Dragoncrest Cliffs A Gift Upon the Shore

Pack Activity! No posting order. Rounds will last a week or until everyone has posted. This natural event will be enough to feed them for quite some time, so feel free to reference it in your future posts.

Chacal could smell it before she even reached the end of the tunnel which led from the cliffs down to the beach. She hastened her step when she first caught the creature's scent, knowing that such a pungent odor could have come only from a sea creature. As soon as she crested a sand dune, her eyes were greeted with a magnificent sight. 

In life, the grey whale would have been a magnificent specimen. Nearly 15 metres (or almost 50 feet) in length, and close to 90,000lbs, the creature was a giant. She would have been graceful and elegant in the water, though now she looked slumped and bloated here, on the beach. Death had found her only hours ago- a pod of killer whales had gouged her open as she had tried to shield her calf from them. She'd drifted for some time, pulled closer and closer to the shore and too weak to fight the current. She'd felt the rub of sand against her belly, and had exhaled one last breath, before slipped away as she was washed ashore. 

To Chacal, the creature was a blessing. The whale would feed the pack for weeks, and supply them with a significant boost of fat and vitamins that would help prepare them for winter. It was a reminder that at times, the sea could be gracious and kind. Chacal tilted her head back and summoned the pack to come and thank the ocean, and look upon the feast that would sustain them for some time to come.

Etienne heard his mother's call and heeded it, quickly. Though when he got to the shore, his tucked his tail and curled his ears to his head and stared in awe at the giant creature. how could such a thing exist? It was bigger than trees and rocks, and manman

Manman! W'at is dis?!

He saw his mother go closer and he placed a gentle snout forward and sniffed, unsure, wary. It smelled like the sea and the drippy melty pieces of meat that fell of the bone at closer spots.

Suzu wasn't far behind Etienne- she hardly ever was. She'd begun to get a bit bolder, and less dependent, though she relied heavily on him still for a cue on how to respond to new situations. So when he curled his tail and looked apprehensive, Suzu did as well. Whatever it was that was on the beach had not been there before. It looked like a massive boulder, but soft. Torn in bits and places, showing the white blubber beneath the greyish skin. It looked like it had barnacles on it! 

She peeked out from behind her brother. The boulder smelled very strongly of the ocean, and she did enjoy sea food more than bloody land prey. From what she could see, it didn't look very bloody. She too moved forward to sniff at it when her brother did so, and licked her lips, looking up at Chacal questioningly.

chacal's call rose upon the air and though rhaegal was uncertain being so new to sapphique and unfamiliar with their customs, rosalyn's haunting words of family crackling to the forefront of his mind like an old vinyl, he nevertheless heeds the call.

he is not the first to arrive, though his other companions besides chacal herself are very young.

the blessing is not a pretty one. exposed sinew and flesh are telltale signs that they were not the first to dine upon the beached whale ...but a blessing it was all the same. the sea had saw fit to gift them with it by beaching it upon their shores.

the seadragon approaches with a contemplative expression; content to linger back a ways.

a feast! mireille crowed a prayer of praise as she danced down to the shore.
she immediately drew up, exchanging her girlish excitement for something more sedate. there was a newcomer among them. rhaegal.
and she could not help the flick of her eyes across him.
"a whale!" mireille told the children, grinning at chacal. "look how big it be! good job, sister." her eyes were alight with mischief.

a whale.
erzulie was pleased. she believed this a gift from the lwa for the continued loyalty of sapphique. and now as winter rose, her descendants would eat well.
her tail was a proud arc as she attended the gathering. mireille was with the little ones, and she smiled, thinking that the red girl would make a good mother when the time came.
erzulie drifted to chacal's shoulder with a nudge. "we be blessed."

First among those to show up were her two, seaside children. Curious but wary of the massive organic thing that had shown up on their beach overnight, and that lay there very, very still. She greeted them with encouraging nuzzles. "You may look, but don't eat just yet; we wait for more to come, so we enjoy it toget'er." She advised. She hoped they would take some time to study the creature. After all, it was not often that whales came this close, and could then be studied and identified. 

The next to come near was Rhaegal, and her eyes lit up. He kept his distance- whether it was because he feared she might be an overprotective mother or because the whale itself was something new. He'd grown up along the sea, but perhaps his crew had had different beliefs about whales being left upon the shore, though he looked more impressed than horrified. She uttered a quiet chuckle. "Don't be a stranger, Rhaegal- come closer an fit in; dose be my children, Etienne an' Suzu- an dey only bite a little bit." She joked. 

She contemplated that fact for a moment, before she turned to greet Mireille, whose natural humour made her laugh. "Aye, I slew de giant beast myself, it put up quite de battle- I caught it by de tail while I was out for my morning paddle," She joked with a laugh, and nuzzled her sister's shoulder gleefully. 

Their mother came to her other shoulder, and Chacal leaned kittenishly against her as well and nodded. "It be a blessing indeed; de sea gives to us an excellent autumn feed." The onset of winter had already begun to make the nights cold- this would be an excellent late-autumn bounty. She barked then, for her children to pause their investigating, and draw near, and motioned to Rhaegal as well. 

Any stragglers just making their way down to the beach would be welcomed when they joined them. 

"Dis be a whale, children, an' a very great one at dat.
It is our duty as wolves, to see it will not go to rot. 
De whale gave its life, an' den washed up on our banks,
It be a gift from de ocean, an' for dat we will give thanks." 

She tilted her head back and howled, and at the same time let herself think thankful thoughts. She praised the ocean for sending such an offering to their shorelines, knowing it was no small miracle for them. She then looked to her sister, to see if she would have anything to add.

Etienne crawled all around the creature, sniffing and moving it's skin. It smelled like the sea, but also strange like. And felt rubbery and weird. It felt as if he could chew it and chew it and nothing would happen. Except his teeth would feel better.

Then manman called them and he stopped sniffing to head towards her, Taking a moment to ensure Suzu was with him. Then as Manman spoke, and he heard his Matant speaking, and there was granme.

Then manman tipped back her head and howled. Eti did the same. Though he lay his ears hard against head. The loud raucous cries hurt his ears.

Allowed to investigate the creature, Suzu bounded around it, looking at the creature from all angles. She wrinkled her nose as she came along its belly, noticing how it had been gouged open- wounds which had likely been the cause of its demise. Fortunately, its bloodshed had already been leaked out into the ocean, so the corpse itself was a bit less frightening for the girl. Its skin was smoothe, except for where there were whiteish patches. She got close enough to investigate them and inhaled a breath. "Barnacles!" She whispered excitedly. "Etienne! 'Ow does a living creature get barnacles on it?" She asked him in a whisper, but realized he wasn't right beside her, and that she'd spoken the question to herself. She bounded around the whale just in time to see him look up for her. Then, their mother called. 

Suzu sat, tail still waving from side to side and her tongue lolling out the side of her mouth, quite enthusiastic about the entire ordeal. When her mother howled, she did too. Softer, though- the same way Etienne did. He always had his ears flattened when there were loud noises, so she made sure not to how any louder than what was necessary when she was around him. 

She missed the look Chacal gave Mireille, and thinking that the ceremonial part of the get-together was over, she awkwardly crab-walked over to Erzulie's side and bumped her shoulder with her nose to get her attention.

L’eau de la baleine wafted across Dragoncrest. After Chacal’s howl, Njord added his own chorus to call to his wife and sons. Yet, when he arrived, Meerkat, Stingray, and Swordfish were not present. He walked onto the beach just as their Tanzanite concluded her soliloquy, but found his appetite suppressed.

An ancient fear made his fur prickle. The man knew a strong smell, like the cornucopia before them, could attract other apex predators into the bosom of Sapphique. A vivid memory of Shardik roared through his mind like a waking nightmare… and the sight of the Dahomey-Rivaini children frolicking unawares made his heart jump. He could not stop the grotesque images of Raleska’s mangled body from plundering his peace.

Instinct changed Njord’s posture. His head swayed and swiveled – alert – and his steps became heavy – grounded. The man veered off and took up post on a plinth of smooth beachrock and watched for danger, should it appear.

erzulie smiled as chacal motioned rhaegal closer. he was handsome in a familiar way; she noted the color of his coat and wondered, but let her focus return to their celebration. a chuckle as older sister teased younger; a motherly kiss to chacal's forehead, for which the jackal-woman would never be too old.
give thanks.
they had been given a great blessing, and erzulie saw the beautiful portent in it: the approval of the lwa for chacal and for mireille.
and for sobo.
suzu too, a kiss between the little ears.
erzulie tilted back her own head and sang a lovely, winding song which blended seasalt and moonsilver over their heads.

she laughed long and loud at chacal's jest. her sister was soft and kind, and yet there was an edge of the sea to her. mireille stopped for a moment and whispered, "i don't be doubtin' it." she tipped a wink and snugged little etienne close to her. "a bite like a baby shark!" the girl teased.
and then they were singing, and mireille's head was flung up proudly. her song only wavered when she caught sight of her da's red tail. 
the young obsidian stopped then, watching with curiosity and some worry as the man veered away from their company, watchful. aloof, even.
she wanted to go to him, but sharply turned back to the whale, strangely shamed and wondering if somehow he too was.

I'll leave this up about a week if anyone would like to add another post, but this'll be the last round :) Thanks for participating!

Their voices rose into the air, a herald of their blessing. In the distance, Chacal's eye caught sight of Njord trotting down the beach, but she did not begrudge him for attending to his duties as a guardian of the pack. It did not occur to her that the whale might draw attention from other predators; they were secluded in their bay, but it didn't mean disaster would not strike. She remembered the shadow of the bear from her youth- but it had not been called to mind in quite some time. 

Now was a time for appreciation and celebration. The seawolves would have sustenance for weeks yet, and with a meal high in fat and nutrients, they would be well prepared for winter. 

Their thanks given, she nodded. 
"Now, we feast upon this beast!
Enjoy de taste, and we let none go to waste."

Her question went unanswered still. She wriggled appreciatively against Erzulie's side when she got a kiss to her forehead. 

When they were prompted to eat the whale, she tilted her head to the side. It didn't look like typical food. But it smelled of the ocean- very strongly- and she did love seafood. She meandered around, more circling the beast as others settled in. She wanted to investigate it more. She noticed that the whale had something almost like fur along the sides of its face, which she hadn't been expecting. It did not have scales, like a fish. And she was still absolutely certain that it had barnacles attached to its chin. 

Her findings could wait, though- a feast had been declared and she too would partake.