Ocean's Breath Plateau vraes dunar

it had taken some getting used to, this endlessly raging port of water. anu recalled no spectacle so large back at home, and thought of what his father would say if anu ever told him of the coast. that thought stirred some melancholy in the chela, for it was very likely anu would never see his home again.

this was to be his home now, wherever he settled.

resting a stone between his paws, anu drank in the scents carried by the gentle southbound wind. overhead an albatross whirled on a hidden tempest, and anu fell reflectively into silence.

The shock of waking up in a brave new world had worn out his system in the first few days after his transplanting. He felt like a remote island in a sea of uncertainty at first, but as he acclimatized he found himself thinking less and less of home. This place wasn't terrible. He pined for the familiar sound of his blokes cussing up a storm at one another, and it hadn't fully sunken in yet that Blitz would be forever missing them.

Feet on the ground, head in the clouds — it was the perfect place for the wayward soul. He'd take the piss, he'd make it work, and maybe the black beast would return him to his home planet. That's what it felt like - utterly alienating. He boasted a thin black-leather band around his neck though, a tiny box situated on the back where his neck met his shoulder blades, winking with a green light at the sky. It wasn't tight or cumbersome and soon he forgot all about it. There were more pressing matters.

Like food. Or the way the world ended with a roar a few feet further, just after a ridge. If the boy thought of ending it there and then it wasn't really clear - he looked at the sea and then away, tasting the breeze with a breath, and spotted a golden shape loping across the sand. HEY! Blimey — HEY YOU! He picked up his feet and hastened to close the distance, but was huffing like a terminal smoker before he reached the stranger. Y--you, h.. hey, y'alright? Oi mate, tha was further than't looked.

thanks for joining!

anu was not long alone; a figure pressed towards him with haste, causing him to gather to his feet in alarm. it was not anti, but a wolf unfamiliar; anu's posture remained reserved, and his pointed nose turned towards the loping stranger inquisitively.

he was out of breath, but did not appear hostile. anu dipped his regal skull, the old tongue slipping: "maharaj," he greeted, his bearing suggesting he was civil, but no rube.

His heart pounded in his ears and he greedily sucked in breath after breath, nearly missing the word that passed through the stranger's lips. It wasn't familiar at all but Blitz wasn't a fan of lookin' like a rube, so he huffed an airy laugh and said, Aye right, right, maha-whatsit t'you too, like, but he was giving the yellow man a quizzical look-over.

Crap, what if everyone spoke in tongues around here? Blitz wasn't a well-tutored beast, he had flunked out of various apprenticeships and couldn't sit still long enough to really learn from anyone, and had resigned himself to a life of living the bare-minimum. He doubted his mum would've known any other language besides the variation on common that the family spoke; so he just gawked at the stranger for a moment and then let the feeling pass.

Ain't from roun' 'ere ey? Was he talking to the stranger or speaking of himself? It didn't really matter - they both seemed to be fish outta water.

anu reciprocated the quizzical look with a stately expression, as if he were used to being on exhibit. his ears were kept straight, his posture perfect; for a second it seemed he was not out of place at all, except for the brogue the man sported was so thick, that anu had great difficulty understanding it.

he repeated the words inwardly, the phonetics confusing him. the man had not responded in his tongue (to be expected), and the way he insistently spoke in the native's tongue made anu think he might be at a crossroads. haltingly, the man began to speak, his own accent signifying that clearly he was no native. "hel-lo. i am, anu. fortune.. goes, with you."

The dialogue shifted and Blitz wasn't sure if he liked the sound of it, but he could understand it so that was a bonus. His face split in to a toothy grin once he realized what the other wolf was saying, finding a joke there that only made sense to the transplant. Tch, nah likely, he murmured (mostly to himself).

Anu was a weird name. Made him think of buttholes, which led to a snicker and the sudden thought of a myriad of jokes Blitz could begin spoutin' but he holds his tongue for once. His buds back home would've enjoyed his humor but it wasn't smart to start lobbing verbal grenades when you couldn't even tell which way home was.

Mayhap this guy was waiting for his own name, and before Blitz lost the plot he fluffed up a bit and said, Me name's Krieger but if thassa mouthful, call me Blitz! All me blokes do— ah, but that was across the pond, not that he knew the difference. Ya been 'ere long? Probably longer'n himself at any rate.

LOL! alas poor anu

in anu's language the word for butt-holes was quite dissimilar; had he known the reason for that sneaky smirk, he would have stood straight and marched indignantly away. he was no ass, and he would not suffer the company of one.

at the very least, he would have pointed out the pronunciation phonetically was imperatively different: but that was the function of a hawk, to be insufferably sentimental to splitting hairs. (in case you were wondering, it was "ah-new", like sinew, but more palatable.)

haughty as he was, he was not privy to blitzkrieg's inward amusement. his lips pursed in disgruntlement, for the man spoke too thickly and far too fast for his taste. he only got one thing out of it, krieger. "krieger," he repeated, his head and neck held stiff. "vraes -- where is.. water?" he gestured to the the sea in annoyance -- it was liquid, but it did little to sup his thirst.

He was a queer one wasn't he? Askin' about the water when it was right beside him! Bit-ov-a rhetorical, like. There's what you be thirstin' for. Blitz pointed out with a raise of his brows and quick flick of his snout. He took a step closer to the rift's edge and peered over the ledge at the raucous waters beneath. Dark and dismal, even in the light. Sent shivers creepin' down his spine.

The boy had never seen so much water in one place. He'd come from inland, he was an innie, but he could judge this wanderer as the same to some degree. They were both lost and unlikely to find what they were truly after; with that in mind, what was Blitzkreig looking for? He was distracted by the beach for a few moments but wouldn't let his doubt take root.

Oi! Right. Should get'a heel on, but having company was a nice change from the lost and lonely days Blitz had encountered upon waking in this place. He looked at the sun-touched man and knew (even without thinking about it) that he wasn't just gonna abandon the bloke. This place is quite'a sight but --- hells bells, man, ain't ya hungry? I know I am. He tilted his head to motion for the wolf to follow him, and then pulled away from his company.

anu assumed this male was a local, thus when blitzkrieg poised his snout in the direction of the ocean, a scoff of disbelief crowded anu’s features. did he think because anu was a foreigner, that he was a simpleton? the chela’s eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. nayet, he brought his paw to his mouth as if to drink. water, the ocean may be wet, but anu had learned it quenched not a drop of his fevered thirst.

twice now he was left in disbelief, now watching as blitzkrieg strung a series of unintelligible words his way, and then moved off. anu followed nobody in his life, and was loathe to follow behind the male like a serf, but perhaps blitzkrieg was leading him to the true water. nimbly the male gathered his limbs under him, and stepped in pace behind the ‘local’.

Nayet? Sounded like a no in his ears. Then the wolf repeated his request for water and Blitz wasn't sure what to do. There was water literally everywhere but the fool wasn't interested in it for whatever reason; maybe it had a bad flavor or he was self-concious about encroaching on the locals? Whatever. If he didn't want this water then who was Blitz to set him straight? Besides, the bloke was following after him at an easy lope and it seemed like they were travel buddies all of a sudden.

Yeah, yeah, water. What about food? I'd say that's a touch more important but what the heck do I know, not much, evidently. There were all kinds of bounties to be found along the seaside if one knew where to look. That wasn't his style though. He paused soon after his comment and turned a lurid eye upon his companion as if expecting an actual response, but in reality he was considering his options. Making a judgement call. I help ya find somthin' to fix that thirst of yours, and then you'll help me with a bit'a kip, eh? That a good deal? Come to think of it, he was mightily parched. How long had he been asleep before the monster had dropped him in this shit hole of a place anyhow?

Without waiting for a response to his proposition Blitz began to scour the terrian with his nose to the grind, seeking anything even vaguely familiar — unfortunate for both rogues, absolutely nothing made sense as he hunted for water. The soil felt different to his paws. The trees smelled strongly like something acrid and foul. The salt in the air muddied it all up considerably and if it wasn't evident already, the pair would be roaming in circles before long.

as loathe as anu was to scurry after the heels of a commoner like a commoner himself, anu did so anyway. he reminded himself that this man was likely a scout or servant to some sort of caste-lord; if he was lucky, maybe this (in anu’s eyes) simpleton would lead him to wolves of better breeding and higher society, wolves perfect for the chela’s mission. 

the man moved on, his mouth seemingly as ceaseless as the motion of his legs. anu understood none of what he said, but followed after anyway with the rather stifled, remote look the highborn often so easily mastered.