Sea Lion Shores lets get lost at sea, where they will never find us, got stars at night to guide us

:x

the small babe had wandered far from the reaches of donnelaith, in a trance as she followed the wisps that bid her to do so. deirdre bounded after them in a sleepy state, but as the light of day shifted deirdre was brought to look away from the hovering, phosphorous thing. the will-o-whisp still hovered there, leading her inevitably to something, and deirdre was given pause when she noted something upon the edge of the sand, in a stony bowl near the shore. it had been there the light hovered, and deirdre rushed toward it to capture it once and for all—but then, it was gone! and as she looked down, she saw...

she gasped at it, and then looked to the sky before looking downward again. the tide would soon rise, though the moon and stars were still visible within the sky that shifted in color, the sun only now beginning to fall. deirdre did not notice how far from home she was, yet; she noticed not even that she was lost. a star stood at her feet, and she thought only of how it might be returned to its own place in the sky, before it would be missed.

like deirdre, caiaphas had been chasing something. with a grunt and a limp she had marched her way down the strand, still infuriated by the recent happenings in saltwinter. she was chasing peace; tranquility -- both of which were elusive and no more attainable than the very wisp deirdre bounded after.

with a start the siren queen stopped, noting the form of a small child enraptured by some hidden and unseen thing. she was not that far from where larus had been purloined from stavanger, and with a sly look about her the shrew looked to see if deirdre had been accompanied by anyone.

the cub looked up, then down, then up again. she was gentle as she picked up the seastar, thinking it to be a part of the cosmos she and her father oft looked to, and spoke of. did this one fall from its constellation? ah! perhaps her father would know what to do with this! she turned away from the waters and moved homeward bound—

in a semi-circle motion, deirdre realized that she was lost. her emerald eyes stared at the sandy horizon, and when she felt eyes upon her, she whipped 'round to face caiaphas, her lobes flattening anxiously atop her crown.

in a quick moment the little waif revealed the treasure she had coveted -- between her small jaws dangled the loose form of a starfish. caiaphas eyed the briny creature with an unforgiving distaste -- starfish had never been a cuisine her palate could settle for. a precursory glance (and the child's subsequent freeze in slight surprise) suggested she was alone: perfect.

the wraith stalked towards the youth, her head low. she had every intent of whisking this small treasure back to her coven; and there sat in her gaze a dangerous gleam that suggested she was not a friendly stranger. "so far from home, little thing." she crooned with a cackle, delight dancing across her gaze.

unfortunately, the glee was short lived as she wind shifted and an unmistakable scent carried forth from deirdre: lasher.

god damn it.

the words were said in a voice that caused her hackles to lift defensively and her eyes to widen until the whites were visible. the cackle that came thereafter caused deirdre to wilt, and prepare to bolt. but she recalled the last time she had run, and thought that perhaps, if she stood still enough, she would be forgotten. her father had spoken to her of stars, and how sometimes, if you saw one fall, you could wish upon it. was this star she clutched a thing that granted wishes?

please don't hurt me, please don't hurt me, and then she cringed at the selfishness of the wish, should she not ask that the star find its way back home, and on its way light the path to donnelaith? the pearl-hued babe opened her eyes and looked back to caiaphas, flat against the earth and cowering submissively to appeal to the other, and to not feel their wrath.

it was disappointing, finding a gem you couldn't keep. with a huff that announced her displeasure she strode towards the child, pressing her narrow snout to deirdre's own in a gesture made to encourage the little darling to lift her chin up. "oh buck up, you baby." she suggested, her gaze trailing down the strand where the sand curved away from view and donnelaith simmered, just behind it. it was a remarkable distance to cover as a child. "why are you so far from donnelaith?" she queried with a tilt of her head, watching the youth with a shrewd gaze.

LMFAOOOOO

the name-calling was not seen as cruel by deirdre, who, though she feared others, simply perceived the words as literal. she was called a cub, a baby, a child; was she not all of these things, still? the other touched her, and she flinched against it, reeling backward into the waters that lapped comfortingly at her hocks. but deirdre did look up now, squarely at caiaphas, as though the words the sea-witch had spoken had done the very trick the other had suggested of her. the other then spoke of donnelaith, and her hard little gaze—an utter ploy—softened again, and she stepped warily forward, utterly mistrustful and yet... donnelaith. she placed the starfish down upon the earth, and simply said, i was led here. i did not mean to go so far, deirdre watched the woman before her, who, in this light, was not so very foul. caiaphas was a wolf like she had never seen before, and she took another step forward, hovering over the star. this star is also far from home, isn't it? i think... i think it fell from the sky. can it go back?

oh my god LMAO

at caiaphas' "encouragement", it seemed deirdre unstuck herself from the sand, re-forming back into the respectable shape of something alive and not flotsam. caiaphas regarded the babe with an arched brow, her expression not unlike the sinister gaze of an evil stepmother. her ears flapped forward outrageously as deirdre spoke: was.. had.. had she hit her head? caiaphas looked at her incredulously, not bothering to hide the strained contempt that colored her muzzle. "that, child, is a sea star." she explained, without the careful instruction of an individual that belonged with children. "it's a type of sea slug." she explained with conviction: although on technicality, she was not exactly correct.

but if we based everything on technicality, the siren queen would never be right.

deirdre was young and sensitive, but could be thick in her perception of others, and adoring of any who treated her without unkindness. though caiaphas had initially frightened her, she knew of donnelaith, and had not touched a hair on her head in a manner meant to harm or hinder. a sea star. she looked back to the sea, and she whispered, the sea has stars, too? and yet... it was not so surprising, was it? it was as dark as the night sky, and such a thing was sempiternal. the light could hit it whatever way it wished, it still wore the blackness of her father, mother, sister, and brothers. deirdre deposited it back into the sea, and watched as the frothy tongue of it lapped the star into its depths.

sea slug, caiaphas had went onto say. and so she looked to the stars in the sky, and tilted her head. a sea slug! deirdre marveled, having never seen a slug at all before in the forest. she tilted her head upward and looked to the sky. so... those are... sky slugs, too?

... LMFAOOOOO omg

caiaphas stared at the child, struck dumb by her.. what was it -- innocence? curiosity? density? she couldn't decide. "no, not a star." she corrected hurriedly, feeling her exasperation grow heated: "it's an animal. a thing, breathing. it lives and dies." she explained, a dismissive air to her tone as she spoke down to the wondering child. she had no patience for imagination, and had no place for deirdre's child-like wonder. caiaphas' appreciation of the world had long since faded, and there was no getting it back. not even when tasked with the insurmountable innocence of a child like deirdre.

"there is no such thing as a sky slug." she grouchily added in a snipey afterthought, and had she arms, she would have crossed them in the most curmudgeonly manner possible.

it breathed! deirdre looked down, now, and back to the place where the sea had clutched the star and sucked it into its vorpal mouth; she wondered if she had just sent the thing to its fate, by leaving it there, by being too quick to wish it home. breathed! can sea slugs breathe under water? like fish? she worried aloud, her eyes now lifting to look to caiaphas. and then, my father says that stars sometimes fall from the sky. do they become sea slugs after? deirdre tilted her head in wonderment, tail twitching slightly, eager for this lesson unexpected though it had been. she missed the grouching expression, and simply delighted in the others presence. you know, now that the moon hit caiaphas at this angle, deirdre, in the way of a child who spoke their every thought, felt it necessary to say: you are very pretty!!

in frustration the siren sucked air between her teeth, cutting the delighted little child a rueful and nearly dangerous glare. she had no patience for his -- and it was not deirdre's fault. caiaphas just had never been the patient kind, nor had she been cut from a particularly generous cloth. no -- her cloth ran ragged and wild and not at all the type to offer warmth or comfort.

"forget it." came the clipped reply, and like that the siren started to trot towards donnelaith. "let's get you back home and you can ask lasher all these delightful questions. maybe he knows all about sea stars and slugs and stuff." the salt queen replied, a slender ear cast behind her as she spoke. they went a little ways and then caiaphas whirled suddenly around, her body hunched and yellow eyes wide with intensity. "unless the baba yaga gets us first. nasty old thing.. scaly withered skin with luminescent green eyes... teeth harder than seashards.. with a particular... penchant.... for puppy flesh." she hissed, her tail lashing in the angered manner of a cat's. a secretive, knowing smile coalesced her features and smugly she turned back around to leave deirdre to think what she may in (hopeful) terror.

deirdre tilted her head at the look, squinting at it and then matching it, tit-for-tat. of course, there was none of the depth or meaning that caiaphas presented her, it was a simple mimicry. she knew by caiaphas's reaction how she ought to react; this was very much so how the young babe learned, by mirroring others. deirdre's own glare had plenty of heart and warmth in it, but the squint was remarkably close to the one the seawretch had displayed. she went so far as to suck the air between her teeth as caiaphas spoke 'forget it', but when her father was brought up, the illusion broke as a smile betrayed her. oh! yes! i'm sure he does, she trotted eagerly toward caiaphas as she herself began to move, but it required effort for her to keep up. her legs were longer, but her gait was not so graceful and sure with her changing body. you know my father, then! deirdre was delighted by this, and her smile broadened.

when caiaphas turned upon her, deirdre's eyes widened to reveal their whites and her lips peeled submissively backward as she gave caiaphas a pretty little grin, apologetic in disposition as her ears planted themselves against her crown. for a moment, as caiaphas turned to go again, deirdre sat there in thoughtful silence, frowning. and after a beat, deirdre moved to close whatever distance caiaphas had gained in the meantime. what's she gonna do with puppy flesh? her gaze was cast upward to the adult, her look upon the woman quite suspicious. how do you know baba yaga??? did she try to get your puppies flesh??? have you seen her? how come she's nasty? another pause, and then, whats a seashard!

caiaphas swung about as the child blurted, completely missing the mimicked expression. on slender legs the little wraith started to power-walk, her limbs churning sand with her long and ungainly stride. maybe if she walked fast enough, deirdre would be left behind. the girl's inquisition was enough to drive caiaphas right of a cliff, and already she was regretting volunteering to walk the little babe home. she wondered briefly if lasher would mourn the absence of his darling pup if, say, she had an accident and tumbled into the sea.. caiaphas cut the lolling water's edge a furtive glance, lamenting at the distance between deirdre and the lapping waves. could she even swim yet?

"you'll find just why she's nasty if you keep asking all those questions. maybe we'll take a detour to her house." caiaphas imparted matter-of-factly, a faint twinge of hardness in her voice. before deirdre could reply caiaphas would pull ahead in a smooth trot to mercilessly torment the child and put a matter of distance between them. she smirked to herself, delighted by her lack of hospitality, though she eventually slowed to allow the wood-child to catch up. the two would chat until @Lasher or some other donnelaith member intercepted them, and then the pale sylph would be abruptly on her way.

tagging for visibility, feel free to PP any interaction they might have if you wanted lasher to pop in!