Dragoncrest Cliffs Toujours

He chuckled quietly when his mother and aunt dumped a conch full of saltwater over Val's head and shoulders, amused to see what looked almost like a prank to him. He couldn't help but wonder if this happened for every wolf who became a leader and if so- those celebrations would always be a little bit funny. 

He perked up a bit when Chacal instructed them on how to find their pearl, nodding along with the instructions and he'd barely stood up when his sister sped toward the pile, hastily stashing her three oysters aside. He watched with a slanted gaze, before he strode forward himself- excited, but doing his best to remain poised as he leafed through the pile with a gentle paw, picked out three oysters and carried them one by one back to his spot. 

Much to his chagrin, the first oyster had no pearl in it. He double checked, poking around in the oyster's meat before he ate it carefully- not wanting to accidentally swallow a pearl if he'd missed one. 

He heard his sister crack hers open, and glanced over to see her pull a small, dark brown pearl. He thought it was pretty, but she looked thoroughly unimpressed. It served her right, after having stolen his beloved fox brush. He cracked a bit of a grin, and opened his second oyster. 

While it was small, he could feel the little bead in the oyster's flesh right away, and eagerly fished it out- licking it clean and setting it in one of the empty oyster shells. He'd not expected to find a black pearl, not when the majority of them were typically a bit lighter in hue; he thought it unique, and likely full of meaning and he felt himself bursting with pride as he looked up to see what explanation he might be given.