SHARDS of GEMSTONES

YOUR PLACE

Winter calls, through the night, wafting warm bubbles through the training grounds. In the ocean, the merfolk slumber with darkbell over their heads, the night sky looking to be shinier than usual. It was brighter, and the moon showed it's colors of silver and white, reflecting itself as a mirror of the sun's power. Duality and patience rivaling singularity and dominance. The brisk chill was becoming a frozen landscape within the rocky flats of the Ghost Shoal. The coralforest smelt of rich buttery ice, which slipped and slid across the sheets of the ocean waves without a care. Even if they melted before the sun fully met the sky, the world of winter drew closer as each moment of the lightbell warmed, and dimmed without warning.

The rock pathway smoothed out by the water of the sea branched out to the entire territory, and each pitter patter of Loch's steps meant that he was getting used to being there. He no longer strutted above a cloud of water but wafted his tail down to the ground with a sense of freedom on his tongue. Yet, this freedom was limited. And he was still imprisoned by his duty to become greater. Shackled to his own mind. The buck laid his nose to the ground for a moment, and sniffed the earth that suckled in bubbles like sap. He noticed the movement form under his scales, and then over his ears as a leaping figure stretched beyond him and then, before him.

Standing right in front of the common palace was a pale-skinned Viperfish. His hair was a nightly black, and the freckles of stars was the refraction from above shining down. The young buck was a glider, and wore the golden straps over his neck to show so, with small sandals and a glider's knife in his chestband. Loch eyed the glider with a bit of confusion, but when the Viperfish sneered, he knew that he was in the way. Approaching from behind was a blue Stingray, dark skin coated in white markings and a buzz cut for her short hair. The young maid wore something similar to him, but her chest band was wrapped tighter and more frills sat on her neck straps. They both wore a bond bracelet and a tattoo on their shoulder, of the Ghost Shoal, and always of the Ghost Shoal.

Loch slowly watched as other merfolk pooled in with chirps and mews, soft flutters of their gills and wags of tail. The eel stood the side, longing in his heart as he slowly sniffed at the earth, panting with turned up brows. He appeared sad, but in his eyes, true sense was found in being alone. It had been waves since Redspine took him to train, and the passing waves felt like the paradise of tiwanith was going to come crashing down on him for failing so soon. He looked the supposed heavens, where all of paradise exists, above water and within the trials of the beaches and land. Each last one being with humans, and without pain. Loch sniffled a bit, reciting the words of his mother within his mind; We built the seas they travel on, and bless the food they steal, so with this treasure, I call...

Loch lifts his head, eyeing the mermaid that had approached him, she was taller than him. Slender, but plump around her waist and belly. Alongside her, she carried her eggie in a small pouch over her exposed chest so the egg could feed. Her eyes were a perfect blue, and she was soon clocked as a brown Sabertooth fish. Loch widened his, now seeing her with a plate of eggs in kel'ap with rice and slug heads. She was most likely going to go feed her eggie, but as she nudged him far from the palace and into the clearing where the other merfolk were gathering for lightbell, he instead saw the mater extend kindness to him. The maid was dark skinned like the depths of the sea with brown hair the sun to her moon kissed skin. Her scales were not bristled and her eyes laid heavy on the buck who was alone in his mind. She reached out of her carrying pouch, settled her eggie under her belly and made her eat first. They both were brown Sabertooth fish, with the little one being completely black like crude oil from a cargo ship. Her eyes, a blaring magenta.

"You are the one they name parasite?" She asks, eyes facing her young.

Loch, still baffled, widened his lips and spoke, "Yes. They may call me that but I was born Loch."