Areli loved the sea. Every day she had off the rotation of guards minding the outskirts of the pride's lands she would retreat back to the warm waters that she believed they had all come from. Fishing, gathering sea weed, watching the sea-fish-lion-beasts splash about. Some days she wished she could be one of them, and wondered what sort of feats they had accomplished for the sea to so eagerly claim them back to itself.
Frequently she would see the youth of the pride splashing about as well. Many adolescents were still going through with the ritual rites the pride had enacted for generations, though the recent disturbances had made it so they were no longer entirely needed. They would wade into the water, slowly walking out, letting it lick at their sides and buffet their chests. Out and out, until their toes barely touched, and then further still, to let the waves hold them, and lift them from the sandy bottom. They gave themselves over to the sea's might, and unharmed, returned to their proud loved ones on the water's edge.
It was rare that lost their nerve, and rarer still that the sea would become violent and try to steal away one of the youths. That was always a terrifying moment. The sea was a fickle thing, and no one ever blamed it or cursed it when one was lost. To return to the sea was a blessing, but it often left those who were not taken with empty hearts and tears. Areli hoped to never witness such a moment.
The sea was calm today. Steady, almost like glass, but for the white capped waves that broke far out from the shore, and then dissipated before reaching her toes, planted firmly in the wet silt of the shore. A few gulls and other birds wheeled over head, their distinctive calls flavoring the wind as well as the sea spray. Others ran hither and yon on the shore, pecking at what insects crawled about before retreating from the swelling tide. They were rather amusing to watch, even for the adults, and down the shore there were a few young cubs teasing one as it scurried about.
Areli watched them for a time, a queer mix of sadness and joy swirling like a current in her gut. She loved her pride. Loved its people. Loved to do her job, and keep them safe from trouble. But she was still a female, and was beginning to feel the press of time. Perhaps it was not her destiny to start a family? No, no. She was still young yet. There was time yet. If only she didn't spend so many days distant from the lands, minding the borders. Well, she would not exchange the pride's safety for her own urges any day.
Feeling stressed, eager to cleanse her mind of this distress, she rose to her feet from where she'd been laying, just inside the reach of the waves breaking on the shore. Her legs and belly were already dripping with sea water, but a dip would soothe her. Much in the style of the youths who sought to prove their place int eh pride, she waded out into the water. There was nothing to fear here for a strong adult, and she swiftly marched out to where her toes could barely touch the bottom. She breathed deep, feeling the sea tug at her, pull her, seeking to lift her from her groundedness, to cup her like a mother held her cub.
Another step, and she was floating, no longer tied by gravity to the seabed. She paddled only enough to stay upright, letting the water for the most part hold her aloft. She felt all her stress bleed away, leeched out by the salty water and the rocking waves. She stayed floating until she felt calm through to her core, and then began to paddle back towards the shore. One or two of her fellows eyed her as she came ashore, shaking out the sea from her now drenched fur, and then returned to watching the birds scamper about on the beach.
On a whim she joined in with the cubs chasing them about, sending the poor tormented things cawing and wheeling overhead. The cubs fell about, laughing and flapping their paws at the birds, who clucked and called down at them like scolding parents. A discordant twang struck in Areli's heart, but she fought it back. She'd only just found comfort and peace in the waves, and was determined not to let herself come into discomfort again so soon.
She played with the cubs a little longer, and talked with their parents about which already showed signs of making good guards. She of course could not recruit, but she could encourage the parents to encourage the children. Feeling pleased with herself she then left the children to their play, and wandered away down the beach. The sea-stroked sand was mostly empty, if only because it stretched on so far and vastly. Alone, she felt at peace. After a while she looked back, admiring the footprints she'd left. Ahead her path would cross with other prints, and she liked seeing only hers for a time.
The prints ahead were from a pair of lions. One set larger, one set smaller. A couple, perhaps. Another chord in her heart sang out, and again she forced it down. When the time came, she would find the right one. Not before, and there was no reason to worry over it. The sea would wash to her a blessing, or not, as it chose. She had thought her faith was strong enough to accept that. Maybe not.
Something glinted at her then out of the corner of her eye. A shell shard, buried partly in the sand, coated with mother of pearl. It was beautiful, glimmering in rainbow hues. She dug it free at once to admire it. Was the sea sending her a sign? As she shifted it, the shard passed from blue to green to red, and she could see her reflection faintly in it. A real treasure. She clutched it in her teeth and set off at a jog for her den. Something like this, such a blessing, it made her think that perhaps the sea was not so deaf to her worries. Maybe the right one would be just a wave away.
(Words: 1071)
