Stjarna returned to the Obsidian Beach. It was sort of becoming an unofficial hang out of their siblings now and again and it really was a beautiful territory. Morning had broken with the sun rising into a nearly clear sky. There were a few small clouds here and there but none that threatened to block the sun which was going about its business warming up the earth below it. Star had found a dry patch of dark sand and settled down to just observe. Right now the sand was cold to the tush but he knew that as it continued to warm up the land the dark sand would quickly absorb the heat. At some point it might even become unbearable to walk on. Til then though the figured they might as well do some exploring of the beach.
Star padded along the beach, tail wagging lightly as the explored. There were still many remnants of the party strewn across the beach here and there. Bottles of all kinds lay hither and yon. Some looked particularly pretty, sparkling in the early morning sun. Stjarna picked up a few bottles and trotted over to a flatter place on the beach. Tilting their head the wolf carefully set the bottles on end, purposely picking out a variety of colors so that when the sunlight hit the bottles it painted a lovely rainbow across the sand. Star didn't have a way to hang the bottles up but ultimately decided that a temporary art installation on the beach was just fine.
Stjarna was about to move on when they spied a large lizard sun bathing on a rock farther down the beach. It was a large lizard, covered in green and brown scales with spikes running down its back. Star slowly crouched down and eyed the lizard for a few more moments before realizing it was an iguana. It was likely sunbathing in an attempt to warm up and start its day. If the wolf was lucky, they could get a nice breakfast while the lizard was slow and sluggish. As far as Star could tell the lizard hadn't noticed them, its eyes seemingly closed as it basked in the sun, taking in warmth not only from the sun but also from the beach itself. If Star wanted an easy meal they'd need to move quickly to take advantage of the situation.
Stjarna slunk down low, belly grazing the sand as they started to slink forward toward the lizard. In some ways the wolf was in luck. With a pelt of deep black and a wide, swirling mix of grays and white, Stjarna blended in well with the surroundings of dark, black sand and shimmering reflections of sunlight. Taking advantage of their camouflage, Star stalked closer and closer to the lizard, taking one step and then another. Star focused on setting each paw down delicately so as not to make too much noise or vibrations. Did lizards sense vibrations through the earth? Star wasn't sure but they didn't want to risk it and lose their prey.
Stjarna got as close as they dared, mismatched eyes focused on the lizard which had barely moved a muscle. Star carefully bunched their hind legs beneath them, muscles coiled and ready o unfurl like a launching spring. Star took a deep breath and then leapt forward, long limbs beat against the sand, kicking it up in the air as they ran toward the lizard, jaws wide open. The lizard's eyes popped wide open as it flung itself off of the rock. Star's fangs latched onto its tail but the strength with which the lizard launched itself proved to much for the wolf's loose grasp. The iguana ripped itself from their jaws and took off across the sand. Stjarna launched after it, not letting up an inch.
The lizard was surprisingly fast and agile. It was headed straight for another rock and just when Star thought it might swerve to avoid it leapt over the rock. Star kept pace. Then the lizard darted to their right and Star dove down, this time jaws latched around the back of the creature's neck. It twisted and flailed, its awful whip-like tail cutting into the wolf's side. Star thrashed their head violently until the lizard was dead.
Already Star could taste the blood of the lizard. It was different and the wolf couldn't wait to get a better bite of it. Trotting back to where they had set up the rainbow bottles Star set down to eat. Placing the lizard between dark paws, Star started to rip into the belly, peeling back the flesh on either side to get at the innards. They didn't worry much about picking around the bones, instead crunching on them and eating as much as possible from the scaly creature.
