The sun was warm upon his forehead. That was all his mind registered in the beginning. Sleep clung selfishly to his senses, muting all that was around him. Teemu twitched and sighed, his body beginning to pull him from the depths of slumber. A soft, cool sensation seeped up the entirety of his body, lapping at his elbows and chest, and the darkness of sleep loosened its grip further. The lean wolf felt the earth beneath his body shift as the tide receded, gently taking the soft sand with it. Teemu’s eyes cracked open, his vision blurred. He blinked once, and then again, and it all began to take shape.

He was lying on the shore. His fur was damp. The sound of waves crashed behind him. It was all very familiar, although… Why had he fallen asleep here? What had he been doing? His memory was foggy, though he felt no pain, alleviating the worry that he’d somehow injured himself. His amber eyes turned inland and saw trees lining the edge of the beach in the distance. Why were they so far away? Also, where were the rocks and the driftwood?

Teemu lifted his head, ignoring the sand coating his cheek. His muscles tensed as he took in the surroundings. This was not his home. In fact, in all his travels along the coasts and islands, he had never come across this shoreline. A gull cried out above him and he watched it circle lazily. It didn’t seem phased or alert to any potential danger, but Teemu was out in the open, alone, in unfamiliar territory. He pulled himself to his feet and shook, sending sand and sea water flying from his coat. A quick assessment confirmed he was not seemingly injured, though he couldn’t sort out his sudden short term memory loss or how he came to be here.

Scanning the length of land before him, Teemu knew he needed to find a source of freshwater first and foremost. The cover of trees would be ideal as well. He had no idea who, or what, was out there. Ears and eyes open and alert, Teemu began to trot quickly in the direction of the treeline. He kept his head low and body ready.

she did not know this place.

nothing familiar and the smell of saltwater only rose grieving memories. it should have been a beautiful place to find herself — instead she is leaving it behind as quick as she can. it seemed she was not the only one with such a thought either.

a figure of traditional wolven hues could be spotted in the distance. their path seemed one that she, too, wanted to take. away from the sea and into the trees. anything to halt the way her heart pounded in her chest. long legs moved in a quick trot after the stranger.

she did not want to be alone here. she did not want to be here at all.

wait! her voice called out to him. how girlish she felt for it!

Teemu’s plan at this point was simple: Cover. Water. Food. Others?

For all he knew, he could be the only wolf here.

Wispy, golden grass sprouted from the sand as he continued to put distance between himself and the ocean. It rustled in the breeze and the tall wolf inhaled, searching the various scents being carried in the air. Above the brine of the ocean, the comforting odor of spruce trees wafted from ahead. A voice disrupted Teemu’s thoughts and he paused, hackles rising briefly at the surprise. This entire situation had him on edge. He turned to look in the direction of the caller - a wolf of white actively trotting toward him.

So there were, in fact, others here in this strange land. As the space between the pair diminished, Teemu wondered if there were more nearby. A pack? Multiple? There was too much uncertainty at the moment. The male lowered his head, and his tail remained in its usual, dropped position, kept close to his hocks.

“Hello,” he greeted, though his voice felt dry and rough. He took in the appearance of her coat - much thicker than his own - and risked a glance at the blue sky and high sun. “I apologize if this is your home. I am only passing through.”

there was relief in seeing the man respond in mild manner. she did not wish to think ill but she should have considered all options before she called out to him. what would she have done if he responded with annoyance or aggression? thankfully they might never know.

no, no, a soft shake of her head. wherever this was was certainly not her home. not any of her homes! she could have wept for how badly she wished to be home with her anaa (mother). to hear the jovial sounds of moonwolves at work. i do not know here. do you?

he was a man of age which meant he might, too, be a man of travel or experience.

Hearing her response, he cocked his head, brows furrowed.

“You also have no knowledge of this place?” There was something in her face that resonated with the swirl of confusion residing within his chest. His eyes traveled between the ocean and the treeline before settling once again upon the woman, “You aren’t alone in that. I’m heading inland, and possibly to a point of altitude, to gain my bearings and see what is out here.”

He may not have been attached to much prior to his awakening here upon this mysterious coast, but this is not how he’d been expecting to spend his… day? Month? The rest of his life? The future could be figured out at another time. With the sun at high noon, he could feel the heat permeate his coat. Offering a rare, gentle wag of his tail, Teemu nodded his snout toward the dark green edge of trees, “You are welcome to join, if you wish.”

Shit. Manners.

“I’m Teemu, by the way.”

apologies for the wait! <3

---

a soft shake of her head side to side. no — and it filled her with a madness! to not know where she had gone to! what would her mother had advised her in these times? perhaps not to follow strange men into stranger lands. yet this one was kind, was older. not a young hunter come to lead her upon wild geese chase.

you are kind, teemu. she spoke now at his invitation and no time was wasted in following after him. callyope nuiruk. would the name mean anything here? if she had introduced herself as the daughter of moonwoman and sunman, would he had stirred with recognition?

i am skilled at altitudes. not so much upon sea and sand! laughter to fill the void within herself. what places have you walked before here?

no worries! no rush :)

---

Laughter danced from his new acquaintance, light and airy, contrasting with the nerves he’d felt since his awakening. He could feel them loosen their claws from his stomach, ever so slightly. Lips spread to a gentle smile. He took note of the appraisal of his kindness, with a flick of an ear at the thought. Many memories of decidedly unkind actions remained within the recesses of his mind, though the circumstances had been very different.

Callyope Nuiruk, Teemu repeated as he strolled alongside the woman. Eyes turned downward to the sand covering their paws. Sand he was accustomed to traveling across . Sand he felt steady upon. She must be boiling, the lass. Much as he may very well have frozen, had he awoken somewhere in the arctic with his thin, summer coat. Did everyone wake here upon this very beach?

Not a fan of the salted air? A teasing smirk accompanied his question, though he continued, I’ve spent much of my life along the sea and between islands. I’ve traveled many coastlines, but never this one. I’ve lived many lives, Callyope.

Apparently this was to be yet another unexpected chapter in his life.

if he knew it, it did not show. no uttering of a moonwoman or sunman. no familiarity of a village that housed so many of her name! emptiness felt like it grew inside her chest but she hid it with the warmth of this land.

it is...too much! a soft bah sound escaped her with a grin. sea might have been in her blood but it was the forest and mountains that reigned. yet it was not her she wished to speak about. not when he seemed a man with many stories to tell. many lives lived! how?

she offered him a thoughtful, sidelong look.

what was your favorite life to live, teemu? she knew it would be such a personal thing to ask! yet the gratefulness she felt for his kindness and help inspired a genuine curiosity of the man he was. rather, the men he had been.