Adeavettu's Sea (Shania and Saurugol)

Sunshine fell on Shania’s pelt making it glow and giving her warmth that felt as if it could last a lifetime. She stood on a hill nearby the ocean and caught sight of an albatross. Her gaze didn’t leave the bird as it bobbed up and down on the waves. It reminded her of her goddess, Adeavettu, who was only one of the many gods that watches over her dearing pack. Oh Adeavettu, what would we do without your guidance and wisdom? Where would our pack be if not for the blessings from the Gods? A small breeze began to tug at Shania’s paws as if Adeavettu herself were beckoning to her to come closer. Lifting her chin to the sky and closing her eyes she breathed in the smell of the salty ocean and listened to the noises around her. She could hear birds in the distance chirping and the waves lapping against the shoreline. Recognizing a familiar scent she opened her eyes slightly and sat on her haunches, beckoning to the nearby wolf with her tail to come and join her.

Saurugol was stalking along the seashore, enjoying the calming sea breeze and the sound of the sloshing waves. He let out a sigh, staring out into the endless watery plain. The golden Alpha always came to the sea for comfort, ever since he was a child, and he had a lot on his mind right now.

He saw the she-wolf before he scented her. Shania, one of his packmates. He recognized her distinctive blue-gray and sandy fur immediately. She seemed to know he was there, for the breeze was blowing toward her, and she beckoned him with her tail. Saurugol continued at his own pace, but switched his direction slightly to leave the sandy beach and climb the hill to join her. ”Shania.” He greeted her, sitting down on his haunches as he fixed his amber gaze into the water. He hadn’t seen the floating albatross until now, from this height. He smiled a bit. It looked like Adeavettu had been watching him.

She watched him with amusement in her eyes as he shifted his direction slightly going at the pace that he chose to travel. Shania dipped her head with respect as the golden wolf neared, ”Alpha Saurugol.” Glancing sideways at him as he sat beside her she caught the alpha smiling just a little. Perhaps it was the pleasure of seeing Adeavettu watching over him just as she always has. She was happy to see her alpha in a good mood. ”You look like you are in a good mood. I see you’ve noticed Adeavettu as well? I think that it’s nice for the gods to visit us from time to time, it really shows that they only care and mean well for us.” Her tail began to wag as she was getting lost in her happy thoughts.

”Mm.” Saurugol agreed as he watched the albatross bob in the waves. He was in a good mood, in fact. The day was warm, one of the last warm days he was sure. Autumn and then winter came quickly to Havir. And that worried the Golden Alpha every year. There were no pups at this point, which was a relief, for more often than not they perished in the winter. And how horrible that felt, watching your packmate grieve for the puppy that you, as the Alpha, could not help. Saurugol had resolved to tell Omegas and Servers without tasks to collect the soft part of cotton weed and store it away for soft bedding during the winter. Animal fur and bird feathers also worked well to keep out the cold, even if they were not usually as soft.

”What brings you out here, Shania?” the golden Alpha asked her. Rarely did he see other wolves on his seaside walks. While he was rather lacking in the fields of comforting other wolves, he liked to check in on packmates every so often,see how they were feeling. A pack was only as strong and only as happy at its members.

Shania turned to her alpha as she replied, ”I have been out gathering feathers for bedding. We need to gather as much as we can and I stored what I found beneath a bush. It’s a small pile, but it’s a start. As I was gathering I spotted Adeavettu and thought that I should give her some of my attention and thank her for everything she and the other gods have done for us.” Speaking of gathering she should be heading back soon to continue her gathering. It was nice to spend some time with the alpha, but she wanted to prove to him just how dedicated she was to their pack. She got up to her paws and gave herself a small shake to wake her body and be ready for more exploring. Suddenly a colder breeze brushed her pelt causing her to shiver. Looking over her shoulders she could see clouds gathering over the mountains threatening to bring rain. Shania sighed with disappointment at the sight, ”And here I thought today would be nice and sunny.”

She turned back to her alpha and dipped her head once more, ”It was a pleasure to be in your company, Alpha Saurugol, but I’d better start heading back. By the looks of those clouds hanging around it might rain and I need to collect my feathers.” Shania wagged her tail lightly, ”Perhaps we could do this again some other time when we are not so busy?” She shuffled her paws feeling embarrassed to ask him, but it was always nice to get to know her pack leader and she had not known her other pack-mates that well either. She knew she would have to work on that and she looked forward to getting to know each and every wolf.

Saurugol nodded, ”Yes, very good… we need more bedding to prepare for winter. When you are done, you can bring the extra feathers to the Stash Den.” he told her, looking back at the albatross as it flapped its wings in the suddenly chilly breeze, taking off into the vastness of the ocean. Saurugol watched it as he listened to Shania. He got to his paws as well. It was best for both of them to be on their way. ”Yes...it appears Adetunji is unsettled. We mustn’t dally any longer.” he said. Adetunji was getting more and more angry lately, signaling the approach of winter. All Havir could do was work hard and try their best to please him.Saurugol had a feeling he would be eating a lot of hearts…

Saurugol glanced at her as she said she needed to collect feathers before the rain started,”Yes, it would be a shame for them to get wet after all your work.” he agreed. He smiled a bit as she asked if they could soon spend time together again, ”an Alpha always has time for a packmate.” he answered, and he tried to make it true. It was important for him to set aside time to get to know all his packmates. Their loyalty to him and the Gods was the key to Havir. Nothing was more important than that. He dipped his head to her, ”Shania.” And then he padded on, making his way down the windblown seaside. But soon he would turn back and head to the densight. It looked like this storm would be nasty.

Casting a quick glance at the ocean she noticed that Adeavettu is indeed feeling unsettled as the albatross withdrew from the waters and disappearing into the oceans mists. She turned back to her alpha when he had given her his reply and grinned at him, ”I will hold you to your word!” She watched Alpha Saurugol make his way down the seaside once more before the rainy weather would hit. Shania turned around and departed the scene headed towards her collection of feathers to see exactly how much she had gathered. Her fur prickled in the wind and she had a sense of feeling that her day would only get more interesting.