Blackbeak Bluff a riot of stars shaken from their station

set for tomorrow at dawn. tag for visibility <3

while @Rosalyn rested, the jezebel moved foxlike among the grassblades, and then came down the seawind upon her. the birds scattered at the sight of her honeycream withers; erzulie let out her breath in an annoyed huff. the fowl here were mainly adults, capable winged beasts who had no eggs to protect, not so late in the season. their hale and swift nature were making short work of the harlot's already flagging speed, and soon erzulie chose to end her fruitless questing.
the tarblue expanse of dark water far below her spread into gold as the sun began its climb into the heavens. the frigid winds promising ice in their cold throats played 'round her fur as she stared almost unseeingly toward the dawn, for a moment thinking it would not truly arrive.

Helix moves with a surprisingly large crab between her teeth. She’d picked it up on the short span of beach between the sound and the bluff with a bit of struggle. A chunk of skin on her leg has been taken in place of the crab’s life and she’d consider that a win. Her intention is to return to Drageda and offer it to the children but a familiar scent catches her nose and she lifts her head, smelling the air vigorously over that of the salt-laden crab.
 
She hasn’t thought about the two women at their borders since their departure but curious enough, she turns to the right and follows after. A scatter of birds takes to the sky and she watches from a distance, illuminated by the early morning light. The dark woman moves closer with calculated steps and waits to close their space, should she not be welcome.

her melancholy was pierced with the awareness of self, and another. erzulie turned from her contemplation of the sea to see the waiting shadow of a familiar body. drageda; this wolf had been one attending her call outside the great cliffs. but the pair had not been found fit for the fierce pack, and erzulie's chai-tea hackles slowly raised. why was it now that drageda had come again? she supposed they were not far from the claimed land; it only strengthened her decision to leave, move along the sea until she and rosalyn were not disturbed.
"i be leavin' this hunting ground to you, woman," the harlot remarked dryly, approaching on small paws that still ached from time to time. the other carried a wound and a large crab; hunting was unneeded. but for now there was no pain within erzulie, only wariness, and her mismatched gaze was guarded, cold with the wariness she must carry for her own good.

Helix is surprise when the other turns toward her, approaching her and offering her leave. After a moment, the dark wolf lowers the crab to the ground and licks the salt from her lips. “You don’t have to leave. These are not our hunting grounds,” she tells her, assuring that she is in no danger. The cliffs do well enough for suiting their needs, the crab is simply chance and hardly as difficult to hunt as a deer, even if it had gotten a bite out of her.
 
Once, she’d wondered what caused the woman to turn away from their wary offer into their home and though she has them now, will it change anything to know? “Is your friend okay?” she decides to ask, perhaps working her way in from a different angle.

erzulie lifted her chin, the destructive pride that had turned her away from drageda burning again. she need not be told where she might hunt; she merely wanted to quit this one's presence. and yet swiftly the seawolf knew she had become unkind in her thinking, unfair. stifling the barbed words that had sprung to her tongue, the harlot rejoined. "she be healin' all right," erzulie proffered carefully, not wanting to compromise the two of them.
"dat crab fetched you a nip," she observed in a minutely warmer tone, mismatched eyes falling to the place along the drageda wolf's leg where her quarry had striven against her. "i could look at it for you."

Helix nods when the stranger—she can’t remember her name—mentions the other woman. Not having thought much about them since they left, she can’t really say she cared too much, but she’s a little more grounded here in the wilds and doesn’t speak with her teeth first. Luckily, they don’t have to stay on the subject for long as she redirects to the slice from the crab claw. Helix’s venom gaze drops to her leg and she stares at it for a moment, considering the offer.
 
“I guess it should be cleaned,” she said, eyes not drifting from it yet. Likely, it would be fine for the trek back to Drageda but it does sting something angry. “I can pay you with the crab for your help,” she offers, a hint of a smile slipping through her muzzle.

erzulie let out a breath through her nostrils. "i not be needin' payment unless i fuck you," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone, lifting her muzzle to reveal an amused smile wreathing her lips. "come on down wid me to de shoreline." with a glance into the poisonous glimmer of the drageda wolfess' eyes, the harlot set off beyond her, intending that they wend their way to the beach below the cliffs.
the sun gained height as she descended; when the newer salt of waves lapping along the beach struck her nostrils, the seawolf grinned into the teeth of it. "i will nevah leave the sea," she declared, casting a sideways smirk at her companion.

The only thing that changes in her expression is a slight quirk in her eyebrow. Easily, she lowers her head and picks up the crab, trotting along after the other woman. The curiosity she held when they’d been on her borders hadn’t been long lived but she’s hard pressed to deny it now. Helix follows behind the allure of the stranger (what was her name?), only setting the crab down when they’ve come to a stop.
 
“You don’t have to,” she tells her, licking her lips free of the sand plastered back over her lips. “I’m Helix,” she introduces, taking a step closer. Helix had not spoken at the borders, nor given them a chance to feel any more comfortable with the offer (if she had anything at all), but the other hasn’t shunned her presence despite what happened between them and she takes that as a good sign for the time being.

easier said than done, the harlot thought, though what emerged on her dark lips was: "i be erzulie." no surname; a wanderer even when she was not alone. recalling rosalyn fondly to her mind, the harlot mused for a moment on the blessing of the corsair's existence, before returning her attentions to helix.
wading into the shallows, she motioned the drageda wolf closer. if joined, erzulie began to sluice water over the wound with her jaws, lifting mouthfuls gently and letting it run from her lips across the crab-nip. it was perhaps closer than the harlot wished to be, perhaps closer than helix wanted, but she was a healer. and the jetfurred wolfess had agreed to her ministrations.

Helix nods when she introduces herself, thankful for the second chance to learn the name. In the meantime, she falls silent and steps closer to the water. Just as her new companion thinks it, Helix doesn’t want to be this close, this vulnerable to someone on rocky terms but she feels confident enough to have some kind of advantage over Erzulie. Still, she remains quiet while the woman works and helps her clean the slice upon her leg. The salt water stings a bit but she looks down, watching each movement her new… friend? makes.

friends. erzulie might have scoffed had she known the other's thought, but it was out of hurt, her pride having been wounded upon drageda's borders. helix had done nothing directly to deserve the harlot's ire, and that was why she now used the sea to heal. straightening, the wolfess regarded the other, lifting her eyes from the wound.
"if i wrap it, de kelp will only come off, i t'ink," she explained with a vague smile. "but now de risk of infection should have lowered." the two-toned gaze pulled then toward the ocean's breadth; an inhale to draw the salt air.

Helix nods in understanding but doesn’t know what to say. She only knows the basics for healing. What she needs on the battlefield and the like but details beyond that are often taken to the medic. When she returns to Drageda, she’ll keep an eye on it and find Portia or Rose if she needs to but she doesn’t suspect it’ll turn into anything.
 
“Mochof,” she says, but a little more clearly, offers a second “thank you.”

her ears flicked at the unfamiliar word; mochof. "not to worry, helix," erzulie murmurs by way of accepting the gratitude of the drageda wolf. pondering the other's features for a moment, unsure of what next she might say, the harlot turned to face the direction of the seacliffs where the warriors made their home. "how long have you lived dere?"

It is not the first time she has been asked this question but she takes a moment to answer, considering how much information she wishes to give out. It does not hurt much to speak of longevity but is her new companion seeking small, idle chit-chat or is there something more? One ear twitches and she shrugs. “On the cliffs, a moon or so,” she says and licks her lips. “But we do not just reside on the cliffs. There are two other packs further north that our commander leads. Our culture, our language. What of you? Where do you come from?”

three packs. she could not fathom it: a trio of drageda armies. the question was put to her swiftly, and the woman's lips curved. "i had a pack called ironsea, here upon de coast. it is gone now." the bear had undoubtedly gone inland for the winter, but their numbers had scattered. "an' before dat — everywhere. an' nowhere." her past was irrelevant, both to erzulie and any who questioned the chai-tea woman about such things. two-toned eyes glimmered with some inscrutable emotion as she glanced then to helix.

An allure of mystery surrounds the strange woman. She’s been confident her entire life, stern in her choices and decisions, the good and bad, but an odd sort of buzz beckons her to find out more. Helix tightens her jaw and stiffly nods, acknowledging the information and fighting against another question. Invitation sits on the tip of her tongue but she holds back. It’ll be declined and she’ll be embarrassed and she’s done enough of that in this encounter already.
 
“I should head back,” she says, attempting her usual smooth turn of departure but making an awkward shuffle over the crab instead. “You can keep the crab. A gift,” she assures, turning to go.

last post for me! maybe they will meet again <3

erzulie dipped her slim muzzle in acknowledgement; "t'ank you," rolled from her throat. the acid-eyed woman had turned to go, and she watched helix depart with intrigue scampering along the edge of her mind. a coiled spring; drageda lurking in the cliffs.
in time, the woman picked up the gift and returned to her lover.