Sea Lion Shores It was as though I'd been spit here

@Araceli


Still within sight of the Isle, Thresher meandered along the shore, recognizing places she had played as a pup on the mainland. With a pang of sadness, she walked past the bleached bones of the whale which had washed up on the shore during a stormy night one night, and she- tossed upon the shore by the same waves which had knocked her off the landbridge- had been near it as its only companion while it had died. It still pained her, for within those bones, still laying in a fairly organized albeit somewhat sand-covered skeleton, lay the memories of the sad eye which had gazed upon her as the whale had slowly stopped breathing. Each long, curved jaw bone lay in place, and the tips of each vertebrae still stuck up out of the ground. The ribs by now had been covered with sand, as well as the rest of its bones, unless they'd been dragged away by the waves. She wished somehow that it could remain untouched, not pulled apart and left hither and to- but that was simply nature's way. 

She stayed with the skeleton, looking out toward the ocean, the island not far off in the distance, and could hear the occasional roar of a sea lion nearby. For the most part, she avoided them; they were meat eaters too, and deserved respect; her mother had told her stories about sea lions, and she knew that they were not to be bothered or hunted. Like the whale, she offered the same sort of respect. Just as she was about to move away from the area, she heard a sharp exhale, above the sound of the waves. Her gaze sharpened, and she turned her dark muzzle toward the ocean once more, just in time to see a spray of water vaporize into the air- followed by another. She smiled. There were whales, still- likely humpback whales, like the one which had washed ashore a year ago. She watched for their small, curved dorsal fins, and called out with a high, endearing howl when one arched its back, and presented its fluke to the sun before diving below the water's surface. Though they were far away, she hoped they would hear, and perhaps answer back, as whales were known to do, occasionally. For the present, they were silent- simply coming to the surface to breathe, often three times- before presenting their fluke and disappearing as they dove below the surface.

The smell of the salt water that came from the ocean flooded the painted she-wolf’s nostrils with an unfamiliar scent as the wind flowed it into her direction. The sand that she felt between her paws was surreal as so was the view that she took in. As she walked along the shoreline the water crept up and then back and wet her paws. The female focused her gaze on the female she saw in the distance and gave a low chuff to announce her presence. “Hello.” She calles out simply.

Having been quite distracted (and contentedly so) by the whales, Thresher did not take notice that there was a wolf approaching her. Her upbringing had led her to believe and feel that she was safe, both on her own and with other wolves, and that those with wicked intentions simply could not- and would not- harm her, due to her own peaceful spirit. Thus, when she was greeted softly, she turned her head and flicked her tufted ears foward in acknowledgement of the greeting, before she turned to face the female. She was a pretty thing- with a coat that reminded her of a young sea lion, mottled with greys and blacks. She smiled fondly in recognition of this similarity, and dipped her own head in a friendly, courteous greeting. 

"Peace be," She responded, her high voice whispery and thin, quiet as always. She tucked her chin to her chest, as though to indicate herself "Am...Thresher," She said, still finding it difficult to introduce herself by speaking her name properly; for her whole life, now, she had more often gone by the affectionate nickname her mother had given her- Treasure- as she too was the soft-spoken sort, and sometimes her words morphed due to the lack of emphasis put into certain sounds. Regardless, it was a nickname she held dear to her heart- and had decided, upon returning to her birthplace, that she would do her best to give others her true name- and reserve her nickname for those who became endeared to her.

The female had introduced herself and gaven her name. It was a strange greeting that she received from the other but it was a nice one so she relaxed her posture a bit. Araceli greeted her friendly with a smile and a swift wag of her tail. “My name is Araceli, it’s a pleasure meeting you.” She looked back at the water and soaked it it’s beautiful view. “It’s amazing isn’t it? The view and the sounds of the waves crashing on the water? I’d love to live here one day.” She looked back at the other. “And you? Where do you hail from?”

The freckled female was quite welcoming of company, it seemed, and also quite enamoured with the view of the ocean. For Thresher, though she'd grown up along the coast, she too could appreciate its power and beauty. She got the feeling that Araceli was not necessarily a sea-wolf like her, and was appreciating the ocean as one would having not experienced its majesty a great deal before in her life. She nodded and smiled, though- she liked it when wolves complimented her beautiful ocean, and took delight in sharing it with those who had never seen it before. 

"Am from the Isle," She said, gesturing toward the island out in the bay, connected to the mainland by a natural landbridge which was still visible with the tide as low as it was. "Is wonderful place to live," She murmured dreamily.

The young female was amazed when the other stated she had lived in the isle. “Really? That’s really cool. The oceans always fascinated me.” She said simply with a smile. She could never see where it ended and sometimes would swim in the water to find out but the creatures of the water always seemed to frighten her right back to the shore. “I bet it is.” She said in response to her last sentence.