Wheeling Gull Isle words from my heart

@ruò

most of her days were spent wandering the island alone, searching for any hint of familiarity which she might find: scents that lingered on landlocked stones; locks of fur caught between branches. the more vivid memories had stopped appearing in her dreams, forcing her to accept that there might not be anything more to find.

along the sandy fringe was a tall rock, seemingly uninhabited. ying couldn’t help but feel some pull in its direction, and so stopped her short hunting expedition to explore. hello? she called, being sure to use the common tongue should any foreigners be nearby. without awaiting a response, ying stepped into the water to enjoy the cool summer breeze.

there was someone outside of their den speaking the common tongue. huojin stepped quietly outside to see who it might be, but upon realizing that this she-wolf was wholly unfamiliar, he retraced his steps back to his mother’s side. 狼, he told her, 白色.

unless ruò walked outside first, the lionet would remain within the safety of pride rock.

her mind was in a daze as the mother siren got up to a familiar sound. her son, beat her to it and spoke of a white wolf. the words instantly brought her up to speed, and with haste, walked out with a desperate, or maybe shocked look; unlike her usual stoicism. 

"ying?"

she’d become immersed in ocean water, relishing in the familiar (and yet foreign) feeling. salt clung to the fur which floated atop the sea’s surface and stiffened it into flat planks of white which she stood studying until—

a voice, one that knew her name. ying turned away from sunset to face the mother and child, noticing the bright sprite which hid behind his mother’s forelimbs. what was she to say?

if she’d once known them, she certainly didn’t now.

after a moment’s silence, ying walked back toward the beach to shake any debris from her coat. silence permeated between them, and until broken by ruó, there it would remain.

her cousin remained silent, which made the siren be filled with unease. she knew her not for silence, but a raging warrior of sea. her expression, stoic, but her heart thumped, "ying, i have not seen you in months."

"the last time, i saw you, we spoke of stars."

"did you foolishly follow the jellyfish?"

she wanted to call her cousin a dumbass, but at most, felt relief she was alive.

it was hard for ruo to admit she actually missed her, but she did. the only one she truly got along with.

也许. ruó spoke in poems that ying could only dream to create, but she could offer a small smile (albeit weary) as unspoken gratitude. she continued with a sorrowful explanation — 我迷路了 — though that smile remained, betrayed only by the slight furrow of brow.

she could see huojin watching from his hiding place and assumed that he would rather remain unnoticed. 这是你的儿子吗? ying asked, offering a wink to the boy.. though he didn’t seem interested.

there was something off about her cousin. the previous energy the mermaid had seemed long gone, only to be a shell. it what was to be felt, as the spirit the ying she remembered, had not come to.

ruo could only force herself to try and continue their usual banter, "dumbass."

she looked toward the small cub, and nodded, "yes. my only son, huojin."

both humored and insulted, she responded with silence.. remembering afterward that this woman remembered, while she did not. to ying, ruó was a stranger; it couldn’t have been so simple from the other woman’s perspective.

so, she laughed, having assumed that that’s what was expected. huojin, ying said, 适合他. having heard his name, the child stepped into view, though his back remained turned to the beach. 

我也有孩子, she shared, 四. mentioning the bounty she’d been blessed with sounded cruel, given ruó’s much smaller litter.. but with how difficult it’d been, ying silently wished she’d only been as lucky.

she flickered an ear in curoisity. ying had been gone all this time, and came back to find out she had children? "where are they?" the siren inquired.

four sound a handful, and ruo didn't mind much having only one. while wouldn't say to his face, it was a fact, huojin was a fortunate mistake. treasure him nontheless, but something, that shouldn't have happened. but it had happened, so she'll try to be a proper mother.

their conversation continued, giving ying implicit permission to step closer. she walked toward the rock’s edge but did not ascend, instead looking upward from the beach. 在家里, 和他们的父亲, she explained. whether the children were truly his or someone else’s, none would ever know.

ying blinked at huojin, then asked, 他父亲在这里吗? she didn’t see anyone else, but could smell another scent near this domain. assuming that the boy had taken after his father, ying knew that the man couldn’t go unnoticed for long.

either way, continuing with small talk wouldn’t do anyone any favors; there were much more important things to be discussed. 我在这里想起被遗忘的事情, a pause, sharp inhale, 我想你可以帮我.

"he's around." when she looked at huojin, her flaming boy, it should be obvious who he took after, "after all, it's lion." 

while a smile was to be rested upon the sirens face, ruo whipped her head back at ying instead, surprised and questionable at the other, "you do not, remember?"

is that why.. she was like a shell, of her former self?

memory loss?

huojin seemed to have lost interest, and walked quietly back inside. 没有, she responded with a solemn shake of her head, 我只有梦想, 但梦想还不清楚. each one seemed nothing more than a fantasy: her role as general, leading this pack; an army behind her for support.

it couldn’t have been true.

so, ying had decided to stop listening to those dreams, instead using rationality to piece together whatever remained.

"thats unfortunate." ruo looked over to her bored son and nodded at him to go back instead, perhaps assuming he had no interest and would rather take a nap. it wasn't the best time, to meet his aunt regardless.

"we are cousins." now with more understanding, the siren returned to a more stoic expression, as she went into a bit of their history.

... Which wasn't a lot.

that’s unfortunate, she mused, and ying could not help but to agree. 是的, 非常, ying replied, 我很高兴能再见到您. still, she did not know this cousin’s name, but decided that it could be learned from someone else on their island.

the conversation held between them was draining, likely for both parties involved. ying looked to excuse herself by asking, 我可以晚点回来吗? and turning for the sand bar.

"i missed you." despite being a knuckle-brain, a pain in the ass.. ruo had to admit, she did love her cousin the most. out of all her family, even siblings, she probably got a long with ying the most. found her more sensible, and reliable. it was fun to be around her.

and it was hard to adapt, to the shell that she was.

now all there was, was ruo and hua. perhaps, they needed to reconcile.

"my rock is always open." she claimed the area, her pride rock, and often left marks for any new wolves to come by. ying was always welcome to come by.