Yawn!
Bluefish do big stretch. She open one eye crack, then other. Head look round. Every way look same and same. Up she sit and look again. No Tata.
That when she knows. Bluefish lost. Gone without food and many sleeps, and no long legs of Tata to hide under.
Wind scream very loud, and she decide to look for place on ice to wait without it.

[this place has tied itself so deeply into the bones of aorta-man that he finds his way back to chips of ice and this expanse of sea so dark it is comforting. he does not yet see the child. tattered wolf stalks along shoreline like a thin bear, eyes fixed ahead as they burn from his torn face. the fever has gone. the fever has come back. the fever is transformative. Saahk calls from the ice. tugix wanders.]

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up to u if she is seen! <3

this place has tied itself so deeply into the bones of aorta-man that he finds his way back to chips of ice and this expanse of sea so dark it is comforting.

he does not yet see the child.

tattered wolf stalks along shoreline like a thin bear, eyes fixed ahead as they burn from his torn face. the fever has gone. the fever has come back. the fever is transformative.

Saahk calls from the ice.

tugix wanders.

Ko-Ga's here to be a pest too sorry LOL

---

Skill - Ranger 1/5

Ko-Ga's wing still ailed him, if he flew too far or too furiously. But he could cover ground, now (air?), without being eagle-food, and so his search for Nat-Nate continued down the coast. Storms gathered on the mountain peak in the distance, keeping him at bay. But this beach, he remembered — Mithwyth had taken him and Nate to it, once.

Not long ago, and still it seemed so much had changed! It was colder, now. Lonelier. He wished the sun would brighten.

Ko-Ga rode currents of wind off the sea high into the air and scanned the long stretch of black sand. Even the ice did not glisten like it once had. From this vantage, he could see for miles, and so, when the shape of a wolf loping caught attention, the crow was quick to angle winter-tipped wings toward them and investigate.

A pup, too. Close. But not together. Were they playing hide-and-seek? If they had a pack, perhaps they had seen or smelled his Nat-Nate!

Scaly feet landed on a glittering chunk of shattered berg beside the stranger with mismatched eyes. Head bobbed, curious. For now — only a crow. It would more amusing to speak later, he decided.

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thank you all for joining <33

Ice goes long every way. No trees grow on it, only puddles and bubbles make freckles underneath. Wind carries strange scents and a bird is in the sky. Ana say birds do not live on ice, so Bluefish knows to follow. It lands somewhere near—
Tata!
Tata!
She knows it is Tata because how he walks, with high head and big chest out! Flat-footed and scuttling, she trips only once on slippy part! The ice bumps her chin but she is up and again, running very fast! Nothing comes out of her mouth that’s full puffs of happy tongue.
At last, Bluefish slip between long front legs of her Tata, where ear smush into warm fur and she cuddles elatedly into his heel.

[a squirrel. a seal pup. a child. a child. tugix stiffens. he stops dead in tracks already cold. in conflagration of fever and confusion he stares down at the pale puff which has emerged from seemingly nowhere to join the muradoii on the ice. children. a child. he does not know what to do. blood instinct says she is a morsel to be fed to the black sea. his gums itch in vague response, but beyond this, no other instinct to kill. instead, one unknown rears its head: the response of older wolf to younger. tugix twists his mauled face. pups of muradoii serve only this purpose of sacrifice unless they defined themselves early. girl children are given the brutal 'out' of the bone hearth. he is still. he does not reach for her. some sentiment which tugix does not understand drags his head lower, down. an exchange of breath. milk. salt. a bird with odd feathers perches close, aorta-man notices at last. his brow furrows. silence reigns.]

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<333

a squirrel.

a seal pup.

a child.

a child.

tugix stiffens.

he stops dead in tracks already cold.

in conflagration of fever and confusion he stares down at the pale puff which has emerged from seemingly nowhere to join the muradoii on the ice.

children. a child. he does not know what to do.

blood instinct says she is a morsel to be fed to the black sea. his gums itch in vague response, but beyond this, no other instinct to kill. instead, one unknown rears its head: the response of older wolf to younger.

tugix twists his mauled face.

pups of muradoii serve only this purpose of sacrifice unless they defined themselves early. girl children are given the brutal 'out' of the bone hearth.

he is still.

he does not reach for her.

some sentiment which tugix does not understand drags his head lower, down.

an exchange of breath.

milk. salt.

a bird with odd feathers perches close, aorta-man notices at last.

his brow furrows. silence reigns.

The woof of Mithwyth turned Ko-Ga's head. Surprise and glee pulled an elated, Caw! from his throat, beckoning her to him.

A flockmate, here! He had so much to tell her. And he hoped — looked — for others... but she had not brought Nate-Dog, or Nat-Nate, or Cecil.

Unless they had spread out? As they often did! It gave him hope.

He turned back to gauge the reaction of the strangers playing dog-games — for she must be in sight, soon if not now, even to their dog-eyes. The pup snuggled up to its packmate, and this close, Ko-Ga was pleased to see they appeared to be having no trouble feeding their kin. Wolves with full bellies were less troublesome to deal with.

The game of silence, he decided, would have to be put aside in the interest of proper introductions.

With a sigh, he shook out his feathers and hopped closer to the wolf with its pup. Hello. A head bob. Friendly?

Bluefish tail wag by itself, vigorously for Tata. Warm breath goes whoosh on top of her head. It smells like it always does. She look up at him in pure adoration. His nose moves. Sniff sniff. She sniff too. Breeze still ripples through her ruff, but it’s snug under legs.
Bird makes squawking, crooning almost like seal. He is funny!
Another sound comes from pretty wolf, brownish like coral. But they are not seal. Bluefish wait with mouth just on pink bump of Tata’s foot, tail shimmying.
Hungry!

[not so. a click of aorta-teeth in the still world warns back the bird. for living. for straying too close to him. for approaching the pup. yet it is the wolf on approach which violently seizes tugix and directs his attention forward. instinct is not paternal protection. child is bowled into snow. he is running. a girl child has more worth than a muradoii man. his teeth threaten the wolf which stands at a distance, and yet too close. too close. fever. none. fever. none. he is mad. he is sane. he is intent upon murder. then his head will clear and he will know what must be done.]

not so.

a click of aorta-teeth in the still world warns back the bird. for living. for straying too close to him. for approaching the pup.

yet it is the wolf on approach which violently seizes tugix and directs his attention forward. instinct is not paternal protection. child is bowled into snow.

he is running.

a girl child has more worth than a muradoii man. his teeth threaten the wolf which stands at a distance, and yet too close.

too close.

fever. none. fever. none. he is mad. he is sane. he is intent upon murder.

then his head will clear and he will know what must be done.