Totoka River Reflection

@Driftwood at least!

The light was warm in color, but at this time of day, not as much in actual temperature.  There were a few hours of daylight left before night would arrive, and Skydance had yet again picked her way over to a source of water to poke around for a drink and a snack.  She'd gotten better at catching fish and had nabbed herself a few little rodents to nibble, but it wasn't much for a wolf to live on.  At the very least, it was good it was still this time of year.  How many months before the weather would turn?  Before she had to do something?

She could see the river spread out farther downstream, but where she currently was, it was still a shallow but broad ribbon that felt like it stretched farther than it should -- probably no more than a few feet deep.  Creeping up to the edge of the water, she peeked into the shallow mirror, dipping her head to take a drink.  For whatever reason, luck had fated to make her travel alone.  How much longer would she be able to keep this up?

It had taken awhile for his paws to venture off his beloved new island home, but Driftwood did at last pick them up and move them over the sandy landbridge and back onto the main landmass once more. It was strange, to stand there with his back to the isle and gaze out across the landscape and not see the ocean around some nearby corner. Driftwood turned back around and took a last good look and sniff, and then ventured a little further out to explore. Just off to the side was a creeklet trickling its way into the ocean. With no particular goal in mind he moved to follow it. Perhaps he could wash the accumulated grit from his paws and get himself a quick drink of what looked to be delightfully clear and cool freshwater—and at the very least, this less-salty accumulation of water was narrow and shallow enough to be quite sure it was clear of any of those sneaksome crabs, he noted to himself as he ventured toward it.

Driftwood hadn't moved more than a few increasingly bold paces toward it, however, when he was again stopped in his tracks. No crustaceans here, it was true, but there was an unfamiliar and unexpected sight before him. For just a moment, before the light breeze tickled his nostrils with her scent, he thought that perhaps it was young Maegi who'd already arrived here before him. But no, not only was the smell all wrong, but (although it was difficult to tell in the early-morning light that dyed most everything with warm sunset colors) this female seemed to have a rather un-Maegi-ish dusting of sawdust across much of her less-pristinely-white coat. Like Maegi, however, she seemed young, still working on filling out her frame, and yet capable of carrying herself with confidence. ...He didn't recognize her smell at all, though: or was that just his memory deserting him again? Shoot. ...Wait, but she didn't seem to smell of Undersea, either...so Drift thought he was probably okay, here, in thinking she was indeed a stranger. Probably. Yeah.

Driftwood stared for a lengthening moment in silent uncertainty. Then with a blink and a quick shake of his head, he recalled himself to his manners. He folded his ears gently back and swept his tail wide just below the level of his topline. Hello? he said, and then stopped again as he racked his brain and tried to make reallytruly positively absolutely certain that he hadn't met this young woman before. He thought he would have remembered, if he had, but... well, that was exactly the sort of thing his head would lie to him about, now, wasn't it? You haven't seen any crabs about, have you? That wasn't really the question he wanted to ask her, but in his nervousness it came blurting thoughtlessly out anyway. Driftwood suppressed a wince.

The water had a little bit of a brackish edge.  Honestly, Skydance thought she was plenty far enough from the sea that it shouldn't have been a problem, but must have been low tide.  Maybe.  It wasn't like she was paying too much attention.  Skydance looked out to the other side of the river, then continued to look inland.  Where would she go next?  Hmm.

Then someone called out to her?  Her head whipped around to face the brown man.  Not anyone she recognized, but that wasn't unexpected given how few wolves she'd run into.  Her luck had been... Odd.  She dipped her head politely, Good evening.  And then he said something she wasn't expecting.  Crabs?  Uh.  She looked at him owlishly, Um.  I think they'd be down closer to the ocean?  It wasn't exactly a totally bizarre question, just... Kind of.

Driftwood's ears hunched themselves further down with some embarrassment. The way she was looking at him, with his mouth running off again and jabbering questions he hadn't really meant to ask, he thought made it pretty clear that she thought he was weird and maybe a bit dim. Well wasn't this off to a great start. ...Right...uh, yeah, you're probably right. ...I mean, that's the only place I've seen them so far, anyway... Driftwood gave his fur a shake, resettling, and tried again. Uh, hi, I'm Driftwood? I live in Undersea. He bobbed his head in return and then tilted it indicatively in the direction of his home island. ...Okay, this was better at least. Damn, why did he have to have such a knack for making everything so awkward. Meeting other wolves really shouldn't be this hard! Why had he thought that venturing outside Undersea's borders was a good idea, again?

Um. Who're you? He belatedly remembered to ask the follow-up question. Not smoothly, admittedly, but at least he hadn't blurted anything more about any dratted crustaceans in the process. Timidly he reached out a nose to try and get a better sniff of her.

He certainly seemed uncomfortable!  Skydance wasn't sure what to think about that -- much of her education had been how to deal with people who were acting just about any mood except kind of awkward and maybe scared of her a little?  Like why would some important person be acting like she was super intimidating?  She wasn't, right? Nobody had ever said she was...

Her ears swiveled back a moment as she thought.  Well, he seemed to be getting back on track?  Maybe?  She didn't know where Undersea was, but sounded like it'd be somewhere along the coast.  She did her best to put the pieces back together, dipping her head,  A pleasure to meet you, Driftwood.  You may call me Skydance. -- Is Undersea nearby, then?

She seemed quite gracious and forgiving of his lapses, at least. Driftwood bobbed his head back at her, made a little clumsy by his haste, but feeling like maybe things were at least starting to lurch along a little less haltingly. Just whatever you do, don't think of crabs, he told himself, which of course like the proverbial pink elephant had exactly the opposite effect. ...But so long as he could still avoid mentioning them to this lady again it was well and good enough, he supposed.

Uh, yeah, pleased to meet you too. Skydance. Seemed a bit of a strange name but what did he know. At least it had nothing to do with crustaceans... Yeah...yeah, Undersea's just over that way. There's a land bridge you can cross when the tides feel like cooperating or the moon is right or whatever... I'm not sure exactly what it is that makes it appear and disappear, to be honest, but it was there earlier today. Driftwood trailed off and spent a few breaths worrying over what might happen if it was not there when he wanted or needed to go back. ...You'd be welcome to visit, if you're curious, he offered to Skydance however. I can show you where it and everything else are. Although who knew how long it'd take for her to get sick of his company. Maybe having to put up with the blabbersome village idiot here might serve to scare her off rather than tempt her to come visit...Driftwood fretted quietly to himself for another moment, wondering if he might have been better served not to speak up at all. Maybe he should cultivate an aloof, mysterious persona who spoke only rarely, if ever; a cloaked and distant wolf who stood loftily apart from the rest and appeared and disappeared like smoke, a ninja whom no other wolf could ever pin down.

Eh, he'd never be able to make such a thing stick. Such artifice was rather beyond the talents of Driftwood, especially when merely managing a non-awkward conversation with a stranger always seemed to prove such a task. Where are you from? he thought to ask as something of an afterthought.

What a weird land.  Skydance hadn't really worried too much about the ocean either, so she was pretty useless about figuring out that mystery too.  She tilted her head, Your alphas allow people to just... visit?  That seemed super weird to her.  Maybe he was being a bit loose with his phrasing, but allowing anyone to even just saunter up to the territory without real business sounded unlikely to her.  Maybe it was just harsher climes of the north making for less amiable neighbors.  Then again, Driftwood seemed a little a little scattered here (even if he seemed to be getting a better grasp on things as they kept talking), so maybe he was just being unclear.

It had been what felt like so long now since she left that she had to think about how to answer, Um.  My birth pack I suppose is quite a distance from here, far to the north.  Nowhere now.  Yeah, she needed to figure that out before winter, but there was still time, wasn't there?  At least her plush coat would keep her warm longer.  The thing that would become a problem sooner would be the lack of large prey.  There was only so long a wolf would want to live on rodents and really old carrion.

Skydance's expression made Driftwood flail inwardly a little more as he hastily went back over everything he'd said, in his head, as best as he could remember it anyhow. Oh crap, had he said something way out of line somehow? From Skydance's expression here one would think so... No matter how much he tried, he always seemed to come out as the inept weirdo to any strangers he met. More importantly, though, he wouldn't want to say something out of line that'd upset his alphas, or give this stranger a false impression of them. Well, I'd be there to vouch for you? he said after a few hasty moments of racking his brains. I mean, they do want to meet anyone they don't know, of course, especially if no one else knows them either... that is to say, uh, they might want to meet you and make sure you weren't intending to cause any...trouble. Though that was surely part of his job, too, as a proper Seawolf. He'd have to make sure she wasn't trying to sneak in to make trouble, too. His swift though uncertain glance swept across her face wasn't spotting any sort of new and nefarious intent, however; he himself had trouble imagining this young lady intentionally causing any sort of problems. ...But Driftwood was well aware he himself also wasn't always able to stretch his imagination to encompass all the possibilities. His paws shifted uncomfortably in place as he tried to turn the situation over and over in his head and see what he might be missing. They do have the pups and all that they want to make sure are safe, as well.

Driftwood was distracted from his own patter, internal and external, but glanced northward as Skydance spoke of her old pack, almost as if he could see it hovering there in the distance if he looked in the proper direction. Almost he wanted to ask if she missed it—but then again, the descriptor of Nowhere, now seemed a fairly clear indicator. Driftwood settled for offering up an understanding nod instead. Lots of wolves he knew had left their birth packs far behind them, glad or not. It was only sensible to look forward to the now and the future instead of dwelling on those places and people that were past...or so he liked to tell himself. He bit his tongue before his voicebox could try to muddle through all this aloud, though—it was a touchy subject, after all, and Driftwood was pretty sure he'd make a hash of it one way or another. So: another, safer topic? Quickly. And no, not crabs! Do you like the ocean? he blurted, looking out toward the sealine. That might be a useful thing to know, especially if after all this she might actually still be thinking of visting his new island home. Driftwood looked back toward Skydance for a clue as to what she might be thinking, or if she might after all just be readying herself a swift exit from this unwelcome company.

This guy was kind of odd and she couldn't quite put a paw on why.  Just overall frazzled?  Either way, it was still kind of throwing her off.  If things didn't go by the nice little plan she'd drilled into her skull, what was she supposed to do about it?  

Oh, okay, that makes sense I guess.  I was under the impression that most packs would get kind of angry if you showed up and didn't have like.. Actual business.  Skydance was still pretty unsure about it, Is your pack different that way then?  Maybe it was some weird cultural thing in this area that differed from where she was from.  Had she walked far enough for that to be the case?  Who freaking knew.

He was pretty quick about swapping topics too -- or sudden was maybe the right word. Agh.  She didn't like the mental flailing, the resulting awkwardness...  I really haven't spent too much time near it to know.  I've been inland most of my life.

Well. She wasn't running in the other direction yet stil at least. Driftwood supposed that was a good sign...? Her expression was difficult for him to guess the feelings behind, though. He supposed all he could really do was to continue muddling through as best he could, though. (He couldn't help but think, however, that Undersea surely had far more talented ambassadors at hand! heck, perhaps he ought to get this lady to visit there just so she could meet and talk to some of them, instead of just his own inept self and the muddy explanations he was wallowing his way through, here.)

Um, he said, trying to appear attentive and intelligent despite the way his heart was sinking. Most packs...? Well, maybe they would. Driftwood didn't really know. He squirmed just a little, and then offered a hesitant shrug as he pulled a bit of a face. ...I guess? I'm...not really sure, in all honesty. I can't remember much else. Driftwood drooped as he reluctantly made the admission; like a flan in a cupboard his ears collapsed downward, the one with the floppy tip drooping slightly further yet. But Coelacanth and Stockholm are very nice, and wonderfully welcoming to strange faces. I guess perhaps they are used to more unfamiliar wolves being about, because a number of them washed up onshore at some point, and it's not like you can really plan something like that?

His eyes brightened and his tail revived itself a little however as she talked about his beloved ocean, though. Even if it was just her admitting that on this topic she herself didn't know much. You've been missing out, then! he said with more than a hint of enthusiasm. It's so lovely to swim in, and sometimes seashells and things will wash up on the beaches—some of them are even edible. His more-habitual grin had now reappeared, as he regarded Skydance with growing happiness. Would her curiosity be piqued, would she ask him more about the seas and maybe even express an interest in visitng both it and Undersea's island itself? He hoped so. He really did feel like she would be sorely missing out if not. But then again she might honestly prefer to go around doing the tourist thing with somewolf else.

Shortish to keep it moving. :P

Hum.  Okay.  So, that wasn't particularly useful.  They might be a little more open.  But who knows, maybe not.  It wasn't like she was sold on living by the ocean.  It was nice knowing there was at least one pack that was an option, though.  Driftwood at least was useful in that aspect, unlike some of the quiet and avoidant ones she'd run across so far. 

But doesn't it cause problems and stuff too?  Like can't waves flood stuff? And you can't drink any of that water.  She knew that salt water was pretty gross for drinking and it just seemed to her that living around gross water would maybe cause problems.  But heck, what did she know?  She paused, realized she was perhaps being too negative for proper conversation, so she shook her head and redirected things, Sorry.  What things does it provide to eat?

Driftwood was a little startled by even the idea that the wonderful ocean surrounding everything might cause problems. Er, well...I guess, theoretically, perhaps... he admitted reluctantly after blinking and thinking about it for a moment. It's never flooded at all that I've seen, though. And there's higher ground rising up to mountain in the middle, which has the most beautiful uh, whatchacallit... like a volcano but with water in the middle of the top? There was a word for it. He could just about feel it there on the tip of his tongue. But he didn't want to struggle too obviously long and hard to find it, so he plunged onward:

So yeah, there's not just saltwater, there's plenty of freshwater for drinking, too. And there are sea lions—though you have to be careful with them; sometimes the big ones can get pretty grumpy if you get them riled up—and otters and beavers and fish of course. Lots of fish, and fisherwolves good at catching them; they're better fresh than some of the ones that wash up, you've gotta sniff 'em and be careful and not choke on the bones but they are pretty tasty. Um. Oh, and some horses and deer, too... though, uh, those don't come from the water so much and I guess that's not really what you were asking about. Whoops. He hesitated for a moment before trying to drag himself more back on-topic, and ramble on some more once he'd gotten the train of thought back onto the proper tracks. Or close to it, hopefully. ...Some of the clams and things are pry-openable, but only if you find them in the right state, or the right wolf who knows how to get into 'em, I think. Or if you steal it off an otter maybe, he added with a bit of a devil-may-care grin.

This is old enough, maybe we should wrap it up? XD

This guy really did seem to want her to come back and see his pack, given how much he was selling it.  She didn't know what to think of that.  Were they desperate for members?  Was he just overly-friendly?  Was it a trap?  Honestly, she had no idea.  They could all be a thing.

She was reasonably well educated, but some mountain with a hole in the top with water?  Yeah, she didn't take geography or whatever in wolf school, Skydance was basically just a shrug emoji.  And he just kept going and going and going.  In the end, Skydance got a vague, kind of randomly compiled together picture of what life there was kind of like.  But was it for her?  She wasn't sure.  It sounds kind of like it's a whole different planet over there.  But you say your pack's pretty nice and such? She tilted her head.  She just wasn't 100% sold on Driftwood himself.  He was an odd one.

At the least it was a start.  She wanted to know what else was out there, though.  She didn't know what she wanted.  Did she actually have to join packs and then find out she didn't like them?  That didn't seem very nice to anyone involved... Ugh.  SOME DAY.  I don't know really where I'm going to end up, but will definitely have to keep it in mind.

Sounds fine by me!  ;)  I think this ramblesome mess has drawn it to enough of a close on my part... reply or archive at will!

It is kinda like a whole other planet unto itself! A very nice little one, with very nice wolves, yes. Driftwood was beaming through this quite sincerely, completely innocent and unaware of the potential for his enthusiasm to seem so over-the-top as to smack of insincerity. In truth even if he had somehow found himself face to face with his pack's mortal enemy who would have more happily burned the island to ash and dust than ever make a nonviolent visit there to interact ith its wolves, Driftwood would still probably have blathered on about just how wonderful and perfect his most favorite pack with so many of his most favorite wolves in it was. It was hard for him to rein it in whatsoever when it came to expounding about Undersea in particular. He'd never imagined he might ever find an island even half so amazing and welcoming as that one...Driftwood felt himself to be a very lucky wolf indeed in having washed up on those particular shores. If a rampaging rabid bear could have calmed down long enough to listen to his off-the-cuff spiels he'd probably have tried to "sell" them on the island too, really.

He probably wasn't really the ideal wolf to give a complete and unbiased picture of the place though either, to be fair. Any portrait he painted of it was likely to not only be rose-tinted but also haphazard and with at least a few surprising random holes. But he tried; his brain just wasn't terribly cooperative with all of this, particularly when it started to get as overexcited and ahead of itself as his beloved Wheeling Gull Isle tended to make it. Of course, of course,  he said, trying to sound suave and levelheaded and to calm himself down at least somewhat, but noentheless having to spin himself in a quick little dizzy circle of happiness in place. Undersea, he really did love the place. And sorta missed it already, truth be told, although he also wanted to make sure he had things of interest and import to share when he eventually got back there. Not time to head home just yet. ...Unless Skydance was wanting the grand tour of the place right now? He didn't think so but he tried to leave the opportunity open for her in case she secretly did want to go there right here and now and was just doing very badly at finding some way to actually express so. That's quite understandable. Just let me know though if you ever want me to show you around! Showing a newcomer all the nooks and crannies of the island...why, surely that would be very nearly just as good as the first excting time he'd gone exploring them all and ferreting them out for himself! Driftwood couldn't contain the overbubbling cauldron of glee within him any longer at the notion, and picked himself up to spin himself in another tight little pair of circles before getting distracted by a small nearby foreign scent of some sort. He snuffed along the ground after it for a moment, wondering if perhaps Skydance here might appreciate the bit of extra time and space this afforded for a reply or some further thought on her part, and then he remembered that he had originally intended to rinse off his sandy paws in the clear little creeklet. He proceeeded to wander over and do so. And by this point, like as not, Skydance would have taken the opportunity to gain a little space to do some thinking of her own without the scatterbrained young Driftwood lurking about to distract her at will.

It was probably a good thing that Skydance was well trained to be proper lady -- it had given her enough of a mental buffer that she hadn't just stopped and stared blankly at Driftwood this entire time! Quite an accomplishment!

But yes, now it was time to wander off and continue her trip to wherever.  She stretched, Oh yes, that I can do.  And you have a good rest of your day. Even if you are slightly nuts.  Time for her to wander off and get lost somewhere else.  Maybe at some point she'd come back here.  Or not. Who knew at this point.