Dragoncrest Cliffs I hope we find him before they find him

Dawn broke and spilled orange light across the waves that broke gently against the sandy shorelines. Chacal had been meandering along the shore for a couple hours now, searching. And in the gentle breaking light, she found it no easier to see what she was looking for. 

The truth was, she wasn’t really looking for something. She was searching, restless, perturbed, almost. Some pressing obligation had awakened her as though there had been some task she’d nearly forgotten to do. She struggled to pinpoint what it was. 

It felt like there was something she’d forgotten. Something she knew she wanted to do, and had perhaps planned- but whatever it was, it escaped her mind and left her unusually restless and full of energy that seemed to stem from the anticipation of whatever it was she was meant to do.

Was it anxiety? Was it excitement? She couldn’t tell. But what for? She knew Meerkat would give birth soon, so perhaps that was it…but somehow, it felt as though that wasn’t it.

So, she continued to weave along the shores, picking through kelp and tide pools, hoping at some point she might remember what it was she was so looking forward to.

scooping this up <3

jorunn had not spent time one-on-one with the other woman of sapphique's lead. so there was some pleasure to find her here, alone. was she attempting a scavenging hunt through the tide pools?

there was only one way to know.

sjøleder, are you on a hunt?

<3 was hoping you’d pick this up :)

The tide had yielded a few useful treasures, which Chacal plucked from the sand, bathed in a tide pool and then set out on a flat stone to dry. Half a shell with a beautiful rainbow of colours on the inside, a few pieces of smoothe pottery, broken and worn by the waves but still coloured with blue, and a few pieces of beach glass- green was all she could find this morning. 

As for food, she found one urchin which she tucked hastily into a tide pool so she could snack on it later. She took little interest in starfish, but was hoping to find a couple clams to dine on when she heard a voice call out. 

At first, she thought the friendly woman had called her “soldier,” before she realized it was a word she did not recognize at all. But Jorunn herself was a staple of the pack by now- kind, quiet, dedicated. She smiled invitingly.

”I per’aps am scavenging, 
more dan hunting. 
But you be free to join,
if you be wanting,” She chimed.

crying bc chacal's speaking pattern is always so wonderfully crafted ;;

please, she answered with a small smile. charmed by the woman's crafted speech. softly plucking her way across the land to join her along the tide pools.

i have not scavenged pools before, she informed the young woman near sheepishly. only picked from the deep waters and rivers. an invitation for a teaching moment, perhaps. what sort of treasures had jorunn looked over in the small pockets of saltwater?

Jorunn had proved herself for some time as a faithful and dedicated pack member, and the cheerful way she accepted Chacal’s invitation warmed her heart even more. Good, willing company was a blessing, and Jorunn was not one to be overlooked. Perhaps this was something new to her, but she seemed keen enough to learn, and Chacal was happy to show her how to harvest the gifts from the ocean.

She led Jorunn toward the shoreline, where the tide had receded, leaving behind large, flat rocks pocketed with tide pools. 

”When de tide goes out,
It leaves treasures in its wake.
Dese are the gifts left for us to take.” She chimed, gesturing toward the small pools of water. 

Of course, there was always something to find. Some things were of more interest than others- barnacles and starfish were of little interest to the jackal-girl, who scouted from one pool to the next to find something worth note. 

”Sometimes dere be fish, or something dat is easy,
Though scavenging de tide pools is not always breezy. 
Crabs be a treat, if you avoid de claws,
An’ sea urchins ‘ave eggs, dat be well worth de pause.”

She explained, as she went. 

”We bot’ ‘ave a look, see what we can find,
In de pools of saltwater de sea ‘ave left behind.” She said with a smile.

she picked along, as chacal taught her in song. she spotted prickly things and shelled beasts with claws, just as warned. the last of the young leader's words caught her with a smile.

a challenge, hm? her tail swayed behind her. i would like to see what we each find, to see how well i have learned.

she did hope that the woman would humor her in a scavenger hunt.

Chacal’s ears tilted forward at the invitation. She wasn’t one to pass up the opportunity to be playful, and she had a competitive streak. Amicably, she set off to scout the tide pools, hastening her step and occasionally casting a glance in Jorunn’s direction to see if she seemed to have found anything.

She chose one pool to be her collection pool, a deep, natural basin in a large, dark boulder. She collected three crabs, though by the time she returned with a sea urchin in her mouth the smallest one had scuttled into a crack in the rock and out of sight. She hurried to find something else, but in the interest of finding something more tasty she overlooked a coven of starfish and found another sea urchin. 

Satisfied with her clutch she woofed, tail wagging- keen to see how Jorunn had fared in her scavenging.