Sea Lion Shores ours is to smile at your passing, friend

AW - set on sea lion shores at daybreak

when she woke the sea thundered besides her, fresh spume and salt and the sting of cold sharp along the her serpentine muzzle. around her the strand bore the shattered face of a world upturned. wrought wood pale and beach-washed like slender bone, shards of fractured whelk and the bizarre form of beached kelp and stone that had not seen the surface world in countless chiliad. the saxocoline flora of some forgotten marine order assembled madly, rudely jettisoned on the ruined shore.

she was no stranger to the impetus of disaster but the wreckage before her seemed orchestrated by some monstrous beast wading forth from untold chambers, leaving behind it an ambuscade of discord and ruin. the sea waif overturned the broad head of some flattened mollusk, the byzantine glint of its fractured shell the only pretty thing among a world of raptured cataclysm. the specimen was examined for any remnants of meat -- and when none was found its empty husk was quickly forgotten.

as the grey dawn rose before her she studied the ruptured shore. her eyes traced the raw bilge as it frothed along the shale. the way the grey sea rose and fell into peerless murk. like some ghastly apparition she turned back along the tidepools, only the fill of her pawprints suggesting any soul had visited this desolate place.

Charon was just inspecting the damage at the eastern side of Stavanger Bay. It was a total mess, and he wondered if it would ever be its old self. The border between Sea Lion Shores and Stavanger Bay was a lot fuzzier than it had been -- there were some cliffs that had collapsed into a pile of rubble, so that wolves were now able to easily get into the Bay's territory from the western side -- so Charon decided to patrol its eastern border. After he had rubbed his scent on the ground, lone trees and shrubs, and peed in various places, Charon decided to extend his patrol to the Sea Lion Shores to see if it was as much a mess as the Bay's eastern side.

The young Beta squinted his eyes to block out the starting sunlight as he looked in the distance, to where he saw a wolf travel the lands. It surprised him: there had not been many wolves along the lands, yet now this was the second time since the storm he'd run into some in the lands surrounding the Bay. Charon felt naturally protective of the lands that surrounded it, even though he had no claim on them, but it was his curiosity that drew him closer to the stranger as he trotted through the devastated lands along the tidepools. Little did he know that this was not truly a stranger to him as of yet, unable to fully see her, as he was not near enough yet.

a charon-friend!!! thank you for joining!

among the blasted ruins the waif flitted, slender muzzle pointed down -- the coarse touch of sand cold and blunt. around her the ruined peers of ankyra's forefront -- gaunt-faced rocks with their backs exposed to the wind and the deep rift of the tornado's passing.

she paused when she heard the tread of another, her sharp features alert as she focused on his form. a spotted youth, his countenance troubled by umber flecks. she squint then, sure she had seen him before. he possessed a brand of insolence she recalled acutely -- a fiery temper her memory had not yet committed into darkness.

but the wench bade him no good day, no salutation. instead her dispossessed gaze bore down upon him, vulturous and unremitting.

Ignore me Atreyu's just stalking Charon >_>

Wherever he went, Atreyu followed. Truly, Charon and Levi were the only ones who were capable of leaving Stavanger Bay's lands (for the pups were too young and their mother too sullen for the time being), yet the boy persisted in his shadowing. He was torn between watching over the younger members of their pack and guarding their Beta, ultimately deciding Charon needed more protection. The cubs and Thistle were fine within the Bay's borders, and he wasn't heading too far away.

Silently, the three-legged wolf limped along at a distance away, keeping a watchful eye on the other boy as he scouted the lands just beyond their home. Here was a mess as well, sand had been lashed and the creatures that usually lazed around these shores had vanished. Sniffing at a broken shell, the Gamma quickly discarded it as another scent hit his nose, one wild and feral. A female?

At a quick, albeit awkward lope, he caught up to his Beta, lurking a ways behind him like a pale sentinel, narrowed eyes watching the hooded figure that stood opposite them with a hauntingly distinct gaze. Hadn't he seen her before?

Charon trotted closer to the other wolf, intending to greet them in a friendly manner, until he came closer and noticed the exact colour set of the wolf. The first thing that raced through his mind was that she knew where Kevlyn was... But then again, after such a long time, he was probably either brainwashed or he had passed away when he had got lost that day, a long time ago. Maybe he wasn't even in the area anymore. And Levi was happy now. He didn't need Kevlyn anymore. Maybe it was best if everyone just forgot all about Kevlyn.

The conflicting thoughts were evident on Charon's expressive face as he tried to process the information and consider what he wanted to do and say. Blythe was probably not even her real name... He wanted to really just forget Kevlyn had ever existed, as it would be easier for everyone, but when he started to speak, Charon could not help but ask: "What happened to Kevlyn?" Even though he didn't care anymore. Not really. He just wanted the truth. He just wanted to know who she was and what she wanted. His tail twitched nervously behind him, hanging a tad above neutral but far from his usual dominant stance. The venom that he needed to be most careful of when it came to Blythe was that which dripped from her tongue, anyway.

the wastrel watched charon come closer, his posture somewhat ambivalent as he approached. her own stance remained folded, hunched and bedraggled in the manner of a sodden gargoyle. behind the youth a pale cream wolf lingered -- caiaphas was struck with an overpowering sense of deja vu.

she recalled vaguely she had met both and given both two different monikers -- slyly she repositioned herself so that her back was to a boulder. her feral gaze remained on the spotted countenance of the youth, though no scant trace of challenge lurked in the fevered yellow of her eyes. kevlyn -- the name itself tore into her far cleaner than any natural disaster. her visage crumpled, her resolute stare fell. "killed by a red bitch." she spat into the cold sand, her expression worried by grief. despite this time his passing was still a fresh wound to her -- her loss the raw kiss of a mother's impassioned sorrow.

Charon's question surprised him, and he quickly tried to recall where he had heard the name Kevlyn before. A friend of his? Family? Atreyu couldn't remember, and so was confused by the rather direct statement, pointed directly at the stranger. His gaze shifted from his Beta to the woman, recognising her mismatched pelt but unsure where exactly he had seen her. She looked almost...haunted.

With slow, steady steps, the boy moved forward, pausing just behind Charon. His own postured mirrored the other boy's — assertive, but not outright dominant. Curiosity flit across his face as the stranger hissed her reply. Who? He wanted to question but held his tongue, glancing at Charon to see his own response.

Charon saw the grief pass over Blythe's face, and he wondered if it was another trick of the mind, or if it was really true. In a way, he liked to see her suffer. She deserved all of it. If Kevlyn's passing caused her grief, well, she deserved all of it. He didn't know what she had done to take Kevlyn away from them, but it had to be something. If not, she wouldn't have lied to him in the first place. Charon's ear flicked back as he noticed Atreyu, which caused him to feel even stronger and angrier.

Killed by a red bitch. Charon felt his gut churn at the thought of Kevlyn's death, even though he didn't really know his brother, and wasn't as deeply tied to him as Levi. He decided instantly that he'd refrain from telling Levi anything about this; he didn't need to know Kev was dead, heck, he didn't need to be reminded of Kevlyn at all, ever.

"How do I know you're not lying again, Blythe?" Charon asked, his eyes narrowing as he threw away whatever smithereen of sympathy he might've felt for Blythe. "If that's even your real name, you fucked up bitch. Did you take him?" The young Beta wrinkled his nose, tail curling over his back and he felt his hackles raise in irritation. "Did you take him from us?" he repeated in a low growl, and he bared his teeth, feeling strong knowing that Atreyu was right behind him. All of the misery of Charon's life -- his father and mother's death, Liyaní's death, Kevlyn's, all of it -- he projected upon Blythe in that moment, as if she was the sole cause to all of it.

as the two mirrored each other caiaphas watched them sullenly, her yellow gaze sharp on charon's youth-kissed features. she did not like the persistence in his voice, nor the assertiveness of his follower. slowly her hackles raised as charon challenged the authenticity of her sorrow -- what wretch dared defile a mother's grief, or question a haggard so sharply?

outrage collected clearly in her illuminant gaze -- along the slender line of her lethal muzzle a wrinkle of a snarl appeared. "stand down, pup." the sea-wretch commanded, rising to her full (and un-intimidating) height. a spectral vehemence hung about her enervated countenance, an expression riddled with murderous impatience.

The situation quickly escalated with Charon's reply, his hackles and tail raising as he revealed fangs and curses. Atreyu was torn between trying to defuse the encounter and prevent a fight...or just let Charon have at this Blythe. She had, after all, apparently either let Kevlyn — whatever his connection to Charon was, he had obviously been close to him — be murdered, or was straight up lying. He refused to show his uncertainty, however, prowling closer as his Beta growled a repeated question.

The stranger seemed to accept his challenge, drawing up as the two boys did. She was all bones and fine features, however, where the two Stavanger Bay wolves were with a bit more brawn (even if Atreyu was sans a leg). He stood ready beside Charon, waiting for his response as he glared at the wraith.

She mirrored his aggression, which fueled Charon's anger. He did not see her grief, because he thought that to her, life was just a game where she moved her pretty little pawns. Kevlyn had died in one of those games, apparently, or whatever the cause. Why would he believe her when she vaguely described Kevlyn's killer? It was still her fault if he'd been in her care. Charon wanted to know what she knew, wanted to find out all about what she did to Kevlyn, what she really did. She did not answer his question.

Denial meant yes. She took Kevlyn. And while Kevlyn himself was no more than a vague shell of a wolf, a remnant whose appearance Charon only remembered because Levi sported the exact same coat, in that moment he symbolised Charon's entire life. He symbolised all that Charon had lost in his life.

Pup. He wasn't a pup. "I'm a Beta," Charon snarled through clenched teeth. "And you're going to regret you ever took Kevlyn from us." Charon stepped closer to Blythe, and if she would not back down (by dropping her aggression, moving backwards or turning tail) he would attack once he was close enough to leap at her, trying to aim for her scruff on the side that Atreyu was not on, to try and push her to the ground and make her accept his superiority.

perhaps before kevlyn's death and the sunder of ankyra, caiaphas would have carefully weighed the situation, assessing her wares and damages -- she may have even opted to take a fleeing route. but the sorrow that burned in her gut, smoky and dark, was not extinguished or cowed by charon's blistering insolence. if anything, his aggression fanned the fire -- and a smoldering, lethal hatred visibly descended across her sharp features.

drawing to her full height had several advantages -- even if intimidation was not one of them. it prepared her for onslaught, and showed equally that she did not find charon's threat daunting. her hackles lifted in sharp ridges above her narrow back, fine bristles upright like weaponry raised. "you're a pup." she corrected in a sneer, black gums curled back in derision -- "for an adult would know to hold his tongue." she canted her muzzle in atreyu's direction, as if noting he had yet to say a word to ignite the situation. "so, pay your respects to the dead or piss off." the reminder of kevlyn's nonexistence passed like a hurled spear through her chest and she felt her innards crumple in dismay. outwardly she steeled herself, remaining resolute under enemy fire.

Charon was quick to correct her. Beta. Even though he was barely a year old. Had it been anyone else Atreyu would have forgiven them for thinking the boy just a subordinate youth. The stranger, however, wasn't given that leniency (Charon's current aggression playing a large part in his decision). Perhaps he would have shown more tolerance towards the girl in any other situation, but right now it was apparently a personal matter.

Unlike the encounter with the blue-nosed wolf, Atreyu let his Beta charge forward, making no move to stop him. Instead, he awkwardly loped to Blythe's other side, throwing himself into her ribs in an attempt to knock her over into Charon's direction.

Charon was too blind to see her grief; he saw only her insolence, how she did not back off even though it was time for her to if she wanted to come away unscathed. The young Beta bared his teeth as she mirrored his aggression, and exchanged a quick glance with Atreyu.

Charon came at Blythe from the left side. He tried to go for her scruff then, hoping to snatch it and press her to the ground with Atreyu's help, who came from the other side.

her shrewd gaze hardened with hatred as both approached her -- there was no mistaking the aggression in their advance. she issued a deafening shriek of outrage as atreyu gallumphed towards her in the attempt to shove her -- but it was charon (who possessed all four of his god-given limbs) that the coywolf was truly focused on. 

the waif pulled back in an attempt to evade atreyu's bulldoze, yet her efforts were met with a punishing thump as he hit her shoulder. she was spun towards charon by the blow -- charon, whose teeth flashed in the light and sought her supple flesh.

unwillingly to allow charon's teeth to find her, the she-wolf fought tooth and nail, holding nothing back in her defense. as charon came close her jaws swung wide open in piranha fashion to blockade him in a jaw-spar and hopefully solicit a retreat from the spotted male. with a snarl she surged forward, away from atreyu -- her teeth menacing as she sought to keep charon at bay and force him backwards. if they were still engaged in jawsparring she would push the entire of her weight into him to send him backwards and keep herself away from any of atreyu's remaining limbs.

The stranger released a blood-curdling cry as Atreyu managed to collide into her shoulder. He let loose his own victorious snarl, stumbling as he steadied himself on his three legs and watching as Charon went to grip her neck with his jaws. Instead, Blythe whipped around and there was a sharp click as teeth met teeth.

The boy growled again and hurled himself forward even as the hooded female rushed out of his reach towards the Beta. He wasn't sure if Charon was aiming to intimidate, injure or even kill the girl, but he would follow his lead. He reared onto his hind legs, aiming to use his entire upper body (for using his two forepaws was out of the equation) to crash down onto Blythe's own hide and attempt to knock her off balance, giving Charon another chance.

Teeth clicked unwillingly against teeth as he missed his mark. No real damage was done to either of them, and while Charon did not aim to do damage (he just wanted to put her in her place and make her leave, preferrably never to return to his shores again) neither did he give up. He considered Blythe a threat to his lands, and while he had given up getting useful information from her and didn't know whether to trust Kevlyn was really dead, he didn't want her hanging so close to Stavanger Bay.

Charon disengaged from the mashing of teeth and moved to the side, staying on opposites sides as Atreyu were, and snapped in Blythe's direction a couple of times, hoping to distract her long enough for Atreyu to make his move, so that Charon could strike at her scruff and win the match, to make sure she understood to stay off his turf.

i'm keeping this vague to facilitate wrapping up - let me know if you want me to take more damage for 'phas

there was little hope for victory for caiaphas -- not when the sylph was pitted against two. at her best she was scarce a swarthy opponent, and before the eyes of two fullbodied and capable adversaries, her chances of obtaining little injury were slim.

her teeth were met with equally armed teeth -- and as she pulled away the lance of charon's bite stung her scruff, welling forth a vibrant shade of crimson. outraged by the male's contact the waif shrieked and parted, pushed roughly aside by atreyu's advancement. "cowards!" the seawitch spat, hissing into the sand as she wormed away from the two. if she could put distance between charon and atreyu, her means of escape would be easy. with weasel swiftness the coywolf ducked under charon's strike, feeling the brush of his teeth scrape along her haunches and pull fur and flesh with its departure. she wheeled upon them, careful to keep them out of striking range. "your day will come." the she-wolf intoned darkly, her voice flush with raw conviction. "may kevlyn greet you at the gates when it does."

not caring to wait for any further blow, caiaphas attempted to slink off like the felonious weasel she was.

Her attempts to fight them off were laughable, and when the metallic scent of blood filled the air, Atreyu had no doubts that they were in the clear here. If Charon wanted, he would aid in putting the coywolf out of her misery. His own form crashed into hers and they tumbled, the Gamma flailing as he collapsed onto his side. Without the use of two full forelegs, his balance was minimal at best and he struggled to right himself. By the time he was upright again, Blythe had managed to worm away, but not without Charon taking another bite out of her.

The girl's blood smeared across his own cheek, Atreyu stood beside his Beta with a raised tail and curled lips. Her words her met with a snarl. If she thought to bring about Charon's end herself, she was a fool. The wretched creature went to leave then, and Atreyu idly glanced at the boy beside him, allowing him to make the decision — let her leave or no?

all fine, we can wrap this up here :) feel free to post again or just archive now!

Finally there was the sweet feeling of satisfaction when Charon's teeth met Blythe's scruff. He tasted blood, though he'd intended simply to throw her to the ground; in the heat of the fight the inexperienced youth must've bitten down harder than intended. Atreyu tumbled over as he managed to keep Blythe in place for Charon to grab her, but as he hit her Charon let go of her nape.

Blythe was quick to insult them, but before Charon had time to step forth again she turned and ran. Not before parting a last insult did she run away from the shores as well as the Bay. Charon cast Atreyu's look and shook his head while he licked the blood from his lips. She was lucky today, and he hoped it would serve a warning for her to never return here. Whatever had become of Kevlyn, Blythe would never tell him the truth, anyway, and so he'd rather just never see her again.

"That should teach her," Charon growled, and he turned around towards the Bay. He nudged Atreyu's shoulder in appreciative gesture, feeling safe with his pack mate and friend at his side, and started to trot on home, making sure to keep the pace low so that Atreyu had no trouble keeping up.