Dragoncrest Cliffs and be yourself my ally in love’s battle

post 1k to bring this in <3 no posting order. rounds are fluid. @Rosalyn @Njord @Valravn @Merlin @Haunt @Chacal @Vex @Aningan @Solaire

sapphique breathed beneath the snow and was warmed by the sun. 
it had come out behind the snow and now the land seemed softer without the howl of wind;
erzulie stood upon the shoreline of the internal beach. things would return to some semblance of normalcy, and already she felt the buoyance of the coming warmth course through her.
it was time that the pack shed the loss of the bear and the winter; time for them to be cleansed in the water that lapped around her ankles as she stepped forward into the shallows and tilted her cinnamon crown back to call for them all.
and when they had come, the harlot turned her affectionate green-gold gaze upon them all.
njord, valravn, and merlin had held their places in rosada. the rush of the sea would beckon them into a competition.
"today we hold de firs' seafoam run in sapphique," erzulie said, pitching her voice over the call of the waves. "a race. de winner joins rosalyn an' i for a time as leader." she had chosen the spot between a cluster of boulders not too distant from shore, where she meant to swim first. once there, the obsidian would wait, acting as guardian between the competitors and the dangerous undertow she had learned to sense. the brine would be unforgiving, cold — there was worry in her, for not all had been reared upon the sand.
and yet the sea had been an intrinsic part of her life forever, and that of the pirate; sapphique must be tied to it.
the woman's mouth curled into a wan bow. "we do dis in de name of raleska. in de name of rosencrantz. in de name of kaertok. t'ose who died beneat' de bear. and for regin, celebrating dat one day she return. in such memories we move forward into de future."

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CONGRATS

A calm followed the snow, a lull that would easily lead to complacency if it were not for the recent misfortunes.  To let their guard down would be madness... but it was time, too, to acknowledge their future.  She did not think that her wife's plans had changed, nor would Rosalyn have wished it.  She did have the wherewithall to be glad that her time was now finished.  She didn't think she'd have had the energy, though she'd have tried, if only to share motherhood with her beloved one more season.

Other responsibilities.  She stood silently aside as Erzulie announced the intent of the race, but her shoulders tensed as she looked over the gathered wolves.  Some knew the sea, others did not, and the waves were cruel to those who treated them lightly.  They'd chosen a time between the tides, and the pull shouldn't be strong on such a clear day... but who knew what she'd claim?  There were dangers even in quiet water.

She had nothing to add other than a silent nod and a small smile.  Erzulie's words were more than perfect.  Now it was only left to see if any of them would take the challenge; she had her ideas on who might be worthy of the title, but the race was open to a few.  Perhaps the ones she discounted would surprise her.

The weather continued to improve slowly, although the temperatures remained quite frigid. This did not deter Haunt from exploring the seaside territory freely, hunting when and where she could and otherwise keeping busy. Always, she kept an eye and ear peeled for any sign of her mother's return, convinced Arbiter would appear any moment to force herself and Vex back to Legion.

Today, another matriarch called and Haunt quickly obeyed the summons. When she reached the small beach tucked below the cliffs, she glanced at the mouth of the nearby caves she called home, then directed her attention to Erzulie. This must be a pack meeting of some sort, which intrigued the juvenile, having never attended one before.

Her lips twisted a little at the mention of Kaertok. Haunt fidgeted in her seat toward the rear of the group. But it was easy to forget as she contemplated the rest of the Obsidian's words. What exactly did this run entail? What was seafoam? Her heart pounded a little at the thought of becoming a leader. Haunt wondered if she would be forced to participate—unaware that she did not, in fact, qualify—and found her yellow eyes darting around for her brother.

After nearly a month of relentless storms the weather finally broke. Blue skies shooed away dark clouds and pesky gales to bless Teekon with sunshine and calm winds once again. Njord didn’t think the great winter calamity would ever cease – he had never seen snow drifts so high! He was thankful for this reprieve. It sparked new light within his heart after a long, tumultuous, and sad season rife with loss.

He heard Erzulie’s call and headed through Dragoncrest’s hidden tunnel to their private beach. There he found their kingpins awaiting the rest of Sapphique. He joined with the others as his scarlet tail wagged in greeting. He mingled and bumped shoulders with his companions until they all quieted to listen to their queen.

Seafoam run? He mused to himself. Njord had no grand aspirations for high status, but like any young buck he felt the excited, prickling anticipation for the chance to participate in a physical test. Plus, he would do it for Erzulie and Rosalyn… for Sapphique. He could see his leaders knew when to grieve and when to come together to start new beginnings. For that, he was thankful.

When Erzulie dedicated this Seafoam run to their lost – to Kaertok, Raleska, and Rosencrantz – Njord cheered a loud WOOF! in happy agreement and then quieted down to listen for the rules of the game.

the call rises and vex makes haste to the beach where erzulie has called the pack to her. he is not the first to arrive, and with a wave of relief realizes he did not beat haunt, who's side he makes his way to. he offers her a gentle nudge to her cheek and settles upon his haunches in the sand; ears cupping forth as the gold pelaged seawife speaks. she speaks of a race, that the winner joins as leader ...for a time. vex is immediately interested — thinking of the desires he has not entirely put to rest that he'd brought to arbiter upon their trip here.

she does not specify much aside from that it was in the name of wolves lost — a woman named raleska that he does not know — and kaertok which is a unintended stab to his heart. his ears flutter against his skull for a moment before he composes himself. she mentions a 'regin' but her name is also lost to him. who all can participate? vex inquires when erzulie finishes speaking, unaware that he does not qualify and thus feels his skin itch with excitement ...and competitiveness.

obligatory meme - how could u DO this to ur son!! <3

confident of his station in sapphique, val listened to his maman with an adoring sweep of his calm-green eyes. sappiqhue had endured much these last few weeks -- even the snow seemed a secondary crucible for the survivors of the bear.

his heart lifted to hear of a competition -- in the name of raleska and kaertok. his muscles tensed alongside rosalyn and njord, a glittering light of excitement held in his gaze.

a race!! he was the best at races -- he raced chacal and regin all the time. a sinking feeling in his gut then, as regin came to mind -- but he steeled his emotions and settled expectantly next to erzulie.

he'd haul ass in this race. they'd all be left in the dust. vex, haunt, njord, merlin all had nothing on val's afterburners. he'd spent his whole life running up and down the dunes like a clown.. this was gonna be a walk in the park.

val didn't even make the connection that the race was called seafoam for a reason. he was lurching forward on his own imaginary start line, waiting for go in anticipatory breaths.

well, he wasn't going to wait forever. he was just about to bolt to give himself an unneeded head start, when he realized erzulie and rosalyn were both looking at the sea. umm. why?

val's excited expression plummeted. a whining metallic groan began to sound in his ears. he didn't even hear vex's question over the drone of fear which seized him.

surely, maman didn't mean in the water, right?

When she joined the group gathered, she moved immediately to Valravn's side, ever content to be his shadow. She looked around to see the others who had gathered with them- and flashed Njord a smile as she caught sight of him, before she glanced to the two wolves she wasn't familiar with, giving them a friendly, inquisitive glance. She'd then return her attention to her mothers, who had called them to this meeting at the sea's edge, and with the ebb and flow of the ocean waves not far away, she felt herself energized. This was exactly where she belonged. 

When her mother announced that there would be a race, her tail thumped enthusiastically against the ground. Valravn's features lit up and she smiled, reaching over to nudge his shoulder with her muzzle. She loved racing along with him, and would happily accept the challenge- still oblivious to the fact that she was not included in the exclusive party who were permitted to race for the chance to be a leader. 

She looked somewhat surprised when one of the two newcomers voiced a question, asking who would be allowed to participate. By this point, Chacal had already stood up, and had begun to stretch, first lowering her front end and leaning back to stretch out her forelegs, before she stood, and stretched out her hind legs. Her tail waved behind her as she cast her curious glance out to the water, where Valravn's concerned gaze was pointed. She wasn't sure why he looked so perplexed- but she hadn't cottoned onto the idea that they might have to swim yet. So she reached out to poke his shoulder once more with her nose, to reassure him. This was going to be fun!

posting fluid, rounds will prob be faster. anyone who hasnt posted please feel free to hop in at any time!

"de seafoam run be a swim from here to dere," erzulie began, indicating the boulders marking where the more treacherous water began just beyond. "you swim dere, you swim back. de one who comes back first be de winner."
"dis year, njord, valravn, an' merlin be de chosen competitors by way of bein' in rosada. however, if not all want to join dis," for erzulie had not missed the slide of delight off her son's features, nor the sound of vex' question, "we be willin' to open it to t'ose in lavanda to ensure dat we have three swimming. sapphique draws its strengt' from de sea. we honor her today, but dis offering must be some'ting wished, not pressed."
"i will swim out first," she told the assemblage. long years of living upon the coastline had hardened the harlot for the task; there she might more closely watch the participants, prepared to leap from her perch upon the rock face into the sea for a rescue if necessary.
pausing to hear any questions, the harlot indicated where those who wished to participate in such a race should line up just before the lapping waves, glancing to her wife and then again to the loyal seawolves who had made this place their home.

Rosalyn listened and sought any clarifications that may need made.  It was fairly straightforward, a race to the rocks and back.  The water was strong but not unbearably so, cold but not deadly.  She moved to take her place at the start, watching for who would participate.

If not all three came (which was likely to be the case), she would look questioningly to Haunt and Chacal and Vex.  She knew vaguely of Valravyn's hesitance towards the water, but not of its ferocity or the fear he felt.  She understood, to a point - not all were made for such competition.

I will start the race and watch for a winner.  She clarified, internally readying.

next round we'll do a straight, single roll <3

Her brother voiced a question, which Erzulie was quick to answer. Haunt breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she didn't actually qualify. Even if she had, it was entirely voluntary. Although she was intrigued by all of this, Haunt was glad she was off the hook. She wondered how often they ran this race, whether she could participate during a subsequent one, after having some time to think about whether she was up to the challenge and its reward...

Her yellow eyes flicked to the three wolves eligible for what promised to be a harrowing trial. Their faces each told a different story. Haunt's gaze eventually sought Vex's again. She raised her brows, wondering what he thought about all this. If one of the three Rosada opted out, would he opt in, she wondered?

The energy of their gathering was electric. Njord could feel his heart dance about. How happy he was to be with his clan, his people! A competitive spirit spiced the air as they all mingled in anticipation, listening to Erzulie’s guidelines. For this race, the Rosada would participate. Njord looked to Merlin, Valravn, and then back to the others. “I swim like a fish in tha wat’r!” he crowed playfully. “You landlubbers ready ta challenge this ‘ere Starbuck?” he called to his friends. Njord was a lighthearted man and, win or lose, would have fun with this Seafoam Run.

With a wave of his red tail Njord galivanted to the starting line and readied himself.

Her heart thrummed in her chest. She could do this. This didn't involve speaking, explaining, or communicating- all she had to do was be swift, and she could do that. Even when it was clarified that the race would take place in the water, the young Beryl was not phased- she could swim, and she would match pace with the best of them. The rolling waves were daunting, but she was not frightened- she had complete faith in her mothers, and knew that they would not have suggested such a race if they believed it was dangerous. She had played in the waves growing up- and felt at home along the shore.

She could sense Valravn's dread, though, and reached out to lick his cheek encouragingly. She was his shadow on the land, and would be his shadow in the water too, if he needed someone to help spur his confidence. They could do this together, she thought- if they swam side by side, they would have a better chance of fighting the current. 

It was only when her mother announced that the race was only for Merlin, Valravn and Njord that Chacal's waving tail stopped, and her expression faltered. Her ears fell back against her head, and she felt not only disappointed but hurt that she was being excluded from the race. The participants had been determined by rank- something she felt, in secret, that she was lacking at least in part because of her inability to communicate. It shouldn't have wounded her so personally, but it did. It seemed that she might be able to participate, but only if one of the three males chose to opt out. She didn't want a pity spot. She also didn't want to be included simply because one of the chosen wolves decided not to participate. She felt it was unfair, and the injustice tasted sour to her. 

Njord sounded very excited, and boasted about his swimming abilities- and she couldn't help but feel the intense burn of jealousy. She seethed as she glanced at him, but quickly averted her gaze, not wanting to direct her ire at him simply because he was excited about being chosen to participate over her. 

So she sat down, pouting, and leaned lightly against Valravn's side. She wanted to slink off and mope on her own- if she couldn't take part, then she didn't even want to watch- but she remained, out of dutiful respect for her mothers, and the knowledge that she ought to conduct herself in a mature way even if she was sorely disappointed.

haha, swimming... good joke, moms.

val's eyes surveyed both pleadingly, disbelieving as erzulie continued to speak. his lips pursed in extreme displeasure, a rare sight for a boy so jovial.

njord's confidence only served to drag val's down. he couldn't even look at the ocean without terrifying memories of some visceral past. he winced as chacal pressed against him reassuringly.

val shook his head adamantly, unaware chacal was also insulted. "mmmmmmm.. no." the boy whispered, leveling both of his mothers with a stung expression. really, how could they? completely oblivious to chacal's own feelings, valravn loudly huffed and sat down alongside her, feeling the corners of his eyes water in frustration and a strange buzzing sting his nose.

A loyal seawolf, hmmm...

Merlin was not at all thrilled for the competition that was supposed to take place in water. Had he known that he would have to learn to love the sea quite literally, he would have thought twice upon joining. He had not approached the frickin' ice cold wet stuff ever since his failed stint with Erzulie and, though even now he sincerely wished to impress the object of his affections, there was a limit of, how far a chivalrous knight was ready (and able) to go. While standing on the start-line and looking grimly at the stretch he would have to swim, he dearly wanted to opt out. He was a land wolf, a forest wolf at heart. Who swam only, when necessary or to cool off in a hot summer day. Not now.

He could opt out - surely there would be people, who would want to take his place, he glimpsed over his shoulder and was surprised to see quite a few disappointed and pissed off expressions there. And were it not for Haunt on that side and Erzulie on the other, he would have politely refused to participate and given up his place to someone else. Things being as they were - his pride decided to flex its muscles and show off at the least appropriate moment. Okay, he would do this. After all, what was the worst that could happen? Die?

While waiting for the start signal, he had a sinking feeling in his chest that dying was not at all least likely outcome for a wolf, who hardly knew, how to handle ocean. Let alone one in wintertime.

There was a mixture of responses.  The look she gave her children was understanding, but uncompromising.  If they chose not to participate, that was their own decision.... but she did give Chacal and the others, Vex and Haunt, an inviting lilt of her head.  If they chose to participate, they were welcome - if not, it would be Merlin and Njord only.

Whoever joined, the signal was hers to give.  She waited with it, and while she did, allowed her mind to drift lazily out to her wife in the waters.  She was capable, and if any fell to ill tides, she'd surely aid in recovering them.  A beat... and then...

Begin!  she barked, swift and sure and severe.  The resounding note of it was a clear starting gun, and she watched as the opponents surged (likely by varying degrees) into the water.  She'd track them carefully and try to determine who was first to return.

Opponents will roll a 1d10 (either in chat or in tabletop) and the highest result will win!  tie should re-roll for victor <3.  We'll have one round for the race and a final round for response!

Throwing in my post right away only because I have time to write at the moment :) Keeping things vague in case anyone steps in

Excited by it all and ready for action, Njord was a bit oblivious to the discontent of Valravn and Chacal. He did, however, notice Merlin’s tentative gaze at the cold waves ahead. Njord poked him with his nose. “Perfect day for a swim, eh?” he jested. “Methinks you’ll regret callin’ me Seabiscuit!”

As Rosalyn stood at the starting line, the red-tail readied himself in the sand. They waited until all participants were ready to go (and if anyone would fill Valravn’s slot) as the crowd grew quiet. Njord shot winks to the wolf (or wolves) besides him and murmured, “g’luck, buckos!” before the last beat passed and Rosalyn cut the silence with her bark. BEGIN!

Okay I shall roll now… I rolled here. Hahaha no way, Njord got a 10!!

Njord sped off into the white water, diving without hesitation as his pointed chest cut the waves like a ship’s bow. He expertly paddled through the sea, strong and sure. His red tail acted like a rudder to keep his course true. Njord’s legs kicked in perfect synchronicity as the figure of Erzulie on the distance rock grew closer and closer. Today was his day – something just felt right.

He reached the stone and pivoted off its barnacled side with an olympian’s precision. The riptide tugged as him, but the man resisted with expert paddling. Truly, the Corten side of his bloodline shone through. It felt as if his family (Aegir, and Grandfather, included) were on the beach cheering him on, proud that Njord was a shining example of what an islander – a wolf of Meares Island – could be.

The frigid, biting water only electrified him as Njord careened back towards the shore. He could feel his body running hot as his lips puffed with big breaths, spewing spray of saltwater like a whale. The rest of Sapphique waited for him on the beach at the finish line. With great effort he increased speed in the last stretch. The other swimmers were lost to him in that moment – Njord’s focus was on the end goal. Eventually, he could feel the ocean’s bottom and pulled himself from the sea’s firm grip, charging onto the sand as he finished the race.

Side’s heaving from the effort, Njord’s head swung around to gauge the reaction of the pack and to find the position of the other contestants.

rolled a 4 for vex

vex's heart falls as erzulie states that is only for a top tier ( he assumes, anyway; he's still learning how their tiers and ranks are structured ). he lets out a small huff under his breath but resolves himself to working hard to claw his way up so he can participate next time when rosalyn gives an inviting incline of her head; noticed only by vex as his gaze scans the pack gathered idly.

his heart hammers in his chest and he steps forward in the sand then.

he throws himself into the ocean with reckless abandon but lacks the swimming strength of the others. the tide is merciless as it ebbs and flows 'round him; his strength waning until he fights simply to keep his head above the tide. it crashes over his head, nearly trampling him but he pushes up above the salty foam and completes the race accepting his defeat as gracefully as he knows how.

clearly, if he hoped to have any shot of winning the next one he'd have to strengthen his muscles and learn how to swim in the unforgiving torrents of the sea. he flops on the sand, soaked with saltwater and focuses on catching his breath.

Sourly, she waited to see if anyone would notice just how miserable she and Valravn looked- or if anyone would address the fact that it didn't seem fair that only a few were allowed to participate. None seemed bothered, however; and even one of the two wolves she didn't know personally stepped forward- even though he had not been among the few listed as being chosen participants. Valravn had made his sentiments fairly clear- though there was still time for him to change his mind. Ruefully, she hoped he wouldn't- and that he would refuse to participate because she had not been among the first few chosen to do the Seafoam Run. She would't take part when the race was opened, up because she felt it hd been made open out of pity for those who hadn't made the first cut.

So to make her disinterest even more clear, she turned away from the others, and toward Valravn- and set about grooming the fur along his shoulders. She'd rather busy herself by doing something useful and caring, rather than pay attention to the others. She gave little more than a moody side-eye when her mother called out for the race to begin, but simply flattened her ears and continued to fuss over her brother, while a swelling ache grew in her chest. 

She just wasn't good enough. And it hurt. 

Grooming Valravn just didn't cut it, and when she heard the splashing of wolves nearing the shore again, she'd had enough. Not wanting to see the winner, let alone congratulate them- she wheeled away from her brother and disappeared off into the thicket without looking back.

"Yeah, right..." Merlin murmured in response, not even looking in Njord's direction and, frankly speaking, finding his bouncy enthusiasm for this competition somewhat annoying. The fact that his friend was an expert swimmer in no way improved his sense of anxiety and unwillingness to dive in. Insensitive barnacle. He remembered all too clearly, what it had felt like the first and the last time he had tried it and the water did not look any more welcoming than it previously had. 

Rosalyn called them to begin, Njord dashed past Merlin, so did the guy he had not taken any notice of in the beginning (and only later would he recognize Pig he had met few weeks ago) and after some hesitation and "I will bloody regret this!" he joined the race too. It was just as bad as he had predicted. Unlike the weathered Seabiscuit or the youngster of polar tundran heritage Merlin's build and coat were in no way suitable to protect him from getting wet. Soon he was soaked to the bone, the cold seeped in every fibre of his body and a moment later muscles in is paws began to cramp. 

While trying to fight his way back to the shore, a wave washed over his head, dragging him under and water filling his airways. He panicked and tried to scramble, whichever direction the surface was, but all that was in vain, because he was very cold, very tired and quite frankly no longer gave a rat's ass about anything. So drown. Big deal. A little stream of bubbles run to the surface along with that one syllable famous last word of Merlin Memoryless Blackthorn: "Crap." 

A whump. :P

She didn't wonder long. Vex volunteered as tribute and there was no time for Haunt to properly acknowledge this before the race began. Her stomach tied itself in knots as her brother disappeared into the sea. Njord and Merlin went too, though she could scarcely pay them any attention as her attention transfixed on Vex.

Haunt noticed Njord's victory in her periphery, though she still kept her eyes on her brother until he, too, climbed out of the water. Haunt raced to his side after he flopped on the sand, trying to get the image of the wave crashing over his head out of her mind's eye. She swore her soul had left her body for a moment.

She dropped down beside him and began to lick the saltwater from his fur to help dry and warm him. Between licks, she remembered the two other swimmers. Njord had won, meaning Vex and Merlin had lost. Haunt's eyes cast around the beach for the latter's red figure but didn't see him.

the harlot watched in pleasure as three wolves assembled upon the beach. selfishly she was thankful that none of the participants were her children. they would have the advantage of being born to the sea, the instinct for the win.
but valravn would surely have faltered, given the barb of his gaze when she had described the seafoam run. he had never grown into it. as she clutched the rock with hardened toes and watched the shoreline, the obsidian decided that she would take her boy out into warmer waters when the spring came so that she could teach him not to be afraid. he would be older then and perhaps more reluctant, but erzulie would prevail upon him. raleska and dacio adding their seablood to his until there was too much of it, and his mother's stubbornness baked into the sweet little existence of valravn. 
chacal, willowbark and disdain; erzulie had of course noted this before she stepped away to swim. but this was the way of things; rosada took firm. quite easily could the chai-spiced woman wish and envision an unbroken line of daughters to hold the leadership, and knew rosalyn would see such as a warranted preservation of how familial they had grown.
their silent jackal-girl was not voiceless, not at all — each nuance of body-note had become enhanced, and the aura around her cultivated with her slow control. the air had tightened somehow, attuned as they were, and at the will of the gold-blessed youth. 
but erzulie had lost her first brood early to their wandering. their ever-changing den emptying quickly of half-grown wolves who surely became great things beyond her eyes. her heart had a scar upon it. and she had lost valravn. a brutal time, an empty voice. and now regin had disappeared, dispelled abruptly into nothing. erzulie refused to undergo the loss again. her son and her daughter would swim against the currents in the months to come. and for it they would be rewarded. 
but today erzulie remained silently, wholly glad that neither was in the water today. 
her wife's voice rang. erzulie readied herself, noting the confident way njord had come into the sea. skilled lunges of his limbs carried the young swimmer forward, and she found herself smiling against the saltwater spray as he neared, hindclaws finding the stone for purchase, off again.
vex started with no less strength, though the harlot found herself watching tensely as he began to flounder. he had not been here long enough; the young gem did not yet have experience with the sea, erzulie believed, let alone one bound under winter. the waves were unforgiving to vex, battering him back toward shore.
she found herself questioning not for the first time her wisdom in calling the seafoam run. and yet it had satisfied some instinct in her, a determination to see all their crew immersed in the worst climes, so that they would know how to weather it. an unspoken code within sapphique that to be one of them was to become part of the brine by which they lived and died.
merlin. she had half-suspected that he might choose not to swim this day, which she would have accepted. but he had not. he was unsure, in the lines of his body, but held back only a breath before joining njord and vex within the dark icewater.
he too was caught by the will of the sea. mint-gold gaze watched intently as merlin began to turn back toward shore. a flick of her eyes upward brought the figures of the red-tail and the mountain-boy, successfully returned. but when she looked back upon the surface, merlin had gone from view. 
a breath, sucked through teeth; erzulie leapt from her perch at once, clawing though the snow-wrought depths until she came to the last place she had seen his ears.
another breath; erzulie descended.
her own auds ached at once with the coldness, but she had no time to think of the dull pain that would remind her she must return to the surface. erzulie cast a watery gaze about in search of any shadows that might mark his form, propelling swiftly downward as paws reached and muzzle searched half-open to grab merlin
if successful, she would drag him at once to the surface, steadying him against her shoulders once there.

val allowed himself to be fussed over by chacal. his attention was largely trained on his mothers.

not for the first time was valravn made painfully aware that even those that loved you could hurt you. he thought of how his mothers -- his own mothers -- had manifested a race that, by its very nature, could only humiliate him. his entire life he had looked to adults for their wisdom, for their experience -- and now he was realizing even adults lacked foresight.

for how could they not consider their son in this race? his heart became prickly as chacal receeded.

he stayed long enough to watch njord, vex, and merlin depart into the water. his gaze was hard even, as they made their bid for home -- only, things had gone wrong.

of course they had gone wrong. it was the fucking water -- everything was wrong about the water. valravn's heart iced over as he saw erzulie's expression go from stony to suddenly apprehensive -- merlin's head had disappeared underwater and had not resurfaced.

and now his mother -- his lunatic fucking mother -- was going in the water where merlin's form had been lost.

valravn killed the cry that rose instinctively to his lips as he watched, and waited, for erzulie's form to re-emerge. the boy was not heartless, and he hoped that merlin's figure would reappear at any moment, but he could not stomach the repeated divings of his mother out of sight -- it became too much for his terrified heart.

the moment he saw erzulie (and possibly merlin) break from the stormy water, valravn would leave after chacal -- but not before each of them was given an unusually cold and hard stare from the boy.

To praphrase famous words by Mark Twain: the reports of Merlin's imminent death had been greatly exaggerated. 

What felt like hours for the drowning boy were exactly 2 minutes and 50 seconds, when his oxygen deprived brain decided that enough was enough and gave one solid kick to the consciousness. Get that bastard in working order again! And as per a favourite saying of the Narrator's teacher - "I have observed that students act faster, when you yell at them!" - something did happen. He opened his eyes, gasped, felt the burn of water in is upper airways and, when his flailing limbs hit the bottom of the seabed, Merlin knew that there was nowhere further he could fall. Up was the only way. 

Up he went then - less like a graceful mermaid, more like a paralytic old spider, panting (that was difficult to do) and farting (that was easier). He brushed someone past in his upward trajectory and then his head resurfaced finally. Coughing, splurting and paddling to keep himself afloat and taking time to figure out, what to do now. 

Ebony or anyone else too can come for a rescue and PP bringing the poor fellow to the shores.

all at once, merlin surged beyond the edge of her paw. erzulie, quite unaware of the hubbub brewing in the heart of her little son — he was not so little but she had doted upon and treasured him as she had not been able to do with her first sons — all this to say that as the sea began to crush erzulie, she thought of her children, of each of their faces, both current and as she remembered them last.
but merlin was surrendered; the cold sand floating in a beige cloud below him signalling how far down they had both come.
above seemed impossible, but she followed, shoulder against his own and her energies draining;
she broke a moment after he did; her gasps were haunted and filled with relief as she turned her attentions toward merlin, forcing her tired forelimbs to bring her around so that his nape might be grasped.
he was awake, churning; together they directed themselves toward shore.
the harlot trembled as her feet touched ground again; she nosed merlin gently along until he was out of wave-reach, and then collapsed alongside him in the sand. 
yet there was satisfaction in her gaze, oddly, as she rolled toward the boy in the next moment, searching him for injury and for the malaise that accompanies seawater inhalation — at length she gave rosalyn a glance, and then njord, though she did not leave merlin's side. 
the first seafoam run concluded, in a true piratical fashion.

Haunt missed the moment when Erzulie dove in after Merlin, though she paused in her fussing over Vex to watch the matriarch drag him ashore. Yellow eyes blinked and she stood up a little straighter to get a better view, noting with some relief that Merlin was at least alive, if a little waterlogged.

Her attention eventually returned to Vex as she crouched beside him again. "That was..." Haunt began, only to shake her head and leave the sentence hanging. The Seafoam Run was certainly something. She was pretty sure she would never want to take part, a sentiment which made her look up, gaze searching for Valravn.

But he was gone and the beach was emptying. Haunt coaxed her brother to stand so they could go someplace warm and dry to rest, making sure to shoot a congratulatory glance Njord's way.