Distraction Island
Citadel
Citadel
Songbird
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
54
54
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
12-04-2024, 09:17 PM
Citadel perked up when his mother called his attention. Trotting over to her, and astounded all over again that he was taller than her. Not even a year old… it felt wrong somehow. Like his mother should be larger than life, and certainly larger than him. His parents were gods in their own rights in his world. One incredibly wise, and the other incredibly strong. He was reluctant to leave Selene. He’d barely left her side since she had fallen, and had slept in the infirmary with Oleander's permission. Sneaking into her bed when everyone else was asleep. Selene was out to the world, right? She’d never know his weakness, his worry.
His mother didn’t tell him where they were going until they reached the black sand, and she nodded her head towards the island. Citadel swallowed hard, his face pailing a little. He remembered his forbidden night time swim with Iskandor not that long ago. His tired paws, losing his way. The blackness of the ocean… sucking in water instead of air…
He took a few steps closer to the water with more than a little trepidation. He glanced over at his mother. He was not a wolf who could share his weaknesses easily. He took a few steps into the ocean. He glanced at his mother again. They were really going to do it? She wanted him to swim all the way to the island? His gangly body was very leg-heavy. His giant paws had grown first, and the rest of him was still catching up. He was…. The least hydrodynamic of the litter.
Citadel
Songbird
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
54
54
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
12-05-2024, 12:19 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-05-2024, 01:11 PM by Citadel. Edited 1 time in total.)
It seemed that was exactly what they were going to do. Despite his constant side-eye glances at his mother and the silent message in his eyes as they stepped from the sand into the shallow water, she didn’t so much as look back at him once. As he watched, she reached the end of the shallow water. Still, she didn’t look back at him, and his glances were getting slightly more desperate. Mum! But she continued on, and began to swim out to the ocean. Oblivious to her son's distress. He came to a stop before the water was too high for him to touch the bottom. He felt it lap against his shoulders and shuddered as he looked at the clear reflection. It looked different in the day, but he would never forget the oppressive darkness waiting just beneath the surface.
He looked up again, watching with a sinking feeling as his mother continued further and further out, heading halfway to the island before she finally looked back. By then, it was too late. His fear had turned to annoyance. Normally, his mother was better at reading him than that, or so he had thought. He turned and headed out of the water as she began her u-turn and paddled back to him. He stood on the sandy shore, waiting a while in the cool wind for his mother to complete the swim back. “I’d rather stay with Selene.” He said, grumpy and frustrated with the situation. If she wasn’t picking up what he was putting down, he wasn’t going to spell it out for her. He pulled back from her touch as she reached a paw out towards him.
Citadel
Songbird
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
54
54
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
12-05-2024, 02:12 PM
Citadel shuffled a paw, his grumpiness hadn’t abated. He struggled with his emotions sometimes. He let them build up inside of him, and didn’t know where to put them. He preferred to pretend they didn’t exist at all, sometimes. But that annoyance was pressing up against him now, and it made it hard to deal with his mother just then. Perhaps it wasn’t just the last disastrous swim, or his reluctance to share this weakness with her. Perhaps the worry for Selene had been building up inside of him, as well.
“It’s a long swim, can’t we explore something else mum?” He asked instead, skirting over her question and his emotions entirely.
Citadel
Songbird
Expert Fighter (190)
Advanced Hunter (100)
age
Pup
Pup
gender
Male
Male
gems
54
54
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
12-05-2024, 03:04 PM
His mother let him skirt the issue, and he felt some of the tension leave his limbs. His posture softened a little, and he nodded his head. He didn’t have to tell her about sneaking out, and the disastrous swim. At least not yet. But where did he want to go? It was an open invitation for him to go anywhere with permission and with his mum. How did he want to take advantage of that?
He turned his back on the Island. He didn’t plan to let his fear get the better of him, but perhaps it was best to tackle that where couldn’t see him. Instead, he let his eyes catch on the tall mountain peaks of the Armada. Hints of snow could be seen in the lands beyond it. “How about we go North, instead, mumma?”