Sea Lion Shores i saw her, yeah i saw her with her black tongue tied

gulls swarmed the beach, their loud calls drumming over whipping wind.

bijou watched in dull interest. it was not unusual for them to follow her -- she was rivener, the carrion-finder -- and no gull ever had a better friend. they flocked and crowed and squabbled around the form of a coyote lean with hardship. the sand had long since been darkened by the felled beast's blood, which sprawled in dirty ringlets around the print-scattered sand.

if there was any foul play, none of it was evident on bijou's pelt. and yet, she looked at the corpse from a distance, as one might watch art of their own making come to life.