Seaside Moors Phone no service
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#1
All Welcome 
There weren't many here he could fight, or train from.
He knew of Raleska, who has puppies. Rosalyn and Erzulie - puppies. The puppies - puppies. Aningan - too busy.
So the list of people who could help him train was narrowed down to two.
Tundra and Rosencrantz.

Darn puppies.
Rowan had been hunting non-stop with Tundra and by himself. He even went out with Aningan once, but that was kids boring since Aningan didn't want to talk about anything.
It was hunting, yeah, but Rowan had questions.
He'd find the man again when he could talk.

He wanted to properly test out his skills and see how well he'd do against an opponent who may or may not try to shred him. Tundra wouldn't, Rosencrantz might if Tundra wouldn't mind so much.
Maybe.

The boy trotted through the territory, looking for someone to train with and for something to catch. Despite all their hunting, the food was always running out.
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Ooc — ebony
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#2
many children, not enough teeth.
erzulie had set herself not to worry. her daughters grew quick and strong; before the snow arrived she intended that they would be brought upon a kill.
it was the whisperings of loa stirring that led the woman to the coast, and there she found a shark-maimed seal cow gasping upon the sands. time was upon the harlot's side, however; time stole the last rattles of breath from the beast. then and only then did she approach, sinking quick harsh fangs into the blubber and ripping a great swath of fatted meat.
relieved, though her find must be quickly cached before she returned for more, erzulie paused to watch the strong young boy who had joined rusalka on his roving through the moorlands. a chuff through her burden, and then she began to dig a new cache, setting the meat upon the crushed heather alongside her.
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Erzulie's form become apparent over the horizon, and she looked like she was struggling with something.
He quickly lept into a lope to bring his paws swiftly to her to lend a hand.
She was a mother, she didn't need to fret so over this.

Though as he drew up on the scene, it looked like she was dragging a rock.
A wobbly rock.
"The heck is that? A wobbly rock?"
It must be some sort of animal as the woman wouldn't waste time on such an unimportant task, surely.

He approached the thing with caution, sniffing it with the highest curiosity.
It smelt like salt and poo.
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"it be part of a seal," she answered, in a good humour for the taste of blood upn her lips. "a bad smell, but de fat," and here she turned the meat to expose the thick white layer on the inner side, "can keep in a cool cache and feed one for a long time."
turning back to her digging, she winked at rowan, encouraging him to attempt the sea's offering while she finished its resting place.
"dere is a lot more on de beach. i will take you," she offered, tossing dirt behind herself with a glance toward the boy.
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"A seal," he murmured. He'd never heard of one before.
So if a rock in the ocean was moving, it might be a seal.
She supplied him with more information as he approached the pale fat she spoke of. He didn't need to have a whiff of it, he got it from back there.

He licked it, even daring a little nibble.
It was salty bitter and the flavour coated his whole mouth. The boy stuck out his tongue, shaking his head. "Icky."
Yeah, he'd eat it is he was hungry.
It seemed to be ideal for a slowly hungering pack with many mouths.

He quickly helped her with the rest of he cache. It didn't seem fair for her to be doing all this work so soon after birthing. But he was certainly interested in seeing more.
"What happened to...Khepri? Where is he?" He asked, still unsure of the boys true name and used the one he thought was correct. 
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amused by rowan's reluctance toward the seal meat, erzulie wondered briefly who he had meant. the first time she had met this boy, he had been in the company of "scarab," she ventured, hoping that rowan had referred to her son. "he be chasin' his life elsewhere," the woman sighed, grateful to have the yearling's younger strength for this task. 
"scarab an' his sister, clementine, have always been de shy ones. on de edge of rusalka," she revealed, deciding the new larder was deep enough now. pausing to tug the seal meat into the cool earth, she began to slowly cover it. "in my heart i know dat he be alive, howevah."
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Oh, so Khepri wasn't Scarab.
"He gave me a fake name the..." and everyone else in Blackfeather. Why? Was he in danger?
The boy's brows furrowed as he let Erzuile set the meat into the cache.
He was sad to hear he'd left again, especially after he'd tried so hard to help bring him home.
Oh well.

He didn't think Scarab as shy. A little weird maybe, but not shy.
He helped to cover the meat, listening to the woman. He loved her accent.
"I'm glad you're so sure," he replied.
He'd hate to not see the boy again, he was good company.

"What to seal's eat?" he asked. If they were carnivores like themselves, they would be more dangerous. He wondered if he would see some alive today.
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a fake name? she had not heard it. "what did he have you call him?" she asked, patting the earth down with a paw and leaping lightly away from the mound. "perhaps he meant to keep de res' of us safe," she mused, though fell silent then to allow rowan time for an answer.
a half-hearted grin. "i am maman. i know everyt'ing," she added slyly, then cupped her ears toward his next question. "fish, mos'ly. an' clams, an' i am sure whatever else can fit in de mout'. gluttons." 
turning her attention toward the shore, where the remainder of it lay, the harlot set off. "where dere is one dere are ot'ers," she revealed, winking at rowan before she set them a swift gait.
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She seemed shocked, but also understanding of the revelation.
"He called himself Khepri." Perhaps it was the name of another pack member or family.
But she thought is was to protect Rusalka, but Rowan didn't know better. 
A name didn't protect your face.

He tilted his head to her at her statement. Maman meant wise, he guessed. Or Mother. He smiled at her, glad for her confidence. He listened to her. She knew a lot about a lot he thought.
Rowan snorted at he comment of seals being gluttons. "That's why they're good to eat then." He knew that if something ate a lot it got fat, and too little made it skinny.  Could there be such thing as a skinny seal?

But if there was one, there were others. "What else eats seals?" He asked as they were launched into a fast pace. He was surprised to say the least at the speed, but said nothing. Mother's were more resilient than he thought.
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khepri. it was not a word she knew, though it tasted of dust in her proverbial mouth. did he call himself this now? scarab; why had he divested the name given? it would not be for her to know. her son was not here, and rowan need not bear the weight of erzulie's questioning after her son.
he was young, but already his loyalty to rusalka was strong.
they soon came upon the beach-head, and erzulie strode alongside him, slowing only as the sand reddened with the blood she had spilled in her earlier rippings. "sharks," the woman answered. "dey are giant fish, far bigger den any beas' upon de lan'. up dey come, and if dey see anyt'ing made of flesh in de water, off wid its head. great teeth. powerful, horrible t'ings. do not go far into de water," she instructed, shearing off a piece of blubber in the next moment.
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She seemed to fall into quiet contemplation after he's revelation.
Did it mean something? Did Rowan want to pry more?
No, he didn't think he did.
So he left her to mull over her son for a while longer.

Soon enough though, she fed him some information about more sealife.
Bigger than bears?! Rowan had seen a bear once, it didn't look very happy and was huge, though his companion at the time told him it wasn't even big!
His eyes widened, "You're shitting me," he replied, shock evident in his tone. There was no way that sharks existed, but it was Erzulie. She didn't seem like a liar.
But he took her warning of the possible mythical creature. Nah, he didn't want to go far in the water if there were those things in it.

He helped her collect more blubber even if he thought it had a rather foul taste. He wasn't going to pussy out on an important task just because he didn't like the taste.
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"not at all," she said after a bray of laughter. eyes danced. "dere be bigger beasts in de sea den sharks, too." rowan was quick to help him; she admired his mannerly nature and the way he asked questions even if he did not understand the answers. "dere be whales in de salt," she grunted, dragging back a flap of thick sealskin to get at the fat. here she stopped a moment, chewed in a quiet pleasure.
"whales come in all sorts of colors, but often dey do not hunt lan' creatures. dey go after de fish. but dey come up to breathe, an' to play on de surface."
she had been a sailor once, had she not?
"seeing a whale be good luck. make a wish upon de plume of water he shoots from his head." a grin, and then she began to eat in earnest, lining her belly with as much as she might carry. the last would be borne back in her jaws.
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He fell quiet, letting her tell him more tales of the ocean she seemed to know so well.
He wondered how he knew so much, but didn't think to ask.

Whales sounded mythical too. But these edible rocks existed so why not.
He too cut away some of the fat and tried some more of the blubber. He still didn't think much of it.
He started to get to work at taking out another section to put in another cache.

"Whales sound just as unbelievable as sharks," he grinned, "But if I see one, I'll remember, and I'll wish." He didn't know yet what he'd wish for, but if he saw one today it'd be for Scarab.
"Next you'll be telling me there are fish with horns," he jested. But little did he know.
The ocean was too large for him t comprehend, and held such a plethora of life neither he nor Erzuile would understand them all.

He let her eat as he worked on the seal, ignoring the flavour and taste which was dulling to him now, being not so salty and bitter.
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she eyed rowan teasingly, but made no answer to his suggestion. perhaps there were such things in the depths, even strange wolven things that had gone back to sea while others walked on land. the thought sent a shiver galloping over her shoulders; erzulie shook out her hackles and yawned, belly distended with meat.
"dat will be enough for de little ones," she decided, bumping her shoulder against his own as she grabbed the last mouthful of fat and flesh, heading back along the path she and the boy had cut through the moorlands to the seaside.
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I'm happy to end here if you are
He could feel her change.
Her soft distaste that crackled in the air.
Where there horned fish?! Had she seen them?
Rowan didn't really want to ask.

She seemed to brush away the thoughts like waves ate pawprints in the sand, and told him he'd gathered enough. He nodded, licking his lips of juices and blood.
"I'll help you take it to them, if you want."
He didn't know if she had plans for Rosalyn to come by, but thought it would be a good idea to offer.
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thank u for the thread <3

"t'ank you, rowan," erzulie murmured through her mouthful of seal meat, and then she paced onward, content to walk alongside the boy as they made their way across the flat ocean-lands to the rise in the earth where her den was made.
there, she made introductions between the yearling and her own daughters, calling to the others for a meal of what she had come back bearing.
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