Cerulean Cape And maybe then we'll talk

WC: 661
@Laroche

As long as there were four 
Matches in a jar 
With a screw-top lid 
I know she did not mean to hurt my feelings...
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On her second day of being alone, Thresher still couldn’t quite piece together what had happened. Her knowledge of life along the ocean was returning to her slowly, and it was noon when she realized there must have been a storm, to leave so much flotsam upon the shore. Sticks, driftwood, and long strands of drying kelp lay upon the beach, strewn here and there like long ribbons. She sniffed it, hunger making her stomach grumble, but she wasn’t terribly apetized by the dark green kelp. The smell of salt just made her more thirsty, so she hadn’t strayed too far from the river that split the shore.

She decided to hunt crabs, but the skills she had learned from her parents were still lost...All she could remember was the sound their shells made as she cracked through them, and the taste of crabmeat. But the tact that she would need to hunt a crab down was gone, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to get that back. She traipsed along the shore looking fairly pitiful and hungry, her large, doleful eyes expressing just how sorry she felt for herself. She was lost, this she knew...She was hungry, and the wind was cold. Instinct told her to go inland- but some foggy memory begged her to stay near the ocean’s edge, as it felt more like home than anything.

Though Thresher had been taught a bit about hunting, she was still quite reserved, and did not take to it as naturally as her siblings did. She was quick to spook, and thus did not always anticipate when her prey might change direction or do something she wasn’t expecting. She was used to food that lived either on the island or along the shore, so she had begun to hunt for herself, scavenging along the shores and looking for a crab to catch, but to no avail. It was only when the strong scent of something extremely...Well, it was a new scent, and it smelled of death and of fish and salt water, but it wasn’t something she’d smelled before- but she was hungry, and smells often meant something edible was nearby.

She crested a sand dune that had become dusted with snow and saw what it was, but the sight that met her was not one she ever could have expected- nor was it one that made her feel hungry. It wasn’t likely that the creature had been tossed upon the shore by the high storm winds the day prior, as they would have little trouble navigating even when the seas were churned by the winds, but for some reason, a whale had beached itself. What she couldn’t see, of course, was the massive tangle of brightly coloured, odd-textured objects that the whale had likely ingested and that had led to its chosen suicide upon the shore. Unbeknown to Thresher, the whale was still alive.

It was fairly small, for a humpback whale, but still much larger than she ever would have imagined. She approached with caution, and it was only when the whale exhaled that she realized it wasn’t a carcass and skittered back several feet. She stared at it, wide-eyed, until she convinced herself that it wasn’t going to move. It still reeked, as it had likely been there for hours; its skin was drying, and it must have been anguish, with all its weight crushing its ribs in an uncomfortable position. Its eyes, small and wise, were tired when they reflected Thresher’s image as she approached, cautious and fervent. She circled it, and uttered a soft, high-pitched whine. She looked out to the tide- even when it came in, it wouldn’t likely be high enough to pull the whale back into the water. She continued to utter soft, high-pitched whines on each exhale, pleading with the whale to do something, to do anything. But it simply regarded her with sad, drying eyes and did nothing.

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///But that's what she did.

He hadn't returned to Neverwinter Forest yet, despite the previous desire of  wanting to check on Grezig. He had stayed upon the coast, clinging the one thing that made him feel at least a little bit at home. It was the smell of sea salt and sand, the constant sound of the waves either crashing or lapping at the shore that made him feel like more than a homeless vagrant who couldn't find direction in his life. He was aware that this was a feeling only, not a truth and that he would eventually need a home or he'd succumb to the winter but at the moment he wasn't up to throwing himself into a pack where he wasn't sure he'd fit.


He'd moved around the coast and had come upon a place reeking of rotten fish except far more pungent. For a while he stayed away, growing used to the reek from afar before he caught the faint notes of whimpering on the wind. It sounded young, very young and that scared him a bit. He was cold and kept himself distant emotionally but when it came to pups he became soft. He slowly made his way over, spotting the carcass in the distant and as he grew closer he also spotted the she pup pacing frantically and whining desperately. 


It took him a moment of studying the situation to realise she felt sad about the whale, who he had just realised was not quite dead yet. He chuffed softly to gather her attention "You can't help something that doesn't want to be helped kid. If it makes you feel better, it's probably so far gone it doesn't feel much anymore" he said gently, his deep voice almost warm as he reguarded her with silver eyes.

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As much as Thresher wanted the whale to move, she couldn’t bring herself to touch it. Its skin should have been glossy and shiny, the way it looked when it breached out in the water, not dry and flecked with sand and drying salt. The smell it emitted was foul, but even worse yet was the fact that it still made her stomach clench; and beg for her to eat something. She eyed one of its flippers, ridged and wave-like in shape, and moved around to its fluke where she could see a bit of the white markings from its underside. While she had always wanted to see one so close, she had never wanted to see one as it lay, awaiting death. Was this what happened to all whales? Did they all suffer a death that was full of shame and privy to spectators as this?

She wanted to do something- but was surprised by the sudden sound of another wolf who’d uttered a note to get her attention. She skittered backwards, hiding temporarily behind the whale and of course, it allowed her to take shelter. She peeked around its barnacle-crusted chin to see a large male, with a sturdy, imposing frame looking down the way at both her and the whale. There was an authoritative way about him that Thresher was unfamiliar with, as her own father had been warm and had commanded respect by simply existing- at least, in Thresher’s eyes. The words he spoke upset her, but it wasn’t the fact that the whale wouldn’t feel much, but the fact that it didn’t want help. Thresher had yet to realize the truth- that the whale hadn’t been washed up by the storm, but that it had placed itself there to die.

She wanted to will it to live again, and finally gently, touched her nose to its cheek, just below its eye so that she could make eye contact with it. The creature regarded her from many miles away, or so it seemed, and simply seemed to accept the presence of another apex predator. If it feared her, it didn’t show it. But if it enjoyed her presence, it didn’t show that either. Thresher saw nothing in the whale’s eye, which blinked slowly. This wasn’t enough, though. What the stranger had said couldn’t be true, and she wouldn’t accept it as easily as he thought she might.

She had heard the humpbacks sing before, and had often sung back to them as they chased each other and leapt from the waters in the summer. She remembered that much, now. She remembered standing on a beach, with the land to her back and facing out to the deep ocean where the whales passed by, not in this inlet. She tilted her head back and did her best to remember the songs the whales had sung again, her voice high and clear, wavering and halting, occasionally dipping an octave before swooping back up again, questioningly. Out of breath, she lowered her muzzle and looked back at the whale, hopefully.

Any stare it had once had was gone; its half-lidded eyes were greyed and far away, and its sides had stopped moving, at last. Feeling powerless as a ripple of water in an ocean, she sank to the ground beside the deceased whale and placed her head on her forepaws. Now she was even more alone.

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What he had said hadn't helped at all and he had managed to scare her. He winced and stayed where he was, not wanting her to bolt if he came any closer. He hadn't had contact with anyone in so long and he knew kids could either be easy to deal with or they could be some of the most complicated people alive. He wasn't sure how to comfort her here, wasn't sure what to do. 


Then she surprised him and began to sing, mimicing the haunting and beautiful songs whales shared together. Her young, high voice was sweet and the rest of his hardened demeanor melted away and he lowered himself down to crawl forward slowly. "I take it back. You did help it. It just wanted someone to sing it to sleep, like it's family used to." he murmured, a sad look on his face. "You made it feel better enough so it passed in peace. That's all anyone can ever do" he looked at the whale and sighed. "My name is...My name is Renier. That's my secret name. Nobody is allowed to call me that unless I think they're special. What's your name?" he tried to grab her attention away from the whale surprising himself when he felt comfortable giving a kid his true name. He offered her a small smile, head lowered to his paws as he matched her position trying to seem less intimidating.

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This was Thresher’s first real experience with death, apart from prey animals. She’d not lost any family members, and those packmates who had left, had simply gone away and hadn’t died. The concept had been explained to her, but she hadn’t yet seen it happen...And though she had killed crabs and small prey animals herself, there was something different about those deaths that made them almost devoid of any emotional triggers. It was the way that predators had to be, and she possessed the trait necessary for her own survival. She could take a life it meant furthering her own, as long as it was something widely acknowledged as prey. Wolves, of course, and several other predators weren’t ever in question- they were not to be killed. They were not to die; thus, Thresher had never seen another wolf die, or another predator of the likes of her.

She understood enough to know that the whale was dead; that it was gone and that it would never come back. But there was something about seeing such a majestic creature pass away from such an uncomfortable death that saddened Thresher, and this was something she hadn’t expected. She’d listened to a description of what it was like when another wolf died, but having never experienced it, she hadn’t expected the cutting edge of pain. The whale, just like her, had been alone, and no other whales had been nearby when it passed. Her song had been the last thing it had heard, and something about that fact pulled on her heartstrings and made her whimper sadly as she looked at the now lifeless mass upon the shore.

When she turned her face to look up at Renier, his words made her whimper even more. She’d sung it to sleep...Only it wasn’t sleeping. The analogy wasn’t lost on her, and it was nice to hear death put into those terms...It was also nice to be reassured that she’d done something nice for the whale before it had passed away, but it didn’t take the pain away completely. She felt slightly foolish for a moment- but Renier had validated her pain, and she had needed that very much. She sniffed slightly, and turned away from the whale, finally, trying her best to wave her tail in a friendly way when he introduced himself. Thresher, an ever-impressionable youth, was extremely taken by the fact that he thought she was special, and though her heart still stung, she mustered up a sad, shakey smile that faltered somewhat. ”Treasure.” She said. Of course, she- like her mother- often mispronounced her name, but it had happened so often that the nickname had stuck. She bobbed her head, sniffling again, slightly. ”Thank you.” She whispered quietly, casting one more regretful look at the whale, and heaving a shaky sigh. She felt unstable, and wasn’t sure what else to do with herself, so she let her head hang a bit, admitting to the fact that she was just like the whale- lost, and losing hope.

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His heartstrings yanked when she slowly turned away from the whale looking so sad that it became his goal to make her feel better. She introduced herself and his small smile broke into a genuine full fledged smile "Treasure. You must be special, to have such a name" he said as if that validated it officially. Oh how badly he wanted to make her smile, to see the pain fade just a little bit from that face that still had that baby look to it. He scooted forward and slowly reached out with his nose toward the underneath of her chin, where he would attempt to gently lift her chin if allowed. "I know it hurts, little treasure, but I promise you that if you lift your chin and carry onward from here it will go away eventually." he murmured this softly, silver eyes trying to catch and hold hers.  


Now that he was closer it was shockingly evident that she was alone. She smelled like nothing but pup, sea water and sand. Nobody else could be smelled on her fur. "Are you alone? More importantly, are you Alright? Hungry?" if she was hungry he would hunt for her. He didn't think suggesting they eat the whale would sit well with this girl.

My heart. Oh my God he's such a dad.

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<3<3<3 LOVE HIM

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Thresher’s spirits weren’t quite ready to be lifted, but he did give her the courage to, in the very least, carry on and deal with the sadness she felt. It was still something new, and new things were very frightening for the anxiety-ridden girl. She generally liked routine, and she knew that much...All of this uncertainty was making her very nervous and vulnerable to mood swings she hadn’t been prepared for- but she couldn’t for the life of her remember where she was from, or what her routines had been. She was living her life simply based on instinct now, and it frightened her. She did not like being alone, and she definitely did not like death. The stranger was the least of her worries, though strangers had rarely ever been cause for concern. Though Thresher was shy, she didn’t lack trust; her naive nature combined with her inexperience created a wolf who was gentle, shy, but perhaps vulnerable to corruption if she ever fell into the wrong hands. Fortune had smiled upon her, though, and had brought her a savior who was most encouraging and kind to her.

He lifted her chin and she looked up with shimmering brown eyes, flattening her long, feathered ears so that the tufted tips lay back against the soft beige of her neck, touching just where her faded dorsal stripe led down her spine. His eyes were bright silver, the same hue the ocean waters took when they reflected the moonlight. She couldn’t hold his gaze for long, but made an effort to wave her tail slightly, agreeing that she would try to do what he was asking. As soon as he took his muzzle away, her chin naturally lowered- Thresher’s posture was rarely ever proud or confident, but she did stop herself from tucking her chin against her chest, as she usually did, with her finely arched neck. She still looked like a scarecrow, propped in a position she hadn’t chosen herself- but it was an effort she was somewhat willing to make.

He then asked her a few questions which made her wilt visibly, causing her barely swinging tail to still and tuck between her hind feet, the tip brushing against the ground now that her knees bent slightly. She was alone, she was hungry, and she was lost. Was she alright? Well, she wasn’t in the same state as the whale, and that thought made her shudder lightly. She knew it was impolite not to answer him- but it was also wrong to talk to strangers...A new memory appeared in her mind, and all she could see was thick, beige fur, but there was something in it...A ring of thorns, or something like that. She heard a warm, calming voice tell her that strangers weren’t always bad...But that she shouldn’t go talking to them without a parent present. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember who had said those words to her, and she’d already introduced herself. The memory, though, calmed her slightly. Something about that wolf with the thorns about its throat made her feel loved.

”Hungry,” She finally murmured, almost apologetically. She didn’t want to ask anything of him, but at the same time, she felt miserable, and it always felt better when food happened. She could feel the warmth of siblings alongside her still, as she fed...The fur of her mother was dark. She remembered that much, now- but nothing else came to her. She guessed, then, that the male whose looks were identical to hers, aside from the necklace of thorns, was her father and her mother had dark, glossy black fur. She was mesmerized by those memories for a moment, until she realized she’d zoned out. Her head still ached slightly from the blow she’d taken the day before. ”We….Find food….Peace?” She asked hopefully.

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She seemed to space out for a little bit and he patiently waited for her to come out of it, wondering what exactly this poor pup had been through. She didn't seem to have anyone around her and seemed so innocent to the badder things in life. It made Laroche hesitant to leave her here and continue onward with his journey. Finally she came out of her spaced out state and answered at least one of his questions, stating that yes she was hungry. He breathed silently out his nose his worry deepening. She couldn't even feed herself could she? Where were her parents? "I will go find food, you must stay here okay? Do not move, i'll only be a moment"



After he had said that he began to walk off, turning to look over his shoulder to give her a reassuring smile and wag his tail. He then walked further down shore to where small pools had been created in the sand and shelled creatures lay. He grabbed some clams and crabs and cracked them open so she could eat when he got back and then wandered the shallows for a while until he manged to catch a single fish. He had no idea how long he had been gone but he didn't want to risk her running off so he grabbed it all and headed back. Unable to speak he approached her slowly, tail swaying and dropped the fish and deshelled meat. "I hope that's enough for now, I will grab myself something another time." he said and then backed off, sliding onto his belly so she didn't feel as if he were hovering.

sorry- phone post...

Thresher was an obedient girl, so when she was told to stay still she frowned- not wanting to be left alone- but nodded. She watched him saunter off, catching the little smile he gave her, before he disappeared along the shoreline. She felt very alone and exposed, so she decided to find herself some shelter and tucked herself along a long piece of driftwood so that she wouldn’t feel the wind so much. 

She dropped her gaze every time she thought of the whale. It had looked so sad- nothing like how they looked when they played in the waves. It hadn’t even really tried to save itself, it had simply given up...And that concept was new to Thresher, who never would have contemplated such a thing before...Had it been alone, like her, too? Was that why it had given up?

Fortunately for her, she had Renier, who came back eventually with a fish and a type of pale meat she recognized. She stood and greeted him, tail waving and ears quivering. She licked her lips hopefully, eyes more watching what he was carrying than watching him until he dropped them in front of her. She whined softly, pleading even though he assured her she should eat. Ravenous, she snapped up the crab meat first- it was soft and went down without hardly being chewed and was delicious. It reminded her of the time that she’d stopped Driftwood from getting pinched by crabs-

And the sudden memory caused her to pause and jerk her head up. She could see his face, and remember the day they’d gone looking for shells. ”Drift...” She said, with a faraway look on her face, before the memory faded a bit. They’d been along the beach...So she had to be close. Her hunger distracted her again, and she ate most of the fish, bones and all, her starvation causing her to forget herself and eat the entire thing herself. She only realized how rude she’d been after- not sharing or offering him any- once her wild hunger had been calmed.

”Thank you....Sorry,” she said, simultaneously grateful and ashamed of herself.

He hadn't expected her to share so when she gobbled it down he simply sat near her his only thought being that he was concerned. She looked too hungry to have been capable of scavenging or hunting her own food and he felt hesitant to leave her alone here. Through his musing he caught the murmured word and looked up, seeing the dazed look on her face. Drift.....had she drifted here? "Did you wash ashore Treasure?" he asked her, his tone prying but gentle. He gave a small shake of his head when she apologized for eating it all "You never have to apologise for taking what is offered, especially when you need it so much".

I am SO SORRY. You can wrap this up however you want if you want to or we can continue