Rose's gaze hardened. "I am not a cripple." She said stiffly. "If you wish to travel alone, then so be it." She rose to her paws and regally turned , her tail high to belay her dissapointment and relief. Dissapintment, becouse she was lonly. Relief, becouse she was very shy. Rose kept her head high and her stride sure, her slight limp the only thing giving away the fact she wasn't as strong on land as most. The lifted her face towards the sunbeams, feeling them warm her fur as her black paw pads crunched in the rocky sand. Slow him down. The nerve. She could swim faster then he could walk, she told herself, as doubt and insecruities crept into her brain. In fact if she desire to go to the mainland, she would proably beat him there. She was brought out of her throught as her paws touched dampness and slid into sea-touched beach. She paused at the edge, letting the waves wash over her paws as she gazed out over the ocean, almost hoping to hear the crunch of paws following her.

Raven watched as she left, half relieved and half guilty. He shook out his fur, there was no way he could bring a Sea Wolf along with him. If word got back to her pack that he was trying to cross to the mainland, he wouldn't just have one pack behind him, he'd have two! He growled to himself, starting to walk before realizing he was going in the same direction as she had gone. It was the same way he needed to go too. He sighed, no she could not know that he was an outcast. Outcasts for Forest Wolves were literally on deaths bed and rid to hell. One of the reasons why he wanted off this island.

He paused at the tree line, seeing her with her paws in the water before turning again. He started back into the forest, before flicking his ears again. He sat down, watching her from the shadows for a moment before walking into the sand slightly to gain momentum and speed. He didn't know how fast Sea Wolves could swim, but if she could keep up with him in the water. . .then maybe he would just have to stay in the sand running. He gauged the distance, stopping only once to look back at her. He barked once before angling his head towards the pointed rock in the distance that outcropped the beach. Hopefully she got the message. He pushed one foot forward before going into a fast lope that turned into a slow sprint. The wind buffeted his fur as he pounded down the shore, keeping his distance from the water but staying in range to catch glimpses of the ocean.

At first, she heard nothing, but as she lifted a paw to place into the water, she heard the crunch of paw steps up the beach. Slow at first, then take off. She turned her head around as he barked and saw him point his muzzle to the large rock. Letting out a half howl of understanding, she slid into her beloved salt water, legs pumping strongly and tail floating out behind her. A race it was.

Slyly, the streamlined black she-wolf dove underwater, her bullet-shaped body cutting through the sea effortlessly. Not many in her pack had mastered undersea travel, which was why she loved to do it. She could travel that way for 35 paw strokes before she needed air, impressive if you asked her. But she couldn't keep doing it, so she saved it for when she needed a quick burst of speed, like she did now.

Popping her head out and breathing evenly through her nose so she wouldn't tire out as fast, she glanced over and found her plan had worked- she was abreat of the larger land wolf now. Only her little black head poked out from the water now as she swam, letting the rest ride just under the surface. If she was further out, she could catch a current but she wanted to prove a point so she was going to swim with her own power and no tricks.

Raven ran on the beach, noting that the Sea Wolf, as predicted, could go much faster in the water than on land. She was a bit in front of him now, although all he could see was her head above the water. He ran a bit faster, keeping pace with her as his long legs devoured the land. This test was about speed. In the days that they had to go, it would have to be about stamina which would mean running at a fast lope, not a sprint. His tail streamed out behind and he lengthened his strides slightly so that he wouldn't slip on the sand.

They were drawing close to the rock now. Rose saw Raven legthen his stride. Smart. He would be less likely to slip that way. She wondered why he was alone. She figured he would tell her when he was ready. She hadn't exactly poured her life story out either so she was in no postion to judge.

As they got near to the rock, she glanced once more at Raven. She wasn't sure if he planned to stop at the rock and regroup, or if they were going to pass it and keep going. So she slowed up right before, looking over at Raven to judge his reaction.

Raven neared the rock, noticing Rose slowing up as she reached it. He came to it, circling it once before slowing down to a walk. Walking once more around it, he sat down in the sand panting slightly. He looked back out to the water, looking for Rose before shifting his paws. "Come on out of the water now," he called out to her as he spotted her. Raven flicked his ears, he wasn't one to want company but if she could do that for a long period of time than it was fine with him.

Rose, hearing his call, swam out and padded onto the sand. Her mouth was open, toungue lolling and ears pricked. She shook ff her pelt before trotting up onto the beach, sand sicking to her wet paws and lower legs. She would have to clean that off later along with the salt in her fur.

"Well?" She called as she approached. "Impressed yet?" She cockily tossed her head, but her eyes were twinkling. She stood several feet off, tail waving happily as she gazed on the larger male before her.

"Well? Impressed yet?" The female said tossing her head but her eyes twinkled. She seemed happy and he sighed, "Definitely impressed. You do better in the water than on land, but that's to be expected. If you really want to come along, I'll try to keep to the beach as much as I can while you swim. We have several miles left to go today so we better gets started," Raven said, dipping his head respectively to Rose before getting up. Shaking sand off his paws, he started in a brisk lope across the shore, taking a quick glance behind them.

Rose nodded back before turning and slipping back into the cool blue waves. Several miles? She glanced up at the sun. They could definaitly make it. Easily, she pumped her slim legs through the sea, settling into a steady rythmn. She flicked her ears back in order to listen for the sound of any pursuit. Fleeing from agressive packs was her daily life anymore, and she wondered if this was his first time being chased, or if he were used to such things. She hoped for his sake this was the first and only time he would find himself tossed out like a rotten oyster. Along those lines, she hoped her mind wouldn't slip around him or she doubted he would hesitate to drive her away like so many other had.

Raven stretched out his legs, extending his claws for a better hold on the sand. He could see Rose swimming easily in the water nearby, her ears flicking behind her for any sounds. Not yet Rose. He thought, remembering the instructions from his father. A rogue pursuit took longer than most as there was no standard leader to issue the chase. By now though, they would be freshly on his trail but the clearing should slow them down a little bit. Considering he had doubled back, the scent would be confusing. A sudden thought made him look behind him again. He spotted his tracks fresh in the sand. In the forest, there was only the slight trail that you could follow. Raven stopped for a moment making a trail to the trees before retracing his steps. Stepping into the ocean for a second, he shuddered as he rolled, getting sea water all in his fur. That would be stinky later, but he depended on it. Now with his scent covered, he picked his way carefully down the shore, the water washing away his tracks. He flinched every time the water rolled over his paws. Thankfully, he would only have to do this for a mile to get them off course before he could resume his run in the sand.