It was a new day and supposedly a new chance for adventure. Rivin's green gaze was thoughtful as she made her way out onto the black sands of the beach. Her mind was in her family. She thought of Eden and Baelfire and their disappearance. She thought about what her future role in the plunder might be. Pups weren't supposed to leave the Pirate's lands right now… so how was she supposed to go back to the Gulley and pick more plants?

Rivin huffed.

There was a bigger picture, there always was. She moved across the sand, red streaks rippling with each step. Her ears folded back against her head and she turned her gaze toward the ocean. Her father's warning echoed in her mind but Rivin approached it anyway. She kept going until she was knee deep. She could feel the ebb and flow of the waves against her legs.

"I hate that we can't leave…" The girl mumbled. "I bet this is because of mom and Bael. They could have just avoided trouble like they were supposed to. They could have called for dad… for anyone from the Armada!" Salty tears stung Rivin's eyes.

"It's their fault daddy is on edge. I hate them!" Rivin kept her gaze fixed on the water. "I hate you guys! Do you hear me?! I hate you!" Tears had begun streaming down her cheeks.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" She squeezed her eyes closed. She wanted to hit something. She wanted to release all this pent up emotion… but what could she do? She was just a kid!

All You Have Is Your Fire...

Pyralis had gotten herself into a bit of a situation. Crabs had shown up along the beach and the crabs had attracted seagulls so Pyralis had waited for one particularly large seagull to get good and full before she pounced. Gorged with grab the seagull struggled to get lift and had flown right under a large log of drift wood. Pyralis, intent on her price didn't realize that she was too big to fit under it as well but she was just limber enough in her old age to have pinned the bird down with her paws. Now if she could just… get her jaws… closer. Her hind limbs scrambled as she pushed herself forward. Would she get stuck? Probably. Would it be worth it if she could kill the bird? Yes. Using her paws she attempted to drag it closer. Inch by inch she scooted the struggling creature forward until she got its feet in her jaws, with a swift bite she broke them and released the bird.

Backing up she managed to unpin herself and took off after the seagull, once more pinning it to the ground. Huzzah! She was about to dine when she heard the screaming of a pup. Uh oh… that wasn't good. Pyralis picked up the seagull and trotted toward the sound of the pup. The seagull, which was very much still allied, screeched and flapped, its loose wing continuously beating Pyralis in the face til she stopped near the pup and dropped it. Swiftly pinning it once more. "I was going to ask if everything was alright but I can see that it's not. What happened?"

Rivin hadn’t expected anyone to come around but well, the pup hadn’t exactly been quiet. The female pup turned to someone else’s voice, a stranger she hadn’t met yet, though she smelled of the Plunder. She frowned, gaze shifting to the seagull for a moment before lifting back to the lady. “It’s my dumb mom and brother…” She explained, her tail lashing back and forth. “We don’t know where they went, or why, but they’ve up and disappeared. They left us.” The girl narrowed her eyes. “It’s their fault my daddy is so on edge… I hate them! They have betrayed our family and the plunder! I hope they never come back!” She huffed.  Big words and bigger anger for a kid that didn’t fully understand the situation. Rivin flicked her ears back again, her gaze shifting up to the woman. “I’m just really angry. I don’t know how to make the anger stop.” The kid said, huffing again. “How do I make it stop?” "Talk," 'Think.'

All You Have Is Your Fire...

Pyralis wracked her brain for a moment before pinning down the pups parents as Ignis and Eden. Ahhh… that's right. She remembered now that Eden had vanished along with one of the pups. Not much was known. Either they'd left of their own volition or something had happened to them. Possibly abduction, possibly murder. Neither one of those options would probably make the pup feel better and she wasn't the sort to offer platitudes or false hope that they might have gotten lost and would show up any day now.

"I'm sorry. I don't have any answers for where they are. We don't have any choice but to move on without them. As for your anger, you have to let it run its course. Bottling it up or pretending you aren't angry when you are is stupid. The best thing is to help get it out in a constructive way… take hunting." Pyralis shifted her weight forward onto the gull until it suddenly screeched. "Have you ever killed prey before? You don't have to be dainty and precise about it if you don't want to. Rip the bird apart. Go ahead," Pyralis encouraged as she stepped off the gull. It immediately started to flap and flop in the sand, unable to stand and take off.

The old woman before her apologized. She didn’t have any clue where they were either, but at least she wasn’t playing at it like they might be found or show up again. Rivin frowned deeply, listening to her say that it wasn’t good to bottle up her anger or pretend that she wasn’t angry was stupid. Rivin didn’t know much about handling her anger yet, but the woman offered something. Hunting. As the gull screeched the red-streaked girl shifted her gaze to the bird. It was helpless, laying there on the sand broken. Her green eyes narrowed at the sight of it. She didn’t know why, but seeing it like that made her madder. She hadn’t ever killed something before, only ate what her father brought back, but at Pyralis’ invite, the girl dove for the bird. It was a good thing that the old pirate had said she didn’t need to be dainty and precise, because goodness knew Rivin wasn’t. She tore at the screeching gull as it tried to flap and flop in the sand, ripping into its wings, and sending blood and feathers flying everywhere. She avoided the main body at first, finding gruesome satisfaction in its screeching as it grew more distressed. As the bird began to slow she focused on its head now. It was small and delicate. A quick CRUNCH ended the gull’s struggles, and the girl, her white muzzle stained with red, backed off, panting. She looked down at the mess she had made of the gull. It was shredded, torn to bits… but she felt a bit better. She looked up at Pyr, licking the blood from her lips. “That helped.” The pup confessed. “How did you know it would? Did one of your folks leave you behind, too?” She was curious about the old pirate now, her green gaze fixed on Pyralis curiously. "Talk," 'Think.'

All You Have Is Your Fire...

Pyralis grinned with satisfaction as the pup pounced on the bird and began to tear it asunder. It was sloppy and messy but it worked and soon the gull was dead and blood was left to glisten off the dark rocks of the beach. She could remember her own early days hunting, when her older family members would bring in wounded and injured prey for the pups to practice on. "Good work." Pyralis praised the girl. "If you're hungry go ahead and eat." Rivin made the kill so it was only right she get to eat, especially as her first kill.

Pyralis shifted as the girl asked how she knew that would help. Her grin faded. "Let's just say my family had certain expectations of me and if they were not met I was punished. It made me very angry… I learned through trial and error what helped and what didn't. Hunting, fighting, running. These all help me. I can't sit still when I feel like I'm going to burst."

The lady praised her for killing the gull. It had been messy, and there was blood and feathers everywhere but she had made her first kill. Rivin licked the blood on her muzzle, gaze sliding back to the bird. Her stomach rumbled a little and she decided to follow the older pirate’s advice and eat, tearing into the flesh of the bird once more, though this time taking a moment to flavor the taste of its flesh on her tongue. She noticed the grin on the woman fade at her question, and Rivin flicked her ears back. By the sounds of it she had it rough. She’d been punished if certain expectations weren’t met and Rivin growled, puffing out her chest. “Well that was wrong of them to do that!” She lifted her head. “Now that you’re big, I bet no one would mess with you now!” Rivin’s green eyes narrowed a bit. “And if they try, I’ll bite them too! No one messes with a pirate!” There was already a sense of loyalty to her fellow pack members brewing within the girl. “What’s your name?” The girl realized she didn’t even know the name of the pirate she was speaking with. She frowned, tilting her head to the side. “Do you want some of the bird too? You’re the one who brought it here.” Sure the older pirate had given her the okay to eat it, but… "Talk," 'Think.'

All You Have Is Your Fire...

The pups words fully pulled her from her thoughts and she smirked. "Exactly. The training was brutal but its paid off. I keep my skills sharp and even as old as I am I still hold my own against wolves younger and stronger than myself." She grinned thinking to her raid victories. Sure she'd had some losses but her victories dwarfed those in her mind. All in all she'd had a pretty good run.

"Name's Pyralis, Pyralis Abraxas. What about you? Oh, and eat your fill. I was just toying with the bird. I'm not hungry and you need to eat to grow up big and strong." Pyralis often got into trouble when she needed something to distract herself. Terrorizing the local wildlife was a growing past time, especially when she felt the need to share the pain that tormented her more and more with her old age.