Orain had finally made it to the North and she'd welcomed it's colder temperatures. She'd taken a day or two to rest after trekking through the Battlefield and her cracked paws had thanked her for it. So much hard travel had taken a toll on her small body. It was times like this that she wished she had the height and muscle the rest of her family had been blessed with. Anyway, after some R&R the wolf had travelled further North at a more leisurely pace, stopping to hunt every now and then. Without realising, Orain had swerved slightly East and a week after leaving the open waste of the Battlefield she found herself faced with the beauty of the coast. The beach in front of her was perhaps of of the most beautiful sights she'd seen. The sand was lined with ancient palms and jagged cliffs bordered the cove. That wasn't what caught her attention though. The sand was completely black. It was so dark it seemed to steal all the light that shone on it. Picking up her pace, Orain made her way down to the sand and simply stood in the surf observing its peculiarity.

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

Natha stalked along the black sand, putting her morning walk to good use as she looked for tracks in the mysterious sand. There wasn't much of interest, just the usual seagull tracks. They'd been circling overhead for some time but she ignored them… for now. The secret she'd found to hunting such birds was to pretend she wasn't interested and to wait for one of the annoying creatures to work up enough nerve to make a pass at her so she could mangle it with her claws.

As she travelled along though she came across a set of wolf prints. Her ears flicked back but ultimately her curiosity won out and she followed the tracks to see a reddish wolf standing in the surf but what was most peculiar about this wolf was that she was so much shorter than Natha. Natha was large for her species but on this continent it wasn't often she met a wolf who stood half a foot shorter. She grinned and slinked toward the wolf. "Planning to go for a swim are we? I wouldn't recommend it. The riptide will swallow you."

Caora stared down at her paws as the waves swirled the black sand around them, slowly burying them. It felt the same as normal sand did, just as soft and as prone to get everywhere you don't want it to get. Already she could feel the wind whipping little grains into her fur. She bit back a groan at the thought of how long it would take to get it all out.

The wolf lifted her head to look out to sea, trying to measure exactly where the sky met the water when she heard a voice behind her. "Planning to go for a swim are we? I wouldn't recommend it. The riptide will swallow you." Orain turned around. Fuck that was a big cat. If the feline came much closer Orain would have to crane her neck to look at her. Not for the first time, the she-wolf cursed her distinct lack of height. Orain lifted her head in a feeble attempt to seem a bit taller bit it wasn't much use. Growing up with tall bullies of brothers taught her that.

"Will it just." She was struggling to keep the hostility out of her voice. She couldn't tell if the cat was being condescending or not. "It seems I'll have to pass on the swim, although I do love swimming in freezing water." Orain paused to pull her sunken paws from the wet sand. "How did you know about the riptides?"

I'd rather be dead than live a lie
BURN THE WHITE FLAG!

A cold grin graced Natha's lips as she watched the wolf intently. She rather liked the surprise on the canines face at her appearance. It wasn't often she got to lord her height over the wolves of this realm. The wolf did not seem to be amused. "Oh yes, freezing water does wonders for waking up the spirit… or so I've been told. I don't do water." In her opinion fur and water did not mix though she'd met some of her kind that did occasionally swim and of course the canines didn't seem to have near the aversion to it that they should have.

How did you know about the riptides?

Natha let out a soft, genuine chuckle. "I don't, I was just being an ass. This is my first time to this location though I could probably spot a rip current if there were any but that doesn't seem to be the case now." She gazed out at the water for a moment before turning back to the wolf. "My name is Natha Críoch. Would you happen to know what sort of prey resides here? All I've seen thus far are the gulls though they've been irritating enough that they just might be worth a shot."