As she slowly adjusted to the new terrain, she reserved herself to her mind. She was a stranger, an outcast, and she needed to act as such. She needed to be the cutthroat and vengeful daughter that her father wanted to be but at the same time, she didn't have the heart. He wanted her to be something but how could she honor the wishes of a man who condemned her? It was simple, really. She was going to be vengeful. She was going to get revenge on him. She needed to by her time, acting sweet and innocent as she trained herself and built her legacy far away from where he was. Slowly plots started to form in her mind, causing her to put distance between herself and the others.
The moonlight reflected down upon the rapids as the white-foamed water rushed past her at an intense speed. She had seen the fastest rivers and tidal waves that extended over to land and drowned out living creatures but for some reason she was mesmerized by this slow in comparison rapids. Ocean blood. Ocean heart. Ocean mind. Her family's mantra, which had been nearly beat into her, rang through her mind as she stared at the stoical expression of herself in the mirror of the water. She couldn't express emotion because it caused her pain. Pain was something she simply could not accept. "Guide me." Her words were but a soft whisper as she looked up to the moon, her guiding light for the few seasons she had been alive.
Slowly, her goals started to shape in her mind. It was time to make choices.
The rapids were a comforting place for him. The current of rushing water was familiar and calming, and Lark found himself resting near them often. Tonight was no exception. He'd crept from the den he'd begun to dig out of the earth, wandering aimlessly beneath the moonlight. The silence that lay heavy over the lands of Abaven made him feel quite peaceful, and the nine-month-old boy was content to wander to his hearts content, though he kept close to the rapids.
After some time, he caught the outline of a stranger against the shimmering moonlight, and his brows furrowed in curiosity. Only when he heard her speak was he certain he wasn't seeing things. 'Guide me,' she said, and he'd lope forward a bit quicker, curious. "Going somewhere or something?" came his brash question, wondering who she was talking to. A brief look around only further proved she was talking to nobody, or maybe herself. The boy's nose would wrinkle slightly. "Why are you talking to yourself?"
The fact that the hours of the night were so obscure made Calypsei confident that she would not be disturbed... until she heard a voice that showed her how blissfully arrogant she had been. She would turn to see another pup, one that appeared to be around her age somewhere, and confusion hit her though her stoical face did not show it. She would gulp as he asked who she was talking to before determining that she was talking to herself. "I'm not talking to myself; I'm not insane." Her words were harsh and defensive as she rose from staring between the moon and the water. "I was talking to the Priestess of the Moon who pulls on the ocean waves though I don't think that she heard me for I am far from such safe havens." Perhaps she sounded a little crazy by saying that but it was her religion but that would make little to no sense. The Oceana family would have understood but she was no longer with them.
Lark was unused to running into others in the midst of night. It had sparked his curiosity, and he wouldn't leave until it was sated. The boy's brows would furrow as he inspected the girl that sat by the rapids, wondering what exactly she was doing. Quickly she would clarify that she wasn't talking to herself, and quietly he would snort in response. "Sure," he'd comment softly, not entirely believing her -- but not quite wanting to insult her away so quickly. The prospect of company was in intriguing one, especially when he knew he'd likely not find anyone to join him at such an hour.
The talk of something called a priestess of the moon would cause him to quirk a brow in response. That sounded far more crazy than someone talking to themselves. "Um.." he'd begin, moving a few steps closer, his eyes full of curiosity and judgment alike. "Who is that, exactly? I don't see her." As though to prove his point, he'd glance about their surroundings, before letting his gaze settle on her again.
He sounded as if he didn't believe her as he mentioned the fact that he didn't see anyone else about. She shook her head when he said that and spoke up about her beliefs as she had been raised to do."She's not a person. She's a goddess who created the earth and the ocean and the prey we eat and even us. Back when I was with my family, we had an oracle who interpreted the signs she left whether it be flooding or earthquakes or some other kind of disaster or some kind of blessing."
She sounded a little crazy and she doubted that he would have any understanding as to what she was saying. She didn't have much hope or faith in others, especially those who did not share her coat or her name. "Don't you have any beliefs?" She asked curiously as she looked at the rapids, her feet flying off of the ground as she jumped onto one of the wet rocks, being careful to keep her balance as she looked at the white foamy water that formed the rapids.
What a strange girl. His head remained tilted, his nose wrinkled as if in annoyance at her words. "I've never heard of her," he'd retort quite quickly. Maybe she'd been taught something that his father had never gotten around to telling him about.. but it seemed more likely that she just didn't know what she was talking about. Whatever. "Weird."
His train of thought was cut short as she stood, and he'd pull back to watch her with a glimmer of curiosity in his green eyes. "I believe in my family," he'd state staunchly, suddenly feeling a bit defensive. "Not imaginary wolves watching me from the sky." The slight annoyance seemed to trail off from his tone as she moved to jump on one of the rocks in the middle of the rapids.
Whoa. He'd never seen anyone actually try to cross the rapids before, let alone with so much fearlessness. Impressed, he stood up and stepped a bit closer to the rapids. He'd thought that trying to cross them was stupid, and he knew it was dangerous.. but it was so tempting. Curious, he'd dip a paw into the water, assessing another rock near the blue-pelted girl. "What's your name, anyway?"
The young child felt like she was being scolded as the other boy retorted that he'd never heard of the Moon Priestess before. "Yeah, well it is impossible to know everything." Her retort was nearly as fast as his because her beliefs were on the line for judgement. There was a certain coldness in her stare as he talked about imaginary wolves in the sky. "How would you know if she's imaginary or if she's real? There aren't really any oceans to look at. She spends most of her time by the oceans so you wouldn't know about her." Her words felt like daggers as she fought back the defensiveness that filled her. Her religion is the one thing she had left to cling to of home. She wasn't going to let it go.
He asked for her name, but she considered the way he asked to be very rude. "What's it to you?" She was stubborn to her ways. He didn't deserve a name from her as far as she was concerned as the ocean blue girl leapt to another rock within the rapids, being careful to keep a steady grip on the rocks below her. Control was the most important in this exercise.
The talk of goddesses sitting up in the sky, making floods and earthquakes seemed quite far-fetched to him. Lark couldn't really find any interest in it and it was hard to believe it was true, especially since his parents had never told him about anything like that before. Still, it wasn't super important to him.. but it seemed that this girl was quite offended at his lack of belief. He wrinkled his nose as he perched on the edge of the rapids, watching her. "And you've seen her? At the ocean?" He felt a bit defensive himself, but after he spoke he shrugged. She cared about it a lot, that was obvious, and he didn't really feel like arguing with her over something she clearly would never budge on.
He snorted indignantly as she retorted, rather than giving him her name. "I you care about this moon goddess so much, shouldn't you be proud of who you are?" he'd probe questioningly. "I'm Lark Destruction, though. My dad's the leader here." A slight smirk tugged at his lips as he assessed the rapids one more time. Finally, without hesitation, he'd leap forward to one of the rocks. It was far more slick than he expected, and he barely landed at all before he felt his paws give out under him. In a moment of quick thinking as he scrambled higher onto the rock, using all his strength to stay balanced. No wonder they tell us kids to stay away from the rapids...
He accused her of never meeting the moon priestess and she would retort quickly with a fierceness in her expressive tones. "I met her once, when I was only a moon cycle old." She remembered the details like they had happened just the day prior. She would look over at the boy as he told her he was Bass' son. He would let a smile tug his lips as he jumped, catching one of the rocks but slipping. With that, she burst out laughing as she looked at him, a wide grin on her face. "Good try. Most wolves don't even make it to their first rock on their first jump." She remembered this as a training exercise that her father had put her through right before her capture. She had fallen into the still water she had practiced on at least a dozen times before landing on the rock, but she was not going to tell him that.
"I'm Calypsei Oceana, daughter of Poseidon and Calypso." She added the names though she doubt that they boy knew of them. If the boy had known them, he would have recognized all of the family signs. "My parents were also king and queen. As were my captors, which I guess would be like another set of parents in a way." She felt as if she was explaining too much so she would take another jump onto a large rock stretching out in the rapids. She would land, sliding a little bit as she used her claws to stop her from going over the edge. Practice made perfect.
It seemed quite stupid to place any amount of faith into something that one couldn't see or know directly. If anyone, he worshiped his parents, and couldn't imagine believing in anything but what was in the here and now. Still, it wasn't exactly a topic he wanted to continue talking about as Calypsei seemed stubborn in his belief and he didn't care enough to try to change her mind.
Though she applauded his jump, she began to laugh too. He couldn't be sure if she was laughing directly at him, or was simply entertained at his jump. He was pretty damn glad he'd landed the jump. What if he hadn't? He was certain that his family was sleeping. What if they didn't hear him? Would Calypsei help him, or simply watch him drown in the rapids after what he'd said to her about her goddess of the moon or whatever she had called it? He didn't trust her to try to save him, and so he would perch carefully where he stood on the rock. At least jumping out would be an easier feat.
She introduced herself finally, talking momentarily about her parents and her.. captors? A slightly bewildered look crossed his features. "Were you a slave or something?" he'd ask without thinking. She didn't sound too sad when she'd spoke of them, instead referred to them as like parents, which was a bit odd to him. He'd eye her as she leaped to another rock, though wouldn't join her in crossing the rapids quite yet. Truthfully, he was a bit shaken up from his initial jump, though he wouldn't show it.
He remained silent for the most part, making her smirk only a little bit. She kept her focus clear as she jumped another rock, not even phased by his question. She had heard that question amongst others so often that she honestly could not care to keep it a secret. “No, I was not a slave. I was a prisoner of war, a bargaining chip for the enemy to use against my father. It is part of the reason he never took me back.” Her words were bitter as she stared out at the rushing water. It was faster than she had seen before and she knew she would not be able to fight the current but a part of her wanted to jump in and swim around regardless of all of these facts. She was a daughter of the water. It was in her blood.
She looked back at Lark, remaining stoical as she looked at him. “You wouldn’t understand. You don't know of hardship like that, being a crowned Prince in your home, your birthplace, as you are.” She challenged as she jumped back to a rock closer to him. She was so confused emotionally, and she wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. Should she feel some sort of rage and confusion? Should she be completely calm as she talked about being abducted from her family and her father turning away from her when she returned? She didn’t know and she wasn’t sure whether she should be scared by it or not.
She did not express emotions well; sometimes she didn’t express anything at all. She didn’t care. She didn’t feel joy. Calypsei and pain had come to an understanding awhile back. She didn’t feel sadness or longing. It was not in her nature.
Geeze, he thought silently to himself, pondering. What would mom and dad say if they saw me right now? Surely they would be furious at his brashness, though part of him figured his father might scold him in front of his mother but tell him how proud he was of his physical feat later. A slight grin tugged at his lips at the very thought. Now if only he could make it back to solid ground safely.
His ears would swivel toward her as she spoke, answering his question. "That's weird," he commented dryly. He couldn't imagine being taken from his home, his parents, and being raised by anyone else. He certainly couldn't imagine not being welcomed back home... nor growing fond of the wolves that had taken him prisoner. A slight frown tugged at his mouth as she leaped forward. His own body would stiffen, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the rock she had stood on previously. Here goes nothing.
With another less-than-graceful leap, he landed on the next rock. Once again, his arrival on the solid stone was not at all graceful and the oversized boy fumbled as he tried to keep himself from slipping into the rapids. Now, he was not just one jump from the shore, but two. He couldn't help himself -- it felt like she was showing off a bit, and her words sent a bristle of irritation through him. He could keep up with her, even if not as gracefully, even though he hadn't seen "hardship" as she called it. "Sounds like you're a bit jealous," he'd taunt quietly. Was it really such a good thing that she'd seen hardship and that she'd experienced pain and loss? "So what if I've had an easy life? It sounds way better than yours." It wasn't meant to be mean.. it was just the truth. Why had she brought it up, anyway? Who was she to judge him and his life?
A slight breeze made her eyes close and her head raised slightly. The soft fall breeze swept through her fur as a light spray of the rapidly moving water hazed over her already soaked paws. She loved the water and fall. She turned her head as her eyes opened again, Lark making a retort that made her smile. “I am envious, Lark. I’d kill to have the closeness to my family that you do to yours.” She said as her cerulean eyes focused in on his emerald ones. She fought back a frown for these feelings but the sadness flooded through her eyes. She did not take offense or any sort of cold feelings from Lark’s retort to hers but she did make a point in stating something for her favor.
“Your life may have been better, but my life made me flexible to all sorts of challenges. I know not to cringe when I watch a wolf bleed out in front of me. I know how to behave in a prison situation. These things have made me who I am today, which is why I reflect on them often. I appreciate your honesty.” Her words were dismissive as she jumped through the rocks to get back onto solid land.
