Iridescent Lagoon wash away

@Kelp or @Blitz would be nice, but anyone is welcome to join :-)

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?

@Kelp, hop on in when you are able!
OOC note: To all others who may join, be aware that Blitz is liable to be extremely protective over his sis.
<3

BLITZ Wisely, the dark young wolf traced his way back from the Northern regions to a slightly more familiar area. One within an easy trek from the meadow in which he and Kelp first had awoken in. The plan from the get go, had been that the immediate area and all surrounding it for a maximum of five miles, would be the place to meet up. That way, in this entirely unfamiliar wilderness, neither male would become permanently separated from the other. After all, the older tawny wolf was all Blitz had right now. His brief northern excursion had not gone well, and had failed to yield any further clues as to the whereabouts of his beloved coastline. Even more worrying, was that he had not come across a trace of Niq'x's scent while he had been away. Not so much as a single delicate hair. The only local he had run into was a pest, and an imbecile. It was unlikely the silvery coated male who had so foolishly awoken him from his rest knew much about the land. And even if he did, he had not seemed the type who would give away such information willingly. With a sinking feeling in his chest, Blitz had turned and headed back towards base camp. Maybe Kelp had had better luck than he did. The lagoon, while an abundant source of water, was not nearly as comforting a sight as his own home beach would have been. Yet it was a mark that he was getting steadily closer to the meadow, where he hoped to find Kelp resting in the shelter of the trees that fringed it. Sooty jaws were moist, darkened by a recent stain of blood. Not wolfs blood, but the blood of a careless rabbit, who had poked it's head out of it's hibernating den at precisely the wrong moment. Blitz had seized his chance for the easy meal during the night, where his dark coloring would serve him well to hunt undetected. He was still far too wary and distrusting of the locals, who might be so ruthless to try and steal a meal from him during the day, should he be seen. Ambling along the edge of the soil by the lagoon, his toxic eyes stared ahead dimly. His thoughts were constantly on his sister. He missed her. Was she safe, wherever she was? Had she run off in a panic? Gods he hoped not. They hadn't been that far apart when the chaos had erupted. He swallowed down the sting of bile in his throat at the thought of never seeing her again. A small movement ahead, directly in front of him, made him stop and lift his large head. A figure was sitting upright amongst the dead, dry grass. A wolfish figure...one who looked quite disoriented and worried. A sharp glint rose in his eyes as he quickened his pace. It was as he drew closer, that the soothing, familiar scent of salt mixed with sand made his heart lurch. Blitz all but broke out into a full of run, tail lashing excitedly behind him. "Niq'x!" He called out with a riled, deep woof. He came skidding to her side in an instant, burrowing his dark crown against her shoulder while his body shook with relief. He drew back, checking her over thoroughly but quickly to ensure she was unharmed. "What tha' heck happened to you? To us?" He pressed, his former bitterness from days past gone. All that was in his voice was concern. "I searched for you...I've been worried sick!" He choked out with a whine, curling his larger body around her side, to support her frame while she recovered.

(This post was last modified: Dec 30, 2015, 01:56 AM by Blitz.)

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.

BLITZ He refused to leave her side, even if it was by mere inches. It had felt like years had passed since he had last been with his dear sister. As if afraid to lose her again, that she'd vanish into thin air, he kept close. He inhaled deeply her familiar scent, still tinged with the saltiness of home. Comfortingly, protectively, he rested his large head over the back of her neck, shuddering slightly. A soft blink of realization from poison colored eyes was his response as words flowed from her mouth. Oh of course...that's right. If he or Kelp didn't have any idea what had happened, then neither would she. His dark brows knitted down together, a frown tugging at his lips. He pulled back enough just so that he could look her in the eyes. "...That makes sense. All I remember is blacking out too, rather suddenly." He chewed his lower lip at the memory, visions of the meadow tipped with red blossoms filtering into his mind. "I woke up much the same as you did...only in a large meadow with fiery colored flowers..." As dismal as it sounded to be so far away from home, in this completely unfamiliar place, there was one slight glimmer of hope. "The only other one with me is Kelp. We woke up at the same time, in the same area. He's just as bewildered as I am." He stated with an eerie calm in his voice, despite the circumstances. Any onlooker though, or fool who dared to get close, would note the rigidly tense muscles coiled beneath his black fur. Under his composed exterior, around his frazzled and weakened sister, Blitz was ready to explode into protective big brother mode. Feeling how wobbly and unstable she still was, he straightened to allow her to lean against him, while she regained her strength. A snack would be nice right about now. If he had his way, it would be fish, or even some of the oysters, a rare yet favorite delicacy back home on the beach. A glance towards the horizon showed him the direction in which he needed to go, to get back to camp, although no treeline was yet visible. "Kelp and I set up camp in the shelter of a forest not too far away from here." He stated. The sooner the trio got back together, the better. "And this...place, it's inhabited by other wolves as well. But I haven't had much luck with the locals...yet." He opted against telling her of his run in with the pale pack wolf. There was no need to go getting Niq'x more worried than she already was.

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

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.

Let's wrap this up!

BLITZ Dark ears flattened against his skull in shared sympathy towards his sisters remark about his choice of refuge. "I know...I know. There's nothing like the coast..." Oh how he missed it. The cool, grainy sand between his toes, the soothing lull of crashing waves, and the purifying scent of salt on the breeze. He wanted to go home as bad as she did, but having no idea where in the hell they were, he wasn't so sure if that was an option. "I do too...and we'll work towards that. But we gotta take care of ourselves first." He reminded her gently, a glimmer of his old, more rational self shining through. Kelp. Their elder was surely waiting for him back in the relative safety of the forest. Would he be pleased, or even more worried when Blitz came back with his dear sister? A part of him frankly didn't give a damn, as he had been worried to death over her. But it could be a sign of things to come. That more of their family could follow. What did that mean for them...what did those strange upright walking creatures want...what were they trying to do? Shaking his worries away, he looked her in the eyes with a softness in his lime green ones. "Of course we can. I know he'll be glad to know you are safe." Slowly, gently stepping to the side, but allowing her room to lean against his flank if she needed, he proceeded to move in the direction of his temporary home. It wasn't far, luckily. They'd be there in a couple of hours. The long reeds surrounding the area grazed his sides, tickling through his fur as he set off. Her attempt at lightening the situation did not go unnoticed, earning her an amused huff. "Awh, now did ya have to go and remind me?" He shot back with a faint smile. He then hummed in his throat. "Well, maybe my luck will change, now that we're here." He tried his best at being positive with his sis, who always had a way of brightening his mood. For now, his foul demeanor was kept at bay, as he and his best friend and littermate, made their way back, where once two, would now become three.

feel free to archive with this post or add another & archive then <3

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.