Spirit Animals One-Shots

ocean- tirat.

Tasha stood at the shoreline, the small waves softly hitting her ankles. Water crashed against rock, mist spraying everywhere. She breathed in the salty scent with a long sigh, relaxing her shoulders.

Sometimes she liked to visit the beach surrounding Greenhaven and stand in the sand, watching the tide come in. It comforted her, especially after long days of training or a mission.

The water wasn't still enough for Ninani to swim in, so the swan instead sat at the deck a few meters away, squawking at the small fish beneath the surface. Tasha glanced at the large white bird, seeing her spirit animal ruffle her feathers with slight annoyance as droplets hit her wings. A small smile curled upon her lips before she turned her attention back to the vast sea.

Sand softly crunched beneath feet behind her, causing the Stetriolian girl to whirl around. A tan boy was making his way across the beach, cautiously looking down and then at the ocean. Tasha beamed as she recognized him and waved to the boy. "Kirat!" She called out, stepping out of the shallow water and dashing to meet him. He blinked and gazed in her direction, returning the gesture.

"Hi, Tasha. What are you doing out here? It's so..." Kirat wrinkled his nose as he sniffed the air. "Damp. And...salty."

Tasha stifled a laugh. "It's the ocean, of course it's damp and salty."

"Well, yeah, but--" He broke off when a higher tide came in, sweeping water close to where they stood. Kirat yelped, backing up quickly, whilst Tasha tilted her head at his reaction while the aqua splashed against her feet.

When the waves drew back into the sea, Kirat padded back to her side. "ANYWAYS. I can confirm it's much better inside."

"But the ocean is so pretty! And the breeze feels nice." Tasha protested with a beam, the warm wind ruffling her braided hair and Kirat's own curly locks.

Kirat shifted his feet nervously as more waves rolled towards them. "Yeah, sure, sure. I, uh, actually..." The lion summoner trailed off, bashfully hiding his face.

"What?" Tasha hummed, raising an eyebrow.

He didn't answer, staring at his hands. "...I don't...I'm not very fond of the ocean." Kirat got out after a few pauses.

"Really? Why not?" She asked, a bit confused. Who wouldn't like the ocean? It was soothing and breathtaking, yet also dangerous and unpredictable.

Another wave reeled across the sand, and Kirat once again tensed up and backed away, whilst Tasha let the waters build up to her legs before decreasing once more, churning back into the ocean.

"W-well..." Kirat hesitated, looking softer than he usually did.

Wait...the nervousness...the backing up...was Kirat...scared?

"Kirat," Tasha began slowly, "are you afraid of the ocean?"

"No!" He snapped quickly, looking guilty of his tone. "I mean, I'm not. I just don't like it, that's all."

A tiny giggle escaped her mouth, and Kirat's face flushed slightly. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Kirat. See?" She grabbed his hand and started to pull him to the shallow waters despite his protests.

"I told you I wasn't scared," He grumbled but let her tug him into the sea.

The ocean was calm this warm summer afternoon fortunately, only up to their knees in the shore region. Kirat made a sort of squeaking sound as they stepped in, still holding onto Tasha's pale hand.

While most would find it odd or not like Kirat to be so soft or calm, Tasha didn't. You had to be patient to be able to see him in such a peaceful manner, whereas his usual demeanor was arrogant and haughty. He didn't grow up with any friends or close children, so that most likely explained his behavior for the most part.