Cerulean Cape You can play with me until you’re sick of me

Please let @Ocra post first, but I’m hoping that @Cam can stop by, too. ♥

It was with the desire to see the ocean that Xan had awoken yesterday morning, however iffy his last trip to it had been. Knowing not how to get there from the grove without taking an extremely long route, he’d prodded at Ocra until she awoke and then invited her along with him, hoping that, if he got lost, she’d be able to lead them back to the grove. Without knowing much about her or her internal compass, he wasn’t entirely sure if her presence would actually be helpful, but he’d still not thought about leaving her behind. Instead, he’d traveled with her as they made their way through the valley and then the taiga, the salt in the air having not been detected until the afternoon of the following day.

It had been by coincidence alone that he’d led them into the very same territory that he’d met Maude in, the memory having returned with ease. He thought about it for a moment, then shook his head and focused on the present. As the lead was taken, he’d steered them towards the area he’d attempted to catch a crab in several times before. This time, he’d not tried to chase after any of them, but had instead looked towards Ocra, curious. “Have you ever hunted crabs before?” the yearling asked. Whilst he was interested in getting to know her, that specific question had been asked for only a single, selfish purpose: to see if she might be able to catch one (or several) for him to eat.

Since settling in the grove, Ocra's need for travel had reduced dramatically. She'd enjoy the vagabond life but the unpredictability had gotten tiring quickly. Now that she had other wolves to depend on, and that depended on her, she was much more confident about staying home. So when Xan pestered about traveling to the coast, she'd not been so agreeable at first. It took some persistence and with the idea she was doing some good, she finally agreed.

Every once in a while Ocra would complain and twice she became frustrated with the boy boy and threatened to turn around and go home. But, somehow, they'd made it to the coast and Ocra's eyes widened in surprise. It had only been stories she'd heard of the ocean but seeing it didn't compare. The images she'd been described did no justice for what she stood before today.

Not realizing how lost she'd gotten in her approach, she jerked to attention with Xan asked her something. "What? No," she answered after a moment, keeping the fact she didn't even know what a crab was to herself.

Saltwinter had dissolved, Kjalarr and the bitch were gone, to lord-knows-where. She lingered in the Sound, unsure of what to do with herself. She knew nothing of these other packs, only reluctantly remaining in the empty den until she dragged herself out, skirting the coast, lost and empty. Her crew was gone, the only familiar faces left disappeared: Caiaphas with the sea, Kjalarr with the wind. Even if she wanted to track Kja' down...what would he say when she found him?

She forced herself to eat, catching a crab, cracking its shell. She began to slurp down its meat, only for her ears to cock towards a familiar voice. If she were a cat, she might have purred contently at the sound of that boy. But she scooped up the crab in her jaws, walked over to the pair of wolves and dropped the crab at there feet. Dis is a crab, She said, smirking at the red-eyed wolf. She winked, her hips swinging. 'ey dere, sweet'eart. Fancy seein' yew 'ere 'gain.

The sea had captivated him the first time he’d seen it, but he had known what to expect this time around—sort of. It was only his second time having ever visited the coast, and so there were still certain aspects of it that amazed him, but the sea itself hadn’t made as great of an impact. He hadn’t known that it was Ocra’s first time actually seeing the ocean, and so he’d frowned when she hadn’t responded right away. Ever the impatient type, he’d opened his mouth to repeat his question, but was stopped before anything could come out. She hadn’t hunted crabs before, which was pretty disappointing. They had a nice taste, but he’d already discovered that catching them wasn’t easy, so he’d been hoping that she would have had some sort of experience.

Alexander opened his mouth again to say something along the lines of how it sucked that she couldn’t hunt them, but every word planned had needed to be changed thanks to their new guest. He didn’t know her name, nor had he thought to ask back when they’d first met, but he could recognize her effortlessly. The fact that she was there whilst he wasn’t alone had surprised him, and the yearling started to look between the two other wolves before his ears fell back. She wouldn’t say anything, right? Xan could remember having told her not to mention what they’d done to anyone, but couldn’t say that he knew her well enough to be sure that she’d listen. Unsure of what to say next, he began by blurting out, “Yeah, Ocra, that’s a crab. They taste good—you'd like them.” He looked at his pack mate, wondering how she would respond, before turning his attention back towards Maude. “I didn’t expect to find you here,” he admitted, almost as if stumbling across the coastal wolf was some forbidden thing. The Inuk swallowed before reluctantly tearing his gaze away from her form, deciding to look elsewhere as he spoke. “What are you doing here?” Hunting for more than just one crab, he hoped, though he knew he couldn’t properly, uh… trade for any at the moment.

Xan didn’t have a chance to explain before someone else approached and threw something at their feet. She blinked a few times at it and then lifted her head to peer between the two. Had they read her mind? She narrowed her dark eyes and looked at Xan for a moment longer, brushing it off. Perhaps her confusion had been more obvious than she meant it to be but either way, she received her answer. Whatever this was at her feet seemed to be a crab.

However, the next bit caused even more confusion and she shifted her gaze to the other wolf with them that Xan apparently knew. While she knew he was from the teekon area, the fact they were so far away and he still knew someone led her to believe he had for more connections than she’d originally expected. Ocra kept quiet, though, as neither of them thought to introduce the stranger despite Xan having (technically) introduced her. Her ears fell back against her head and she took a step away from the gift in the sand to steel herself a tad closer to her companion.

The wolves seemed surprised and confused to see her, for two different reasons. Her presence had taken the girl off guard, but the albino looked as if he wanted to shove her away, somewhere hidden, to hide his shame. She smirked unabashedly at them, noting how flustered the red-eyed boy was. Shouldn't I be askin' ye dat? She asked, Yer t'one 'ho lives deep inland, not me,

As a step towards him had been taken, the yearling glanced towards his companion, not knowing what to say to her. He couldn’t offer a name for the coastal wolf, and he definitely couldn’t explain how he’d come to know the other, which left him with nothing to share. Swallowing, he dragged his eyes off of Ocra and back onto the unnamed guest, shrugging in response to her question. “So what if I live inland?” he’d thrown back. “You don’t live here, specifically, you live somewhere else along the coast.” Where did she live again? He couldn’t remember anymore. Too much had happened since he’d last visited the sea, and so remembering the location of a nameless stranger had been the least of his worries.

“Why are you here?” he asked again. Afterwards, Xan had tossed another glance towards Ocra, attempting to gauge her reaction. He hadn’t expected to run into someone from the past, and especially not the very same wolf that had, in a way, started his downward spiral. A part of him blamed Maude for all of the confusion that he’d felt since their meeting, which was something that he tried to hold tight to whilst speaking with her, not wanting to risk letting any undesirable information slip.

Given permission to skip Ocra!

He was persistent, strange for knowledge that doesn't really pertain him in the slightest. Maude frowned, knowing that the conversation would go no where if she continued to dodge it. Pack disbanded 'while back, She relented, wondering why such information mattered to him, a landlubber, anyway. He didn't even live near the coast in the slightest. WHY WAS HE HERE ANYWAYFJIEWNJNWJ?! Ye still didn't answer me question, mate,

03.03.17 — Ending added.

Xan shifted his weight from one side to the other, and then back again, impatient and nervous. Though Maude claimed to be a woman, the extra flesh between her legs told a different story. He hadn’t wanted for anyone to know that he’d met with the strange wolf before, and was on edge about what sort of information might be spilled if he lingered for much longer. He did not trust her, not even in the slightest, and so he was momentarily relieved when Ocra dismissed herself. Where she’d gone, the Inuk hadn’t watched to see, having decided that he’d find her later. With his traveling companion gone, his anxieties calmed but didn’t dissipate entirely. Just enough, really, that he’d been able to nod without resembling a chicken.

It was his turn to answer, so he’d said, “I wanted to see the ocean,” but didn’t know why. There was nothing that could have forced him to answer her, so why had he? Shaking his head, he’d tried to clear his mind and focus, which led to him saying, “I think I should go.” It would be better—and far less awkward—if he did.

Rather than waiting for a response, the boy turned and headed off on his way. Eventually, he'd locate his friend and return to the grove with her.