Totoka River deltas

Tagged as spree because that's what I'm hoping for but all welcome as well.

She was intrigued by it.

The water that flowed out into the ocean. She was not sure she had ever witnessed it before. A river that she could see go out into the wide waters. She had heard tales of where waters met, but there would always be something exciting about witnessing it first hand.

Eagerly she bound through the cold river, disturbing anything that might have swam through its shallower waters. Fishes would dart quick away down stream from her child-like antics. Yet that did not stop her from attempting to snatch a few tails here and there. Albeit unsuccessful in such as she wasn't truly trying to hunt.

She would take a breath, to catch her breath but laugh with giddy delight as well.

*waves* available to do the spree today if you can! 

days of travel lead the burly woman away from the meadow and towards the coastline; she can still hear the ocean and rain destroying the beach and dragging all she knew underneath the water. gracious had to swallow her shaken nerves and push onward. she couldn't bring herself to the mountain, to the spire where she had abandoned sagtannet. perhaps, if she ever gains enough courage, she can make her way back to the spire in search of mahler and the rest of the court and diaspora. until then, she moves away from the thought and the mountain range.

she finds herself at a river, a place of opportunity for fishing. gracious hasn't had the greatest luck with fishing before in her earlier travels, but she is always willing to try again for success. she slowly wades herself into the shallow river, disturbing the fish for only a few seconds before they reconvene around her paws. grey eyes watching cautiously, gracious picks out the smaller and weaker fish closest to her. before she can even throw her muzzle into the water, the sound of water splashing distracts her as the fish once again scatter.

she casts her eyes upstream to see another female bounding in the water; there was her culprit who scared all of her fish away. a frustrated sigh escapes her lips, but gracious does not hold a grudge -- the girl before her looks young. who is gracious to be an old and cranky woman, telling a girl how to behave when she is most likely experiencing her first taste of freedom and independence as a young adult? she slowly stands to her full height and waits to see if the girl says anything to her, the new blockade in her river wading.

Had she known she'd been the source of a distraction, she would have perhaps apologetically shrunk.

Instead she bloomed under the presence of another and knowing no better. A woman who seemed older, but not so old as to be tied to a home it seemed. Oceane's tail swayed and whipped the air, throwing water droplets every which way. Quick to bound through the waters once more. This time with a goal. To get closer and greet the woman.

Helloooo! She called out in a singsong way, eager to make a bright first impression.

Thankfully for Oceane, Gracious is not a grumpy old lady like others may expect of someone her age. Thankfully, her success on her last hunt can keep her satisfied for a tad longer. Hearing how confidently the girl called out to her in an overly-friendly manner, Gracious knows she is in no harms way. Relaxing internally, Gracious shoots the girl a smile.

"Hello there. You are?" She asks her, head tilting in the slightest as grey storm cloud eyes glaze over the dirtied cream body of the girl before her. Gracious takes notice of her peculiar ears; not wolf-like at all. What was that all about? Not to mention, the older woman took note of the size difference between the two, Gracious felt like a giant compared to her.

She was reminded of mothers back home. Beacons of strength and protection, yet also soft with their children. Not that Ocean thought she belonged to this woman — she never really learned who her actual mother (or father!) were — but the feeling was there all the same.

Oceane! It felt so odd yet freeing to leave off her Cliffraine title. Who are you? Do you live here? A child with a million questions.

Oceane. A name that reminds her of frost-bitten winds full of salt and frigid ice. A name that reminds her of her trauma of escaping the beach and days of pleasantry in Margaritaville with Tristan and Bat. It suits the girl quite nicely to Gracious. Names hold a certain level of importance; it is the thing wolves refer to themselves, it is the thing that binds them to their identity. Inside a name is something special that belongs to its bearer.

"I am Gracious, it's wonderful to meet you Oceane" she starts off, her large plume now waves behind her in a cheerful manner, "I live here in the Wilds, but not in this specific area. I've yet to find somewhere I want to claim as my own." The land is vast, and there was still so much for Gracious to see. But at some point, she would force herself to find her family of Sagtannet and apologize for her wrongdoings. Until then...

"How about you? Do you have a home or family nearby?"

Oh, whoa, this woman was going to claim something. Which made sense! Oceane was familiar that that was what wolves tended to do. Claim places and live there. She had just...never witnessed it. Not in such an infantile stage where someone hadn't even picked a place yet.

Nuh-uh! She chirped, clearly unbothered by being as free as the sea breeze.

What kind of place are you gonna claim?

she is young and seemingly all alone. yet she is not bothered by the idea of it at all. good for her, independence and learning to fend for oneself is an important step in becoming a true adult. gracious prays that oceane is successful in her future journeys.

as for the question about her "claim", gracious falls silent for a moment to think. "you know what?" she asks, a small laugh follows, "i haven't really thought that part out yet. maybe a mountain, the sunrises and sunsets are viewed the best from up there." she longs for the spire once more.

"where will you go, hmm?" she asks, head tilting in the slightest manner. the girl's personality would easily help her get a spot somewhere, but she wonders about what else she has to offer.

I know Oceane talks a lot so if Gracious would cut her off or stop her anywhere, let me know and I can edit! :D

Oh, hmm, She trailed off with a loud humming sound in her throat. What aboooout — there! Her nose jutted out to point towards the small cluster in the distance. Horizon Ridge and Gryfalcon's Keep. Not that she knew their names, just that they were the highest points she could see from here. Or maybe — uhhh. She did a quick circle, keen to find somewhere nice for the kind woman. Only she couldn't exactly see every vantage point from this place. Well, I'm sure you'll find somewhere! You know you best!

Me though? I haven't...decided? I've never ever been far from the saltwater but I've heard that there's lots of places beyond the sands.

okay! gracious doesn't quite have the heart to interrupt her, so you should be fine! :)

talkative, that could be a drawback for some. for gracious, she finds it amusing. the girl is rampant with her answers, and although gracious wants to take a moment to explain to her maybe why such locations may not be the best idea, she stays silent and merely nods her head until oceane settles. she is at least grateful the girl is attempting to help her.

the common beachgoer talks about her lack of adventure, making gracious curious for a moment. "there is a lot more out there besides saltwater; deserts with red rock and mountains that touch the clouds. you could always find something new, if you look hard enough." she wonders if she is filling the girl's head with ideas, but maybe that isn't necessarily a bad thing. straying from what is normal provides a chance for growth. 

"and you could make a lot of friends out there, too." that's a pretty important thing in life, right?

The older woman reinforced the things Ocean had heard before.

"...deserts with red rock and mountains that touch the clouds."

Her gut churns with a feeling she had felt before. The kind of nervous excitement she felt when travelers told her stories of the places they had been. Only this time, Gracious managed to plant a seed no one had exactly planted before.

Friends.

Something Oceane had not had many of. Something she wanted very badly. She deflated a bit, lips thoughtfully drawn down as she turned her head to look out towards the saltwater.

Do you...do you think the saltwater can miss the wolves that leave it? I know I'll miss it but...

uh oh, gracious must've said something to upset the girl. she feels like internally panicking, afraid that oceane is now feeling something that she doesn't want to feel. yet, she asks a solemn question that gracious carefully thinks of an answer to.

if she is to be more logical in her approach, gracious would say no, and that the ocean has no feelings for its inhabitants. 

but she is not always logical, if anything, she looks into emotions, feelings, auras. wisdom does not accumulate from general knowledge, it comes from others and learning what is good to say and what isn't. seeing how the girl feels about the ocean, gracious walks closer to her.

"i think it could," she starts off, "but the water has been there for longer than you and I, it knows more than we do. and i think it would understand if you did leave."

"it will always be in your heart," she says to the girl, "things we love rarely leave us, so long as you remember them. you could be thousands of miles away, but your love for the saltwater and its' love for you, will always be there." it is scary to leave behind what is familiar, but the opportunities are too great to pass up.

She nodded solemnly. The words made perfect sense. The saltwater knew plenty, surely it could understand her drifting some. She would... Well, surely she would return back to it one day.

This was just temporary. A trip away to see more, to learn more.

You're right. She accepted with a feverish nod.

So, where are you off to from here?

Was Oceane inviting herself along with this woman? Maybe!

it goes easier than expected, in fact, the girl is now curious as to where gracious was heading next. and for a moment, gracious doesn't have an answer to her question.

"I am exploring the coast a tad more, but after that I may head inland." gracious would like to be a sea dweller, but after her last run in with the ocean, it may take more time for her to earn her sea legs back.

"there are a few places i have been, and many places i have yet to see. if you'd like, you could accompany me for awhile, for as long as you wanted until you found somewhere you wanted to stay." she is not the best navigator, but so far gracious is doing fine finding her own ways around. besides, she would be helping someone, what else is she supposed to do in her old age?

I'd like that a lot! She chirped happily. It also took away the option of her just...tagging along! Inviting herself! So Oceane considered this a very big win on her part.

Maybe we can find you that mountain you want! Maybe it's even here on the coast! Her wispy tail whipped behind her excitedly, wiggling her hips some as she tried to not practically dissolve into her excitement.

Maybe we can have something anywhere up to date after this? :D

that works perfectly! excited for this little adventure :D

the girl says yes! gracious feels her heartbeat quicken at the thought. it has been some time since she has had a travel buddy. and young oceane seems like a good fit to keep her entertained. and who knows what else they could discover while together.

"maybe, you never know. is there anywhere that you want to see first after we leave the coastline?" she asks, curious about the pale one's answer.

I've heard about places where the tree tops are soooooo high they reach the stars. Do you think they have anything like that inland? She asked as her tail kept that quick speed.

Regardless of where they went, she was just happy to have someone to tag along with. Perhaps it would make leaving behind the saltwater easier.

she speaks of the trees that stand with majesty in the sky above them, gracious knows where they are. after all, the coastline area is named after them. gracious nods her head to answer oceane's question.

"they are called sequoia's, they're the tallest tree i've seen in all my life." considering that she has been alive for quite some time, it would be a good idea to take gracious' word for it. "thankfully, they're on the coast here with us. we can visit them first, if you'd like."

gracious is not sure if the trees still stood considering the storm and tsunami combination that nearly took her life in the past. however, miracles can happen every day. perhaps a few silent giants still stand as the sea mist and fog roll in throughout the early mornings of the coast.

she searches around for a moment before spotting the correct path southwest of the duo. "we have to head that way." with a sway of her muzzle, she encourages oceane to follow.

last post from me, feel free to reply or archive!