Wheeling Gull Isle shāzhōu de kāifàng

The sandbar's opening was Ying's preferred resting place. She could often be found on either side of the expanse, standing guard over the island. Hua would do good leading the pack internally, and Mei through her own means, but the border was a brute's domain. 

She stood tall over the fresh corpse of a curious coyote. His body was still warm, finals breaths bated as the air leaked through his exposed windpipe. Once the kicking ceased, Ying latched her jaws onto his ankle and began to gnaw into the bone.

where were the trails to lead inland?

when the snowstorm had lifted, asmodeus spotted the sprawling shadow of a nearby island. it was connected to the main shore by a bar of sand, currently exposed.

the pale serpent licked his jaws warily, watching a muscular woman dispatch a smaller coyote in the cold grains. for once, asmodeus did not call to a member of the feminine persuasion; his black eyes coursed over her as he carefully passed by.

Unfamiliarity — her attention was turned toward the strange scent carried on the wind and the ghost from whom it came. His gaze was tentative, watchful; Ying took this as a threat and began to walk toward him, bristled and barking as she went. The high of her first encounter had not yet warn off, leaving her prepared and anticipating the next.

"whoa, slow your roll, toots!" asmodeus called to the stalking woman. she had not taken a liking to him, though in his typical fashion, the serpent noticed the lovely tealstone of her even, hostile gaze.

he backed away, signalling with squinted eyes that he was no threat; not looking to have his ass chewed as the storm had finished doing just that.

The unconventional greeting was enough to stop her approach. Toots? she asked, wondering what the word meant. Was it an insult? Ying didn't think so, having taken his expression into account. Still, her posture remained stiff and tall, should he decide to switch the script.

A moment later, she continued. Why you coming here? The island rarely saw an unfamiliar face, if ever. She wondered what had drawn him in, and why their most recent trespasser hadn't scared him away. Ying turned a glance over her shoulder and wondered if her method needed more oomf.

the murdermaid held off her attack, and asmodeus hid a sigh of relief. "yeah, sorry. it means .. woman."

her accent was foreign, demeanour dominant, and he realized belatedly he had meandered onto claimed land. 

"i'm just a little lost. got caught in a storm. don't really know anything about the sea." he paused, gauging the warrior. "you mind if i pass?"

Does it, Asmodeus? She nodded along to his explanation, figuring that it was probably true. Thanks, Ying said. The word was locked into memory for later use. Bèn dàn means man. They would likely never see one another again, so she felt little shame in her slight.

The huntress hesitated before falling into a half-seat. Her legs remained ready to pounce, though for the most part, her guard had been dropped. How you get caught? she asked, wondering what he meant, In the water, you get caught?

making a mental note of what the seawolf had said, asmodeus noted she was not about to let him pass without further interrogation.

tension waned from her body; he settled some feet away, shoulders curved against the bite of the ocean wind. the matte shards of black razed her again, and he saw youth now, a cold beauty that matched the lap of the brine.

"snowstorm. i came from the inner territories," asmodeus explained. "i've never been here before."

Snowstorms. She had never considered that something as soft as snow could storm, but remembered the information anyway. Ying was glad that she'd made it through most of the winter inland without any major (weather-related) disturbances.

You walk beside shāzhōu de kāifàng, the guardian explained, My family lives on that place. She used a paw to point back toward the island. Had they come up with a name yet? She would have to ask Hua about it, since that would make border confrontations much simpler.

Ying looked him over once more. What your name? she asked, voice softer and less demanding.

the serpent followed the line of her paw. she reminded him a bit of niamh, though at very least the gilded woman had given asmodeus her interest first. there was none such in this salt-flecked guardian of the cold waves, and while lustful, he was not so stupid as to try his luck before her teeth.

"asmodeus," the reptile purred, tail lashing once at his heels. he wouldn't even attempt to say the name of the place she had indicated, waiting instead with a budding interest to know what she might speak next/

The guardian quietly repeated the name — As-mo-de-us. — and nodded in understanding. I am Ying, she told him. A small smile began to grow as her eyes shifted to the forest behind him. Do you hunt? she asked, tail beating with excitement, We can play a game. 

You win, I will not try to kill you. I win...we will see. Her face was tilted downward as she shot him an expectant glance and waited for his assumed agreeance.

a game? what sort of place was this? the bone-colored thing was suspicious, but unwavering in any skill he might apply to gaining the attention of a pretty woman. "ying. like the note of a song," asmodeus smirked. 

ying set the game, and the serpent cocked his head. "a hard bargain," came his voice, darkening with pleasure at the challenge. "what are we hunting?"

Had they met under different circumstances, their meeting might have gone a different direction. Asmodeus had a charm that Ying was unable to ignore, but for the sake of maintaining her guard, she fought against it...for the most part.

Can you fish? she asked, Maybe you are scared to do a fish game with me, because you are a land wolf. Her tone was teasing, accompanied by a nonchalant shrug. What do you hunt? Snowflakes?

he was baited, and the sweet lure of it was too great for the man to avoid. "i hunt all sorts of things, sea-girl," came his serpent's purr. "i'll hunt you if you try me." a glint in his coalblack eyes suggested it was not with teeth he might capture ying.

"let's fish," he grinned, bathing jaws with a lingering tongue before he began to approach the water, presumably at her indication.

You are funny. She couldn't help but to laugh. The pair made their way to the ocean's edge, where she stood to wait for the tide. You know the fish with shells, we catch them. For some reason, shellfish was simply not a word in her vocabulary. First one with five, okay?

Whether or not Asmodeus knew to let the tide to the work wasn't Ying's problem. She trotted a few steps closer to the water and waited patiently, watching her opponent through quiet side-eye.

meant to add im doing same as u, evens = catch, odds = miss <3

her laughter buoyed his pride, and he waded into the icy shallows, ducking muzzle beneath the frigid water. fish with shells, fish with shells; what did she mean? asmodeus had not even the luxury of understanding what seafood was, but when his jaws closed around a cold surface, he understood.

the little flat animals. yes. 

he worked quickly; for all his show, asmodeus was patently unprepared to hunt in the ocean. the serpent discovered only three before he was forced to quit the icy water, nudging his catches into the sand. black eyes glanced to the woman now.

She was confident enough until the time came to get into the water. Ying remembered that she hated shellfish, and that her one successful hunt with Hua and Mei had been a total fluke. It was too late to back out now; she was determined to win, and it appeared that Asmodeus was, too. Apprehensively, she turned her back to the sea and began to dig into the freshly wet sand.

Nothing? She looked anxiously to her opponent, who had by then caught two of his three prizes. Her paws began to kick even harder, but she was still left empty...pawed. The tide was coming back in, so Ying retreated with a frustrated sigh. You lie to me, she barked. There was no way that an inland wolf had beat her. No way! 

A winner was a winner, but if he wanted praise, Asmodeus was out of luck.

his dewclaw had begun to sting a bit, but asmodeus paid it no mind. a bit of cold would not hurt his body. slowly he swung his gaze back to his trove, then to where ying had caught nothing. "i win the prize of not having my throat cut," the man observed dryly. 

he pushed one of the round things toward her; it slid through the soaked grains of sand. "now you win," he beamed into her frustrated expression. "what will your prize be?"

Whatever. She turned and prepared to walk away, but was stopped by his question. Ying looked at the catch which had been placed where she once stood and huffed another frustrated sigh. You are wrong, she told him. Someone did have to win, and that was unfortunately Asmodeus.

A contemplative look was turned toward the island. What would they think if she strayed for a moment? You win, so you can pick it. Her gaze was still hard, cold, but her voice had softened to something both confident and unsure. So, what? There was much anticipation in the moments leading up to his answer, whatever that might be.

ying was irate, and asmodeus liked the simmer of sea-salt beneath her gunmetal pelt, but it would be in his best interest to soothe the kraken of her wrath. "oh, i get to pick?" asmodeus responded to her tones, colorless eyes meeting the icy ocean turquoise of her own.

"hmm," the man rumbled, pretending to think very firmly upon the matter as he approached ying, stopping some small distance away. "i think you deserve a kiss for your good game."

She knew that something about the circumstances was wrong, but she couldn't figure out what exactly it was. Ying survived by forgetting, which allowed her an ease that she might not have otherwise had. Her tail began an excited wag as she tilted her head curiously, suddenly relieved of the majority of her fury. Another game? she asked, taking a step forward, I will win this time.

The distance left between them was easily closed. Ying stalked forward and circled to Asmodeus's side, preening the fur along his throat as she went. Confident that the attack would go unnoticed, she moved onto her hindlegs and pressed her weight against him, hoping to begin a tumble that would end with her on her back.

the woman drew forward, and asmodeus went proudly to meet her. ying's lips traced along the curve of his neck, more boldly than he had expected. the result was a low purl, a low throb. 

he was disappointed, briefly, when it was revealed this was but another way for ying to redeem herself. yet asmodeus rose to the intrigue of it all the same, bracing himself though he stumbled some steps all the same, then whirling and driving his shoulder low to mirror ying's attack.

The attempt was unsuccessful. Instead of rolling, Asmodeus stumbled only a few steps before pushing against Ying's abdomen and forcing her onto the sand. Seawater stung her eyes as the tide threatened to push forward, but she was back on her feet before experiencing the worst of it.

She moved forward once more, this time using her teeth to push aggresively against his gums, knocking them passively before trotting out of reach. Would he give chase? Ying stood and flagged her tail, waiting to see how he might react.

perhaps she had made him too competitive to realize the nuance. perhaps there was no nuance, she sought only to reclaim her winning ribbon. asmodeus did not know, and this alone was titillating. his mouth tasted of salt from where she had tested him, and when ying beckoned, the serpent attended her at once, lengthening his stride to try and match whatever pace she set.

The sound of his footsteps tracing behind her own excited Ying to a trot. She kept this pace for a moment, eventually slowing once far enough from the island that she could be sure no one would see. Her eyes were turned to him then, curiousity clear in her gaze. He hadn't tried anything yet, but why not? Was she not being clear?

She needed to be sure that he understood. Ying walked directly toward Asmodeus and turned to encircle his face with a view of her pelt. She stood perpendicular to him, tail still high as a final offer.