Coconut Grove i'd promise you anything for another shot at life.

There was a chill in the air, the kind that you could almost smell. The sand glittered with frost that sparkled in the morning light. It was quiet. Even the gulls were calm, only letting out a few soft cries here and there over the never-ceasing roll of the tide. Snow was falling softly, and while it looked beautiful coming down from the sky, it looked out of place there, collecting on the beach and on the already frosted edges of a single coconut nestled in sand that should've been warm and soft.

Someone could've written quite a lovely poem about the scene and all of its hidden metaphors, but the only soul around to witness it just then was Penn. He was lying on the sand, his nose pointed towards the coconut with only about three feet of space between them. He blinked dully at it, bored, tired, hungry, useless. He knew he ought to get up and do something, but after weeks of lazing about beneath the coconut trees, he just could not muster the motivation.

Had the weather been warmer, his situation probably would've been enviable. Who wouldn't want to waste the day away, lying in warm sands under the sun like they're vibing at a Jimmy Buffet concert? But, it was cold, and so it was sad. And while Penn knew this, he couldn't find a way to use that knowledge to inspire him into action. He just laid there, staring at his coconut.

it had been a long time since he'd been among the coconut grove.

whatever destruction wrought by the great storm had healed (or was washed away by subsequent tides). the trees were tall and steady, their boughs—whatever they looked like in early spring—casting fanned shadows over the snow-dusted sand.

aditya weaved slowly, idly, through the place, heart catching here and there at various points of familiarity.

he was not, however, prepared for the sight of a wolf clad in greyscale, his eyes glinting dark chocolate in the light. the old man stopped, suddenly arrested. the young man resembled nothing so much as his erstwhile in-laws, the morningsides, and he still wasn't convinced that wasn't the case as he began to move again after a few moments of silent contemplation.

it's nicer here when the weather is warm, he said obviously, smiling a little in greeting. he was no threat—bony, more-than-slightly sway-backed and peppered with silver—but he still carried himself, somewhat, as master of this place.

Though he heard the stranger coming, Penn was still surprised. He turned to his right to watch the stranger as he took his final approaching steps, though the Blackthorn made no move to stand and greet him. He didn’t even really lift his head, just tilted it against the sand so he could peer over at the man. He was old. Old enough to be Penn’s father. Maybe even his grandfather. His voice when he spoke sounded somehow ageless to Penn’s ears. It was… kinda freaky.

”I’m sure it is,” Penn replied, looking away again, ”Wish it would hurry up. I’ve been laying here for weeks waiting on it.” A lie, but not entirely. He has been there for weeks, but it wasn’t his desire to be there when the sun came back that had kept him.

you and me both, aditya agreed. he sat down slowly, using a nearby trunk to scratch an itch upon his cheek. i've always preferred the warm season—but then, i come from the south. yet had spent so much of his life here, far north from where he was born.

could he really call himself a southern wolf, anymore?

the weeks portion of the young man's statement intrigued him, and he cocked his head in query. i made a home here, once, adi went on. tried to form a pack. it was not to be. . . what are your plans?

and who are you? it would, perhaps, be revealed in time. and maybe it was best that a morningside didn't know him for what he truly was, and all that he'd done. 

i'm so sorry, grayday.

The old guy started to do the old guy thing. He shared a little bit about himself as though wanting to get into his whole history and start reminiscing about his boyhood down south when you could get a soda pop for a nickel. Penn didn’t bite. He didn’t particularly mind the fellow’s company—he was unobtrusive enough—but that didn’t mean he wanted to talk to him.

But, the old man went on anyway. But this time, it was a teensy bit interesting. And then a teensy bit uncomfortable.

”My plans,” he repeated as though considering, ”Well. I’ll probably lay here for a couple more hours and then… it’s all just a big, black hole.” He gave a nonchalant shrug, still not lifting his head. He paused, then added, ”Then maybe a nap. We’ll see where the day takes me.”

aditya chuckled, grinning. that sounds very nice, he remarked, and settled down with the young man. the sand was cool, a far cry from its warmth in the summer season—but its slightly damp and soft familiarity was a comfort, and he found himself leaning into it.

i have. . .an odd question, he continued, and sheepishly glanced at the other wolf. would you happen to be related to the morningside wolves?

no, and he could relax. yes. . .and maybe an opportunity to tell some stories, and to ease his conscience.

either way, he had to know before it ate him alive.

Instead of informing him that he was pathetic, the stranger said something fairly kind in response to Penn's plans for the day, which were pathetic let's be honest. Penn glanced over at him as he settled in alongside him, finally lifting his head from the sand. He was apparently in this now, though he still couldn't bring himself to care. He shifted his gaze out to sea, fixing his stare on the horizon where grey met blue-ish grey.

"Morningside?" Penn repeated, furrowing his brow a bit, "Don't think I've ever heard of them. My surname's Blackthorn. There are a shit ton of us, though. Wouldn't surprise me if your Morningsides got mixed up with us somewhere along the way." He shrugged lightly. He truly had no idea. He'd never cared too much for his family's history or reputation. He'd cared about his own once upon a time, but that was a long time ago.

it was a relief; his shoulders sagged even further to hear it, even though what the young man said wasn't exactly a firm denial. if he'd never heard of morningside directly, then aditya had nothing to worry about. 

of course, that didn't mean he was going to be completely forthright, either. best to leave morningside aside.

it's possible, adi replied casually. they lay in companionable—well, at least on aditya's end—silence for a few moments, watching the waves and the gulls that soared above, looking for fish.

after some time, he glanced at the stranger again. i'm aditya, he said. got any long-term plans outside of your nap and your, ah, black hole? he teased, slightly, but his face was kind.

The man didn't pursue the topic much further, which was alright with Penn. He didn't much like thinking about his family these days. Actually, it had been years since thinking of them had brought him anything but longing and heartache.

"Fox," he replied without thinking. He felt no need for the man--Aditya--to know his real name. And it wasn't like Fox was a lie. His name actually was Foxegrine. Penn was technically wrong.

"Nope, not a one," Penn answered with a slight smile, "My plans... have never gone to plan. I don't see much use in making them anymore."

fox, he repeated. nice to meet you. and left it at that, until fox began to speak again, and he turned toward the young man with ears pricked. he smiled knowingly at the admission, nodding with wistful eyes that wandered back out toward the sea, that sliver of green-gray beneath turbulent clouds.

no one's plans do, yaar, aditya remarked, shrugging. but sometimes making them helps, even if they don't work out. i should ask—what do you want to do?

he scuffed the sand lightly with one paw, gesturing toward the beach. besides nap here, i mean. after this.

adi glanced once at fox, then placed his muzzle on his outstretched forelegs, tail moving slightly and slowly behind him in metronomic fashion.

The old guy said his old guy things, offering sage wisdom as though he'd learned every big life lesson there was to learn. Penn huffed stubbornly, not wanting to fall into his spell of self-discovery and betterment. He didn't want to learn any grand life lessons today. He'd already learned one--don't fuck with those bitches up the coast. He was set for a lifetime.

"I wouldn't say 'no' to a sandwich," Penn answered with a smirk, trying to stay on the lighter side of things. The real answer in his head was not a happy one because in truth, he wanted to not exist. He didn't want to die, he wasn't suicidal. But the idea of simply no longer being anymore was rather appealing.

Fortunately for us all, he wasn't interested in being so mellow dramatic. And besides, a sandwich does sound amazing.

he didn't need to have one paw in the grave to realize fox was fucking with him. the smirk said it all. but that word. . .

what's a sandwich? aditya asked, lifting his brow in question, his hawkish eyes turning toward the young man. it must be good if you bring it up now.

he shook his head slowly upon his paws, returning his gaze to the ocean. i can tell you, fox, that if it's bad to be alone now, it's even worse when you're an old man, he mused. it's not the worst idea to have a plan.

like some sort of insurance agent. (what's that? aditya asked. oh shit, we shouldn't break the fourth wall with this character.)

family around? he queried briefly, not looking away from the shore.

Try as he might to dissuade him, the old guy would not let up. Penn grimaced as he continued, eventually dropping his head back onto his paws. He considered pretending to fall asleep, but had a feeling his companion would just continue to ramble on regardless. Still, it seemed worth a shot. Until Aditya turned the conversation towards the one subject that was completely off limits.

Penn stood abruptly and turned away. "Gotta take a leak," he called back over his shoulder as he went, heading further up the beach until he could disappear into the foliage that lined the sands. He didn't look back once, nor did he intend to return. There were just some things you didn't talk about.