Strange New Wonders [open]

[Kenren]

The scent of the ocean had hit him first - it was similar to the water near his homeland, but there was something different here. Something more crisp. Next he heard the crash and rumble of the waves, and the harsh cry of gulls, and his pace picked up just a little. His gait was a little bumbling, a little rough, but he himself didn't notice that it was his mind's haze of hunger that caused it. The same way he only noticed in passing that his ribs were easily visible despite his fur. That he only noticed his hips were sharp and bony when he laid down for the night. He always meant to hunt, when he woke up, but something else invariably caught his attention and he was pretty skilled at forgetting his body's hunger. Not on purpose, but... well, he wasn't the greatest at taking care of himself. He had other priorities. He went all the way to ocean, having to stop only once due to fatigue. The sight that awaited him was well worth his long travels, though. It was an otherworldly sort of view, with the way the rocks had formed so strangely leading down to the water. He stepped carefully on them, making his way down to where the salty waves ran over the pillars, making them slick. He curiously put his nose down, flicking out his tongue - but no, this water was just as salty as the rest. Satisfied, he sat down a little uncomfortably, ears setting back with content as he stared out over the late-afternoon-lit water. He thought that the sunrise was probably beautiful here. He'd have to come wait around and see it. It never occurred to him that this land might belong to someone, or that he might be unwelcome... Speech

[Deleted]

King of the Coast, Kerberos

Laughter threatened the air, relief evident in his features as he broke away from the scent of females. Oh, it clung to him; when was the last time he had been welcomed into the piece of his own mind, without anything to be worried about other than himself. This time around, he carried with him a large bone, watching the meat cling to it. It was hard to tell what animal it had been, it was buried amongst so many scents. Only the wolf knew what it was, because he had slaughtered it and reburied it a few dozen times.

It was filthy, but he was unconcerned. Today would bring him another step forward, another step closer to the pleasure that reminded him of happily ever after. His father never would have dreamed that such a wolf could walk in his steps, now Kerberos could only have promised the better day. While he avoided the slopes that might have loosened and given away beneath his paws this time of year, it happened to beckon him in a single direction.

The coast lingered in a jagged outcrop, and he almost preened at the sight of his land. Anything that he touched, often enough he claimed as his own. While he was not completely ungenerous, he often contributed to the bloodshed and liquid of the rocks. Ah, he shared a world well valued, him and the ocean with the predators that lurked beneath the waters. He embraced the world greedily for what it had, what it meant for his welfare as long as he provided it back a little something.

When he stalled out, he almost dropped his bone at the sight of another male. Oh, he knew it was male, simply because it looked too silky to be a female. There was something to be said about a male when it caused Ker to stop and his tracks. It had never occurred to him to be fascinated about someone who wandered so blatantly into his lands. Not that it mattered, either the ocean would claim him, or Ker would; or the wolf would crawl away and be counted as one of the lucky ones.

Still, he approached with a boldness, tail flicking as he forced himself to look concerned. Only when he stalled out about three feet away from the wolf did he drop the long bone in his mouth, allowed it to clatter against the slippery stones. ”May I join you?” Wry words announced, question lingered in his voice as honest curiosity glazed over in that single eye. The other blank, empty socket looked intentionally brutal, but the reality was it had just never healed well.

[Kenren]

So engrossed in the waves he was that he didn't notice someone coming up behind him until the clattering sound of something hitting stone sounded behind him. "May I join you?" came the tones of a male, and Fial looked back over his shoulder to see a rather intimidating-looking figure. Or rather, he would be intimidating if Fial had the presence of mind to be scared. Instead he just said "Yes" in a pleasant tone, then turned back to the water. He didn't say anything for a minute or so, not even thinking that he might need to or that it would be polite. Then the little voice at the back of his head broke through his admiration for the landscape and he turned to the other wolf, shifting his body against the rocks where his bony joints were already threatening to bruise the skin. It was times like these that his malnourished body protested, with only a small layer of skin between the hard ground and his bones. He really should eat soon... He gave the other wolf a rather serious, contemplative look. "Tell me, is the sunrise here spectacular? I'll likely wait around anyway, but tell me what you think." From any other wolf, it might have been a joke. But there was nothing but genuine curiosity in Fial's eyes, and his voice was earnest and sincere. Speech

[Deleted]

King of the Coast, Kerberos


Studious gaze watched the new comer with a fair bit of amusement. Oh, how lovely that he was invited to stand on the steps of his father’s path. The fact that he had watched the stones smoulder and burn once upon a time was not lost on him. His head tipped to the side and laughter touched the tip of his tongue. They were talking about the sunset were they? The giant wolf rolled his shoulders and shrugged carefully.

"When the black coast does not have the deadly seas warning of the blues,” The male allowed loftily, "It often paints itself in magnificent shades of the sun, indeed. It’ll steal your breath away, most undoubtedly.” Especially on the nights in the autumn when the bloodshed begun. Sometimes the violent that was erupted on the plains seemed to match the paint the world threw on the horizon in the mornings.

"I have been here three and a half years, since I hit six months old.” Warm voice purred as he stretched himself out beside the other wolf, noting the form. The male looked like he needed to eat. Like he needed to be taken care of by someone else. What an oddity that was to see in a male, but then he acknowledged not all had the heritage that he had been blessed with. Even some of the best he had known had been sculpted in some way or another. "Wandered my fair share of the Coastlines around our world, but nothing is quite as powerful as the reds that this spot here can give you.”

Reverence in his voice lingered for a few long moments, before he swallowed down the bitterness. Ah, his father had granted him things he could not appreciate. That was forever something he could not grasp, so his tail swished with a show of irritation. "How long do you suspect you’ll linger, friend?” Companionable. Kerberos was a good act when he wished to, but his innocent single eyed gaze blinked, waiting patiently. Spider, yes. That was an appropriate description. Come into his web, odd wolf, and Ker would happily have him devoured.