Time to begin

 


Walk | Talk | Think

Gale had not known quite what to expect when Glacier and Voltage had mentioned leaving the mountain for some place along the coast. She had rather liked the high peaks of the mountain and the winds that buffeted against them, the bracing chill that made her feel alive and rejuvenated, even if they had calmed during the past months. Eventually they would return, she was sure of it, and she wanted to be there when they did. But there was no denying the fact the mountain was simply not large enough for the lot of them anymore. With the addition of their four youngest siblings they had exceeded their capacity.

When it came down to it, though, she trusted her brothers. They were going to do their best to find a location that would appease most of them - to appease all of them was impossible - and they would do everything in their power to make the transition as easy as possible. She held her reservations close, especially when Serefina had been so vocal about her disapproval, and stuck close to her littermates, all the while watching her elder brothers curiously. They seemed in good enough spirits overall, and she hoped the rest of them might come close to the same sentiments when it came down to it.

The beach was very unlike the one they had washed up on when they had crossed into Alacritia from their island home. For starters, the sands were not pale and sandy white, but black and shimmering, almost blinding in spots. And yet it was soft beneath her paws, ground fine and safe and cool to the touch. The waters were energetic and loud, crashing a ways down the shoreline and making enough of a ruckus that Gale was content to stay away from them. Water had never been her favorite point, but she glanced at Locha to see any approval on her sibling's face. But, oh, it was the chilling marine breeze that called to her most, that brushed through her windblown grey and lavender fur and seemed to carry up her spirits with it. She found herself smiling before she realized it. Maybe this could actually work.

But her sudden optimism was stamped as Glacier and Voltage carried on their speeches to the lot of them, which received further reproof from their emotional Firefly. Like the spitfire she was, she was all sparks and fury, too hurt by leaving the mountain to even consider how her words might wound the rest of them, and she was gone the moment they were out of her mouth. Gale watched after her with a look that was a mixture of irritation and sympathy. The girl just had too hot a head for her body; she could never take things easily, it was always either extremely well or extremely bad. Locha tried to keep up, but it was Voltage who went to Serefina in the end, as it should have been as far as Gale was concerned. They were the closest, not just relationship-wise, but in temperament as well. She hoped he would be able to settle the fires raging in their sister wherever she had ran away to.

A look back at her mountainous elder brother told her that though he was holding himself together rather well, there was still a part of him that was shaken by Firefly's outburst. And how could he not be? Even Gale had been off put by it, but knowing her own relationship to the girl to be somewhat rocky on its best days she knew better than to step in and say anything. Likely she just would have made it worse. But in this, with Glacier, she was sure she could help. He did the best he could redirecting their conversation, speaking to those left, though it took a quick glance around for her to realize another somewhere along the way had gone missing. Jeez, were they getting too eager to explore on their own, or were more wanting to run off and throw pity parties like their sister?

Figuring she ought to step in and offer her two cents, the cool and casual wolf stepped forward into their midst and spoke herself. "I don't think it's that bad now that I'm here," she stated matter-of-factly. "I mean, the beach wasn't really my first choice since I'm no Seabird like Locha, but I have to say the winds here are nice. And the skies are sooo clear, you can see everything up there." She tipped her head skyward as she spoke of it, her eyes squinted against the light but her half-smile still firmly in place. It might have smelled a little funny, but that was a small price to pay really. There was enough room here between the caves for all of them, and enough in the landscape to satisfy most of them. They would find a way to make it work, she was sure of it.

Her smile widening into a grin, she added somewhat eagerly, "And I'm looking forward to exploring those caves. Dibs on the biggest one!"