Citadel had wandered through the Col, exploring and searching for entertainment. He was bored of the Col already admittedly, though their freedom had only been a short one so far. He wanted more. He had heard how big their pack was, how they had so many territories to call their own. He was eager to start experiencing them all for himself. But instead, they were contained within the Col. where it was ‘safer’ and ‘easier to keep an eye on them’ there was only so much he could explore in the Warrens before he wanted more. He let out a soft sigh, letting his paws take him closer to the edge of the training den. He was allowed inside, but no further. Not on the beach, not yet.

His parents schooled him in patience, but he was just a pup. How much patience did they expect him to have? He found himself heading up the sloping path, and into the training den. The training weapons were closed off, set aside from prying puppy eyes. He contemplated trying to break in, before giving up that idea. His father would no doubt see any signs of tampering he left. Instead, he pushed on, heading to the cave exit, where it led to the beach.

He stopped there for a moment, standing on the edge of the territory. He could scent the salt, and hear the waves. And was that cry a seagull? He saw them glide over the Col every now and then. But there were so many of them here! He grinned, and took the plunge. Leaping onto the sand and letting himself plough ahead as fast as he could. He knew his fathers companions would be onto him any moment now. He would be in trouble. He just needed it to be worth something.

His oversized paws made any sort of speed difficult, so his dash was a relatively slow one compared to that of his siblings. He was almost to the shoreline. He could taste the freedom! He knew one of his parents would be on him any moment, so he continued on, splashing into the waves with a puppy cry of joy. He had made it! He wasn’t too slow!

As he splashed about, he realised he wasn’t alone. He wasn’t the only one in the water, and when he looked up he realised the other creature was a deer. Did they often come onto the beach? He had no references to lean on, so he couldn’t know. But didn’t deer eat grass? So why was it holding a fish in its mouth? Why did it look like it was trying to eat the fish? He stopped, completely taken in by the strange sight before him. Maybe he misunderstood whoever had told him that deer eat grass. Or maybe this wasn’t a deer at all, but something that looked similar to them. He trotted closer, clumsily splashing through the water. Perhaps not his smartest choice, but he was curious. The deer suddenly looked at him. Snapping its head towards him in an odd motion. It opened its mouth, and the fish fell out. Dead, it hit the water like a rock and floated there. The deer watched him, and Citadel paused his progress. Freezing as he looked at it.

Finally, the realisation that this creature was a lot bigger than he was finally seemed to sink in. He took a step backwards, but his clumsy paw didn’t hit the water right and he slipped, suddenly falling beneath the waves. As he thrashed for a second trying to get his footing, the deer charged him. He yelped in surprise, finally getting his paws under control as he started to sprint. Out of the water, away! But he was too slow. He already knew he was the slowest in his litter, clumsy and uncoordinated. His paws flailed a couple times, but it was a sheer miracle he didn’t fall. But the deer was gaining, it was almost on him! He let out a couple of high pitched yelps as he felt its mouth grazing at its back, and then suddenly his bear companion was there. Older than him, the black bear snarled and crashed into the deers paws. Tripping them both up as the deer fell, hitting the sand hard. The bear was up first, getting to his paws, and snarling at Citadel to move. Right! He started to move, but realised the bear wasn’t following. He was attacking the deer! He wasn’t going to leave his companion to face the crazed thing alone. He turned back to the deer, ignoring his bears potesting snarls. He was big, he could use that, right! He charged, barreling into its back legs and knocking it over again. He could hear the bear fighting near its front, and then suddenly there was a bird's cry. Oops, that was his dads companion… the bird extended its talons and racked them across the deer's face, hitting an eye. The bear was raviging its head, and it was blinded and barely moving by now. Citadel pounced on its neck, digging in deep, extending his claws. He could feel it weakly thrashing beneath them, and then it lay still. Dead. What on earth had it even been?

Wc: 882

"Citadel"

After word from Spider that the Blight had been cured, Delphi had wanted to visit the Armadan market for some trinkets and gifts. She wanted to try and boost the morale among her pack members. What better way to do that than yummy candies and specialized brews? Though her journey wasn't long, it was still tiring for her shorter legs and so she decided to go out to the cove for a little relaxing break near the water. No better way to calm your mind than to sit and listen to the ocean!

Upon cresting a sand dune, she hears a vicious commotion that as her concerned. Violence within Armada lands? Even if it wasn't her own pack, she couldn't sit by and allow someone else's pack member be injured. Her eyes quickly assess the cove's beach to find a large bird, a large bear, and a very large puppy all attacking a...deer? But not in the way that one would hunt a deer, but as if the deer had attacked them. Confused as the scene unfolded with the deer lying dead upon the sand, Delphi doesn't wait any longer to approach.

Though she is small, she is assertive and an expert in both fighting and healing. "Are any of you hurt?" She questions, looking from the pup to the bear and then to the bird companion. "Bird, if you aren't injured, you should go tell whoever this pup's parents are that I, Delphi of Hemlock, can help triage any injuries," her tone is stern, not knowing that the very avian companion she spoke to belonged to the Warlord. It wouldn't matter, she would deal with whoever else showed up. Turning back to the boy and his bear, Delphi waits for an answer on whether or not she needed to treat any injuries.

"Delphi"

Basilisk had already been alerted that his eldest son had stepped onto the beach despite being told to remain in the Col. As he was trotting down to the beach, Larimar shrieked in dismay, telling him something had gone wrong. He picked up his pace, tearing through the cave and out into the beach.

He arrived to find a short wolf near his son, and he ended his dash beside the boy, pushing CItadel behind his legs before taking a moment to assess the situation. Heart thrumming in his chest, he saw the dead deer, and the small wolf. What had gotten his companions worked up? Thunder opened her beak and cawed out a warning that the deer had attacked them, and the girl had shown up near the end.

So she was perhaps not an immediate threat, and he did recognise her. He had seen her at the conclave. She was… Hemlock’s Alpha. She was where Spider had run to when they had fled the Armada. He wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that. He cleared his throat, eyes severe on the other Alpha. ‘Is trespassing widely accepted in Hemlock?” he asked dryly. Pushing CItadel back when the boy tried to move free of his paws.


"Basilisk"