Blackwater Islands Oh Comely

Whip seemed almost defeated when he did not unveil any morsels in the tidepool. From her perspective, it was a frail attempt. If the Sea truly had to provide for him, he needed to start showing he possessed the skills and knowledge to take advantage of it. Still, she couldn't allow him to waste away while he learned.

When at last he noticed her, he immediately shrank away from her gaze. Akantha pulled her lips back in a smirk. "You may be full grown, but you thrash like a newborn in the waves." She crooned to the yearling Drudge. The Matriarch shifted and gingerly gathered her legs beneath her to stand. Her neck throbbed, and her shoulders twinged, but she would not show weakness to even the lowest wolf on the hierarchy. The Amazonian leader did not look away as she stepped over the log to stride across the damp sand. Her nose flared when she came within reach, and she nosed his ruff to inspect the scent—with the addition of the sea spray clinging to his guard hairs he was indistinguishable from the others. Good.

Akantha wisked her tail and abruptly turned from him to the waves. "Can you even swim?" She asked as she strode into the shallows. The biting cold stung, but she paid it little mind. The soft sand between her paws shifted and moved as each digit sought purchase on the ocean floor.