Gilded Bay But I'm still playing in the sand.

Sumac would have blushed had he been human as she gave his raw nose - and his injured pride - a gentle lick. “Th-thanks,” he stammered, his lips curling into an embarrassed grin, “I guess I learned my lesson.”

His golden sunshine eyes followed Raindrop’s focus to where there was a natural gathering of surf-soaked rocks, draped generously with seaweeds and various other detritus from the deeps.

With a laugh, ‘Mac followed after her on jaunty steps. It was funny - usually, there was still a hint of melancholy perpetually plaguing the man’s mind, a residue left by intense trauma that prevented him from fully feeling alive anymore. But now, just below the level of his awareness, it was absent, and Sumac felt as though he was just a youngster playing with his family again.

With a sort of boyish bounce, he bounded onto the rocks and began putting his adept nose to work once again. The number of different scents that greeted him was staggering. After some time, something caught his attention, and with an eager gasp he put a paw between one of the cracks. Liberating it with his teeth, he placed it at his paws  proudly… only to then mutter, “Oh… this one’s black. They’re supposed to be grey and wavy, right?” Oh well, back to the search!