stop singing doombops

The move to the new packlands had been hectic and busy for the entire pack, but for Aethon it had been nothing short of fascinating. Travelling all throughout the new landscapes had given him the opportunity to see beyond the borders in which he'd previously been confined, a welcome change that had inspired something in him. There was a great wide world with a whole lot going on, and he wanted to spend his youth learning as much as he could before he got out there. He was not the biggest of his littermates, nor even the most ferocious, but his father had made it quite clear that the world was a harsh place. He would need to ensure he was strong, able to protect his sisters as he'd been ordered, and make something of himself.

He'd felt drawn to the island as night fell, the time when he felt most inclined to venture out and explore. It was easier on his pale flesh, now that summer was in full swing. So he'd snuck off from the den in search of something to occupy his time. His sire's mastiff's had recently whelped their own pups, and he'd laid claim to one of the males recently. A stocky canine, with an interesting mixture of the minimalist white and russet markings from both of his parents. Nice to look at, and probably a pretty good friend in the grand scheme of things. So he'd brought along his new friend on the adventure, which involved a bit of late-night swimming.

The gap between the beach on the mainland and the nearest edge of the island was easy enough for his growing body to manage, though the younger mastiff struggled a little. Which was no bother, the boy was more than happy to paddle along slowly in the dim light of the sunset, watching the sky change colours while he chatted with his companion. The pair picked their way around the beach searching for shells afterwards, using the last of the sun's setting rays and their subtle glint against shiny, wet keratin to pick the shells out amidst the shining sand of the beach. The two pups moved aimlessly up and down the water's edge as the sky turned to a bruised purple, amassing a pile of various seashells and colourful crab carapaces as they did.