Gilded Bay your body in electric blue

beneath a cloudy, overcast sky. amongst a shoreline with the ocean slicing through the sand & gravel, little streams running themselves into smaller holes where the water had pooled up-- a high tide would surely trap some small creatures in these pools, unable to escape until the gentle push of the moon called the waves closer to the shore. amatsu carelessly heaved her body over sharp, pointed rocks-- giving herself some minor wounds in the process, but she was blissfully unaware of the worse injuries she could attain. she she-wolf pounced over to the makeshift tidepools as quickly as she could, peering into them individually; only long enough to see if there were any mysteries stuck inside. lolling her tongue out of her mouth and panting, the scrawny wolf weaved around the area in a figure-eight pattern, her tail trailing behind her & her fur lightly bristling in the wind.
home.
this had to be it. this had to be the place, this had to be the waters that were calling out to her. the cloudy sky, the deep, green-tinted ocean, whose depths descended into an inky blackness as the entities deeper and deeper down become more alien & unknown to the modern world... but not to her. she knew what was down there. she had conversed with th creatures in the trenches to the creatures so high in the sky they swore thye'd never come down to the mortal realm. amatsu, dear amatsu, she knows them all.
perhaps the lectures she was given at the pinnacle were true.
flopping onto her belly, she rolled around in the sand. her silvery pelt becoming stricken with sand that glistened underneath the very limited light of the sun, who was hiding behind a cloudy sky. rolling back into an upright position, she stretched her front paws out in front of her and leaned onto her side, her tail curled onto the ground, slowly beating up and down.
the sky. the sea. the clouds & the weather itself. it was all calling her. it had to be.
yes. this was home.

of all the places she's visited on the coast so far, she finds the bay one of the most beautiful; perhaps that's why she returns to it so frequently. she hasn't made the best memories here, though she aims to change that — such a pretty place can't be steeped in misery forever, she thinks. but her mood still sours a little as she moves toward the shore, and she doesn't even notice the presence of another wolf for several moments. then the rustling catches her attention, and she glances over just in time to watch the other finish her roll in the sand. her muzzle wrinkles slightly in distaste, but she doesn't say anything. instead she turns slowly and offers a single chuff, wondering if she's stumbled upon one of those wolves the tribes so often spoke of pityingly — a simpleton. one has to be rather young or rather stupid to roll in the sand like that, right? well, she thinks so.

what even are timelines anyway -- also editing bc shadowpost

there were three natural borders to the coconut grove: the first being the sea, of course, the second a river that flowed from inland and split into a delta before meeting the waves, and the third the sudden swell of the moors from the sand. but the fourth was all too permeable. there was no true measure of where the grove ended and the bay began, save marking it by the edge of the trees.

and govinda was too wary of others' intentions to let that be the sole determining factor.

after marking the eastern edge, and marking it well, he crossed over and began the short walk over to the bay, wondering if he would spot any familiar faces there. not today, it seemed; a silver figure played in the sand, and as he drew closer, he found no spark of recognition. the man chuffed at the woman, stopping just shy of where she lay, looking down on her.

it's a lovely day, no? he asked casually, though the tinge of caution in his voice was unmistakable. she was close, very close, to his new home, his new friends.

and then another woman came, and his wariness grew tenfold.

staring out into the ocean-- feeling the breeze on her face as she closed her eyes and perked her ears to attention-- she let out a long, harrowing sigh. being a goddess was lonely company. unable to talk to the creatures that adored her so, unable to communiate with the weather of which she was sure she commanded, not a single crack of lightning to reignite a spark within her. her nihilism, her sickness, it bubbles up inside her stomach and takes form in a sudden burst of self-depreciation. leaning her head down onto the sand near her paws, her senses come to a tinge. she could feel someone else's presence, although they seemed to be a rather's distance away. a chuff, a distance noise, is what she hears another female utter in her direction.
amatsu doesn't have anything to say to this, she eyes the wolfess and gives her a quiet greeting bark.
her eyes direct themselves back towards the open sea, watching as birds glide gracefully through the sky, tearing through the clouds with such elegance. she wondered when she'd be able to do so as well.
another wolf pads up to her slowly, this one much larger and closer, looking down at her and letting out a chuff,
''it's a lovely day, no?''
amatsu's attention is directed upwards, to which her eyes meet with a wolf who's golden gaze fills her with caution. a towering mountain, to her, spoke with a sense of caution in his tone. she could understand; meeting others wasn't always her favorite thing ever. 
,,it's fairly nice here, yes,'' her voice shakes a little, ,,it feels familiar.'' she's aware her words probably make no sense.

the woman barks in response, but before she can say anything, another wolf arrives — a male this time. she says nothing as he moves closer to the other wolf, addressing only her; she's fairly used to others treating her that way, but it puzzles her in this setting. can he simply tell she's filth by looking at her? is it a skill learned by wolves even outside the tribes? the thought makes her nauseous. she turns away from the pair, feeling suddenly, horribly self-conscious as she retreats from the scene. it doesn't take long for the shame to turn into anger, but by that time she's far away from the other two, blinking away hot tears and trying without success to convince herself that she's overreacting.

before he could greet the other woman in turn--still feeling a bit overwhelmed--she fled, leaving him standing there, mouth agape. govinda shook his head slowly, bemused, before staring down at the girl on the sand. it feels familiar. had she been here before, but didn't know it?

looks a lot like any other bay, he chuckled, attempting humor. he sat down next to her, looking out at the waves. it's pretty. i enjoy coming here. govinda craned his head to stare down at her, wondering at the mix of grays and silvers in her pelt. she was small, but not weakly so. there was strength in her.

do you live around here? he asked, trying to make sense of the scents she carried.

,,ahh... i suppose, i must just feel at home in any bay.''  she responds, and out of the corner of her vision she can see the other female turn away and break into a sprint. that was odd, she didn't even really say hello-- but at least she had gotten a bark back. of course, this didn't stop the lady from wondering whether she other wolf was okay or not; she seemed to be in a rush. the man sat next to her, oberseving the waves. ,,it is very pretty. the way it sparkles... the sand, i can do without, but-- the water, the clouds, having them both together... ignites something in me.'' thoughts flowed through her head, not unlike the way the ocean does. the clouds... the water... she was one with them, or so she was very positive she was.
''do you live around here?'' the question rang in her head, she rattled her brain for an answer that doesn't over-share and shock. it seems around the water was the only way she could keep a cool head, apparently. ,,no, i don't live around here,'' she started to speak, her voice flat and slighty monotone. she wondered if, one day, she could go back. she probably wouldn't want to. ,,i was born very, very far from here. a lot happened, and in half a year i've ended up here... somehow.'' she tilted her head and looked up at the sand-swept male next to her. he was very pretty, to her. she'd not seen wolves of many other colors before. ,,what about you?'' she inquired to him.

i agree, govinda said pleasantly, eyes drifting over the clouds. though i quite like the sand, too. feels nice on the paws, except when it gets too hot. he twisted his toe into the beach in absent-minded fashion, then turned to her again, nodding at her origin story. it sounded ever-so familiar, and he couldn't resist a smile.

pretty much the same, he chuckled. born far from here, somehow made it here. though you did it faster than me, govinda added with a grin. half a year. . .it took me my entire life to make my way north. had it been worth it? he often wondered whether he would do it all over again differently, given the chance. some days, he would have leapt at the opportunity.

he dipped his muzzle down the beach, toward the palms. i live close by now, in a grove, govinda explained. i come here often though, for the scenery more than anything else. and, evidently, the company wasn't too bad, either. he had met many kind souls here.

she closed her eyes and lay her head down on her paws, perking her ears up as she listened to the traveller's story. a gentle breeze brushing her fur with the scent of the ocean all around them. the cloud cover had been ever so present, she wondered if anything would come from it eventually. rain would be nice. she'd never seen snow before, only hearing the word itself few times. she was always curious about it, snow. she couldn't help but wonder if it was something she'd enjoy experiencing.
he explained that he had lived close by now, gesturing with his muzzle gently down the beach. ,,it must be nice to have a place to call home,'' she started responding, ,,i haven't had that since i was ex-- since i left.'' catching herself before she finished her thought, it's probably better she had corrected herself. there's no telling how anyone would react to her banishment, she wasn't sure yet, if any of her distant relatives were here. ,,the scenery is gorgeous. i think this whole place, really, is.'' she was enjoying his company, however. ,,so... what are you called around here?'' although slightly wary of sharing her own name, it was only polite of her.

contrary to what she thought, govinda couldn't care less if she had let slip she had been banished. he, too, was a fugitive. this was a place for new beginnings; the past couldn't haunt them, here. even if it did, it was to be ignored. he caught the stumble but let it pass; he was more curious about the way she had asked for his name.

govinda, he responded, smiling. it almost was if she knew he had been called something else, in different parts of the world. what about you? did she have multiple names, too? it's not been my home for very long, he added, responding to her remark on home. i'm still settling in.

but would he ever--completely--settle into the grove?

hadn't he asked that about the plateau? the maplewood?

his expression was calm and relaxed; his composure content, he was gentle yet she had the feeling in the back of her throat that he had a harder side to him-- but doesn't everyone? shifting her position a bit to get a little closer to him, the stranger gave her his name. ''govinda,'' the name slid off of the tongue very nicely. a smooth name, akin to the waves, she thought it suited him fairly well.
,,amatsumagatsuchi,'' she spat out her full name at him quickly, realizing that it was probably a little too quick-- ,,but, uh, amatsu for short.'' she looked up into his eyes and flashed him a gentle smile. the remark he made, about still settling in, she could relate. it seemed 'settling in' was something she was constantly doing, honestly. home was something special, something intimate.

a long name, many syllables, but that was okay. the shortened form would do for now. amatsu, he repeated, with a dip of his head. pleasure to make your acquaintance. even if it had been slightly strange, at the beginning, with her rolling and the other girl leaving abruptly. sometimes the best friendships emerged from odd scenes.

are you looking for a home? govinda asked out of compulsion, gaze gently settling on her face. it was worth asking. it must be nice to have a place to call home. unless she was bluffing, that was usually the sentiment of someone who wanted permanence in their life, rather than a life on the go. he understood both desires--and wondered if she harbored them as well.

as the man had greeted her and dipped his head, her tail started wagging lightly across the sand. she was trying not to get it all over the place-- she was a little dreamily zoned out & wasn't completely aware of her surroundings. half of her was somewhere else, in a distant land... she hadn't talked to someone as calm as him since... a time she couldnt recall, actually. it was refreshing to have a conversation without her being an anxious disaster for once in her life.
as she was drifting, she could vaguely make out sounds and smells; but his question brought her back to reality immediately. ''are you looking for a home?'' a light wave of anxiety ran over her as it was asked, she was looking for somewhere she could fit in-- but in her mind, it was very much easier said than done. amatsu was a delusional, anxious wolf & her communication isn't the best. the waves gently rolled over the water, she tried to time her breathing with them-- to lower her heart rate, to calm herself down. with a dry gulp, she answered the question. ,,i am looking for a home, but... i don't think anyone would want me around, if they got to... know me, i guess,'' her speech was dry and shaky, it was odd to her. there must have been something she was missing, her form and appearance... it was anything but canine, or so she thought it was. her entire life, she had never been allowed to see her own self. she knows what she looks like from what her old pack had described to her-- she had lived such a sheltered, clutic life. ,,i think it would be hard for me to find somewhere to fit in, as much as i want it.'' she turned her gaze up towards him and tilted her head a little bit to the right.

her answer perplexed him. he wasn't staring at a monster, now, simply a woman with her fair share of quirks. right? or perhaps he was mistaken. govinda looked down at her, brows raised, and waited until she had trailed off--and a beat or two after--to chime in.

i don't know why you'd say that, he responded softly. you seem perfectly all right, to me. what makes you think that getting to know you might change my mind? he had strayed away from generalities, now, which was always a potential danger. extending an invitation. will you come back with me to coconut grove?

but what if he was bringing back something truly heinous? he was curious to hear what she would say in return.

she noticed the wolf's brow raise after her initial statement, which didn't necessarily surprise her. she was used to odd looks by now. after she had finished her short monologue, the man waited a second or so before responding; she was slightly nervous, though. she was always nervous.
his words gave her comfort, a spark of reassurance that maybe she wasn't a complete monster. ,,it's not that i'm a bad person-- i don't think i am, anyway,'' taking a breath, she waited a second to arrange what she wanted to convey in her head. ,,i, uh, grew up very sheltered-- i didn't know there was a world, even, outside of my home. i was blessed, in my birth pack. they told me my egg was struck by a bolt of lightning, that it was a heavenly sign.'' she wasn't quite sure if she sounded sane or not. ,,they told me i was a goddess, that the clouds, the sky, the storms, the combination of these natural phenomenons were what gave birth to me. they always described me as different from them; instead of fur i have scales, my ears are small and the horns erupting from my skull were made of gold. my ribs, my heart, they pulse with the head of the sun. one day, i started doubting what they said. that was when they kicked me out. they told me i need to act like the heavenly horror i am.'' her voice starts getting lower as it breaks. ,,i... don't really know who i am. my identity is a goddess, the living embodiment of storms, but sometimes i struggle to believe it's true.'' and just like that, she monologued her entire life as she knew it to someone. she had finally talked to someone about the delusion she lives in.

he was torn between pity and horror. he didn't comprehend much of what she said, but he felt the fear behind every word. the poor girl was mad, and her family was to blame. it was unconscionable. righteous anger bubbled up in his chest; he struggled to keep the shadows from his face.

in my tongue, we call the storm god 'indra,' he said instead, mouth quirking slightly as he thought of the woman he'd met who bore that name. was she well? he hoped. . . it's a lot of pressure to put on one girl. don't trouble yourself with living up to the fantasies your family have put on your shoulders.

govinda sucked in a long breath, staring at her. dhumela, the man whispered, staring down her pelt of many grays. let your past trouble you no more, behen.

a farmiliar feeling started to brew in her chest. a feeling she knew all too well, a feeling she wish didn't plague her constantly. no matter how hard she tried to push it down, it never worked. it bubbled. more, and more. it kept bubbling. it never stopped. she could feel the crumbling, she tension in her ribcage as one of the hardest realities she would ever had to accept would need to be swallowed-- but, as always, she refused. fighting her sickness, she wanted to lay herself down to rest.
i wish i wasn't like this.
stretching her paws in front of her, she dipped her head towards the ground; resting it on her legs with her muzzle slightly pointed downwards. she listened carefully as the man talked about his tongue, his culture. indra. she thought it was a gorgeous name; simple, elegant. one that doesn't have a ridiculous amount of syllables; one not written and spoken in a language so foreign to those who have never been exposed. he spoke about the pressure she had to live up to, the grand fantasies her family had pushed on her since the day she was born.
unfortnately, for her, this was the only life she had ever know. their fantasies were her indentity.
his speech was direct, he hadn't spoken in rhymes or riddles though his tone was passionate. it was caring. his whispers of foreign words whisped through the wind, caressing her ears with their syllables and sounds. she turned her gaze towards him, feeling as if she didn't have the strength to move her entire head from the ground. ,,thank you,'' came her response; short, quick, quiet. she had no idea what else to say-- the chocolate colored wolf had comforted her in such a subtle way, but it was something she wasn't used to.
she wondered if this is what it was like to have someone who genuinely cared about you.

koi baat nahin, he said warmly, accepting her thanks with a bow of his head. the gratitude wasn't necessary, but it did make him feel a little better inside, for what that was worth. i suppose i'll leave you to your lovely day. but if you need a place to stay, find the palm trees, he informed her, wagging his tail behind him.

he hoped she'd come, eventually. perhaps he could draw the mortal out of the storm goddess--for the girl that rolled on the beach was not some deity. no, her charm rested in her flaws, and he hoped that she would one day know that as truth.

phir milenge, dhumela, govinda promised, shooting her a smile before wheeling and taking off at a powerful trot, tiny clouds of sand kicking up behind him.