Dragoncrest Cliffs count all the bees in the hive, chase all the clouds from the sky

Bat's mothers had meant to take her on this field trip themselves, even make a family event of it. Yet with the commander down for the count and Kiwi still missing, they instead asked @Artaax and @Tirgatao to take Bat through Hougeda to the seashore and asked @Dalia if she'd like to go too. Wildfire had been tempted to ground Bat for straying much too far the other day, yet with Kiwi still missing, she just didn't have the heart for it. Besides, she knew the Goufa was already struggling enough with her nomi's debilitation and now Kiwi's absence.

"Stay close and listen to them," Wildfire was saying as she fussed over Bat just outside Hougeda. "I wish we could go with you today. But I've got to get back to nomi, then keep searching for Kiwi." She tried very hard to keep the distress out of her tone. Surely she had just strayed a bit too far and would be delivered safely back home, like her sister, hopefully by the ranger's own hand. "Anyway, they're waiting for you on the far side; just walk straight through the cave to the other end. I love you. So much. Have fun." She kissed the Goufa's forehead and retreated a step.

Bat managed a small smile for her mother, then headed inside the caves. She walked slowly through the dark chamber, toward the two shadows she saw silhouetted up ahead. She was in sort of a glum mood, though she perked up a little when she heard the sound of the distant surf. She had never been allowed to use this exit. As she approached it, Bat's heart began to thump eagerly. When she reached Artaax and Tirgatao, she gave them each an absent nuzzle even as her silver eyes strayed to what lay behind them.

She had to squint against the light, even though it was an overcast day, but when she realized what she was looking at, Bat's heart swooped. With an eager shout, she dug her heels into the sand and made a beeline toward the water. She ignored her older brother's admonishing call behind her, splashing gleefully into the shallows, surprised by the saltiness and the warmth of the choppy waters.

Tag for reference, feel free to hop in or PM me to change anything.  :)

As Dacio continued to pester his sisters despite their wailing and their mother's request that he behave, it was @Dio who drew the short straw. Made restless by his change of routine and scenery in relocating to Hougeda, he was both eager to explore his new surroundings and keen to return to normality. So his father, likely to save himself the heading caused by Sequoia and Opalia's objection to their brother's mischief, made the decision to seperate the trio and moved to lead him away through the caverns.

Dampness hung heavy in the air which initially caused Dacio's nose to wrinkle in distaste, but he was quick to forget the stale scent and padded happily along at the golden Wocha's heels. The darkness didn't bother him either, and his over-sized charcoal ears rotated comically above his head - hungry to catch all the unusual sounds around him. He could hear water dripping somewhere, the clack of his father's claws on the cool stone and, much to his surprise, the echo of his own voice!

"Da!" Dacio barked toward the adult up ahead, grinning with amusement at his latest discovery which, likely, would have Dio regretting his choice to escort his son through the tunnels. "Daaaaad!"

Daylight caused the sterling cub to furrow his brow while he adjusted and, as he quickened his stride to rush ahead, he wagged his dark tail as the whole world seemed to open up for him. A vast beach lay before him and he fixed his stare to the distant shore, where stormy waves rolled gently onto the sand. His gaze was quick to find a familiar form splashing in the water and, suddenly overwhelmed by excitement, Dacio yipped cheerfully and darted out into the open oward Bat with an enthusiastic "hi hi hi!"

She forgot all about her worries and her strife as she splashed about in the surf. The only thing that concerned Bat at present was the way the water stung her eyes. It eventually got so bad that she stopped sloshing and turned toward the adults now stationed just a few yards away, paws steady in the wet sand. "Why's it make my eyes hurt?" the Goufa wondered, wiping at one with a paw, which only made it worse.

"That's the salt," Tirgatao explained with a sympathetic grimace. "Come here. I'll help you clean them. Then you have to be careful not to let it get in your eyes again." She motioned Bat closer. Although the Goufa was reluctant to leave the water, she was more eager to rid herself of the burning sensation.

She plopped in the sand beside Tirgatao and let the woman gently bathe her face with her tongue, all under Artaax's stoic eye. All three of them paused and turned when a voice cried out and Dacio came dashing onto the scene. Eyes feeling a bit better, Bat grinned and jumped to her feet, eagerly wriggling toward her favorite cousin.

"Hi, Cousin Dacio!" she greeted. "Wanna play with me in the water?" she babbled excitedly. "Just don't let it get in your eyes; it stings!" the Goufa warned her playmate before diving back toward the roiling shallows.

His energy seemed endless, though the same could not be said for his concentration. Gaze focussed on the long-legged form of his cousin, Dacio loped right past the adults that stood watch over her and moved in to greet her enthusiastically. "Bat," the boy chirped, easing his pace to a merry trot as she turned toward him with familiar cheer before announcing, "yeah, wanna play!"

He followed her with his scruffy tail flagging, swishing happily through the air as he hurried to catch up. Bat's legs were significanly longer than his and thus she was speedier, but Dacio did not pout at his obvious disadvantage. If anything, it willed him to keep up, and in his eagerness to prove that he could do everything exceptionally well on his own, he paddled directly into the shallows despite the chill against his undersides that caused him to suck in a breath.

"Brrr," he shuddered, blinking up at Bat's mercury eyes in search of an explanation for the cold.

She hadn't thought to warn him about the water's temperature. In fact, it had seemed rather warm to her. But she tossed Dacio a sympathetic grimace at his verbal reaction. "You'll get used to it," she reassured him, tempering an impulse to splash some across his back. It wouldn't have been a mean-spirited move, though it really wasn't Bat's style, all the same.

Instead, she waited patiently for him to adjust even as her silvery eyes scanned the swirling shallows. "Hey," she piped up suddenly, attention riveted on something just below the broiling surface. "I think I see a fishy!" Bat announced excitedly to her young companion, eyes shining in his direction for only a heartbeat before returning to the water. "Yeah! There's a bunch of 'em! Look, Dacio!"

@Bat I are slow. Sorry for delay!

She assured him that he'd get used to the water's bitter temperature, and Dacio lifted his dark muzzle to reveal the warmth of his smile. The littlest Goufa stepped carefully through the shallows to be closer to his cousin, when he felt something bump a hind limb.

Initially, he took little notice of the sensation. It was Bat's excitement in announcing her finding that made Dacio freeze, and his pastel eyes scanned the water's surface in a frantic search for whatever a 'fishy' might be.

Something shimmery caught his attention, and a cold fear of the unknown tightened his chest. With the sand disturbed by their paws, the shallows appeared somewhat clouded and he saw the fish in fleeting moments when sunlight reflected from its scales. "What are they?" Dacio asked, uncertainty causing his voice to waver. "What if they eat us?"

Nah worries. I'm slow too!

"Fishies!" Bat chirped at Dacio's silly question, giving him a playful bap on the shoulder. "They can't eat us, they're so teeny! Even teenier than you!" She grinned indulgently at him, wet tail slinging seawater to and fro as it wagged.

"Anyway," Tirgatao piped up from nearby, "they don't have any teeth. Don't worry, Dacio, they won't hurt you."

"See?" the older Goufa said, her earlier glum mood having evaporated into the brisk sea air. "They're kinda slippy!" she exclaimed in the next moment, weaving her paws through the water and causing some of the tiny schools of fish to sieve between her toes, which in turn elicited a sharp giggle at the strange tickling sensation.

His gaze remained fixed to the murky water before him as Bat repeated that the creatures surrounding them were "fishies", and her assurance that they were smaller than him did little to reassure him. How could she possibly know!? His wide eyes followed the creatures' movements as they swam together, and he swallowed the urge to whimper.

Another's voice from the sands caught his attention, and he regarded her soothing with a sideways cant of a charcoal lobe. Tirgatao supported the other Goufa's claim, and young Dacio let himself breathe again. He inhaled a deep breath, lowering his head so that his muzzle hovered over the rippling surface to have a closer look before mustering a rather awkward smile for Bat.

He wished he could match her confidence, but for the time being he was content to observe her interaction with the tiny fish in quiet wonder.

The little girl was too taken with the adventurousness of it all to notice Dacio's continued reluctance. She giggled again, uncharacteristically loudly, as the fish continued to tickle her toes. Eventually the sensation grew so overwhelming that she slapped the water—likely soaking her younger cousin—and scrambled up onto the sands to plop beside Tirgatao's legs.

Bat made a happy humming noise when the adult began to groom the saltwater from her pelt, though her attention remained on Dacio, wondering if he'd stay in the water or come out after her. She kind of hoped for the latter, if only they could move on to exploring more of this little patch of seascape. Surely there was other neat stuff to see around here, things Tirgatao and Artaax could show them...

With that thought in mind, Bat exhaled and sank to the sand, content to flop for a moment and relish in her usually lackadaisical ways.

Wanna finish up?

Bat's enthusiasm grew and, in her excitement, batted at the fish in the water - splashing young Dacio as a result. He squinted his eyes against the oncoming salt water that spattered on his nose and cheeks, tongue slipping from between his lips to taste the droplets that clung to his whiskers.

When she ventured from the shallows, he chose to follow. The very last thing the ashen Goufa wanted was to be left behind and nibbled on by those shimmery creatures in the water! He turned toward the shore and pulled himself onto the shore, loping clumsily through the sand to close the distance between himself and his cousin - only to be forced into a grooming session of his own.

Downy pelt finally clean, Dacio wriggled free of his father's grasp to pad carefully toward his companion with a happily wagging tail. He flopped onto the beach beside her, aiming a playful nip at her dark cheek.

Shore thing! ;)

She was tempted to nap, despite the lure of adventure. That was just like Bat: nine times out of ten, she would choose sleep over anything else. But even as she settled down on the warm sand, she thought of Kiwi. She swallowed and began to fidget. There was no resting her mind right now.

The restless pup leaped to her feet with an uncharacteristic burst of zeal. "Wanna esplore?!" Bat herself wasn't sure if it was a declaration or a demand. She looked up at the adults, silver eyes beseeching, and smiled when Tirgatao motioned forward.

"Let's go check out one of the tide pools," she said as she began to walk. "Come on, Dacio!" she called, waiting for the pups to gather together and bound ahead before she trotted after them, barking amiable directions as they coasted along the beach.