Cerulean Cape Settled in, into the pocket of a lighthouse on some rocky socket

Thresher remained near the coast, having not found something substantial to take her elsewhere. She pined for a family that might stay with her near the ocean, for a home where she could listen to the waves roll against the shore every minute of every day, heralding the dawn and singing her a lullaby before she went to sleep. It did not seem as though many wolves frequented this area and stayed around for long...Many came and left, but she did not see any sign, in this area, that anyone lived here and it disappointed her. She did not rove very far, of course, and tended to spend her nights sleeping surrounded by the whale's jawbones on the shore, the same whale she had seen beach itself a year ago. She felt comforted giving the whale company and respect, leaning gently against the sun-bleached bones that lay there in the sand, slowly sinking further beneath the soft grains that were blown and tossed over the bones. 

She was probably only ten or fifteen metres from where the waves reached at high tide; it had been quite a storm that had brought the whale that high up on the shoreline, but it seemed as though it had willingly allowed itself to be placed there as it slowly died. It was unusual, then, when she noticed that the waves came within five metres of her chosen resting place during high tide that day, without there being any sign of a storm in sight. She was sensitive to change, but inexperienced enough that she could not read what it meant. She was impressed, and wondered maybe if there wasn't simply a full moon that dragged the waters so high. Regardless, it didn't stress her out terribly. She left to meander along the shoreline, so she could watch and see if the tide would come in any higher that afternoon, which was slightly overcast but otherwise fairly calm.

Perhaps he would have acknowledged the familiarity of everything gnawing at him had he not been in a haze. He was a ghost roaming a coast that he once had been no stranger to. Now everything seemed lost to him. Most everything. He still could achieve basic tasks that did not require much strain on his still battered body. Granted he would likely never fully heal if he kept up his rogue wanderings, roaming to and fro. Drifting.

Then again, would he have ever gazed upon a figure that seemed familiar in a far away manner if he had not roamed? He couldn't put her in a time or place and maybe he was seeing her for someone she wasn't. Just like he had done with the man upon the mountain.

Yet he yearned for company that seemed gentle and calm, even in a place that seemed so busy — crashing waves, birds cawing, other rambunctious sounds. A deep but weak sound vibrated through his throat into the air. It was pitiful really but he hoped it would be enough to draw her attention.

Like with many others she met along the coast, the male she saw in the distance appeared to simple be passing through, drawn to the shore as many others were. His coat was a soft palette of greys with hints of beige and brown, but unlike Thresher, he bore no distinctive markings, and all the colours of his pelt seemed to blend seamlessly into one another. In the distance, she saw him and immediately began to wave her tail in a friendly greeting as they continued toward one another. There was something vague about his gaze, but he was clearly watching her, and she greeted him with a slight dip of her elegant muzzle, and gave him a tender smile. 

"Peace be," She greeted, but as she looked up at him again, she paused, and the feathery tail that had been swinging in a slow, low sway suddenly stopped. She pricked her tufted ears and tilted her head to the side curiously, taking another step closer and leaning toward him, muzzle outstretched as she sniffed the air to catch his scent. She too recognized him, and as soon as she realized that they had indeed met before- not that she was able to recall his name- her tail began to sway again. "Undersea?" She voiced softly, hopeful that he would remember the pack they had both lived in, when she had been very young.

Perhaps he could not remember her nor the exact place she spoke of but he knew the feeling that her words spurred. Warmth in his chest spread as he closed his eyes. Peace... He wheezed softly as his tail mindlessly swayed. Be. He finished the saying weakly, soaking in the emotions it brought before he opened his eyes again. Despite his lack of memory for her or for exactly Undersea (but he could not forget the emotions it brought on, could he?) he welcomed her presence more than he had anticipated.

If she did not stop him, he would aim to draw closer to her before moving to lie on the ground, resting his head near her legs and paws. He was tired and she was a safe beacon somehow. He did not question it or think long about it. Peace be. The male whispered once more as he informally rested at her paws.

There was a tiredness that weighed upon the male, whose physical condition left much to be desired. She wondered what had happened to him, since she had last seen him- who had hurt him, or how he'd gotten this hurt. He did seem to relish her company, and so when he moved forward, she did so too, gracefully sweeping alongside him, placing her forelegs beneath his chin so that he could have something soft to lay his weary head upon, curling her haunches around the arch of his shoulders so that they could lay close together. There was nothing harmful about him- nothing that would make her nervous or flighty, and she was generous with her trust, extending every bit of it to him. 

The sand was warm beneath her, and it was nice to have someone to lay with. She settled her muzzle close to his for a few moments, before she made the decision to nuzzle his brow, to hopefully ease the tension which she could sense gripped his skill in its grasp. She smoothed the ruffled fur of his forehead with her tongue, caressed each ear with the gentleness a mother might use with a young one, before she stopped fussing over him, breathed a content sigh, and lay her muzzle close to his, though she continued to examine his features with her large, doe-like eyes, wondering what his life had been like over the past year.

If he had the energy to, perhaps he would have cried. He did not know that he had needed this. A soft presence, someone's care. But all he could do was stay silent and bask in her care as she smoothed over his fur. The silence welcomed him too. Of course, it was only silent between the two former seawolves. There was still the waves ebbing and flowing. The birds giving protest to something he could not bother with.

Had he been able to pick one thing to remember forever, it would be this feeling. What she had done for him in their short time already spent together was something he was unsure if he could ever repay. Still he found the strength to speak to her once more. Whispered but hoarse came out his words. Thank you.

He seemed to sink against her the way one might sink into powder-fine sand, and she relaxed against him, keeping him shielded in part from any breeze that might buffet his shoulder with her body. Her tan and creme fur mingled with the grey fur along his shoulder, though her petite form couldn't embrace his completely, as she was a fair bit smaller than him in size, and had a short, boxy frame which was not nearly the length it would need to be to completely shelter his side from the wind. 

It wasn't too cold anyway, though, and for someone as tired as he was, he was warm enough to her. He thanked her with a voice that was tired and rough, and she wondered if he'd had enough water to drink recently. There wasn't much she could do about that, aside from lead him to a water source, but he seemed content to stay where he was for the time being. She nuzzled his cheek gently, careful of the scratches that split the fur there. "Welcome," She murmured softly. "Hunger?" She peeped softly, and gazed up at him with her puppyish gaze, her tail wriggling softly against the sand at his side. She would happily find him something to eat if he needed it.

The one word seemed to put some life into him, head carefully raising from his comfortable position. Very. He rumbled in response. Perhaps he had not realized it until this moment. Now that safety and comfort were more achievable his most basic needs seemed to come to the forefront to his mind. Let me help. Please. It was a weak demand, more of a plea than anything else truly. He knew at his core that if she told him no or ushered him to stay put he would be unable to put up much of a fight. Not against her, not against his own body's desire to stay put for a few moments. There was no denying his foolish readiness though as his muscles achingly tensed for action.

She was pleased to see that she'd awakened something inside him with the mention of food, and it caused her to hope that fixing him up was a distinct possibility. He needed rest, food, water, and probably some shelter too- somewhere comfortable to sleep, and she reckoned he would be much better off if not left by himself. She, being as lonely as she was, simply settled easily into the position of his caretaker, as empathy came as easily to her as breathing did. 

She wasn't sure what to make of his offer to help- She sat up and gazed down at him at first with concern, and then with kind amusement. She gently nuzzled the top of his muzzle, and gave one of his ears a lick. "Can stay here," She said amicably, more to reassure him than command him. "Will eat crab?" She asked, pricking her ears so that the tufted tips nearly crossed over her fine forehead. She hoped that would at least reassure him that she wouldn't be going far- likely within eyesight, poking along the rocks of the shoreline to see if she could find anything hiding there. Hunting crabs did not take much effort...They weren't a terribly substantial meal, but perhaps she could find something else for him to eat while she looked for those.

The tension in his muscles melted away at her words. He would not budge, would not plead to be helpful because in reality he would likely only slow down her search for something edible. Nor would he be very good in an actual hunt. He'd be able to scare off any prey better than he'd be able to catch any. So silently he settled back down, head settling on his legs as he gaze up at her sitting form.

Yes. He answered in a hushed voice. The male didn't wish to admit that he would eat anything at this point. Even the marrow of a bone sounded appetizing to him in this moment. I'll stay put. He assured her.

Thresher smiled, appeased that he would be content to stay where he was, perhaps because he knew she wasn't going far, and he could keep an eye her- and her on him- while she scavenged along the shoreline. As soon as she left him, she had to frown, though; the tide had come in much further than normal, which meant that it passed by the usual, large beach rocks where she could have easily found a crab hiding in a little tide pool. Now, though, she had to wade into the waves which at their highest came up to her chest, and at their lowest, ebbed down to her ankles. This was going to be more difficult than she'd imagined, but she knew she had to try. 

She skirted several large boulders, but saw no sign of anything. She scrabbled at the base of the rocks with her forepaws a few times, but saw no sign of anything which would normally be there- no starfish, no crabs, not even little hermit crabs. She wasn't pleased with this, but continued to search along the shore, visiting area which seemed to be favourite hiding places for crustaceans- but only when the tide wasn't this abnormally high. There was no turmoil in the waters- no rip tide or undertow, though she knew what to look for and avoid in those cases, but it was very odd for the water to have risen this high, when it had been normal only yesterday. 

Eventually, after muddling about, she was able to find one decently-sized starfish, which was easily enough plucked from the sandy beach below the water's surface and set on the shoreline while she continued her search, and a crab which was struggling to make its way along the sad with the waters as deep as they were. This fellow- unlike all the others, it seemed, had misjudged the tides. She carried it out of the water and over to where she'd placed the starfish, which had moved a grand total of four centimetres since she'd left it there. She hastily disposed of the crab's pincers, and cracked down on its main shell with her teeth to make it easier for her former packmate to pick apart before she brought the crab and then the starfish over to him. 

She hummed a slightly disappointed note. "Is not good. Tide is...very high," She said, casting her gaze out toward the ocean, as though to question it. "Very strange," She commented simply, feeling bad that she wasn't able to supply him with more food. "Can hunt again in low tide. Check tide pools," She offered optimistically, as she settled down beside him.

Had she brought more back, he might have gorged himself to death. When the cracked crab was placed before him he greedily attempted to devour it. Teeth gnashing against the hard shell that hid the meat from him. Eventually he cracked it even further to the point where he could unmannerly slurp it from the shell. In that moment he did not know embarrassment, only the burning desire to sate his hunger. Although one crab would not fix his hunger it would certainly help.

But the small feast eventually came to an end and embarrassment did creep into his features. Ears slicked back as he looked over to her. Sorry. He hadn't even acknowledged her former words or said thank you before he had devoured the crustacean. Awkwardly he nosed the starfish she had brought back with her. What's this? He could not recall having seen one before or knowing the edibleness of it.

Thresher was impressed, albeit a bit intimidated, by the way he ate the crab, mangling it rather than carefully pulling back the bits of shell she'd already cracked for him so that he could eat the crab's insides. She worried he might swallow a bit of shell, which would be very sharp and dangerous as it wasn't likely very digestable. Nevertheless, he seemed grateful for the meal, and she simply smiled at him when he apologized. 

The starfish...Well, she didn't feel terribly impressed with the fact that she was resorting to bringing him something like that. She grimaced slightly, and shook her head. "Is not...Great," She said, though that was an understatement. Starfish had an unusual texture, and kind of tasted more like kelp than anything else. "Is all I could find. Don't have to eat it- can wait for tide pools," She reassured him, hoping he wouldn't feel like he had to eat the starfish simply to be polite.

I want to help. He feebly admitted. He did not wish to become completely useless, to depend solely on her to care for him. Despite how helpless he felt he did not wish to be a burden to her with his presence. He would not be useless forever despite what his brain told him. This was only temporary, surely. Just need to rest.

He would aim to rest against her side and bury his face somewhere into her fur. With her against him, plush coat and all, he did not mind the cool breeze or the openness to the elements. Unless she wished for them to move elsewhere it seemed as though he was content to rest here until it was time for them to go scavenge.

It was nice that he was willing to accept her help, but reassuring too that he didn't want to depend on her fully, and wanted to work as a team. She smiled and nodded as he insisted that he pitch in, and she knew that checking the tide pools for food would be an easy task that they could both handle. He didn't seem terribly interested in the starfish, and she couldn't blame him. He seemed more keen on waiting, which was fine for her- and he moved to rest against her again, but she hastily stood up. 

"One minute," She implored, and she gently picked up the starfish- ths slow-moving thing was still alive, after all, and since it wasn't exactly the best thing to eat, she returned it to the water, wading in ankle-deep and setting it back into the ocean where it belonged. There was no sense in simply leaving it to dry up on the beach if her companion was satisfied with waiting a bit longer and finding something more edible. Feeling better, having not wasted another creature's life for no reason, she trotted back to his side and lay beside him again, nosing gently against his cheek. 

"Rest now, friend." She said kindly, this time placing her head on the ground before him and offering for him to use the back of her neck as a pillow, rather than her feet, which were now wet.

last post from me! feel free to archive or reply

He watched with a tired silver gaze as she moved the starfish back to its proper home. She had a kindness he could not think of. Or perhaps she was just more mentally grounded than he was. He could only think one step ahead right now while she seemed to have some sort of bigger picture. She wasn't long though and his thoughts settled into silence. He was quick to take up her offer, resting his head along her neck and shoulders. Peace be. He whispered softly before closing his eyes, quickly drifting off should nothing disrupt him.

Content that Rokig wasn't going anywhere, and that he was comfortable enough, she breathed a happy sigh, bearing the gentle weight of his head on the back of her neck, and hoped he might catch abit of sleep there. She generally slept out on the beach, and it seemed to be a safe enough place, as she had never found anyone along the beaches who intended the least bit of harm. She smiled when he spoke, and interpreted it as a way of saying both 'thank you' and 'good night' so she felt no reason to reply. She simply tapped her tail on the ground a few times, as a happy wag, snuggled against him and closed her eyes to have a nap.