The rain had stopped for a while, and the sun had decided to come out and play. Without the constant raining, the world seemed so much more peaceful, at least when it came to the ocean by the shores; the rain always seemed to have an ominous effect on the sea. That’s how Merilin felt about it. She liked that the sun had finally come out; she had begun to think that this place was always rainy and sad. She couldn’t say much though; she had only been here for a couple days, really. Yesterday, Kaena had helped her get to know more about the territory. She had decided that she liked it; it was large and there seemed much for her to do when it came to exploring, which was something that she did like to do. The young coyote was always full of curiosity, and although this might have been a good thing, it had often got her into trouble, not that she seemed to mind of course. Today, she was also doing some extra exploring. She had spent some time near the beach, and now she thought that she might like to make a thorough inspection of the lands to the west. And that was where she went.
Her bright blue eyes were constantly on the move, greedily trying to take everything in at once. Rock. Dirt. Sand. Water. Sky. Paw. She tried to take note of all that she saw; she would no doubt forget it in an instant. She wasn’t exactly the best when it came to remembering all the details, especially when she was trying as hard as she was now. Yet, the russet coyote trotted onward, very much enjoying life as it had become. Just days ago, she had experienced death, the death of her mother, so far her first and only best friend. But then she had been brought here by the sea and had met Kaena. Life seemed to have been good to her.
As she trotted ahead, continuing to try to notice every detail possible, she caught sighed of something strange on the horizon. What was this new thing? It did not really look like a rock or a tree, she thought. The young coyote slowly came to a stop, her blue eyes squinting to try and make out what that was. After some time, she found that it was another canine. Maybe another coyote. How exciting this was. Maybe she could make a new friend today. That would be nice. Yes.
There was a large rock nearby. She bounded over toward it, hiding behind it. Now it was a game. Merilin giggled silently to herself, pressing her nose to the ground to try and muffle the sound. She waited for a while, hoping that she had not been spotted before. Then, lowering her body as if preparing for a pounce, the young russet coyote bounded forward, turned and began tearing toward the other canine. As she drew nearer, she could tell that she was a normal looking thing, like herself, not like Kaena had been when she met her. Merilin wondered if this canine were also one of those luperci things.
“Hello there!” she called out, her voice loud and sharp in the quiet air. The young coyote offered the other a friendly smile as she began to slow. Once a couple feet in front, she came to a stop and stared blankly and happily at her. The russet tail wagged on its own. “I’m Merilin Ethuil. Are you a luperci too?” She had really no restraint for her curiosity. It just came out with a life of its own.