A warm glow set the yellow trees ablaze as the sun again rose on the dainty locale of Bluesea, a town set deep in the wildlands. The waves, tainted purplish under the gaze of dawn, lapped gently against the golden sand. The town, though it's structures slightly intruded on the scenic beauty of the land, still held a pristine, flawless beauty.
The sound of sand being crushed and compressed by the light-footed gait of a figure was all that resonated above the thrashing of the waves. The figure left distinct paw prints in the sand behind it, though soon the sea would hungrily sip at them, reducing them to simplistic and indecipherable shapes. The wolf, whose fur was tinted with the pink of the cherry blossoms of April, sniffed gently at a silvery gleam half-buried in the sand. The sun caught in the amber eyes and gilded the tips of her fur.
Kneeling down, she parted the sand with her paws until the origin of the silver gleam revealed itself. As the sand was finally pushed aside, the female paused, almost mesmerized at the foreign sight. The silver object was a shell, but not one that she had previously encountered. Letting the sound of waves filter through her ears, she continued to stare intently at the mysterious shell.
"Ow!" Eventually her trance was broken by a sharp pain on her heels. With a rapid kick of her paws the intruding crab was sent flying into the sea. The crab was bright red, and recalled a type of crab that had not been seen in the town for nearly 10 years. The crab, waving its pincers angrily in midair, disappeared beneath the tide-line with a swift splash.
Rubbing her left leg with the paw of her right, she gave a low growl and shook her head. Hastily she relieved the shell from the sand and left the beach behind her. She knew one resident of the town would surely know the shell's identity. Scanning the village, she saw no one; the town hall had just rung 6am, and nearly all residents were fast asleep. A white butterfly fluttered across her view, a herald to the rise of day.
Speeding up her pace, she made for a building far in the distance. The animal in there was scarcely found before 7am, but Freya knew that today she was awake early, preparing for the new month. The building, with a colour that was parallel to the cherry-blossom fur of Freya, did not shine as brightly as it did during the sun's full exposure. The roof, tainted faintly with teal, almost blended in with the sky.
Freya leaned on the heart-shaped window emblazoned on the door and rubbed the obscuring layer of dew with her paw. She peered in, searching swiftly with a hunter's instinct. A figure was indeed inside; the fairly tall animal was rubbing dust off of a green sign with her hands.
Freya gave a gentle knock, slightly hesitant to disturb the animal's peace. The animal faced the door, paused, and placed the sign back down before approaching Freya's presence. For a moment a pair of dark eyes could be seen amidst a white face, peering through the opposing side of the window. The alpaca's pink ears twitched, clearing a small area of condensation from the inside. For a while she seemed to frown, though upon identifying Freya she smiled and unlocked the door, letting the dull air of Re-Tail rush out into the village.
The alpaca, almost entirely pink in colour, recalled Freya's own figure.
"I bid you well, Reese," Freya smiled. The alpaca shrugged.
"Well, I would normally refrain from opening the door early, but I know you will not bother me too much."
Freya gave a brief nod, and the alpaca continued. "How can I assist you, Freya?"
The pink wolf already had the shell waiting for inspection. She held it out, well within range of Reese's vision. Reese tilted her head as she appraised the delicate item.
"Ooh, a pearl-oyster shell!"
A pearl-oyster? This name was something the female wolf had heard of before, though never had she glimpsed such a creature, or its remains.
"Are you looking to sell, Freya?"
Freya looked to the shell and back to Reese. "What is its value?"
"Well...I could take that item off your paws for 1,200 Bells."
The wolf's mind focused on the bag of bells back at home. She could heard its dainty mass jingle an uncomfortably quiet tune. But such a treasure was so rare to come by...She knew that there were much simpler ways to find an equivalent bell value. She shook her head.
"Not this time, Reese. This one is a keeper."
Reese bowed her head knowingly. "I see. It is quite pretty. Well I'll leave you with it then, I better close this door before someone else barges in-- not that you were barging or anything, you know. Just. Yeah."
Freya smiled and waved as she left the alpaca to dust more signs. "Yes, I understand. Be seeing you, Reese."
"Bye!"
As the sun began to rise higher, the cherry wolf vanished from its heat and gaze. Her presence was now within her den, where her shell-filled paw was raised as she decided where it could suit her home best. With the shell rested gently on the mantelpiece which she had been given by a friend, she finally let the sun claim her form again. Her sights set on the Cafe, she gave a nod to herself and carried on her way, letting the gleaming pearl-oyster shell reflect whatever light dared venture inside the wolf's home.