The days had grown long and lazy, the heat of the mainland sultry with the scent of blooming herbs and rich, growing earth. It was spring time, flowing toward summer. Offspring in tow, the pearl nereid made her way from their island home to far off Loess.
They had gone by land, for the most part, keeping Halcyon's feline form in mind. Cormorant, the energetic colt she had named for the glossy black birds that dove and swam in the ocean's waters, slowed their progress a bit with his quickly used up energy. Still, they had made good time, and covered ground without incident on the lengthy journey.
Aquaria reveled in the experience. This trip was a fantastic opportunity to introduce her boys to the world at large, and she had been thrilled to share some of her favourite sights and smells with them both. Broad grassland plains, the thunderous river, the collection of plants that looked so very different from the lush vegetation of home. Cormorant had whistled excitedly at the river, but by then Aquaria knew they were close. There had been no time to spend long hours swimming, and besides, the broad tributary was fast rougher water than the little sea colt was accustomed to.
When at last they arrived, the stony faces of the Loessian mountains greeted them. There was green here, in various shades and shapes. Not all of which Aquaria had names for. It was exciting, not to immediately know what everything was. There was so much to take in, enough to take her mind off of the problem little Cormorant had come to represent in her shrinking world. This was a welcome vacation on many fronts.
It was tempting to explore, to venture on into the unfamiliar territory with curiosity brimming and seek out her friend on their own time. It was easy to forget that not every land was so welcoming as her own home. That was not the way, though, and it was with rueful firmness that she instructed the boys to stay close at the border's edge. They could wait to be found.
@[Oceane] @[Halcyon]