Wheeling Gull Isle Cordelia

WC: 968

As she meandered along, Thresher found that there was less to see in the Fall, when considering insects and small creatures. Smaller animals like mice and moles were beginning to den up a bit more, and kept to themselves, mostly tunneling about underground or gathering supplies to last them through the cold months. As for insects, there were very few to see- and certainly no more butterflies this time of year, which she took to be a pity and a conundrum; where had they gone? Did they hibernate too, and if so- where would they do that? She thought at first that perhaps they simply held onto a tree to sleep the winter away- but even then they could still be easily blown off...And she didn't suspect that a butterfly would ever be inclined to go underground where it would be sheltered quite well indeed. Perhaps, then, they didn't stay in the area at all, and had already left. Other insects were gone too- no bees, no grasshoppers, and ants weren't really interesting to her but they had begun to live underground more as well. She wondered, then, why it was that larger creatures were able to stay and weather the cold and the winter- if some of them lived on the scarce insects, then how did they survive the winter at all? Seeing these signs, which all pointed toward either migration or hibernation, she had to wonder why the wolves didn't do the same. Sure it wouldn't be all that bad, sleeping through the cold- or going somewhere nice and warm to spend those months rather than waking up with cold toes every day. Then again, with the winter coat she'd already begun to develop, she wasn't sure she could handle a warmer climate- she wouldn't be shedding those thick puffs of fur out until the spring.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught signs of motion and turned her head to see a male wolf approaching with something clutched in his mouth that hung out over his lip. At first she thought he might have caught a fish- but it didn't wiggle or sway in his mouth the same way a dead fish would. No, this was something much harder- and when he got close enough, she could see that it was a shell, and a pretty one at that. Thresher's inquisitive gaze more followed the shell he carried than the wolf himself as he approached, though eventually she did look to see his features and found herself slightly puzzeled. She wasn't sure she knew this fellow...But at the same time, he did look vaguely familiar. There had been other wolves in the pack when she'd been younger, but Thresher didn't remember them very well. Her parents did speak about past members- and fondly so- so she assumed that perhaps this one of the ones her parents had spoken about, one of the few who had drifted away at one point or another to pursue their life from a different angle. Regardless, he looked friendly, but that wasn't quite enough to put Thresher at ease.

She wilted slightly, shyly, as the male approached, but she didn't move away. Her tail wriggled excitedly between her hind ankles, a gesture of appeasement but it also showed a slight bit of worry, as she still couldn't quite remember who this fellow was. He stopped and put the shell down and her eyes followed it, remaining on the sandy item for a few moments before she looked up at him. Her trembling ears perked when he spoke her name, the tufted, felt tips touching together above her head as they did whenever someone said something that intrigued her. So he did know her...She felt a bit bad, then, realizing that she didn't know his name, nor could she exactly pinpoint a memory of him. She also felt a bit awkward when he pointed out that she was wandering alone, and she wondered if maybe he thought she was being a bad pup by doing so. His tone was friendly, but Thresher was a sensitive wolf, and even if the tone was kind, the words themselves made her do a double take. Was he disappointed? Would he tell her parents? She was certain she was allowed to roam the island freely...But what if this fellow thought that she ought not be alone? Would he judge her parents for allowing her to travel around on her own? Her heartrate accelerated a bit as anxiety crept its way into her consciousness, and she simply nodded, lips pulling toward a frown as she dropped her gaze. Her ears turned to the side, as though to express guilt. She didn't even stop to consider that she was likely making it look as though she wasn't even allowed to be out on her own...Even though she was. Self-doubt crept in all too quickly, as the girl was an open book, susceptable to influence.

He introduced himself, and she didn't recognize the name...Or did she? She couldn't tell. She simply nodded when he recalled the last time he'd seen her, and though she did remember the day, very vaguely, she couldn't remember the sea of faces that had been present at all, or anything else that had happened while she'd been there. She didn't think of that day often, so the memory had begun to fade considerably to the point where she wasn't sure whether her memories were real or if they were a dream. Quietly, faintly, she replied. ”Treasure,” She said, voice barely above a whisper. Coelacanth often called her that- whether it was a term of endearment or a mispronunciation she wasn't sure, but that was indeed what she likely would have been called at one point or another in front of Driftwood.