Cerulean Cape hey-- i was doing just fine before i met you

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It had been almost a week since she had last seen @Engel, but the Messeda girl was not worried yet. She had taken the time to think about their encounter-- in a way, she was relieved. The idea of her first time had hung over her head for so long, and now she was free of that. Free to use another of the tools she had been born with.

The shadow wandered, without thinking, to the place where they had first met. She approached the coming wave slowly, pressing her nose to the edge of where the water met the sand. Tine felt the cool wetness on her nose only briefly before the tide was pulling back out, dancing away from her, and she licked the salty water off her nose. She moved to dry sand and stretched her slim, elegant form out along the beach, relaxed despite herself.

Engel had met two of the coastal packs, and he was on his way back now to Ironsea. But still, he was on the lookout. As he went along, he missed the familiar form along the shore, his smell filled with the scent of sea salt. As he went along, he sang one of his best songs...

"And I will walk five hundred miles, and I will walk five hundred more! Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles to fall down at your paws! Da Da Da! Da Da Da!"

When the singing reached her ears, Tine only smiled to herself for a moment. It was a sarcastic, not very nice smile, but a smile nonetheless. She stretched more and rolled onto her back, turning her head in the direction of the singing.
The Messeda spotted Engel almost immediately, but she did not move-- she was in his line of sight already. Why not wait for him to notice?
Besides, the girl was growing more used to his singing; it was almost fun to cringe internally at his cheesy picks. Almost. Okay, not really, and actually she really wished he would shut up. But the girl knew she couldn't always get what she wanted out of life, so she sucked it up and waited.

Engel started swinging his head as he went along, and as he did his song increased in volume. And still, he did not notice her as he was so oblivious to the dark beauty nearby. 

"When I come home, when I come home, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you! And if I grow old, when I grow old, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who grows old with you."

When Engel still did not notice her, the shadow's first reaction was irritation. Quickly, though, a slightly devious idea came to her.
She slid from her position on the ground and swept around in a wide arc, taking care not to alert him to her presence as she moved to approach him from behind. The Messeda girl lowered herself to the ground and crept closer quietly, taking slow steps at first but picking up her pace to catch up with him after a few moments. Her movements were silent, tiny paws barely disturbing the sand below her as she drew nearer.
Then, when she was certain she was near enough, Tine launched herself straight for Engel's back. She had no intentions of hurting him, and aimed to keep her weight off of him should they crash to the ground together-- though, she doubted it would matter much. Samaantine was tiny, even more so than smaller-than-average Engel.

Engel kept going forward, tail swaying with his head. And he continued the song, as he no doubt would while still going along. "And I will walk five hundred miles, and I will walk five hundred moooo!" he shouted as he felt something, or rather someone slam into him. He snarled at them...

Only to loosen up as he saw it was Tine. Her momentum had managed to knock him, and instead of trying to get up he remained there. "Hello there, beautiful..." He remained there against the ground. Last time he had seen her, they had parted ways after a passionate night. Half of him he had not expected she would remain there. "So you still here, I see...Must really like the coast."

Tine had half-expected the snarl, so she didn't think much of it-- at his subsequent greeting, she grinned, having managed to find herself standing over him following the impact. She didn't mind the position, actually.
The girl licked his face a couple times, expression turning a little mischievous. Or maybe I really like you.
She wasn't sure where she was drawing the energy from, because she certainly wasn't feeling energetic. Everything in her screamed to go lay back down in the sand and rest more, but she promptly shushed the thoughts. There would be time to rest soon, hopefully with company-- for now, she needed to make up for a missed week.

He grinned to himself. He was happy with himself she felt this way, it meant she was happy. "Oh really, now?" That was when his expression shifted for a second. He had not thought of it at all upon their first two nights together. And yet, now. Now it hit him. It hit him, the reason why he never stuck around for long...while he strived to make others happy, there was another thing...to not make attachments.

Such things led to disaster. Hearthas was the first example. Engel could not bear that happening again...Yet here he was, falling for a girl he barely knew. And he had fallen far. 

"I like you too, Tine" he said, his tone and expression oddly serious compared to his usual chipper self. Then he too got a little mischievous look. "C'mere!" Engel tried to wrap his forepaws round her and tried to use what strength he had to move her down with him.

Though she couldn't have known what Engel was thinking, Tine caught onto the uncharacteristically solemn way he responded. Her pride swelled a little at this, and when he wrapped his front legs around her to pull her close she did not resist. Instead, the girl enthusiastically nuzzled and licked his face and neck, welcoming the contact.
Tine nipped him a few times, as well-- but she kept this to a minimum, finding she struggled to control it, and a couple times nipped a little harder than she intended. If she let herself, she would break skin, taste blood, and she would enjoy it. She was pretty sure Engel wouldn't, though.

Engel laughed, and in a way it was in an attempt to encourage her to laugh as well. That was till he felt some nips that felt a little harder than they should. "Ow!" He looked at her with the same look of confusion he before...then smirked. "If I'd known you were this feisty..." Now he was starting to see a bit of fire in her. And he liked fire. 

He remained there, looking up at her. In this, she was the master here and he would do what she said. He was loyal to her, and he was just barely realizing this. "So...what do you feel like doing? Walk on the beach?"

The shadow was pleasantly surprised by his reaction, offering an impish smile and another nip, this time to his cheek.
This is only the beginning. The murmured promise was half-playful, almost inaudible. She gave no sign of meaning more with her words, but she did. It was only the beginning for him-- and she wondered if he would come to regret it by the end.
The Messeda girl rested her muzzle against his cheek for a few beats, contemplating the answer to his question. What did she want to do? It only took a little sifting through her thoughts to decide. She looked up, then, and out at the water.
I know what I want to do. Samaantine began softly, still staring out past the shore. Then she looked at him again with glinting eyes. See that island out there?

Engel laughed quietly at hearing that. This was certainly a new side to her, and he liked it. A new, more firey side. "Oh, really? Just the beginning?" he asked, his smirk growing. He felt his tail wagging as he stared into her eyes, and his smile remained. But it seemed to...somewhat change. He felt words coming...that stopped at her suggestion.

But his demeanor shifted then at hearing her idea. "What do you...no. No, I...I can't." He had not told anyone...but he could not swim. He liked water, but that deep?

I honestly don't know when low tide is supposed to be SO IT'S NOW I GUESS

Tine was surprised by his reaction, shifting off of him and nosing his cheek sympathetically.
Are you afraid-- can you swim? The girl wondered, voice gentle. She flicked an ear, thinking that she would not be surprised if this were the case. Engel was kind of a fool. Without waiting for an answer, she continued. It's alright-- look, it's low tide. There's a sand bridge to it!
The Messeda girl gestured with her muzzle to it and offered a smile, hoping he would change his mind. She did want to explore it-- but not alone, just in case.

Engel was quite afraid to get across there, even with a sand bridge. "I...just aren't keen on swimming..." he lied, not wanting to worry her about such a thing. But, if exploring the island made her happy, and it seemed it would...

Engel sighed, shaking his head to himself. "All right, all right...you lead the way." He started, following behind her towards the sand bridge and across.

The shadow hesitated for a moment as he explained-- she could sense there was more tension behind his words, and she felt the briefest, smallest flash of concern. She didn't want to push him that far yet...
Tine would have left it there, to assure herself she possessed some mercy if nothing else, but then he agreed. She smiled, big and bright, and pressed a joyful kiss to his cheek. Thank you, thank you!
Then, with a bounce in her step (and the slightest sway to her hips) she led him across the sandy bridge, occasionally turning back to nose and nip him then dart ahead. It was an uneventful trip across. When Tine's paws hit the shore of the island she took off into a run, circling around in a wide arc and skidding to a halt right in front of Engel with a giggle. It's great here!

Engel followed along, staying a bit behind as he did follow. He cautiously eyed the water around them, just waiting for something to come out. Or the water's to suddenly rise. Or-

He almost jumped as Tine came to a half right before him, he didn't even realize that he had gotten across that quick. "Uh, yeah...yeah...so, what now?" he asked, looking about. "What do you want to do? Go look around? Find a spot for the sunset, walk on the beach?"

Tine had hoped the enthusiasm would get another positive reaction from him; she was disappointed to see it did nothing, and quieted her demeanor fractionally. The burst of liveliness had taken more energy than she possessed, so she couldn't help but feel relieved that he had not given her any indication that he enjoyed it. Seeking to recapture his favor, she leaned forward to push her nose against his cheek.
A place to watch the sunset, yes-- perhaps we can hunt, too? The shadow suggested softly, wondering if he would be receptive to this. It was partially his own idea.

He nodded to that with a soft smile, rubbing his cheek against her nose. Yes, some food for their bellies would be a nice addition to this journey. "You lead the way" he said. Both cause she would no doubt spot food for them first...and he liked seeing from behind, but he would never say that. "This is a nice little place here..."

some pp/skipping with permission

It didn't take long for the pair to find a suitable place to spend the evening-- an abandoned, slightly sandy den of weathered, hollowed stone lay in the area where the beach met the forest. The mouth of it faced the shoreline, and with some clearing out (and Tine's addition of some big leaves she found, because ew sandy stone) it was agreeable enough.
Hunting took a bit longer, and was a bit weird; towards the island's center the two encountered strange creatures Tine had no name for. They were weasels, unbeknownst to her, but her lack of knowledge regarding them did not stop her from deciding they would make a decent meal. Three dead little furry-alien-things later, they were ready to head back.
When they arrived back at the den, it was not quite sunset yet. Tine wouldn't have been terribly disappointed if it had already passed, as she didn't quite care for things like sunsets much-- but that was the point of this, kind of. She settled down and cast a smile towards Engel, waiting for him to join her.

Engel had been quite satisfied by the animals that they had eaten. It was an all right meal, small but all right. Later on they found a spot. The inviting smile sent by Tine was enough to bring him over, although he needed no convincing as he lay by her side, only just enough for her fur to mingle. "It's quite a sight, isn't it?" he asked, turning his head slightly to see and hear her opinion. "The last time I saw a sunset from a position like this..." he sighed happily.

Tine pressed closer automatically, never satisfied with just a little bit. She wanted everything he could offer-- some of it would have to wait, but why wait for the things she could have now? The Messeda girl nuzzled into him.
Yes, it's beautiful. She offered the agreement easily, glancing towards it as if enchanted, but then-- her gaze went back to him. With soft curiosity, she inquired: The last time?

Engel noticed her move closer, so he did so as well. She nuzzled him, and he rumbled happily. Then she posed a question, and he nodded. "I've been about, you know. Seen the sights..." And done so with others by his side. He thought about those moments for a short second, before shaking himself out of it.

"Anyway, it's nice and all...but we should head back, yes?" he asked. It would be getting very dark soon, and they didn't have shelter about anywhere nearby. "How about while we get going, I tell you some stuff about my ventures? Visited some packs recently."

The shadow tensed a little at his suggestion-- she hadn't realized he wouldn't be aware that low tide wasn't all the time.
We'll have to wait for low tide again. She admitted softly, nosing his cheek and hoping he wouldn't be upset with it. Tine really didn't feel like dealing with that right now. In fact, she was rather tired. Her mind buzzed in an unpleasantly awake sort of way, but physically she was exhausted. It was an unfair combination, and was beginning to take a toll on her mood. The Messeda girl was curious to hear about the packs he had visited, though, and added tentatively: But you could tell me while we wait.

His eyes widened. They would have to...wait? "Wait so...low tide is..." Then he shrugged. "Well, as long as you are here by my side, I can wait a long while."

Engel remained where he was, and he thought back on his venture. From going to visit Poppy, to the packs he ran into. They were fune times, and he had yet to finish his journey. "Well, I met a friend. Her name's Poppy, she's adorable. Then I visited two packs to the east. One of them was friendly enough, the other not so much since their greeter was not in the best mood."

Relieved and more than a little satisfied with Engel's answer, Tine smiled and leaned against him as he spoke. She wondered if she should feel jealous when he called his friend Poppy adorable-- if that was an expected reaction. But after a moment the shadow decided against this; Engel didn't seem the type to find jealousy endearing.
Did you learn anything about the friendly pack? She inquired, tail swishing gently back and forth. If Tine had been blessed with a heart, the way to it would surely have been by giving her such information.