07-20-2009, 06:21 AM
[html]
 |
Serene Sands. mall-caps;">In Character The grizzled ashen hybrid had spent the last few weeks she had been here relentlessly exploring the territories, and most of the day had been spent doing the same. She had wandered over most of Halcyon Mountain, finding it relatively empty and unused. There were a few fresh scent trails here and there, and the Lykoi picked up a recent one and began to follow it, not recognizing its bearer but deciding to see where it lead her regardless. It was a few days old, unrecognizable as anything other than "canine" after some of the rain they'd been getting. The weather didn't seem nearly as threatening today; the clouds looming overhead were lighter gray and showed streaky blue between and beneath them. It was moist and relatively cool, since the sun hadn't had enough time early in the day to heat the earth when the clouds had been thicker. It hadn't rained earlier, but the clouds were finally begin to break, leading to believe Kaena that perhaps the summer weather was coming on—or perhaps not. It was still possible the same storm system that had been plaguing them the past few days would just circle out over the bay, grow more powerful again, and then dump down on them. The hybrid surely didn't know for certain, but it wouldn't have surprised her; that had been the storm's behavior thus far. It was late afternoon by the time the coyote came to the shoreline, having followed the train until it cut off, making an abrupt right turn in the direction of Phoenix Valley. As it always did, the smell of salt and sand drew Kaena's attention, and she quickly diverted her attention from that fiasco onto the more promising idea of a visit to the real coast. The hybrid woman loved that Inferni had its own private beach, but she truly missed the real ocean—that angry, riotous thing that swelled and battered the coast, at once drawing its foundation out from under it while simultaneously drawing it back, and endless tug of war over the soil closest to the water neither entity could hope to win. That sound grew louder, and the Lykoi woman peered over a relatively steep cliff, seeing a truly secluded beach below. There was a section of cliff separating it from the rest of the coast, and Kaena was too eager to pick her way down the side of the mountain. It was a little ways before she found a somewhat secure path, weaving erratically back and forth as she carefully continued the trek downward. As she descended, the whole earth seemed to grow quieter, the sounds drowned out by the pounding of the ocean. It had been quite some time since she'd been allowed to enjoy it—her last trek to the ocean coast had ended in a fight with DaVinci. Though both of them had walked away, Kaena had been sore and stiff from that fight for some time, a personal, signed and sealed warning to stay away from that pack. She already knew better, and had no intention of screwing and with Phoenix Valley. This coast was different, though; this coast was secluded and it did not smell as if anyone had been here for some time, though it was easy to mistake that, since the recent torrent of rain had washed away many scents. As the hybrid reached the bottom, she jumped down from the lowest point and landed in the sand, taking off immediately. The grizzled hybrid splashed into the sea at a full run, loving that the waves were wilder than those in the bay but not worrisome. She had traveled in her lupus form, but she shifted to her optime form now in the water. Her body twisted she shifted fluidly, completing the process quickly. Immediately, she dove in quicker, treading water for a few minutes before she began swimming slowly, paddling in a somewhat awkward human-esque pattern. It was a long time before the Lykoi woman came out of the water, though she never strayed too far from the coast. She was not a terribly powerful swimmer, and she knew even the best of swimmers were powerless against the ocean's tides. She shook herself off, the shaggy, thick mane surrounding her neck and shoulders sticking closely to her head. Her braids had come undone a few days ago, and she was disappointed, knowing whatever she did, hers would not last as long as Rangi's had. She began to explore the small beach, wandering for another hour or so before she returned to the spot near where she'd climbed down. The sun was close to setting, and already the mountain was casting a long shadow over the beach, plunging it into early darkness. The woman settled to the sand, content to stay a few more long minutes before she returned to Inferni for the night. She would return here soon—this was a private sort of beach, and it was out of the way and secluded, much better than the coasts closer to the packs, where she was likely to run into an unfriendly wolf or worse. |