Oystercatcher Tide Pools Nakji

set for the early morning, AW!

several seemingly butterflied mussel shells lay on the outer edges of the tide pools, the meat within stripped and the shells licked clean of their salty fresh brine. iseul has been busy combing through this smaller tide pool of the group, finding little treasure troves within the curves. she had been here since before dawn, plundering about and picking up the fish that looked most edible.

it filled her belly, certainly. but there was a prize to behold within the pools that the girl had set her mind to find. octopi are incredibly intelligent and are easy to miss due to their intensive camouflaging skills. but iseul had been successful a few times while on her hunts, who's to say this time may be any different?

when she found the small pool to be empty of the animal she desired, she would come towards the bigger pool and watch her step as she came to its edge. she noticed a few fish trapped, as well as urchins and even more mussels for her to dine on. but the snacks did not sway her away from her main prize.

she would find herself an octopus today, or get inked trying!

Heph had been tramping up and down the coast in between settling into the plate that would be a kind of base for her explorations. She forwent wandering too far as she wished to help make the place ready for Samani to come before she set out on any longer journey. But she was enjoying getting a feel for the coast and the ocean tides which had surprised her at first. When she first came upon the look of a wolf in the distance she hesitated at first, but quickly decided to approach. "Looking for something special there?" The other canine's behavior was odd, she seemed too forgo the easy prey and searched the tidepools for something in particular. Heph was curious what kind of treasures might be found on the coastline, and let her gaze scan some of the tidepools, noting the movement of the fish within.

someone approaches as the coastal breeze blows their scent toward iseul. and she lifts her head to see another woman coming before her. a bit smaller than the Kujo-speaking girl, and in a scale of black and white with a seemingly friendly approach. and her question causes iseul's tail to wag a bit behind her.

"yes," she says with a swift and firm nod of the head, "낙지." iseul couldn't really come up with the English translation for the word, so it took her a few visible seconds to try and come up with a way to describe the animal. "lots of, ahh- legs." she says this while she lifts up one of her front paws and waves it around, hoping the other gets her message.

she looks around more in this pool, looking closely at the rocks for any hint of camouflage or the red or even tannish-yellow skin the strange alien creature held when traveling. so far, nothing, so she decides that perhaps a conversation with this stranger may help the time go by. fishing after all was a waiting game.

"what you looking for?" she asks in a stilted tone, head tilted a bit as she comes to look towards heph again.

Heph grinned, giving into the temptation to tease a little bit if only because she did not have an answer. She was not looking for one thing any more than she was looking for any other thing, she simply liked exploring and wanted to get a better sense fo the coastline west of where Moontide would settle. Her voice was teasing and quick rippling over her words. "Well having found a beauty like you I could hardly keep searching for anything else." But her tone evened out as she answered more honestly, settling over her speech. This stranger spoke a language that was familiar to her, but in a stilted hesitant way, a word or perhaps a language she was not familiar with seemed to come to the tongue more quickly. She wondered if this other wolf also hailed from somewhere beyond the wilds. "But I didn't set out looking for anything in particular I'm a wanderer. My name is Heph." She thought of the description. A lot of legs. While she had not lived very long near the ocean she had tried to familiarize herself with some of the prey that could be found. "Are you looking for a crab, walking side to side?" She added on the end, in case the word was not familiar she thought the description might be. Crab contained a lot of hard pieces when crushed and somehow she doubted that it would be what this wolf searched for, but far be it from her to question other's appetites.

the compliment brings a flustered look to iseul as her ears airplane and she bashfully looks away from heph. the wolves from these lands seemingly had no problem flinging such compliments to others! but like water off a duck's back, iseul presses forward in her search.

heph's name was a bit strange on her tongue, but she had no problem mentally giving it a try or so. "i am iseul," she returned politely to the other woman, "from two rivers isle, back ahh– that way." with a point of her muzzle towards the inland of the wilds, she thinks of makan for a moment.

the mention of a crab excites iseul, though not for the reason heph might be assuming. it was certainly not the creature she was after in the tide pool this morning. however, it was a seemingly new word that iseul could add to her internal dictionary. finally, she had more teachers besides the poor wolves she constantly had to bother at the isle. 

"not crab," she says with a shake of her head, "it uh–, looks soft. and bigger." well, a better word may have been squishy, but iseul thought herself as clever for using a newer word. besides, crabs were indeed not soft with those large shells on their backs.

and there, in the corner of her eye, she finally sees what she's been after. so the woman falls silent and begins her slink around towards the googly-eyed creature, wondering if her pounce may even be successful.

Heph listened intently, she had not meandered south, instead following the coast, so had not come across the markets for the pack that Iseul spoke about. But she was interested in hearing about them. They would be a close journey to Moontide, maybe a slightly shorter distance than from Moonglow itself. If all the wolves were as friendly as Iseul then she could see them being good trading partners and neighbors to like Rodyn had mentioned. "Huh, I didn't know of a pack that way." Her voice turned light and teasing, almost joking as she let the idea and information out tentatively. "A new one called Moontide is forming East of here maybe you'll have some trading partners soon." She was curious as to how the wolf would react to the potential of a new pack nearby, and the idea of trade. Some packs certainly preferred to keep to themselves or were just flat out unfriendly, but Heph wanted to test the waters.

Before long though she saw Iseul begin to shuffle toward a tidepool where she had evidentially seen a shadow of movement. Heph was not sure of whatever caught her eye, but she carefully moved her own pawsteps silently and softly away to give the other wolf more room to work and to ensure she did not spook whatever was within those waters. Since she did not know what the wolf was looking for she doubted that she would be much help but she still stayed poised wondering if whatever it was was likely to try to scurry back to the shore.

"not many wolves in area," she comes to say to heph, "just us." she hadn't seen too many passing faces in the hinderlands, but perhaps maybe that was a good thing. in the end, the group was sheltered from the dangers on their little island, and perhaps that was what Ulrich and ady wanted all along.

moontide, huh? maybe she'd travel up the coast to meet them when they were fully formed? or maybe after the puppies were born from adylaide.

iseul was thankful for how thoughtful heph was, extra movement may have caused the animal to become afraid and swim into some deep crevice that she could not reach. and thus far, it hasn't seemed to notice her. the common octopus became stuck when the tide receded with the morning, and now iseul can see that it was perhaps the size of an American football with a slight red and yellow color to it. the moment that the mollusk dared to reach a few tentacles out for a few wandering fish, iseul leaped into the tide pool with a terrifying growl!

the sand beneath her pillowed and the water scattered as iseul thrashed about as the octopus become frightened and attempted to flee with a cloud of ink. iseul managed to grab ahold of a few of its limbs and pull up towards the sky, spraying the inky water all over her face and chest and nearby creatures. it was like a scene out of the alien vs predator with a facehugger!

and all through the moments of what felt to be forever, iseul got ahold of the soft spot and finally slain the sea creature! so now she comes to look towards heph, covered in ink and with the octopus wrapped tightly around her muzzle with a tail that wagged a mile a minute. what did she make of this whole ordeal?

Perhaps the pack was isolated by a chance claim or perhaps by design, she supposed if she ever did visit as a trader she would have to be cautious in case they preferred the separation from other wolves. Other wolves could often be trouble, but that was something Heph was at least occasionally drawn to.

Iseul moved quickly once she spotted her prey and Heph tracked the leap forward intently, but quickly regretted her decision to watch carefully as first water sprayed up and then a black liquid shooting out that spattered her face and left a distinctly unpleasant scent in her nose and taste on her mouth. Thrashing her own head from side to side she had closed her eyes in time to avoid being sprayed there thankfully and was able to see the creature wrapped around Iseul's muzzle. That was what all the fuss had been about?

The other wolf looked worse off than Heph and she looked at the appendages wrapped around. She was not sure if they qualified as legs, more like tails - they appeared soft and squishy without any structure to them - in fact just like Iseul had described the entire thing looks kind of gelataneous. "Wow." She looked at Iseul, ink-spattered, considered herself, and looked at the creature wrapped partially around the hunter, and Iseul's own wagging tail and let out a soft burst of chortles. "That looked fun." Stepping back and trying to shake her head to see if any of the liquid came out she asked "Do they always do that? What is this stuff?" Her tail wagged excitedly as she considered this new prey. It did not look like it had harmed the other wolf, the spray and camouflage being its main defense perhaps if it was full then it might make a fun centerpiece in a hunting game.

now came the even harder part of removing them. despite being killed, the tentacles still wiggled around from all the neurons in the limbs. and while she looked like a scene out of a horror movie, iseul was still pleased with her hunt. when heph comes to ask her questions, iseul finally does remove the last of the appendages from her face with her paw and keeps the sea creature tucked under her left paw.

"black water," she comes to say, "bitter. 낙지 always do it." there were many conversations that the ink was edible and actually incredible when placed with the right dishes. and while iseul certainly didn't mind the taste of the liquid, she knew that for others, it was almost too frightening to eat.

"Heph try!" she comes to offer, tearing off one of the many tentacles from the octopus and tossing it over. considering that the tentacles would continue to move and squirm around after death, she hoped Hpeh didn't have a weak stomach and would be willing to try.

Heph noted that whatever it was did not appear to directly harm Iseul so she surmised that it was meant more to scare potential predators than to actually cause harm like a snake bite. She was a bit surprised when the other wolf tore off some of her catch to send her way but she was excited to try the new prey and was not the type of wolf to deny a gift solely out of politeness so instead she barked out a happy "thank you!" And used her muzzle to grab the tentacle.

Even though it had looked soft it was still somehow squishier than she imagined, and her teeth did not tear into it with the ease that she had expected of such a delicate exterior. But as she gulped down the meat she could feel whatever had allowed it to wrap around Iseul's muscle make vague motions down her throat - like an insect that would keep twitching after death if the rest of the carcass was adjusted. It was an odd sensation down her gullet, but the meat itself was tasty.

Grinning as soon as the last pieces were down her throat she grinned. "That was good, sea life always surprises me since it is so different from what I grew up on." There was a light and teasing tone to her voice, at humor directed towards herself. While the plateau held familiar wildlife in it the shoreline revealed more than she had never seen before and she was slowly discovering that some of it made quite the quarry.

she doesn't seem to mind the texture nor the taste! for Iseul, this was joyous news. not only was she making a friend, but she was also feeding one at the same time; it was like getting two birds with one stone in her book!

iseul would come to eat her share and offer more to Heph to see if she was still hungry. and as she listens to her counterpart speak of her home, this causes her ears to prick up with interest. "where is heph from?" she comes to ask her, head tilting in the slightest.

Heph wagged her tail, gladly accepting another bite which would be enough for her to quicken her pace when she returned to Moontide. While for many wolves and packs prey was a source of tension she enjoyed the ability to share food with a new friend. Noting the other wolf's interest she felt a moment of trepidation, after all she was from a place very much like the wilds except with fewer mountains and no coastlines, hardly exciting. But she answered honestly, tone bright "A few months journey east of here, there's some lakes and rivers but no ocean or mountains." She added the last bit even though they were hardly right next to any mountains either. "Are you from around here or also from outside the wilds?" Heph had not explored everywhere, but she did not easily recognize the cant to this wolf's voice and wondered where she had gotten in.

"outside," she'd come to say with another abrupt shake of her coat and a wipe of her eyes against her forearm, "iseul not remember how get from home to here."

there were many holes in her memory. she was in Korea one moment, then in the wilds the next. perhaps it was divine intervention, or maybe just the greed of another higher species. either way, the girl cannot truly remember much of how she had come to this land, other than the fact that her sister has yet to be found after encountering the devil bear.

"but home had mountains and ocean. similar." the air was certainly different, the scents and the birds she would hear in the morning and night too. her first night in the area was certainly terrifying. iseul is glad she is not as terrified anymore to live in the wilds with the familiar faces she is learning to recognize. "does uh– heph like ocean now in moontide?" hopefully the other was growing more accustomed to what life teemed within the saltwater waves.

The idea of not knowing how one got from one place to another was strange to Heph and it sounded more complicated than simply getting lost along the way. But she supposed if there was no explanation to be had there was little that could be done. A hum of acknowledgment thrummed in her throat as she acknowledged the curiosity of the situation. The question as to how she was adjusting was easier for her to answer "I do, I like how open it is. Sometimes I look out at it and think it could go on forever." She liked the idea, that no matter how far someone roamed there would always be more world out there. It was, perhaps comforting was not the right word but exhilarating.

"Do you miss home?" Even though Heph loved Moontide and wished to go and explore the rest of the wilds she did not miss where she had come from. Perhaps it was because she had chosen to leave, knew how she could go back if she wanted to. But she felt knew how to miss family, friends.

it was easy to imagine that the ocean seemingly never ended. iseul certainly thought that the world was so, remembering the cold saltwater that lapped against the beaches of home.

there is a silent pluck at her heartstrings where a sad song could resonate within. but she must not show such a thing, despite the even sadder question that she is asked.

"yes, very much." it almost felt like a secret to admit such a thing. there was so much to be thankful for here, and yet the girl still yearned for her family and the land she knew the most. but she releases an exhale, and perhaps some of that love she still stores flies toward home.

"what is moontide like? heph like, yes?" well there had to be some reason the woman stayed, right? it would be nice to know the names and perhaps even the faces of those who were not too far up the coast from the isle.

Heph nodded, not fully feeling the same but understanding part. "I hope you get to see it again." Perhaps one day in her travels she would come upon this land, but she may not even recognize it. She hoped she would, but having no plans to leave the wilds she wondered if it would even be possible.

But she turned brighter when talking about her new home - the place she hoped they would be able to settle. "I do! It is warm and friendly, mostly because our leaders Samani and Rodyn are a pair of lovebirds who make friends wherever they go. I met Rodyn hunting and he's a skilled hunter, if very gentlemanly. Samani's curious and kind but has a good sense of humor and a strong head on her shoulders." She spoke teasingly but with obvious regard, she felt that she was both a good friend of Rodyn and Samani and that perhaps there would be more friends in her future. "A few others that I haven't met with but seem friendly." and she looked forward to meeting, but did not have a solid impression of.

But her voice was warm and full of a confidence that may have been unearned when she spoke. "I think they will build a place full of happiness and kindness, at least that is my hope." She amended slightly towards the end but felt that she had gotten to know them both well enough to know the kind of place they would hope for their children and others.

silently, iseul hoped that she would see her homeland again too.

as she listens to what is spoken of moontide, it stokes the fire of interest the girl has in traveling to the claim. iseul has had great luck with finding wolves who were happy to not only share the space with her but those who could teach one another and form quick relationships. it pleased her to know that this moontide promised others who were just as friendly as heph.

"it sounds like dream," she says to her friend, "i would like to see, when weather is warmer." there were many things that needed to be secured on the isle before iseul could willingly allow herself to travel far from her home. but there was a dangerous sense of curiosity within her.

"would heph tell moontide about iseul, about ah– two rivers isle? always good to have friends here." perhaps the more official term would be allies, but friends were still a complete term that would get the point across. whether it was for trading, support, or anything else of the sort, it would spread the word of the isle so others would not come looking to take up the spot that is already claimed.

Heph grinned excited to hear that her friend might chance to come and visit them. It made sense to her that she would want to wait until the weather was more favorable to hunting and traveling and the strain of losing a hunter would be less felt by the pack. "I will tell them and look forward to you visiting if you have the chance." While she was free most of the time to go travel as she wished as long as she returned soon enough she knew that her own responsibilities were structure that way from beginning of the pack.

At that thought she wondered if maybe she would have a chance to visit Two Rivers Isles sooner than Iseul might be able to visit Moontide. But she was curious if Iseul would think it a good idea, even if she could not say for sure it sounded like Iseul had a good idea of what kind of pack Two Rivers was and might be able to give her some indication of whether or not they would be willing to meet a trader on neutral territory or if they would not like a wolf too close to their borders. "Moontide sometimes trades things from hunts with other packs, do you think Two Rivers Isle might be willing to trade if I brought some furs or meat or things like that near your borders?" Her voice was open and curious, if not then she supposed they could always invite them to meet closer to Moontide, but if she was able to bring furs and meat and maybe antlers or other things she found near their borders that would be good too.

ohmagod plz forgive me for responding so late! i think this is actually a good place to wrap up unless you'd like to go on more. maybe we could get a more present day one whenever you feel <3 

she hears of trading things, and while she doesn't quite understand exactly how it works, heph is kind enough to provide some context clues for iseul. it sounded like if she was going to be bringing things down for this trading, then iseul ought to have supplies ready to give back!

come to think of it, what did the isle have to offer? they hadn't accomplished any large and important hunts together worth noting. perhaps iseul could offer what she knew she excelled in, drying and preserving her meats and other snacks that she managed to scrounge about for.

"yes," she comes to say to her friend with an affirmative nod, "isle will welcome moontide as friends." iseul could only hope that such an assumption would be welcome for the others, but she was walking on a limb here. 

and for a moment, iseul looks back to isle. "need to go back." for the lack of fluffy words, iseul made it for it in sincerity in her tone. she didn't want that octopus to go bad either while it was sitting out. besides her kill, she had found some shells she wanted to take back with her too, thought that may be a struggle to fit in 1 trip. "iseul like heph, come visit. or, ah, maybe iseul come see moontide soon?"

a beginning of a friendship, an ally perhaps. or mainly, just others to keep her company.

Heph grinned, tail wagging slightly behind her at the mention. While she would have to talk to Rodyn about solidifying thing she was sure that they would welcome the trade. Mojag knew much about the sea and was still learning, and Iseul also seemed to know much more about the waters and the creatures within it as well as the kind of meat. But even if not then she would be glad to have more friends afield, it was one of the things that she liked about her freedom to wander. "whichever comes first, I like to roam." Hopefully they would not miss each other in their travels, but she was sure give that they had both settled in packs that they would find a way to cross paths. She had to be getting back as well so she nodded her head and added, happy. "Safe travels and it was good to meet you, thank you for teaching me about 낙지" Her tongue fumbled a bit over the unfamiliar word, but she wanted to commit it to memory and perhaps see if she could hunt it near Moontide as well.

no worries! and yes I'd love to, I'm catching up on threads/posts after a bit of an absence, but will put a more present thread on my list ^__^