The rip current of the often-violent Terminus Sea was unforgiving, brutal and hungry as it sunk its bony fingers deep into tired muscles. It tried its hardest to hurl the siren far away from Novus' shores, growling an angry warning as she pressed on..
And oh, did she press on. The hippocampus strained against the tide, long and slender ears slicked back against the crown of her neck and her forelegs curled gracefully against the swell of her breast. Kai pressed himself under the safe haven of her collar, his form hidden under her locks and the gentle hug of the neckband, where he was safe from the sea's violence. The crash of the tide beat her body and threatened to rip the black pearls from her throat, but the fight was nearly useless against the streamlined grace of her form.
Maybe the ocean, in all its wisdom and wild, knew something no one else did. Maybe it was right, trying to keep the phantom of the sea far from Novus.
- - - - - - - - -
Eventually, she broke through the rocky outer-lying current and hit calmer waters... For a moment, she heaved a sigh of relief, her breaths deep from exertion — but she dare not stop for more than a second, worried that the ocean will revolt against her once more. And she could see the ocean floor recede in its depth, could see the rocky outcroppings that rose from the sea bed. She knew what it meant. Land.
At this realization, her breath stilled and head tilted upwards towards the surface a couple of yards above her. Bright eyes stared at how the sea and the sky married, the refraction and shimmer beautiful...
Bubbles escaped the upturned corners of her lips and gently wafted towards the surface. With an arch of her spine and sudden, strong snap of her tail, she was propelled closer towards the shore - unbeknownst to her, towards the upper southwest mouth where the Rapax River ran alongside Delumine's southmost border and dumped into the Terminus sea. Swimming against the tide was hardly a challenge for her.
- - - - - - - - -
She brushed past the rocks that peppered the coast and mouth of the Rapax river. She felt the sharp shift around her.. from the saltiness of the sea to the brackish feel of ... well, she assumed it was an estuary? Hugging the northern most cost of what she would eventually learn is the Rapax, the inky phantom swam close to the surface, her eyes glued almost exclusively upon the sights above the water.
After what felt like miles - and what very well may have been - the river shallowed drastically. She slowed down and rolled languidly within the water, her stomach to the sky as the siren floated mere inches under the surface. Drifting slowly along a calm portion of the Rapax, she lifted her caudal fin so that it split the water's surface. A soft hum slipped from her throat as she stared at the brilliant iridescence and how the sun glittered along her scales...
And then she saw it. Vivid, inquisitive, wide eyes caught sight of a castle looming in the close distance. Immediately, she stilled her fins and re-oriented herself, eyes still glued on the impressive structure. She practically clamored to find an small cluster of rocks above the surface, onyx hooves slipping messily along their smooth surface as she pulled herself from the water.
Spectrum hair was magnificently weightless within the water, but as she pulled herself out and into the sun, it lay slick and damp against her neck — painting a haphazard rainbow mask across her face. But she didn't care. All she cared about, as she curled and uncurled her tail languidly atop those rocks, was staring at the beautiful castle in the distance.
Oh, what she wouldn't give for these fins to allow her to walk on solid land..
With his son’s fluctuating health and the incredibly unwanted arrival from Terrastella in the form of his older half-brother, Somnus could not deny that the stress might be getting the best of him. He had sought multiple remedies in hope for salvation; spending quiet time with relaxing with his family, tucking himself away in the private silence of the Library, and even seeking out Ulric for a good scrap to try and work off the strain. Nothing seemed to help. He simply could not seem to shake the lingering anxiety that pooled within his gut, paranoia seeping into his mind and making sleep nigh impossible to find.
It had only been at Alba’s insistence that he had taken a private day away from it all that he willingly took a day to fly out amidst the Rapax, giving Eulalie a loving kiss in parting and pressing another into the growing tuft of Regis’ forelock before departing. It was difficult and half of him screamed to stay, but he trusted Eulalie and Ulric to keep Regis safe from Atreus’ darkness and corrupted, twisted ways.
Taking to the skies just outside of the citadel, Alba staying behind with his family just in case he was needed in an emergency, Somnus willed himself to leave it all behind, if only for a few hours. Soaring higher and higher into the skies, the Dawn King allowed himself to breathe and feel, drifting amidst the breeze and relishing in the way that the winds rippled and caressed the outstretched joints and feathers of his wings. Air rushed into his lungs and almost greedily he inhaled, focusing on him. Rarely did he allow himself this; to just exist, to feel, to let down his walls and guard and just embrace the freedom that flight allowed. It was nice. It was liberating.
Beneath him the lands passed by quickly, both charred land and surviving forests beginning to mix and intermingle as nature so very gradually began to recover from the devastating wildfires. Unconsciously Somnus began to follow the path of the Rapax River, flying south, south, south, the winds carrying him almost lazily towards some unknown destination. Gradually, like a gilded ray of sunlight, the dunalino drifted down to the earth, wings spreading out and arching to catch the air and slow his descent. Legs outstretching, hooves poised for landing upon the rocky shores of the Rapax, Somnus reached the earth with practiced ease, the jarring sound of hooves upon dirt and stone only momentary as he jogged to a halt. Folding in mottled wings, he inhaled deeply before letting out a long, breathy sigh.
Verdant eyes drifted about, then, turning first towards the treeline and then focusing instead upon the rushing waters of the river. The water looked cool and crisp, and pressing his tongue against the roof of his mouth, Somnus approached the river to quench his thirst from time spent in flight. What he didn’t expect was for his gaze to catch a plethora of color against a backdrop of greens and browns, a rainbow shape moving just a little ways down the river. Lifting his head, brow furrowed quizzically, he watched the rainbow shape delicately heave itself out of the water. Vivid rainbow locks tumbled down the creature’s neck, seeming absolutely soaked, but just as odd were the myriad of colorful hair was the creature’s body…
Scales. Rainbow, opalescent scales littered the creature’s lower half, and Somnus truly found himself at a loss. Curiosity got the better of him, and unknowing did he take a step forward, head tilting as though to get a better look at the beautiful visage presented ahead of him… Only for his fore hooves to slip on slick rock and moss, sending the dunalino headfirst into the river with quite an indignant shout.
“Bloody-!” The resulting splash was loud enough to cut off the rest of his foul expletive, surely enough to alarm any creature nearby. Birds chirping merrily upon the nearby trees took off into the air, startled by the dunalino’s sheer lack of grace. Cold water enveloped him, stealing his breath, but his luck was that it was not deep. Spluttering and indignant, Somnus heaved himself upright and spat out river water, practically sopping wet as tendrils of soaked, ivory hair hung limply about his neck and cheset. Well done, you pathetic git. Turning his head but not quite yet pulling himself from the river, Somnus focused towards the curious shape of rainbow scales further on down the river, hoping that it had not noticed the utter fool of himself that he had made.
Oriens have mercy… What a way to start what was supposed to be a relaxing day.
The soft hum returned to her throat as she continued to stare curiously into the distance, foolishly unaware of all that was going on or anyone around her. Her mind bloomed with beautiful thoughts of what may lay behind those castle walls, what secrets they may hold upon the earthen throne on which they sat...
How her thoughts were so suddenly interrupted! From what felt like nowhere, she heard the loud, raucous sound of hooves as they slipped on the bank. It took mere seconds for her heart rate to skyrocket as she glanced frantically in the direction from which the sound came. Her lungs felt like they were seized with an iron, icy grip that threatened to freeze her in place...
But despite her heart wedging itself firmly in her throat and her breath catching hard in her chest, she was nonetheless quick to act. The phantom dove headfirst from the rocks, clamoring to get off them as quickly as she had climbed up them. The stark contrast of the pleasant air was replaced by the familiar chill of the water as it enveloped her.
She did not look back; she never even got a glance at the the being that posed the perceived threat. Instead, forked caudal fin flared open and with a quick, hard whip of her tail, she jettisoned forward and away. Mind raced as her heart beat a million miles an hour, the sound of blood rushing in her ears nearly drowning out all sane thought within the phantom's mind.
Were they trying to hurt her? Did they see her — stupid, of course they saw you! Why her, who were they? What did they want? Was she unwelcome? Where was she, even? How could she not know where she was?
Kai's nagging voice tugged insistently at the edge of her racing thoughts, sharp little teeth nipping angrily at the skin of her neck as he tried to break his bonded out of her fear-induced trance. What happen?! came the persistent peep. Kai need to know what happen! it only grew shriller as the tiny sea newt grabbed a lock of rainbow hair at its base, shaking it feverishly with a bubbled growl. She didn't know how long she'd been swimming for before she finally stopped.
As she slowed, her chest heaving from the exertion and the raw fear that pumped like a drug through her veins. She realized that she had been alone for so long — What, Kai not count?! — that she hardly knew how to react to another individual.
That realization was a sour taste that hung on her tongue, and slowly the phantom exhaled a long, deep breath and closed her eyes. I got scared, Kai. That's all.. was met with a nasty, grumpy little grumble as the sea newt settled back beneath her hair again. Well stop that! he chided as she rolled her eyes.
Eventually, her gaze drifted back towards where she had bolted from. She stuck to the lowest depths of the water and slowly swam back down, cautious and alert, before she came upon the golden stallion once again. For the first time, teal doe eyes regarded his figure from beneath the rippling water, and she felt a lump in her throat. He had not chased after her, so...
She kept the river between them and hovered shyly near the opposite bank. Slowly she descended towards the surface.. and made sure to keep the majority of herself safely below the water. Only the top of her head was exposed to the crisp air, lips just barely above the water's edge as it tenderly kissed her jaw. The wild spectrum of her hair plastered haphazardly around her face, the rest untamed and flowing freely beneath the water's surface.
For a solid (and incredibly awkward) minute, she just stared at Somnus as teal eyes drank in every detail of him. Oh, how curious she was despite her hesitation! Gaze lingered on his gorgeous and majestic feathers, breath catching longingly in her throat. To walk on land was surely a dream... but to fly through the sky? Ecstasy, she was certain!
Finally, after she was certain she had memorized every curve of his muscle and hue of his pelt, she cleared her throat. Undeniably, his feathers — and much more of him — were quite wet... she wondered how heavy those wings must be, drenched as they were. "Are you alright?" she questioned softly.
In the distance there was a flash of rainbow colors as the individual disappeared into the water, surely long gone even as Somnus tossed the waterlogged ivory hair from his eyes. He stared, verdant eyes narrowed as he attempted to peer into the murky depths, and then let out a long, defeated sigh. They were long gone but maybe that was for the best, so that whoever it was wouldn’t see him in such disarray. Somnus could only imagine the sound of Eulalie’s laughter at his plight.
“Bloody hell…” Even as he attempted to dry off, shaking the water from his coat and using what limited telekinesis he had to wring the water from his mane and tail, the Dawn King was so caught up in the tumultuous task of trying to clean himself up and once more look presentable that he had been unaware of his stealthy onlooker. The sudden voice, soft, hesitant, and feminine, caught his attention and he halted, ears springing forward as his head twisted back towards the Rapax River.
There, barely peeking out from beneath the water, was the curious individual from before. In this sparse distance between them it was far easier to make out her finer details; luxurious locks of every color sprung from her neck, cascading like a liquid rainbow behind her as her forelock, damp and sodden, hung about her pretty face that stuck out from the water. Her eyes, vivid pools of the brightest teal, stared up at him with seemingly an identical curiosity that he was feeling towards her.
For a moment the dunalino was at a loss for words, before he promptly remembered his manners and attempted to save what was left of his dignity. “Ah, well… I’m quite alright, thank you; I fear the only thing wounded is my pride.” A sheepish grin overtook the Dawn King’s dark lips, and Somnus cleared his throat once again, dipping his head in what would have been a chivalrous sort of way if not for the waterlogged tresses of ivory that hung in a pathetic veil about him.
“My apologies, miss, if I alarmed you, as that was not my intention. I was taken aback by your vibrant colors and I fear that I was quite the uncoordinated git and tripped into the river.” It was hardly the way he would want to make first impressions or greetings, his perfectionists mind already yelling terrible things at his foolishness, but there was no changing the past. All he could do now was try and salvage what he could of a potentially poor situation. “I am clearly far less graceful in the water than you, my dear.”
