Stavanger Bay i'm feeling cold, cold to the bones

it was low tide when the girl struck down the beach, her limbs moving in a seamless lope along the compacted sand. here was the part of stavanger she had yet to fully witness -- the floodplain that surfaced when the tide sucked out through the bay.

so far, it seemed like any other fore-shore - sand, bits of water, lots of rocks, angry displaced aquatic residents. they were lucky she had eaten her fill earlier in the day, or else her teeth would have been upon them with rapacious delight.

she paused as she came across a horse-shoe crab making its way slowly towards another tidepool. she did not like the look of the thing's tail, but wasn't smart enough to stay exactly out of its reach. like any stupid dog would do, she buried her face right into its backside -- and was rewarded with a sharp clout of its rigid and whip-like tail.

she leapt back like a stunned cat, snapping at the air angrily between them. ruefully she decided to stalk it relentlessly down the shoreline, pestering it every few seconds before leaping quickly out of the way of its heavy tail.

Raptor would have preferred an island but he had to admit the bay was a fine a ship with a secluded shoreline decked with all the seaside amenities a pirate could ask for. The dark wolf bobbed his head in appreciation as he cruised around their budding claim. His decision to anchor himself to Smokestep and Sandpiper had been a good one so far.

Speaking of... Raptor's ears swung forward as he noted the fiery lass stalking some odd critter. The corsair had no idea what it was but he reckoned he knew how it was feeling; he was no stranger to Sandpiper's torment. He also wondered immediately if it could be eaten, which was typically the first thing he wondered about almost everything new that he encountered.

"The heck is that thing," Raptor queried as he strolled to Sandpiper's side. Like her, his immediate reaction was to dip his snout for a long investigative sniff, and he was greeted with the same snap to his muzzle that she had been before. He drew back with a snort and scrubbed a paw over his nose. The reason for Sandpiper's evasive mannerisms when stalking the creature were now apparent.

"Gee, friendly bastard ain't it."

lmfao

sandpiper hung back as raptor came along, stifling an unkind chortle as he received the same imparting message the cretin had left her. she stopped for a moment and assessed the damage to his mug: "good thing you couldn't get any uglier." she quipped, her gums spread in a smile at her joke. of course, he was not an ugly specimen to begin with, but that did not spare him from sandpiper's endless ribbing.

like raptor she hoped this thing was edible, but it put too much of a fight up for her to want to risk life and limb over discovering if it was even palatable or not. at least it was slow - it had made almost no progress in the time raptor had stopped to nurse his wound and sandpiper had stopped to barb it further.

"i bet we could flip it, maybe." she suggested, trotting after it again. "you first though - i got a face to look after."

"Haw, haw, haw," he droned with a roll of his eyes at Sandpiper's joke.

She suggested he risk his snout and try to flip it. Raptor lifted his brows, pursed his lips and canted his head, fashioning an are you kidding me response without having to use his tongue at all. He could be a bonehead but he was at least smart enough not to put his nose in harm's way twice. For all he knew, this walking rock of a thing had fangs under its shell.

"Hmmm..." The corsair cast his eyes around them, shifting his mouth from side to side as he contemplated and searched. "Need a stick 'r somethin'," he hummed.

sandpiper followed raptor's idea, looking around for some sort of stick in which to harass the thing further. she loped off a few strides, coming across a thin and beachworn trunk of driftwood. it was somewhat long, and she held it at a funny angle as she trotted back to raptor with it in tow.

"needs breaking, but this'll do i bet." she muttered, dropping in into the sand and promptly leaping upon the driftwood. the first time it simply bowed -- the second jump it snapped clean apart. sandpiper grabbed the thinner end, leaving raptor the longer and ungainly side. she wouldn't be sandpiper if she didn't claim the easier-to-manipulate end for herself! first come, first serve and all that.

she carried the stick over to the rock-with-legs-and-fast-tail, and nudged it carefully with the end of the driftwood. instinctively she leapt back, dropping the driftwood with a clatter. cackling, she scooted around raptor at a lope, urging him to try in her stead.

Sandpiper caught on to his line of thinking and procured a bit of driftwood for the task. He did not notice that she selected a better half for herself — sometimes he just missed nuances and details and besides, Raptor was not known for his finesse. Further to that he clamped on one end of his stick and dragged it with a cocked head toward the critter, leaving a squiggly trail in the sand behind him.

He stood back as Sandpiper made her attempt. She did not have much success, springing back after a small poke and winding around Raptor's back side to encourage him to go. Raptor snorted and sniggered, heh!, and shook his head. He swaggered forward and made an awkward swing. Thwunk! The wood bounded off the shell and the stony thing hardly seemed to notice the strike.

That had not been his plan. He grinned around the driftwood over his shoulder at Sandpiper. Perhaps she could read on his face that he just had to hit it for the shits 'n giggles. Raptor adjusted his grip then and shoved the stick under the crab. It took a bit of fiddling and wrenching before he managed to manipulate the wood just right and flip the critter over.

Raptor dropped the stick. "Hah! Look!" He guffawed. "It has nicer legs than you!"

sandpiper flanked raptor curiously, keeping her distance from his swinging stick as she did so. his first attempt was as fault as her own and she snickered, but continued watching. the round and armored thing kept walking -- she was mystified. if she got struck like that, she'd be seeing stars -- they clearly needed a different approach.

raptor once again proved he was far more resourceful than she -- after some finangling, he managed to flip the thing upside down and reveal to the onlookers what it was made of.

sandpiper did not like the looks of what it was made of; the mass of wriggling, prehistoric legs, the angry clicking of what she only assumed was its mouth -- and the consistent pissed off thump of its tail. she looked to him with a scowl, appreciating the clever barb inwardly but never enough to admit it. "age before beauty." she said, motioning for him to help himself to the catch. after seeing the gyrating way its legs folded and unfolded, and the prehensile little claws on stilts, she had no interest in eating it.

It did not matter to him how ugly something looked. If he thought he could eat it he was damn well going to find a way to do it. This was one good use of Raptor's stubbornness. He reckoned this thing was no different than an urchin: at first glance it appeared impenetrable and inedible... but there was a trick to it. He needed to discover that trick.

Raptor peered down at the writhing legs. He was reminded of a crab (little did he know). Crabs could pinch but they could not bite and he did not think this thing could either. The pirate lifted a paw and daringly placed it in reach of those little claws... and there was no pinch. The thing flailed its legs against his foot but it appeared to be only trying to right itself rather than attack.

Sensing an opportunity, Raptor dove in, grabbed a leg, and then quickly threw the poor creature in Sandpiper's direction hoping it might catch her right in the face (and hoping she did not notice how seemingly benign it was).

skepticism riddled her features; she did not like the underbelly of this creature one bit. it was alien, foreign -- it had too many damn legs for her to keep track of and she wanted nothing to do with it. she watched dubiously as rapture fiddled with it -- when he flung it towards her she half expected it and turned away, leaping as it thudded hard against her shoulders and fell rightside up on the sand.

its newfound orientation was one she preferred and she watched as it began to woundedly scuttle away from them. it was listing, clearly injured by raptor's toss. she threw raptor a glowering glare but did nothing to stop as it scuttled by her -- hopefully into the water where it would be out of reach. a dull smirk played unsympathetically on her muzzle as she awaited his reaction -- it was not a quick critter, but once it hit water she was sure it would be gone.

Perhaps he was becoming too predictable. Sandpiper dodge the crab and it smacked her shoulder instead of her face. That was an unsuccessful Lauren and to add insult to injury the thing was now back on its feet and scuttling toward the sea. Because it moved too slow he let it go for the moment so that he could sit and stare at his comrade. She did not know it but he had forced her into a game of first one to blink loses. Then he promptly lost when he realized their damn dinner was at the water.

Raptor abandoned his game and darted for the crab. He avoided the snappy tail only to find that trying to grab it any other way was futile. His teeth scuffed and slid across the crab's shell but did not find purchase. Soon the waves were crashing over its back and his snout. The pirate took to scrabbling at the beast with his paws, whining in frustration and desperate not to lose it. But lose it he did. The slow but determined crab just kept on marching forward until it was able to slip away into the depths.

"Arrrrgh!" Raptor bellowed.

sandpiper returned his stare, nonplussed by his sudden change of engagement. she was not aware they were playing a game, but she was keenly aware their dinner was escaping (see, she said their because the implication was, well, she was going to get her way one way or another, and raptor would either have to put up, for find someone else better for company). sandpiper did her best to remain stoic in the face of this comedy -- but she burst into laughter when he finally looked away and tore after the strange shelled creature.

she whirled around and followed him out into the surf, looking after their lost meal forlornly as if she were truly affected by its departure. she wasn't.

"whoops. guess there's no chance of that guy coming back." she mused softly into the waves, her sopping tail sending salt-water spray with each casual wag.

For some time he disregarded Sandpiper's presence beside him and glowered into the sea. Raptor did not like it when he missed out on food and it stung him all the more to lose a new potential food. The crab had represented not only dinner but something interesting to pick at and discover. Now it was gone, and the frustration was plain on his face — he seldom mustered the effort to hide how he felt.

When Raptor turned to face Sandpiper he did so with fire burning in the depths of his eyes and his long tongue licking at one corner of his mouth. He prowled toward her theatrically — lowering his head, folding his ears, and taking deliberate steps. He imagined himself a great cat on the hunt and his frown warped into an impish and predatory grin.

sandpiper might have been okay with her comrade's silence, if not for the glowering gaze that he slung upon her. she backpedaled, an ear pulled back as she tried to identify what that emotion was that rung his eyes. it wasn't friendly, whatever it was -- at least not sandpiper's version of friendly -- and she continued taking one step at a time backwards until she was out of the surf and on firm, level sand.

she noticed his tongue, which seemed stark against the darkness of his face. both ears rotated back now, pinning flat against her skull. she considered her options and as he started to gain momentum she turned tail almost instantly. "hey! don't blame ME cause you let our dinner walk away on all its many legs." she heatedly rebuffed, looking behind her warily as he continued prowling closer. no doubt he looked predatory as he pulled towards her -- she was unsure of his intentions and could not tell if he was simply playing, or about to truly whup her ass for costing him his meal.

He was playing but he enjoyed how unsure she was of his intentions. He needed an outlet for his frustration — Raptor did not handle such emotions with much grace — and he saw in her an opportunity. So he continued to prowl after her, picking up the pace as she spun away from him. He kept up his display by swiping his long tongue around his mouth and then letting it hang from his lower jaw as slaver dripped from his mouth.

"Run away little girl," he rasped, tagging on a low cackle.

Then he sprung for her, forelegs out stretched and teeth reaching to snag her.

He did not expect to catch her and had no plans for if he did.

he kept her pace, covering ground with fluid and long strides. sandpiper cast a glance behind her once and her vision was swallowed by the intensity of his visage. shit, she thought -- and for good reason -- those eyes and that shock of light pink tongue against dark muzzle was most unnerving.

she had no hope to dodge the lunge - he hit her and she rolled in the sand once, twice -- three times before she half-regained her footing. with a growl she kicked out mid-barrel-roll towards him, and when she sprung to her feet she hotly wheeled around to face him with her head held low and gaze flinty. "don't do that again." she commanded -- knowing very well such an edict would be quickly contested.

We are so close to 50 posts.

He truly did not expect to even come near to connecting with her but he was wholly entertained by the result. Sandpiper went rolling — flinging briny granules everywhere — and Raptor laughed heartily at her expense. The shit-eating grin he bared in her direction did not slacken as she, all fire and fury like a scald cat, faced him and threatened him not to do that again.

"Or what?" He challenged (predictably as usual). He lowered his head again and mirrored her in posture, but his face was a portrait of reckless mischief.

sandpiper leveled him the most austere gaze she could muster, but it fell short when she saw the impish gleam in his gaze. she lowered her muzzle, shifting her weight between her two front legs as she stared down with tail lashing behind her. she should have known better than to utter an empty threat -- she knew she was full of hot air, but if she was to protect her reputation eventually she'd have to follow her bark with a bite. "or else you'll be embarrassed when you get your butt whooped by a girl." 

she took a few steps forward then, testing both his patience and her luck.

"I don't see any girl 'round here that could do that," he taunted, licking at his lips. Sandpiper was a spitfire and the honest truth was that Raptor believed she probably could beat his ass. The deeper truth was that he would probably enjoy it if she did and his shoulders and hips swayed serpent-like in anticipation as she took a few steps closer. "You lookin' for a kiss or wha?" He teased, puckering his lips and kissing the air a few times for added effect.

well shit. she had hoped he wouldn't call her on her bluff, but he had. she wrestled internally with her options: one, actually follow where her fat mouth took her -- or two, formulate some sort of clever quip to quickly deflect and disengage the tension.

only, he mentioned a kiss. her ears flew up in outrage and she recoiled like she had been asked to play frenchies with a crocodile. the nerve! she felt the hair on her neck lift -- whether it was out of disgust, or thrill, she could not say -- and would not say in front of him.

her reaction may have been over-exaggerated, but she faithfully saw it to its's end: "a kiss?" she repeated, looking around the beach as if confused. "i don't see any girl 'round here that would do that." she spat back at him with a rueful smile, a faint hint of mischief in her gaze.

The frustration he felt at the loss of the crab had been expelled somewhere in the breaths he used to banter back and forth with his crewmate. The tension that had accumulated in his muscles had uncoiled and Raptor resumed the loose and somewhat slouchy way he carried himself as he took a seat. He left himself open for an attack but he a.) doubted she would and b.) dared to taunt her even more in this way.

"I do." He said with a pause and (of course) a toothy grin. "But she's too scared to admit it."

o ur gonna so get it

their small meeting had all the ingredients of a calamitous ship-wreck -- if raptor got too cocksure, surely he would run aground soon. sandpiper's internal dialogue churned at a feverish pace, rapidly engaging and disengaging scenarios as she tried to facilitate an aloof and disinterested mein.

she took his suggestion as a personal accusation, and her ears pulled back in a long sweep of displeasure. "why's the girl gotta do all the work?" she drawled coolly, despite feeling anything but. then she looked at him, her gaze sharp as she posed: "isn't that the man's job?"

Don't blame me. Raptor writes himself. :P

Raptor was an opportunist and Sandpiper had handed him the chance to make a move... but he hesitated despite being a speedy cat that could likely plant one on her before she had the chance to blink.

The sable corsair quickly schemed up another (and hopefully less predictable) strategy to further their game. He slowly rose back to his paws and stepped forward. He fancied himself a suave and smooth tall, dark and handsome type but, well, he was a scruffy scalawag no matter how he dressed.

Raptor angled his snout toward the side of hers, inching closer and challenging her to stand there and let him do the work and be the man.

He called her bluff.

well, fuck. yet again, sandpiper's overzealous mouth backed her into yet another corner she would have to claw her way out of. she eyed him very suspiciously, her gaze squinty as he pulled closer. oh fuck no - she was not about to let him get that close. she stiffened visibly, shifting her posture by splaying all four legs in a tense, reactive fashion.

something tingled throughout her entire body in an electric flare of heat and alarm. her fur stood on end, and she felt her face flush with hot and pounding blood. as his snout angled towards hers, she lifted her lips clearly in a silent snarl. try it, the threatening wrinkles of her snarled muzzle seemed to say: try it, if you dare.

Her effort to avoid the looming kiss was minimal. She bristled like a lumbering porcupine — she did not want to be touched but she was just going to stay there and be prickly instead of getting out of dodge — and readied herself to retaliate and that was about it. Raptor let himself hover in place and consider his options. He was daring enough to do it but once again he found himself in the position of the cat and she the mouse between his paws, and he wanted to toy with her before he let her go or ate her (ha).

There was so much he could tease her about he hardly knew where to start.

"Bwaha!" The sable pirate laughed and drew his head back after deciding against actually kissing her or nipping at her ear or some other such thing. "There ye go showin' off yer inexperience again — completely rattled just by the thought of bein' kissed," he teased as he sat back on his haunches again. "If I didn't know any better I'd think ye didn't want to be kissed at all." Raptor narrowed his eyes, grinning deviously as he lowered his voice. "But I know better. If ye didn't want to be kissed ye woulda ran off. I'd tell ye not to fight it but unfortunately for you I ain't the kissin' type anyway."

sandpiper scowled as the male pushed his limits, testing her in a way she did not enjoy being tested. her hackles were still prickled and she swung her tail back and forth over her hocks in the slow agitated manner of a cat. she waited for his advancement, coiling under tension with the full intent to spring upon him the second he pulled too close.

instead, the sable male burst into laughter -- an action that caused her ears to sweep back and her hot gaze to settle on him with disdain. she allowed him to finish, though as he went on a coy smile seemed to gingerly play on her lips.

when he was done she blinked slowly, turning her slender muzzle to the side in a mock-confused head-tilt. "have you considered that maybe i fly my flag for the other ship?" she queried, pointedly glancing him over as if his gender was somehow inadequate to her.