Dunstan had never seen the small creatures with their claws to him, but he knew what a potential meal looked like, and it seemed that they knew what a wolf was as they scuttled away under the sand. Fish, a known food, may have been better tasting and easier to catch, but Dunstan found himself profoundly curious as to what the new creatures tasted like. And so it was he found himself digging for them as they tried their best to escape his jaws.

Dunstan caught one glimpse of one in the corner of his eye, and slowly approached it, creeping up slowly so as not to startle it. At the last second, excitement overcame him and he pounced a little too early, causing the creature to quickly move away from him and burrow down deep into the sand. Dunstan let out a frustrated huff. "Would it be better to catch fish?" Dunstan wondered aloud as he paced, thinking that perhaps he had managed to scare all the strange, potentially delicious creatures looked like.

The fall days of Auster were giving way to winter but the constant dreary state that usually accompanies those days has yet to fully arrive. That means there this is still sunshine to be had and the young pup is taking full advantage of it. Callie’s boundless energy has finally convinced her mother that the girl needed to go out on adventure so the pair made their way to the cove dominated by crabs. Having been here once already, she understood that she should give the creatures a wide berth if she wanted to avoid the painful pinch of their claws.

Fern, the girl’s mother, hangs back; lingering nearby while allowing the pup the freedom to roam. Caladia happily splashes in one of the tidal pools, getting herself soaking wet and enjoying it immensely. After a while, she grows tried and moves off to rest in the shade of a large rock, stretching her body out as far as it will go. The sounds of another reach her ears and the pup stills as a stranger comes into view. She watches him attempt to catch one of the scuttling creatures and miss which has a knowing grin tugging at her lips.

He then poses a question to the empty air and Callie cannot resist answering, “Don’t give up!” Springing up to her paws, she fearless bounds over to the unknown wolf, a huge smile on her youthful lips. Having been here before, the girl has a few tips about how to hunt the crabs… which she is more than happy to share. Cheerful voice offers encouraging words as she says, “These things are tricky and their claws are painful if they get you. But I know a secret!” Mismatched eyes sparkle as she tilts her head and offers, “Want me to help you?”

Hunting is a passion for the pup and she likes to take every opportunity she can to catch creatures. Yes, she is younger than the stranger and she doesn’t even know their name but that doesn’t stop Callie from offering to help. Someone behind her, hiding in plain sight, her mother keeps a watchful eye over the pair.


"Caladia Carpathius"

Dunstan startled a little at the sudden appearance of the younger, but once it became clear she was there to offer assistance he let his guard down a little. She was young, which was made clear to Dunstan through the fact that she was accompanied by an older wolf, perhaps a parent or guardian. Dunstan wished he had had his mother at the age that this pup seemed to be.

He nodded in agreement, having no doubts that the claws would hurt if they managed to pinch Dunstan's nose, but he was fine with the addition of more scars on his small frame if it meant he could have a meal. He imagined it would be difficult for the creature to escape if it was caught on his nose and he moved his jaws in just the right way, so maybe it would be worth it after all, even with the pain that would no doubt be caused by the angry creature.

"Sure." Dunstan agreed. He didn't see the harm in allowing for a helper, especially one with a strategy for catching the creatures. "Have you ever caught a...one of those...before? What's the secret?"

He felt a little silly for not knowing the name, but he hoped that his unawareness of such creatures wasn't considered too odd.

Being a pup, Caladia is fearless and she bounds up to stranger without the slightest care in the world. Fern hangs back, allowing the willful pup the opportunity to engage the stranger while staying close enough to step in if they prove to be untrustworthy. The pup is quick to offer up the secret on how to catch crabs as her tail wags happily behind her. Mismatched eyes look at the older wolf as she waits for him to reply and, when she does, the girl cheerfully slaps the ground with her paws as she bounces in place for a moment.

She does not notice the way he glosses over the name of the creatures and she unknowingly supplies the name of them to the boy as she says, “’Kay! Now, about these crabs. See how they have their pinchy claws in front of them and how move from side to side?” To demonstrate her point, the young Callie moves toward one of the creature’s and it raises its claws at her ing warning. Slapping a paw near the right side of it, while being sure to stay out of pinching range, the small crab scuttles sideways, away from her.

Blue and green eyes turn back to the stranger, wondering if they had seen the important piece that is missing in the puzzle. Eyes shine with happiness as she waits to hear what they think so far.


"Caladia Carpathius"

Dunstan watches the wag of the younger's tail and allows himself to feel a little more at ease despite the fact that he does not know the pup or her mother. He is grateful, however, for the fact that she apparently knows the names of these creatures. Crabs. That works for him. Whatever they were called, they would certainly be a good meal if there was a special method of catching them. Or perhaps this was a type of prank. Dunstan allows himself to believe, if only because the sound of 'crab' sounds like it will lessen the hunger that is almost constant to him.

He watches as she almost teases the crab, but it makes sense to him once he sees the way that it's moving. "So if the pinching claws are on the front of the, er, crab, I need to make sure I get the back of the crab?"

He says it in a way that makes him sound not totally convinced he is right. This is, after all, the first time he is interacting with the crabs and with the pup, and he doesn't want to seem foolish for not knowing what someone who is younger knows so clearly. Regardless, he waits for her response, either chiding him for what is obvious or praising him for being so astute. Dunstan does not feel very astute.

Callie is thoroughly enjoying her time with the stranger as she finds that she is eager to teach someone something that she already knows. Instructing the male to watch, she slaps the ground near one of the crabs and watches it scuttle sideways before turning her mismatched gaze back to the yearling. Ears perk as he speaks and the smile on her face, grows into a beam as he understands what she was trying to show him.

Nodding vigorously, the girl chirps, “Yep! Their backs are completely unprotected! All you need to do is grab it from behind and you have a nice treat! Their shells can be a little crunchy but the crab meat is super sweet.” Bouncing over to him once more, the girl happily offers her name, “By the way, I’m Caladia! But everyone calls me Callie. Hey, want to catch some crabs together? I’ll distract them if you catch them! Or, uh, you can distract and I’ll grab the first one! Whatever you want.”

Excitement has her talking a mile-an-hour her blue and green eyes shining with joy while her paws tippy-tap the ground in anticipation.


"Caladia Carpathius"

Dunstan finds the energy of the young pup fascinating, and her familiarity with the crabs is quite welcome. The crabs scuttling around clearly find her tippy-tappy paws a bit unsettling, but Dunstan sees this as a pro rather than a con. The crabs are prey, after all.

He has to pause for a second to comprehend her words, she talks so fast. Dunstan's own rather slow way of speaking picks up just a little bit so that she doesn't have to sit through what he imagines would be a rather dull speech if he spoke slowly. "I'm Dunstan. I don't really have any nicknames."

Which was false, since his mother had given him a few sugary-sweet ones but he doesn't want Callie to know that. It's a little embarrassing. That isn't the point, though, and he soon focuses back and agrees with her first idea.

"I can catch if you distract." Dunstan says, "And maybe we can switch if you want."

The pup doesn’t mean to talk so fast but meeting someone new and getting to teach them too? Well, of course she is excited. The boy offers his name and the girl flashes him a huge, beaming smile while saying, “Pleasure to meet you Dunstan!” She means it too; the boy may be older than her but he doesn’t seem to mind getting a few pointers. To Callie, that means he is her new friend. Tail wags as he talks about catch them and her eyes shine brightly with eagerness.

Chirping an, “Okay!” she quickly picks out a really big crab and sets herself in front of it. Darting a glance to Dunstan, she flashes him a grin before starting to harass the creature. Many others have scuttled away from the crab so it gives her plenty of room to work. She growls at the thing, lunging in snap at its face before leaping back to avoid the pinching claws. Having her boundless energy is useful right now and she takes full advantage of it.

Paws slap the sand on either side of crab, keeping it from scuttling away and forcing it to take a defensive stance. Its claws raise in a threatening gesture and Callie manages to keep its attention on her and away from Dunstan. With another growl, she feints an attack and the creature stands tall in an attempt to fend her off. The crab is doomed and it doesn’t even know it.


"Caladia Carpathius"

Dunstan watches as she darts away in front of a new crab, one that looks a bit large. Dunstan is a little anxious to be snipped at by this crab, but if she thinks he can do it, he will try his best. He is older, so he feels a little bit as though he must prove himself to her. Even if he has just learned the proper way to catch these creatures.

He comes up quietly behind the crab, something that is easier due to his small size. Not to mention Callie's distraction of the crab. He feels he can get it, and doesn't think about the possibility of getting his nose pinched by an annoyed crab. He can do this, and then it will be his turn to distract. For some reason, that makes him more nervous. What if he gets pinched then?

Dunstan grabs the crab in between his jaws and bites down until he hears a crunch and it stops moving. He puts it down. "Is it reasonable for one to share a crab, or is it generally just eaten by one person?"

He thinks it is a bit small to share, but he doesn't want to be rude by making a mistake simply because he doesn't know the customs of eating the creatures.