Waking Up: Stolen Shores

Cerulean

Cerulean

But does he know about second breakfast?
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
  1. Look for groups
  2. Looking for partners
Posting Speed
  1. 1-3 posts per week
  2. One post per week
  3. Slow As Molasses
Writing Levels
  1. Elementary
  2. Intermediate
  3. Adept
  4. Advanced
  5. Adaptable
Preferred Character Gender
  1. Male
  2. Primarily Prefer Male
Genres
I like most. However, I have found I am most comfortable with Fantasy, Sci-fi, Fandom, and Modern.
beachvacation.jpg

Not even the fighting could spoil this utterly divine nap.

It's not the type of fighting you might expect from an underwater clan and a shore hugging group. It isn't being fought with swords and teeth. The method is more along the lines of deeds and political bureaucracy. Blood hasn't been dumped in the seas...yet. Only time will tell if the tensions of the Old Great Wars still burn in the hearts of those too old and scarred to care about how their choices will trickle down to the ones that have yet to be born.

Until then, this body will rest...
 
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It was another lovely day on the coast, the sun was shining, the sand was hot and bright in the light. The ocean waters were a crystal blue which called out to anyone who had a moment to spare and enjoy the misty breeze that the waters was providing. However, most were working at this moment, bringing in cargo or fishing further out. The market was rather busy today, enough to keep anyone who had a business open that afternoon bustling and rushing to meet the needs of all their customers. One person though had slipped away from that mayhem, that chaos that was running the main street of the city.

Marella had found herself curled up on the warms sands, her shoes kicked off to the side of her head along with her socks. Her sun dress was spread out a bit, still covering to knees as small waves washed up her ankles. The young woman was on break, having run the shop all morning on her own. Her mother had gone to go shopping in the market herself. When she returned, Marella had been set free for awhile to have a break, as the rush from the early hours had been quite a lot of the small fish shop. Nearly took them of all their catch from the early morning. Thankfully her father had got right back out onto the water's that afternoon with his men, meaning they would have a lovely catch to offer to the Inn workers who were shopping for the large meals they would be serving their guests.

Content and warmed up by the heat of the sun, a smile danced over her lips as the large rim of her sun hat covered the rest of her face. Such a peaceful day it was, at least on the shore. Not a soul had come by to bother her other than a curious seagull a few hours ago. It had poked at her but she had just lightly pet it's head and shooed it off, the bird leaving to chase after a scurrying sand crab. Sighing softly, she adjsuted her legs so they buried into the moist sands of the shore, cooling her feet a bit from the hot rays as she stretched there on the beach.

There was nothing quite like true peace.
 
The weather today had been something out of a book. Too bad the heat turns against you, if your job requires armor. A chain link shirt with an animal hide over it seemed better suited for the mountains. However, it was what the ringmaster wanted. Clear, waving waters only served to make him hate his job. Of course, the coolly dressed noble, he was currently being paid to guard, wasn't helping matters any. The fresh grass crumbled and squished under their feet. A monsoon had just left a little over a week ago and some of the water still had not be fully snatched away by the plants. Hopefully soon, this womanizing jerk will whine about how muggy it is and prance on home.

As they came to a sunny clearing, waves smacked onto the beach. There was a woman sitting in the sand, enjoying the scenery. Of course there was. The sweaty noble almost skipped over in his silk tunic, and struck a pose. "Hello!" He called from just behind her. "What are you doing here, on this fine day?" Gabriel struggled and huffed to get up behind him to stand at attention. "Excuse me." The noble called again.
 
So much for that peace she had...

Looking up from under her sun hat, she was greeted by none other than a noble and his personal guard. It was a strange site to see out this far from the village, especially when the man in question seemed to belong more in the high courts than on a beach. His smile and look told her though that this man was not politely saying hello. Another pig to push his nose near her feet...How tiring. She got enough of that from all the men her parents brought to her to introduce, she didn't need it from this man. Still...He hadn't done anything worth shooing him away just yet...

"Yes?" She asked softly, not saying much more than that or speaking much louder than she had to. She wasn't the type to openly talk with strangers. This man's gaze hardly made her comfortable anyway.
 
Gabriel just ended up blinking up at her. Sweat ran down the back of his neck, signaling that it might be time to get the damn armor off. It temperature was just too damn high. He put a hand on the noble's shoulder. "Good luck, I am off to piss." The noble whipped around. "You can't, you must introduce me. This is how we always do it." "As you wish, my lord."

He stepped forward and bowed to the sun-dressed woman. "My lady, if you would be so kind..." He gave a half smiled and casually rolled his eyes, without the noble seeing. "Bask in the sheer grace of Sir Anton Farklingson, loyal land owner to King Denmark. " He bowed again, giving her a look before backing away. Gab only ever heard of the King of the Mammals. Clearly, if he was loyal, he might have met the king once. Never. Continuing to back away, the bodyguard slipped back into the brush. And immediately, the clothes started coming off in a rush. The poor fighter needed air.
 
Marella watched the strange duo quietly, feeling a bit bad for the poor bodyguard who had to deal with this...flamboyant noble. She was never really one for royalty, they were more nosy than the men down at the tavern though unlike the tavern, she was less likely to get her ass slapped. It was one bad trait being replaced with another. As the bodyguard gave the intro, rolling his eyes a bit to show he was even less amused than she was.

When all was said and done, she merely just looked up at the noble with a slightly cocked eyebrow. She had never heard of the king of Denmark...or anything like that. She had spent all her life just selling fish and trying not to get married off to a git. Last thing she was going to bother herself was getting to know the names of foreign royalty when she wasn't even noble herself. "Oh...well, it's a pleasure." She said before looking back out over the waters. hopefully this man would take a hint and leave her be.
 
"You have no idea." He said, extending a hand to her. How he offered it didn't suggest that Sir Farklingson wanted Marella on her feet. It was more like a wounded paw. On the brown, entirely gemmed ring was a insignia. It had what looked like a mammal on it. The design was a little hard to make out but it was clear that the animal was a dog. He held out his hand long enough to distinct the fact that he was a mega mammal follower. Not that every mammalian follower acted this way....or even most for that matter. Every society has its....annoyances. "Well, are you going to honor my house with a kiss to the ring or not?" He voiced sounded a bit more pushy.

Meanwhile, back in the brush, Gabriel was walking around naked trying to air out any pockets of heat. A light wind blew through the trees, making the young man shiver. "Oh....my does that feel good." He wiggled his body around, getting a feel for the nice breeze. He peeked out of the foliage to see the classic noble ring kiss offer. She obviously didn't go out to parties. She may not even know what to do...or even want to. Going back in, he slips on his under clothes when the noble visually becomes more insistant.
 
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Looking at the hand a bit put off, Marella had no intention of kissing his hand. It was no shock he was of the dog belief, he was just a proud and pompous as they were known to be at times. However, she had no intention of honoring that pompous behavior. She was a lady of the dolphin, she had pride and she wasn't about to let this fluttering noble try and push his stubby ring covered fingers into her face. Turning away from him instead, she ignored his hand and instead just looked out over the waters. "No..." She said bluntly, her temper no longer soft and quiet as it was blunt and to the point.

Though she was a woman of shy nature at times, pushing her buttons was going to get a reaction that most probably didn't like to deal with. This noble was no different. She wasn't worried about having trouble with someone of power. This village was dominated by sea life, and his country wasn't heard of by her so she doubted any other commoners were familiar with it. There wasn't any real noble family in the area and the closest thing to nobles certainly had more common sense than him, for they didn't shove their fingers in anyone's face.
 
He slowly lowered his hand. Just as her expression and tone turned unsweetened, the noble's cheerfulness had all faded. His face contorted into something that may have looked somewhere between extremely offended and steaming. "Girl, you will show me respect. Or...you will severely punished. It is international that must show manners to your betters. I have the right to have you kiss my ring. Now give me what I want, or earn a life lesson from the back of hand." His voice was more of a growl, at this point.

As his sword was tied around his waist, Gab could see that the noble was becoming more and more aggressive. He could hear the yelling but could not quite make out the words with the wind picking up. Either way, it did not look good. After a good adjustment, he made his way back out into the clearing. "My lord! Stop this! There is no need to bully any of the people here!" His walk turned more into a job, as Anton raised his hand to strike Marella.
 
Marella didn't think anything of the nobles threat, why should she? He was nothing but a stuck up pug demanding attention and she was a proud dolphin who was backed by all in her village. If she mentioned a nasty noble insulting her beliefs then she was certain there would be no problem at all getting him chased out of town. However, that wasn't the most fun way she could deal with this one. Instead, she continued to ignore in, focusing her gaze onto the water.

As the Noble was about to hit her, a burst of water shot from the sea and force him onto his back side, continuing to spray him until he begged for mercy. It wasn't magic, but instead a small band of dolphins screeching and staying water at him angrily as they stayed in the shallow waters on the beach. One should never attach a dolphin in their territory, she had reign of the water here, as did everyone in the city. "It is also international that one should be smart enough to not attack someone who is on a field in their favor, mutt." She said as she stood up. "If you want to be able to walk through town I recommend a change in attitude...because there are a lot of other who will tolerate your sass less than myself, Sir." With that she walked away, leaving the duo as the guard could only watch his boss continued to be sprayed and screeched at by the dolphins.
 
Sir Anton Farklingson looked like an aftermatch of a birthing. A mixture or water and who knows what else covered his body and the rest of him. He was ashamed of his misfortune. He was saddened at how thing had turned out. He was....pissed off. Not only had she effectively broken then law, but she managed to insult a noble. For that....the greatest of all punishments shall be spontaneous administered. Her words would be empty when the sand is red with her blood. He waited until the dolphins considered him defeated and swam away. The distinct sound of a dagger, among growls, shot through the air. As he stood, the noble was visibly different. His hair had grown long, as did the fingernails....and teeth. "You will learn the meaning of respect!"

With just three more steps, Gabriel levels both he as his charge to the ground. A wince of pain comes from the two of them. Little rivers of red flowed between them, staining the sand. They both look at each other, in sudden surprize. "I-I-I am sorry." The body guard moves away, revealing the dagger had in fact entered the stomach of the noble.
 
It happened to fast for Marella to realize what was going until she saw the blood spilling into the sand. It seemed the noble had quite the temper, as he had tried to attack her with a dagger. However, his guard attempted to stop him and in their stumble to the ground, the dagger had plunged into the mans gut without remorse. Shocked as she turned upon the scene, she couldn't help but feel partly responsible. Though the noble in no way was kind to here, she had provoked him enough to pull out his weapon and in return, bring his own guard upon him. If not helped quickly, he could die and that was hardly something she needed on her mind.

Trotting over to them, she looked over the wound with a grimace. "I know a healer, he can do something I am certain." She stated as she looked down at the surprised pair. "Quickly, before he bleeds to death!" With that she tried to bring the guard from his stupor by shaking his shoulder.
 
"That blade is laced with a strong poison...I know...I made it. He will never make the village." The guard whispered as he just sat there. His feet crunched the shore soil together as he watched more and more blood mark where the Sir Anton's death occurred. Gazing down, he caught little pieces of sand being blown away to some other place...much like the noble was now. "You better go. The other "mutt" nobles are going to come looking for him. If they catch you here...I don't think you will like what will happen then."

"Yeah....you stupid sea mammal! Just run off! It's what your kind is good for! Damn it, Gabriel. You are going to suffer for this too!" he yelled before coughing blood.
 
"Says the Mutt, bleeding on the ground. You should know your own place, Pure breeds at least earn my respect unlike you demanding it!" She snapped at the dying noble seeing not point now that his death was unavoidable. "At least I had the heart to offer you help even after you pulled that very dagger on me." Turning to the guard, she planed a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, If you need any help...just come find me. I'm from a fishing family, I won't be hard to find. Father has some friends, we might be able to get you out of this with minimum punishment." She said, finally backing off and trotting over to her shoes. Gathering them up she quickly started to head back to her home. Though her father was a poor man, he was faithful to his beliefs. Maybe one of the priests that liked father could help cover things up...somehow.
 
"You respect means nothing!" He yelled before coughing up blood again. His breathing slowed as tears came to his eyes. "All you kind has ever done is nothing. There is a special place in hell for those who remain neutral to when an entire race is being slaughtered." Of course, Anton was referencing the massacre that was the final year of the war. The world somehow saw fit that it was time to settle their differences on the battlefield. It was on a small island, just like this one. This was before the great societies were formed and people only associated with those of the same religion. On one side, there were the hornets. The other side were the terriers. They were the two of the three main tribes that inhabited the island. The third being a collection of a different dolphin tribes. In a strategic part of the lone mountain, there was a village that was under the banner of the rabbit. They tried to go to the dolphins for help but they were turned away and told that they did not want to be involved. Well, those rabbits weren't trying to get involved either. They just ended up caring for soldiers from both sides. It was a brutal war. In return for their kindness, the entire side of the mountain was bured in what came to be called The White-Tail Massacre.

Gabriel went to say something be the woman had already began to make her exit. For now, all he could do was wait....because his charge was now utterly deceased. Who knows what would happened next.
 
Marella didn't take the time to hear the dying dogs plea. She had not been involved in the choices of that day long ago. She was simply a civilian girl at the time, working for her mother and father and doing her best to avoid getting hurt as the battle outside raged on. So many of her kind did want to join the fight, but religious beliefs held them back as priests and monks alike spoke against the battle. Why should she take blame for a choice her people had little chance in making, especially when their religious leaders were slandering their ideas of assisting the dogs. Now, it was nothing but a bitter mark in the history of their land, leaving the dolphins to receive quite the hateful remarks from both sides. Only the rabbits seemed to understand, even with the loss of their precious mountain side. It was one of the many reason why rabbits were given such discounts and easily assisted, they had picked up where the dolphins had been forbidden to. The list they could do was make the recovery easier, and nothing in their religion was against that.

Trotting into town, she didn't waiting to make it home. Her parents were inside, talking quietly together over the latest catch. Oh how troublesome it was going to be to explain how she was involved in the killing of a snotty noble mutt. And even harder to tell them that she had no guilt over it.
 
Snowflakes can turning into an avalanche, given the right situation.

The scars can run deep for those who only ever have one side of any story. Nothing any of the three can about it now. Little did they know how just a few ill flavored words can completely shift their entire world. Now, it was only a matter of when that the word would spread of a not so noble death on the beach. Soon all of their lives could potentially be just another scar that no one likes to talk about unless their emotions cloud their better judgement.

But for now, Marella just has to get past talking to her parents...
 
It was hard to explain something like this to them, knowing very well what their reactions would be. They had hoped to assist in the battle the last time and had only held back when the priests had spoken against it. Religion was so important in this town that no one dared go against it. Now though, it was coming to bite her in the behind, as the anger of the past had turned against her. Having spoke in low voices, it was no surprise that her mother was the one to cry out.

"Gods in heaven! You've done WHAT?" She snapped at Marella, who flinched a bit. "Mother, it wasn't my fault, It was an honest misunderstanding. He was shoving his hand in my face and I rejected it. Next thing I know he charged at me with a blade!" The young girl went on to explain as her father deeply sighed.

"You should have known better than to do that Marella! Have I taught you nothing?!" Her mother said again.

"You told me never to kiss the hands of the ungrateful! And that was what he was! On top of that, if someone like me not kissing his hand will make him pull out a dagger than maybe it is better off he got stabbed by accident. Now please, you have to help his guard. If not for him I'd be the one dying on the beach!" She said as she looked between her parents. "I told him to come to us when he had the chance, Please....Certainly the father can do something?"

"Possibly...Father was against the war after all. Maybe if you explain to him about how the mutt was of those fighting families he might be so much more willing to help...No promises though my child." Her father said lowly as he glanced through the front door of the shop.
 
The village began to rumble, with the march of vengeance.

Feet slammed into the ground, as men made their way past the shop. They shouted that someone had been killed. Only a small group, of course. The sense of fashion suggested they were the other guards to Sir Anton. Shouts of a bounty and something about punishment for anyone who decides to harbor him. Chatting and murmurs waved through the townspeople, as they left. It seems the body had been found...but there was no sign that Gabriel had been found or that there was any evidence he was there. Where had he gone? What would become of the village now?
 
Her parents had quickly returned to work after the conversation, believing that letting the guard take the fall would be the safest if he did not come to them for assistance. If he did though, they would attempt to help. So far, no one came to the shop, and Marella could only watch as the other guards to the rather rash mutt lord came running past, talking of bounties and catching and such. Hopefully the man would be discreet about arriving to the shop, gathering attention was not what he needed to be doing to himself right now...or her either.
 
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