Bright green eyes stared out at the landscape, the gleaming sands and the sparkling ocean on both sides. Winter was upon the land, the cold breeze batted against his fur as if urging him forward. He didn't know where this path led, but there was only one way to find out. Steadily, he took his first step upon the gleaming sands. The noon sun was up in the sky, but the weather seemed partly cloudy. Thus the circle of fire seemed to be playing hide and seek. He didn't mind, it was a relief to him to not have it burning his hide like his trek across the desert upon arrival.

The fresh scent of seafood reached his nostrils, and to be honest, he had never had food from the ocean before. He wondered what manner of creatures he might discover, and he would soon found out for his curiosity needed quenching. Aqil moved steadily at first, eventually shifting into a run, and before he knew it, he was racing across the strip! Gulls and other birds flew in a panic as he came towards them, only to land with ruffled feathers after he passed. He enjoyed the feel of the sea wind in his fur, the sand flying beneath blurred paws felt wondrous to the male. If one were to watch from far away, they might not even know he was there since he would appear to blend in with his surroundings. White pelt and blue spots, he might as well be part of the ocean view. *cough

He'd close his eyes in bliss, wishing his siblings could be here now. All of them racing each other to see who could reach the end of the trail beyond the white sands. Eventually, the male would begin to slow. Coming to a stop quite a ways from where he initially started, hunger taking over his need to run. He glanced around, he wasn't sure what he could catch in the sweeping waters here, but he would find out what he could. Aqil took himself into the shallows, already he would see little spouts of water shoot upwards as the soft mud swirled, indicating that some sort of creature had just fled beneath the surface. His interest was piqued, and he walked over and began to dig. Whatever this thing was, he would discover it. Perhaps it was a tasty morsel, and that spurred him further. Claws dug into the mud, the going a little tough but it would bear fruit at the end. His claws would scrape against a hard surface, and Aqil would scoop out what appeared to be a rock with small ridges, but on closer inspection he knew it to be a clam! Delighted, he picked it up with his teeth, belly rumbling. Now the question was...how would he get it to open?

She hadn't made it too far from the place she had first met Kimbia, she hadn't made it back to Neemu yet, she just hoped that he'd found Asali already. Surely the girl would be relieved to know that her siblings had followed after her. She'd always been the more clingy of the two sisters, but Eshe loved her siblings too. She just enjoyed her alone time as well. Such would be her life at the moment, her porcelain paws carrying her softly over the sands. She sought nothing in particular but even as she didn't look the scent of Aqil would reach her nose. She should have figured that he'd followed after as well. She'd move with a purpose now, her bright turquoise eyes searching for his silvery white-blue form. He really shouldn't have been that difficult to locate, but as she looked she wouldn't see him against the backdrop of the sky until she was much closer. "The peace be with you, brother." Eshe would call out with her soft voice as she drew more near to him. (she couldn't believe how long it had taken her to actually track him down) there was a sweet smile on her face as she grew interested in the creature he'd dug up. "What have you there?" "Swahili"

His belly rumbled. The large cat was hungry, his mouth watering from the delicious scent that wafted up his nose from the sea creature he held in his teeth. His tongue swiped over the shell, the tang of saltwater was disgustingly  bitter on his taste buds, causing him to cringe. As he thought about how he would pry the creature open, a voice so familiar penetrated his ear fur. Immediately he turned towards the voice, delight and happiness filling his green gaze. "Psh 'e wif oo!" He dropped his prize, moving over to his sister as he nuzzled each cheek. First left, then right, then butting his head under her chin as he purred. "It is nice to see you sister!He purred before stepping back.

He pawed the clam a bit, short claws scraping at the shell as he showed her. "I believe I have found what is called a 'clam.' But it seems I have run into a dilemma...I can't figure out how to open it. We didn't have these back home, so mother couldn't teach us." He sighed, eyes longing for the possibly tasty creature hidden inside. He would love to share it with his sister, but he had to figure out how to open it first. "The shell appears to be quite thick, so biting at it is impossible unless one wants to end up with broken teeth..." He looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. Usually, he was well capable of figuring out problems. But this particular one he had yet to come across, and he needed help it seemed. "Have you any ideas?"

Eshe watched her brother and purred as he offered her his affections and his words. They shared the traditional greeting and Aqil stepped back away from her to focus on the creature that she had asked about when she first walked up to him. Her brother would claw at the hard shell that surrounded his little tid bit, her bright turquoise eyes wouldn't blink as she watched him with a ferocious stare. He wouldn't hesitate to explain what it was and that he didn't have any idea how to open it. "It looks like the muscles that you could find on the coast," She'd comment off hand. They hadn't made it to big bodies of water very much during their childhood but she did remember the magnitude of the muscles and that they could never get them open anyway. "You gotta crush it somehow, but I don't even know if that little bite would be worth how much you're struggling with it." She'd giggle slightly as she teased him. She didn't have any solution for him, and really didn't feel like it was worth their time. "Swahili"

Ears twitched at her comment. She was right, they were similar to what they had back home. He had had a few mussels before, but this thing seemed a little harder to get to. She was also right about another thing. He had to figure out how to pry it open or crush it, perhaps he would learn later. For now, he'd sigh as he picked up the clam and flung it back into the water. He stared longingly at the place where it had fallen into the water with a heavy "plip" sound, and then turned back to his sister. "It's a shame really, I would have liked to try the difference between these shelled creatures and the ones back home. Oh well." Despite having to give up, he'd glance at his sister in curiosity. "How did you track me? I never thought I'd run into you here, but I am glad. I had quite the interesting journey. Have you found any of the others?" Curiosity clawed at his mind, a hungry gaze in his eyes as he sought the answer. He wanted to reunite with his family, being alone was not for him despite the tradition of his species. However, his family had always been different in that aspect. He purred as he took a seat in the sand, tail wrapping neatly around his paws. He was glad to be in the company of his beloved sister. "Speak"

It seemed her words were enough to discourage him from his quarry. Her brother didn't hesitate to toss the creature back into the ocean, a regretful look lingering on his features before he spoke again. His thought reminded her of the hare she'd consumed the first couple of days that she had been here. "I took a hare only a few days ago, it's taste was so much more appealing than the creatures at home." She'd probably only give him more reason to regret the decision to toss the catch. He seemed mostly unaffected as he asked her a few rapid fire questions. "I came here with Neemu, I've mostly been exploring. I just happened to catch your scent. Have you seen any of the others?" Asali had been the first to venture out, but she should have known they would come after her. "Swahili"

Pink tongue swiped over his jowls, mouth watering at the taste of a meal in these lands. He had most certainly regretted his decision now, but the clam could be found again, he was sure. And if he did find one, he'd make sure he knew how to open it next time. This would be the drive to his curiosity now, the creature would strive to learn the answer, and ask everyone until he found it. "Oh, well then I cannot wait to stretch my legs later with a good hunt!" He purred. Then his ears perked when his sister mentioned that Neemu was around, and now that she mentioned it, he could scent the faintest trail of his brother upon her fur. Her question would find no good answer, though he was sure that his words would prove right. "I'm afraid not, but if we are here, then I am sure they're here as well." Speech,