Just a little while ago, the Hallow's territory seemed endless. That she could keep walking in a direction and never reach the end of it. She remembered the day that Thorn took her out to see the neighboring plains- and how anxious it made her when the castle could no longer be seen on the horizon. How unrecognizably silly that seemed now. Exploring Auster had quickly captivated her heart. Stories from the travels of her pack mates were nice and all- but nothing compared to being able to get out and experience the world on her own. Or in this case, with the company of her father.
After breakfast, she needed no convincing to set off on an adventure- Talyssa nearly trembled from the excitement that engulfed her as she took each bounding stride at her father's side. While she had previously been down the path that they set out to follow, she had never taken it off castle grounds. As it cut its way down to sea level through rolling hills- the landscape making the transition from dirt to stand- the voice of the ocean grew louder than she had ever heard it before. Once they had cleared the final levee of the coastline, she finally had an uninterrupted view of the huge expanse of ocean.
Talyssa halted in her tracks, taken aback by the scene before her- only to be restarted by the affectionate touch of her forehead. Her lips parted in an open-mouthed smile as the wonderment overtook her expression- twinkling in her pale blue eyes as she looked up to Artorias' announcement. Of course, the young girl needed no further prompting. She bounded forward a couple more strides before stopping once more.
The glitter of the water, the scream of the gulls, the warmth of the sand beneath her paws, the uninterrupted breeze that intertwined in the ends of her coat, and even the salinity that dried the back of her throat ... it was all mesmerizing. She had always seen the ocean from the castle windows. She knew it was huge. But it was nothing like standing at the edge of the world and looking out over the horizon. "It is so pretty! love it here!" Talyssa exclaimed, glancing back over her shoulder to find reassurance in her father's gaze. It didn't take much.
Lys pressed on, eager to interact with the push and pull of the tide. The first surge of water that rolled over the tops of her paws earned a squeal of delight as she chased it in its withdrawal- only to be pushed back as it nearly swept her paws out from underneath her in the following rush. The laughter that ensued was almost musical as she hopped back towards the powdery sand that remained momentarily untouched by the ocean's grasp. Once she made it back to the edge of the water's reach, her attention returned to Artorias once more. "Do you like the beach?" She asked curiously, wondering if her father shared her feelings on her newfound love.
Professor
Fleet-footed
