Iridescent Lagoon no future - Printable Version

The sea wolf was having difficulties adjusting. They had been in this strange long for too long and she was getting worried that she would never see the ocean again. She longed for the feeling of sand between her toes and the salty breeze ruffling her fur. Here, there was nothing. The lands were heavy with the scent of lush greenery and dirt. So much dirt. It made her skin crawl and her insides ache. Her cousin Nauja had disappeared — no doubt to find the rest of the Bella Coola wolves — and Niq’x wished that she had followed. As much as she wanted to believe that she could be comfortable here, the otter knew that it would never happen. This strange land would never become her home, no matter how hard she tried. Pip might have adjusted here (how Niq’x did not know) but she certainly wasn’t. Everything felt wrong.

They had not found any other sea wolves, which only added to her worry (and frustration). Niq’x liked to think that they were back home, safe and sound, but she could not be certain. There had been so many of those bizarre creatures and the buzzing sound had been overwhelming… whatever had taken them couldn’t have only taken a pawful. It was not possible. She had hoped some of her family had also been placed in the lands of Relic Lore, but locating them was not as easy as she had hoped.

As the rays of the light from the morning sun peaked through the trees the otter slipped out of the forest. Water, she needed water, and lots of it. So the otter headed south for the closest thing she had to an ocean. It was nowhere near the same size, nor did it carry the same comforting scent, but it would do.

It did not take her long to arrive and as soon as the sandy shores were within reach, the otter flung herself at the iridescent water and allowed it to consume her. She remained submerged for a moment; she was not ready to join the real world just yet.

A pair of green eyes so vivid that teetered on toxic, stared determinedly ahead. Through the mixture of reeds and grass, shoulder high. Out ahead to where a calm lagoon awaited his kind. Offering sanctuary. Relief. The slightest reminder of home, however far from the truth it may be. Blitz had settled into somewhat of an uneasy routine now. He spent the days either asleep underground in his den, or cooling off by the river. Night had become his favored time now. He welcomed the refreshing, cooler air. The silence. The peace. The forest dwelling wolves were less likely to bother him at such late hours, or so he liked to think.

But still, even in the welcome cloak of night, the Mizuno always felt suffocated in that forsaken forest. While Pip seemed to be adjusting just fine...thriving even, he remained homesick. Life among the trees, was decidedly not for him. With a great deal of reluctance, he forced himself to convince his skeptical self that Pip was fine with the Hollow wolves. She had proved time and again, that she could look after herself. Swallowing the last bit of nagging worry, the dark wraith pulled himself away from the all too confining cedars. His wanders took him towards the most familiar (and comfortable) place he knew. Apparently, his sister Niq'x had had the same idea.

The trail of her scent blasted him in the face before he knew it. His head jerked up as he strained to spot her agouti frame among the reeds. The scent of salt and sand, tangled with earth and wood was so contrasting. It nearly made him sick to his stomach. Trying not to wretch at the unnatural combination of scents, he glided forward, his paws soon meeting the more compact earth of the shore. The sound of a great splash nearby, a little towards his left, showed her to him, diving almost desperately into the water. He stared, silent, and shook his head to hold back a chuckle. So she needed to get away too huh? To cleanse herself of the foreign scents in her fur, just as he had. It had been some time since Blitz had a down to earth talk with his litter mate, but for now, he felt no need for words. Instead he approached the gently lapping water, easing in with a sigh. Once it was up to his shoulders, his paws lifted from the ground to begin a series of fluid, powerful strokes. His dark fur looking like slicked oil, the cool touch of the lagoon soothed his skin, and spirit. A moment of bliss, in a world of uncertainty.

The sea wolf truly did not know how these wolves could stand living so far away from water. She understood that they grew up differently, and that the canopies of trees was in abundance here, but surely they had some desire for water. The land-logged life was getting to her; she did not know how much longer she could stand living among the trees. When the Mizuno clan had been ‘squatting’ by the lagoon she had felt much more at peace than she did in the Hollow. However, their sister was comfortable. Despite her mutism she had made friends and grown accustom to her dry surroundings much better than her siblings. Niq’x wasn’t so sure anymore that Pip would return to the coast with the when they decided to leave, which worried her. This place was not where she belonged, no matter how “comfortable” she thought she was. It would never be home.

It did not surprise the otter that her obsidian brother had followed her. Although he was a hunter he was still a sea wolf first — water was like kin to the wolves of the coast. The sea — and all bodies of water — called to them, no matter how far away they may be from he source.

As she spotted Blitz’s obsidian legs pushing through the water the sea princess finally surfaced, her mismatched eyes focusing on her brother’s dark form. A lazy smile was perched effortlessly across her maw as watched him paddle around; for a moment it felt as though they were back home and they had no worries plaguing them. Niq’x remained quiet as she floated through the iridescent water, enjoying the carelessness of the moment before it was gone.

Although glad to be covered in water once again, which stroked through his fur with ease, nothing would ever replace the distinct touch of the sea. This water was pure, far too fresh. It lacked the salty aroma and taste which he had grown up with his entire life. Once Niq'x emerged, breaking the surface and sending an almost carefree smile his way, he returned it. But it seemed...forced. Blitz often was left questioning if he would ever be truly happy again.

With a regretful sigh, he broke the silence, as well as the content, relaxed atmosphere. His dark ears turned back on his crown, brows furrowing together seriously, while a concerned frown splayed over his maw. "Sis...." He began softly, without the usual sarcasm or bitterness in his voice. "I've been thinking. For a long time now. About our situation. About Pip." The name of their mute sister was forced off his tongue, thick with mixed emotions. "She clearly has adapted far better to this place than we ever could have guessed. She's...happy." His teeth clenched at the thought. The dark man would not dare say the obvious, that Pip wanted to be with the pack.

Circling around to her side, he slowly paddled his way over to a cluster of sun baked rocks at the opposite edge of the lagoon, where he could get out with ease and allow the heat to dry off his fur. He was in no rush, allowing Niq'x to take her time in absorbing what was said. When he reached the bank, his paws touching the smooth surface of stone, he paused before getting out. "Pip may have found her way here, but we haven't. I quite frankly hate the place." He stated bluntly, glancing off in the general direction back towards their so called home. "Niq'x, I seriously think we should consider re-locating." Blitz knew there was no sense in trying to persuade Pip to come with them. Her happiness was what mattered first and foremost to the Mizuno. Besides, if they could affirm that Tyne would stick around, then at least they could leave knowing their dear sister was not left completely alone.

It did not surprise her that Blitz shared similar thoughts about their sister. Despite the shared conclusion, her lips still deepened into a frown as she listened to her obsidian brother voice his thoughts. ‘She’s… happy.’ The otter could not deny her sister’s happiness, either; it was quite apparent Pip was pleased with their new home. Niq’x did not understand what it was that her sister saw in this wretched place — she really did try to adapt, but she couldn’t. Her heart would always be with the sea, and she was not at peace being so far away from the comforts of the coast. Did her sister not worry about their family or wonder what happened to them?

Perhaps this life was what Pip was meant for. As much as she did not want to admit it, this place made her happier than Coola did… as much as Niq’x did not want to believe it, she knew it was true. The realization made her stomach churn and her heart hurt, causing her mismatched eyes to advert from her brother’s emerald gaze.

“I couldn’t agree with you more,” she finally responded with a loud snort at her brother’s distaste toward their temporary ~~home~~location. “As unhappy as I am about it, Pip likes it here… and we can’t force her to leave if she feels as though this is where she belongs…” Her frown deepened as she spoke, ears twitching in annoyance as she studied her brother quietly before offering her voice once more: “Re-locating works for me. I can’t stand the trees anymore — they’re suffocating.”