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Funayurei was cold. The seawater lapped around her legs. It reached up to her chest, but she was wet all over from the spray of the waves. It was an unseasonably warm winter, but winter nonetheless. There was no ice on the ground but the sky was clouded over. Every time a breeze blew she shivered. She was starting to go numb in her lower legs, yet still she stood in the sea. For most of her life, the sea was where she felt the most comfortable. The sea was home.

Part of her understood that she lingered in the water when it wasn't wise. She could feel herself growing stiff, growing slow. Yet still, she didn't want to leave. It was cold, but this was where she belonged. Beside her, her pet man-of-war floated. It would benefit from the lengthy soaking, at least. Unfocused, she watched it drift in the water.

Funayurei looked at the new arrival, dully and without surprise. She had seen seathi before. "Watch out for the jellyfish," she told him absently. Her companion man-of-war, not being touched by the spirits or gifted with any sort of intelligence, just floated. She had become immune to its stings after years of association, but knew that others found them quite painful.

Her mane and tail fanned outward in the water. Though she was of a land breed, she looked like a piece of sea debris. In more pleasant weather, fish would shelter in her mane when she stood like this. Now, except for the seathi and her friend, the waters were barren.

"Yes yes," she said distantly. "I'm fine." Her eyes were unfocused, grazing the horizon. She was starting to get hungry. There were strands of seaweed floating about her. They tickled at her legs as they coiled around her... or maybe that was fish. Glancing downwards, she saw that it was indeed seaweed. She leaned down and scooped some up in her mouth. She took saltwater along with it, letting it dribble out of the corners of her mouth. The seaweed was tough and tasteless, besides the overpowering nature of the salt.

She blinked. She wasn't alone. Like someone waking from a dream, she refocused on the seathi. Perhaps being injected with jellyfish toxins at all hours wasn't good for her focus. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. "What were we talking about?"

"Oh yes," she murmured. "My son. He's nearby." She struggled to think. When had she last seen Jetsam? It hadn't been that day, maybe the day before. She leaned down and took another mouthful of seaweed. It was no better than the first, and she found herself regretting the bite. Seaweed was much better in summer.

"Or, he's not," she amended. "He's gone for a few days." That was right. It was coming back to her now. Jetsam said he was off with Treasure, looking for some hidden cache of gold or something. There was always something that they were after. It almost made her smile to think of them. They did get along so well. They were full of the life and vitality that she herself couldn't feel most days.

Funayurei looked from the small seathi to the land. He did have a point, she was cold. She loved the water, but sometimes the water was not kind to her. Many times she didn't believe she deserved kindness. She wasn't certain what she thought about that today, but even in her haze she could tell that the numbness in her legs wasn't a good sign.

"All right, then." She slowly started to move. It was when she took her first step that she realized she was worse off than she thought. Her legs weren't working properly. She tumbled forward, falling down on her knees. The cold water drenched her, and she suddenly was shivering uncontrollably. "I," she stammered past chattering teeth. "I can't walk." Her jellyfish slid from her head, but she was powerless to stop that too. "I can't walk," she repeated helplessly.

Sangmu walked along the shore, wasting time more than anything. It was too cold to swim and she didn't fancy the flavor of most things that grew near the salty water. Winter always had been a tough time for her. She wore her favorite silken lotuses, but they couldn't hold a candle to the real thing. She missed flowers, she missed sunlight, and she missed the green of living things. Everything in the winter was cold and dark. She had a hard time keeping herself from growing dark as well during those times.

She sighed to herself as she walked. She'd hoped seeing the ocean would cheer her, but even it looked cold and dead in winter. Her ears drooped unhappily... then perked up again as she heard something. It was a voice! Something in the tenor of the voice made her stand straighter. Whoever was shouting didn't sound happy. They sounded in some sort of distress.... they were calling for help!

A Padmapani member through and through, she sped into action, dashing towards where Maeniel and Funayurei fought against freezing.

"Oh the gods are good." Maeniel almost cried himself when he saw the half-unicorn approach. Someone could help them. He wouldn't have to swim there and watch Funayurei die. "Over here, please help!" He lowered his voice now that help was near, but he was no less urgent.

"She is too cold, she fell over in the water and can't stand." He couldn't bring himself to leave the frozen mare's side, frantically sure that something horrible would happen to her if he did. "She needs to get out of the water, then you need to get her warm. A fire? Can you build a fire?" As a sea denizen he had no experience with fire himself, but he was aware of its qualities.