Tossing and Turning [OPEN]

[°Crow°]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][tr][bg=black] The sand was like millions of tiny needles on his paw pads as he remembered all the memories flooding back to his mind as if it was only yesterday.. "But... I thought you said you loved me?" As if a whisper of a whisp had tickled crow's sides, he jumped, the fur on the back of his neck to the tip of his tail standing on end. He spun around in confusion, sweat dropping down his forehead as the sun began to rise in the distance. He had been walking so long, he had lost track of time. All he wanted was to linger in her scent again. Be greedy and lap at her matted fur. Something was stirring inside him, it was wrong. You couldn't make love to something that was already gone. But he just wanted to hold her again. To feel her soft and small sea colored body wrap around his. It wasn't supposed to end like it did, and they both knew that. The great spirit decided to be jealous of her beauty and take her away from everyone that loved her. Including crow. He didn't even think or care if someone he knew saw him here now. He nosed about until he realized she was gone. Her smell, vanished... but something nearby caught his eye. The shell she once treasured. Oh how he was tempted to hide it and keep it for himself. His mind was in shambles as he gently nosed the shell from the overturned soil. The yagi brute took long solid breaths of air as her scent was still discernible from the stench of death. Then, he just collapsed, his body exhausted from the lack of sleep. As the sun began to climb above the ocean, he sighed deeply as he laid out on her grave, a whimper in his voice as he spoke softly before falling into slumber. "It's beautiful isn't it? Just like you always were..."

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[Shauni]

In all of her young life, Shauni had never seen anything quite like the sea.

Standing just within reach of the lapping waves, the Yagi stared, dumbfounded at the stretch of water before her that seemed to go on forever. Nothing, except perhaps the grasslands where she was born, could truly compare with the sight of all of that water. The smell of salt water was heavy on the air, enough where she could actually taste it, and the soft sand underneath her paws felt oddly silky.

It felt like an age ago that Shauni had set out from home, determined to make a new life for herself. For the most part, she had been alone, wandering aimlessly and in general just avoiding any territories she had come close to the borders of. One way or another, she had ended up near the sea, with the wind in her fur and her green eyes full of wonder, caught in the spell of this place. If only her pack could see her now. No one had believed she would go through with leaving the pack. Her mother's exact reaction was one of amusement, thinking her daughter was joking when she had boldly announced she was leaving the pack to, for lack of a better term, explore. You've never even been beyond the grasslands, her brothers had warned her, barely containing their mirth, No way you'd survive on your own!

"Me and my thick skull," she murmured, finally breaking the spell the water had put over her as she began trotting along its edge, "But I proved them wrong...so far." Admittedly, she had taken their doubts as a challenge, thus why she had left even as the weather began to turn cold. She had spent most of her life trying to prove them wrong, that she was every ounce as tough as they were, and so far, she had proven herself. In her pack, it was a right of passage to be stronger than your littermates, and sometimes to be stronger than your parents. But the Yagi wanted more than to be constantly proving her strength and prowess to everyone; she wanted an adventure.

The sea was the first real leg of her journey thus far, and at that moment, she couldn't have been happier.

Admittedly, Shauni felt a bit exposed in the open beach. With a rich brown coat and dusty belly, with umber stripes running from forehead to undocked tailtip, she seemed much too dark against the pale sands and gray stones. But her sense of curiosity had banished the possible danger she might be in, and she instead kept her ears and tail up, trotting along and sometimes stopping to dig a bit at the sand. The water did little to banish the muddy stains that had taken over her toes, but it amused her nonetheless to try and dig before the sea came back to reclaim its patch of beach. To her, this place was full of sights, sounds, and smells, all waiting to be discovered, regardless of whatever dangers the idyllic land hid.

Several minutes passed before she noticed that the beach went around a tall section of cliff, her good ear cocked towards it as she eyed it curiously. Her loping gait became more cautious now, and she lowered her head a bit, sniffing as she followed it. If there was anything waiting for her, they would see her spiraling horns first, the same muddy brown as the line that ran along her back from her forehead. Hopefully, it would be enough to dissuade anything that could be dangerous from attacking her. As capable as she was for a fight, Shauni didn’t want trouble, not here.

Paranoia aside, she was relieved to see that no big animals greeted her, prey or otherwise, as she entered the side of what appeared to be a section of the sea surrounded by beach, almost like a lake. What was the word her mother had used? Loon? Loogoon? Lagoon!

It looked peaceful enough, but her nose once again warned her where her scarred ear failed. Someone was there, a male wolf if she judged the smell right. Nervously, Shauni adopted her typical gait, head and tail held high enough to seem bold without seeming too threatening, and trotted along, squinting as she searched the beach for signs of another.

[°Crow°]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][tr][bg=black] The seas roar and rumble invaded Crow's slumber as his body twitched. The forest colored pelt lashed his legs in the green waters as another wolf barked after him. It was Tor, but she wasn't deaf, she could hear him call back towards her. "Tor!" He yipped merely like they had the first time he swam in the ocean. But then something grabbed his hind legs and dragged him deep into the sea. He cried out for her, desperate for her embrace. She swam as fast as her small body would carry her. But before they could reach each other, she vanished in a cloud of blood. "Tor! Help me! Please, don't go!" He cried out, his limbs lashing out in every which direction to break free to the surface of the water. But he was fading. "You are pathetic!" He twisted his face to the side as he now stood on the beach, the sea colored wolf mocking him as blood spurted from her maw. The warm liquid falling down his features as he howled in denial as she laughed at him. "No!" he jumped up, sweat covering his body as he looked left and right for the cael that was by him. But it turned out it was only a dream. Nothing more, nothing less. He sat down and whimpered silently to himself as he licked his chest and legs. The male yagi smelled the air, something was different. It wasn't just the sea salt smell he was used to. He wasn't alone, and by the scent of it, another female. He debated searching out the wolf, but wasn't sure he could face another cael if it was a sea she wolf. Quit being a baby, he told himself. She couldn't have gone far. Before he had time to turn the next bend, the scent became overwhelming as he found himself gazing upon her. For the first time in a long while, crow was feeling much like the shy hermit he used to be. His face flushed as he took in her chocolate colors and her spiraling horns. He shook this off however, feeling he was betraying something inside himself. No, Tor maybe gone, but she will always mean something special to me. This wolf, I haven't even met her before. But the bubbling feelings were still there, and he wasn't sure how to approach or introduce himself. He just stared back at her with a dumbfounded look on his maw. The green and tan yagi swallowed hard as he stammered, trying to form a sentence. "Uh... h-h-hello.." he felt like mentally slapping himself, he would never move on in life if he couldn't even start up a conversation without seeming awkward.

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[Shauni]

Perhaps it was the fact that Shauni had been expecting another face that she wasn't too startled by the male's sudden appearance, or that she was trying to seem a lot tougher than she was without even thinking. Either way, her only real reaction was stopping in her tracks, ears erect, as she stared at the male Yagi before her.

Her green eyes showed the surprise she kept from her muzzle, more so as she tilted her head to one side. Indeed, this was a male of her kind, but she was surprised that he seemed so...sad was the word that came to mind. His posture, his expression...Shauni wasn't used to seeing such things on a Yagi. In her pack, most were afraid to show such submissive emotions, especially around strangers.

But at the same time, she found that this male was interesting. His coat was certainly a bit brighter green than some of the wolves she knew, and if her eyes weren't decieving her, he still had his tail. That fact alone made her wag hers a bit; oddly enough, she had never seen the need to dock hers, as it never got in the way, and yet it was a fact her father had pestered her about relentlessly for months. Wolves without tails, she found, were harder to read, and that made living in a pack of tailless Yagi all the more difficult.

"Um...h-h-hello."

When the male spoke, her left ear unconsciously folded flat, sparing her the pain of having to spend a few moments understanding what he had said. Shyness? That was certainly something she could relate to. Shauni spent all of her childhood like that. And while the male seemed to be older than her, it made replying all the easier.

"Hi," she said, offering a smile as she sat down. Hopefully, sitting would make her seem less intimidating (the male seemed to be a bit smaller than she was, another fact that was new to her), and it helped to stop her tail from wagging too much. Honestly, after days of being alone, seeing another face was a blessing. Though many questions rolled around her head, she merely continued with a less...well, overwhelming question.

"Never thought I'd see another Yagi this far from home."

[°Crow°]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][tr][bg=black] Crow's tail began to wag slowly as he noticed her own non-docked tail twirl behind her with excitement. He was worried he would hurt her, so he backed up a bit as he noticed her sit before him. Maybe he was moving to fast, yeah.. maybe he shouldn't have said anything. But every fiber of his being wanted this. Longed to be with his own kind. To know what Tor was feeling the whole time she liked nelio and tawny more so than him. At least with another yagi, that was also larger than him, she could block him or defend herself. It brought a sigh to his lips as he took the same pose as her, sitting but with his head held lower. His body was so tense and he wasn't sure why, he just wasn't sure he wanted any sort of interaction now. His tail continued to wag nervously as his shoulders slightly trembled. He laughed softly in reply "Heh, yeah. Me neither... at least, I never thought I'd see someone like me come to my home." he admitted. Crow couldn't keep himself from the ocean now, he might not have been as good at swimming as the caella had been, but he was certainly better than most other wolves. What intrigued him the most and possibly her as well, was the fact they both still had full length tails. "So... why did you decide to keep it?" he gestured with his muzzle to her tail before keeping a golden eye on her own, what he thought, flawless features. No, something was wrong, she was so young and innocent.. like he used to be. He brushed the thought away again, he may not be innocent like she was, but he would do his damnedest to try and keep her away from what he had experienced.

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[Shauni]

"You live here?" Shauni said, surprise finally leaking out onto her features as she gazed around. The lagoon (she hoped that was the right word) was a beautiful place indeed, but the thought it could be someone's home hadn't really crossed her mind. Living on land the whole time, she wasn't overly comfortable near the large body of water, but that childish naivite told her that this was just one of the many things she would see, and to enjoy it as much as possible.

As usual, that childish part won the argument.

"So... why did you decide to keep it?"

Looking back at the male, she looked back at her own tail. which was currently, slowly, wagging back and forth. "Well," she began sheepishly, her normal ear folding a bit, "In my old pack, it was up to the alpha to remove them." Shauni had just met the male; naturally, she wasn't too inclined to mention that she had been a runt, and not expected to survive past her first winter. But she didn't want to lie, either. It just wasn't her nature.

"I was..well, not as strong as the others when I was a pup, so he decided that it wouldn't make a difference to dock my tail. When I got older, I just decided to keep it to remind him he was wrong." Both her ears went up, and she consciously slicked back the scarred one as she asked, "What about you?"

Was it not a habit to keep sentences short, she would have rambled on and on. Did your alpha let you make the choice? Did you simply not want to dock your tail?

The internal rambling almost lead to her speaking another concern aloud. Why do you seem so sad?

[°Crow°]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][tr][bg=black] "Well, yes... I've lived here for a year now..." he winced and avoided her gaze, not wanting to remember the memories flooding to him of all he did and experience while on the same beach. Eager to change the subject, he nodded as she told him about herself and her tail. The male yagi licked his lips as he thought of his own reply. "Wow, I would never have thought you were small as a pup.." Crow trailed off as his tail slowly began to wag too, anticipation of socialization taking over. He was beginning to open up like he did so long ago. A smile plastering on his features now. "Me? well.." his ears too flattened a bit. He didn't remember much of his childhood, just a few minor details. "I don't remember much of my childhood, just that everyone thought I was a baby and too attached to having a tail. I don't have a very good pain tolerance." he shyly admitted. "I saw other species with tails as we traveled while I was young.. I didn't know what they were but just the fact they were somehow related to us and that they could keep a full length tail, made me curious to keep mine." He stood as he circled where and sat and laid down in the soft sands. "Yep, I don't like it when big crazy yagi come and try to charge me out of my home so I came to a place were I would be less likely to see power hungry wolves. Someplace away from pack lands. I believe we should all be able to live in harmony without someone being a higher rank than the rest of us. But that would never work in a pack system.." Crow felt so odd having to actually speak out loud for so long. His mouth felt dry. "Who knows, I might move again. I like seeing everything there is to see, what brings you to the cove anyways?" he inquired.

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[Shauni]

Shauni actually laughed a bit, "My own pack still doesn't believe it. But at least my parents don't treat me like a puppy anymore." This was perhaps what she missed most about being around other wolves. Just talking, laughing, sharing stories...it was all something she still did not like about traveling alone. It did not, however, supress the curious look at hearing he did not remember much about being a pup, or didn't have a high pain tolerance. Again, her own pack was really all she had to go by, and most Yagi she grew up with were too busy trying to prove their strength to let their pain get in the way. She herself was a bit more resiliant to head injuries than she cared to admit.

"Well, I left because of those pack power struggles," she admitted, scratching behind her right ear, "Back home, everyone was always challenging those stronger than they were, trying to get higher in the ranks. But I didn't want to spend all my life fighting, so I just left." With a bit of a sigh, she laid down, ears slicked back as she stared off into the sea, "I can understand the order in a pack, at least when responsibilities come in. But to constantly fight over it?"

Looking back at him, she just shrugged dismissively at the concept she had outlined. It was maddening, in her opinion; yes, a higher rank meant better turns when it came to feeding or breeding, but it also meant there were more wolves trying to usurp your position. She just didn't want to deal with that kind of madness anymore.

"You certainly chose a peaceful home," Shauni complimented, eyes on the horizon, "I don't think a lot of wolves even know about this place. I certainly had only heard of the sea, and that's from what the few wanderers in my pack said."

[°Crow°]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][tr][bg=black] He too turned to look out into the ocean as he stood up, shaking the sand from his fur. He grinned as a merry bark emitted from his maw. "You like fish? This is the best place to go fishing!" Crow jumped into the crashing waves as he sifted through the water for moving scaled bodies that swam beneath him. The yagi turned back to look at the other wolf and never recalled formally introducing himself. "Oh, by the way, I'm Crow. I don't think I caught your name either..." he blushed as he spun around to face her, up to his chest in murky green salt water. "Come on! The water's perfect!" he mused, jumping and bounding in the ocean's tide, splashing water left and right. Crow couldn't remember the last time he let the past go. He was more tense and immersed in stress and worry than ever lately. It wouldn't hurt for him to be like he used to be. To enjoy the simple things, letting the water tickle your toes and feeling the salty wind in your fur. This is what he lived for, for the moment he could truly feel alive and free. He stood still now, letting the gusts of afternoon wind rush past him on both sides. He took a deep sigh as he glanced back to see if the other yagi was going to join him or if she would think less of him. Think him childish. He sure hoped they could simply enjoy each others company. He too knew too well how it was when you traveled alone. "So, you travel often by yourself?" he questioned her.

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[Shauni]

Ears perking up, Shauni was surprised by the sudden change in his behavior. "I've never had fish before," she admitted, interest peaked as she too stood up, "Is it good?" Admittedly, she had once tried catching one of the strange creatures when she was younger, but all she got for the effort was a mouthful of river weeds and mud. But she didn't think it would be so difficult if to attempted to hunt, not when to were doing the hunting.

"I'm Shauni," she answered, smiling more now as she tenatively followed him into the water. It was cooler than she expected, especially with the wind, but it felt refreshing at the same time, provided she didn't rush in. A smile lit her face as she began to splash around as well, soon laughing like a puppy as she tried chasing a few of the silvery fish. Her swimming wasn't as good as Crow's, but it was at least comical to watch.

Stopping to shake some of the water from her coat (which only succeded in making her fur more thoroughly soaked, she shrugged again in the male's direction. "Honestly, this is my first time traveling. I intend to see as much of the world as possible before I decide to pick a place as my home, though." Her green eyes showed that spark of adventure, the desire to learn more than to conquer. Hearing the stories from the few wanderers that ever stopped in on their pack had fueled that desire.