Dragoncrest Cliffs Toujours

someone pls bonk me if i'm out of turn here!

Through most of the gathering, Coraline was swept into small talk with a child. Chacal's girl. Oh, she looked like a Rosalyn in miniature! How bittersweet to gaze upon this young face that held the image of maman, to smile and laugh along with her through the ebbing waves of inexplicable sorrow that arose.
Val is crowned Aventurine. Coraline could not help but notice the lack of men aside from him since her return. Not that Sapphique had ever been bursting at the seams with them, but this was, decidedly, different. Either way, she nods along; serenely and sweetly smiling, her own voice sprinkled in the hoots and hollers of celebration.
And then it is her turn. Her pearl; the one she never got in her youth. It was about time. And her mothers were not here to see it.
She waits for the children to finish their scramble before she noses three of her own oysters into her arms; alone, she finds a spot where no one was likely to bother her, and begins to crack them open with the crush of her palate. The first, empty; she laps at the insides with her tongue for a brief moment. The second, emptier; disappointment was now beginning to curdle in her stomach. Until the third is cracked, and as she cleans with gentle sweeps she finds the garishly obsidian pearl. When she looks at it, her eyes peer back to her in reflection.
She is not sure whether to be satisfied or afraid of what the sea now had to say about her.

Last to get his.

Slow, with confused, bushy brows and a low set tail. Three oysters.

Slipping his paw on top of one, he stepped firmly! Firmly! But it would not budge, and he could not get it. So, he tried a second one; one he tried with his teeth alone, and bit far too soft mouthed in order to crack. He gave up again, and tried the next, this time with both his paws and his teeth trying to crack through. A big frown on his woodland face encompassed his frustration! Too gentle.

His face soon turned to his maman, looking for questions to be solved, and wondering how his siblings could do it, but he could not.

So, this time, he tried again.
The first one. Step. Press. Bite...bite...
BITE!

CRACK!

A soft gasp, he backed up no more than a step, startled!

He peeked inside by stuffing his whole head beside it next, as if the scenario something was inside of if, he was ready to get bit.
Nothing.

Next! Step..Step..Bite..BITE! 
CRACK!

Nothing! That was dumb!

Next.
Step. BITE.
CRACK.

And inside.. 
Something much like him.
A little brown pearl, matching with his sister Miette's.
He didn't know how he felt about it- just that he got one, and he was content with that. No smile was on his face, however...

His little tail was wagging.

Miette, tousaint, astera, thibault, chani, coraline

She listened to the sounds of snaps, crackles, and happy sighs. She grinned to see, craning her neck forward when some chose to hold their pearls aloft, taking note of which colours began to become shared amongst several of their members. She remembered the pearl colours of former packmates, and called to mind the list of meanings that she would have to explain to each pack member.

She decided to start with the youngest, and moved first toward Mireille's litter.

Disappointment was all she read on Miette's face, though her own warmed to see the soft shade of brown. She noticed how Astera moved hers toward her friend, but shook her head gently; the sea had spoken for Miette- pearls were discovered the way they were meant to be.


"Miette, you be de keeper of de brown pearl,
Dis hue means you be grounded, confident, secure-
it means you are brave, an' t'rough anyt'ing you will endure.
De size means you 'ave much loyalty in you-
to your pack, Sapphique, you be true!"

She hoped the child might look a bit more fondly upon her pearl to know now how well it suited her. She snuck her muzzle close to her niece's ear and whispered to her so she might know it was the same colour as her mother's had been. Her gaze flicked to her cinnamon sister, fondly.

She moved next to Thibault, who had discovered a pearl that yet again, was small and brown but no less endearing. She felt amused to know that the sea would gift the two siblings pearls that could have almost been twins, save for the little bit of oily shimmer that marked each as unique.


"Thibault, you be also keeper of de brown pearl,
dis hue means you too be grounded, confident, secure-
it means you will be brave, an' t'rough anyt'ing, you will endure.
De size means you 'ave much loyalty in you-
to your pack, Sapphique, you be true."

Toward the third sibling she strode next, her eyebrow arching to see a small, but very dark pearl had been found in his oyster. The first of its kind to be discovered yet by the wolves of Sapphique, and she eyed him for a moment, before her expression lifted.


"Tousaint, you be de keeper of de black pearl,
dis hue means you be wise, independent an' sure-
it means you will be mysterious an' capable in nature.
De size means you 'ave loyalty in you, too-
to your pack, Sapphique, you be true."

Chantale would receive her pearl on another day, and Chacal wondered for a moment what hers might reveal; and if there was any reading to be done into the clutch of pearls that had come to Mireille's brood.

To her pale, found-child she roved next, grateful that she had been generous enough in spirit to offer her purple pearl to Miette. None of the wolves present needed a pearl to make their true heart and nature known- not when they showed it so plainly. A quick glance had shown her that the two remaining youths had both received a purple pearl- two more firsts for the pack.


"Astera, you be de keeper of de violet pearl,
dis hue means you inspire trust, respect an' regality;
it means a leader, some day you may be.
Dis size means you 'ave a big heart in you.
To your pack, Sapphique, you be true."

To her sandy daughter she went next, smilingly as well. It was interesting to see how two pairs of matching pearls had come forth- one pair for each litter. She had to wonder if this was a message, or if it was all chance. Some part of her felt the approval of her mothers, regardless of what the pearls truly meant.


"Chani, you also be de keeper of de violet pearl,
dis hue means you inspire trust, respect an' regality;
it means a leader, some day, you may be.
Dis size means you 'ave a big heart in you.
To your pack, Sapphique, you be true."

The last to receive their explanation was her sister, Coraline, who waited patiently and yet she read still a simmering energy from the woman. She peered down with admiration at the rare pearl shade, shared now by both Coraline and Tousaint. Its size, however, made it quite unique; few larger were ever to be found.


"Coraline, you be de keeper of de black pearl.
Die hue means you be wise, independent an' sure,
it means you be mysterious an' capable in nature.
Its size means you 'ave a big heart in you.
To your pack, Sapphique, you be true."

each pearl was unearthed from its dark husk; each wolf studied carefully for their expression. to learn she shared a pearl color with her mother fanned a strange pride in her heart, but it burned low.

astera's was so pretty! and tousaint's -- its black sheen shimmered as its new owner stood over it proudly.

miette might have accepted astera's offer were it not for the look shared between her and chacal. she sat prim, obedient as any impatient housecat -- tail flicking to announce it was through her own good will she cooperated, and nothing less.

thibault shared a pearl with her. miette apprised her brother with a new look -- did this mean they were the same?

her heart churned with conflict, for she felt often very few understood her.

the pearl was held to the sand while chacal finished the last of her song.

that night, miette set her pearl loose in the glintwater.

miette and thibault surfaced with a pearl to match the one their mother had received. mireille hoped this meant they would stay close to the sea always. tousaint surfaced with a black pearl, which the obsidian eyed with interest. astera and chani drew the same shade from their oysters, and then their dear sister coraline revealed a pearl to match that of tousaint.
these things felt like omens to mireille, who sat to consider it all, the relationships between those who had gotten matching pearls, and how only three colors had showed themselves this rite.
interesting indeed.

violet! chani looked excitedly to astera, carrying her pearl over at once to compare the sizes. she had long forgotten that astera hadn't been born to the sea; she was a sister, a cousin, a daughter to the saltwomen and chani saw their matching pearls as assurance of this.
however, she was still curious about the others, and skipped here and there to examine the black and brown orbs, and wonder at how they had all gotten matching ones!
to know her shade of pearl announced she could one day be a leader had chani's heart thudding, and she looked at her mother with adoration and a new thoughtfulness.