Dragoncrest Cliffs Bitterling

The place where Quennell had crashed into Suzu had been widely avoided by the young seafarer. He had kept it far from his eye, tending to matters where he did not have to face what might have happened. The blame of that incident sat heavily in his stomach. All the sleeping in the world couldn’t shake it from his mind.

Things had just started to feel good. Swordfish had felt close to his packmates. His mom was happy again because Njord had returned. He had even set his sights on a tradesman’s path. The young wolf had done well to study the hunting tactics of his peers and his father, taking all of their strengths and hoarding them for himself.

@Quennell had given him the gift of bait. Swordfish scanned the border of their pack, curious to see if this tactic could be used on prey that wasn’t found by the sea, but made their homes further inland.

quen was not mad at swordfish.

yet some part of him did not like the way the other boy had not stuck around. nor did he like how he had not seen much of the other boy at all after that. as if he had vanished entirely from sapphique.

so perhaps that was why he snorted now, much like a bull elk, at seeing the boy out and about. smoky tendrils of his breath in the cold coming-winter air.

for a long moment he watched from his distant place.

not speaking, not moving, but most certainly not hiding himself.

The snort drew one ear to the side.

Swordfish felt his jaw tighten. It was not a sound that he found pleasing. When his hooded gaze turned to fix on the red-nape of Quennell, he felt his stomach sink. They had not spoken since the incident. The young redtail had not even talked with Suzu. He had imagined she would hate him. Whatever he had done to the bird had been horrible. The image of her crying over the dead gull emerged in his mind.

Hey, Quen…

Only the red tip of his tail waved. It fell to a silent position between his legs after two attempts. The other boy did not look so cheery, now.

"hey, quen..."

something about it struck hard. that empty voice, much like the one the boy had left with last time they had seen one another.

his tail curled slightly. more instinct based than he had realized or intended. his body language may have been tense, but as he moved to speak, his voice was softer. tinged with concern as his brows pinched.

where'd'cha go?

the other boy had become invisble.

No cushion to it, Quennell asked where Swordfish had gone.

The young wolf stood with his head hung low, shoulders jutting at his back. He shifted his eyes away from the other boy. The softness of his voice was painful. Why had he been such a coward, anyway? Why hadn’t he just stood around to figure out what had happened? Suzu’s crying face resurfaced to remind him exactly why.

Dunno, he croaked softly. Away, to the dark.

When his deep-sea gaze returned to Quennell, he swallowed heavily.

D’ya think she’ll hate me?

away.

the dark.

it hurt to hear and still he found no direct anger. only hurt, pain. a shallow wound with saltwater fresh in it.

maybe when she done hatin' me. a shrug of his shoulders. it hardly mattered, didn't it? damage had been done and quen knew that there were things and wolves in the world he could distract himself with to feel better.

he had done more growing this last week than he felt he had ever done.

abruptly he turned his back to the other boy, but his head turned to look over his shoulder. silently he motioned for the other boy to come along, a warmth in his eyes that betrayed his body.

Quennell’s words were a stabbing barb of the reminder of guilt. Swordfish believed that their fight would have never happened if they had hunted something else, gone somewhere different, if he had failed to catch the damned bird. The young redtail felt that he was to blame, but he also had no reasonable way to work through such an emotion – so he smothered it.

The invitation was not ignored. Quen was being nice, showing kindness in the face of some terrible thing that had happened between the three of them. Swordfish wouldn’t deny him. In fact, he appreciated that the red-naped boy was willing to push forward and move on. He didn’t want to stew on it. The young wolf wanted it to disappear.

I was thinkin’ ‘bout using that bait idea of yers. Maybe on somethin’ bigger like a deer er goat.

Wouldn’t that be a rare treat for their pack? And it would give them something else to talk about besides the events that had taken place with the gulls.

as long as swordfish would follow, quen would keep leading. up and up the trail. aimed to run alongside the tangle.

he had discovered the coast so much. meanwhile he had yet to see the land that was inland, away from the sea.

dunno whatcha bait dem wit'. his features crinkled briefly. thoughtful, pensive. you be likin' de sea, yeah?

That was the problem that Swordfish had realized, as well. He didn’t know what the goats or deer liked to eat, or if they were compelled by one thing over another. He had seen them eat grass. That very well could have been natural bait, given to him by the land. Made things easy, he thought. It just didn’t seem very crafty.

Quennell asked him if he liked the sea. The redtail lifted his head slightly, curious why he might ask that. While Swordfish might have been curious about what existed inland, he belonged to the surf and the beaches of the coast.

Aye, ‘course I do. I only wanna hunt the land, try somethin’ I never had before.

The sea farer tilted his head curiously.

Yer the same? Or did Quennell seek the excitement of the unknown?

the question was rightfully returned to him, but he laughed. only it was a little bit dry. a soft tcht followed it as well.

o' course i do. their answers identical. only quen found himself with more to say, not on the topic of hunting, but not directly different either. but it be de job o' a pirate to be explorin'. he nodded his head along to his own words.

then looked back to the other boy again.

whatcha be wantin' to do, swordfish?

hunting was perhaps the clearest answer.

The other boy’s tone had returned to its former boisterousness. It had eased Swordfish into a sense of calm, comfortable to walk alongside the other figure and share in his words. Quennell was sharp with his opinions. It was something that the young seafarer liked about him. There was no real guessing with the red-naped boy. He was fearless in speaking his mind and taking action.

When asked what he wanted to do, Swordfish blinked slowly. There was only real motivator for him and that was food. He liked learning about prey. He liked outsmarting them and finding ways to catch them with easier tactics than running and hoping for the best.

Like food, so I figure’d make a decent hunter, he started with a small shrug. Like the stars, too. Dunno much ‘bout ‘em though. They captivated him with their light, was all it had been. Though Swordfish had grown fond of the dark and the night, it would not be complete without the light of stars.

you be a good hunter.

despite the disaster, the boy had hunted gulls like a pro. no doubting it. now he wanted to hunt deer and goats. big things. scarier things, really.

i betcha could find somebody who be teachin' 'bout stars, too. it sounded very much like swordfish had a good future ahead of him. one that seemed steady and cozy. befitting sapphique.

but the thoughtful silence that now settled over quennell perhaps hinted that, just this once, he did not say all.

Swordfish didn’t know how to accept a compliment, so he hummed a soft sound and dipped his head. It was nice that Quennell believed he could do what he’d set his mind to. There had been moments he’d considered something else, something easier on him. Hunting came with great rewards and benefits to his skills. If he was a good hunter, he became valuable. The stars did not necessarily prove to be valuable, not yet.

Whatcha gonna do with yerself, Quen? Ya got dreams, huh? He seemed the type to have his sights set high. All this talk about piracy was foreign to Swordfish. He’d listen to more of it, but didn’t know how to ask.

he laughed once more, this time a bit warmer and livelier.

i do! his tail curled at the end a bit, swaying lowly. their path became a bit rockier, dustier. the makings of the taiga at the edge of sapphique. i dunno what i be doin', besides bein' a pirate. maybe i get a crew, eh?

a bit of a teasing tone, as he turned his gaze inward towards his homeland.

Piracy was his life, and he seemed content to stand by it.

As their path shifted slightly, Swordfish felt his head sink lower so that he could trudge along their path. Quennell talked about getting his own crew. The young seafarer did not think it would be difficult for the boy. He had a lively spirit and a courageous tendency to tackle most everything head-on. The only thing they might consider before joining his band of pirates was his age.

Ah, that’d be easy fer ya. M’sure there’s plenty wolves who’d follow, Swordfish offered drably. The words were genuine and intended with some ounce of heart.

admittedly, quennell himself struggled to believe that! so it felt good to hear the other boy say it. even if maybe it was just the kind of nice thing somebody said to one another.

i wanna see de inlan' next, but i always be comin' back to de coast. can't be a pirate in de mountains, eh?

slowly, his pace came to halt.

Could go wit me, he offered.

There wasn’t a chance that Swordfish would give up living on the coast. He liked the sea and he liked to fish. He liked the clever traps he’d helped build with Suzu. There was something about the seaside life that he couldn’t let go of. It didn’t mean he didn’t share some curiosity about the rest of the world. Even his mother had traveled a long distance before finally reaching the sea. Swordfish wanted a taste of that, just something small.

If yer alright wit it. Don’t lemme hold ya back.

The young wolf snickered, glancing toward Quennell.

now color him surprised!

quennell perked up all at once. ears tall and eyes alert. you be wantin' to hunt away from de sea? even beyon' our meadows? we can do it. he offered back warmly, tail a banner of his clear delight with this situation.

when?

it was really the only detail that mattered to the pirate boy.

Aye, s’long as we come back to it.

All that mattered was that he found his way back home. Swordfish had been impacted heavily by his mom’s reaction to Njord leaving. He did not want to cause that kind of strife with her. The young wolf cared about his mother and his brother a great deal. Without them, he might have slipped away months prior. Now he had grown, and he had some independence to work with.

Quennell did not ask where they would go but when. The redtail retained the thin smirk on his lips. His eyes glimmered with good humor. Swordfish would leave that very moment, if his companion wanted it.

Now. Tomorrow. I wanna see a bit of it all, so I figure there’ll be a lotta chance fer venturin’. When d’ya wanna go?

quen was not often the responsible one. yet he felt a due diligence to be so here. especially with the last few days. a million things happening all at once.

such was the life of a growing boy.

i t'ink we bot' got wolves we gotta talk to first, eh? he teased warmly, seeking to close the little distance between them with a warm bump of shoulders. we go speakin' and den head out.

Swordfish had not thought to tell anyone of their plan. He hadn’t considered it. It was irresponsible that he might wander off into the unknown wilds without informing anyone in his family. They could have been gone for days, which would have caused worry. The redtail thought it was smart to discuss it with their loved ones before setting off on their first trip.

Aye, he met the boy’s shoulder with his own. Then tell me, after we’ve talked to… who we gotta, which way ya wanna go first? They had a great deal of ground that was largely uncovered by the long-legged hunter. He believed they could point themselves anywhere and find something fascinating and new.

oi! you be decidin' dat as de hunter! he beamed now, bright and brilliant. all too happy to make swordfish momentary captain on this trip. we be findin' all de t'ings you wanna hunt.

something bright on the horizon for them.

you be wantin' to bring anyone else?

The answer appealed to him. He’d never taken charge in that way, before. Swordfish was the type to go along with the flow of things. He’d follow most anyone who wanted to go somewhere, so long as they gave him a treat for tagging at their side. There was little that he wouldn’t do for the wolves that he cared about, regardless of how much work it required.

When Quen asked if there was anyone else that Swordfish might want to bring, the young wolf frowned and thought hard on their options. There were two clear answers that sprung to his mind. The only thing was that he wasn’t sure about either of them being willing.

Could bring Suzu er my brother, Ray. Dunno if either’d wanna go, is the thing.

Maybe Quennell would have a better idea if they could convince Suzu to scout for prey with them.

he was unsure if he wanted to convince anybody to come with. why should they? exploring was meant to be exciting and freeing. not a burden, not a chore. he did not want unwilling bodies.

it be just us den, maybe, eh?

his smile was warm even if it felt like there might be room for upsetting feelings again. quennell did not wish to exclude anybody, but nor did he want to waste time between now and take off.

where you be findin' goat?

and now his trail would cut towards the meadow. back to the heart of sapphique.

Just us. 

It wasn’t an issue, provided they returned home after they had enjoyed their wandering. It might have been for the best that they didn’t wrangle Suzu or Stingray into joining them. They were loved and needed in Sapphique. Both of their presences would be sorely missed. Swordfish did not feel the same about himself. Quennell would be missed, too. This must have been his reason for insisting they inform the necessary parties. 

We go south, first. Far as we can. 

As for the goats… 

Ah, I seen them on the cliffs couple times. Think they come from the mountain, he answered, looking to the mountain he referenced.