Ankyra Sound and do the aqua-boogie, win lots of goodies maybe

@Kharybdis - clear night time!

a cold wind followed valravn down the steep cliffs, dying in a quiet whisper as it trawled through the tall sequoias. val had slipped from sapphique after being woken from a dream:

a pair of yellow eyes staring up from a black tunnel

unmistakable

even now that vision haunted him as he quietly threaded between massive boughs. the snow underfoot was soft, and the sky above brilliantly studded by a thousand twinkling stars.

something about the sound drew valravn, but it wasn't the eerie glitter of blue that rimmed the coast, or even the waters. it was the ancient melancholy that settled around this place, transporting it from the reality into a magical realm of mystery and wonder. everything here was different -- the stars seemed more brilliant, the trees massive, the forest sleepy --

it settled the boy's racing heart. aimless, val continued along the tree line with his gaze trained on the skies above.

the mysticism of the sound is felt keenly by kharybdis as he paces along the frothing shore; marveling for once not over the intricate webbing of stars unobscured above him — it is the perfect night for stargazing, after all — but at the weaving of galaxies reflected in the waters. the loamy sand, salt water and foam it froths as it laps at the shore glows like it has swallowed stardust or mica. unable to help himself, kharybdis walks in the shallows of the tide. not a reflection, he notes.

he does not realize that the glow is merely algae ...and even if he did it was doubtful he'd be any less mesmerized by it.

only then does the furie make to cast his gaze skyward; before it can make it that far, it is drawn and settles upon a moving shadow among the tree-line. a distinct shape could not be made out by the furie and thus he issues a soft chuff to garner the shadow's attention ...if said shadow proved to be more than just a figment of kharybdis' imagination.

as val weaved between the impressive boughs of his ancestor's home (unwitting, even, of his ties here), he spied a ripple of blue light dancing along the waves. astride that magnetic blue glow was a dark shadow spearing through the lapping waves.

the boy watched in hushed awe. he assumed this was but another titan of this giant realm -- and he simply the tiny out of place visitor.

he jumped as he heard a chuff; the leviathan that waded fearlessly among the tidewater had spied him.

tail low and ears submissively flat, val stepped from the dark line of trees. he wanted to wait for this stranger to speak, but suddenly his inquisitive nature got the better of him. "are you a giant too?" val queried, assuming kharybdis was perfectly at home among this fairy-tale domain of wytches, giants, and sprites.

knowing that this was as close as he would ever get to walking thru starlight, kharybdis lingers in the whims of his imagination; letting it grip tight and carrying him along the alternate reality he creates as he moves thru the illuminated tide. the beckoning of reality draws him back does is not strong enough to entirely dissipate the illusion. he feels as mystical as this  alluring sound and as the shadow pelaged boy draws nearer and puts forth a question that carries and hangs upon the waves, kharybdis feels a small smile tug at the edges of his lips.

he does not feel his usual nag of frustration as it takes him a bit to understand the words spoken and then formulate his own response in return. a giant? unfortunately, kharybdis only associates them with cyclopses and tries not to feel the imagined sting of insult ( for he considers cyclopses ugly ).

no, kharybdis replies. not giant. he mostly parrots the words back; mahgony red gaze sweeping over and studying the boy.

an unusual pause spilled between them. val studied kharybdis unabashedly, his gaze inquisitive but never hard. around the tall man the sea droned, bright sparkling water stirring under his feet.

if he was not a giant, what was he doing here? val curbed his tongue for a moment, brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of the delay. in the end, he decided it did not matter.

peering down at the luminescent blue which illuminated the underside of kharybdis' flank and strong legs, val spoke once more, this time timidly. "does it hurt?"

there is soft, guiding encouragement in kharybdis' visage as the boy studies him; timid when he presents his next question. kharybdis does not mind the seemingly inquisitive nature of the boy, only that the language barrier always puts a strain on kharybdis. it lingers like a bitter taste in his mouth as he takes a moment to think thru his response, wishing fervently he could communicate better. it would come, the furies knows, with time and patience and practice — two of those things he cannot say he has a whole lot of.

no hurt. kharybdis finally responds, sheepish grin tugging at the edges of his lips as he prances slightly in the shallow tide to show the boy that he was not inhibited by pain. if anything there is a slight drag as the tide pushes and pulls upon his weight but that was normal. come. join. see? kharybdis invites with an amiable wag of his tail.

the man's inviting smile and gentle invitation was met with a hard stare. nuh uh, no way. val's lips thinned as he remained rooted. "no, thank you." the boy answered in perfunctory, perfectly polite dismissal.

even if the water was shallow, even if it looked hauntingly beautiful the way the electric blue light arced off of the surface of the water and dappled the stranger's belly -- even if it was perfectly harmless, val could not do it.

"they look like stars." val commented by way of deflection, feeling the cold sand as it seeped between his claws. unaware he had been clenching the earth this whole time, valravn released the tension in his shoulders and began to look from the sea, to the glittering heavens above.

despite the mystic feeling of this realm and how it captured Val’s heart, it wasn’t long before the boy stated he needed to go. turning for home, val began to construct a little song in his head featuring kharibdys, the giant of this giant, wonderful world — and how he brought the heavens to the sea and stars to the water.