The white sand felt warm and gritty beneath his paws. Lazily he blinked, eyes staring toward the horizon. A warmth spread across his back as morning sunlight doused him with a holy aura and bestowed mantle which complimented his new found adolescent figure. He was becoming whole again. But while Juuku was discovering new found abilities and strength it was on the inside that the fragmented memories of the past had yet to be mended. Would he remember? Was there something, someone, that would awaken the recollections which danced upon the wakes of his looming dreams? It was uncertain. Surely Juuku himself hadn't a concern as there were far more captivating subjects to dwell upon. For now the attention which he had to spare was spent lazily grooming himself.
He nosed his back and licked at his coat. His tongue scraped coarse matted fur that was littered with salt, sand and seaweed; the defining trio of a hard days work, no doubt. Juuku dug with his fangs at the filth caked in his undercoat, moving his tongue slowly across his fur as it combed through the disheveled mess. Half lidded eyes zoned in on the offending hair mats until they yielded to the persistent tongue which probed deeper into his fur. He paused for a moment in his grooming, took a breath and gaped his jowls open wide as a yawn escaped alongside a thrumming, rather pleasant, rumble from his chest.
This was the life.
Still preoccupied with his coat, Juuku stretched his front paws outward as his toes kneaded the loose sand between them. He laid there, listening to the wavelets lapping at the shoreline, and watching fish dart through the shallows of the sandbar. Juuku's whiskers twitched. His eyes were almost closed and his mind swept away with the lulling sound of the ocean mistress when he heard pads grinding on sand behind him.
“You lazy bum,” said a voice, its tone stern with an underlying ploy of playfulness.
Juuku turned his head, squinting his eye. A lopsided grin grazed across his maw. “It’s so totally not laziness. Soaking in the day is part of the routine to find ‘yer inner chi. Last thing a dude needs is some bad juu-juu hangin’ around his head to totally throw off his grove, y’know?”
"Bad juu-juu," Ezriel remarked, a coy smirk curling upon his maw, "would certainly throw off your groove. But If it were me I'd be more concerned with not keeping a certain someone waiting."
"Dude?"
"As much as I'd love to rebel and ruin it all I'd rather not. But you need to at least look somewhat ... decent."
"Oh! Is this totally a surprise? Because you know I fer sure love surprises, Ez. They're awesome," Juuku beamed. "But I just don't like the whole waiting-in-suspense deal, 'cha? I always try to peak."
"The faster you get going the less you have to wait," Rebellion insisted.
There wasn't a moment more of hesitation. Surf suddenly stumbled up to his paws as his wings snapped open, tattered membranes catching the passing air current with a billowing swell of adrenaline. Behind him his otter-like tail swayed to and fro with a twitch of excitement. Surprises? He loved surprises! He only wondered what exactly it was that Ezriel seemed to be concocting behind that battered, silver mask of his.
"Then what are we waiting for, dude? Lets go!"
Ezriel quickly stepped behind him. "A little hasty, aren't we?" His wings unfurled around the younger god which created a blockage of disheveled, tattered feathers. It wasn't so much to keep the other from moving forward but more so to shroud the 'surprise' which had yet to be unveiled. "I'm not going with you- I'm not a fan of being a spare soul."
Confusion contorted upon Surf's face as darkness consumed him in a confinement of feathers. Totally a bit eerie, Juuku thought to himself with a slow blink. He was still trying to follow along.
"So whose gonna go where with me?"
From behind the curtain of feathers, A black feline emerged from out of the thick foliage that encircled the small cove. Her pools of amber harbored a brilliant aura as she looked toward the larger god. Her ears flicked hesitantly while her chest swelled with an anxious nervousness. She said nothing. Ezriel turned his head toward her and nodded, the warmth trace of a smile subtly hinted on his maw. She exhaled softly, eyes leveling to those of her brothers before she softly padded around Rebellion and stood in front of his encompassed wings.
"They're not going with you, you're going with them," Rebellion corrected, a rumbling laugh escaped from his chest.
Around him the feathers rustled as, slowly, the veil began to part. Juuku's ears perked upwards as traces of light penetrated through the tattered and frayed wings. He squinted his eyes, sealing them shut as a flood of light washed over him once Ezriel's wings had withdrawn. He was oblivious. Occupied in attempting to will his eyes to adjust, the younger god froze as something nudged him. The unexpected contact made Juuku flinch while his tongue stammered. A wave of heat rushed through his body with such an exhilarating pulsation that it made him gasp. As it pulled away, the cold rushed in and caused him to shiver.
"Whoa."
Keen ocher orbs watched with amusement. Although Ezriel would have rather stayed he had other things to do- more precisely, he had his own beloved to take care of as well as young godlings to raise. It humored him to think that he, Rebellion, was a father. He wouldn't trade it for the whole damn world, although he'd sure as hell never admit such a thing. Besides, Surf and Volcanoes needed to get re-acquainted again and having to watch a whole sappy moment unfold right before his eyes was not on his agenda.
Keeping Koya waiting was never a good idea, a dangerous one at that. Snorting derisively with a grin, Ezriel took a few steps back and suddenly disappeared.
Pele brushed against him once more, teasing him as her tail smacked the top of his muzzle playfully. Her closeness caused Surf to stupor in thought while his eyes slowly batted open; the view becoming clearer and strangely familiar. As his eyes adjusted Juuku stared, ears flicking with curiosity. The scent that bathed the female only conjured a swell of fuzzy feelings to foam over his thoughts. Something seemed to spark inside him, trying to jump start his juxtaposed memories. He sensed it. Consciousness strained as it attempted to focus. It was odd that he couldn’t remember what it was. Attentiveness never was one of his strong points.
But that smell-- it hypnotized him, drew him closer. It was a scent that was powerful enough to convulse his tongue to utter one word.
"Pele."
A gentle smile graced her maw, "Aloha Kui'ipo. Hello my love."
Gently she pressed her nose into his, purring softly. That smell, that voice- feeling her warmth radiate from her body and leech onto his caused the god to grasp onto something familiar. Love. Lover. Mate. The words continuously pawed at his mind. Surf's eyes grew larger as a sudden swell of emotion welled up inside of him; longing love. He could sense it from her and absent-minded Juuku licked at her cheek affectionately, almost as if he inherently knew that his tongue was not only the answer but the remedy to combat the loneliness she bore.
"'Aloooooha, dudette," Juuku fanged a lopsided grin. The words felt so natural as they slid off his tongue. His heart beat faster, nose inhaling her scent.
"You're late," the goddess huffed, her brows laced with a mild frustration although it was quick to melt. "But better late than never." He looked at her, seeing in her eyes what she had not been able to say. It has been lonely without you, Juuku. You’ve come back. Just stay-- stay with me.
"But y' know what's better than never?"
"What?"
"Forever," Juuku said, grinning mischievously from ear to ear. "Forever is better than never an' by the looks of it I'd say yer' totally stuck with me."
"I guess I'll just have to make do, then," Pele sighed, her eyes rolled playfully over his figure. "Forever is a long."
"Totally."
"But," Pele added, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
Leaning in, Pele licked his nose and pressed her cheek against his. Again the warmth from her seized Juuku with such indescribable feelings and sensations that he all but melded into her form. The two deities collapsed in a heap of fur and limbs, their bodies curled around one another as the long awaited reunion had finally become a tangible event. Juuku's large and stocky frame encircled Pele's as they laid amongst the sands letting the shoreline surf whisper sweet nothings into their ears while loves long awaited tide washed over them and pulled them back into midst of passion.
