Dragoncrest Cliffs skaikrasha, tristraka

The days since Portia's disappearance swept by in a blur, with young Dacio's focus trained on the few relatives he had left. He did his best to keep close to Opalia, especially when their father ventured beyond Drageda's claim to look for the missing Fisa. Anxiety gripped him every time Dio announced his departure and his whole world was crumbling around him, yet somehow he still stood.

He wanted to be brave, but he was scared to be. He wanted to aid in the search for his dam, who he feared might have chosen to pursue Sequoia and the others. The thought tormented him: she could not surely choose natrona over her mate, her home, her children? Dacio, made restless by his woes, left the safety of Hougeda and stepped onto the sands. Having been so withdrawn from the pack over the past week, he was unaware of further unrest that was coming their way.

The wind whipped his fur as he strode into the open, and the biting cold made him wish he'd stayed curled up in the caves with his sister. But he pressed on, pastel gaze stealing a skyward glance to find dull overcast above. Dacio gritted his teeth and squinted against freezing rain, a charcoal ear trained on the ferocious waves that reached further up the beach than he'd ever seen before.

The familiar black-and-white form of Tux made him pause, and he held his breath to watch his cousin move in to investigate something on the sand as the tide reached out for him. Dacio barked out loud making a tentative step in the other boy's direction should the sea see fit to try devouring him.