Coconut Grove [ sorry not sorry ]

White fur buffeted by the sharp breeze, the sapphire-eyed she-wolf opened her maw to let the wind caress her nostrils. There was something about the rumble of the waves across the constantly shifting sands that drew her attention. Sunlight rarely faded unless obscured by trees. The salt ting to the air invaded her eyesight, causing rapid blinking and squinting. Up until now, the she-wolf had only heard vast stories of the horizon and the waters that continued to flow long after your eyes grew tired of finding the ending. But, here she was, paws deep in merciless crystals that felt like sandpaper with every pawstep. 

But this season was not one for drinking in the sun’s rays. 

Behind her form, past the rare fauna of palms, somewhere in the distance, autumn gripped the landscape. Vibrant colors in all different shades claimed every living bush, tree, and fern. However, here, where the sunlight still seemed warm, it was a trick of nature that deceived. If she did not keep her guard up, nature would take her in its grip and not let go. 

Turning her eyes away from the sparkling expanse, the she-wolf decided to explore, as young wolves often do in areas they’ve never come across. What bounties lay in wait? What creatures called this area home? What food would provide her another season of relief? Loners were hardly welcome near others, but she kept her spirits high and hope filled. What could possibly disturb her here? The beaches seemed never-ending, desolate. Except for her. The plus side was that her paw prints were dissolved into the grains, leaving nothing but slight cavities. That is, if she stuck to the deeper parts, closer to the palms. 

No, Egeria was certain she would find refuge here, at least to recover her strength. Nose brushing across the various empty shells and dried up sea-flora, the ghostly she-wolf considered herself alone. 

Windswept and travel-worn, Chacal had begun to make the long trek up the coast toward the dark, jagged cliffs in the distance where she hoped her mothers still lived. Since emerging from the cool ocean waters, she had spied the closest peak and had wound her way to the top taking as many switchbacks as possible to avoid straining her limbs. With her internal compass now set, she felt she could finally begin to find her way back home. 

For Chacal, the beach was a comfort. Her pawpads had become rough to withstand the heat of sand and the grittiness of its texture. She was streamlined to cut through buffeting waves, and the salt of the waters dried in her pelt, giving her a somewhat dusted halo. 

She knew the beach to be merciful occasionally, and present a buffet to any keen scavenger. Hungry for something to tide her over for the next few hours she scavenged along the tideline and down to where the waves still soaked the shore. Here, the floatsom would be freshest- and a crab scuttling through the shallows became her first victim. 

She'd not learned, in her travels, to be any more wary while travelling alone than she'd ever been. If anything, she'd become more confident, being out on her own. And so, she did not see the pale moonbeam of a wolf who skirted the shore, sticking closer to the palms. What she wanted was the greenish crab- so she dashed into the shallows after it. She bounded this way and that as the crab shook its terrible claws at her, pincers raised to fend her off- but a piece of driftwood offered at just the right moment gave it something to grab onto. Fooled, the crustacean latched onto the soft, beige stick, and was then plucked out of the water and carried to shore. 

Triumphantly, Chacal settled down, and made quick work of tearing both pincers off the crab so she wouldn't get nipped. One claw still grasped the driftwood stick tightly, as she began to crack through the shell to get at the delicate meat inside.

The whisper of the palms that swayed to the beat of the breeze passed through her cotton fur, ruffling a few patches here and there, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Despite the change in seasons, the wind still offered a touch of humidity, a faint reminder of what came to pass before nature took control once more. Egeria raised her nose from the earth, speckles of sand dotting her snout and along her muzzle. Sweeping her tongue along both sides, the fae immediately regretted the action; the flecks of sand did not taste pleasant and crunched awkwardly along the sharp edges of her canines. After a few awkward facial movements, Egeria returned her focus to the task at paw. 

The prickles of grass and sparse fauna offered her little to no options on anything edible. Not being accustomed to this type of terrain, Egeria hardly knew where to start on looking for a snack. The sea may offer some hope, so her pawsteps turned back in that direction, leaving the shade of the palms behind as her claws attempted to balance her as the sand shifted and budged under her weight. More than once, she had to steady her form, annoyed huffs leaving her maw as she felt like a newborn pup exploring the world for the first time. 

Thankfully, as her paws began to create tracks where the surface was more firm, her balance remained straight and she hoisted her tail happily behind her, satisfied at the good change. Though the sand squelched and pulled at her paw-pads, she trotted with purpose until the tide lapped across her hocks. Only then did she began to investigate among the rocks and various groupings of shells that littered this part of the beach. Egeria knew little of the creatures that took refuge in these pools or even further out where the sands dipped lower. But, food was food, she should be able to pick something out of here. 

Crack. 

Jerking her head away from the small cluster of rocks she was trying to overturn, the white she-wolf froze at the sudden interruption to the calm waves lapping across her paws. With muscles stiff with the readiness for a confrontation, her aqua eyes searched out the meaning of this un-timely noise. Seeing as the beach was mostly empty, it was easy to pick out the other form of another wolf making quick work of something: was that a crab; is that what one would call it?

 

Tilting her head with new curiosity, Egeria took a few steps forward, ears remaining upright, though her posture remained in-different. Neither threatening or relaxed; simply interested. How had she not scented this other wolf? Ignoring her lack of awareness of her surroundings, Egeria debated on what to do next. It would be rude to interrupt a meal, but perhaps this other could give her a couple pointers on how to find edible creatures along this shore? 

A soft bark left her maw, a simple greeting that let the other know she wasn’t alone, but not one that waranetted any sort of reply back. A sort of “break the ice” beginning, some might imply. She could only hope that an attack wouldn’t be the next course of action.

She had hypothesized once that crabs would not necessarily die simply when their claws were torn off. Unusual, but it seemed to be in the nature of sea creatures not to bleed the way land creatures did. They were also relatively silent in their anguish- much as Chacal herself tended to be. 

Food was food, though- and death was part of the process. She cracked through the crab's shell and had begun to pull it away bit by bit when a pale whisp of colour swayed in her peripheral vision. With a lift of her dark muzzle she swung her noble face toward the stranger where their curious gazes intertwined. Chacal thumped her tail against the sand and uttered a soft, chirp of a bark in return, sensing that the two were alike in spirit; calm, friendly.

When their eyes met, Egeria reasoned that this wolf was simply a loner like herself, scavenging for a meal to satisfy her hunger until the next one presented itself. However, this charcoal-colored fae seemed to know exactly how to get such a meal, even if looked a bit...snappy. Taking in the others' physique, Egeria noted with interest the gold marking that seemed to cover her like some satin blanket. Her ears and body alike gave her a stream-lined appearance, but something didn't seem quite all wolf. It was not her right to judge appearances or lineage, thus the snowflake female cast it aside. 

They were like night and day. 

The thump of a tail gave the signal that all was well and she was welcome in the others' presence; a good start. However, she decided to leave the female to her snack. Independence snagged at her attention to one of the closer pools dotting the shore-line. Peering into the shallow, still water, Egeria studied the various water fauna and colored stones mixed with shells. A strange creature with multiple tentacles gripped one of the smooth rock faces, auburn in color. It was slow moving. Surely, this was edible? It was certainly a creature that looked like it had some type of meat. Or did sea creatures have something else? 

Shrugging, she dipped her nose into the stagnant pool and plucked the crustastion from its perch. Righting herself, the female posed awkwardly with the creature dangling from its maw. Thus far, her taste buds exploded with salt and something else she couldn't quite place. Before Egeria could properly have a bite, the creature's suckers found their way onto her muzzle. Suddenly confused and now feeling even more awkward, her ice-blue eyes watched the creature the best she could, feeling stuck. 

A quick glance was thrown at the other she-wolf working on her own feast. Feigning a sheepish grin, Egeria lifted a foreleg and tried to gently nudge the creature off her muzzle, realizing that the suckers had a stronger grip than she may have thought for something the size of one of her paws. 

Like a veil of ocean mist, the pale female roved away after their greeting, leaving Chacal to her noisy meal though her curiosity was still piqued as she watched the gem-eyed stranger approach a tide pool. Chacal knew well what could be found in the small treasure troves of salty water, though nature had its way of being surprising nonetheless. Sometimes there were delicious, edible things, and sometimes there were things better left alone. A lifetime spent by the shore had taught Chacal well. 

The woman's slight trepidation made Chacal wonder if she knew what she was getting into. From what she'd seen, wolves from inland were often quite curious about edible sea creatures, but often found out the hard way that what seemed like an easy meal often had a few tricks to it. 

She chuckled merrily to see the odd creature suction itself onto the female's muzzle. She'd never seen one harm a wolf, though she'd also never found them appetizing enough to try and eat one. The female didn't look too starving to Chacal, so she assumed that the oddity had been chosen more out of ignorance than desperation. 

Not wanting to be rude, though, she smiled and left her half-eaten crab to approach, sauntering casually up to another tide pool to gaze in and try to find something more appetizing for the pale woman to eat. She didn't bother trying to help her get the plucky thing off her face- as she figured that'd probably be a bit too close for comfort from a stranger. Spotting a couple dark green crabs in the water, she gestured and chuffed, inviting her companion to come and see, if she had any interest in finding something a bit more tasty.

Once the thing had been pried off her muzzle with a few more soft jabs, Egeria watched as it plopped back into the pool, no worse for wear, immediately sticking itself onto the next smooth surface it came across. Crinkling her muzzle, the she-wolf sat back on her haunches and began pawing at her own muzzle to relieve the strange sensation. Once the tingling had receded enough to focus on the task at paw again, she glanced back at her fellow hunter who already seemed to be making progress at another pool. 

It was clear to her that experience reigned supreme along these shores and not everything was meant to be meant or tasted. The salt flavoring of both the sea-breeze and the water wouldn't be easily extinguished, even if her paws led her in-land. Mulling over these thoughts, Egeria knew she would have to think before acting, something that seemed to slip her mind at the prospect of finding an easy catch. 

Catching the eye of the other, Egeria observed the she-wolf gesture to her own pool, a clear invitation to join. Tilting her head, she debated on the sincerity of the invitation. Strangers were not to be taken lightly, even as good-natured as this female seemed to appear. Wondering briefly about the lack of spoken word, but only a mere passing thought on the matter, Egeria shrugged and moved to her paws, approaching at a slow, leisure pace. Her tail brushed along her hocks, no indication of dominance or threatening appearances. 

Keeping her distance out of respect, Egeria settled herself on the opposite side of the pool to give them both room to breathe. Blinking appreciatively at the she-wolf for the summons, her eyes fell back to the pool, studying the various sea-fauna and small creatures inside.