Chickadee rose, shaking the sand out from her pelt. She was relieved to see that Tesseract was indeed the first to find them. Immediately, she felt comforted by the friendly male's presence. Wagging her low-slung tail in a happy greeting, she made her way down the soft slope of the sand to where Tess was.

She crouched low as she approached, flicking her tongue over her muzzle and flattening her ears back against her skull, appealing to his authority. There was a pleasantness in her coral-colored eyes; the sort of contentment one feels when the burden of responsibility has abruptly been lifted.

"The water's cold," Chicky answered meekly, keeping pace with the much larger male as they closed in on her new friend. "I've had quite enough of the cold for one lifetime." She laughed, glancing sidelong at Tesseract before turning her gaze to Jagger. She caught the females gaze and dipped her head, signalling silently that Tesseract was one to be trusted. Jag's rigidity upon noticing the strange male had not gone unnoticed, and it had warmed Chicky's heart. Surely Jagger was merely looking out for herself, but at the very least it seemed she had not forgotten her new companion in her unease. It seemed, in fact, almost as if Jagger was being protective -- but of course, that was nothing more than the speculations of a desolate heart.

"Tesseract, this is my friend, Jagger," she introduced them with a smile, turning her gaze from one to the other. "Jagger, this is Tesseract, alpha of Glorall." Her eyes settled on Tess, and she flicked her tongue again with apprehension. "I hope it's alright that I brought her here," she implored the male, tucked tail wagging timidly. "I thought it would be a good place to weather out the storm.."

---

CHICKADEE
^{you're not alone}