Balthier had taken a few lessons with Poem about how to control the raft after he found the rest of the materials to finish off the sails and any other small details before even attempting a ride out on the water. The intent for their first trip was just for a small sail around the outskirts of the shores and coming back, not even a night out at sea. Poem had to stay home to take care of the rest of her family, but Shae was welcome on the short trip out if only for Balthier's company and the fun experience for both of them. It was a reason to get his mind off the troubling times he and his siblings had come across lately.

They had finished packing up the raft and Poem was there to see them off, but they were going to be gone most of the day so she wouldn't stay on the shores long until they were off into a farther horizon of the ocean. It reminded him of looking down at other animals from the moontouched cliffs as Poem's body became smaller the farther they moved from the shore, but he was making sure they could still keep and eye on the shore so they wouldn't get lost. He knew the eastern lands of Boreas pretty well in case they landed somewhere not back at home.

When they finally had a steady float and breeze along the ocean waters, he locked the rope of the sail into a wooden hook of the floor, his now more calm stature focusing the Shae to make sure she was enjoying her time. He was certain she would, she was just a little younger than himself but she seemed at least more excitable than he was usually.

"Balthier"

Today was finally the day her mother would allow her to go out at sea with Balthier. She had been asking for a while now but Poem had been reluctant, however she knew it was better now than when the winter returned to them. The day looked clear and it was almost warm when they finally made their way to the beach and the raft that was so expertly built. Shae bound up excitedly, eager to get on the raft. Poem trusted Balthier to keep her safe and Shae was going to have a ton of fun.

After a little bit of preparation she kissed her momma good bye and the two young wolves loaded themselves onto the raft and set sail. Shae waved her little paws at her mother as she became smaller and smaller on the horizon. Balthier took to steering and before she knew it she could hardly see Poem at all anymore.

Then they were out at sea. The salty breeze blew in her fur and the sun shone down on them. She hadn’t seen it from the shore but a darkness was accumulating further out in the ocean. ”Balthier this is amazing,” she told him as she dipped her paws in the swiftly moving water off the side of the raft. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced. And she had Balthier to thank for it.

He was beside himself seeing Shae so content with the trip, he carefully ventured up beside her at the end of the raft, his paw joining hers in the ocean under them. "I'm glad to hear it." He offered her a smile while he searched her face before his gaze moved down into the gentle waves they sailed over. He couldn't see any fish down under them from how far out they were, and the mysteries of the ocean were both exciting and terrifying. He didn't get ruffled too easily, but he did have that backward thought of what could be lurking deep down in the waters that they couldn't see.

He could feel the wind pick up as they were settled down at the end of the raft, and he looked up to see the darkened sky that approached them from farther out at sea. He gently stood, pulling the line of the sail from the hook and trying to catch the wind so they could turn around and head closer into the shore just so they were safer and farther away from the storm when it came in. He didn't want to cut the trip short, but he did want to be careful.

But the storm had started to come in too quick, and while he had the raft turned around and moving back diagonally towards the shore, the clouds had rushed in over top of them and the wind picked up drastically on the ocean. It started out as a rough ride, but soon enough he had lost complete control over the raft. He didn't really have enough experience to control it under the storm, but he managed as long as he could until the waters under them and the gusting breeze had fully taken over the raft. "Shae!" He hollered over the howling winds around them, "Come here and hold on!" He laid down on the raft, his front paws wrapping around the pole in the middle set for the sail, his paws going to reach up above her shoulders to hold her down to the floor while they rode out the rest of the storm until they made it to land.

"Balthier"

Shae looked up to the older boy with a gleam in her eye as he joined her at the bow. She grinned as he placed his paw with hers, Balthier was very special to her, very nearly like a brother. He had always been there as a guide and friend, Shae couldn’t imagine her young life without him. The young girl leaned against him, both of them would peer down into the crystal clear waters. They were so far from shore now there didn’t even look like there was anything beneath them for a very long time. She could have easily felt scared, but she knew Balthier was here beside her, and he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her.

She looked back up as he lifted himself from her side, her own blue and lavender gaze shifted to the darkening sky above them. Her eyes widened as the wind hit them and she realized how much trouble they were really in. How powerful the elements around them were, and just how fragile her own life was. The girl gripped to the raft as best she could, freezing there as Balthier struggled to keep their course until he was finally overpowered.

He called to her as the front of the raft dipped into the ocean water and she was suddenly soaked before the rain even hit them. It was a miracle that she hadn’t lost her grip and gotten tossed into the sea. She scrambled to her paws, only barely holding on as she pressed herself against the mast and was suddenly surrounded by her cousin’s presence. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that she would be returned to her parents. She didn’t want to drown.

The ride was really rough, but their weight is what kept the raft one side up. The waves weren't terrible, so they weren't facing anything that would crash over them and wash them overboard. But the raft was still aggressively rocky, and their only chance to not roll off was to hold on to the center of the raft and each other.

When the raft hit land, it was easy to feel the difference. Balthier too held his eyes shut most of the way. Mostly because of the blinding wind and rain but he couldn't deny how scary the experience was. The shift from the floating raft was night and day as the rain and wind almost settled, or felt like it. It was still storming pretty bad, but now that they weren't on the moving ocean, everything felt a lot simpler.

He nuzzled Shae lightly, "Are you alright?" he asked quietly, rising carefully to make sure she was okay to stand before heading out onto the beaches of the island. They needed to find shelter, maybe for the night. But the worst part was over. At least it felt that way. He felt like he and Shae had just been in nearly fatal danger, and maybe he felt a little at fault for that. The autumn brought many storms, but he and Shae were eager to go out on the raft. And if they didn't go now, they would have probably had to wait until summer next year. He felt like he could have made a better call. Even if they were both safe for now.

The air felt a little colder here than it did in Abaven, he didn't feel like they ventured that far but he wasn't certain. He squinted up at the mountains of the island, turning the Shae close to her so she could hear him alright, "We can probably find a cave up on the mountains, we should try to find a trail to travel up." He went back to the raft quickly, grabbing the sack that had some supplies that was wrapped around the pole in the center and then went to move forward inland of the island.

"Balthier"

Shae wasn’t sure they were going to make it out of this, fright held her tightly. She grit her teeth and held on as tightly as she could, hoping and praying that the two of them made it through this sudden storm. She tried not to think about what it would be like to drown. Shae held on and closed her eyes tight until the raft crashed violently onto the shore. She blinked her eyes open in surprise at the sudden difference of solid land beneath them. The rain and wind was still buffeting them and the raft but they were alive. They weren’t going to drown today.

Balthier nuzzled against her as he asked after her welfare, his concern was sweet and calmed Shae considerably. She didn’t know where they were but she had her older cousin to look after her, so they would be alright. Right? She didn’t know what they were going to do now, but Balthier led her off the raft and pointed their attention towards the mountains in the background.

Timidly Shae nodded at his suggestion before Balthier returned to the raft for the supplies he’d brought along. He returned to her side and Shae paced along closely beside him as they hurried towards the treeline and hopefully shelter from the storm and rain. She tried not to think about how far away from home they really were.