The water was cool against Fierce's skin, lapping gently at his sides as he slowly swam back towards the shore. In this form, with his legs stunted and his tail flatter, he felt more as if he could glide without having to pause.
That, and he could breathe underwater. It was a liberating feeling, a sense of freedom he rarely felt these days (though he didn't want to think too closely on the reasons for that). The sea had always been a place of respite for Fierce; simultaneously (and contradictorily), it was a place of both wonder and delight and a fear that he kept close to his heart, never to be looked at too carefully. Even now, as he paddled his way in the direction of the sandy beach he could see just ahead, he could feel the creeping darkness pressing in on the edges of his mind.
If he looked too closely at himself, he would drown.
There was a tremendous splash just to his right, sending Fierce, in his smaller, less sturdy shuppy form, careening sideways and tumbling onto the beach. He shook himself vigorously, spitting saltwater from his mouth; a second later, he was himself again, damp and uncomfortably gritty (the worst part of the beach, quite honestly), his tail back to its usual spiked mosntrosity and leaving heavy indents behind him.
"Was that really necessary?" he asked, somewhat dryly, though inwardly he was grateful for the unexpected interruption.
Caiman Heart, still in the water, cheerfully spit a stream of water from his mouth at him, which Fierce sidestepped without conscious thought. The kio was basking in the warmth, his bulky body glittering every time he resurfaced, sunlight glinting off of his scales; he was in a good mood, Fierce could see, and this was also a good distraction.
"Are you going to let me bless you now?"
Caiman Heart rolled over lazily, his belly towards the sky. "Are you going to complain every time I meet with you? You sound like an old stag."
"I am an old stag," he said, even though he wasn't, not really (he felt like one, constantly). "I thought you were here to ask for help."
"I am. Kind of."
"Instead, we just spent the last twenty minutes discussing the way that kio you met was the love of your life."
"That is not what I said."
"You said, 'he's so dreamy, I could be with him forever.'"
"You make that sound like a bad thing."
"Motherfather, help me," Fierce muttered, and sighed. "Fine. I bless that your upcoming clutch is everything you could want and more. That your shared delight in finding one another is passed down to your children, so that they can see how loved and how wanted they are. You'll find yourself blessed with an abundance of patience, because inevitably they'll drive one or both of you crazy, but you'll remember that you love your children and so everything will be fine."
There was a beat of silence. Then Caiman said, peering to look at Fierce from his upside-down position, "That's quite nice. Thank you."
Another beat of silence passed.
"Could you also bless me with some really, really fantastic gifts so I can give them to my new best friend and we'll live together happily ever - "
Fierce sent a rush of water cascading towards the kio, who was laughing too hard to try and avoid it. He rolled over in the water, bobbing up and down, and then splashed a return wave at Fierce, who couldn't dodge in time.
Overhead, the sun glittered, warm and familiar.
That, and he could breathe underwater. It was a liberating feeling, a sense of freedom he rarely felt these days (though he didn't want to think too closely on the reasons for that). The sea had always been a place of respite for Fierce; simultaneously (and contradictorily), it was a place of both wonder and delight and a fear that he kept close to his heart, never to be looked at too carefully. Even now, as he paddled his way in the direction of the sandy beach he could see just ahead, he could feel the creeping darkness pressing in on the edges of his mind.
If he looked too closely at himself, he would drown.
There was a tremendous splash just to his right, sending Fierce, in his smaller, less sturdy shuppy form, careening sideways and tumbling onto the beach. He shook himself vigorously, spitting saltwater from his mouth; a second later, he was himself again, damp and uncomfortably gritty (the worst part of the beach, quite honestly), his tail back to its usual spiked mosntrosity and leaving heavy indents behind him.
"Was that really necessary?" he asked, somewhat dryly, though inwardly he was grateful for the unexpected interruption.
Caiman Heart, still in the water, cheerfully spit a stream of water from his mouth at him, which Fierce sidestepped without conscious thought. The kio was basking in the warmth, his bulky body glittering every time he resurfaced, sunlight glinting off of his scales; he was in a good mood, Fierce could see, and this was also a good distraction.
"Are you going to let me bless you now?"
Caiman Heart rolled over lazily, his belly towards the sky. "Are you going to complain every time I meet with you? You sound like an old stag."
"I am an old stag," he said, even though he wasn't, not really (he felt like one, constantly). "I thought you were here to ask for help."
"I am. Kind of."
"Instead, we just spent the last twenty minutes discussing the way that kio you met was the love of your life."
"That is not what I said."
"You said, 'he's so dreamy, I could be with him forever.'"
"You make that sound like a bad thing."
"Motherfather, help me," Fierce muttered, and sighed. "Fine. I bless that your upcoming clutch is everything you could want and more. That your shared delight in finding one another is passed down to your children, so that they can see how loved and how wanted they are. You'll find yourself blessed with an abundance of patience, because inevitably they'll drive one or both of you crazy, but you'll remember that you love your children and so everything will be fine."
There was a beat of silence. Then Caiman said, peering to look at Fierce from his upside-down position, "That's quite nice. Thank you."
Another beat of silence passed.
"Could you also bless me with some really, really fantastic gifts so I can give them to my new best friend and we'll live together happily ever - "
Fierce sent a rush of water cascading towards the kio, who was laughing too hard to try and avoid it. He rolled over in the water, bobbing up and down, and then splashed a return wave at Fierce, who couldn't dodge in time.
Overhead, the sun glittered, warm and familiar.