Low Tide, High Spirits

Salty waves lapped at umber fur as her limp form rest on the mucky shore of the estuary. Slowly, steadily, she became aware of her own existence: feeling the salt crystals as they burned her nose, sensing the sun's warmth as it spread across her back like a second skin, hearing the cry of the gulls above her. 

She was here.

She was alive. 

Who was she, again?

Hazel eyes flitted open. Her eyes took a few minutes to focus, as if they were re-learning how to see and interpret. From blurry forms a shape emerged: a small crab, painted in olive greens and sky blues. Crab! She knew what a crab was, that was a start. Better yet, she even knew her own name: Haydri! We are doing great, team! 

Her teammate, the crab, remained ambivalent to the situation.

Unfortunately, that seemed to be about it in terms of Haydri knowing things. She had no idea where she was, other than being in a place surrounded by saltwater and marshgrass. No clue how she got here, nor any memories of who she might have been before. Her paws sunk into the mud as she weakly pushed herself up, giving a small shake as she stood. Nothing seemed to hurt, nor were there any injuries. 

Now to find out where she was, and who else might be around. 

“Later, friend!” Haydri called to the crab as she followed the salt-marsh shores inland, “Good luck out there!”
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 It was dark and warm. Like being hugged all around. He couldnt hear or see.... or breathe. But he was calm. The feelings were very familiar, somehow, though at the moment he couldn't remember how. He was just floating for what seemed to be forever. Then, slowly, things came into focus — the silence turned into a roar, and he could feel something pulling him. Which way? He opened his eyes. It took several long moments feeling completely blind before the glow of light in his peripherals caught his attention. Then, the burning tightness in his chest started. But he still didn't panic. All of this was familiar, somehow. Eyes turned toward the light and he felt his body again, his legs kicking against the space around him. Steadily up and up until the light was all around him. His muscles burned and his chest continued to tighten. All he could do was keep going.

 Suddenly the world around him exploded to life as he breached the surface of the water. Bastien sucked in a desperate breath. He fell beneath the surface for just a moment and then managed to keep his head above it upon breaching the second time. Another breath, then another. Each breath that filled his lungs calmed his racing heart. Squinting dual-toned eyes took in everything around him. The sky above, the ocean around, and off just a short swim away was land. Without hesitation the young pup began paddling toward safety. He didn't yet realize how exhausted he was and how close he'd come to drowning. The only thought in his mind was to get to dry land. His mind was empty except for that goal.

 Big paws found purchase and he moved forward until he was out of the water. He moved further and further until his legs couldn't carry him any further and they buckled underneath him. Panting, the boy closed his eyes. He was safe. The thanked the gods he was so comfortable in water. He didn't want to think of what would've happened had he not been.... He just laid there, basking in the warmth of the sun with the soft sand cradling him for quite some time.

 The sea wolf must have dosed off at some point but a curious sound snapped him out of his restful sleep. Big ears snapped to attention as he opened his eyes and lifted his head. Where did that come from? He gazed ahead, eyes scanning the thick stalks of marsh grass. “H-hello?” he called raspily. Why did it feel like it had been ages since he used his voice? Maybe he had inadvertently inhaled some salt water at some point. His throat felt scratchy and dry and he was realizing... damn, he was quite hungry and thirsty. “Mama?”

 It had been a little while, but... maybe. Maybe it was her, and she'd come back. Maybe somehow he'd found where his parents had gone. That's right... he remembered now. He had tried to swim out to the island they had went to after a week of waiting patiently like the good boy he was. He'd made it! His stomach lurched with excitement as he jumped up, ignoring his sore muscles. “Mama! Papa!! I'm here, where are you?” Bastien called gleefully at the top of his lungs. The lad grinned as he excitedly looked about, waiting for the voice again and to see his parents come out to embrace him, tail wagging as fast as it possibly could and swaying his butt with it.
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Through the reeds a small voice hollered "Mama! Papa!! Where are you?", causing Haydri to stop and turn, over-large ears pricked upward in attention. The voice wasn't familiar to her, though she wasn't sure she'd recognize anyone in her current state. However, she was certain she wasn't this child's mother. Maybe. It at least felt like the kind of big life-altering thing she'd remember, if she remembered anything at all. Kids were generally memorable little gremlins, and she wasn't currently in possession of any gremlin-memories. 

Oh well, only one way to find out for sure! 

Haydri galloped awkwardly through the mud, her paws occasionally catching in the sticky earth as she attempted to track down the child's voice. “Hey, you!” she called over the alleys of marshgrass, “I'm probably not your mom, but I'm over here!”

Scrambling awkwardly over some driftwood, she caught her fist sight of the young scamp: a young lad, no more than 5 months old, a pelt the color of rust and stone. He seemed pretty excited about his situation, so perhaps his parents were nearby? Maybe they could help Haydri make sense of who she was or how she wound up in this salt marsh. “Hey buddy!” she greeted the young pup with her grin wide and her tail wagging, “Are your parents around? What is this place?”
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 The voice! There it was! Perhaps it was just in his excitement that he didn't realize that wasn't mama. Maybe it was denial, even. Maybe it honestly didn't matter because after a week of being alone, young as he was, that any company was welcome company. And he didn't want to be alone anymore... it had been slowly eating away at him like a low-grade acid, dragging out the suffering in unimaginable ways. The voice quickly clarified that indeed it wasn't mama, but it could be a new friend... so that was okay.

 Bastien yipped excitedly, especially when the movement of her coming over some driftwood caught his attention. An almost chattering whine escaped his throat as he bowed, tail and rump still wagging madly in the air beside him. He jumped up and ran toward her as he giggled and whined as if this stranger were both his parents. Unable to contain himself he bounded forward and reared up to try and embrace her in his tangle of long lanky limbs, trying to lick at her face. There was no such thing as stranger danger when you didn't realize just how lonely you'd become.

 “M-maybe! I think so? I swam to the island like they did!!” the boy yipped as he finally backed off of her and flopped onto the ground and exposed his belly; wiggling with ears pinned back and seemingly just completely unable to stop his excited whining. “You didn't seem them? Maybe you can help me?” The boy panted, trying to catch his breath, his heart pounding against his ribcage. Just as quickly as he'd rolled over, he rolled back but stayed laying down, ears stayed pinned as he licked at the air around her face. His mismatched eyes begged and pleaded but were also overjoyed at his new friend; he trembled as his tail continued to cause him to wiggle around like a worm.
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The umber female met his lanky and excited embrace with wagging tail and happy barks, matching his energy with glee, and between them the interaction was soon a flurry of excitement and play-bows. For a lost little guy, the pup seemed in rather high spirits! If he wasn't concerned, then perhaps Haydri didn't need to be either. They'd track their way through this salty marsh, find his parents, and maybe they'd be able to tell her just who and where the heck she was. 

“An island?” She asked, laughing as he rolled about in the sand and mud. A tiny clue, and while it didn't tell her much, it was a start! “ Sorry, that was a dumb question. I just didn't know we were on an island! ” As he fell into a wiggling heap again onto the ground, she dropped into a playful bow, barking and beckoning for him to play. Maybe she'd show him how to catch dragonflies in midair? She couldn't quite recall, but something told her she'd be really good at that particular thing. “ I kinda just woke up here, don't really know where I am. You're the first wolf I've seen... ” 

A buzz in the air above them caught her attention- oh, perfect!

Time to show off. 

A beautiful banded dragonfly soared over their heads, iridescent wings shimmering in the sun, and paused to hover for just a brief moment. His mistake! 

With a gangly leap, Haydri met the insect in midair, jaws snapping around it as she fell back down to earth. Her paws caught in the mud for a moment, but she quickly righted herself into a victory pose. With a grin, she opened her mouth wide, and the dragonfly flew off, completely unharmed, and leaving Haydri with her tongue hanging out of her mouth, grinning widely in amusement. 

“Anyway, yeah! Of course I'll help you find them! Maybe they can help figure out what happened to me too!”
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