anchors away

She lay, half on the sandy shore and half within the tide, with her body stretched out. A drowsy moan escaped her blackened lips, pale eyes flickering open. They remained half-lids as she stared across the Bluffs, focusing on the distance mountain region. Above to below, rain pattered the girl's form and thunder rumbled but did not break. She shifted her weight against the earth and attempted to prop herself up, feeling unnaturally sluggish in her body and heavy in her mind.

After a few tries, she managed to lift her body. The sand that had caked under her belly broke off and fell. It was wet, dark, and would annoying to clean later. The girl gave a final grunt and positioned herself in a sitting position. Her neck hung low, but she was otherwise alert. Pale eyes darted around, seeing landmarks she could attribute later if she revisited the Bluffs. High cliffs, with woodland beyond them. The cawing of sea birds and the smell of salt. Those, at least, were familiar.

She bites back her relief.

But the rest was foggy. Not much came to her mind once it sparked back to activity. It even took a while to recall her name. Halcyon. Halcyon. Halcyon! She lifts her head as she felt pride in that. But as she did, a jolt went through her system as she spied movement from the cliffs. Someone was here. She watched their approach, both wary and tense. Her mind blanks on how she got here, who she was beyond the acceptable amount she did know.

But one thing was clear; she wasn't where she began in life. There was no way she'd not remember months - even years - of life. But selective amnesia was a thing. She wasn't aware of it though. Halcyon remained silent, waiting for the stranger to speak first. As they got nearer, she was dimly aware of her slick fur making her look tiny in comparison. She attempted to puff her chest and neck muscles, feeling the short fur spike instead. It made her look almost spikey.

Like a porcupine. Or an owl puffing the feathers of its neck. Much more strange than threatening.

the staff team luvs u

He'd begun to accept life amongst the new world, its ever expanding boundaries giving him the means to explore his new nomadic life. He'd gained no life skills, other than survival. He wasn't thriving like some of the wolves who'd set up shop in the area; and trust me, there were many. But he was doing okay. It wasn't what he wanted though and the determination to do better was ever growing more annoying like an itch in an unreachable spot. If only he were more flexible he could reach it. 

He'd travelled up from the southern forests into the mountains and found himself wandering the edge of the cliffs in need of a thrill. The waters below were loud, crashing into the cliffs and splattering him with its sea foam. Romeo couldn't tell if he was growing more drenched by the drizzle or the sea. Neither was great, but he accepted it as part of life. An opening in the rocks arrived and a pathway to a slim beach dropped down below. The mans paws moved before his acknowledgement, following the path that would perhaps lead him to enlightenment. 

It was there, self reflecting, that the young man stood facing the ocean. Rocks scattered themselves across the surf, the waves breaking into them but they stood strong. A wild source of power he wished he could harness but knew he could never. He wanted to be strong like the ocean, like his unwavering father. He hadn't the morals for it, he was soft like his mother, ever blinded by the security Faustus had offered her by being two steps ahead. Why did it always feel like Romeo was in his shadow, 3 steps behind and lagging further. 

The youth frowned and kicked at the sand with his paw, looking to his paws with brief agitation before sighing and stretching away the stress he felt stiffen at his neck. Left to right he moved his head with his eyes shut before he plopped down his haunches with a thud. Uuuugh, what was he meant to do with his life when everything felt so... unachievable?! Romeo really needed a game plan and fast.

the staff team luvs u

The rain most likely hid her scent, which lead her to believe that's why he didn't acknowledge her sitting there. That, or he made a big show of approaching only to veer off and ignore her. She was dark against the stormy background, the sea churning violently with each passing moment. The boy appeared to be too lost in his own head. He shook almost as much as the waves. Halcyon took a special sort of pleasure from this. She may be waterlogged and missing pieces of her mind, but at least she wasn't throwing a fit as a child would.

"Hey," she called over to him. Not very close, but also not far apart. Her voice echoed somewhat against the pounding of water against sand and ocean. He seemed to have given up his tantrum and sat down. If he looked up and around at her, she stared neutrally at the boy. Halcyon chose not to mention she saw his hissy fit. "do you know where we are?" She dove at the point, not knowing and wishing to logically piece together shit before she looked like a fool in front of others "and yeah, I know this place right here is the coast." She resisted rolling her eyes, in case he decided to be smart with her.

"Think I washed up here. Like, just now" She could see mountains and snow beyond. It was not an island. It was larger than that "could use a bit of information, if you aren't busy." New world, new patterns. She wasn't diving straight into annoyance and sarcasm. Halcyon truly needed information if she was going to search for a way out.

the staff team luvs u

With his 'tantrum' over, the boy had swallowed his pride. It was enough for him to peer into the wider world and drag himself out of the down disposition, to realise that he wasn't alone. Heat rose to his cheeks, ears flattening briefly as he listened to the approach. That was when the words broke the air. Giving the wolf a side glance without moving his head, he watched her with feigned curiosity. She was still a ways out but close enough to converse with a raised voice. A brow raised. A youngster, his age, but not so large. Romeo had started filling out a few months ago so while he didn't look as pathetically mangey, he was still a ways off from being a complete work of art like his father. Essentially, nothing amazing to look at unlike the girl in front of him. They seemed to look better at this age, or maybe it was his pubescent eyes thinking that. 

Pervert.

Thankfully he hadn't oogled her to get flustered, so his voice was still somewhat firm in its tone. Though it was still wobbly, it didn't crack when he spoke. 

"Mountains to the east of this cove, a land of forests to the south. That's as much as I know."

From the looks of her, she was recovering from being soaked. Her claim to having just washed up blatantly clear. It confused him though, because it didn't explain his situation. At least she arrived normally, well more normal than he did. There was no jealousy but it left him needing to know more about the wolves that lived in this land. Romeo didn't understand the world but he needed to and wanted to conquer it. 

"This place though, it stinks of pack land - both the Mountains and the Forests. If you want more information, there's a place to the south east of us that isn't too far."

the staff team luvs u

He didn't have a lot of it, but — "Any information is good information, thanks." Halcyon gave a flash of her teeth to him, grinning with some gratitude. So mountains and forests... A bit mundane. Not much she could do about that though. He appeared to leave what he knew at that if he was telling the truth, but she didn't think he was. He didn't seem to know, which begged the question of how long had he been here. The boy continued to remark that it 'stunk' of pack lands. She laughs a bit at that. It wasn't at him though.

"Oh, so I guess you're a vagabond, eh?" She sniffed idly, catching the scent of the road on him instead of a place. He also said there was a pack nearby "well, I'm obviously one so I can't talk. I don't really have the desire to settle down until I know for sure where the hell I am" Halcyon shrugged. The boy did offer a direction, to the southeast, if she wanted to know more though "and even then" She scowls, shaking her head "it's gotta have a damn good reason for me to stick around." Inside her mind, wolf facts were floating. Things she had known before...

Before what?

Was she not a wolf? Why, then, was she one now?

Packs. Vagabonds. Loners. Communities. Loyalty and demanded loyalty. Two different things. "I'm Halcyon, by the way" An ear flicked back against her skull, focusing on the boy again "that's... really all I know for sure. My name." She didn't seem outwardly disturbed by it though, just a bit annoyed. Visibly scrunching her face as if something disgusted her lightly, the girl was an expressive sort of wolf. She was going out on a limb and guessing he hadn't really been here in this world for long, else... Well, he could meet others and they tell him nothing? That was a bit rude.

The rain, certainly, was not letting up. Tis the season she supposed. It didn't help the coast was probably always rainy. She recalled standing on the shore of a distance land, staring into the stormy sea. Then it was gone. In a flash, she was back here. Had she been alone though?

the staff team luvs u