Cerulean Cape lent et douloureux

YO UNDERSEA

the only thing worse than the southern inland, in her opinion, was the coast. she liked water well enough in its frozen form, but here? soggy and salty. add the fact that she was alone in the world, her family scattered to the wind, and one could well imagine why Tahani felt utterly defeated as she sat on the edge of the cape, staring over the moonlit horizon.

where had they gone wrong? what had they done to incur nature's wrath? she knew deep down that none of it really had meaning, that it was all random and up to chance. . .but still. was there anything she could have done? it was a question that would haunt her forever.

she was slowly losing the will to go on. where she would head or what she would do, she didn't know. at this point, she didn't really care. Tahani was so trapped in this cycle of misery that she was starting to think it all a dream, a sick, twisted dream. that she'd wake up on the glacier, cuddled up near Currituck, and all would be well once more.

but how long did a goddamn dream have to last before she had endured enough to wake?

There seemed constantly these days to be a bird fluttering against the banded bars of her ribcage. A symptom of her burgeoning fertility, she assumed. Unimaginative though she might be, Moorhen could not pretend not to know why she was suddenly driven to secure not just her island home, but the coastal regions nearest to it as well. She was yet uncertain about whether or not she would be bringing children into the world, but the Cairn saw no reason not to give into these instincts, and thus, found herself upon the Cape that day threading through the snowy pampas groves to leave her fur clinging to the razor-like grasses. Spores left by her warm paw pads were gently spiced, and when she relieved herself with lifted leg on an innocent rock, her urine was musky and sweet-scented. Lol.

It was during this act that she noticed the pale figure of Tahani. From even this short distance, Moorhen mistook her for another - Takyok, she hailed, tail wagging tentatively.

the brown shadow in the distance sent alarm bells ringing through her head, tumultuous as the past days had been. she rose to her feet, hackles raised, a fine tremor running through her. ready to defend herself, despite the urge to admit defeat. there was still--

Takyok.

Takiyok?! Tahani asked incredulously, voice loud and tremulous. she took a wobbly step toward the sentinel, then another, traveling faster and faster until she had stopped just shy in a cloud of sand. Takiyok. my sister.

she was all but panting, trembling, as she blinked rapidly at the other, desperate for answers. Takiyok my sister. you see her? where?!

The woman came rushing toward her - a sudden gust of wind had their scents swirling together, and abruptly, Moorhen realized this was not who she'd thought. A curl of her lip and a flash of yellow fangs warned the other to stay back, and Moorhen stiffened her spine in preparation for a fight. But the woman seemed excited, more than anything, calling out that same name.

I em not Tayok, she snapped, wheeling back several steps as the woman tried to come closer. Did she think Moorhen was her sister? Did she, perhaps, have the same strange illness as Aditya? But no - Moorhen had only misunderstood. Her mouth popped open in a soft oh sound, her posture relaxing a fraction as the woman's reaction began to make sense.

Takiakok come to ilannn see Curtituck, she explained, tripping over her words in her hurry to try and cover up the previous blunder.

she was taken aback by the snap, shaking her head quickly. no no no-- she tried to explain, but the misunderstanding was over as quickly as it had began. her eyes widened further as the woman spoke in a rushed voice, tears coming to them as the name she'd been longing to hear for so long, in someone else's voice besides her own, came.

Currituck.

Currituck, Tahani sobbed, lost for words and out of breath. her tail thumped hard against the sand. my Currituck. take me to her? please?

as exhausted as she was, she would go around the world if this woman knew where her daughter was.

Internally, Moorhen bristled at the possessive wording. Obviously, anything that washed up on Undersea's shores was hers, Currituck included - but Moorhen recognized that as a thought brought to us by her pre-estrus cycle, and kindly refrained from correcting the pale woman.

Instead, she shifted uncomfortably, torn between the desire to keep all outsiders away from her island and the knowledge that reuniting a family was the respectable thing to do. The thing that Coelacanth would prefer. Come to islann, stay at islann? Not take Curtituck? Not goodbye? she pressed, ears swiveling forward as she made her demands. Coelacanth would stay strong, of course, and insist that with her family was where Currituck ought to be - but Moorhen knew that each loss hurt her very deeply, and with the storm having taken so many so recently, Moorhen was not prepared to allow another lamb to leave the island.

Allmother, Coleacanth, love very very for Curtituck. The storm take all loves, all gone to sea. She will be so sad if more go, she tried to explain. But you can come, be sea wolf. Have many loves, live happy life. It was a clumsy speech, but it was put together on the fly, and under what Moorhen considered heavy pressure. Come to Undersea - islann jewel under skylight and seassong. Beautiful and heppy.

an island. that was certainly not Tahani's idea of a good home. surrounded by water on all sides? it might be a sanctuary, but a death trap, as well. her mouth moved silently as she considered the woman's words, knowing that they came from a good place--but also a place of necessity. just as IkKanattuk had needed more members to get through the winter, so too did this Undersea.

but she had to see Currituck. that much was clear. decisions on whether to stay or not could be made later. and if her daughter wanted to stay, Tahani would stay with her, at least until she was older.

Tahani nodded solemnly. i go, she said softly. i see island, find Currituck. we talk after. she lifted her chin toward the dark hump on the horizon, which she assumed was the island, and waited for the scout to lead the way.

That certainly seemed reasonable - Moorhen would not have agreed to her plan if their roles had been switched, after all. But she was still uncertain about bringing a stranger to the island after Aditya's betrayal. It had become clear to her that there was no truly "safe" outsider, even those with the most earnest of goals.

But Moorhen had to make a choice - refuse and definitely get in a fight, or take her to the island and maybe get in a fight. The former would be safer for her pack, and Moorhen didn't doubt that she could escape with her life... but Moorhen remembered reuniting with Coelacanth and feeling safe and protected for the first time in a long time, and she knew that it would be very wrong of her to refuse such a request.

Be kind to islann? she asked sharply, eyes narrowing at the pale woman in deep suspicion. All sea wolf, be kind?

her brows drew together in confusion as the woman began to interrogate her further, rather than take her to Currituck. the most important word was 'kind'--and if any wolf was that, always, it was Tahani.

yes, she said fervently, trying to make her vehemence clear, though she was slightly annoyed. did this island have trouble with outsiders? what merited this? i kind, i. . .ah, i healer. i heal, not hurt. she hoped that this explanation was sufficient to grant her entrance.

if not, she didn't have many qualms using physical force to get to her daughter. she had come this far, and she was not about to be stopped now, right at the finish line.

Moorhen's ears flicked decisively at this. If push came to shove, she'd stand between the woman and sea wolves. But for now, she was willing to take her to Currituck. Takiyok had been kind and harmless, after all.

Can you swim? she asked the woman, turning and gesturing for her to follow.

Fade here?