Lore

The breeze that stirred from the quiet ocean waters this morning was a warm one, caressing the land with the breath of spring and a promise of better days ahead. Lore stopped midtrack, raising his head and turning his silvered snout into the light winds. His eyes closed and his ears laced back as the wolf took the time to both analyze and enjoy the various scents brought his way. As they died away, his copper gaze flashed open and he looked out across the beach, and up towards the treeline where green was beginning to bud amongst the branches and leaf-strewn floor. This had to be his favorite time of the year, when the Valley truly came back to life, and the toils of winter were shrugged away.

"Aniyu!" Lore had tossed his head back and uttered a bark, a cheerful calling for his mate and best friend. He'd grown bored of his early-morning patrol of the territory, and was itching to stretch his legs today.

Aniyu

With the beach and its nearby forestry their own, Aniyu had grown a bit lazy and it was all well-earned. Without having to nomadically move from place to place to avoid treading on someone's territory or worrying of intruding on a pack's wandering, Aniyu was sleeping the heaviest she had in a while. On this morning, Aniyu drifts in a lighter slumber as the shades of the morning paint the sky. She's half aware of the dainty breeze buffeting her winter fur, the smells of spring teasing her nose. Lore's bark pulls her fully from her slumber, the she-wolf's tail thumping as her mate approaches their sleeping spot.

Blue eyes fall on Lore as he closes in, a little smile playing on Aniyu's lips. "Looks as if the residential squirrels aren't causing trouble on the territory?" Aniyu observes with a little chuckle. A yawn erupts from her maw as her front legs stretch out in front of her. She pushes herself onto her paws, tail still wagging as she reaches towards Lore with a lick. "I'm worried we could be overthrown by the rodents if we don't keep our guard up!" She jokes.

Lore

The instant Lore spies his mate in their usual resting place, his bright eyes soften and his steps gain a certain, playful bounce to them as he closes the distance to her. "The beachfront is safe this morning, at least." He answers her back with a grinning smile, while leaning his muzzle forward to return the soft caress of his own tongue against her forehead. "If they dare step a toe out of line again, I'll send them running for the trees like last time." The referenced incident was more of a failed hunt than a show of authority to the local rodents, but Lore was more than happy to play it up for laughs, and did so with a wagging tail and a raised-brow look over his shoulder just to be sure there were no critters sneaking up on them or their turf.

A stiffer breeze picked up, sending a mini leaf tornado blowing down over one of the dunes. With it came the scent of moist earth and moss from the thawing forest, and again Lore was overcome by the excitement of a nearing spring. Turning back to his mate, his plume still swishing merrily, the silvered wolf changed subjects, "I was thinking this morning, why not take a trip out into the Valley for a day or two? Our borders are all strongly marked, and we've not had any troubles with neighbors - think the Sunset Beach can handle a few hours or so without us?"

Aniyu

Blue eyes follows Lore's over his shoulder back into the shadowy foliage with narrowed brows. For a little moment, Aniyu studies the obviously-vacant vegetation for half a second more before, satisfied they were safe from their rodent cohorts, riveting her attention back to Lore with a lopsided grin. As the wind picks up, Aniyu leans her frame into its gentle brush and takes a long inhale of the damp, spring-teasing breeze. "I think we could leave the forests and beach up to the squirrels," Aniyu agrees softly, smiling back at Lore, "I'm sure if someone comes across our territory, they'll sooner chase them out for us."

Excitedly, Aniyu prances a bit on her paws with the flowing happiness of a pup. Despite her progressing age, paired with the new responsibility of maintaining the territory with Lore, a torrent of youthful exuberance still washes through Aniyu's blood. Her tail sashays back and forth as she takes a few lively bounds in the direction towards the Valley, glancing back over her shoulder. "Last one to the boarder has to catch lunch!" Aniyu yips, before plunging into a ground-covering stride.

Lore

The youthful excitement that Aniyu exhibits spreads like an eager flame, soon bringing Lore's paws into movement as he taps at the ground with pent up joy. At a glance, the pair could easily be mistaken for a much younger duo, but love has a way of bringing out the youth of any age. "It's decided then, we'll entrust the squirrels to behave themselves, or have ourselves a furry-tailed dinner when we return." Eager eyes follow his mate as a burst of animation has her bounding away from him and towards their border, tossing a challenge his way as she goes. "Challenge accepted!" Lore barks back, shortly before plunging forward himself and bouncing up the beach, sand and wind-blown leaves flying with every step of his paws.

Drinking in the musty odor of earth and pleasantly cool breeze that greats him, Lore pursues Aniyu up into the forest and out towards their territory's further edge. He runs until his tongue is lolling from his mouth, but never quite pushes himself to fully overtake the wolfess striding ahead of him - if even he can truly catch her at her fullest gait.

Eventually the silvered brute slows, head up and eyes bright and alert as they reach the edge of their domain. Panting slightly, Lore nods at the endless stretch of trees that flow before them, while his mind puts into place what terrains lie beyond. "I was thinking- maybe a trip to a different beach than ours? Orca Bay? Or was there anywhere you've not traveled to that sounds enticing?" He questioned, quirking a look to Aniyu.

Aniyu

The air is still chilly at these hours, and little billows of mist flow from the wolves' panting mouths as they sprint from their dwelling place to the outskirts of their territory. The forest floor is cool and damp underneath Aniyu's paws, the she-wolf skidding a bit over muddy patches. She gallantly takes on the unstable terrain with vigor, trying her hardest to keep Lore's gain in check. His warm breath sinks into the fur on her side, the blue-eyed wolf casting a devilish look over her shoulder. While Lore, in most circumstances, would leave Aniyu in his dust, he aptly chooses to keep her anxious by his presence at her side. "You're losing!" she points out with a sharp laugh, plunging forward with as much energy as her legs could bear.

Soon, the potent smell of their territory's edges comes to Aniyu's senses. She, too, skids to a slower gait, nearly dancing to the very end of their home. It's peculiar to suddenly feel so attached to a plot of land, after so many seasons of bearing no permanent realm to call home. She smiles gently, though, and flashes a gaze at Lore. "Hmm," she ponders his question, tail wagging gently, "Nothing comes to mind yet...why don't we check out Orca Bay? It's a great idea!"

Lore

Lore felt that connection too, a certain desire to keep a vigilance over their land and protect it from interlopers, and a faint hesitation to step beyond that threshold and leave their cadre behind. He'd wrestled with these notions earlier this morning, and ultimately decided that the SunSet Beach could live without them for a few hours or so. Still, it almost felt strange to gaze beyond that invisible border, and his gaze lingered a moment or two before skipping to Aniyu and her murmur of thought.

The brute's tail immediately sways a few cheerful beats, "The rocky coast it is then." A smile is mirrored back to his mate as renewed excitement fills his expression, "Ever see the wolves of the sea?" Lore takes a step forward, one brow raised as he questions her. He then points his muzzle back towards the endless trees before them and starts forward, easing into a gentle lope that would carry the pair towards their new destination.

Aniyu

While the excitement bustles in Aniyu's chest, the she-wolf takes one sweeping glance back at their territory with both a ripple of concern, but also of contentment. The beach would still be here when they returned. The dark colored fae turns her attention back to Lore, nudging his chin with a laugh that releases all of her tension. There wouldn't be a moment in the day where adventuring with Lore wasn't the greatest feeling on earth.

Tail fervently wagging, Aniyu keeps in stride with her mate as they embark beyond their territory lines and towards Orca Bay. She listens to Lore, head cocking a bit as she smiles. "Sea wolves?" She echoes with a bit of disbelief, brow scrunching. "Wolves can't live in the sea..." A laugh escapes her, realizing his prompt was probably angled to elicit such wonder from Aniyu. "I guess you'll just have to show me exactly who these sea wolves are."