Totoka River pressure wouldn’t squash me and fire couldn’t burn

for @Jorunn!

The sun slowly crept across the sky for hours upon hours. Beneath it the seasman’s trots as though he hadn’t been walking all day long. Even as the sky turned brilliant shades of orange and red and violet, he moves with a skip in his step and merrily hums a shanty. The tune of which fades as he steps into a delta that spreads across this beach’s sands.
Pure and crystalline, Valentine cannot help but stare at his reflection. He is beautiful, he notes with a smile. Especially now against the sunset. He leaned downward and picked at the hair that lined his cheeks with a paw. His eyes never leave the ones staring back at him until he sees a gull in his peripheral. It circled and circled, then dove towards him.
”Finally found ye! Sneaky devil!!”
Valentine shut his eyes and pursed his lips as the gull beat his wings in his face. He’d forgotten how painful it was.
Teka! He shook the feathers that clung to the fur on his face. The bird landed at his feet and glared up at him.
”I should kill ye, know dat? Runnin’ off witout tellin’ a soul where ye goin! Makin’ me job harder den it should be.”
Happy to see you too. He glanced sidelong and rolled his eyes.
”De recruits, boy!” Teka‘s wings outstretched as he waddled closer. ”WHERE DE RECRUITS?!”