The rush of adrenaline continued to pulse through his veins leaving the young god oblivious and rendered obsolete to the world around him. Those sounds, those bodacious sounds, and smells seized his nostrils with a fragrance that was delectable and tantalizing. It stirred his curiosity into a whirlpool, sucking him into the paradise which he rather quickly deemed 'home'. It hadn't been the silky sands in between his paws or the call of the surf to have made the decision for him - it just felt right. There was something inside of Juuku that was pawing at him, attempting to awaken him from the spell that masked his very memories. Surly in time he would remember but a small inking of familiarity caressed his mind.
Remember, the back of his mind pleaded quietly, urging him to recall the Bahari'mtoto for what it was and for the rich past of which had entwined him to his beloved mate, Pele. But it was futile, at least for now. Surf remained disconnected from his prior life and his rejuvenated mentality of reckless fun and mayhem had swept him off his paws; his senses and mischievous streak were overriding the part that sought to arise from its slumber. For now the philosophical, deepened part of Surf was innocently ignored as the white sandy beaches, jammin' jungles and bodacious bounties called his name, beckoning for attention. How could Juuku ignore them? An audible roar cut through the tranquil air, majestically thrumming with a serenade of the seas. He could feel his heart swell and anxiousness pique as wave after wave propelled itself towards the shore and bombarded the shoreline with foam and whitewash. An impish, excited grin broadened on his maw in a lopsided fashion while his eyes longingly stared out towards the picture perfect scene; primo waves and a stretch of sun soaked beach.
Exhaling as his heart was sent aflutter, Surf awed. "Sweeeeeeet."
It was totally awesome.
While his heterochromatic eyes glazed over and attentively found themselves absorbed and lured into the motion of the waves a figure slunk within the shadows and concealed itself behind a veil of thick, lush foliage. Eyes of purest amber narrowed slightly before a small gasp emitted from out of its mouth. “Juuku,” it breathed, quickly pursing its lips while wings curled tightly around its limber frame. It was him, wasn’t it? It was really him. Just as Ezriel had said it was that hearing such a tale wasn’t enough, the goddess had to see him for herself. And yet here she was, looking upon the restored form of her kui’ipo, her lover. She had waited so long, counting the days that passed and waiting diligently for when he would return. He had promised her and surly she knew that, sooner or later, he would return but it was the continual question of ‘when’ that tested her heart time and time again. In a sense she had never lost him – no, from the moment the sea had taken him from out of her embrace he had never left her. Perhaps it was silly to say that she could feel him near but it was true; whether it was in the breeze that tenderly caressed against her cheeks or the waves that lapped at her feet Surf was always with her and it would be that their love for one another would live on.
But, naturally like anyone would, she did fear for what she would find. Who would this godling be? What would he be like; the god she fell in love with two lifetimes ago or the Juuku who had captured her heart recently? The bigger issue that restlessly nipped at her paws was whether or not he would remember her. Would Juuku recall the love they shared, the confessions and legacy they were about to weave before his time had expired? The goddess herself didn’t know as the very concept and inter-workings of rebirth was foreign to her as it was to many immortals. Circumstances and results which constituted from a rebirth varied from deity to deity and the god, or goddess, which one previously knew could very well return as an estranged being. At first glance it was obvious that the markings which once graced his fur had been replaced and his mane, that white messy mane seemed to have become soaked with a sunny blond and only hinted at the essence of a faint white. Those small head and feet wings had become obsolete while his overall form, otter tail and stature, remained a constant trademark. It had taken Volcanoes a moment to intake his new form but, overall, she was content to see that her mate still remained himself save for those strangely pointed ears, she thought to herself. With looks put aside for now the only thing that still remained at large was his personality, what had taken root within his heart and soul. From watching him secretly Pele had already witnessed that the excitement and voracious, vivacious thrill for life and the world around him still flowed through his veins. That in itself was a comfort but, at the same time, there was still so much she didn’t know about him, so many questions that were left unanswered.
Patience, she thought to herself as she smiled, watching the young godling fall into a silent trance. It’ll all make sense in time. Yes, for now the advice was comforting but it did little to keep her heart from yearning or temper the desire to wrap her paws around him in a longing embrace. Ezriel had advised her not to make herself known to him just yet and to allow Juuku to adapt and slowly transition back into the life of which remained all but a mystery to him. Silently she fought against her conscience, struggling to justify either side. Would it hurt to take a closer look, to let his name roll gently off her tongue, or to look into his eyes and perhaps catch a glimpse of the god she knew hiding somewhere behind the windows of his soul.
“Juuku,” Pele whispered longingly as salty tears streamed from her face.
For all he knew it felt as if he was stuck within a dream – well, aside from that voice that seemed to call his name. Still locked onto the surf, Juuku blinked several times as his small maw pursed with perplexed thought. That gnarly voice, was it in his head? They had called that something specific, didn’t they; A conscious. No, that wasn’t it. What about a conscience, ‘cha? A sudden grin broadened upon his maw as if a switch inside of his head had been flipped. Oh, dude, when was the last time he even had a good conversation with the voice inside of his head? It was totally about time. Ezzie had told him about such a thing but never had the young god imagined that he’d actually experience it, let alone have one. Disheveled and unkempt bangs wisped into his eyes while his small faux hawk vigilantly remained in place. His peculiar tail thumped upon the sands with an anxious nature. He couldn’t help it, really. While small, draconic wings fluttered with pure, unbridled glee Juuku swiveled his head about, ears perking upwards as he subconsciously paced around, albeit slowly, in a circle. "Is that you conscience? Dude, I've toooootally been meanin' to find you! Yer' a bit tricky- for a while there I thought I was fer sure hell munched and not gonna find you." A sheepish chuckle rose from his throat as he continued to pace around, compressing a small trail within the sands. "It was like whoa, and then I was like whoa and then it was like WHOOOOOOA! 'Cha?" His body motioned emphasis with each ‘whoa’ as he swayed, wobbling from side to side. It wasn’t until the final ‘whoa’ that the godling had lost all sense of stability and fell over, body collapsing into the sands with a sigh.
"Y've got some serious thrill issues, dude,” he commented. “If yer’ gonna be hangin’ with me then you gotta keep up, broseph!”
Pele’s very breath felt as if it was stripped away from her, the air within her lungs had all been seized. He had heard her? For a moment the goddess’s ears flattened against her head and the thought to leave bombarded her train of thought. She shouldn’t have come, she was better off simply being satisfied with her brothers words. Yet then again seeing Juuku had only caused her soul to catch fire as a rejuvenation of hope and passion swelled inside of her like it never had before. She debated staying but as she glanced at him from behind the shrouded veil it seemed that her paws were unwilling to move. The goddess couldn’t leave, not yet.
Oblivious to the truth of the matter, Juuku tucked his wings close to his body as he hunkered down into the sands – engaged in a conversation which seemed to have been well anticipated for quite some time. "C’mon, dude. At least say somethin’ rather than leavin’ me hangin’,” the god begged, laughing lightheartedly. Playfully he rolled onto his back, staring up towards the boughs of foliage and shadows when, unexpectedly, something caught his eye. A flicker of light seemed to ignite behind the brush, crackling with a mystical illumination. Lifting his head back just a tad farther, Surfs maw seemed to hang open with a hint of confusion and bewilderment. What was there? Had it been Ezzie then his presence would have been apparent by his familiar scent but the scent which the light breeze caught hold of was familiar, strangely. It even smelt like Ezzie yet at the same time it wasn’t. Pressing his back paws into the sand, Juuku attempted to slide himself backwards ever so slightly as his eyes sought for a clue, anything that could help uncover this bodacious mystery.
Coming closer he caught sigh of – of a tail! A tail with wing-a-lings! He felt his heart pitter-patter against the cavity of his chest, his lungs inhaling a deep breath as he plunged forward into the abyss. With another scoot across the sands the young god found himself to collide with something, something warm and fluffy. Nonchalantly, Juuku looked to the side where there sat a paw. So tail + paw = something, ‘cha? It made sense! Following the equation, the god slowly lifted his gaze higher before his eyes seemed to slowly come in contact with the eyes of the mysterious being.
His mouth fell ajar. “Duuuuuuuuuude.”
She should have seen this coming, she should have known! When Juuku had first made an attempt at debunking the mystery Pele had assured herself that he wouldn’t pursuit his curiosity. Oh but how wrong she was! Rather than drifting farther into the recesses of the shadows she had stayed in place, petrified and rendered motionless as her heart and limbs protested to depart. And now her she was, discovered by the young god whose facial expression was contorted in unmistakable awe and interest, an innocence and oblivious nature which struck a familiar chord. Staring at him, she said nothing.
His system suddenly became overloaded while what small rationality he had became swallowed by his senses and rush of excitement. It took the young god several moments to comprehend the current situation within his head before he could even bear to think straight which truly was a difficult feat on its’ own! Just as quickly as the confusion set in, a broad grin stretched across Juuku's maw. A great purr thrummed with excitement and zest from out of his chest while he inhaled a deep breath. "ALOOOOOOOHA, DUDE … “ there was an awkward pause in between as the godling gave the goddess a second look. “ETTE! ALOHA, DUDETTE!" His boisterous tone carried just as powerful as the waves themselves. Like the waves, Juuku's train of thought and very emotions were prone to change or drift - often this not only created unknown confusion for the God himself but for others as well. His brimming passion and goofy personality did wonders in breaking the ice and, unknowingly, it was a charming quality which Pele had let herself fall head over paws for.
But how could his emotions ever change into something foul and full of bad juu-juu? It was impossible to think that this happy-go-lucky cub could be anything but ordinary, dark and dismal.
Lazily stretching his wings, Juuku wagged his tapered otter-like tail once again.. "You’re big,” he innocently acknowledged. “You smell like Ezzie and you’re hot!” Silence seemed to filter for a few moments before the godling gave a lopsided grin, “You’re like – you’re totally on fire!” His eyes widened as he soaked in the others image. He was mystified, to say the least.
Staring down towards the large, youthful god, Pele laughed. At first it was strange; when was the last time she had heard herself laugh? His voice filled her with a swell of emotion as the residual void of loss that lacerated her heart was slowly healing, soon to be whole once again. Even now his personality was contagious and it was near impossible to keep herself from smiling even as the trickling of salty streams continued to trail down her face. The longer she looked at him the more the goddess realized that he was there - her best friend, her mate, her kui'ipo was home. Pele didn't need to stare into his eyes to see if the god she loved was hiding away in there for she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was there, the Juuku she loved was right at her feet.
Unbridled with excitement while his mind was racing a million hours a second, Juuku couldn't stand the silence. This was too rad, too bodacious! "I'm Juukuuuuuuu," he announced, drawling out the end with a laid back tone and a lazy grin before cutting to the chase with up most innocence.
"Wanna be friends?"
There was a part of her that choked at first, somewhat caught off guard by his posed question. Mind, that it wasn't in sadness but it was the realization that both Surf and Volcanoes were at last reunited. He was young, a cub who was on the verge of being considered a juvenile, and only time would tell of what would become of them. Friendship indeed was the first step and it seemed rather quickly she had passed that hurdle but, unknowingly, the road ahead would only become a bit more challenging.
Pele arched a brow in a quizzical manner, a smirk curling ever so slightly on her maw. "I dunno. I guess we could be," she playfully relented with a sarcastic sigh. She could see Juuku's grin nearly encompass his entire maw, beaming brightly with such enthusiasm and uncontainable joy. If only to make it all the more challenging, Pele quickly cut in.
"But you'll have to catch me first!"Without hesitation, she leapt over him - sprinting across the shore as sand kicked up from beneath her paws. Excitement stirred inside of her; Pele felt like a cub again.
The sudden challenge and acceptance of friendship caused the young god to quickly stumble to his paws, gathering his bearings before he pursued in the chase. He laughed, barreling forward while his draconic wings helped propel him forward into the thrill of the new found game. "You'll tooootally need to run faster than that!" Juuku exclaimed, pinning his ears close to his skull, streamlining his body to cut resistance against the air all the while something stirred in him. The thrill of a game and a new friend seemed overwhelming but unknowingly it was something more - something much more.
Glancing back towards Surf, Pele warmly smiled. This was the start of a new beginning and, secretly, she only hoped that it would lead both she and Surf to where they had left off.
