the shore Hemlock wasn't as wary as she might have been before. Still recovering from months of malnourishment, the botanist wasn't exactly the vision of beauty she might have once been considered. Still, she regarded the stranger with a curious gaze and shook her head. "No; I was hoping to find something useful to start a medical cache for my pack." Regardless of where she was she'd always be the healer first, and Hemlock had every intention of repeating Undersea with her skills. 

"Do you live near here?" Hemlock was curious by nature, and even when she'd lived in the forest there had been a few scattered coastal packs - it seemed just as populated, if not more, now that she had returned to the region. She didn't exactly want to assume but it seemed that very few seemed to enjoy the particular task of battling the sands and sea - and so she made an assumption about the other female. 

sandpiper had remained neutral while she waited for hemlock's attention, and she kept her gaze away from the woman's eyes as she spoke. in truth, the cairn girl knew little about the medic profession -- if you were bleeding, you were probably in trouble... and that, truly, was the extent of sandpiper's education on the matter.

so she was of no help as she cast her gaze around them, briefly scrutinizing the rock-studded area with a roll of her shoulders in a shrug. "oh. that's nice." while hardly contributory to conversation, it was at least polite -- she could have said much worse. hemlock's inquiry, while benign, made sandpiper momentarily stiffen -- should she tell a stranger where she lived? was it safe to be that forthright?

in the end, her big fat mouth won out. "yeah, just down the beach a ways. this is the furthest i've been though. where are we?"