Tethys stood at the edge of the cove, looking out at the vast stretch of ocean ahead of her. The sand beneath her paws was cool to the touch, which was no surprise given the sun beginning its descent beneath the horizon, and the imminent arrival of winter. The north was never warm persay but the midst of summer often offered a nice reprieve from the bitter cold, at least for a short while. Not that the cold bothered her, not when she'd been born and raised here, though her memories of the north's winter were hazy at best. She'd been young then, and now that she was a yearling she remembered things with much more clarity. And saw things with much more clarity, too. She wasn't sure she'd ever noticed such a vivid sunset before, though now that she did she was entranced. The sky cascaded with brilliant oranges and reds, fading into purples where the sky was beginning to darken. Though she wasn't really the sort to stop and appreciate the natural beauty of the world, today was apparently an exception.

As winter crept closer to the ever-chilly north, Ursa felt an urgency to gather. Typically always under the paw of her mother, she could not help but hear the constant worry of having enough. Would the stores be full enough to support the pack? It wasn't a question or worry a pup of her age should ever have, but she wanted to help. She wanted to be useful to her mama because seeing the crease of worry and sadness made her heart hurt. So, though it was late, nearly her bedtime, Ursa slipped out of the forest, through the col, and down to the cove. There she knew she could gather seashells and other sea life to bring back. Trailing behind her was a large sack slung around her shoulders that she was borrowing from Halo's supply storage.

Already, her breath was heavy as her paws touched the glittering sand. An array of reds, oranges, pinks, and yellows cast over her nearly-navy and creamy-white pelt as she traveled closer to the water. Feeling the sand tickle between her toes, she sang a quiet lullaby under her breath as she continued to pick her way along the shore. Choosing the most complete, largest, and prettiest open shells she could find, Ursa felt accomplished. She grew tired quickly though as her pubby fat slowed her down and forced her to pant slightly even though it was rather chilly by now.

Coming to a stop, Ursa finally looks up to see a colorful yearling all by herself. Both ears perk up and her tail begins to wag. Letting out a happy bark in the girl's direction, Ursa toddles over in a way that only a chubby puppy could. "Hi! I'm Ursa!" She nearly chirps in her soft voice as she comes to a bouncy standstill in front of her.

Her own worries were more centered on preservation and protection rather than preparation persay, though she knew winter coming was a serious change and something they had to keep in mind. Winters in the north were always harsher, and less forgiving, especially for those who weren't strong. Fortunately, the Armada was the embodiment of strength, at least as far as she was concerned, so her worries were not overwhelming. It still left her mind occupied, wanting to be sure she and her family were prepared to not just endure the winter, but come out of it even stronger than they were now. Her attention shifted to the some of someone coming up to her, a pup she wasn't all that familiar with, dragging behind her a bag that looked like she'd been working on filling. Tethys swore she saw a seashell just about to spill out of it. Maybe she was a collector of sorts? Or just full of childlike wonder at the things she was discovering in the world around her? "Tethys Fatalis," she introduced herself with a little dip of her head. Though she was hardly the most expressive of wolves, the girl's innocence brings a small grin to her lips. Ursa was family, she knew that at least, even if she wasn't quite sure how they were related - that was enough for her to want to give her the time of day. "What're you doing out here?"

Ursa's tail begins to wag faster at the other girl's introduction. "Oh, I'm a Fatalis too!" She adds in quickly and then feels embarrassed. Her mama had reminded her that interrupting others wasn't very polite. Shuffling her paws in the sand, she takes a step back before noticing the smallest hint of a grin on Tethys' lips. Ursa can't help but return the smile as she tries to contain her excitement. Meeting other family members was always so much fun! At least for now. She was about to say something else when Tethys asked her what was in her bag. Looking back at the satchel that was nearly overfilled with shells, Ursa is more than happy to show her findings.

"Look at these!" Ursa exclaims as she pulls a large white shell with thick ridges out and pushes it toward Tethys. "I'm trying to find shells that can be used for holding things," the pup explains before pulling out a few more of varying sizes and colors. "My mama, uh Halo, is always making new things so I thought I could find her some shells to hold her stuff in," what exactly the stuff was was unknown to Ursa for the time being, but it usually smelled good so she wasn't complaining. "What're you doing down here?" She asks in return as she continues to pull out her shells to show Tethys.

Talking to strangers was completely exhausting, even if they were family and even if they were pups. The constant analyzing and trying to match words with what emotions lie behind them, trying to study facial expressions and tell if they were genuine or forced... at least with kids it was a little easier, since they usually wore their hearts on their sleeve much more, which Tethys appreciated. Ursa's tail was wagging and she was smiling, obvious signs that she was enjoying their time together so far, even in the first brief moments. "I thought so," she acknowledged their relation with a nod. She was always glad to get to know family, even if interacting with most wolves was more draining for her than it was for others. At least the girl was doing plenty of talking, which left her happy to observe more than anything, watching as she pulled out a big shell and pushed it her way. Tethys studied it, nudging it with a paw to get it to flip over to examine its opposite side. She'd never really taken time to study shells like this before and they were admittedly pretty, even if this wasn't an activity she'd choose on her own. "These are pretty cool," she admitted, watching as a few more were taken out to show her. Ursa explained her mom was Halo - oh, Tethys had spent some time with her before - and she nodded again in understanding. "Using them for storage sounds like a great idea." For healing things like... poultices, weren't they called? Or just old dried herbs. She didn't know much about all that, but using these for storage made sense to her, and showed Ursa had an inventive mind. Color Tethys impressed. "Uh. I was just watching the sunset," she admitted, sounding a little embarrassed to even be admitting it. "I'm not sure I've ever seen one so colorful before." Though her attention drifted to the sky, watching the way the darker sections were starting to overtake the sun's rays and cast a wide arch of sky in deep purple, she quickly brought her gaze back to the shells being shown to her.

Ursa enthusiastically looks up at Tethys and then back down as she nudges the shell around. Her tail is dragging along the sand, slowly getting clumpier over time, but she doesn't notice. Or doesn't care. Though mama will have to spend time bathing and brushing out her fur later and probably chastise her for it. That will all come in time though. For right now, Ursa is ecstatic that someone is finding her task cool! Grinning practically from ear to ear, she has to stop herself from letting her tongue fall out the side as she tries to stay relatively still.

"They don't break as easy as clay or mud! I've tried, it sucks and I'd rather find seashells!" Ursa tells Tethys as she happily flips over and moves the shells around so Tethys can get a good look at them. The pup had no problem sharing or showing off her things. In her mind, the more the merrier made more fun! As she plays with the shells herself, content to scoot them back and forth across the sand, her attention lifts back to Tethys at the sound of embarrassment in her voice. An ear falls back as her head tilts gently to the side. Then her chin turns so she too can watch as the sun drifts below the horizon.

Scenery was not something Ursa often paid attention to. Usually, she was searching for things. Whether it be useful for healing or the scent trail of an animal, she didn't stop to smell the flowers to put it simply. Yet, now, as she sat there beside Tethys, her eyes widened slightly. The water was calm and dark, a perfect mirrored reflection of the sunset. Rays of every color imaginable spread across the sky until the stars began to sprinkle around the edges. Ursa's mouth opened slightly as she became momentarily lost for words.

"You're right," Ursa whispered after a few moments of admirable silence. "It's beautiful," her voice is still hushed as she turns to look back at Tethys. "Like your coat! You have a ton of pretty colors on yours!" She exclaimed happily, her tail going into full sweeping wags through the sand once more.

Truthfully, Tethys was beyond pleased with Ursa's company. She was always grateful to spend time with a wolf that led a conversation - something it seemed pups were more than willing to do - rather than leave her to try to find a way to steer it. Or come up with anything to say at all. But sweet Ursa was more than happy to show off her shells and talk about them, and Tethys was just as happy to engage. She watched as the girl not only showed off the shells but played with them, batting them around in the sand and no doubt getting her paws even filthier in the process. "Finding seashells sounds much more fun than digging up mud and watching it dry," she agreed, forcing a small smile. That sentiment made perfect sense to her. The conversation shifted away from Ursa's seashell collection though when she asked what Tethys had been doing here and she explained she'd been watching the sunset. She wasn't entirely sure what the girl's reaction would be - maybe she'd think it was stupid, or not really comment on it at all - but instead she turned to examine the sunset as well. The colors were deeper now, darkening as the sun continued its slow descent beneath the horizon. The sight really was pretty, and she was glad that Ursa agreed, even if sunset-watching wasn't nearly as fun as collecting seashells. "I guess you're right," she admitted after a moment, head tilting down to sneak a look at her forelimbs, noting how similar colors were apparent there - the same deep purples and oranges that colored the sky were visible there, too, almost like the colors were reflecting straight off the water back onto her coat. "Your colors are pretty too," Tethys noted, allowing herself another small grin at the way the girl was wagging her tail. "You look more like…" She paused, reflecting for a moment. "The way the morning sun reflects off ice. Kinda white, but kinda blue too?" It seemed a pretty good comparison to her, now that she thought about it.

Ursa looks from the sunset to Tethys and back and forth a few more times to solidify her opinion. Yep, Tethys definitely looked like the sunset! Deep hues of purple, blue, red, and even black! Okay so more like... right before the sun was done setting, but still. She was pretty! Ursa wasn't a liar after all.

Her expression would quickly change as she turns her head to stare wide-eyed at Tethys. The way the morning sun reflected off of ice. "Whoa," she speaks quietly at first as she tries to imagine what that looked like. "I don't think I've actually seen that before!" Ursa's lips turn down in a frown. Was that something pretty? Or cool? Or interesting? She looks down at her own legs where she sees mostly dark hues and some white. "Is there somewhere near here where I could see that?" Ursa questions as she looks back up at Tethys.

Sure, Ursa was just a kid, but she seemed pretty interested in what Tethys had to say. That gave her a little confidence boost - not that she was necessarily lacking in confidence, but bolstering it didn't hurt, not when she wanted so badly to please those around her. That applied to both children and adults alike. Her question made Tethys pause. "Maybe pretty far north. If you go far enough, you stop seeing so many trees and instead it's mostly a big flat field made of snow and ice, for as far as you can see," she explained, hoping that helped paint the picture a little bit better. "You probably wanna make sure you're allowed to go somewhere like that first though." She certainly didn't want to be the one to blame for some kid wandering off and getting hurt. "Maybe you could see something like it in the mountains though," she gestured toward the vast mountain range that the Armada laid claim to. "Sometimes you can see how the water melts down off a ledge and it freezes again, making a little waterfall. The way light reflects off that ice might have a similar effect."

Ursa is patient. As patient as a puppy could be. As Tethys pauses in thought, she looks out to admire the setting sun. Though it is darker now, she can still see how the colors paint the horizon. A sight to behold if anyone were to ask her! Happy to gaze, she only looks back to Tethys when the girl starts talking once more. The pup's eyes widen as she tries to imagine the lands without trees and only an expanse of snow and ice.

Unlike most of her siblings, Ursa wasn't one to wander. She liked following the rules and making her parents happy. Sure, she'd snuck out once with her brother, but that had been to seen the aurora borealis! A good enough reason in her book to break the rules for one night. Still, Ursa nods in agreement while getting what she believes is a good idea. What if Tethys took her?

Ursa's lips part to ask, but before she can, Tethys is telling her about the possibility of there being someplace similar here among the Armadan lands. Her tail wags along the sand as she perks up a bit more. "Oh, would you show me? Mama and us live up in the woods north of the mountains so I don't get to see them much unless we go to the market!" The pup is excited now. The hope for an adventure where she would be safe and have a good time with her new friend sounded so enticing.

Honestly, talking to Ursa about the natural beauty of the world was giving her an opportunity to think about things in a way she normally didn't. Tethys was generally more pragmatic, focused on things that were tangible rather than abstract. Stretching her brain into a different direction, aided by questions only a child would ask, was oddly refreshing. She was glad Ursa had approached her today. Ursa asked if she could take her, and she nodded. "Maybe soon, alright?" Ursa was still young. Maybe she should ask one of her parents before taking her anywhere? Tethys would have to think about it first. "Maybe we could even go further north. That might be fun." A little adventure with one of the younger members of the pack sounded rewarding. Maybe she could even teach her something along the way, other than just look at the sights.