Drift Away Together

From where he floated in the surf, Artorias watched Bowen take to the water like she had been born for it. She had swum straight out to the middle of the bay, the calm and tepid waters yielding to her as if she were a goddess of the sea. Their eyes met from across the space, noticing her watching him from when he resurfaced to how he treaded water now. Grinning, Artorias began a series of long, steady strokes to propel himself through the water, partially getting in some exercise, partially to enjoy the floating sensation as he bobbed along with the gentle waves.

It was difficult for him to pay attention to anything other than Bowen. Maybe it was because he was still drinking in the fact that she was back home and she was real again. Maybe it was because he was trying to make up for their lost time and reconnect with his sibling. Or maybe it was because of that clawing feeling he felt inside his core. He'd set time aside for Bowen whenever she asked, and even times she didn't, like today. He wanted to do something special for her, for no reason other than to see her smile. But none of that had come with any ulterior motives. He'd done it because he loved his little sister, plain and simple. This was his way of reconnecting with her.

Splashing caught Artorias' attention as well, following Bowen's eyes to the pair of dolphins that sprung from the ocean further out to sea. He smiled while he watched them play, looking over to spot Bowen now making her way out onto the shore. From where he floated, Artorias couldn't take his eyes off of her. He watched the way the water cascaded from her caramel and cream fur, making her coat cling to her slender, petite body. The longer he watched her, the more he couldn't deny that the sweet little pup he'd known his sister to be had fully grown up. They'd both aged well, but they'd both also matured beyond their age. Artorias had faced death so many times, watched his family dwindle, braved an ice age, suffered heartbreak and abandonment and failure. Bowen had been stolen from her home and family, forced into a life of servitude, made to thieve and cheat and fuck and kill to survive, robbed of her innocence far before her time. What a pair these two wolves were...

Artorias swallowed hard past the knot in his throat, trying to keep his eyes from roaming, and instead flipped over to float lazily on his back so he wouldn't get caught staring. He gazed blankly up at the blue sky overhead, dotted with only a couple fluffy clouds. Chimera's words played back in his head over and over again. "If you can pluck that fruit without bruising it, I highly encourage giving it a taste." Flutters started up in his belly. Was he seriously thinking of this? Considering it?! He knew what he'd been taught, he knew of the social laws. But he could not deny that his sister had grown into an incredibly attractive and impressive young woman. No matter how easy it was to see Bowen as that tiny pup in his memory, she had become a woman in so many ways. It was how he'd thought of her when he'd gone searching through the snow and ice for her. As he grew, his memory of her stayed the same. Now he was facing the reality of time, and it came with an entirely new set of challenged he had never expected.

Realizing he was just floating in the water aimlessly now, Art righted himself again and began to swim back to shore with strong kicks of his legs. He emerged from the water with a slow stride, water running like a waterfall down his black, blue, and ash coat. His fur was left clinging to every part of his body, moving with his muscles as he strode up onto the warm sands and collapsed next to Bowen with a heavy sigh, completing his settling in to dry by rolling over onto his back to let the hot sun dry his belly. Doing his best to ignore those butterflies in his belly, Artorias peeked open an amber eye to glance at Bowen, giving her a little smile as they both dried off. He could smell the sea salt clinging to her fur, accenting her natural fragrance. She really was made for the sea. "Swimming was a good call, Bo," he commented with a low groan as he stretched out his legs to relieve the strain in his muscles.

"Artorias" | "Corbin" | "Argent"