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Description

Explore: Swimming Lesson

Coral Galaxy . Skeldr

Also counting for Stalwart Companion Prompt 4: Learning from Each Other.

Skeldr is glad for the warmth after winter. Though the evenings are still chilly, the days are warm with new growth and sunbeams. On this particular day her herd decides to rest at a coastal area. Water sparkles past the sand, waves beckoning their aching muscles for a soak. Ziel, Neorin, and Yirsar have no trouble dashing right in, laughing and shouldering each other to be first.

Skeldr stops where the foam meets the sand.

She remembers the last time she had been in the sea. She had not gone particularly deep to scoop the boy child out of the water, but a rip tide had wrapped around her legs, pulling her in with a force that sank her hooves into the sand. Every bit of her battle training muscles had gone into pushing her, the child, and Coral out of the water, keeping air in their lungs. It was too big, to wide open, nothing to grab onto, no trees to bend around or rocks for leverage.

Then had come the rope, many hands, and all those bodies pushing in on her. There were stalls around her and human-made things. Everything was too close, too tight.

Skeldr stamps, annoyed at the tremor in her legs.

"I help."

Skeldr curls her neck around to follow Coral as the creature slithers off her back and onto the sand. Coral approaches the waves slowly, letting the small ones lap over their body. The further out they go, the larger they grow so as not to be buffeted. They turn and look back at Skeldr.

"Come. I watch you."

Skeldr snorts, unwilling to admit her envy at the ease with with the others play. She lifts one leg and stamps it forward, over the foam. Then a back leg, the other front hoof, the other back leg. When all four hooves are covered in water she pauses, shivering. She takes one more step forward,

step,

step,

step, past the curl of the waves until the water reaches her knees and she stops and looks helplessly at Coral, trembling now for another reason. She had not had a second thought when she dove into the waves for the boy, determination and athleticism making up for her lack of plan, but she had never really learned how to swim.

Coral swims circles around Skeldr.

"You teach me home. You teach me brave. I teach you swim. Come."

Skeldr goes in until the water touches her belly, but cannot bare to push herself farther. So, she watches Coral who slithers and zips, curls and dives, leaps and twirls around the water. Skeldr turns her head and giggles when Coral's jumps splash water towards her face.

"I don't think I'll ever swim quite like you."

Coral curls between Skeldr's legs again. Close for comfort and encouragement. Companionable.

(470 words)

-----------------------------------------

Skeldr is redefining the meaning of family as her mismatched lettle herd assembles, even if it is not quite the mission she set out on when she left her father's stronghold in the north.
Head over to Incoming Storm to read the first one!

see this comment for rune mark roll info

REFERENCES & CREDITS

none

illustration © AmaranthineRain aka Kiri Rabina Ramdeo

no AI reference permitted
all rights reserved

Description

Explore: Swimming Lesson

Coral Galaxy . Skeldr

Also counting for Stalwart Companion Prompt 4: Learning from Each Other.

Skeldr is glad for the warmth after winter. Though the evenings are still chilly, the days are warm with new growth and sunbeams. On this particular day her herd decides to rest at a coastal area. Water sparkles past the sand, waves beckoning their aching muscles for a soak. Ziel, Neorin, and Yirsar have no trouble dashing right in, laughing and shouldering each other to be first.

Skeldr stops where the foam meets the sand.

She remembers the last time she had been in the sea. She had not gone particularly deep to scoop the boy child out of the water, but a rip tide had wrapped around her legs, pulling her in with a force that sank her hooves into the sand. Every bit of her battle training muscles had gone into pushing her, the child, and Coral out of the water, keeping air in their lungs. It was too big, to wide open, nothing to grab onto, no trees to bend around or rocks for leverage.

Then had come the rope, many hands, and all those bodies pushing in on her. There were stalls around her and human-made things. Everything was too close, too tight.

Skeldr stamps, annoyed at the tremor in her legs.

"I help."

Skeldr curls her neck around to follow Coral as the creature slithers off her back and onto the sand. Coral approaches the waves slowly, letting the small ones lap over their body. The further out they go, the larger they grow so as not to be buffeted. They turn and look back at Skeldr.

"Come. I watch you."

Skeldr snorts, unwilling to admit her envy at the ease with with the others play. She lifts one leg and stamps it forward, over the foam. Then a back leg, the other front hoof, the other back leg. When all four hooves are covered in water she pauses, shivering. She takes one more step forward,

step,

step,

step, past the curl of the waves until the water reaches her knees and she stops and looks helplessly at Coral, trembling now for another reason. She had not had a second thought when she dove into the waves for the boy, determination and athleticism making up for her lack of plan, but she had never really learned how to swim.

Coral swims circles around Skeldr.

"You teach me home. You teach me brave. I teach you swim. Come."

Skeldr goes in until the water touches her belly, but cannot bare to push herself farther. So, she watches Coral who slithers and zips, curls and dives, leaps and twirls around the water. Skeldr turns her head and giggles when Coral's jumps splash water towards her face.

"I don't think I'll ever swim quite like you."

Coral curls between Skeldr's legs again. Close for comfort and encouragement. Companionable.

(470 words)

-----------------------------------------

Skeldr is redefining the meaning of family as her mismatched lettle herd assembles, even if it is not quite the mission she set out on when she left her father's stronghold in the north.
Head over to Incoming Storm to read the first one!

see this comment for rune mark roll info

REFERENCES & CREDITS

none

illustration © AmaranthineRain aka Kiri Rabina Ramdeo

no AI reference permitted
all rights reserved