Stavanger Bay crabs taste better when they can't grab you

currently 59ºF and overcast, late night crab fishing, AW

Evermore does not consider herself a common beachgoer. if anything, this is her first time coming face to face with the waves of blue. but she is no longer sitting atop of the bluffs where she feels protected. now, she is subjecting herself to the wrath of the ocean.

the moon's gentle beams hide due to the dense cloud coverage. it is cold, the water is even colder as it rushes up her legs as she stands in the wake of the tide. thankfully, it is low, exposing the deeper sand and secret wildlife of the bay. evermore notes an alien-like creature crawling out of a hole in the sand, curiously she follows it.

however, the crab does not seem pleased with its visitor and shows evermore its large nose-nippers -- a threat. honey eyes widen in surprise at the little crab's audacity, and with a tentative paw, evermore suddenly flips the shelled creature on its back.

she can feel amusement well within her body as she watches the crab attempt to flip itself back over. due to its failure, evermore decides her entertainment show is over and snatches an arm of the crab within her maw before ripping it off. it is salty, it is new, it is exciting! but that does not stop the other pincher from nabbing her nose in a futile attempt to escape. 

evermore yips out of pain and swats her paw at the craw, attempting to push it off her nose. thankfully, it has a weak grip and falls limp to the ground, back legs kicking as evermore begins to try and disassemble its hard shell.

Another first-time beach visitor sloshed through the surf, marvelling at the feeling of wet sand squishing between her toes. Her steps were already heavier on account of her pregnancy, and now with the sand sucking at every footfall, travel had slowed to a crawling pace. But she couldn't come this far and not touch the ocean, right? She'd be stuck at the Glacier with her new litter soon enough, so she was going to eat up every moment of freedom until that point. 

As Lane was meandering along the shoreline, another wolf came into view. They appeared to be playing in the surf, which looked delightful. Lane would've loved to do the same, if she hadn't been conserving every bit of energy to get herself and this belly full of pups home. Lane closed the distance between herself and the other wolf slowly, her route of travel winding eastward and then north as the coastline pivoted.

fresh crab is salty, saltier than evermore expects. she is taken aback at first when she finally made contact with the meat, though she eats it quickly despite the new flavor. she doesn't consider the experience to be delightful, but her pickings are slim and she would at least have something inside of her.

but when the other woman comes into view, evermore takes notice of the slight belly on her. was she pregnant? normally, any normal wolf would brush it off as rude to ask. but evermore is a curious being and does not exactly know when things are rude to ask or not.

she takes a few steps closer to the woman, just a few so that they are in a better range to hear each other. "shouldn't pregnant women be resting at this hour?" she asks, not in an attempt to be rude, but almost out of concern. not to mention, it gets her an answer to her question about the state of the wolf before her (how clever!). her head cocks to the side, her plumage swings behind her pleasantly, and the tide continues to wash against her legs.

Lane continued up the beach, closing the distance between herself and the other wolf in the bay. Once they were in earshot of one another, the stranger took a few steps forward, looking like she intended to call out. Lane slowed in politeness, although she was pretty sure she already knew what the stranger was about to say. 

Ah, yep, there it was. Right on cue. An unwanted comment/question about her pregnancy, laced with judgement. Lane winced. 

She took a deep breath before she responded, "She should, if that is her desire." In Lane's opinion, it was a more patient and diplomatic response than the nosy woman really deserved... but the last thing she was trying to do was escalate a situation with a stranger, in a strange land, while pregnant. 

Lane turned to the inland horizon line, attempting to judge the distance she might have to travel along the beach before the coastal mountains gave way to the flats of the Taiga. It was a moonless night, thanks to the heavy cloud cover, and the landmarks that Lane use to guide her travel during the day were all but obscured. Another deep breath in, and a long sigh.

evermore smiled at the other's response, it kind of had the vibe of "mind your business, i do what i want", and she likes that quite a bit from the others that she meets. a grin is spread over her face as she closes more of the distance between the two.

"good answer" she shoots at her. a brain cell kicks in and evermore suddenly realizes that maybe it isn't her place to make a comment. judging by the tone of the other, her grin turns into a more sheepish smile. "i didn't mean to offend, it was out of concern mainly, promise. i could catch you an apology crab if that'll make it up to ya?" she offers, a mischievous glint in her eye flickers for a moment.

she tosses her head to the ocean, then to wherever the direction the woman is looking into. she waits for the woman to respond before shooting another question at her. "you on your own out here?" it seemed a little weird to have a pregnant lady by herself, but this time, evermore decides to not ask. at least, not yet.

"Good answer."  The stranger offers another judgement, albeit a favorable one this time. She approached Lane with a smile, along with an explanation. "It was out of concern mainly, promise." 

Wasn't that always the excuse that was given, when one overstepped wildly in their remarks or advice? Nevertheless, Lane gave a short wag of her tail and a muted smile, signaling that she meant to overlook whatever rudeness had or hadn't been intended. 

"You've got a deal," she returned, curiosity sparking in her expression at the mention of a crab. God, she hoped it was food. 

Although the woman was barely finished apologizing for her first, she fired off another probing question. "You on your own out here?"

"Not anymore," Lane pointed out, lifting an eyebrow in amusement as, yet again, she dodged the question with a clever response. 

She supposed she would answer this one for real, though. 

"I'm on my way home, to my pack, Duskfire Glacier. It's in the taiga. I'm hoping that if I follow the shoreline north, I can get myself around those mountains." Perhaps that would sate the woman's curiosity, and they could get back to the crab thing...

the ruffles she has seemingly once ruffled were now becoming smoothed out, leaving evermore feeling a tad relieved she could save the conversation for the better. beyond that, the lady offers another answer to evermore's probe questions. that always tends to be a good sign. a grin spreads over the young woman's face and she turns her body to face the tide, soon enough tailing it towards the water with her snout low to the ground.

"the taiga huh?" she asks aloud as she searched for a victim crab. "i was a little up north not too long ago, i think you're on the right track home. those mountains are a pain in the ass to cross, so traveling by the beach is pretty smart of you." bubbles in the sand, that is a good sign. evermore dramatically leaps over to the spot and digs it out to revel a good looking crab, holding its claws out defensively. she is swift to grab, this time avoiding the nasty pinchers. with better luck than last time, a swift crunch on the head keeps the crab permanently still.

she makes her way back to the pregnant woman, realizing they have yet to exchange names. she drops the crab to her feet and nudges it close. "it is pretty salty, but it is better than nothing," she starts out as she backs up, "I haven't asked for your name yet, I'm Evermore. You are?" she sits down, hoping the other can feel a tad at ease with her as she eats.

she decides to [thankfully] pause on her questions for now.

Her answer appeared to satisfy her company, since the woman turned away and began her hunt. Lane watched with curiosity, intrigued by how the woman could locate prey without the use of sight or smell. 

The woman continued to talk while she hunted, and Lane was relieved to learn that at least one other traveler thought she was on the right track. A few bubbles appeared in the sand, which seemed to attract the crab-hunter's attention. The hunter began digging furiously, and after a moment or two she was rewarded. 

"Thanks," Lane says appreciatively, as the crab was dropped at her feet. She settled in beside her patron hunter. "I'm Lane." She looked dubiously down at the crab between her paws, wondering exactly how she was supposed to eat this thing. It seemed to be covered in some kind of thick shell.. was that edible? 

"That was a pretty impressive hunt," Lane commented, looking back up at Evermore. "Do you hunt land animals, too? Or do you mainly stick to beaches?" Lane imagined that there were all kinds of unique wildlife around the coast to keep a hunter occupied.

she could see the woman try and think about how to eat the little shelled being that is at her paws. "they're a little difficult to eat because they have those shells on them, you just have to crack them open." she sounds like an expert despite tonight being the first time she eats crab.

when she hears lane talk about her hunt in a positive light, evermore can feel a twinge of heat rush to her cheeks and a sense of pride fill her very being. it was impressive, wasn't it? her question earns a laugh out of the agouti woman. "i'm not much of a beachgoer. i've lived on mountains for most of my life. felt like it was time to see what else the world has to offer." the protective cloak that constantly kept evermore blind has disappeared and the girl now sees clearly, golden eyes glistening with curiosity.

"I like you, Lane" evermore says to the woman with a smile and reaches over to nudge her shoulder with her own in a friendly manner. "you're going to be a kickass mom. who's the lucky wolf that gets to co-parent with you?" it takes two to tango, unless the lane is a widow of some sort. even then, she speaks of a pack in the taiga, so she must have someone waiting for her at home.

Evermore provided the answer to Lane's unspoken question, and so she crunched down. Her lower incisors punched through the bottom of the crab easily, but the top of the crab--where the shell was thickest-- remained unscathed. 

Huh. A different approach, then. Lane positioned her mouth carefully around the outside of the crab, so that the majority of her power would concentrate at the edges of the crab's shell. She bit, and the shell folded like a leaf with a satisfying crunch. It was the most challenging puzzle of a meal that Lane had ever faced, but that made the prize inside twice as sweet. 

Lane nodded at Evermore's explanation, which made a great deal of sense to her. Lane was a wanderer herself; she'd only settled down in Duskfire Glacier out of necessity, in light of her accidental pregnancy. "And what has the world offered you so far?" Lane wanted to ask, but she wouldn't get the chance, as Evermore chose that moment to offer her latest judgement.

"I like you, Lane," she piped up, and Lane lifted her gaze from the crab, a bit dumbfounded. From Lane's point of view, she hadn't really done all that much to earn this woman's favor, apart from being patient with her prying questions. Then again, perhaps that was enough.

Lane wouldn't get the chance to recover from her surprise, because Evermore was quick to offer yet another opinion that would take her aback. "You're going to be a kickass mom."  ...How in the world did Evermore figure that? It stood in contrast to every other message she'd gotten along her journey so far; most wolves had implied she was doing the wrong thing, leaving her home territory while pregnant. 

"Thanks. I wish I had that same confidence." Lane was so grateful for the praise, she actually answered Evermore's latest nosy question. 

"They're the alpha's. His name is Wintersbane." Lane shrugged, indicating that there was nothing to really tell. No love affair, no juicy details to delight her new, rather gossipy friend. Except maybe one. "..He's the one who wanted kids," Lane explained. "As for me, I didn't really..." she trailed off, then picked back up after a pause. "In the moment, I didn't realize this would happen." Lane tossed her muzzle over her shoulder, indicating her pregnant belly. 

"Now he gets his kids, I guess," Lane sighed, "With me, and with Tzila, and with whoever else he covers this season..." Ah, fuck. That came out a little more bitter than Lane intended. She wasn't upset at Wintersbane or Tzila, in truth. In all honesty, it was her mixed-up feelings toward Rye's and Imaq's coupling that had triggered the ill-feelings, and now those feeling were being displaced onto the father of her litter. Weren't pregnancy hormones such a joy?

confidence is a trait that many people confuse for arrogance. however, it is an important aspect to have -- confidence in oneself, confidence in others, confidence in the world. in a way, it allows for the creation of other important things, like trust and friendship. even love, if one is lucky enough.

"if they end up as cool as you, you're gonna be great, i just know it." evermore is sweet when she wants to be, and right now, seeing lane all alone with a belly full of a next generation, she can't help but lather a little honey on her words. but this isn't for gain, it's simple the way she feels. evermore's mother was a wonderful lady, but much too protective. hopefully, lane won't drive her kids away like lyria did.

though, as lane continues to explain, evermore picks up on her more sour note of the man responsible for her covering. the fact that it is not purely lane's idea [teamed up with whatever male she is with] concerns the agouti woman. "well, that doesn't seem very fair to you, getting knocked up by someone who didn't think about your opinion on the subject." she says to lane. isn't parenting supposed to be a team effort? that is a hard thing to handle when the father to your kid has another other litter to look after, possible even more than that!

wow evermore, you don't sound like an asshole this time. that's a win right there. she tosses the other woman a sympathetic expression as she nudges her shoulder against her softly. "i mean, do you even like this winters-guy?" here we go with the personal questions again. "i don't care if he's alpha or not, but it matters if you like him enough to want to have these kids with him."

"Thanks." Lane's smile was a little tight, only because she knew that Evermore couldn't really mean what she was saying. She didn't even know Lane. She was just being nice. 

Fair? It was Lane's own fault she hadn't realized she was in heat. She and Wintersbane hadn't exactly talked before or during. How was he supposed to know she hadn't been looking to have his kids? She was the one who sought him out while in heat.

"It's not his fault," Lane insisted, defending Wintersbane. "I'm a medical professional, for fuck's sake. I should have known I was in heat." Even though it had been her first...

Did she like him? Lane didn't see how that was important at all, even though Evermore insisted that it was. Lane shrugged. 

"I like him fine. I mean.. I did join his pack." If he'd been that bad, she would have left, no matter that she was carrying his pups. Kukutux would have taken her into Moonglow, or she probably could have even gone back to Rowan and Zephyr in Blackfeather Woods. She had friends in the Teekons; she would have been okay.  "The kids are coming, like it or not." Like him or not. She shrugged again.

lane is a realist, something evermore really likes about her. she understands that her situation may not be ideal, but it is happening whether she wants it to or not. and her responses to evermore's prodding questions and statements give her reason to believe that the agouti woman is well-set for handling the new life she harbors in that belly of hers.

"being in heat sucks, i get all moody and hungry and desperate for men. not a good look." she is light with her humor, poking fun at the faults that she faces. the idea of being pregnant scares evermore, perhaps if she finds the right man, she would let herself consume the idea more.

"right, you can't exactly not have the kids when you're pregnant. though it would be an interesting attempt if you tried to hold them in hostage." evermore laughs at the thought, though settles down a tad. "well, whatever happens, happens. as long as you are the best mom you can be to your kids -- everything will work out."

she casts an eye out to the tide once again. "are you sill hungry? one crab may not have been enough as an apology."

"..Yeah," Lane agreed with Evermore's description of heat, ears flattening a bit in shame as it hit a little too close to home. Even though Evermore might have been desperate for men during her heat, she'd clearly been able to control herself this particular season, judging by her trim-looking figure. 

Evermore deviated from that particular train of thought by introducing some entertaining imagery-- how large would a mother get, if she attempted to hold her growing children inside? At what point would they not be able to come out the natural way? 

Evermore seemed to be itching to get back to hunting, and Lane certainly wouldn't stand in her way. Her one crab had only served to tease her appetite. "One crab was plenty sufficient as an apology, I promise. But if you wanted to catch one more, I think that might be enough to establish an enduring friendship." Why yes, Lane would, in fact, trade  loyalty for food. 

Feel free to fade the thread when you're ready!

it seems something is made between the two ladies. for now, evermore considers lane a friend. for lane. she probably considers evermore a gnat. but that's alright, not everyone can love the pain-in-the-ass agouti. evermore is sure to run back to the sand swallowed by water, in search for the bubbles and crabs. just one more, one to really seal the deal with lane. hopefully, this would be the first true friend the girl makes. not many welcome her, and for good reason to. but because lane had somewhat open arms, evermore intends to latch onto the name and image of the other.

friends are for life, no matter what. and with that notion, evermore is content catching as many crabs as lane's heart could desire.

thank you for this lovely thread! had lots of fun :D