Stavanger Bay crab city

Set just after Skellige and Smokestep leave. @Moorhen, @Redshank, @Julep, @Isengrim - come play!

She had only been vaguely aware of someone strange entering the den. When the wolf had left, the group was one body short - Smokestep had been taken, and would not return. Sandpiper did not like the idea of change, certainly not when the four of them together had been so whole, and perfect. She tried to follow them out, but her steps were wobbly, and the trip to the mouth of the den was long. By the time she had made it, she was exhausted, and the scent of her brother was long gone, lost in the smoke of the neighbouring forest that was still smouldering. With a sigh of defeat, she threw herself to the ground, unceremoniously sprawled, her back legs kicked out and foggy eyes closing.

Sandpiper did not rest for long. Something alien to her scuttled right past her nose. She opened her eyes just in time to see the strange little creature shimmy back into the sand. Her tail shot straight up, and she crawled over to where she had last seen the crustacean, growling softly in excitement.

The freedom that came with growing up was settling in very well with Julep. The bold fireball had only grown more reckless ever since she'd tasted the sweet outside world, and she would take daring steps further from the rock den every day.

That morning, though, Julep had chosen to stay around just to see which one of the little buggers she could bully, and in due time one of them, the red one specifically, came out in a naiive attempt to catch a crab. But Julep was there to make it impossible, she was always there to make it impossible, and in one swift swing of her --not much-- bigger paws, she flung the crab away from the kid just before her chubby paws could reach it, and sat in place to watch what she'd do next with a sly smile.

The world beyond the den was unimaginably vast, filled with creatures that were Not Wolves, and scents that did not belong to The Den. Her initial instinct was to hunt the scuttling creature, although she did not understand why. Furthermore, she did not know how to achieve such a goal. At best, she could try to follow it, intent on stalking it beyond the mouth of the den.

That was, until something flung the crab aside. Sandpiper blinked, her dark blue eyes still foggy as she learned how to see. She peered about owlishly, before catching sight of her cousin; a creature that she understood to be her littermate, but one did not smell as comforting as her true blood brothers and sister.

That being said, she had no qualms in launching herself at the oversized paw that had knocked her crab toy away. Never one to shy away from a tussle (and often one to instigate them), she lurched forward in attempt to sink her needle-like milk teeth into Julep's paw. She had only recently discovered this wonderful new way of gripping things, and was eager to try it on just about everything in sight.

Her excited growling intensified.

Now, if there was one thing Julep was expecting, was for the little Sandpiper to seek revenge. That was the only fun thing about picking on the little meatballs, really... Otherwise Julep wouldn't even bother. But the fiery Cair hadn't foreseen that Piper had finally learned to use her teeth. In all honesty, she didn't even think that was a possibility, for they would be little forever, wouldn't they? WELL NO JULEP, THEY WILL ONE DAY BE DANGEROUS. As dangerous as their set of needle-like teeth grew, and these were about large enough to pierce through Julep's tender skin and draw blood. "PIPER!" she cried, pulling her paw away in a rough fling. She was mad, and surprised, but mostly mad... Mad enough to push the smaller girl with ill intentions, abusing of her still superior strength.

Her grasp, uncontrolled in her excitement, proved to be exceptional. Would father be proud of me? She had drawn blood for the first time, not wholly by accident. Nonetheless, Julep was considerably bigger still, and the force of her shove was enough to send the speckled pup rolling away. Her mouth parted in surprise, floppy ears flattening further still against her skull, as she tumbled away, out beyond the mouth of the den. She tumbled against stones, rolling slowly to a stop several inches from her cousin. That was not the worst part; she had been raised in a den with several other pups, and was used to being pushed around by others. After all, she was the youngest of all of them, putting her at a disadvantage, if only due to the hierarchy.

No, what frightened her was the sensation of falling so far away from the comfort of the only home she had ever known. This was her first time being pushed right out, her first time tumbling over top of cold stones and rough gravel. Sandpiper sat up, dazed, blinking in the bright sunlight. She had no idea where she was, and no way to measure how far she was from home. After blinking stupidly a few times, she threw back her head and screamed, wailing and crying at the top of her lungs -- which proved to be a surprisingly deafening decibel.