Wheeling Gull Isle All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.

: @Strand
: Forward dated to April 14

She was enjoying herself on this little island of theirs. Every day she tried her paw at fishing, although she wasn’t very good at it, she found herself to be a better bird catcher than anything. She enjoyed lounging on the beach, and listening to the waves crash against the shore, and the sunsets were beautiful. Not as beautiful as the sun rise she had watched with that boy, but she enjoyed them nonetheless.

It was still early in the day, and Padma was splayed along the sand. Waking up slowly.

Strand’s shoulder was getting better and better every day, and by this point, she could walk almost normally again. She still couldn’t place much weight on it, but at least she didn’t have to walk around with her right paw help up off the ground. Having Padma here for company had been, well, a life-saver, literally and figuratively. Padma had been helping her with food, but also keeping her company so she wouldn’t die of loneliness and boredom. Strand really appreciated her new friend, and her angry outer shell was melting away under Padma’s soft gaze. Maybe it was time to say thank you.

She had woken up early to the sound of birds chirping in the canopy overhead. She crawled out of the little bed she’d made for herself with dirt and moss and pine needles and shook off her coat, grateful that she still had thick winter’s fur to protect against the dipping temperatures at night. Padma’s scent trail led out of the forest and Strand followed it and found her friend lying down in the sand near the water. She looked like she was still asleep. Strand grinned. 

“Hey!” she called, limp-walking over to Padma’s dark frame in the sand. “Still asleep? Wakey, wakey!” She nudged her friend with a paw, feeling playful for some reason. She had a feeling it was going to be a good day.

Startled awake by a rude awakening, she looked over at her new friend, Strand. Giving a playful groan she rolled over, and flung her paw over her eyes. “Strandddddd!’ The agouti girl wailed.

“Just five more minutes.” Yet another moan escaped her lips. But she could wipe the grin from her maw, and a soft giggle flowed. Sand covered her side, and there was a wolf shaped impression from before she rolled over.

Strand grinned in amusement at Padma’s whining.

‘Just five more minutes?’ her friend begged.

“Oh, no,” she said. “I’m up and walkin’ and I can’t even use one shoulder properly! How is the disabled girl more energetic than you?” If they weren’t friends, she never would have called herself disabled like that, but Padma was different and Strand felt she could let her guard down around her. “I know!” she said. “We could go splash around in the freezing ocean water. That’ll wake you up!”

She limped over to the water, not turning to see if Padma was following and stood in the wet sand, waiting for the next wave to come and wash over her paws. She was confident and tried to stand upright and look majestic as she stared out across the water. But the second the wave washed over her paws and ankles, she yelped at the cold of it and hopped away, laughing.

As the pale girl moved away, Padma flipped over again, and watched her head toward the water. Slightly worried about her shoulder, the reddish girl wondered if they should try and find a healer. Despite only knowing her a short period of time, Padma held a deep sense of loyalty to her newest friend.

A yelp shook Padma’s more serious thought process and a broad grin split her lips, as quickly as Strand had hopped away Padma had run toward her. Giving a playful nudge as she passed, she bound into the water. Letting a shriek of her own permeate the air, the frigid water passing easily through her shedding winter coat. Turning around and facing her friend, she splashed in the water, and then a mischievous look over took her kind amber eyes. Looking at the water and then back at Strand Padma flung her paw at the water, lifting it just enough to try and dose her sandy colour companion in water. Her laughter fluttered in the air.

Strand stumbled a bit when Padma nudged her, a little unsteady with her injured shoulder, but she managed to keep her paws underneath her. She grinned at the girl, glad that her friend had come to play with her. The grin quickly left her face at the feel of freezing water splashing her coat. She shrieked at the cold of it, and said, “Oh, I see how it is! Splash the injured girl with water!” Then with her good front paw, she returned the favor, sweeping it down into the waves and splashing water in Padma’s direction. She was so cold from the water that parts of her were numb, mostly her paws, and she knew they couldn’t stay in here for long, but it was fun for the moment.

Tilting her head to the side, and giving an incredulous look at her friend Padma laughed and threw her head back. The water splashing her, and sinking beneath her fur chilling her skin beneath. A shiver ran along her spin, and she jumped skipping her way back toward the shore. “You’re just so easy to pick on.” Sticking her tongue out at Strand, Padma ran for the shore.

Slowing she turned back, looking over her shoulder, the petit girl grew slightly more serious. “How is your shoulder?” Even though Strand made light of the injury, Padma was still worried. An injured wolf often didn’t live long without the help of a pack, and Padma could only do so much.

Strand stuck her tongue out at Padma in return and laughed, limping back to shore herself. Padma was concerned about her shoulder. Strand shrugged. “Still a pain in the ass—or, well, shoulder. Heh. But I’m getting better.” She grinned. “I think the scar will look cool whenever it heals over. Other wolves will know not to fuck with me, right?” Yeah. Strand was a total badass. At least in her own head. Probably not to anyone else, but she didn’t know that. Not yet, anyways. She’d probably learn that at some point and it would be a helluva wake up call.