Ankyra Sound Tidechaser

Quietly, Chacal slipped away from her homeland on the cliffs, and made her way along the shoreline until she came to the elbow shaped cove that was Ankyra Sound. The tide had come in, so only a thin strip of beach separated the ocean from where the beach grass began to grow on high banks made from sand, and held together with beach grass. She meandered through the scattered bits of driftwood and dried kelp toward the water's edge, and began to scan the area for any sign of a riptide. The waves pulsed and ebbed at the shore in even, regular waves. She could see no break in the seafoam, that might indicate danger- so she assumed that passage might be safe. 

In a few months, she thought, there would be another Seafoam run. She couldn't say with any certainty that she would be permitted to be involved in the next, or that they would even host another event that involved swimming. She had still not reached a rank honoured enough to put her in the running for the next challenge, and she still felt that it was unfair to have a race based in the water, as Valravn was directly opposed to the idea. She'd heard that Merlin had nearly been lost to the drag of the current- and had begun to consider actively protesting the event. It was dangerous and unfair. 

Nevertheless- part of her still wanted to win. And she knew that if she wanted to win, she would have to train. With the shape of the bay, she felt that swimming from one edge of the Sound to the next might be an adequate challenge. She would not have to stray very far from the shore- she could even bend her path and swim along the shoreline if at any point she felt the current was too strong- and she also had an innate belief that no matter what would happen, the ocean would return her to the shore, and all she would have to do would be to keep her head above water. 

More easily said than done- but she was a capable enough swimmer, or so she thought. So, at the water's edge, she continued to scan the surface, watching to see if the pattern of the waves changed or shifted, as she began to stretch out her legs, and the muscles along her back and ribs, in preparation for a swim.

She'd met a few wolves as they wandered the coast but found a disappointingly low number of new herbs.  There was one thing she'd found that had been interesting... and she tucked it away to find later, saving it for a special purpose.

Still, she hadn't given up hope.  Today as she nosed along the beach the air felt warmer and the breeze smelled amazingly strange.  It was clean in a weird, briney way, and she enjoyed both that and the warm sun on her back.  She had found during her time here that, aside from the sand, she loved the beach.  The latter was a bit of dealbreaker though.  It shifted so much beneath her paws and destroyed a lot of the way she was used to feeling her way through.  She'd nearly fallen over a pretty fair number of things already but with good reason; she'd managed to turn up some of that stuff Penn had brought her.

It was gripped in her mouth as she ranged the beach south of Chacal, a clump of seaweed that hung down like a strange mustache.  She nosed at another bunch, then reared back as something scuttled from beneath it and released her mouthful with a muffled, surprised exclamation.  The hell was that?  She listened to the click of it moving away, transfixed.  She'd never heard a crab move before.

Once she was ready, Chacal waded into the water, just deep enough that it would rise up past her elbows when a wave rolled in. The cold of the water was shocking; it was one thing to dabble about in the surf, but wading in to the point where the water touched her belly was very, very uncomfortable. She couldn't imagine what it must have felt like for her packmates to have dashed in for the Seafoam Run. With the air as cool as it was, it made her shudder and reconsider her decision to try and train in the water. She didn't even think the Seafoam Run was practical- so why was it she was trying to do this now?

Likely because she wanted to prove herself to her mothers...Though she didn't approve of their chosen methods of deciding who would help lead the pack. 

So she told herself she wasn't going to train for the Seafoam Run not because the water was way too cold, but because she still did not believe it was a fair or safe way to choose a worthy addition to the leadership. She pulled herself from the water and had just paused to shake the water out of her pelt when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye which, at first, looked as though one of the sand dunes had shifted rapidly. She too side-stepped in surprise and peered hawkishly over at the beige wolf who had an air of surprise about her as well- though the reason for her to have been startled was fairly obvious. A crab scuttled away from her, and not wanting to waste the opportunity, Chacal sprinted after it. 

The beige wolf didn't take the opportunity to chase it down, so Chacal did. She zipped past and snatched the crab up in her jaws, maneuvering it in her mouth with her tongue so that the pinchers couldn't reach her cheeks, though they flailed around and strummed her whiskers in an attempt to find something to punish. She turned around and pranced back to the beige wolf, uttering a coy chuff and clicking her teeth against the crab's shell as though to tease her with the meal she'd let go.

The sea drowned out any of Chacal's approach until she was extremely close... and the sand aided it, removing any vibrations she might have felt on firmer ground.  As a result, when the girl whipped past her, Fennec whirled and took a snap at her before instinctively crouching. Her ears flattened and she bared her teeth defensively at the space where she imagined the wolf might be in.  All the while her heart thudded fearfully;  Fennec's flight or fight response was an extremely biased instinct, especially when it came to unfamiliar ground.  Running from anything here would be a death sentence.

The girl's chuff was the first clue she might have been mistaken, but she didn't drop her guard just yet.  Instead she took a step back and let out a small warning growl.  It had been a long time since Fennec had been scared that suddenly and that badly by someone.  She wasn't sure she trusted that the wolf came in peace just yet, especially when (from Fennec's vantage) they'd just rushed her like that.

Chacal bounced backwards a few paces when the sandy-beige female growled, and went into a defensive stance. She clenched her jaws against the crab's shell, and felt it give a bit between her teeth but she didn't bite down hard enough to crack it. The crab, needless to say, wasn't pleased and began waving its pinchers around wildly in a last-ditch attempt to grab something so that it could be released. She flicked her ears forward, hoping that in giving the female space, she might be forgiven, but it was only then that she noticed the wolf's eyes. Chacal's mother was blind in one eye- but it appeared as though this female was blind in both. 

She dropped the crab, and before it could scuttle away she dropped a paw on it, pushing it down and into the sand so she could hold it still. "I'sorry," She blurted, her voice a chirrup of three delicate notes, ascending. "I surprised you? I thought you did not want de crab." Her birdsong was simple and flutey, playful in its contour.

Her fear melted away some and was replaced by surprise when, instead of speaking, the other wolf sang.  Her voice was nice but the shock of it almost made her miss the words. She sounded young.  I thought you were... nevermind.  Fennec said, thinking twice on outright admitting she'd been frightened.

There was a noise.  Not sure what a crab is, but it sounded strange.  Her ears pricked forward and she took a hesitant step, but the noise was gone now. Something was moving in the sand near her feet but it wasn't making the same patterned ticks.

You were hunting?  She suddenly guessed, putting two and two together.  Suddenly it made sense that she'd rushed by like that, attempting to catch whatever it was Fennec had scared up.  Good thing she didn't seem to mind the snap she'd almost gotten.

She felt the crab try to pull its way out from under her paw, but she simply stepped down harder on it, pushing it into the sand. She tilted her head to the side comically when Fennec confessed that she'd surprised her, and that she'd perhaps thought that Chacal was someone else. With dread, she realized, that perhaps Fennec had thought that Chacal had been running toward her with the intention to cause harm, so she swiftly shook her head. "Oh, no no, I apologize, I did not mean to scare," She said, hoping she might be forgiven. She hadn't realized, before, that the wolf she spoke with now was blind. She'd simply seen the opportunity to snatch up a meal that the female didn't seem to want. 

When she mentioned the sound, Chacal smiled. She still had the creature pinned, and it made angry little spit bubbles, still trying to get out from under her paw while being pushed into the sand. Fennec stepped forward, and Chacal wondered, with those soft, beige ears of hers, if she could hear the movements of the crab in the sand. It was very, very quiet- too quiet for Chacal to have noticed. 

"I hunt de crab," She said. "I will show you," She chimed, and reached down. She still had the crab pinned, but if she wanted to show it to Fennec, she wouldn't want to risk having it pinch her. So she grabbed first one, waving arm and then the other, pulling both of the dangerous claws off of the creature with a crackling sound. She picked up one of them and tossed it toward Fennec. "Is de claw. Dey have two, big ones- an' dey pinch very, very hard. I pulled dem off so it will not pinch you. I have de crab under my foot; come feel, if you want."

Fennec was still wary and annoyed (mostly out of embarassment) as Chacal explained further, but as her guard dropped into neutral ground, she took a moment to appreciate the stranger's voice.  It had a strange quality to it (and not just because it was song).  The tone was pretty, sure, but the lazy drop of certain sounds and the rounding of others gave even more to the image.  Her accent almost had a personality of its own.

She was thoroughly distracted now but practiced enough at listening to catch the gist of the offer.  She smirked and her look turned a bit skeptical.  You're telling me this thing has claws and you want me to trust you to feel them?  How do I know you aren't just using me to keep them busy?  There wasn't a hint of a lie to the girl's tone and Fennec knew she was full of shit in even accusing her, but hey.  She wanted to see if this girl could play ball.

Chacal wasn't used to having anyone else with-hold trust from her, so she was surprised that the honey-furred female immediately chose to doubt her- but something about this being the first time Fennec learned about crabs was actually quite charming. She laughed softly, like the sound of water trickling over the keys of a marimba, warm but high. She tried to imagine what it was like, being told about a crab without ever having seen one. She closed her eyes, and imagined a description of the creature. It made the corners of her lips pull up. 

"You do not believe me, I will let her go and krab va la mangé" She said with a somewhat witchy laugh, having allowed the melody of her speaking voice to flow into the melody of a folk song Erzulie had taught her. She wasn't sure if Fennec would understand her, or know the reference- and she was at heart a kind soul so she decided not to tease the sandy wolf too much. "No cher, it will not hurt you. I pulled de claw off and tossed it for you. Just ahead of your right foot, see. Go ahead, feel. De claw, is like a jaw. Unless you are too scared of little crab," She said, flicking her tongue over her teeth.

She did give a bit back, though she amended it way faster than Fennec would have. Less fun that way, but this girl definitely seemed to have more patience than most. Fennec would have called it frustrating if she had to be around more often. It reminded her of Fig but with less of the nervous edge.

I have no clue what you are on about, but there's not much I'm afraid of. Good luck finding anything, sis, she thought with a snort. She reached forward and poked at it with her paw, feeling the claw's shape. It was pretty cool and reminded her, texture-wise, of the thing she'd found further back.

You eat these? she asked, a little dubious. Didn't feel much like anything she'd sink her teeth into. Weird. She approved.

I'll trade you for it, she offered, smiling mysteriously as she took a step forward, all of her remaining wariness melting away as she took on the guise of the Wraith. A witch who never failed to catch the scent of a deal and deliver on it.

Chacal's tail waved amicably and she smiled, though she had to roll her eyes when the pale beach beauty tried to convince her that there wasn't much to be frightened of. She had likely not been pinched by a crab then, she thought. Not that crabs were to be feared- but their claws were definitely to be treated with at least minor caution. She investigated the claw with her foot and Chacal watched her to see what her reaction might be. She sniffed lightly; this woman was likely from somewhere inland, if she did not know the taste of crabmeat, and how delicious it was. 

Still- she seemed interested enough not only to take it and try it, but polite enough to offer something as a trade. While Chacal was normally the sort to give freely without expecting reward or payment in return, she was interested in the potential of having something given to her in return. "A trade?" She mirrored. There was something cunning that came across the woman's features when she spoke; a change in tone, a shift in her confidence. Chacal read this, and was intrigued. "What have you to trade with me? You have nothing, that I can see," She sang, though she sounded perfectly willing to be proven wrong.

She would think that. With her voice, and the way she'd cackled, Fennec had almost expected her to be a step ahead. She was gratified, then, to be able to "reveal" something this girl didn't know.

I have many things to offer. Remedies, curses, blessings, and fortunes. Fennec replied a bit airily. And poisons, usually, though I don't have my stocks here.

She tossed that one in to determine a response, listening carefully for a reaction to each option. She might not receive any, but any that she did would provide information on the true type of wolf Chacal was. And that was always helpful, especially if the girl chose a fortune.

Something about the sandy female was slightly suspicious- but she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt for now. She didn't look particularly harmful or aggressive for the most part, but when she spoke of things like curses and blessings, Chacal wasn't sure what to think. She exhaled sharply, but then chuckled softly on the tail of her breath. She was impressed to hear that the blind mystic knew of poisons, though she would put more stock in that when she saw the woman in action. It seemed now wasn't the time to ask of her poisons- not that Chacal took an interest in such a thing anyway- but she'd been given other options to choose from. 

Why a wolf would come up with curses she did not understand. There were no wolves upon the earth Chacal could think of to curse. She also wasn't sure she believed that curses could be cast, and the same for blessings as well- though at least the latter wouldn't merit any harm unless there was punishment at all for even entertaining the supernatural. She assumed that, like with poisons, the female didn't have anything with her for a remedy, and Chacal was not in need of such a thing anyway. So the only options that entertained her at all were the outlandish idea of receiving a blessing- or the potential of having her fortune told. 

"I will take a blessing," She said simply, and sat down. The crab beneath her paw wriggled slightly, but she simply put a bit more weight on it. With its shell and being held against the sand, it wasn't crushed, but simply held still. "How does dis work?" She mused curiously.

Fennec smiled as she chose blessing. That wasn't something she was often asked for, so she hadn't completely perfected the way that it worked. She had a few ideas though, and decided on one immediately.

Okay. All you have to do is think about where you want it to focus. As she spoke, Fennec began to deftly and confidently mark a pattern into the sand. There was no real reasoning or shape behind it, but the trick for her was to give purpose to the movement. She just did what felt right, then placed a paw firmly around where she figured the center of her marks to be. The rest I ask for.

She waited for either a signal that Chacal was doing that she asked or for a moment of silence to lapse, internally focusing on the girl's movements. She was interested to see how much she bought into the ritual of it. It was a little fun, after all.

Chacal wasn't entirely sure what to ask for. But for the price of a crab claw, she didn't have high expectations, and didn't really mind if it came about that the blonde seer's powers were completely fake. So she simply smiled a bit, and nodded. Cheekily, she wondered if she thought of nothing at all, if Femnec would know- but on the off chance that there was some substance to her blessings...She wouldn't want to waste it. 

So she simply thought of her mothers. She wanted, for them, to live long, healthy and happy lives. Many of their older children, as well as a few of their younger ones, had left, either permanently or while travelling. It was hard on them. So she thought of her mothers, hoping that Fennec might be able to summon some sort of fortune to bless her mothers with. Once she pictured them, she nodded and uttered an affirming hum.

Despite her own cynicism, it was really nice how easily this girl seemed to buy in. Or, if not buy in, at least play along.

She waited, wondering if the girl would remember to give her a cue. Sometimes she could tell in the way their breathing shifted, or their body, but sometimes she had to ask. Chacal was politer even than most.

Alright, here goes. Fennec pressed her paw into the sand, then breathed out slow, trying to focus on the feel. Then she just... asked. She didn't have a ton to offer in return, but she figured that even the fact that a stranger was sending out those hopeful questions was more than most wolves got. Whatever she's askin, it'd be nice if you could do me a solid and give it. I've got a reputation to keep.. She couldn't help the small smile that flitted across her features, coupled with the cold wash of saltwater around her ankles as the waves lapped back up.

She seems nice enough. She probably deserves it. I'll owe you one.. I mean, what could a bodiless thing want? Oh shit. Actually, if you ever want a body to use... fuckin use mine, hell yes. That'd be awesome. Now that'd make a cool story.

She stepped back with a satisfied expression, then cocked her head. It's done. Hope you asked for something good.

While this wasn't something Chacal had ever seen or experienced before, she had begun to expect perhaps something a bit...More, than what she saw Fennec do when she offered to give her a blessing. Sing something, do a bit of footwork, chant, or even just say outright that she was asking some higher power to grant Chacal the blessings she wanted for her mothers. She studied the female as she fell into contemplative silence, watching for any chances in her expression that might indicate that she was thinking, or about to speak. A faint smile was the only way her features stirred- and Chacal tipped her head back, thinking perhaps she looked a bit smug. 

Had she traded something more than a crab's claw, she might have demanded more. All she could see was that Fennec had gone into some form of concentration, and had smiled. Chacal's expressions clearly showed her skepticism, though she knew Fennec wouldn't be able to see or hear the slant of her ears, the furrow of her brow and the pointed look she was being given. 

Still- the conviction Fennec had as she announced that she was finished gave her some belief that perhaps she'd touched base with some other form that might be able to grant her wishes. Obviously Fennec didn't know what Chacal had wanted, which made her a bit more suspicious. Perhaps whatever she'd requested, had been vague enough that she didn't need to know what it was she'd been thinking of. She hummed softly in response. "Yes, it was good," She said, though there was a slightly hollow tone to her voice which might've conveyed the fact that she wasn't exactly wowed by Fennec's performance. Still- for the price of a crab's claw? Even if Fennec had done nothing at all, it wasn't a huge waste. She feared for others, though, who might get conned out of more. Their problem, she thought- not hers. 

She finally released the crab she'd had pinned down, and allowed it to scuttle back into the water, her appetite creeping away along with it. She had an unsettling feeling in her gut, as though perhaps she had meddled with something she shouldn't have been experimenting with. "I t'ank you, den," She said, deciding to at least be somewhat grateful for whatever it was that might result from the blessing she'd asked for. "D'ye have a name?" She intoned on a gentle melody, curious to know what she might call this woman in her memories.

She didn't sound impressed. What was she expecting, Fennec wondered? It was hard for a blind wolf to imagine putting on a "show", but maybe she could think of some kind of prayer or something that sounded rad. It'd have to be dark. For some reason, Fennec imagined whatever forces she dealt with were totally the 'sacrifice and shadows and blood' kind of spirits and probably not the nicer variety. Otherwise just about anyone could ask for anything and have it granted.

For this time, she ignored Chacal's skepticism and swept her paw abruptly sideways, scattering the sand and the marks she'd drawn in it into the sea. Despite not necessarily believing in her own craft, there were certain superstitions she couldn't not follow; not leaving her circles around was one of them.

I do, she answered, then let it hang on that just long enough to be irritating. Then, with a small smirk, Fennec.

They'd chat for a while longer, Fennec learning a bit about the sea, but after a time she needed to get back. The crab was delicious; apparently the coast hid some treasures. She'd have to remember that.

going ahead and wrapping this!! <3 LOVED IT ty for the fun thread!!