The Croatoan yawn, mouth opening impossibly wide, and smacked his lips, looking about his glade. He still stood in the entry of his cavern, mind sorting out the events from the night before. There was a new inhabitant of his glade--a mare gifted to him by the god of water. Leaning forward, he looked to the waters bordering his cavern, but did not see her. Was she still there, still wanting to be his companion?
She'd snuck out at the earliest ray of morning light to start hauling her things over to her new location. Her father hadn't been anywhere around when she'd reached her family’s pond so she wasn't able to talk to him. She'd find him later though.. let her and her mother know where to find her should they need to. She was returning now, the stick in the mouth that held on it a human skull she'd found long ago and taken a liking to. She called it José for some unknown reason... maybe it was a sign that her obsession had broken a bit of her grasp on sanity. Still it didn't bother her what others thought. Along with the stick, she'd managed to pack some of her things into a discarded bag she found that morning. it looked useful and so she'd taken it along with her to carry things in. She'd seen the two-leggers with them so they had to be useful.
The stallion watched his new companion heading across the glade with... a skull on a stick. Okay. She was allowed to have her quirks as much as he had his own, the Croatoan did not judge. As she got closer, he cleared his throat. "Where did you find that? Surely you do not eat two-leggers as you do fish."
She chuckled around her mouthful as she drew closer to him. She then walked past him and set her things on the bank before speaking. " That's Jose`. I don't eat people but It did strike my interest.. he guards my den when I'm away." She gave a matter of fact nod and looked at him. "I brought you something back!" She mused before tumping all sorts of the less breakable items on the ground. There with the mess was a make shift necklace that held a small turtle skull. Picking up the turtle skull necklace, she offered it to him. it was one of her most prized items she'd found and she wanted him to wear it so others knew that he... was now hers. oh he could argue about it later.. but her mind was made up and sooner or later... he'd wear it.
The stallion tilted his head. "You wish the Croatoan to wear this? Why did you bring him this gift?"
She offered a small pout. "You don't like it?" She gave a soft sigh but smiled once more. " I just thought it might look nice on you.. maybe help keep you safe.." She gave a small shrug. What was she to do? Tell him it was so others knew she was staking claim on him? What was the fun in that?
"The Croatoan does not dislike it, he is not used to tribute," the stallion explained. The necklace interested him so he didn't want her to take it away, but he was not familiar with the concept of gifts.
Her sharp toothed smile brighten and she moved closer so as to work the leather ties around his neck. Not having hands proved to make this a difficult tack but she still managed to get her tongue and teeth to work together enough to get it safely secured on him. Stepping back she looked at him and grinned wide. "There! You're first gift may you wear it happily!" She laughed lightly.
Looking down, the young male admired the necklace. "Thank you." His small fluffy tail moved a bit with his happiness. Somehow this strange trinket was better than the glade his parents had gifted to him, though nowhere near as nice as what the water god had given him. He leaned forward and nuzzled the mare, voice dropping lower. "Thank you."
She beamed, glad he wasn't going to put up a fight of it. It wasn't till his second thank you and nuzzle that she startled. She'd never been actually thanked before.. and his nuzzle left her face feeling warmer than usual. "You're... welcome." She smiled more softly this one was strange.. affectionate and oddly.. she liked it. Looking over to the water she chuckled some. " Do you Swim?"
"No, the Croatoan never learned how, but he can wade in shallow water," the stallion said, following her gaze to the water. "He has often wondered what was below the surface. More of your kind, yes?"
She gave a small chuckle. "My kind comes and goes as they please.. some times you can stumble upon us under the water though.. then again there are others who lack all but their front legs and swim about only in the water." She edged to the water. " Come on... I'll teach you to swim and then.. you won't have to worry about how to find me ok?" She'd never offered to teach another to swim.. only to drown them but this.. was not her intention.. she was sincere in her wish to teach him to swim... to get him use to spending time in the water and possibly even like it as much as she herself did.
"The Croatoan will learn because you bade him to," the stallion answered. "He wishes to know more of your kind and of these others. Do they often come to the glade?"
She pondered for a moment.. did others like her come to this place? That was an answer to which left many questions the best she could do was to admit that she simply didn't know. "Well... I don't know if they do or not.. But I guess it's safe to say that it's possible... Any place that there is water I'd wager has a possibility of the water soquili showing up in." She smiled knowing it was the best answer she could have given. " Alright... you should already know how to hold your breath right?"
"Hold breath.. yes, he can do that," the Croatoan said, stepping to the water. Though he would gladly wade in if the water spirit bade him to do so, he still cast the deeps a wary eye. He was a creature of the forest after all and tied to the earth and its trees. The water did not frighten him, but he knew well enough that one could quickly lose their way in it and drown. "Show him in the shallows first, though."
She nodded and gave a light chuckle. " I'm not about to toss you into the deeps and tell you sink or swim. I might loose you if I did that." She frowned at the thought of it. "Here... take a breath.. and put your muzzle into the water like this." She took a breath and lowered her head, sticking her muzzle unto the water so that her nostrils were covered.
The Croatoan followed her lead, placing his nose beneath the surface. This was not unpleasant, but he did not think he'd want to do it for much longer.
She couldn't help the to laugh at the sight, a flourish of bubbles escaping her nose as she did so till she surfaced for air. " Good.. not you get the concept.. You probably won't have to stick your head under but you never know.. it's always a good idea to get use to the feeling of it so you don't panic" She waded out to where the water just crested over her back. " Some out here to this depth slowly.. I'll teach you to bounce in the water for balance..."
The stallion followed her out warily. While he had no fear of his companion, it was clear he was not familiar with the water around him. "Bounce in the water?"
She smiled and nodded. " Yes.. bounce.. to help with your balance and get a start before the swimming lessons really begin." She gave him a reassuring smile. "Just give a little hop.. enough to feel your weight to be... minimal in the water... then give another hop making sure to keep all four hooves stay pointed at the ground.. don't rear up." She showed him by giving a small hop, her body staying level.
The stallion frowned a bit, not exactly keen to the idea. He gave a little hop, though, following her example. It was not as hard as he had imaged, his cyrenei body being built for that sort of motion; it was merely odd to do it in the water.
"Yes, like that! Now keep that up till you feel more comfortable with it and less like you're going to flounder and tip over." She remembered having to watch her mother teach her brother how to swim with out the tail which gave her a bit of experience in teaching Croatoan. Slow and steady and sometimes slow was the key word.
Bouncing up and down, the Croatoan chuckled, feeling genuine mirth at playing in the water. It was a new experience for him and, though still wary, he was learning to enjoy it. He felt almost like a colt again.
She bounced with him, encouraging him, keeping an eye on him should her feel the need to have her aid. she didn't want him to feel... uncomfortable with the water.. it was her home.. and she didn't want him to fear her home. " When you've gotten that down I'll teach you how to stay afloat."
"Fun," the stallion said, grinning to his ears. "Show the Croatoan how to float. He is ready to learn."
She laughed full heartedly and nodded. "Very well.." She thought how to explain the motions and finally nodded. " Well.. You bounce up from the ground and before you sink again.. you move your legs like you're trotting only.. under water." She tried to show his as best as she could by doing just as she said. It was a bit odd not using her tail to swim but she managed it just fine as she swam a small circle about him.
The Croatoan gave it a try. It actually took a few tries before he got what she meant by trotting in the water. He was doing it, he was moving like a water spirit. Sort of.
She giggled and flicked her tail, propelling herself out into the deeper water. "See.. once you've gotten that down well enough you'll be able to swim out in the calmer waters with me." He wasn't the fastest learner.. but she was willing to wager he was picking this up relatively well.. Her brother it had taken a few dunks before he'd gotten it down..
Dog-paddling about in circles, the Croatoan was content to have this be as much swimming as he cared to do for now. Perhaps one day he would follow her to her father's realm, but for now, he was at least in the water with her and that was enough. "Enakai, the Croatoan wishes to speak with you about... about your staying here."
She propelled herself closer with yet another flick of her tail. "Yes?" Oh boy.. here it was.. the battle to be had now on if she'd be staying or at least.... that's what she was thinking.. She was fully expecting him to tell her she couldn't stay and live here to keep an eye on him.
"Your father, the water god, he sent you here to be the Croatoan's companion so he need no longer be alone," the stallion said, treading water to move to the shallows where he could stand comfortably again. He looked back at the mare. "Are you only to be a friend, or were you also to be a mate?"
Wait.. water god? Her father? Seriously is that what he thought her father was? She looked almost baffled. He'd been the creature of the pond as far as her grandparents had been concerned.. and now some one else was setting another label on him.. odd.. "Technically my father didn't send me anywhere.. he rarely ever knows where I wander off to.. As much as I like it.. You see.. he likes to try and.... out do my collection of things." She mused slightly. " But so as we're clear.. I'm a companion if you like.. but you.. are mine..." If he was going to be blunt... then so be it she'd just have to follow his lead and lay it out as she saw it. "You're mine.. and not another's" She was going to be blunt in her possessiveness of him here and not and n** any other delusions in the butt.
"So, you belong to the Croatoan.. and want him to belong to you?" the stallion asked, tilting his head a bit. "You would stay with him as a companion and friend and be only his if he will be only yours. Would you be his mate if he would be yours... and only yours?"
She smirked some. He certainly was a bit on the slow side wasn't he? " Let's put it this way... No other mare will bare you foals and let that be the end of it for you are mine." She closed the gap between them and rested her head on his back, curling her tail around his front leg protectively. "I will not be negotiating on that."
The stallion was silent for a moment. After a moment, for the second time in as many days, the Croatoan spoke in first person. "I would not wish to negotiate it. I value your company too much."
She smiled though he couldn't see it. She breathed a content sigh glad for a moment that he wasn't going to reject her and cause her much grief over the possibility of loosing a possession. He was that and much more for her.. His uniqueness had won her over from the start though she wasn't about to admit that to anyone else. " You'll catch cold if you stay in the water too long." She released his leg and gently nudged him towards the bank.
"Yes," was his simple reply as he headed for the shore and stepped out of the water. "Would you like to see the Croatoan's lair?" He nodded to the cavern close by.
She was about to start on her under water lair but... being that she'd bluntly stated what she had she got a coy little smirk and a teasing glint in her eye as she turned to look at him. "You mean our lair?" She'd claimed him, made it be known she might as well move into his lair on top of it.. make a big sweeping change and hollow out a cavern to stash her things in and hide them from any would be pilfering soquili later. For now.. she was interested in seeing the cave. "I should probably take a look around."
"Yes, it is your home as well," the stallion said, leading her to the cavern. He hoped she would be happy with it. He was warming to the idea that she would sleep next to him in his cavern and not under the water.
Following after him, she had to stop and let her eyes adjust to the dim light.. low light under the water was one thing... a dimly lit cave was another. Still.. as she shuffled her ay in the cave, she followed that which lit her way.. the glow of his horns and hooves and eyes.. eerie as his eyes were it was a comfort in the cave till she could see a bit better. "Did you... carve it out yourself?" She looked around looking for the tale tell markings of hove scrapings like were visible on her old lair.
"No, it was here when the Croatoan was left to guard this glade. Mother put him... just there." He gestured to a place near the water by the caverns opening where the fireflies communed, even in the daytime. "He claimed the cavern as his lair to watch over his glade from. Now he shares it with you, his companion and mate."
His story struck her as... odd.. he'd been left by the water? Was his mother irresponsible or had she expected him to be eaten by what ever had been in the cave? She gave a small snort. "It's not a bad place to keep watch from.. I've seen worse.. it's cool in here.. like the water only dry... most pleasant even if my skin itches outside the water.. I'll get use to it." She flashed a smile and turned about, flopping on the floor of the cave to get a feel for just how comfy it was. Not terribly comfy on the hard floor... not as comfortable as in the water where she had algae and other things for a bed. "You sleep on the stone like this?" She stood up and shook the dust from her.
"The Croatoan sleeps there," the stallion said, gesturing to a pallet of soft grass and pelts that were possibly stolen from two-leggers. He did not know where the animal skins had come from, they had always been there. The Croatoan simply had decided long ago that his Father had provided them for warmth and comfort.
She looked over at the grass and pelts and wandered over to investigate. Being a female she couldn't help but to just want to situate things to her own taste. Grabbing hold of some of the pelts, she pawed at the grass and bedding till it suited her likings and laid the pelts back out before testing out the comfort of it. Setling in she nodded to herself, pleased with how it was now. " Much better." She chuckled as she stood back up. " See for yourself."
The Croatoan loped over and laid down on the bedding, testing it out as she asked. It was indeed more comfortable. He nodded in agreement, yawning wide and... rather creepy.
She eyed the gape of his yawn and giggled almost cutely at it. It was rather charming how unique he was. " Sleepy?" She stepped onto the bed once more and settled in beside him, curling her tail around him once again.
"Yes, the swimming has worn your demi-god out," the young stallion answered, moving to rest against the wall. "Rest awhile and then find food." He was drifting off.
She snickered some. It wasn't uncommon for swimming to be tiring.. She remembered how often she napped as a foal because of swimming lessons. Resting her head against him, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax, drifting off to sleep.
~FIN~