She had only been to this place once and that was about it, she had never seen it during the day and she wondered what it looked like during that time. So she would go there, and to her disappointment it wasn’t something that was quite spectacular. She sighed softly, her mind wandering as she would step into the waves. The water was cooler then she remembered but she could care less, she welcomed it. It sent a shiver down her spine and she closed her eyes, she could barely remember her life on the beach as a pup but it was so incredibly welcoming to her whenever she found herself near the ocean. Walk, "Talk" Think

About a week ago, Alarik had come to this continent to explore, because he'd had no real purpose and wanted to set out to find one. Since then, he had found a direction in his life, and had made his intentions known to the alpha of Celestial. Soon, hopefully, he would be a member. Then he could put his time and talents to good use. One wolf he had to thank for all of that was the woman he'd run into. Faine. She'd spoken so highly of pack life, and it had really convinced him that it was the right move. But now, he was here in Auster again. He wanted to train and get more experience in hunting (and fighting) before Regulus tested his skills. And, because he didn't really know where he was going, he ended up on a beach. Not exactly the best place to find large prey, but he'd still admire the view. The large brute padded through the sand, a peaceful smile on his face as he watched the waves ebb and flow. And then suddenly, he saw a familiar form in those waves. The lovely Faine herself. He waved his tail like a banner behind him and let out a soft bark to get her attention as he trotted closer. "Talk" "You" Think

A soft bark entered the air and her ears flicked, turning around to see a familiar form on the beach. Ah, it was Alarik, the nice younger wolf she had met awhile ago. She slowly moved out of the water, her limbs were wet but she could care less. “Hello, Alarik,” she said, “How are you?” she asked, flicking her tail and looking over him. Nothing seemed to have change, which was good. Looked like he wasn’t injured or anything, which was a first because so far all of the strangers she had ran into had somehow hurt themselves. Ashmedai and Pyralis, but Alarik seemed to be fine and healthy. Walk, "Talk" Think

The russet woman slowly left the embrace of the water, sand sticking to her wet paws as she moved closer. But she didn't seem to mind. Alarik smiled as she greeted him. Well, it was nice to know she had remembered his name. "Faine, it's nice to see you," he said in response. When she asked how he was doing, he couldn't resist smiling excitedly at her. He was great. So many things had happened for him lately. "Things are going very well for me, actually," Alarik said enthusiastically. "You might be interested to know that I took your words to heart and decided to join the pack my brother is a part of. It's not official yet, I still have to prove my skills to the alpha so he can give me a rank, but still. Isn't that exciting?" Alarik thought it was exciting, anyway. He wasn't a wanderer anymore. He had a place to call home, wolves to call family. He had purpose now, and it was a wonderful feeling. "Talk" "You" Think

It seemed that Alarik was pretty happy about the direction his life was heading. He explained that he had followed her advice and had decided to join the pack that his brother belonged to. He still needed to prove his skills to the alpha, but he asked if it was exciting. She nodded, “That’s very exciting Alarik,” she said and grinned, “I’m glad you’re finding yourself a place to call home,” she said, as she thought wandering around aimlessly probably could feel a bit lonely and empty at times. She gently sat down on her haunches, not minding the sand that would probably stick to her fur afterwards. “What skills must you prove to this alpha then? If I may ask?” she said curiously. Walk, "Talk" Think

Faine seemed genuinely happy for Alarik when he told her how well things were going for him, and he appreciated her kind words. "Thank you," he said with a happy wag of his tail. He was just about to change around the topic of conversation and ask Faine how things were going for her, but then she was asking about the skills he had to prove to the alpha. "Well, when I spoke with him, he asked what skills I was most interested in. Which skills I would use in order to be of the most value to the pack," he explained. "And I told him that hunting was my specialty, but I also have some experience in fighting." "So I might be tested with questions, or he might ask me to demonstrate my skills for him, by successfully tracking prey and showing my fighting skills in a spar," Alarik said. The latter made him a little nervous, to be honest. He did have a little experience fighting, it was true. But not much. And sparring with that huge man could make even an experience fighter nervous, couldn't it? "Talk" "You" Think

She nodded, “You’re welcome,” she said politely, it was nice seeing that he was actually really happy about the decision and she was glad that she had helped him out with it. She listened intently to his words, he explained that the alpha had asked what he specialized in and such and that he may have to just demonstrate them. Which made sense, Faine didn’t have to go through that process but if she had to she would’ve gladly done so. She knew a lot about healing thanks to her parents so if Dragon ever decided to ask, just out of curiosity or whatever reason, she knew she would be able to do it. “That’s good,” she said, flicking her tail. “So this pack is in Boreas?” she asked, she didn’t want to snoop but she was curious. Or maybe it was in Auster and she was just unaware that there were more packs other than Talis. Walk, "Talk" Think

There was something really, really nice about talking to Faine. She was so genuinely friendly, unlike a couple of the wolves he had encountered recently. Of course, he had enjoyed his time exploring with Pyralis, but even she had been a little rough around the edges. Faine was more similar to Alarik when it came to personality and moral judgement. She seemed interested in what he had to say about the skills testing he had to go through. Truth was he was a little nervous. He had never had to demonstrate his skills to a superior before, but he knew when the time came everything would work itself out. He wasn't the arrogant type, but he was confident that he was of enough value that the alpha wouldn't turn him away. "Yes," he said, in response to her question. "It's in western Boreas, which I may come to regret in the warmer months," the young man said with a laugh. "They call it Celestial." "Talk" "You" Think

The younger brute would explain that it was in western Boreas, the pack was called Celestial. For some reason that name seemed familiar but she couldn’t quite remember it, oh well, maybe she’d remember it later or something. Her mind was sort of fogged up at the moment because she had been just letting her mind wander when she was standing in the sea water. He mentioned something about the warmer months and she smiled, “Well, if it get’s hot you can always take a trip to Auster,” she said and laughed softly, noting the strange backwards season. She did notice she was asking a lot of questions, but he was nice and he didn’t seem to mind. “If this pack is in Boreas, how come you’re here?” she asked, “Still got that itch to explore?” she lightly teased and grinned. Walk, "Talk" Think

He noticed the look in her eyes, like she thought she knew the pack by its name. But she didn't say anything, so maybe she decided she didn't recognize it after all, or something. Alarik didn't pay it any mind; he simply listened when she spoke again, saying that he could come to Auster if he needed a break from the heat. "Good idea," he chuckled. "How cold does it actually get down here? Or is it always on the tropical side of things?" he asked, because the flora and fauna certainly seemed to suggest that Auster was more tropical than Boreas was. Moments later, Faine was asking the young man why he had come back down to Auster. Did he still have that itch to explore? He grinned, because he had to admit that he did. That's why he'd chosen to sharpen his skills here instead of in some place in Boreas he had been to half a dozen times. "You could say that," Alarik chuckled, enjoying the teasing smile the woman gave him. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable again, but she really was a lovely woman and he was attempted to say so. Again. "I came to find some good place to hunt, so I could sharpen up my skills before the alpha of Celestial tests me on them. But instead I found a beach, and you." He smirked. "Talk" "You" Think

“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure,” she asked, “The autumn has been pretty mild, some rain and fog but that’s about it. I haven’t witnessed a winter in Auster before. Only a summer,” she said, she’d only been around for about a season. She nodded, he said that he did in fact need to explore and that he had been trying to find a hunting area. But instead he had found her and she smiled, looking down at her paws. “Ah yes,” she said and turned to look at the sea. “This place is more fantastic at night,” she said, and sighed softly. “But the sun is still out, so I suppose it just looks like a normal beach now, doesn’t it?” she asked. Walk, "Talk" Think

Faine said she wasn't really sure how cold it got in Auster. She hadn't been here long. But she described the autumn as being pretty mild, with rains and fog that matched what spring was in Boreas. That was still so strange, Alarik had a tough time wrapping his head around it. But it was certainly interesting. She smiled when he said he had found her, and this beach. She said this place was even more fantastic at night, and Alarik listened with interest to what she said. Now he was curious. "It's not a normal beach?" he asked. "What does it look like at night?" "Talk" "You" Think

He asked why it wasn’t a normal beach and she shook her head, “Nope,” she said, and he asked what it looked like at night. “It sounds a bit crazy, but the waves sort of glow when it’s night time,” she said. “And I don’t really know why, but it looks amazing,” she said and smiled. “I’ve been in the waters when it glows too, it doesn’t seem like they’re small fish or anything, it doesn’t have any negative effects while somebody is in the water either. It’s quite cool,” she explained. She flicked her tail and looked back, “They call this place The Shimmering Shore,” she told him. Walk, "Talk" Think

His eyes were alight with curiosity as he listened to Faine explain what was so special about this beach. It sounded crazy, she said, but the waves seemed to glow at night. Alarik grinned at the thought. Maybe he would hang around to see it. "The Shimmering Shore, huh?" His tail waved eagerly behind him. "I'd really like to see that. Maybe I'll hang around until the sun goes down." He couldn't wait to see such a fascinating thing. He could go home and tell Dómari all about it, maybe even bring him down to see it with his own eyes! But he was getting ahead of himself. "Talk" "You" Think

She nodded, “Yup,” she said, “You can stay around if you want,” she said, she didn’t really have a lot to talk about so she got up. “Have you ever been in the ocean Alarik?” she asked and turned away from him, moving back towards the waters and looking down to see if she could find any life. “It’s autumn so it’s a little cooler now, but it’s still rather nice and calming. I don’t know, maybe I’m used to it because I was born on a beach or something.” she said, remembering that even when she was a pup her mother would take her to a few tide pools to teach her how to swim and such. Walk, "Talk" Think

Faine got up, asking Alarik if he had ever been in the ocean. "No, I haven't, actually," he said in response. He had done a lot of exploring in his life, and had been to a few different beaches, but had never gone farther than letting the waves lap at his paws. He watched as Faine walked into the waves, the way she was when he'd found her earlier, and this time he followed her in. Yes, she was right about the water being chilly. But it was nice. "It feels good," he said, swishing the tip of his tail through the water. "You were born on a beach? Was that beach around here, or in some other land?" "Talk" "You" Think

“Not around here,” she said, “From a different place,” she said, “But it was nice while I lived there, I only stayed around when I was a pup but I still have all the memories,” she said and looked at him. “If you look closely maybe you’ll see some fish or some shellfish,” she told him and smiled, her carmine gaze then stared into the waters and she brought her face closer to the waters. Being careful so the calm waves didn’t splash her in the face but also searching for any type of movement. She always liked seeing the little creatures that lived under the water. Walk, "Talk" Think

Faine explained that she'd been born on a beach in a different place. So, she wasn't from here. Neither was Alarik, so he supposed the two of them had that in common. But he couldn't help wondering why she had left her childhood home. Alarik had been given no choice in the matter, and had been sent here against his will. Everything was fine now, and he loved this place, but still. He was curious as to why someone would choose to leave home. Or was it just for the freedom? The ability to explore and live a life of your own? But he didn't want to be nosy, Faine was still practically a stranger to him. Maybe someday he would ask, but not today. Alarik smiled a bit when she talked about looking closely and seeing the little creatures that lived under the surface of the water. He followed her lead, his warm orange eyes narrowing as he tried to look down into the water. It was hard to focus on anything with the waves rolling the way they were, and when Alarik tried to look closer he ended up getting splashed in the face with one of those waves. He coughed a bit and huffed as he tried to get the saltwater out of his mouth and nose. Oh, that was not a pleasant feeling at all. Why was saltwater like that? "Ugh," he grumbled, making a face as he tried to get the taste out of his mouth. But it wasn't like he could wash his mouth out with water, there was no fresh water around. He chuckled and looked at Faine. "Saltwater does not taste good," the young man chuckled. "Talk" "You" Think

Suddenly Faine heard a splash and she looked over, seeing Alarik huffing and coughing. “Yes, it tastes terrible,” she said and laughed softly, “One of the first things my parents taught me was that the seawater isn’t supposed to be drank,” she said, “I’ve tested their theory and it’s true, it’s disgusting,” she said and smiled, taking in a few more steps into the water as it went higher and higher up her tall limbs, stopping as it barely went up to her stomach and she turned to look at Alarik. “Do you know how to swim, Alarik?” she asked. Walk, "Talk" Think

She laughed and said that one of the first things she learned as a pup was that seawater wasn't good to drink. He threw Faine a playful glare and lifted his paw to lightly splash some of the water in her direction. "Well thanks a lot for warning me," he teased. But Faine walked even further in, until the water nearly reached her stomach, and she asked Alarik if he knew how to swim. "Yes, I do, actually," he said, carefully stepping further into the water, making sure to keep his face away from the water as it crept up his legs. "I'm not sure if I'm as good as you are, but I can keep myself from drowning at least," he chuckled, and walked deeper. She had asked such a question because she was interested in swimming, right? Alarik had only ever gone swimming in freshwater, but he supposed there was a first time for everything. "Talk" "You" Think