Shadow sat on the cool sand, a deep sigh escaping his lips as the night air brushed against his fur. The beach was quiet, save for the rhythmic crash of waves rolling onto the shore, their white foam glowing faintly beneath the pale moonlight. The salty breeze tangled through his quills, carrying with it the distant scent of the ocean and the faint echo of gulls settling for the night. He stared out over the dark horizon, where the sky met the restless sea—endless, untamed, and hauntingly beautiful. For a long while, he just sat there, letting the sound of the waves fill the silence he couldn’t bring himself to break.