Sea Lion Shores far away from home.

Although Spring crept slowly upon the lands, it would seem Winter was still hanging on dutifully, at least along the shores. Heavy cloud cover blocked out warmth from the sun, and although temperatures were rising, there was a definite chill in the air. A heavy gust of wind lifted off the turbulent waves and rolled over the cliffside, whipping about Sitkah's ghostly-hued fur and breaching an involuntary chill from the male. He stood stoically though, sea-like gaze traveling distantly over the ocean horizon. In the distance, an up-roar of barking pierced the air, causing his attention to shift; but it was merely the petty squabbles of the local Sea Lion harem, surely the likes of their impending breeding season. 

The Ghost settled then at the cliffs edge, paws precariously close to a steep drop to the beach below. He was certain he was alone though, at least for the time being, with only the stench of the pinnipeds laying about the sandy shores beneath him gracing his sense of smell.

it was the raucous bark of the water-dogs that drew her in at first, her mule-length ears cupped delicately in their direction. they shambled down the beach in small herds, the sand under her rumbling from their passage. thick as thieves they canvassed on the brim of the sea, their sausage barreled sides bathed in gentle sunlight. caiaphas was no match for even the weakest cow -- and so, she adopted a swift trot to skirt past them.

she had hoped they were barking because some predator had hounded them -- what she saw instead was the ivory form of another perched bravely along the jagged butte. at first she had mistaken the wolf for kjalarr -- but as she drew close she realized her error and shirked backwards. her muzzle canted quizzically to the side as she studied the paleborn wolf, though she made no attempt to offer any semblance of salutations.

He caught wind of her long before he saw her, of course, and so the beast silently rose from his lay to a stature sitting position. Sea-like gaze drifted from the crashing waves below to the direction in which she soon appeared, daring to come ever so close before she reeled back suddenly. His eyes narrowed slightly, studying the female from her distance. Judging by her rapid change of mind, the bitch must have mistook him for someone else. 

"Not who you were hoping for?" he inquired quizzically, his muzzle tilting ever so slightly to the sky.

he had seen her -- for a moment their gaze locked; her tourmaline yellow, his sea-shard blue. with uncertainty she licked her lips, running her slender tongue across her fine teeth. he addressed her dryly, his muzzle canted -- her own muzzle remained level as she studied him plainly. "not who i was hoping for." she returned. tentatively her needle-thin muzzle lifted as she inhaled, sucking forth from the sapping wind his scent and noticeable lack of company. "you a loner?"

The disappointment ebbed ever so slightly in her voice, to which the smallest of smirks tugged lightly at his lips. His outward appearance was rather generic, relatively speaking, save for his ocean-washed eyes; but even that distinct characteristic seemed somehow more common these days, as if his family heritage was more wide-spread than he even knew. The Wraith kept this expression even as she questioned his allegiance - which, she was right to believe was none, as the only scent harboring his thick silvery coat was his own. 

"I am lone," he responded coolly. Even brief inspection of her stench would reveal she was not. "I don't believe the same can be said for you, though." A pause. "I am correct?" His statement posed almost as if her having a pack was an ill thing; but he was used to his life of lonesome at this point, having been on his own ever since leaving his birthright.

the male remained nonplussed as she studied him -- as if her brazen observation of every slant of his fur was not, in some way, violating. she tipped her neck and muzzle back and sat, not unlike a vulture -- her little eyes watching him as he spoke. he had a nose, and she assumed it was a working one -- there was little to be had by lying to him. "you are correct." she parroted, though there was no semblance of mimicry in her tone. "why does one travel alone?" she had learned the hard way it that not all lone wolves were promising prospects -- often, they had some serious flaw that shattered any hope for pack life.

The woman finally settled, an indication that she was both not threatened by the Wraith and also perhaps planning on staying a while. He did not mind though; thus far, she was not yet edging on his nerves. She posed an interesting question to the brute, to which he did not readily have an answer for her. The beast shifted his weight back onto his hinds, forelimbs splaying slightly before him in some semblance of a half-hearted stretch. A shrug rolled across his facial features. "My allegiance is precious," he began, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He thought highly of himself, but often spoke more egotistically than he actually was - he wasn't that full of himself, but it humored him to pretend to be. "And I have yet to come across a lot that seems worthy."

it was questionable that caiaphas even possessed a sense of humor, for sitka's clever quip was met with a bland, almost blank expression. what would have encouraged laughter in any other wolf only supplicated indifference to the spry coywolf -- she looked at him blinking, as if taken aback by his wit. she was struck by the capacity in which he thought of himself -- though inwardly she did suspect the self-important carriage was but a ruse.

"that's nice." she replied dryly -- good god, was she insufferable company. "seems a good way to die of starvation."

His sarcasm and light jester seemed to fall short with the woman, much to Sitka's dismay - there would be no winning her over with his humor, clearly. But he wasn't exactly trying to charm her either way, and probably better off that way - this one, she was an odd creature for sure. Odd, and therefore, intriguing to the brute, which was perhaps the only reason he was still humoring this conversation anyways. An eyebrow raised upon his chiseled face in quick response to her statement, which was then followed by a soft snort. 

"Do I look like I'm starved?" he inquired of her, his gaze falling to look down upon his own self then -- no, he was far from it, his body heavily strewn with conditioned muscles and the slightest remnants of winter bulk. But before she could get too involved in checking him out, he changed the subject. "Didnt catch your name - I'm Sitka."

he looked like a lot of things to her, though admittedly starved was not one of them. the coywolf canted her bladelike muzzle to the side and visibly ran her gaze along him, as if rakishly taking in his masculine form. she was utterly unabashed during such a blatant invasion of privacy -- after all, had he not invited her to look upon him?

he extended his name to her and while caiaphas usually made up a name for strangers, she found no reason to lie. he was far enough away from ankyra where she was not compelled to feel protective, yet close enough to home that she knew better than to supply a fake name and have to explain her untruth later. if there was one thing she had learned, it was not to troll in her own back yard. "caiaphas - known to some as the siren queen of ankyra sound, alpha of saltwinter."

The slight female inspected him after his invitation, and so the brute briefly did the same; he actually hadn't really noted how dainty she was until now. As his sea-borne gaze drifted over her form, he wondered idly if canis lupus was not the only the only blood that ran through her veins. Perhaps she was a hybrid of sorts, but certainly not from the rugged North as he. She soon offered her name in return, and so his gaze leveled back with hers. Ah, so she was an Alpha. How interesting.

"A Queen, huh?" he began, another subtle smirk tearing at his lips. "Who must not be too far from her kingdom then, eh?" He knew he was not trespassing on any claimed lands, for the only scents that lingered heavy here were that of the noisy sea dogs  - and who would want to share the beach with those rude neighbors anyhow? But he was willing to bet that Saltwinter's stomping grounds were not far from this shore.

he did not seem to mind her bold studying -- if anything, perhaps the attention pleased him. caiaphas shifted her weight, her sharp gaze returning towards his muzzle as he spoke. she was not in the least conflicted in telling him of saltwinter -- since vlad's absence, the siren queen had grown more bold in her lone conquests.

while saltwinter was far from a kingdom, perhaps the sundry band would hold some sort of interest for the pale wraith. "saltwinter is up the coast -- protected by a sheer rise of cliffs. you would know it if you saw it." she did not extend an invitation outwardly, but the description of the territory was an open-ended and veiled invite.