<font size=1 color=#330000 face=verdana>Day: 13 Quarter: Tria (Summer) Year: 81379 Location: West Samundra sea, close to Swaraj.<blockquote><font color=darkred>"No, Raze."</font> The aquabat murmured, softly, tapping the lesser koroyisha on the nose with a claw. Raze squirmed and gave a short huff of annoyance, but settled down as she had told him. At the moment, the cartographer was taking a break from mapping to pursue her secondary passion - marine biology. Nearby, a school of Ramathian fish twirled around in an underwater hurricane of their own bubbles. It was of a sort she had never seen before and the curious aquabat had been compelled to stop and watch this strange behavior. In fact, she had even gone so far as to use one of her waterproof notebook's pages to note the behavior. Maybe someone else could tell her what sort of fish it was if she described it to them. Her companion, however, wasn't as interested in watching the scaled swimmers. Rather, he wanted to gobble them all up and, normally, this is what the pair would have done. But as it was, she wasn't sure if they were safe to eat, even, so she didn't want to risk it. And, besides, it wasn't even close to lunchtime yet. As Raze impatiently started toward the fish again, the aquabat let loose a light chirrp of annoyance, scooting him back to her with her tail. A squeal emitted from the slender reptile and bubbles of fitful air came from his mouth as he glared at her. The noise vibrated around them and suddenly the swimming school had stopped. As if of one mind, they all swam away, toward deeper waters. Annoyed, Key looked down at Raze. <font color=darkred>"See, now, you've chased them off."</font> She admonished, the words vocalized in an aquabat set of squeaks and clicks. Raze squirmed again, guiltily, then huffily sat down. Though he could talk, somewhat, he rarely did when he was mad at her. Sometimes she wondered if he thought that he was the master here. Squinting at the light that filtered down through the water, the aquabat shrugged. Maybe it was about food time. <font color=darkred>"Alright, we'll go hunting."</font> The aquabat said, scratching her pet fondly. With a delighted noise, the reptile started to swim, clearly smelling something that she didn't. Curiously following, the aquabat kept her eyes wide for something to eat. Surely there was something about of interest, given his excitement. And she hoped it wasn't the fish that had just escaped, because she wasn't going to let him eat those regardless of what he thought.
<blockquote>http://shadowlack.com/persona.php?id=9Cadmium J66.</a> <hr> "I dedicate this one to Nicky!" With these words, which were expressed in a series of clicks, squeaks, and low-pitched wails, the aquabat determinedly whirled around. Her thin, whip-like tail, as well as its attached gossamer fins, cut through the water like a hot knife through butter. The small school of fish stood no chance against her aquatic weaponry. She felt the impact, and the next moment, her whipping momentum had slowed, and several stunned fish floated numbly around her. Cadmium eyed this generous catch, before choosing three particularly large, fattened fish. These, she gathered in her muzzle, before kicking her feet and swimming swiftly away, towards shallower waters. Once she reached an area just a hundred or so meters away from the coast of Swaraj, Caddy settled down to her breakfast. She easily slew each fish in turn, with a claw down a tender belly. As she floated on her back, she carefully drank the fish's inner contents, before slipping the entire, streamlined body into her mouth and down her throat. The meal was quite enjoyable, and Cad spent a few minutes afterwards washing her whiskers with her webbed hands. She then "sat up" in the water, so that she could bob, and look around. She was beyond the surf and breaking waves of the beach, but she could easily see the strip of sand and rocks. For a moment, Cadmium pondered what it would be like to venture onto land, and perhaps stray further inland. She had, of course, never walked upright, or even touched dry land. Her pack, the JPack, had lived in shallow waters, but they never visited the nearby beaches. They'd never had a reason to, and neither did she. But now... now that she'd estranged herself from her pack, Cadmium couldn't think of a reason not to explore what lay outside of the water. However, even as she watched the calm, sandy beach, her bravery failed her. She dipped back beneath the surface, vowing to try again another day. Cad turned to face the wider ocean, and then let the air bladders beneath her skin deflate. She soon began to sink to the sea floor, which was about twenty feet below the surface here near the coastline. Once she reached the sandy bottoms, she sifted some silt in her hands, almost thoughtfully. In the next moment, she used the floor to kickstart, rocketing upwards. Her slender, black body broke the surface in a miniature breach, and then she dove back under again, and set out towards the open ocean. Even as she began to make her way into the deeper, bluer parts, she saw a frightened school of fish pass by. She watched after them, enjoying the tempest of bubbles that arose in their wake, before turning back to face front and swimming again... heading forward, although to what goal, she did not consciously know. Nicky, Nicky, where are you?
<blockquote><font size=1 color=#330000 face=verdana>It was good to be alive, Key decided, swimming along with a faint hum in her throat. To most, it wouldn't have been audible, but she could feel it all the way from the tips of her toes to the edges of her whiskers. It was a happy thrum, a sign of contentment. Most of the XPack would have realized that it also meant she was ready to get into some sort of adventure. That was her sort of thing to do, spend time doing things that kept her active and alive. Not that she liked risking her life. In fact, she avoided that kind of situation. It was just the thrill of something new that delighted her. Raze was murmuring and making small noises beside her, his tail flailing back and forth as he swam along, rudderlike in its control of his movement and speed. Her violet eyes lazily followed him as he went, though they were soon unfocused. It wasn't hard to swim without thinking about it, not for someone who was almost constantly in motion. Her whiskers would warn her of water disturbed, but so far there wasn't anything of interest. Until, that was, she felt a twitch against a sensitive whisker, one that caused her to pause, squeaking gently to warn Raze to stop as well. Her whiskers twitched some as her nose wrinkled. There was someone else out there. Given the excited gleam in Raze's eyes, that was what he had been leading her to, not food. It wasn't that far from where they had been before... she wondered what pack lived out here. Or if it was one of the land-dwelling pendragons? With a faint frown, she swam forward farther, letting loose a chirrup of greeting, loud enough for whoever it was to catch it if they were closeby. The equivilant to a shouted "hey? Someone out there?", though it wasn't too loud to untrained ears. No aquabat had untrained ears, though. And as she swam in the direction that she sensed disturbed water, she was growing more and more sure it was, in fact, an aquabat.
<blockquote>Even as the school of fish faded from her memory and Cadmium paddled towards the open ocean, her mind slipped from conscious thought into the "chapel" that was her subconscious. In a few minutes time', when a soft squealing would alert her to the presence of another aquabat, she would be startled and confused, not having known she was in the midst of a torturous reverie. But now, in the present, as she swam on auto-pilot, her brain swarmed with memories, thoughts, and extremely painful "what ifs," things that had been plaguing her since the sea storm had ripped her home, her family, and her life apart... Nicky, Nicky, where are you? He was right here. Swimming at her side. They were near to the surface, and she could feel the warm sun on her back. Soon, though, her attention was snared by something else - something here in the aquatic world rather than on the dry, solar-heated surface. Nicky was already giving chase to this distraction, and Caddy soon followed, her tail whipping to propel her into the deeps. Before long, the siblings caught up with their quarry — a rather large fish, though what kind, Cad didn't know. They gave chase, though neither expected to bring it down, considering it was roughly half their size. However, soon, the fish tired, and Nick's eyes bore the gleam of bloodlust. Despite the creature's mass, he wanted to give it a try. Cad was a little more hesitant. After all, they were only ten, and this fish was big. Mondo-bizarro big. The next moment, though, she ceased to have hesitations or doubts. Nicky was already swinging around, and she drove herself into a lashing spin at the same time. Both of their tails stung for days after that, but their stomachs were also full for days... the kill had been grand, their first true kill as hunting partners. Their first daring hunt. Their grandmother had been so proud, she'd given them each small gifts... Cad had lost hers sometime later... she wondered if Nicky had it still... did he have it with him now... wherever he was...? It was then that the delicate screeching reached Cad's utmost sensitive ears. She jerked from her memory, and a thick, hard misery filled the cavity where she thought her heart used to be. It, of course, had ceased to exist the moment she'd learned of her brother's disappearance and assumed death. But, even as she endured this crushing sadness, she realized that she could not succumb to it. She never let herself, and it was more important now than ever — she was undoubtedly in the presence of another aquabat, and they were calling out for her response. "Yes... I'm out here..." Caddy replied, her voice not speaking in a language with nouns, verbs, and grammatic rules, but instead with rich squeaks, squeals, and clicks. "I'm Cadmium... J66... of the JPack." That wasn't totally true anymore, but it didn't matter. Even as she once more assumed her swimming motions, steering towards where she thought the inquiring voice had echoed from, she lifted her right arm and splayed her palm outwards, so that the pack identification tattoo on her palm was readily apparent for this new acquaintance.
<blockquote><font size=1 color=#330000 face=verdana>Raze was wriggling quite a bit now, delighted at the idea of encountering another aquabat. The small crocodile had always liked meeting new people, which was part of the reason that he was a good companion for her. Often, he seemed like another aquabat, swimming there with her. It wasn't quite the same, but she had never bonded with another aquabat like she had with Raze. She didn't know what she was going to do when he died, as was inevitable. Not something to think about, though. Not right now. The aquabat slowed down as she heard the response, though she soon sped up, delicate whiskers picking up the appropriate direction from the noises that had entered her cavernous ears. There was someone else out here, definitely, then, and they were over there. Another aquabat, thankfully, and not a pendragon. She didn't have much experience with their land-dwelling cousins, nor did she care to. They seemed... odd. Awkward, on their padded paws, sometimes even flying for extended periods of time in the air. It was insane. The rust-colored aquabat sped up more as she saw the outstretched palm, now sure of where the other female was. Of course she would have seen Cadmium J66 soon anyway, it was just easier with the flicker of a palm, displaying the tattoo, but also allowing her eyes point that they could be drawn to. <font color=darkred>"Salutations, Cadmium J66, and may your pack live long. I'm Key X23, XPack."</font> Her own palm flicked outward to show the tattoo set in flesh.
<blockquote>As the other appeared out of the blue, Cad studied her extensively, though not with a judgemental or scrutinizing air. She'd had only limited contact with other aquabats, even since she'd left her pack, and she wasn't used to introducing herself. However, she'd had the sense to splay her palm, and the other repeated the motion, and Caddy immediatley felt comfortable with this other aquabat, her rusty coloration, and even the slight but noticeable difference in her dialect. "Salutations, Cadmium J66, and may your pack live long. I'm Key X23, XPack." A moment of silence came in response to Key's words, as Cad's heart boomed in her chest. Her entire body felt stung, as if some cousin of the jellyfish or anenome had wrapped its tentacles around her and zapped with all of its might. That Key would say something such as 'may your pack live long,' was startling, and painful, yet it hadn't been intended as hurtful. Key just had good manners, and a polite air. Thus, even though she had a lump in her throat and an ache in her breast, Cad filled the silence with a reply, and even a smile. "Ah... it's nice to meet you, Key. Where does the XPack thrive?" The black aquabat struggled hard not to let her voice waver or stammer, and she continued to fight against an urge to vent her grief over her brother and her pack, right here, right now. To distract herself, she let her cadmium eyes wander to Key's flank, where a small creature was hovering, with a curious look on its face. Her new acquaintance hadn't responded yet, so Caddy added to her query, "Is that a familiar? He's a very handsome creature."
<blockquote><font size=1 color=#330000 face=verdana>The silence, hanging so awkwardly between them, made her slightly nervous. Had she said something wrong? The XPacker wasn't used to other packs, so she didn't know how the JPack would have spoken. Maybe she had said something wrong? The aquabat bit her lower lip, quietly, about to apologize for whatever wrong she had caused, until Cadmium spoke, cutting off her need to fill the silence with words. She was relieved, too, to notice the smile. At least she hadn't made some huge mistake that was going to end up ruining this relationship before it started. Not that she thought they were about to become best buds, it just didn't seem right to screw up a relationship that hadn't even started yet. Her ears flicked a bit, though, in a quiet apology, in case it was still needed. It wasn't painstakingly obvious, though, so unless Cad knew that she had made the pause ladden with unspoken words, she wouldn't know there was a reason behind Key's ear flicking. The question made her smile pleasantly. The XPack was small, but it did, indeed, thrive. And, she had been told, if she would just get a move on and find herself a guy, things would be easier. They wanted more children to run around in the XPack and while the continuation of her Pack was quite important to the young explorer, she also needed some time between childhood and adulthood. That was what she was taking now. A quiet time away from the family. Later, she could be a mother. Just not right now. <font color=darkred>"Eastern Kaushal, near the far reefs."</font> Key would have politely asked about where the JPack resided, if the question hadn't been brought up about Raze. Pleased to be mentioned, the reptile swam forward and would - assuming Cadmium didn't move - touch his nose to the tips of the aquabat's fingers. It was a gesture of friendship. <font color=darkred>"Ah, I'm not sure I'd call him a familiar, but Raze is definitely the next best thing. He's a Lesser Koroshiya that I found when he was a youngster. He's been with me ever since."</font> She smiled, fondly, at the small reptile. Raze squirmed a little and wiggled his claws, quietly, blinking intelligently at Cadmium.
<blockquote>Even as Key spoke, revealing the location of her pack's territory, as well as detailing the facts about her Lesser Koroshiya, Cad stared at the small creature. By now, the lump in her throat had dissolved a little, and she didn't feel as if she were on the verge of tears. A small sense of wonder had replaced those negative feelings, and she felt herself offering Raze — as Key had called him — a soft and endearing smile. Cadmium hadn't had much experience with familiar-types, as her pack had viewed almost any smaller life as potential prey. But here, it was obvious that Raze was more than just meat, and that his owner cared for him. Cad almost envied this, and she wanted to swim up close to the creature, touch him, smell him, and wonder more at what it was like to have a tag-a-long friend like this, whom went wherever you went. They'd scarcely ever hunted alone — they just performed better as a pair. Their grandmother was ever so proud of them, ensuring that all the other JPack members honored their skill and did anything they could to further it. She'd said that age had no ratio to respect in their pack, even with her. She wasn't loved, she wasn't the leader, simply because she was the eldest. She tried hard to keep her pack happy, healthy, and full of love for each other, and that's how she maintained her pedestal in the pack. "One day, you'll probably become a leader, Cadmium," she'd said. "But don't forget Nickel. Nicky is more important to your life success than any mate, than any offspring, and vice versa. You complement one another, and where one goes, the other should always follow." This sudden onslaught of memories caused Caddy to abruptly choke a little, as if the lump in her throat had returned, and was about to come up like vomit. Not wanting to be rude or dramatic, the black aquabat nevertheless turned away from Key, struggling to regain herself. The memory filtered through her, however, leaving a bad taste in her mouth. It took a full minute or two for the stabbing ache it had caused to start to ebb away, and it was then that Cad turned back towards Key and Raze, an apologetic and pained expression on her face. "I'm... sorry. I'm not very good company right now. You see, my pack used to live in the cove area between the Sudeshas, in the Sagar Sea — and what's left of them still does. But a sea storm killed half of them, including my mother, as well as my twin brother, who was also my best friend and hunting partner. I was so torn by these losses, and left... I didn't escape the pain, but at least the JPack doesn't have to see me like this. I'm sorry you have to see me like this. So screwed up... when I used to be so strong."
<blockquote><font size=1 color=#330000 face=verdana>Raze wriggled with happiness at the obvious interest that Cadmium had shown in him. Though he usually got a curious glance from those that the aquabat met, usually it was just on the way to some other conversation that he was mentioned. Here, though, he felt truly like he was the hot topic of the day. Maybe that wasn't true and they'd probably go on to talk about something else, soon, but the small reptile was happy for the time in the spotlight that he was given. Then the oddest thing - at least to Key and Raze - happened. A pained expression crossed Cad's face. The pair glanced at each other, puzzled and rather alarmed. Was something going on with their newfound companion? Some inner stab of pain that they couldn't possibly understand? The rust female's brow furrowed as she watched Cadmium, everything but certain about what to do. Was there anything she could do? The young aquabat wasn't sure there was. Perhaps this was an inner pain of the mental sort, not the physical. That would mean she could do nothing. Was it something that she had said? Raze swam forward a little, then, rather unsure, swam back to Key's side, his little face full of misery. He was quite sure that it was he who had caused the pain to crease the black aquabat's face, so he felt quite guilty. While he wished to offer what comfort he could, the reptile wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. So, instead, he stayed by Key. Noting his distress, Key ran her finger across the ridge on his spine, ears flicking a bit, silently. If it took much longer, she would see what she could do. At that precise moment, Cadmium turned around, seemingly more in control, though still pained. Key's mouth gaped open at the words of the other aquabat and she was this close to rushing forward and embracing the other female in an understanding hug. Of course she couldn't really understand. She hadn't ever lost anyone. To lose half of one's pack, though. The pain was almost unimaginable. <font color=darkred>"Oh, gods, I'm so sorry... So sorry. I didn't... I didn't mean to, you know, when I said that about your pack living long?"</font> The XPacker had realized what it was that had made Cadmium leave the silence for a while. <font color=darkred>"Did... did you at least have the bodies to mourn?"</font> The XPack had a very strong belief in mourning the bodies of those they lost. Death was part of life, they were all used to that, but they liked to celebrate the life by making the body look beautiful before it was committed to the darkest depths of the sea. It wasn't really polite, she guessed, after speaking, to ask that. Maybe she was being tactless. She hoped not, but the cultures between Packs seemed so... different.
<blockquote>Cad's pained condition seemed to be improving again, slowly, moment by moment. She hated how her life had become an emotional roller coaster — at times she was coasting along a straight line, pinched by sadness, but faring pretty well. But she would often find herself suddenly plummeting down, down, down... Eventually, yes, she'd start to ascend again, but it was a slow and grating process, and she didn't know whether another straight-a-way lay beyond, or if she had another dive to fear. After Key had spoken, apologetically, and asked about the bodies, Cadmium found the strength to look at her and Raze, and then shake her head. It was a mournful motion, but her eyes glinted like cold steel. "We didn't have any bodies. Well, of course, we had parts," she admonished. She felt as if she were going to choke on her words, on the memories and the images that accompanied them, but she toughened and continued. "We collected every piece we could, but it was difficult... to tell who was who. We based the death toll on how many faces we never saw after that. Only some deaths were for certain. For example, we found..." At this point, she paused and took a deep breath, allowing oxygen to course through her skin and give her strength and clarity of mind and speech. "We found my mother's beautiful tail, with its magnificent fins torn... and the eggs she'd had in her pouch, all three. We found them, blasted apart by the underwater gales. We also found particular parts of others, but most of the dead's exact identities were mysteries. The w-worst loss," Cad continued, shaking her head as she stammered, "was my brother. We had so many body parts... but none seemed to be his... it tortures me every day. I don't actually know if he died. And if he did, I didn't get the chance to mourn him and celebrate his life. I'm always wondering if he is or was hurt... if he's lost at sea, both his body and his soul. I relive memories of him all the time, every day, several times a day. It's so hard." Cadmium paused again, but this time the silence stretched on for a few minutes. She found her ice-chip eyes trained on Raze again, on his inquisitive face. Something about the creature gave her optimism, and renewed strength to plunge on with her story. "Because I didn't have closure, I search for him. I left my pack so that I wouldn't drag them down with my sadness, but I also left so that I could find... I don't know. Him, alive, and well? Him, alive, but different? Perhaps only his body? Maybe a part? Maybe just an answer from something else? I don't know. I just need something — I need it so badly. You see, I wasn't always this terrible, aching mess. I used to be strong, and he used to be my strength. I've lost my way without him, and need to regain it. Before the storm, I was strong, courageous, goal-oriented, a future leader. Now I've laid myself to waste."
<blockquote><font size=1 color=#330000 face=verdana>out of character Sorry about the delay. I'm too easily distracted... xx; in character The XPacker felt immediete sorrow for forcing her companion to relive the painful memories. Her ears twitched quietly, rudderlike tail moving behind her in a silently pained manner. Raze bit down on it, though, which caused her to still it. The aquabat glared down at the reptile, who made a small squeaking noise and looked pointedly at Cadmium. Ah, yes, she shouldn't be thinking such self-pitying thoughts while she was with someone who had truly lost something. She had lost nothing that she hadn't wanted to lose. There was still a whole pack that she could return to, smiling parents that loved her, and even siblings, though she had never really been close to them. As Cadmium finished speaking, Key's entire body drooped. That had to be terrible. To have lost so many parts of their families and only have bits and pieces to bury or whatever it was that the JPack did... it was almost unimaginable for the XPacker. She didn't say that, though. Surely it would just make poor Cad feel worse. <font color=darkred>"Wait... what does your brother look like? Maybe I've... seen him."</font> She meant alive, but maybe dead, too. Key didn't see many dead bodies, but one never knew. And she could help Cadmium find her brother! That she would offer later, though, after she had heard a description. As maybe she had already seen him? Then she could encourage Cadmium on her serach and say she would help. Yes, yes, that would be nice. She would feel quite good then. Raze wriggled beside her and sort of snorted between his teeth, as if reading her mind.
Cadmium could see the other aquabat's features twist with sympathetic misery, and she felt a mixture of guilt and comradeship with Key. She wanted to reach out, touch the other's shoulder, comfort her... but Caddy was too much in need of her own comfort, and to weak to offer solace to others. A small, watery smile would have to suffice, and she offered it to Key, complementing it with an amiable swish of her gossamer tail. In the next moment, after her countenance had been freed of its grimace, the XPack female pressed on, asking Cad what her brother looked like. At first, the black aquabat was taken aback by the question — why would Key possibly want to know that? But, then, Caddy reminded herself, they'd never found a scrap of Nicky's body. It wasn't that far-fetched to think... maybe... he'd escaped the turmoil, only to become lost at sea... unable to find his pack and out there, wandering, alone, perhaps completely listless and alone. "He looks a lot like me, actually," Cad noted of her twin. The prospect of his possibly being alive, no matter how remote a possibility was, gave the female a small, nibbling hope in the pity of her belly. Suddenly, all her sadness and grief seemed to be replaced by a determined thoughtfulness, which was a reflection of how she'd used to be before all the tragedies had struck her life. "Except, whereas I wear these," she added, gesturing to her rather tight clothes, woven of special, waterproof fabric, adorned with pockets, "Nicky likes to wear very little. Although, he does often wear fish bones as decorations... whenever he catches a fish and makes a meal, he usually saves the bones and creates something... one of the many things I love about him." Cadmium's eyes blurred for a moment, but not with tears. They were glossy with thought, as she delved into one memory or another. This lapse only lasted a few seconds, and then she came back, smiling wistfully at Key and Raze. "I love him. There's no past tense with me. Dead or not... I love him, and I'll find whatever there is to find."
<blockquote><font size=1 color=#330000 face=verdana>in character Raze wriggled beside his comrade in gleeful little circles, spinning and twirling in rapid bubbles. It was his way of amusing himself and it made him happy, so the aquabat left him to it. It wasn't because he wasn't listening, the small reptile just got easily bored and needed to use up pent energy or he would get agitated. It wasn't good to see Raze agitated, either. As Cad started to speak, the XPacker nodded, taking in the words with eager ears. Then, when the other 'bat got to the part about fish jewelry, Key stared at her in a surprised manner. She had met someone of just that sort of description recently... not here, she had just seen him, bumped into him, mumbled an apology along with a heated blush, then been on her way again. He hadn't seemed hurt, but perhaps she had been wrong and he was, she just didn't notice? <font color=darkred>"Oh, gods above the sea, Cadmium, I think I've seen him. Alive, I mean."</font> Key said, still quite unsure if she was right or not, but suddenly thinking furiously back to that day.
