All welcome, but no one mean; I don't
want her beaten up any more than she is right now. xD

Vesper had come down from the grassy knolls to try her luck at the thin peninsulas named Beast’s Grin.

The lithe beast was not grinning, however. She limped down the hills toward the rocks and sand, frowning and doing her best to ignore the feel of the cordgrass tickling at her scabs. She was still a sore sight after meeting with the dusky coyote mutt, bite marks scattered throughout her tousled tawny pelt in addition to a slightly older gash on her hind leg. It was acting up for the first time in a while, causing her to wince as she walked.

She wanted to go on, however. She had not explored the southwestern part of Nova Scotia yet, and since journeying back through the great forest of Ethereal Eclipse, she was hungry. She knew that she could still catch a rabbit despite her injuries, but not if her leg wasn’t cooperating with her. Catching some crabs and other animals captured amongst the rocks for low tide would be simpler, and she hadn’t dined on seafood in a while.

The tawny coywolf sighed as she finally made it amongst the rocks and sand, sniffing for something to eat. Her lips tasted of salt when she licked them, and the wind burned against a wound that had reopened since her journey through the grassy hills, but she ignored the sensations in favor of finding a meal. She finally cornered a crab up against some rocks, managing to grab it by the pincer before it could burrow into the sand. She quickly struck it back down against the rock and broke into it, eating quickly while keeping her ears turned for danger.

A storm was soon coming, a rare display of dark clouds rolling in during the autumn. The grey mass was a harrowing sight as it brewed over the ocean, but she knew she would be safe if she ate quickly and returned to the forest to find shelter. Her exploration of the Western Tangles would have to come when it was safer to travel out in the open.

She lunged after a few other crustaceans, grabbing one out of three, and was sniffing at the carcass of a washed-up fish when she thought she heard something else moving amongst the rocks.

Heyy. Sorry for the short and crappy
post; I wasn't sure what to write. >>

The tawny coywolf remained tense, poised to fight or flee in case a bad-intentioned animal came across the section of beach. The last thing she needed was another confrontation in her state. She sighed and nibbled at the fish again, her full ear swiveling to catch the sounds of footfalls among the rocks. They had started out distant, but as they grew closer, she lifted her head expectantly. Finally, a pale shape came from around the rocks: a young arctic wolf, one of the few non-luperci Ves had seen aroudn Nova Scotia.

The voice that drifted across to her was friendly, but not bubbly like some girls the hybrid met. When her injuries were pointed out, Vesper fought back her defensiveness and listened to the rest of the young woman’s words.

“I’ll be okay,” the coyote hybrid said, her voice not friendly but not too impolite; at least Kiara was asking calmly instead of dancing around fretting like Ophelia had been. She smirked slightly at the memory and stepped a little closer. “My name’s Vesper.”

The distant peal of thunder drew her attention back to the brewing storm clouds, and she frowned before glancing back at the arctic wolf. She found it needless to point out the threat of the approaching downpour, but she didn’t know what to do about it. The forest was a lot further away than she imagined.

Letting the awkward silence stretch, Vesper turned back to the ocean, her blue eyes picking out an island she hadn’t seen before. Winds had dispersed the mist that hung around the isle, and she wondered how far away it would be, if it would be worth it to swim. Still, she could see the outlines of trees and jutting rocks. It would be a nice play to loll while protected by the storm, but she didn’t know if she could swim the distance.

Her expression was decidedly wicked as she glanced at the white wolf, using her tail to gesture toward the island. “I know we just met, but do you fancy a little exploration?”

Sorry for the wait!

At her suggestion, the white wolf mirrored Vesper’s devious smile. Stating that adventure was her middle name, she encouraged the hybrid to lead the way, and with a smirk and flourish of her tail, Vesper did just that. She padded back toward the lapping waves, the almost mesmerizing rush of water that would shatter into violence once the storm rolled in. She did not want to be caught near the beach when that happened, and so all she could do was trot along the shore, eyes straining to find the closest little bump toward the isle.

“You smell slightly of a pack,” Vesper remarked as she walked, assuming that Kiara would be following. “I think I’ve smelled it before. I-chee-something?” Her memory was fuzzy, and the little information she’d gained from the pack member she’d met had not been enough to cement the name in her mind. The pack names she knew were, for the most part at least, the dangerous ones—either because of sinister reputations or because they were locked in war. It was probably a good thing that she didn’t remember Kiara’s pack’s name.

The small talk ended as she was finally confident—or as confident as she could be, with her injuries—that she could probably make the swim. Standing on a flattened rock, the spray of the waves wetting her scarred legs, the coywolf looked out to the island. It would be easy to swim, if she were in prime condition—and perhaps a bit bigger. She wasn’t sure that a creature of her size would do well to swim, but part of her wanted to prove that she could do something so dangerous. Her pride had been even more injured than her body during the fight with Helotes; to think that some brute could do what he’d done, and terrify her—

Vesper growled suddenly, lips wrinkled back in a snarl of aggravation and pain, and leaped into the waves.

Immediately, the water rejected her—pushing her back toward the rock from whence she’d jumped. She thrashed her forelimbs, hissing as the saltwater burned her open wounds. So this hadn’t been the smartest of her ideas, but for one day of her life she could take risks. Ears flattened and eyes narrowed determinedly, she flailed more, pushing at a rock under her paws so that she was propelled closer to the island.

It soon became clear that she’d need help: another swimmer beside her, perhaps a nudge. She was doggie-paddling toward the sheltered island, making some progress, but the waves kept bursting around her face and weren’t doing much to aid her.

“Kiara,” Vesper managed to yap. It wasn’t desperate, but it was somewhat urgent—an invitation for the arctic wolf to join her already. Was she halfway there? A third of the way there? She kept paddling.

Part of the way through writing this, I
realized that I had always intended for Vesper to be terrified of drowning. >> Luckily it hasn't really been established in roleplay so I'm good to change it. x3

This idea was more stupid than she’d thought, and she had thought it pretty stupid to begin with.

Vesper continued to paddle, the waves surging against her neck or breaking over her head. Her tail waggled back and forth behind her, but it was waterlogged and contributed no forward movement. She was determined, however, and she attacked the water like a foe, lips curled back in anger and defiance as she did her best to swim.

Thoughts lingered in the back of her mind, such as whether or not Kiara would actually join her. She wouldn’t put it above some wolves to change their minds about the water and abandon her—but a splash proved her wrong. The arctic wolf was either a strong swimmer, or Ves was doing worse than she’d thought; a slick white shape emerged from the water close to her.

From that point onward, the waves were no longer the great, foaming obstacles they had been closer to the shore. However, the water had turned almost tumultuous this far out anyway, perhaps a prediction of the storm to come. It undulated, causing the canines to bob up and down, and Vesper was getting sick of it.

There came a shove, and Vesper could feel her hindquarters dip into the water. A quick thrash of her hind legs corrected the angle, and Kiara’s pushing made progress faster. As they neared the shoreline of the isle, Vesper scanned for sharp rocks or other hazards, not wanting to get her body stuck in a crack or something ridiculous.

The sight of her destination brought a flood of relief to the hybrid, and she struck out on her own, managing to swim faster than Kiara was pushing her. She was sure that the arctic wolf could pass her easily if she wished, but for now she floundered toward the shore. Finally, her chest leaned up against a rock, and she struggled to pull her body up onto firm ground. She staggered a few steps and shook the water from her coat, ears drooping and muscles quivering.

“Never let me do that again,” Vesper snapped to the arctic wolf. “Except we’ll have to go back.” Her frown turned into a cynical smirk, and she shook more water from her tail. “Yeah, I think I’m going to live as a hermit on this island for now on. You can bring me food and news from the mainland.”

The coywolf looked back to the water, waiting for her companion; the last thing she wanted was for the girl to drown. It would make her feel like shit, and it would make leaving this island impossible. Her full ear flicked as the wolf pulled herself onto the shore, and she resisted the urge to back away when Kiara’s nose explored her for wounds. The ones that had opened up previously burned from the saltwater, but she found herself able to tune the pain out as usual. She flashed a quick smirk to let the girl know that she was okay before sitting down, a sigh heaved from her chest at the relief. Her seated position quickly slipped down into a laying one.

“Yeah, staying here a day sounds good,” Vesper murmured in agreement, letting her eyes close for just a few seconds. She wasn’t sure how awkward it would get wandering around the island with a stranger, but Kiara had been helpful so far, and Ves liked the arctic wolf as much as she could like any random acquaintance. Besides, if they happened to argue, there were two sides to the island—she’d just have to find her own way back to shore.

“One of the few things I envy luperci—boats.” She grinned, her eyes fluttering open again to show that she was quite awake, at least mentally. Her muscles ached, but she could manage a conversation with the girl for as long as she wanted. “Would be useful right about now. Oh well.”

She chuckled as Kiara addressed her as a “wise hermit,” lifting her chin slightly and swishing her tail beside her. Brows raised quizzically, she glanced up at the snarling, flashing storm clouds. “Our best bet would be to find some shelter in the trees. Then we can sit and ponder the mysteries of the universe or something.” She squinted when a raindrop fell in her eye then cocked her head at Kiara, reluctantly rising to all fours. “Let’s go.”

Her pace started off brisk, as she wanted to get into the trees and get it over with, but she began to slow. The leg injured in September ached more than the rest of her muscles, but she walked carefully as to conceal her limp—perhaps too carefully. “So, um… Tell me about Ichika no Ho-en.” One ear swiveled back to her new buddy. “What makes it different from the other packs?” She did not mean for the question to be rude, but she wanted to be able to distinguish the different threats from each other. Salsola, for instance, kept slaves; Cour des Miracles was full of hybrids and dogs. Each had their quirks, and as a loner she needed to learn as much as she could about them.

I would have replied to this sooner, but I've
been having a really crappy week.

“I probably would have been drier out in the rain,” Vesper muttered, half humorously to her companion and half contemptuously to herself. It wasn’t often that common sense fled her like that, but she supposed jumping into the ocean was better than picking fights, which she’d wanted to do since the attack. That damn brute had screwed her up more than he’d known, though the old nonchalant Vesper was breaking back through. Her senses were simply a bit shaken up.

And now her body was. Exhausted and sore as she was, she pressed on. It had always been helpful to her to grin and bear it, as forcing herself to get used to the pain made the pain seem less intense. Even now, she abandoned her careful gait for a quick hobble that would hopefully take them more quickly to shelter. She (and her pride) definitely didn’t want Kiara to have to slow down for her.

She nodded slightly as the arctic wolf described her pack—a peaceful one, made up of luperci just like most others. It didn’t sound remarkable, unless the peace aspect was more exaggerated than Ves thought. Her blue eyes widened slightly as Kiara described the strange coyote, and she laughed at the impression. “I would either be very irritated by him or really get along with him,” Vesper teased, though she couldn’t keep the amused smirk off her face now. She listened politely as Kiara told her story about the pack.

“A lot of packs seem like that,” she went on, thinking of Blind and Crimson Dreams. “They’ll take in others without question… It seems crazy, but I guess the wolves around here are nicer than I give them credit for, hm?” Her smirk softened. “Like you, I suppose. You’re putting up with me—or maybe you’re as insane as I am.” She flicked her tail teasingly, swatting the other’s nose as she trotted forward. They’d finally reached the trees, and she sniffed around for a hollow to settle down in.

There was a nice, sheltered area that was well-protected without making her claustrophobic; though she liked to hide in small spaces for protection, sharing that space with another canine would make her too antsy. She settled down on her belly, sighing in relief, then patted the ground in front of her to gesture Kiara to lie down. “Have you explored much of the rest of Nova Scotia?”

Vesper smirked slightly, nodding as they walked. “Well, insane and nice can go hand in hand sometimes.” She wasn’t against charity—though she liked to be selfish most of the time—but never would she offer her home to someone she didn’t trust yet. Then again, how else were the packs around here supposed to work? Back home, any groups of wolves she’d run across had been the traditional, family packs. She’d lived in an undeveloped and “uncivilized” part of the wilderness where few wolves stood on two legs and everyone looked out for themselves. Was this “niceness,” the same as the luperci virus, a state of civilization?

It hurt her head a little to think about it. “I think peace is the way to go, so long as you can defend yourself when someone disagrees with that.” She realized how cynical she sounded and quickly lowered her head, frowning. “I don’t mean any disrespect, Kiara. Then again, I’m just a scarred, rambling old hermit, right?” she asked jokingly. A few weeks away from reaching two years, many (at least those who didn’t know her mind) would call her a girl, but she still felt wiser than most of the wolves she passed.

It was nice to finally be speaking in the trees. The patter of rain fell mostly on the leaves overhead, leaves Ves knew would soon blow away as the autumn aged. For now, however, the cover was very welcome. She rolled onto her side, stretching her limbs out briefly before the arctic wolf settled down next to her. Cautious of invading personal space, Vesper left distance between them but swished her tail to the side so it barely touched Kiara’s. She was grateful to her for helping her out—a scarred stranger with an insane idea.

“No, I’m not in a pack,” the coyote hybrid said. “It’s not that I’m totally opposed against being in one, it’s just…” She shrugged. “I don’t settle down as quickly as others might. I want to make sure it’s the right choice before I join.” She smirked and rested her chin on her legs. “It’d be nice to be part of a community like that, but… I’m fine being alone, too. Always have been.”