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 Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2017 10:25 pm
 Water dripped from every inch of her as she made her way out of the swirling tide. Her mane hung limply over her eyes and a quick flick of her head only served to get it caught on her ear fins. The mare huffed, typical and again she wondered why she kept her it so long. It would be more convenient to get it cut short, but vanity kept her from considering that course of action for long. despite the mess it was when she was emerging from the water, her mane did have a pleasant wave to it once dry, provided she was out of the water long enough for it to do so.
She swished her tail dislodging a piece of kelp that had stuck to it while coming out of the surf and looked around the beach. Sunny day, not too hot though, with any luck she could spend a few hours away from the water and not pay for it too dearly. She turned her head around and adjusted her soaking drapes as they'd become dislodged by the waves, and she was glad for the fact it wasn't freezing cold today. They'd be of little use keeping her damp if that were the case.
Satisfied she started off for the dunes and a grazing spot she knew of near the beach. Maybe if she was lucky there might be something else tasty there besides grass, a rabbit or a mouse maybe...While she was actually going to graze she wouldn't say no to a tasty little snack, especially if it didn't taste like fish or salt. She didn't care what some other members of her species thought...those two flavors could get old after awhile.
A light breeze ruffled her damp mane and she took a deep breath getting a sense of the area. She was almost disappointed at the lack of an onion-y scent on the air. While many avoided wild onions she rather liked them for their pungent flavor, it was always a nice change of pace to what she could find in the water. Ah, well, a few more weeks and they'd start to bloom, at least she hoped so.
She didn't smell any small animals either...another disappointment but one that could also be lived with. She crested the dune and started to trot down the other side. She could almost see the start of the grassy area she liked to graze in and she swished her tail with pleasure. She took another deep breath and then paused. There was another scent on the air...one that was unfamiliar. Her eyes narrowed for a moment before she started to look around for the source of the smell.
"Someone out there?" she called out hesitantly ready to flee back to the water if need be.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:09 pm
 Vis huffed as he headed for the beach. He felt drawn to the water, but he was also tied to the land. He had tried swimming before, but he hadn't had much luck. He just didn't seem able to propel himself through the water. However, if he spend more than a week away from being submerged, he felt itchy. So, he would take a dip every once in a while, and since he was near the ocean, it was time to try that again.
He was in a sour mood again because he felt torn. His mother was a ceyrni and was a land walker, while his father was a kelpi, and he couldn't quite figure out where he belonged. He'd tried joining a herd, and his fins had made him ridiculed. When he tried living in the water, he flailed with swimming. He was also of an age that he was becoming interested in the females. And none of them seem interested in him, he was too much of one thing, or too little of another.
He growled at how conflicted he was feeling, not paying attention to the beach. If there was anyone else there, they could mind their own damn business. He smelled some prey, and it added to his annoyance. He also couldn't figure out what he should be eatting.
He was surprised when he heard someone call out. He looked over the dune to see a dark grey mare with red trappings and a tail. A long aquatic tail. Dammit. He snorted, and turned to head farther down the beach. She was not going to help his mood, and he did not want to be ridiculed again for not being enough of something.
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 11:34 pm
A stallion was really the last thing she'd expected. Especially a kelpie stallion. At least she thought he was, the visible fins certainly indicated he was, but he was strange...he had horns that were completely unfamiliar to her and his tail...if you could call it that was...well...it didn't look much good for anything. He didn't look to be in all that great of a mood either and that gave her pause. She wondered if he'd recently moved into this territory as it had been awhile since she'd come ashore. It was just infinitely easier to hunt and graze the kelp forest that was several miles off shore when freezing temperatures where what awaited you above the waves.
She debated a few more minutes before finally clearing her throat hoping to get his attention. "Is this your territory now?" she asked in a more imperious tone than she really meant to. "Uh...that is...do you live here now?" No that didn't really sound any better either but instead of apologizing she stood her ground. No matter what he turned out to be, she figured she could handle one stallion and if nothing else, she could probably out maneuver him on both land and in the water.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 11:08 am
He almost ignored her when she spoke again, expecting the usual taunt, and then hesitated as his ears caught up to his brain. That was... different. Enough that he stopped and turned to face her. Well, since it was a kelpie, and considering his father, he expected the tone she had, and the challenge. Where it wasn't true that these were his lands, he should not appear weak. They tended to thrive on that it seemed. You were either predator or prey, and nothing inbetween. Unfortunately, Vis was literally both.
"I own wherever I go, and whatever place suits my needs," he replied haughtily, or tried to. He had a vague notion it might have sounded sullen. He cursed to himself again. Why couldn't the world just go and mind it's own business.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 11:31 am
One eyebrow lifted slightly at his tone. "Oh, really?" she snapped back at him although she had her reservations about his tone. It certainly sounded like a challenge to her own, but there was an edge of...well she wasn't sure. Sadness maybe? Was he expecting her to run him off?
Unfortunately his vague answer didn't really help her decide if she was trespassing or not. Was he making his claim or saying he'd move on shortly and she was free to do as she pleased? She'd rather not be thought of as a common sneak thief, coming unwanted into his domain to graze and hunt. She was better than that after all and even if he wasn't a full breed she'd respect his boundaries provided he clearly set them.
She took a deep breath and tried again with him. "It's just that, well if this is your territory now I'll take my leave. I'm no thief and will not be seen as one. I will respect your authority over the area as due another member of our noble breed, even if you are some sort of strange version I've never seen before."
There. Let him chew on that.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 3:40 pm
He bristled. There it was. Stranger version? Strange version?! Oh, that was more what he expected to hear. He stamped a hoof in irritation. Was he ever going to find someone that didn't think he was a freak? His mind didn't even register what she said before that.
"No, damn you. It's not my territory, so you can do whatever you want , and not be considered a thief," he snapped at her, his deer tail fully erect and fluffed with his temper. He did a levade, turned on one hoof, and headed straight for the ocean. He didn't want to show her how clumsy he was in the water, but he could at least submerge himself up to his belly, and let the waves roll the water over his back. That way, if she came to run him off now that he said the land wasn't his own, he would at least have some footing to flee with, and the ocean would not be any sort of escape from that one.
As the water touched his skin, he couldn't help but let out a sigh in relief. He had been out of the water too long, and he always felt like his skin was getting too tight and itchy. The water was like putting aloe on a sunburn, and soothed the itching almost instantly. It also touched something deeper inside of him that he couldn't name, and he took a moment to dip his head underwater as well; throwing his head up above the waves and letting the water sluice down his neck and mane, with droplets clinging to his antlers.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 4:36 pm
Her head jerked back as he snapped at her. She hadn't intended to offend him yet somehow had. She frowned as she thought. Perhaps the horns and tail weren't some new variation that was unknown to her waters but instead he was...a half-breed? Well she certainly knew that some of her species mingled more with landwalkers and took mates and raised families that lived between land and sea...or lake and river if fresh water was your thing. She'd just never seen one before. No one from her lurk came ashore if they could avoid it, and it was definitely the sort of thing that fell in the "unacceptable" category of behavior. Her behavior in and of itself was on the fringe of "acceptable" as she lived on the edge of their territory and came ashore to graze and hunt.
She pursed her lips and tried to decide what to do. By all rights she should march back into the water and swim home, ignore the half-breed and be done with it. Curiosity however was getting the better of her. He features were mostly kelpi after all! So...no harm in speaking more with him...provided she could get him to talk again.
She watched him half submerge himself in the waves for a few minutes and that act alone sealed her decision. He evidently didn't like to dry out so despite the horns and weird tail he was kelpi in her eyes.
She edged back towards him and let the waves lap at her hooves. "Ah...mm..." she wasn't exactly sure how to proceed, apologies not being her strong suit but nothing left to do now but proceed. "I didn't mean to offend you, you know!" she lifted her head slightly. "You could have been some sort of freshwater variant after all. No need to get so huffy...I was just extending you the same respect as I'd offer any other individual of our shared breed." she just managed to keep herself from "harumph'ing" at the end of her rather backwards attempt to smooth things over.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 5:00 pm
Apparently this one was not going to go away. His ears flattened for a moment as she started to speak, but slowly lifted as she continued. In many ways, she was just like his father, with the same tones. But at least she was trying to apologize.... though she was terrible at it. He shouldn't find fault in the fact that it just seemed to be the breed entirely that was like that. Not that he would know.
He snorted again, and pawed at the soft sand under his hooves. "I am in no way a variant of your kind, and that definitely doesn't get me any respect in any way from anyone." He snorted angrily and pawed with the other foot. "And be glad you at least have a breed, and that you know what you are. Though, you are the first that has not tried to attack me or run me off, so..... This is about the longest conversation I've had with one of you that wasn't my dad. And I can't say my dad was helpful in any way explaining anything."
His father was too enamored with his mother to pay much attention to his son. Heck, he had expected them to be hock-deep in foals the way those two were. He and his sister were just the initial accidents that formed his parents relationship. Vis had a better chance getting advice from a tree, then his parents. His steps to try to understand the world had been uncertain and full of hatred and fear.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 6:12 pm
She gave him a sidelong glance. "Well, technically you are. You've got the fins and needed to dampen yourself that makes you kelpi. You've just also got that tail and those horns." she shrugged in an off handed manner. "And everyone has a breed! Just some are more complicated than others, like mer's who have kelpi traits or seathi with nixie." she swished her tail and only then realized all her examples were limited to water dwelling species. Well, couldn't fault a mare for trying.
She frowned at his admission that others had not been very receiving of his presence or really his existence. "Well I'm not them and I would appreciate you not lumping me in with everyone else! It's my fault your father wasn't the most useful stallion!" she tossed her head again.
After a moment his horns crossed her mind again and she turned her head fully to get a better look at them. While not huge, the ends did look sharp and their position made them look more useful than say the ones that adorned the heads of the kalona she'd seen hunting the coastline from time to time. "Are they useful?" she heard herself asking tilting her head to one side. She then realized that he had no idea what she was talking about and clarification would be useful. "Your horns that is, are they useful? They look useful."
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 6:54 pm
"I may need to dampen myself and have fins, but I swim like a rock...." He bit his tongue to keep from saying more. Dangerous to admit a failing to someone that you don't know, especially a sea creature when you are belly-deep in the sea. "And try being a breed that is just about polar opposites of each other. Trust me, you find that you don't fit in anywhere." And finding a mare that doesn't shudder at your approach or just run screaming was an entirely different matter. She probably never had a problem finding mates.
Her comment about his dad though had him snort in amusement. "I can't argue with you there. Too enamored with my mother to be useful to the spawn he created." And that brought his thoughts to his mother, and how she had won over the swamp kelpie with her determination. But it seemed on that note, she brought up his horns. He thought about that for a moment, and then nodded.
"They are actually pretty useful. Usually when some cerynei buck that's not too afraid of me thinks that I'm going to try and steal his girl, we will spar with them. They're also really good for running off cougars and anything else that thinks it's going to try and eat me. But they do fall off once a year, and then I grow a new set, which is helpful if I've broken one, but annoying when I'm in a fight and they're not there. And they grow back all soft in the beginning, then they harden and shed, and there's a new rack. Sometimes I use them to haul up water weeds and other plants so I can eat them if I'm in an area that's too dry, though I try very hard to avoid those areas."
He snorted to himself. Look at him, all chatty. This was probably the longest conversation he had with a female that wasn't his sister or mother. And he didn't even know her name.
"By the way, my name is Visuelle, but just call me Vis. What's your name?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 7:36 pm
The rock comment caught her off guard and she couldn't help but laugh a bit. "I'm sorry!" she said after a moment. "Just the thought of a rock trying to swim was very funny to me. Unless it was a rock fish..." she trailed off. "Those are considerably less funny, especially the poisonous ones..."
She shook her head and really thought about what he said about not fitting in. "Like a kalona and well...anything...I wouldn't think they mix well. Had to fight a few from time to time. Tried to steal my catch!" she made a sour face at the memories and the audacity of the flying pests.
"Well at least you know he loves her." she said trying to be reassuring. "Better than wondering why they're even together." she turned her head, lowered her eyes, and pursed her mouth. What went on between her parents was their business and had long stopped being hers. She'd be damned if she got all in a tizzy over it like a little filly, again.
She glanced back over as he answered her question about his horns and nodded in appreciation. "I don't know what a cougar is but I bet they'd be good against sharks." she said adding her two cents. "Unfortunate they fall off, but least they grow back." Seems there were upsides to what he considered his unfortunately half-breeding. "So...being a half breed isn't all bad then?" Any attempt at subtly completely abandoned.
She was both intrigued and horrified at the thought of dry places. "Dry!? That sounds horrible!" the disgust was obvious in her voice. She paused for a moment. "Have you traveled much then?" the furthest she'd ever been from home was the woods not far from the beach that she occasionally hunted.
"Oh, I'm Sunreaver." she said with a slight lift of her head, then shuffled as she had no shortened name to add. No one had ever called her anything but her full name. A fact that she didn't know until right then made her a bit sad.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 8:15 pm
His ears flattened a bit as she laughed at his comment about swimming like a rock, but became interested when she mentioned fish. "So there are rocks that are fish? And they are poisonous? How do they swim if they are rocks?" He just couldn't picture anything so ridiculous in his life.
He nodded at her name. "It is nice to meet you Sunreaver." For the comment about his parents, he just made a noncommittal sound. He didn't want to go into that anymore. "As for what a cougar is, think of kalona, with fur, half the size, and they hunt day or night. And they are very quiet. Almost too quiet. Sometimes the birds will alert you when one is near, though they are not very fond of beaches as far as I can tell. The water isn't to their taste. They drink fresh water. Though, I have no idea what a 'shark' is. And I have traveled to many different places, though I suggest leaving the deserts alone." He shuddered at the one time he had been at the edge of one, and had burnt himself to a crisp. "My father lived in a swamp, but I didn't like that. So I have traveled to see different lakes, seen rivers, and even come across a pond or two. The ocean is the biggest body of water I've come across, though the currents are too much for me, so I mostly stay on the ground."
He shook his head angrily as she brought up about being a half-breed. "Oh sure," he sneered. "As long as you don't mind not being land-based or water-based. Not being able to be accepted by your mothers people or your fathers. Not being a buck or belonging to any herd. Not being sure whether you eat meat or eat plants, and having to be extremely careful about which you do in front of which group." He pawed angrily at the waves. "Not belonging to any herd of any type because your mothers people run scared from you because of what you look like, and your fathers people don't claim you because you aren't one of them." He lashed out with a back hoof, once more at the water. "Never being able to stay someplace for very long because there's always someone that will run you off because they think you're a monster. You can't make any friends, and the only way a mare looks at you is either in disgust or fear. It's Fan-Friggen Tastic To Be A Half-breed!"
He completely forgot Sunreaver was there for a moment, as his biggest frustration boiled up inside him. His ears lay flat on his head as he reared, lashing at the waves like they were a mortal enemy, trying to vent some of his frustration to the uncaring sea. Why couldn't he have been born one or the other! Why did he have to not belong to anything! He reared and plunged in the waves for several long minutes, trying to fight a battle he knew he couldn't win. When he was done, he lay panting on the surface of the ocean, moving back and forth with the pull of the tide; letting it lull him like a lullaby.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 9:08 pm
She laughed again. "No, they're not actual rocks. They're fish but they don't swim well so they mostly keep to the bottom and the best they can do is sort of," she shimmied from side to side to demonstrate how they moved, "from spot to spot, but mostly they sit still and wait for unsuspecting prey to get to close. And, yes, many have spines on them that secrete poison that is for the most part...fatal." She shuddered. "Only thing more dangerous are sea snakes when it comes to the poisonous/venomous department."
She smiled a bit when he said her name, it was nice to hear her name in a way that didn't make it sound like the speaker was bored, annoyed, or just trying to get on her good side. "And it's nice to meet you, Vis." she listened to his explanation of the cougar and then nodded understanding. "A shark is probably best described as a water cougar, although they don't have fur, just skin that feels like sand being rubbed on a bare spot."
Her eyes lit up as he talked about the places he'd wandered. She didn't know what a desert was but it definitely didn't sound pleasant from the way he reacted. She knew what a mangrove swamp was and for the most part they didn't sound so bad, however judging from his tone that wasn't the kind he meant. She nodded as he finished up almost wishing he'd discussed it more in depth. "Currents can be rough if you don't know how to read them. I've made my own share of mistakes with them. I suppose having been raised around fresher water you'd have never been taught how to read them."
She paled as he suddenly snapped at her and her ears and fins all flattened as his temper flared. She hadn't meant to set him off, not really. If anything she'd only meant to tease him a bit even though from all his comments she should have known better. Did he honestly not think anything positive about himself, though? That was a depressing thought and she felt a slight tug at hear heart as she listened to him. She'd never been rejected or discouraged from a group before, in fact she was encouraged to be more active and interested in the affairs of the lurk despite it being known she had no interest and enjoyed her fringe lifestyle. They all thought she was going through a "phase" but honestly they had her parents to thank for her "rebellious" nature. Hard to be serious about lurk unity and kelpi strength when her own parents only rarely acknowledged her existence. She supposed that must be what he felt like, only magnified a hundred thousand million times. At least others wanted her around...his pain she couldn't even begin to imagine.
She opened her mouth to say as much when he suddenly launched into a fit thrashing and rearing like he was being attacked by some unknown enemy. She took a hesitant step back but kept herself from fleeing. Her eyes were wide as she watched the display and kept her breathing as calm as possible. Only when she was sure he was finished did she take a few hesitant steps into the water moving closer to him. She'd had so many things she'd wanted to say just a few minutes before but now all she could think to quietly say was, "I'm a mare, and I don't think you're a monster..."
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 10:12 pm
He smiled a bit as she shimmied from side to side, showing, he guessed, the movements of these so-called rock fish. Though their movements were funny, listening to the fact that they had spines made him think that he really didn't want to meet these funny fish. Sounded like something that could be a fatal encounter. And then snakes that lived in the sea? They were bad enough living on land! And then they had another type of cougar that was hairless and felt like sand when touched.... he doubted he ever wanted to get close enough to feel how rough it was. He was thankful now that he barely went much deeper then he currently was into the sea. It sounded like as dangerous a place as on land.
"Lakes have currents too," he replied. "They have rivers flowing through them and depending on the time of year, they can be slow or fast, and you have to learn now to read them." It gave him pause. "I guess that is like the ocean, but they are so much stronger, and can bowl you head over tail."
As he lay floating, he heard the slight splash of someone coming into the water, and he remember that Sunreaver had been there speaking to him, and his heart sank to the bottom of his hooves. 'Great,' he thought. 'Now I get to hear from her about how I shame my race, or I should grow up, or some other nonsense from someone who would never completely understand.' He floated rejected on the water, knowing the waves couldn't calm the ache in his heart, when he almost missed her speaking. Almost. But, he thought he heard it correctly. He righted himself a bit, lifting his head towards her, though hardly daring to hope on what he had heard.
"You what?" he asked in a whisper. Hoping he had heard her correctly, but trying not to hope too hard. That's all he would need is someone to dash what little hope he had left of finding a friend and companionship.
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Posted: Sat Feb 11, 2017 10:51 pm
She nodded never having really thought about lakes having currents. Made sense when they had rivers and streams flowing into them. She'd never really thought much about how freshwater worked having never been near it before.
She swallowed and shifted a bit in the water as it swirled around her. She felt her hooves sink in a bit as the sand gave away with the current. "I uh...I said I'm a mare and I don't think you're a monster." She looked over into his eyes and gave him a small awkward smile. "I mean, who really cares what you eat? I eat whatever I feel like. I want a fish, I catch a fish. I want to graze, I come ashore or browse the kelp forest. I do whatever I have to do, and I don't give a damn what anyone else thinks." she paused for a moment. "And if you father is as lousy a parent as you say he is, it's no wonder you don't swim well. You don't have the same sort of tail so you can't expect to swim the same way I do and he probably never cared enough to help you figure out a better way."
She huffed and looked down at the water. "You're...you're not a monster, okay?"
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