Ankyra Sound We can be beautiful

The sun was starting to sink low into the sky, gilding the crests of the waves that lapped at the beach. She would have to depart imminently to make it back to Drageda before proper dark. Yet Wildfire made no move to leave. She lingered, breathing in the salty, wintry air, becoming almost hypnotized by her surroundings.

Then a noise made her start and she whipped around to face an unfamiliar she-wolf with gray fur and navy eyes. The bark had sounded harsh in the silence, yet the woman's demeanor was quite friendly. She settled on the sand perhaps two meters away, tail sweeping side to side, and Wildfire regarded her warily for a beat before returning the friendly gestures.

"Hello," she said even as another, darker shape appeared in the background. The second stranger's burly figure reminded the Bandrona of her own mate. Her tongue darted out to run across her lower lip, ears flicking as she analyzed the woof and deduced it as friendly.

There was still a slight tension in Wildfire's slender body and she did not take a seat. She was small and alone, not to mention pregnant, and here were two perfect strangers who appeared at first glance to be in alignment with one another. That wasn't to say they were against her, of course, but the Bandrona remained vigilant even as she maintained a diplomat's composure.

"I'm Wildfire. I live in a pack further north along the coast. Are you two from around here...?" she queried.