Stavanger Bay speckled and sepia

Qilaq spends a lot of days near the water, careful not to get too far in—mostly because it’s gotten too cold—remembering the warnings her parents have given her. It doesn’t keep her fully away, though, and if she looks hard enough, she can see her den (and occasionally mama or papa watching over her. This time, she’d yet to see them, but she isn’t paying much attention. Instead, she’s scouring the sandy shores for the most perfect, least cracked, and in-tact shell she can find.

Only when she has it, carefully cradled between her teeth, she begins a job down the shore. The excitement remains difficult to contain, for fear of breaking the gift, as she approaches the scent she’d been looking for all along. He’d gotten bigger since she’d seen him last, very easily towering her petite frame. The idea he may just be younger than her hasn’t yet crossed her mind. Carefully, and once he’s in view, she sets down the shell and barks for @Rannoch’s attention.

Rannoch had been lost in thought when Qilaq had spotted him. Today was one of the days that he was thinking of his family in the forest and how they were doing. He missed them everyday and wondered if they were still out there. Despite his own intentions to go and search for them, he felt himself grounded along the shore with a newfound sense of duty.

Turning quickly, Rannoch perked his ears on top of his head and smiled as his eyes rested upon the girl who looked all too much like Lucy. It was still a mistake he made, even after being established in the pack for quite some time, he still found himself making this mistake. Upon realizing it was not the girl who had gone missing in his capturing, Rannoch gave himself a stern shake and kept his smile lingering.

“Qilaq,” he greeted gently, wagging his tail. “What’s up?” His eyes soon found the prize at her paws and he tilted his head, curious to know what she had discovered.

The shell certainly isn’t without damage. It is mostly whole with a few scratches on top and one little crack Qilaq hasn’t even noticed. However, when Rannoch turns around and greets her, she steps over her gift to close the distance. She has the urge to reach up and bump his nose but she pulls herself back when she gets too close. Her tail waves back and forth, brushing against the backs of her legs, and she turns all the way back around. Qilaq scoops up the shell and spins back, dropping it closer and nudges it with her nose.

Soon enough, Qilaq shows the prize that she had found. His tail waved to this and his eyes shone as he looked down to her paws. “That’s quite nice,” he commented with a smile. “Are you going to give it to your new siblings?” He was sure they’d appreciate it.

He does not bend down and take the gift. He looks at it instead, now closer to him than her, and asks her who she’s giving it to. Her brows come together in confusion and she finds herself stumped. Had her gesture been misunderstood? Her ears droop a little in his presence and she looks back down to the shell, wondering if she should just take it back and keep it for herself. Instead, Qilaq shakes then closes the distance between where she’s standing to nudge the shell one last time for good measure—inches from his toes this time—and barks.

Oh, it was for him! His eyes brightened and his tail wagged as he realized that she was gifting the beauty to him. “Oh, for me? Thanks!” Reaching down he grabbed the shell so that he could place it between his paws. But as he did this, a sudden wave of guilt rushed upon him. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything for you…” he said, his eyes quickly scanning the shoreline. “But, we can go hunt for treasure, if you’d like?” His eyes returned to her as he suggested this. Perhaps then he could gift her with something just as nice.

Rannoch brightens up once her gift is realized and he picks it up, placing it directly between his paws. He is careful with his movements but soon his face distorts and her own twists in confusion that something may be wrong. Her ears twitch upon her head that she quickly shakes away any obligation. She’d thought of him once she’d found the shell with no expectation or string attached, but he suggests they could go look for more treasure on the beach. Qilaq swallows a hard lump in her throat a beat later as she then nods, wagging her tail at the thought of finding something else near the water.