|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:44 am
There. She had said it again. He wasn't a monster. He hadn't misheard her. He scrambled to get his feet back under him, which took longer then he liked, and then he turned to face her.
"Do you truly mean that?" he asked, heart in throat. He felt like a foal again, needing comfort, but they were words he had desperately longed to hear for so long from someone other then his family members, that he would take the disgust he felt later at being so vulnerable to someone that he had just met. She apparently also ate both meat and grass, which was a relief to him that he wasn't the only one. She even understood without him explaining about the problems he had swimming with his little fluffy tail.
"Sun, you think I can learn to swim?" He'd be the first to admit, he looked like he was drowning when he was swimming.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 10:08 am
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it." she replied a bit more snappily than she really meant to. She wasn't usually so emotional and she had no idea why she was suddenly being so. Maybe his confessions of loneliness had struck a cord with her own that she had so long denied being there. It was easy to pretend you weren't lonely if you kept saying you were happy with the way things were. It was rare she ever let those thoughts that brought her lie to light come through and they were usually quickly squashed into the box at the back of her mind. She felt a little fish poke at her hooves and shuffled a bit to get it to move on.
She was immediately relieved to have a change of subject. "I don't see why not. I'm sure with some work and experimentation we could figure out something that works for you and lets you move around and will in the water. How long can you hold your breath?" it was only then she realized he'd shortened her name. She blinked a few times and ran it through her mind a few times. "You, called me 'Sun'" she said quietly almost in shock.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 12:16 pm
He had to smile a bit at her snappish tone. Apparently she just couldn't help it, and apparently he wasn't much better. Maybe it was just being part of the breed.
"I would like that very much, especially if I run into any of those 'sharks' and 'rockfish' that you were telling me about. As for holding my breath, only a minutes. I haven't spent much time underwater, just on the surface. I only really go into the water to get wet. Sometimes when there is kelp or waterweed around and there isn't much else to eat, I'll go after those.
It wasn't until she mentioned it that he realized he had shortened her name. "I didn't think about shortening your name. I'll call you by your full name if you'd like." Though, he thought Sun fit her, though it was fully her choice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 12:46 pm
"No! It's fine I just..." she colored slightly. "No one's ever called me something other than my full name. It just, caught me off guard is all. I, I liked it though!" she tried and failed at not coloring further.
With a cough she tried to get her composure back and got back to the topic at hand. "Well most of the sharks around where I live are fairly small and aren't much of a threat. Good eating too if you can manage to catch one off guard. Don't worry much about rock fish either...they like reefs and open water more than where I live." her tail swished as she thought. She knew she could manage three days, four if she pushed it without surfacing. By his own admission he hadn't done much underwater and she could understand that he might be afraid to try considering he wasn't apt at swimming. However if he could hold his breath for longer than that...
She looked over and eyed his chest. It looked broad and strong, however that didn't mean his lungs were on par with hers. Well there was only one way to find out for sure. "I have an idea but I'll admit you might not like it much, however we'll need to figure out how long you can actually hold your breath. I can hold mine for about three days, four if I really push it." she continued on before he could offer an objection. "I definitely don't expect you to be able to do that, but even if you can only manage a few hours that's better than nothing and considering how many other traits you display from your father I wouldn't be surprised if you've got a decent lung capacity as well." she gave a firm nod and immediately colored as her stomach sounded the alarm. "Ah, but first if you don't mind could we visit the grass back over the dunes. I actually came ashore to graze today."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 5:14 pm
He blinked in surprise. Days? She could hold her breath that long? He was lucky if he could go down long enough to to grab some water-weed and surface before trying not to drown. He shouldn't be surprised though, that she could hold her breath that long, as she was a water creature. But did she really think he could do something of the same?
"I can give it a try," he said, though he had some trepidation about how long he could spend under the water. "Though I'm not sure if I can handle a few hours. I think I might drown." Though, the thought of his ability to hold his breath fled as he heard his stomach growl.
"I'm sorry Sun! I didn't mean to keep you from grazing!" He felt bad that he had kept her from eating. "I wouldn't offer the beach grass. It's too salty. You'll probably want something farther away." He started to make his way back towards the beach. He felt hungry now himself. He had had such an unexpected emotional time, that he felt drained, and he knew he needed to replace his energy that he just spent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 5:35 pm
She gave him an encouraging smile. "I think you can do more than you think you can. I understand that you're probably scared...no other kelpi has ever been very helpful to you and the hesitation to be in the water and try anything more than quick little dips under the surface would be very daunting for you. I promise though I'm not going to let you drown and we're only going to venture out to where the water will be just over your head so you can get above surface quickly if you need to. I'll stay right with you." she smiled a little wider hoping he'd feel reassured. She was asking a lot of him considering she'd only just met him and he had no real reason to trust her after all.
"I know a good spot," she said dipping down to let water run over her back and drapes soaking them again. She tossed her forelock out of her eyes as she stood back up and followed him back onto the beach and towards the dunes. "Just past the dunes it gives way to proper soil pretty quick and there's a small stream cutting out from a forest makes for a pretty lush little grazing spot and fresh water to drink for a change of pace." she finished.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 7:10 pm
He hesitated. He didn't really know this mare. Maybe she was just being kind to him now, but who knew what her real motive was. But, she had also said that he wasn't a monster and he felt like he could trust her. She had also offered only taking him out to where his head was just below the water, and not any deeper. He could potentially get back to shore fast enough before something happened. So, it sounded like a pretty safe plan.
"Okay. That sounds like a plan. I would also like to see this new place where we can forage. I don't know this place that well, and it would be nice to learn some of the areas to forage." He walked to the shore, shaking the water off of his back and fins, then flicking some off of his back hooves. The sea breeze felt good, caressing his body.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 7:38 pm
She gave him a smile and then trotted back towards the dunes and a gap between two of them that was fairly easy to climb up. Despite the sand sliding under her hooves she made her way up with practiced ease and let herself slide a bit down the back side before giving a little jump back onto firmer ground. "Careful coming down. It's easy to slide too much and end up scrambling to keep yourself from landing on your face." she laughed a bit and let her tail swish as she waited for him.
"So, besides not liking swamps and looking for a place to call home, what brought you to the ocean and this stretch of shore? I can count on all my hooves the number of times I've actually run into someone when I've come ashore. Not that I come often, just if this was on a well traveled route I figured I'd have seen more than I have." She glanced over as she noticed the breeze send a plume of sand into the air, but then had to close her eyes and turn her head as it headed straight for her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 8:24 pm
He made his way up the sandy dunes, his footing much more solid on firm ground then it was the ever-shifting sands of the oceans or lakes. He slipped a bit on the shifting dune, but it wasn't too bad, and he didn't fall on his face like she warned. He only got a little sand on his back hocks, but he was good.
"What brought me to this beach was the fact I like it quiet, and don't like to be near others because of how they react when they see me. So, no this isn't on a well traveled path at all. It's kind-of out in the middle of nowhere, and that's what I have been looking for. Somewhere that I can have water and land, and not have to worry about anyone else since I was going to be alone for the rest of my life." He noticed the wind picking up a bit. "We might want to get in the trees. It will cut the wind a bit, and won't dry you out as quickly. I've found that's usually where some of the best forage is."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 8:55 pm
She saw him slide a bit but didn't comment. Figured she'd let him preserve his dignity and it wasn't too bad as she noticed he'd only dirtied his hocks. She remembered her first slide all to well and had learned a valuable lesson that day to not always trust the ground you're walking on.
With his explanation many of her suspicions were confirmed with what she had always thought of as Her Beach. "I figured as much. I'm not exactly sure what I would have done had I always had to deal with others when I came to shore." she thought for a moment. "Probably gotten more than a little snippy..." she laughed a bit and shook her head. She looked up at the sky and then back at the dunes. "Wind will actually die down a bit once we're away from the dunes. It always seems to be worse right around in here. As for drying out," she gestured towards her drapes. "Best trade for a string of pearls I ever made. They thought I was crazy, but I realized how valuable soaked fabric could be to someone like me. There's a trader that makes their way around here every half year or so and I buy new ones from them when I need."
She turned back towards the spot she knew and picked up the pace again. The wind slowly tapering off to a much more occasional wisp than the near constant blow it had been closer to the dunes and beach. Once they were closer she gestured around with her head. "And here we are. I know it doesn't look like much right now, it still being a bit early in the year, but this place is very nice in spring and summer. Get rabbits and mice near year round as well. None today, but that's just how it goes."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:36 pm
Well, that would explain why she would wear clothing in the water. If it kept her wet when she came out. Of course, that spoke of how little time she could spend above water if she needed cloth to help her stay above the surface. And that thought led to another, how he wondered how it could even work, with her having to retreat to the sea, and he being a land dweller.
But he shook off that thought as he looked around the area she had discovered. It did look like it would be nice later on. It was nice and shaded, and did cut the wind rather nice. It had some nice underbrush that he could see housing some smaller animals when it was warmer.
"This is a nice place you have found. Though it's nice to know that once every half year there will be someone around here. And if there had been more people, I would probably be more snippy as well. Not to mention I wouldn't be staying around here, and then I never would have had a chance to meet you." He stepped forward, and lowered his head to start munching on the grass. He wasn't unfamiliar with grass, though the different places it grew gave it different flavors. But he wasn't going to complain about any of it, especially since this was one of the rare times he had company. "I'm glad you come here every once in a while, and decided to come today."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 9:50 pm
She waited a few moments to let him get a look around before starting to graze herself. It had been months since she'd had grass and she tore hungrily at every clump she could get her mouth on. Kelp had nothing on fresh grass. Granted this stuff wasn't all that "fresh" in that sense, but in a few more weeks she'd be out almost every week to get her fill.
She glanced up towards him as he spoke and lifted her head. "Completely but accident, I assure you. The day I found this spot I was actually chasing a deer that had wandered down to the beach. They do that sometimes for the salt, you know. Long story short, it got away and I discovered grass." she gave him a wry smile. "It's my vice really. That and land walking meat. Just get so tired of everything tasting like salt and fish."
She snorted at his comments about others. "Yes, I imagine you would be." she gave him an amused smile and for once was actually rather glad her beach was so isolated. He wouldn't have come here otherwise and despite the rocky start, she found she very much enjoyed his company. He was easy to talk to and that for her was very refreshing from all the posturing that usually was involved in a conversation around the lurk.
She gave him another smile before lowering her head to eat again. "You're just lucky the weather decided to turn and it's not freezing up here. I don't come ashore if there's snow and ice on the ground." she said taking another bite.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 10:55 pm
He was surprised to see her tearing hungrily at the grass. It was just grass after all. Nothing to get so excited about. And with it being winter grass, it hardly had any taste except 'dry'. But he guessed if everything had the same taste below, grass would be something of a luxury.
He wrinkled his nose. "I don't really like the taste of fish. I've caught it in tide pools around the ocean, and occasionally I'll get lucky and catch them in the shallows of the rivers and lakes, but mostly it's the grass and other forage I eat, and even the occasional rodent or bird, but I've never caught anything bigger than a rabbit, and.... well, I never even considered deer on the menu." He guessed it was because he felt a bit of a kinship with them, as they were so close to his mothers breed in looks, with them just being different species.
"As for the weather, if it had been snow and ice, I would be holed up in some cave, or dense brush, and I wouldn't be here either. So it is a rather good thing for both of us that the weather was good." He looked up at the partially cloudy sky. "Though, the weather around the ocean is always strange. Some places, it rains all the time, and others its dry everywhere, and nothing grows. It's strange." His thoughts then turned back to her grass habit. "Say, have you ever had clover, or sweetgrass?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 12:36 pm
"Shark is good for a fish. Less 'fishy' I guess than yours standard fish. It's a red meat instead of white." she paused trying to think of a good thing to compare the taste to and gave up, the only thing she could think of was deer and that wasn't really all that close when it came down to it. She also thought better of the comparison once he said he didn't consider deer as prey. She looked over again at him and supposed that with his antlers and tail, she wouldn't either in his position. If he stuck around she resolved to be more considerate and leave the deer that were local to the area alone.
"Well that was indeed fortunate for the both of us." she gave him a smile and laughed a bit. "That is true. I've heard of coastlines that are far less forgiving than mine. Here I mostly get rain and snow about every other year if it gets cold enough. It's usually gone within a day or so. Even then I try to avoid it...I nearly froze my fins off the first year I encountered it." she hung her head a bit sheepishly. She supposed it was understandable for someone like her, born and raised beneath the waves to be so ignorant of the world above the surface, however it was still embarrassing when she made mistakes that most land walkers thought to be common sense.
At his question she tilted her head. "Clover? Sweetgrass...?" she blinked. "Are those like wild onions?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:21 pm
He though about it being red meat instead of white. "Could be like a cougar or rabbit then? Though, you wouldn't know what cougar tastes like since you have never encountered them. So, closer to rabbit maybe?" It was strange, being close to the same species, but having such different dietary choices, and then trying to find something comparable. Though in some ways, he now thought that he hoped since she liked deer, she wouldn't think he would be a good meal. He decided not to voice that thought, and hastily moved away from it.
He chuckled sympathetically. "Don't worry about it. The first time I left the swamp and encountered snow, I just about froze myself, since the swamp is always humid, and doesn't get that cold. I went scurrying back home wide-eyed at that one, and my mother had to explain to me that the world wasn't ending, and what to do to stay warm." He chuckled again at the sight he must have presented. "It was a definite learning experience to be sure, so don't feel bad. I think most of us have had interesting run-ins with snow for our first times."
"You've never had either?!" He has surprised and excited that she was new to the experience of either. "They're different then wild onions. Wild onions are kinda pungent where those are sweet. You can tell clover by the little yellow flowers that they produce, and they have small round leaves, and grows really close to the ground. Sweetgrass has thick leaves and grows hock-high. I'll have to see if there is any growing around here so you can try some. I.... have a sweet spot for clover." He really did love clover. Probably more than he should. But it just tasted so good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
