[PRP] Stormed asunder (Pelagia and Rhodanthe)

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"Ow!" Barinthus received a firm slap over the head from the other kelpi. Lights flashed in front of his eyes and the world churned dizzily for an aching moment. When he managed to focus again, he realized that she was shouting at him not to hurt the human. She thought he wanted to harm him? Incredulous, he could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"You were the one hurting him!" he protested in aggravation. It was then that he realized with a start that he was no longer holding onto the human. He must have dropped him when he was slapped. "Dammit!" He saw the human floundering right beneath the surface. This time he didn't grab with his teeth. Instead he pushed his head underneath the human and lifted, leaving the human draped over his muscular neck. The pathetic creature was almost senseless from being so waterlogged.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Pelagia was so stunned that she almost swallowed seawater. Suddenly it was clear. The kelpi wasn't trying to drown the human! Just like her, he was trying to help. Shame made her face burn hot. She'd just assaulted someone who was only trying to do the right thing! "I'm sorry!" she cried over the howl of wind. "I'm so sorry!"

The human stirred, but only slightly. He was alive but not doing well. Pelagia broiled with guilt, but still she was trying to figure out a plan. What could they do to help the human now?

She felt Rhodanthe tap her on the back, and then followed her friend's pointing finger. The humans had put a couple smaller boats into the water and were using them to paddle away from the doomed ship. "There!" she gasped. "We have to bring the human to those boats!"  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Barinthus tried to spot the ships but couldn't make them out. He wasn't able to lift his head as high out of the water as the mare, given that he had a rather hefty human hanging off of it. Still, he chose to trust her. She seemed genuinely distraught at having hurt him and misunderstood his intentions.

"You'll have to lead thew way!" He started swimming in the direction that she had indicated, but was slower than he would have liked. The truth was that his fins, for all their beauty, were not as effective in the water as a less flashier form would have been. He could keep up fine with just himself, but being weighed down slowed him considerably.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"All right, just follow me!" She began forging ahead of Barinthus. Now, even when the waves were large, she had no choice but to stay on the surface. She knew the other kelpi couldn't exactly dive beneath the waves with his injured human passenger. She squeaked nervously when a particularly frothy wave came at her, only barely managing to keep herself from flipping over. Looking behind her, her heart gave a jolt when she didn't see the other two. She was about to dive under to look for them when they submerged, off to one side. The human opened his eyes blearily but seemed barely capable of anything else. They had to be fast!

"This way!" The boats were drawing closer now. She hoped that they would understand their intentions and not try to chase them away...  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

The human grew more wakeful as he finally caught his breath. To Barinthus' relief, the human also seemed to finally realize that the two of them were trying to help. He clambered fully onto Barinthus' back and gripped onto his mane with those nimble hands humans had. Barinthus gritted his teeth as his mane was yanked. The human was making him keep his head at an unnatural angle now... and he was sitting right atop his dorsal fin. Excellent.

"Please mind yourself!" he snapped at the human, knowing that his words would have no effect. Humans couldn't understand soquili. Soquili couldn't understand humans either, for the most part. They didn't have time for any sort of complicated charades to determine meaning, so he foraged ahead as best as he could. If they could pull this off without anyone drowning it would be a minor miracle.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Pelagia willed the holy light back to her. They needed to attract the attention of the humans in the boats and this was the best method. It worked. Soon they were all pointing and shouting in their direction. They weren't happy, but Pelagia wouldn't have expected them to be during such a dire situation. She swam forward, but dread entered her heart. Some of the humans were holding harpoons. She knew they did not always take kindly to her. What if one of them threw one of their terrible barbed weapons at her?

She looked back anxiously to Barinthus and the human. She couldn't abandon them. That was that. If she was harpooned for her deeds, so be it. She wouldn't be able to live with herself anyways if she left someone to die.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

When Barinthus let out another aggravated shout, the human finally seemed to understand. He shifted himself so Barinthus' fin was free and moved to gripping the sides of his neck rather than tufts of mane. Barinthus immediately swam stronger with the change. The boat full of humans was now changing their course to meet them halfway. Good. The sooner he had this two-legged burden off his back, the better.

"All right," he shouted to Pelagia. "Now, out of the way so I can get beside the boat!" He slowed down so he wouldn't accidentally swamp the boat when it got close. It was difficult maneuvering in the large waves. They had to be very careful if they wanted it to work.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Tears welled up in Pelagia's eyes when she realized the humans weren't going to attack her. They weren't throwing the harpoons at her! They were reaching them out to their comrade, obviously trying to get him to grab onto them. She watched with her heart in her mouth as the human tried to grab hold. His hands slipped at first, then he seemed to get a stronger grip. He was just letting himself be pulled off Barinthus' back when disaster struck- A massive wave that threatened to swamp the boat.

"Help him!" cried Pelagia. The human slipped back into the water, and the boat looked like it might be about to tip over. She surged to the side of the boat, throwing her weight against its side in attempt to keep it upright.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Barinthus once more thrust his head underwater, grabbing the back of the human's shirt in his teeth. The muscles in his neck bulged as he pulled the human to the surface again, and the higher. With a powerful swipe of his tail he was breaching out of the water, human and all. While Pelagia steadied the boat he flung the human over the side. He grunted with the effort and got a kick in the face from the human's flailing foot, but he was in. They'd gotten the human into the boat.

He fell back into the water with a splash, stunned by his own surge of strength. He saw Pelagia pulling back from the boat. Apparently the humans had it back under control. Barinthus blinked from the small boat to the larger ship, listing even further now. "Do you think anyone else needs help?" he asked.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

A sense of relief washed over Pelagia when the human was finally returned to his kindred in the boat. After making certain the boat was going to stay upright she pulled away, moving to tread water beside Barinthus. The humans were all swarming the one that they had rescued, obviously checking him for injuries. They looked relieved too. She almost caught herself smiling before she heard Barinthus' question.

"I don't know," she replied. "But we should check. Let's circle the ship and see what we find." She led the way, Rhodanthe still riding atop her. She didn't see anyone else floundering on the close side, nor at the front, nor on the far side either. There were still some humans on the sinking ship but these humans clearly were prepared. They were rushing around and stowing things into more of the smaller boats. None more fell off and she watched as they continued their evacuation. The land was close enough for them to row themselves over. That was good, at least.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Barinthus tried to keep an eye below the waves while Pelagia watched above them. He didn't see any sinking humans, only their objects and artifacts. He blinked as he saw cooking utensils spiral into the deep. Hopefully the humans wouldn't need those.

Humans kept and made so many objects. It was constantly a marvel to him that they accomplished so much artificially. Soquili didn't need such things, at least not in his opinion. They were naturally capable of doing what they needed to survive.

After they had done a circuit he raised his head above the water again. He looked to Pelagia. "I think they're fine now," he said.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"I think you're right," agreed Pelagia. She finally let herself relax a little, letting go of her hyperaware state. "I'm going to go back to shore," she told him, apologetic. "I can't rest in the ocean like a fullblooded kelpi." She couldn't hold her breath as long as one either. She really needed land to recharge her energy.

"But thank you for your help." Warmth suffused her expression as she smiled at the other soquili. "My name is Pelagia. I live in one of the shoreline caves not too far away from here."  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

"And you can call me Barinthus," he replied. Thinking, he added, "If it wouldn't be imposing, I would love to see your shoreline caves." He made sure to keep his tone away from the flirtatious spectrum. "I know it is rather indecorous, but I find myself rather exhausted." He gave her a drawn smile. Right now what he felt was fatigue. He knew that fatigue would turn into soreness all too soon. He'd much rather be resting in a cave when that happened than out on the open seas.

"Besides," he gave one final look at the sinking ship. "I don't think it's wise for anyone to stay on the waves in this sort of weather."  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Pelagia almost blushed. She rarely had stallions asking to come to her home. When he explained his intentions she felt relief, but also a little disappointed. That surprised her. Since when had she been the flirty type herself? "Of course you can spend the night," she told him. That came out sounding a little strange itself but there weren't that many ways to say it.

"Let's..." she flinched as she heard a sharp cracking noise. Another mast had come down. "Let's go now. Before it gets any worse." She could feel Rhodanthe beginning to shiver. Whether from cold or exhaustion, her poor little friend desperately was in need of rest too.

"It's this way." And with that she was leading him. They cut through the waves, much faster now that they were not carrying humans. Now that her mind was finally still, Pelagia realized how close she was herself to collapse. She hadn't seen that sort of wreck in a long time and hoped she wouldn't see another anytime soon.  

[Revolutionary Roniel]

Barinthus would never admit it, but he was having a hard time keeping up with Pelagia. He flared his fins as wide as he could but she was still faster. He barely managed to keep up and felt a wave of relief rush over him when they finally surfaced into the caves.

"It's so calm in here," he murmured immediately. Compared to the churning storm outside, the stillness was deafening. Most underwater caves were dark, but not this one. The walls were lit with a soft greenish glow. He was struck by its beauty, unearthly and surreal. He opened his mouth to ask about it, but nothing came out. His exhaustion and awe of the place struck him dumb.

He clambered out of the water like one waking up from a dream, or maybe someone falling into one. He turned to Pelagia as he did. "Thank you," he said, with a sort of dazed delight in his voice.