Ahh, the islands. Such a nice place to take a short break from her endless rabbit/racoon/fox hunts that welcomed her day after day. Don't get Nala wrong, she adores her job! It was just... she was getting older and was feeling lonely. Other than her boss and co-worker, Bright, and the merciful alpha, Leo, who had given her second and final chance, the untouched white female was all alone and nobody truly seemed like they wanted to talk to her or want to know her. Maybe it was because they were too busy with their occupations and/or families. Why did it feel like she was the only adult who had little to no social skills?

These islands were called the 'Love Islands' and with luck, for a good reason. She needed a best friend, although someone who meant something to her would be even more appreciated. However, true love was hard to find, but if one was going to find it, why not search here first by sitting and letting another lonely soul arrive and talk to her.

Saltwater waves wash up by her paws, trying to tickle her to make her smile, but when it was proved unuseful, it backed away. The sea tried this may times to cheer her up, but the spray only made her eyes water even more. Palm trees swayed faintly in the leaving monsoon breeze, a couple of rouge flowers, taking gentle flight, one catching Nala by surprise by unexpected impact of it getting stuck behind her ear. The scene wasn't the ideal setting sun leaning on her man's shoulder, but it was as close as she was going to get.

Abaven had been quiet, too quiet for his liking. A few seasons ago he had been feeling a little overwhelmed with how many wolves in the pack he didn't know. It seemed like every day he came across an unfamiliar face, though still used his initiative to make another friend. At the time, the pack had been taking in so many new members, so for him, one of the oldest members remaining, it had been hard to keep up. Sometimes it had been discouraging knowing there were many newer, younger canines in the pack better than him. Though Abaven needed to flourish and build up its forces. That was yesterday, however. Today was different. He hadn't seen his best friend at the meeting, nor around the pack. He had searched every inch of the territory for the blue female, and though the rest of the pack considered her "lost", he wasn't ready to accept that. They were best friends, buddies since childhood, orphan pals. Their common interests and orphaned state were what had brought them together. They trained together, always got along, never fought. Where had she gone? Had she abandoned him like his brothers had? Because the pack lacked activity, he ventured out of the territory to search for his friend. He winded around the eastern territories - all that bordered the pack before scouting the coastline. A cluster of islands within view of the shore laid on the horizon, catching his eye. She had come from a different land, hadn't she? He couldn't see why she would want to return to her home island with such a traumatic upbringing, but he decided to explore it anyway. The churning waves pulled him back and the tide swept his body about as he paddled his way over the channel. Quite an effort, he had to admit, though equally satisfying when the tip of toes could finally touch the base of the ocean at the other side. Emerging from the water, he shook his chestnut coat before scampering down the beach, searching for a suitable entrance into the forest. Though before he could find one, an alabaster figure caught his eye. Ah, a local, perhaps a family member of his friend? It was worth a check. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he softly asked the tall lady as he approached to stand beside her. "SPEAK"

The voice, at first, gave her a start, but he didn't seem to mind her presence, guessing that he too was just looking for some company and conversation. "It is very pretty." The untouched snow she-wolf smiled shyly, unsure of what more to say to the dark brown canine that had placed himself beside her.

Clearing her throat and bowing her head a little bit, sapphire eyes look at the newcomer nervously. "My name is Nalamimi, but I am fine with being called Nala, Mims, or Mimi." A sideways grin tried surfacing, however, it made her feel like an idiot, so she ceased and looked away distractedly. Just then, her face lit up when a horde of teeny-weeny little crustaceans came in from the tide and was scuttling all over. There was only one thing you could do with those...

Gently, the baronet nudged the stranger and pointed to one headed by the pair. "Hey, check this out!" Her light raspberry nostrils barely poked the microscopic critter when it jumped up and buried itself in the sand. She snickered and pointed to the dent where the crab was trying to hide."Did you see that!? That is hysterical and there's a bunch more over there!! They come in with the high tides and leave in the low. If you jump with a big group, they will jump and try to get into other crabs' dens! It is even funnier than poking them or chasing them. They are fast little things too, so running after them is entertaining also."

She had been near islands only once before and the crustaceans were in their departing stage, but it was really exhilarating for Nala! What would having incoming beach visitors be like to play around with? Would the other scene admirer find the same amusement with the little mobile rocks? Probably not, but just maybe.

She seemed a little shy and nervous in his presence, though that was understandable. Not everyone was used to company, especially when a stranger just happened to sit beside you. She was quick to introduce herself, however, exchanging a rather mouthful of a name. He couldn't quite catch it over the sound of the pulsing waves, though fortunately she offered a few nicknames. "I like Nala," he mused softly, a small smile dancing on his lips as he turned his head to meet her gaze. Oh, where was his manners? He had to introduce himself, of course. "I'm Tinaro." He chose not to go by a nickname, although a couple of his friends he allowed to address him as 'Tin'. She looked away, catching him by surprise, only for her features to light up. Momentarily, she nudged him, gesturing to a minuscule creature skittering across the sand before slipping into a small dip in the sand. A den? He had never seen such critters before, having spent his entire life further inland, though it seemed this female knew a lot about these...crabs, was it? Quite a lot, actually. Surely she lived on this island, or perhaps around the coastline of the mainland. "Do you reside here?" he inquired with a curious tilt of his head. "SPEAK"

Nala seemed to be the most common of her nicknames. Only a few who she had passed on her first accidental journey had actually used Mims or Mimi to call her by. Tinaro was also quite an interesting name; almost seemed regal, the way he said it, just made her mind think of a gold shimmer off of some foreign object, but her imagination came up with much more insane ideas that just a yellow metallic shine.

Her sudden interest in the little diggers seemed to interest Tinaro to the whimsical girl's surprise. He glared at the one where her pink nostrils touched it, which made a laugh emerge. The chestnut man asked if she lived on the low-lying islands all by herself. 'No,' Baronet thought to herself, 'I have walked across the shore once and thought these things were quite amusing, so I found ways to play with them!!' Mind speech commanded her lips to move, replicating shards of the answer conjured up. "No. I am social and am in a pack. I just have visited a beach before and saw these teeny guys. I was... four months then, so it was quite an adventure playing with these crustaceans."

Cheeks brightened with pinkish red, tail wagging happily, head looking to the colorful one to the risk ( a group of crustaceans) of pea crabs scuttling about. "Care to do the honors?" A giggling grin was undeniably smeared on her muzzle.

He was a bit disappointed with her answer, though was wary not to allow that disappointment to show on his chestnut features. He had been hoping she was an islander and perhaps knew of the whereabouts of his missing cyan friend, though he reminded himself to be realistic. The likelihood of him finding the very land she had come from and someone who knew of her was extremely unlikely. Perhaps she hadn't returned to her former home and instead had ventured further inland. However, one thing remained certain: the longer he searched for her, his faith and determination in finding her decreased. Would he ever find her? Was she gone forever? She was, however, a pack wolf. Oh, why hadn't he picked that up in her scent instead of asking if she lived on this silly island? Of course this wasn't her home. "And which pack is that, miss?" he inquired, quickly adding his own. "I'm from Abaven." Though this pack of hers didn't seem to be situated around the coast, it appeared she had ventured to the edge of the mainland as a child. "I've lived inland my entire life, so I've never really seen the ocean before," he confessed with a shy chuckle, unsure what the female, who seemed so confident in this sandy region, would think of him. Surely he wasn't he only one who had never laid his eyes on the sparkling water that met the sky? Her twinkling gaze never seemed to leave the crabs, and with a giggling grin she asked if he cared to do the honours. His emerald gaze flickered between her and the crabs, a frown creasing his expression. "The honours of what, miss?" he asked again, feeling foolish for not knowing. "SPEAK"

Stray particles of sand flew into quite an irritable place, around her lower shoulder blade to be exact, creating an obnoxious itching sensation that called her jaws to snap to be rid of the annoying feeling, succeeding after the third time the shore had run away.  Other than when that happened, this place was very beautiful and just because it was the first time she had ever truly been to this place,it was as breathtaking as the sight of Heaven. The snowy white woman was glad she was there with someone who could enjoy this glorious view with her. The chestnut Tinaro was from a group called Abaven, a name of which she heard never heard of, and he seemed to be a bit curious about her pack.

Wintery blue eyes look to him warmly and replies, "Fiori is where I call home. I used to wander around ever since I was four months old and whatever happened, I had to deal with it on my own, so when I met the alpha for the first time, it was a nice change to meet someone who didn't attack me. Since then, I have been less....defensive than I was." And as a matter of fact, the male she had just met not too long ago was getting on her good side a little bit faster than Bright or Leo were. Was that a good thing? Giddy giggles emerge when he cluelessly asked what it was that he was graciously given the honors to. Carefully, the huntress' helper tiptoed around the teensy walking rocks, only to charge forward on barked in response before landing with a hearty thud, frightening the fleet into his direction. "This!!"

The sand was quaint, he had to admit. It was lightly soft and warm underneath his paw, giving him the urge to frolic and dance through it. Though sometimes the occasional gusts of wind lifted the sand ever so effortlessly and sprayed the fine particles all over him. A few grains landed in his eye, causing him to furiously blink. The sand appeared to be irritating the fine lady as well, for she snapped her jaws about. "The sand is a bit," he searched for the right word, trying to stop his eyes from watering, "bothersome, no?" Her wintery blue eyes met his emeralds as she told him about Fiori - her home - and how she had come to find it after living a lone rogue life ever since puphood. Wow, he couldn't fully fathom the life as a rogue, living without the support and inclusion of a pack, especially as a pup. How could a child live their life all on their own? At least he had had Abaven to nurture him when his mother passed and brothers left. "Well, I've been in Abaven my entire life," he stated with another shy chuckle. "I'm probably one of the oldest members remaining. Not by age, but by how long I've been around." Way to go Tinaro, he thought bitterly to himself. Now she'll think you're old. Am I old? I can't be. Not yet. She responded to his clueless inquiry with giddy giggles; okay, so she wasn't frustrated, or the least bit annoyed. Phew. He watched with curious eyes as one crab in particular made its way around the cluster of the crustacean, charging forward and landing with a thud when the lady barked. Startled, the cluster of crabs jumped to life and scurried in his direction, and at the sight, he recoiled from the creatures, ensuring none of them crawled on his fur. "You...want me to scare them?" he asked breathlessly, still unsure at to what these honours were. "SPEAK"

It seemed to her that the chestnut male was very gentlemanly and thought of her very often, asking about where she was from and his curiosity that she thought only she genuinely found interest within. Before her leap of scaring scuttlers, Nala sheepishly whimpered. "Yeah. I guess it's because the wind wishes to misbehave like pups!" The snowy white woman laughed, yet once her eyes met his, She blushed and asked out of pure innocence, "How would you feel about having kids with someone special?" Maybe was a bit too early to be asking questions like that in the conversation, but why not ask? That way, if they ever met again and she had children, she would know to bring them to meet Tinaro or just leave them at home.

The brown Abaven resident had apparently been in his pack for as memory could permit, joking about how he was probably the eldest original member there if one compared him to the rest, but by 'how long he was around for'. Mimi chuckled with him, very intent with the story, then something seemed to twinge embarrassment or pain. Swiftly, she glanced at her paws, seeing if she had stepped on his paw and that was when the baronet noticed that she was right beside the wolf she just met. Now she understood why he might feel just the tiniest bit strange around her. 'Nice,' the lady scolded herself, 'You freaked him out! Asking about kids, then just now thinking about how close you are!? You're a mess, I tell you what.'

Seconds after the troop of crustaceans had flipped out and turned tail in direction, he struck her with a question that...she had never thought about until the moment he brought it up. Her icy gems look down, retracing all that she was doing, but the Pea crabs who appeared as if they were going to pop out of their shells, just rolled off into the upcoming waters. Nala just looked at the ocean with minuscule animals throwing their pincers up in the air as if on a roller coaster ride. "Uhh..I guess they run in the water. Never seen 'em do that before, but--." Muzzle directed the way the flecks of brown and white were washing away.

The wind behaving like a pup? He hadn't seen it like that. It was the wind, after all, such a graceful entity, flowing majestically. Though his mind couldn't fully fathom where it came from or what caused it, he just knew it was an important part of this world, like the rain and snow. Without it he didn't know what would happen. However, he had never viewed wind as a childlike thing, billowing wherever it wished, ever so playfully. He gave a soft grunt of agreement, continuing to shut his eyes to avoid the loose sand. Ash-tipped ears instantly perked at her next inquiry, making his head swivel around to meet her gaze with narrowed emeralds. What did she say? Having pups with someone special? With how she said it, it seemed like that "special someone" was her. By her expression it seemed to be just an innocent inquiry, and at the sight of her features, his tense form visibly relaxed. Okay, maybe he had overreacted just a bit. It was just a question, even if it wasn't one that was asked very often. He hadn't ever thought about it - having pups. Should he? Was it wrong not to think about it at this stage of his life? "If only my special someone was still around," he answered with a sigh, the hurt evident in his words. Oh, why had she left Abaven with no trace in sight? Why had she left him? Great, now he couldn't stop thinking about his cyan friend, the female he had grown up with as the only wolf he trusted, the girl he had feelings for. Even when they observed the tiny crabs scuttle about, eventually dashing into the water, the melancholy remained in his mood. He couldn't look at this alabaster woman without seeing Calypsei ever so vividly. Those blue eyes of hers are the exact same shade as her pelt. But this wasn't Calypsei. This was a different female. "Maybe they can survive on land and in water to get away from scary wolves like ourselves," he mused softly, a weak smile dancing on his lips. "SPEAK"

All the arthropods had restarted to bury themselves and fight one another while others had given up so early as to jump into the salty water without a second thought as the angelically pale she-wolf trotted back to the chestnut pack wolf. To have a mind like hers was quite rare and as was to think the same way is very rare, but every now and then there was someone who understood her logic; it was good that Tinaro was one of them.

Alas, the gleeful mood dissipated with his next words followed by a sigh. Seashell pink ears bent back, the tropical flower shifting yet staying in place, feeling horrid for asking such a question, understanding the familiar pang of pain he was feeling. The girl he liked apparently was no longer around, maybe she was just lost, but the timbre of his voice almost gave the impression that she was gone for good. Her tail tucked in shame, Nala kept her distance, but to where he could hear her self-imposed guilty apology. "I'm sorry." Icicle eyes glare at her paw that dashed away a rock that was an innocent bystander, "I know what it's like to lose someone...Actually, I lost all of them at once. But at least you have a family and a history to be thankful for. I have nothing really other than Fiori, and I don't all completely know them! Never forget to count your blessings." Though she used herself as a backboard, if she could raise his spirits, it would make her feel a bit better and the emotional wound that kept opening might not blight her as much.

Shellfish either had a short memory or held no grudges as two scuttled towards her tail curled beside her thin legs. Her muzzle shared a sneer to the pair, showing that she was speaking to someone who was like many of her counseling patients, meaning that it was rude to be disturbed, even by a couple of teeny pebbles with legs. The baronet confronted the Abaven man and returned a wider smile and uttered back, "Yeah. I think that also they are rather forgiving or have a short memory because these two here." The canine stood up and out of the way to the two, the one with the different sized pincers setting one on top of the other's shell, very close to the groove she made when she was situated.

Everyone knew what it was like to lose someone; who didn't? Whether it was a mother or sister or friend, death was inevitable. He was yet to meet someone who had their family and friends, all alive and happily together, never to have witnessed death. Well, he had met a couple of wolves with such a perfect life, in fact, though that luck had eventually  run out. Then they wept for days on end, not being able to cope with the loss. And oh, no-one had suffered as much as them. But what about him? Orphaned at a season old? Abandoned by his siblings? Left with no-one? Everyone seemed to sweep that under the carpet. Hmm, what a shame. As much as he hated dwelling in his dark thoughts, he needn't be reminded of his parents, like this female had casually assumed. At least you still have a family. Yeah right. Why couldn't everyone just read his thoughts? Explaining was just as painful as reliving the grief. "Well," he began with an awkward grimace. "I don't have a family either. Haven't had anyone since I was pup." But Abaven he had. He knew pretty much everyone in the pack; the old and the new and the in between. Having a pack that he still belonged to, considered his only family - that was a blessing. A home, good health, a couple friends (the ones who hadn't disappeared, at least) - those were blessings, he supposed. What was with this woman and crustacean? Why did they scuttle about and cling to her like she was their mother? He couldn't get his head around it. Was it a good thing? To have a connection...with crabs? Weird. "Maybe they need a little...reminder," he mumbled in a low voice, tentatively outstretching his paw to gently nudge the crabs forward. Fortunately, they didn't pinch him with those suspicious pinchers, though they managed to budge forward a few centimetres. He didn't want the creatures to be the centre of attention like they currently were. "SPEAK"

The way the pair were discussing things at the moment, it might be more appropriate at a dreary place, but this was the ocean for pity's sake! Why was she hanging on bland and upsetting subjects? (Besides, Nala wasn't making things any better for Tinaro.) Her head hung in embarrassment and shame, taking in his words and apologizing through the sand she tried to bury her muzzle in. "I'm sorry. I just keep on things when I get on a tangent." The hibiscus fell away from a seashell ear when Mimi rose her face back up, grains sticking around her pink and black inked nostrils, making the female wanting to sneeze, but she refused.

Now it was just him and her, nothing to distract her or make her do much else other than talk about something rather than what awaited them at home. Angelic white shoulders shrugged, feeling at a loss with the brown wolf beside her and tried again to a much happier thought. "Hey, do you want to go for a walk? I mean, if my earlier ensemble hasn't made me look like a complete imbecile and menace..." Frozen gems twinkle but ears were flat enough to balance rain drops on them. When the baronet felt she has wronged someone, she beats herself up quite a bit. The flower was picked up by its stem, whatever sand lying about now could fix the crevices the tropical blossom could have possibly made, and placed it in front of him, back feet soaked by the water that was surprisingly refreshing

A gentle sigh escaped his lips as he cast his emerald gaze over the water, willing for the ocean's calmness and serenity to be inhaled through his nose and fill his body, washing over him. There was no point in blaming her for not knowing; how was she supposed to know that he had no family? She could have politely asked, he supposed, but that didn't matter now. At one point in his life he had assumed everyone was an orphan, just like him. Then all his friends had begun to question if he had parents, when he had first met them. Being asked those words felt no different now compared to puphood. "It's alright," he finally murmured, swivelling his head back to meet her gaze and offer a weak smile. "I guess you didn't know." Now it was just awkward. Really awkward, especially around a woman. He could almost feel the tension, the uncomfortable atmosphere drifting around them. Why had he shown his hurt so openly? He should have just lied to save that pleasant aura in their conversation. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately?), she picked up the same feeling in the air, and with her crabs now far away at sea, she suggested taking a walk together. A walk would be nice, he supposed. Something to refresh his mind. "I'd like that very much," he replied as he rose to his paws, though not before picking up her fallen hibiscus and carefully placing it back behind her ear. "You...uh...lost that." "SPEAK"

OOC: Terrible post! X.X

His sigh would either mean he understood her apologies or he was getting tired of Nala's obnoxiousness. Tinaro was a rather nice guy, but sometimes the snow white girl cold be a bit...much for others without even meaning to, yet the chestnut wolf let the mistakes slide away. Her glare met his and she blushed; raising herself for a stretch before anything else occurred, a walk or not, muscles were getting tingly and sleepy. Drenched sand gave way to the bulldozing paw pads shoving them away with little care until a rock poked her, saying she had gone far enough and to stand back up. Though they were words of encouragement, ears remained flat in embarrassment. Contrasting from that was a grateful smile and a perky tail. Before they began, he placed her flower decoration back behind one of her seashell pink ears and blush kept up appearances on her face. "Thank you, Tinaro." The female whispered, voice almost cracking.

Trotting away from the island and in the shallow waters that hardly covered her toes, Nala began to hum a tune that lead up to singing, forgetting completely that she had company listening. "I messed up tonight, I lost another fight. I'll still mess up, but I'll start again. I keep falling down; I keep on hitting the ground. But I always get up to see what's next. Birds don't just fly, they fall down and get up sometimes: Nobody learns without getting it wrong!" Her voice rang out before claming back up. springs back into her step, pausing every now and then, assuring herself that she had not left her partner in the dust.

He didn't know why he had done that, putting the flower back behind her ear. He just did. He should have just let it there, on the ground. It wouldn't have made a difference anyway. When she thanked him, feminine vocals cracking, he instinctively looked away as he blushed, embarrassment boiling in the pit of his stomach. He remained silent, hesitantly following behind the snowy white female as they began their walk. Neither of them uttered a word. Had he offended her? His emotions were in a huge scrambled mess; he didn't even know what to think anymore. Her voice broke the silence, interrupting his thoughts. Words of a captivating melody drifted from her lips and sailed through the tropical breeze. She was singing. He didn't really pay attention to the lyrics as such, but more on her voice. The dynamics. How it flowed perfectly together. The emotion. The delicate, feathery, ethereal characteristics. She seemed to have forgotten about him as she sang, but he supposed that was a good thing. He just stared at her, entranced. When she stopped, he murmured without realising, "You have a beautiful voice." Then he looked away, embarrassed again. "SPEAK"