It was raining while Syrena trekked over her homeland. She was dragging her paws, she knew she was, and yet it was difficult not to. One hardship after another seemed to be hitting her beloved pride, this had not been something Salacia could have ever begun to prepare her for. First the plague. So many had lost their lives, young and old, sister and consort alike. There was a consort she had known, one who had shared her blood, he had been one of the first lions given into the sea's embrace. Near the end, they lost Salacia herself, a greater blow to Syrena than it had been to even the other remaining sisters. She wished she had her old mentor to talk to now. Choosing to go to the mainland in order to boost the pride's number had been both a fool's errand and a blessing. She had been taken captive by an insane male convinced that a mermaid's tear or something of the sort could bring eternal life. In her captivity, she had met a male that intrigued her. He knew about gods she had never heard of and shown her a level of compassion she had never experienced from a male. She was uncertain if what she was feeling was the stirrings of the love talked about between males and females, but what he made her feel had been enough to bring him back to her sisters to heal the injuries he'd received, enough even to take him home to her island as her consort. She had thought to have cubs, to bring more sisters into the pride, to help renew the strength that had been stolen from the Einaliai by the gods' wrath.
Upon returning, however, she found that there was no time for her to be pregnant. A great storm and series of waves had toppled large areas of their island's forests. Some of the sisters had been lost in the chaos. Her pride was in ruins, she was without heart and mind and in truth she didn't know where to go from here.
A part of her wanted to run to Phillipos, to have him hold her while she gave the stress a run to overwhelm her. Perhaps then, once she had let the pain run its course, she could think again and figure out where to go from there. But no, she was an Einaliai, a daughter of the sea. She did not need a male to help her solve her problems. In truth, she should need no one and everyone, for she and her sisters were as connected as they were individuals. She had been chosen by Salacia to be queen, her sister had seen something in her that could handle the pressure of rule. If she failed now, she would be proving Salacia wrong. Aganippe had been her mother, but in her heart she couldn't deny that it had been Salacia who helped truly shape her into the lioness she was today.
And still her heart ached. It ached for Phil's comforting words and it ached with shame over her failures. She was beginning to doubt her right to rule.
The drizzle falling down through the leaves above her meant nothing to her as she moved along, glad for the current solitude. The soft patter might have even helped to soothe the tumult of feelings and uncertainties raging through her mind.
A furious fluttering sound caught and drew her attention to a nearby tree where a young falcon had just landed. It was clearing its throat and attempting to fluff the water from its wings, though the action did nothing since water continued to drip down onto them. One blue eye fell upon her and it tilted its head."Are you the one they call Syrena?" the bird, a young male by the sound of his voice, asked. There was an exhaustion and hopefulness to his tone, as if he had traveled a long way and would be sorely disappointed if she were not who he was looking for. Still, he was a bird she had never met before, she didn't make a habit of conversing with creatures of the sky, and as such he should not know her name. Her sisters she didn't think would have sent out a bird to look for her, her habitual rounds and places of contemplations were generally known. Perhaps a consort had taken a familiar, but none of the males should seek her out, much less send a messenger to address her. So who was this bird?
"You are on the island of the Einaliai, young male. The sisters do not give out trust so easily, especially not to males. Explain your business and then I shall decide if you should be introduced to Syrena." His feathers ruffled even more, but he looked more contrite than annoyed over her reprimand. His head ducked slightly and he nodded.
"Forgive me. Ah... I was sent by my friend, a lion named Luthe. He says his friend, Phillipos has come to live on this island with a lioness named Syrena and wanted to send his regards. Also to say that there was no hard feelings between himself and the lady Katerina for his black eye." He paused there, blinking for a few moments. Was he trying to remember something more? What he had said so far was interesting and even a bit amusing. It would be just like Kat to hurt a poor mainland male. She couldn't help but wonder what this Luthe had done to deserve it.
"OH! And one other thing, but I can only tell it to Syrena..."
"Very well, I am she. What is this final message?" Her eyebrow rose slightly when the bird's wing swept forward to his chest and he dipped into a bow. A moment later, he straightened and covered a cough with his wing before tucking it back into his side.
"He wanted to ask your permission for his mother to pay this island a visit. She is very interested of a pride made of only females and your island as well."
"Our home is not a vacation spot." Syrena couldn't help the slight snap in her tone when she responded to the request. His feathers ruffled again but he nodded slowly.
"I'm sure she understands that, she is a very understanding lady. My goddess is still familiarizing herself with the prides of this lifetime and she once told me that it's become more... beneficial to send myself or her companion ahead of her to prepare the pride's leader." Oh, his mother was a goddess? That certainly changed things! Granted, it really shouldn't, but perhaps this was the lift her pride needed. A goddess' influence might at least bring some good fortune, if not good advice. And perhaps strength into the pride, as the gods could travel far more widely than a single lioness.
"His mother is a goddess?"
"Oh... I... Yes, she is. She is the matron of messengers, like me." He seemed to puff a bit in pride over that fact. "Does that mean she can come see your pride?"
"Yes, she will be most welcome. Will her son be coming along?"
"No, Luthe said he wouldn't, that he had far too much respect for your ways to... im... impose like that. Just his mother, and her companion. He's a bird, though, that won't be a problem?"
"No, that is fine. You are welcome to remain on the island until the rain ceases. It would be dangerous to return to the mainland in this weather."
"Thank you, your highness. I'll hurry back as soon as I can and let them know what you said!" He reminded her of a cub, eager to begin his training in whatever role he was to be put in. She couldn't help the smile on her face as she picked out a piece of bark from the ground and quickly carved her personal symbol into it.
"Take this bark and hand onto it while you are on this island. It will let our huntress know that you are my guest and are not to be preyed upon." He nodded, once more thanking her as he hopped down from his perch to snatch it up and fly away to find a drier roost.
In that moment, Syrena allowed her eyes to close. Some of the tension had left her. Not all for there was still so much to be done, but still, some. It was more than she had been expecting before meeting this bird. The rain suddenly felt cooling on her pelt, soft and a bit relaxing. Things would be well, she just had to believe that.
(WC: 1,67 cool