The soft glow of the pending sunrise threatened to spill over the horizon as the waves splashed lazily against the shore, acting as the only disturbance to the calm air. A salt-stained breeze was typically present, but its absence did not raise any alarm. Life on the coast was extremely unpredictable due to the always changing weather. The morning could start off with a dangerous windstorm and by half day there could be blue skies and not a cloud in sight. The unpredictability was part of its charm; every day was a surprise, and that was how the wolves of the sea liked it. While they each possessed—or pursued—one of four roles, the sea wolves (see also: coastal wolves or rain wolves) were an easy-going group of individuals who did not follow a strict set of rules. Of course, any hierarchy had some sort of rules, or law, in place, but theirs was far simpler. As long as the Coola wolves pulled their weight and fulfilled their duties they were welcome to remain in the pack; failure to be a contributing member of the pack would result in removal. There was no tolerance for lazy wolves, especially when their numbers were dwindling.

With expert precision the lithe female scaled the rocks that made up one end of the shoreline as the sun began its ascent. The still air was unsettling but not unusual—the ocean dweller preferred when a breeze came in off the water, filling her nostrils with the first scent she had come to recognize: salt water. It was the smell of home; of family; of her past and her future. It was the scent that was embedded in both her skin and fur; the scent that set her apart from the forest and mountain dwellers. There was nothing she would rather wake up to than the sea breeze rolling in off the water.

The Coola wolves did not rely strictly on the coast alone—their territory stretched down the Bella Coola River, where the water was fresher and the fish were often easier to catch. As a fisher, the ocean princess spent most of her days in the water, studying its movements and the patterns of the fish. The hunters would pursue dry, or ‘land’ prey; they would slip into the trees and bring down a deer, perhaps a rabbit or a squirrel. The sea wolves were not picky about what they ate—food was food, regardless of whether it was covered in fur or scales.

After her morning stroll she set her course back to the caves so she could pester the adults with her brother to take them and the other yearlings down to the river. The pack had found a secluded part of the beach where the sea and forest met; trees sprouting from the edge of the sand and a large rock formation filled with caves at its head. It was here that the river flowed into the sea; it was also the heart of the Coola territory. She moved quickly, her mix-matched gaze occasionally teetering out to the water crashing against the shore. The stillness remained, leaving an unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach—there was something not right, but she couldn’t figure it out. With a disgruntled sigh her pace quickened as she neared the pack’s cache. The juveniles were running amuck on the beach, bounding after each other and rolling the sand. Nothing seemed out of place, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.

It did not take long for her suspicions to be confirmed. The weather had changed, almost instantly, as the sky turned dark and the wind roared. Debris blew onto the beach, trees snapping and bending as the storm howled above. A call sounded against the noise—her father! There was something here… something that didn’t belong. Frantic, the girl remained rooted to the spot, her mix-matched eyes searching for her family. A dark shadow—her brother, Blitz—streaked by, accompanied by half a dozen familiar faces. What… what was happening? What were they running from? A voice sounded out, calling for her… then… yelling, yelling at her to run. Run fast—NOW! Without a second thought she did a 180º turn and chased after her brother in hopes of catching up to him… but she never would. Just as she picked up speed, everything went black. There was a soft ringing in her ears, but nothing else. She was the darkness; she was the abyss. She was nothing.

~

The first thing she noticed was the air—it was just as still, but something was missing… It was the salt, there was no salt. This was not home.

Her eyes blinked open, wide and filled with confusion as they searched frantically for the seashore she had grown up with. As she moved her head it felt as though her skull was being split in two. Trembling in pain, her twig-like legs curled tight against her body as her ears flattened—where was she?! Wincing against the pain, the girl reopened her eyes and lifted her head to take a proper look at her surroundings. There was water here… but it was too still.

Where were the roaring waves? And the sand?

With shaking limbs, Niq’x pushed herself into a half-sitting position as she glanced around to determine exactly where she was. As her nostrils flared she realized she wasn’t anywhere near her home… or any family. When she tried to remember what happened on the beach her headache only intensified and her memories were black. Fear consumed her as she remained rooted to the grass at the edge of the water, her bi-coloured gaze moving feverishly in her skull as she struggled to figure out where she had ended up. Everything around her reeked with unfamiliarity. The amount of wolves that had passed through this area was alarming—she knew that she was currently alone, but how long would that last? What were the wolves like in this strange place?

Where had her brother and other members of her family gone?

Most importantly, where was the beach?

Her head wouldn’t stop spinning. A dull headache throbbed from behind her eyes as she inhaled and exhaled slowly to steady herself. She hated every second of being here. The sea princess blinked repeatedly (which didn’t help her headache) in hopes that she would suddenly wake up and this was all just a terrible dream. However, reality was quickly settling in. This was not a dream; her removal from her home… her wonderful, beautiful home… was real. Her stomach lurched at the thought. Would she ever see her family again?

It was at that moment that a familiar scent found its way to the agouti female. Her heart stopped—was it real, or was it her mind playing tricks on her? Biting down on her lower lip, the girl glanced around sluggishly, searching for the origin of the scent. Surely she wasn’t mistaken—she had been around this particular scent since birth. She remained where she was, her limbs too sore and bruised to move. A whine seeped out from between her lips as her ears flattened against her skull. It couldn’t be a mistake… it had to be him. Who else would have the scent of a sea breeze?

It did not take long for the scent to close in on her. It suffocated her; blinding her with visions of her family; of them running away from an unknown terror. She shuddered at the thought. Focusing her attention on the present, the agouti glanced around nervously, her limbs shaking uncontrollably.

A voice called out her name, causing her to snap out of her head. She barked sharply in a hurried response as the voice came closer. Within moments a large, black shape emerged from the brush—Blitz! Before she had a chance to greet him properly he was at her side with a few questions pouring from his mouth. “I—I don’t know,” she started lamely as she nestled into him, inhaling the tangy scent that reminded her of home; of family. “I just woke up… I—how did we get here? Did you find anyone else?” It was her turn for the questions and she had a buttload of them.

She was thankful to have found her brother—she couldn’t imagine being in this strange land without him by her side. At least they had each other. Her anxiety began to decrease the longer she remained with her brother; her protector; her partner in crime. They balanced each other out, each representing the side of a scale. Orabelle was calm and collected while Blitz was hotheaded and rebellious. When they were together she eased his troubled mind and he allowed her to be a little more outgoing; they brought out the best in each other.

Her tail thumped at the mention of uncle Kelp—at least her brother had not been alone when he had woken up. The appearance of their uncle was a good sign… perhaps more of the Coola wolves had made their way to this strange land. She wanted to flee this place and find their way back to the sea. Except… she had no idea which direction home was in. “A forest—ugh,” she groaned as her brother explained where he and Kelp had set up camp. “I don’t want to be here, Blitz. I want to go home.” If there was even a home to go back to…

“Can we go see Kelp?” She asked suddenly, her mix-matched gaze hopeful as she studied her raven-coloured brother. The more family she had around her the safer she would feel; the more at home she would feel. What had been so special about them? Why had they been taken from their home and placed here? And by who?! Who had done this to them? Questions threatened to fall from her tongue, but she choked them back. If she didn’t know, Niq’x doubted that her brother would either.

The idea of encountering locals was unappealing, but necessary if they were to find their way home. “You never have luck with anyone, B,” she joked with a wink in a feeble attempt at staying positive about their undesirable situation.

As a hunter her brother was more accustom to the dry land. They were wolves of the Great Bear Rainforest but Niq’x excelled when it came to the water. She was positive that she had been an orca or an otter in her former life because the water was where she belonged. Once in awhile she would run through the trees, blanketing herself in the foliage and being shadowed by the long branches. While there was nothing as beautiful as the coast, the rainforest was a close second—nothing could compare to the Coola coast. From what she could see the trees here paled in comparison, as did the surrounding greenery. She blinked a few times, almost frantically, hoping that this was all just some horrible dream. If she was lucky maybe she would wake up, unharmed but a little confused, on the beach or by the magnificent river. “You’re right,” she grumbled with a sly grin, her mix-matched gaze focused on her inky brother. It was nice when he lowered his guard and his ‘tough-guy’ exterior—their sister Pip was exceptionally good at breaking down his wall, mainly because she was so vulnerable.

The smile only widened as Blitz agreed to taking her back to their uncle. Their family was being reunited piece by piece… she just hoped more Bella wolves would arrive so they could find their home together. As much as she wanted to leave—A-friggin-SAP—Niq’x also wanted to linger to ensure they collected as many sea wolves as they could find. Refocusing his attention back to her brother her smile only widened as he joked with her, lightening the mood considerably as his serious face faltered. “We’ll see about that,” she added lightly as she nudged his shoulder affectionately, her black-tipped tail waving softly behind her. Her long legs fell into step beside Blitz’s, her sparrow-coloured coat clashing against his obsidian pelt as they maneuvered through he foreign territory. She just hoped Pip was safe—preferably with their parents or older siblings. Pip didn’t fair so well on her own, unless she was fishing. Hopefully she would appear soon—Niq’x wanted her family to be whole once more.