Ankyra Sound self-fulfilling prophecy

The sand wasn't as frightening to him if he could keep to the cold patches, and while waiting in the den Reyes watched as the sun shifted overhead or shadows grew long; he hid at the back of the den until absolutely certain that he could tread without issue upon the weak soil, and it wasn't until the early evening that Reyes finally took a chance and tread outside of the safety the den provided. The sand was still warm but not so much that it would spook him; it shifted beneath his paws and he did not like the unstable feeling, but he found that with each step he adapted, until he no longer thought about the unease that the feeling spread through him. He wasn't going far — always remaining within eye-sight of the den mouth, eyes and ears open for any calls from his siblings or his mothers.

Reyes' distaste for the sea that was their living focal point was not lost on his mother.  With how she had loved it all her life, one might have expected her to feel some disappointment, but instead it was simply a source of amusement for her.  How a child so different could have been born of her was interesting, though the idea that he had perhaps more of his father in him was not exactly a pleasant notion for her.

Still, she was good natured about it.  She couldn't blame him - she did not love this place as she once had either.

She was returning from an evening run when she saw a small dark form walking the beach, one that sharpened as she came closer into the familiar shadow of her son.  She paused silently to watch, in plain sight, but didn't move to interrupt him.  She was not a naturally hovering parent, and needed her own space as well.  As they grew older, she worried even less; they had shown themselves to be clever this far.

It would take time for the little miscreant to truly love the sea, if that was ever a possibility. He would try to keep up with the other kids during outings yet remain a faithful guardian to them as well - much as his father might have patrolled the territory and kept the peace, or bludgeoned his way to the top, perhaps Reyes was bound by blood to do the same. His evident interest in the safety of his siblings was what drove him to trek across the sand today; he was not entirely mindless despite his youth, he wanted to discover all he could of the beach just like they did, but in private, so as to hide his inadequacies and avoid their judgement for as long as possible. He scampered along until the sand thinned and the grass took root within the more hardy soil further from the water, and did not notice his mother lurking nearby — intent on burrowing his nose against the dirt and the grass to sniff at it, or to flail with a snap of his teeth at the dry grass that scratched at his face. A few snaps later, and there was a nice crescent of shoulder-height stalks spanning along his reach.

Cameo, feel free to get him involved if you want! Otherwise he's on his way out

The sand was soft beneath the caloused pads of the behemoth. He couldn't feel the warmth they eminated as the hardened skin created a barrier between him and touch of any kind from his toes. Even with the shifting water weighed sand, Vengeance's steps were steady and strong, kicking up tracks as he went with little care for the beauty that surrounded him. The only thing that struck him was the sight of a pup and the woman who he believed to be their mother - only one family was in Rusalka as far as he knew, with young ones like this one. 

As he walked by, letting his gaze fall on the two and back onto the trail ahead.. all he thought was was how delicious that pup looked. A quick snack. Perhaps once he held no use for being in this pack he may entertain that thought, for now, he'd ignore the urge calling within his gut.

Rosalyn was content to hang back until the stranger approached... then she took a protective step forward and eyed him, clear warning written in the look.

She had no clue of his intentions but didn't care; until she'd met him, she'd prefer he keep clear of her children.  It was impossible to police always, with them growing and soon to be more free to wander, but while she was here...

Are you tracking something? She asked quietly, slinking up in an obvious attempt to move quietly.  As though, maybe, she didn't want to scare off his quarry.

The youngster knew nothing about the world, but he knew to trust his mother and when Rosalyn swept in close, he rose up and turned his attention to her. She was watching something far-off and the manner in which she carried herself made Reyes nervous, so he pulled away from the hedge of grass he'd been pruning and drifted by her, nudging at her chin with the crown of his head as he slunk cat-like beneath her; then, as he pirouetted, he looked in the direction she had been staring, but couldn't make out the danger. Her rumbly voice surprised him - his ears pivoted, but he remained silent and sullen, disturbed by the inturruption in his playing.

gonna close all these threads up <3

He was quietly sullen, but Rosalyn wasn't put off by this.  She was hardly bothered by the tempers of the young, and as a mother, she was attentive but also lacked some measure of understanding.  She gave him a smile and a bump with her nose, assuming because he didn't answer he was not hunting.

Come, I'll show you where the birds nest.  They could try and catch one or two, and perhaps his mood would lift with it.