The longer she spent in this stupid place the more irritable she got. Especially when she knew Pip was nearby but she couldn’t flippin’ find her. Her sister was the oddball out of the litter. While Blitz and Niq’x could be outgoing in their own ways, their little sister was the complete opposite. She was withdrawn and reserved, rarely speaking unless it was to one of them. However, where she lacked speech and social skills the littlest Mizuno made up for in her remarkable fishing skills.

As much as she would rather have her little minnow at her side, Orabelle hoped that she was picked up by one of the local packs and being taken care of. At least until the sea princess got to her. She would do much better in a pack setting than she would on her own, even if she lacked in the vocal department.

Desperate to find her sister, the sea princess was (reluctantly) venturing north from the lagoon. The body of water the Bella Coola wolves were currently denning at was nothing like the magnificent Pacific Ocean, or the river they made their home along, but it would do for now. It was still large enough that she could splash around — and even take an icy dip! — and fish when her mind was troubled. The fish here were not like the fish she was used to back home, but it was still fish: much better than the dry, gamey deer that her brother preferred. They were almost complete opposites but their relationship was one of a kind. Blitz was hotheaded and strong-willed while Niq’x was a chameleon: she was easygoing and adapted to the wolves she encountered. Together they made up for the mouth that Pip lacked — when the three of them were together, they were inseparable.

Without realizing it, the sea princess was on the pursuit of more water. She couldn’t help it — it was what she was accustom to. Since birth she had lived on the coast and she couldn’t imagine life any other way. Sometimes she wondered if she had water flowing through her veins instead of blood. The thought caused a frown to form on her dark lips: her father had always joked that she had been a salmon or a mighty orca in her past life. Oh, how she missed the rest of her family. She hoped that the rest of them would find their way to this dreadful place — or that the collection of sea wolves here found their way back home.

As she approached the creek the scent of another slapped across her damp nostrils, causing her muscles to tense up instinctively. As much as she wanted to turn the other way she could hear her brothers voice in the back of her head, encouraging her to talk to the locals. Perhaps this stranger new how to get back to the coast — or knew Pip. It was worth a shot. With a disgruntled groan Niq’x pushed forward to close the distance between herself and the stranger. However, the scene was not what she expected when she finally caught sight of the male.

Unable to control herself an explosion of laughter doubled her over, tears threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes as she examined the situation the male had gotten himself into. She couldn’t believe her eyes — he had gotten his tongue stuck on the ice! Struggling to get a hold of herself Niq’x took hesitant steps toward him, her ears pressed to the back of her skull as a wide, sheepish grin unfolded across her maw. “Hey, uh — need some help?” Even though I nearly just pissed myself… she thought to herself as she bit her tongue in an attempt to keep her composure.

She felt guilty for laughing but surely the obsidian creature before her would have done the same if the roles had been reversed. Forcing herself for regain her composure, the sea princess studied the scene before her, unsure of how to actually help the unfortunate stranger. At first he had refused her help, his pride getting the best of him due to her previous laughter. Fair enough, she thought to herself as he mumbled a maybe around the ice that was stuck to his tongue. More words struggled to fall from his tongue but Niq’x was uninterested in what he was saying; she needed to figure out how to separate his tongue from the ice.

The only logical thing to do was to melt the ice, but how? “Give me a minute,” she said absently, more to herself than anything, as she studied the older wolf and the ice he was connected to. She stepped closer, her mix-matched eyes narrowed as she tried to think up a solution as quickly as she could. “This is gonna sound stupid, but trust me, okay?” Her eyes were fixated on the shadow, her expression patient as she looked for another option. There was none: this would have to do… and hopefully it would work. “We need the ice to melt, so you gotta breathe — hard — on it. The hot air will make it melt.” Logic.

She watched patiently, hoping the dark stranger would not think she was a complete mental case for suggesting something so silly. Much to her surprise he listened without protest. A small smile relaxed onto her creamy maw as she observed him, her mix-matched gaze transfixed on his dark complexion. It did not take long for the ice to melt beneath his tongue and within a few moments he was released by his icy prison. She gave a happy woof to show her enthusiasm, her previous smile only widening as he thanked her. Her interested peeked once he mentioned his not-so good luck with the wet stuff recently. A brow cocked in amusement as she attempted to adopt a ‘serious’ expression. “Well, you’re in luck — I am an expert when it comes to water. You’re lookin’ at the best fisher you’ll ever meet.” As long as her little sister Pip and cousin Nauja weren’t around, the sea princess would boast about her skills as much as possible.

“Ice, though, is a little tricky,” she added with a small frown as she poked the frozen substance with an ivory forepaw. “Could use a rock or a stick to break it, much easier — and safer — than throwin’ yourself at it.” The girl typically stayed away from the ice back home; she had just been learning the basics of ice-fishing before being stolen away from the ocean. The thought caused an unexpected wave of rage to flow through her body, but she dismissed it with a quick wag of her tail. Whatever had forcefully removed her from her home had nothing to do with the wolf before her; Niq’x would not take it out on him. He was already having a bad day and making it worse was not on her to-do list. 

“Yannoe it,” she beamed at him, her blue (left) eye blinking in a playful wink. It seemed as though the shadowy stranger was unfamiliar with her title; it didn’t surprise her. She doubted many wolves in this area knew what to do with a fish — they were all tree-huggers and dared not venture below the surface of their drinking water. “Good?! They are amazing, you’re missin’ out! I prefer them over deer meat any day.” Talking about her trade made her miss her family and home even more, but she kept herself composed; this stranger did not need to hear her sob story. “Takes a little bit of patience but once you get the hang of it they’re easy t’catch,” the sea princess added with a quick nod, her tail wagging softly behind her. For whatever reason, she didn’t completely despise the land wolf — he was talkative, like her, and seemed intrigued by every word that rolled off her tongue. Anyone that paid attention to her was good in her books!

Wraith, she thought to herself, mentally storing away the name for future reference. The pack name didn’t appeal to her whatsoever, as the sea wolf had no interest in joining any of the local packs. She wanted to find the rest of her family and return home. This strange place was not suited for the Bella Coola wolves — especially the fishers. Niq’x did not know if she could survive without the salty water she enjoyed fishing (and playing) in.

Just as she was about to introduce herself and answer Wraith’s question another arrived — late to the party. Instinctively the sparrow-coloured female wrinkled her nose in the direction of the newcomer, her bubbly personality instantly causing her eye to twitch. Niq’x herself was an eccentric woman; she was like a chameleon and fed off others in social situations. Generally, she liked almost everyone and was rather easy to get along with. However, this stranger — this Sylva — rubbed her the wrong way from the moment she opened her mouth. “Just call me wolf,” she huffed in response, her mix-matched eyes falling on the male once more, giving him a you know this chick?!!?!?! look.