It was a new day and it seemed absolutely miserable outside. The rain came down in a steady sheet from gray clouds, not heavy enough to prevent Rivin from going outside altogether, but it definitely made wanting to play on the beach a bit more miserable. At least at first. As she walked around in the drizzle, however, Rivin found that the rain wasn’t so bad. It was a warm summer’s rain, and it was kind of fun to run through as it struck her coat in different places at once. She soon found herself smiling, laughing as she raced through the falling drops. She wasn’t exactly being quiet as she bounced back and forth on the beach so it wasn’t unlikely that someone might take notice sooner rather than later. "Talk," 'Think.'

Ajax was a soggy doggy, nothing new there. He didn't let the rain hold him back, nor had he even hesitated to leave the cave when he'd first noticed how hard it was coming down. Almost loud enough to drown out the sound of the waves rolling back and forth, as sure and certain as breathing. He saw no reason to have a quiet, sleepy day, not when he spotted a sorta familiar shape out amongst the blackness of the sand. Their form riddled with squiggles of red, like Ajax could pluck them off if he was deft enough, quick enough with his teeth. Bounding over without a care in the world, his achy tail wagged behind him. It had gotten worse as of late, sore and stiff, try as he might to ignore it he couldn't figure out what was wrong. He hadn't knocked it against anything as far as he could remember. But sometimes when he took a look he thought he saw something poking out the end, hidden beneath the floof and poof of his fox tail. Either way, there was fun to be had! Tail be darned! He had a vague idea of who this pup was, knew her Mother was gone, though he didn't know where. She'd come back though, right? All adults did in the end. "S raining a lot!" He cheered, quite pleased with this fact. He kneaded his kitty paws on the ground, smushing and mushing the waterlogged black sand till his paws started to darken. Like he was baking bread.  "Do you like the rain?"

Rivin had never expected something like rain could be so enjoyable. The water that pelted her fur came down harder after a while, thoroughly wetting her coat, not that the girl cared. For the first time in a while, she was truly enjoying herself. Laughing and giggling to herself in the rain. Which was a bit uncharacteristic for the girl. She was able to have fun, sure, but without being prompted or encouraged by other pups? This was something new. A moment where she could look past the seriousness of her own nature and just enjoy being a kid. These moments would be few and far between as Rivin got older, so she might as well enjoy them now. Rivin hadn’t noticed the other pup until he spoke. She jumped a little, started at first, instinctively turning toward the other kid and bristling like a wet cat. But seeing the other pup calmed her. He looked happy, and cheerful to be out in the rain too. At least he and Rivin could agree on that much. Rivin perked her ears towards him, watching him knead the ground with his cat-like paws. Woah, how was he doing that? She glanced at her right forepaw, wiggling her toes, but it couldn’t move like that. At his question, Rivin gave a nod. “I do. It feels nice, and not so heavy or weird as the ocean water… it tastes a lot better too!” Rivin glanced back at him. “First time I’ve seen you before. You look like you have more of my daddy’s colors, but you’re not my brother.” She frowned. That was a little weird to her. “So… who are you anyway? Who’s your family?” A bit rude, maybe, but to the point. Rivin frowned a little before adding. “...and err… you like the rain too it seems?” Rivin had become a little less sure of herself. "Talk," 'Think.'

She seemed a little unsure, but Ajax had a way of disarming folks. No need to put up the defences when he was a sweet as he was, all soft and silly, barely a thought knocking around behind his eyes. She was right though that rain water tasted better than the sea, even tipped his head back with his tongue out to get a taste. Just to check. She mentioned her daddy and he had to think about who that might be. Oh, the red one? Well.. Ajax regarded himself as more orange than red, but maybe they were a little similar.   "Sparrow's my Mum." He didn't get that he needed to have a dad. Sparrow had never ever mentioned one and it didn't feel like he was missing anything. Like a space needed to be filled. "I'm Ajax. And yeah!" He cheered, maybe a little too loud. Near about shouted at her, whoops. "I like the sea best but rain is pretty cool too!"

The boy said Sparrow was his mom. Rivin hadn’t actually met Sparrow or anything so she didn’t have a face to put to the name. Her daddy had mentioned Sparrow though. She was the pirate king of the plunder, the one in charge of everything and everyone. Rivin’s eyes widened a little at this. “Your mom is the one who runs the pack? That’s pretty cool.” Okay, so maybe Rivin was a little bit impressed. At least she was until Ajax just about shouted at her. Rivin’s ears flicked back at the volume. Yeesh, did he have to be so loud? He mentioned liking the sea better than the rain and the girl blinked her green eyes in surprise. “The sea… Do you mean you can actually swim?” She asked. “You don’t feel like it will swallow you up? My dad says we have to be careful because even an experienced swimmer can get dragged under the waves if they aren’t careful.” Rivin frowned. Did Sparrow know her son was swimming…? She furrowed her brow. “I’m Rivin, by the way…” "Talk," 'Think.'