Late spring followed by winter, followed by another late spring, followed by another winter. That would make it...what, nearly two years? Well, a year and a half, certainly. Winter was at its mean now, and Xochipalli found himself in warmer waters that he knew so very well. High cliffs, clear, greenish water, sunny skies, brilliant coral. Yes. Like salmon swimming to spawn, Xochipalli knew where he was. He was Home.Funny. The herd he'd been born into didn't feel like home. He hadn't been there since he'd been a very young adult, just barely of age. That's when he'd left to explore the oceans far from here. He'd grown up listening to old Ozean's stories of adventure and strange places, and thus he'd felt the need for new waters. Since then, he'd traveled up and down the coast, meeting new stars, seeing new sights. He'd even met Ozean on his journey! And that's when he'd started thinking.
His plan had always been to go home after he'd seen enough of the world, but he was beginning to realize...that he would never see enough of the world. The wanderlust was a deep part of him that could never stop. And he didn't want it to stop, either. Never. Ever. Maybe that was why, unconsciously, he had returned to ancestral waters. Not because he wanted to stay, but because he wanted to apologize. He wanted to tell his family where he'd be going, and when they might next see him, if ever. He wanted to see the family he hadn't seen in years, his brother, his sisters. He wasn't even sure if any of them were still around, to be honest. He didn't expect to see any of them, but it was worth a try, yes? He'd feel guilty forever more if he didn't see them at least one more time in his life.
Hoshi Lockhart
