Sands of Time

R

hiannon stared into the ocean’s endless expanse, stretching out toward the setting sun, further than she could imagine. The sound of waves as the water lapped at the shore filled her ears like music, and the salty air, mingled with the familiar smell of seaweed washed up on the shore, greeted her senses like an embrace from the mother goddess herself. It was bittersweet to be around Ayr. Stormy purple sights turned upward to the cliffs above; the lady’s face remained neutral, though her heart fluttered to see the rocky heights that had once been her unhappy home. Rhiannon toes wiggled in the wet sand, grounding herself in the present.


Life was ever evolving, and the experiences of her first year were far removed from her current existence. Here she stood, alone, with her head held high, savoring the feeling of the sea breeze as it came rustling through her smoky pelt. Now she was free -- could there be any greater gift than liberty? Out here, anything could happen. The beauty of the current moment inspired a small smile on the muzzle of the she-wolf, who remained unaware that there were others present on the beach beside herself. Rhiannon was too engaged in the sunset to take notice, highly unusual for the normally cautious lass. Shades of sunset, scarlet and gold and tangerine, illuminated her gray-toned fur as she stood at the water's edge.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

washed ashore

It'd been after a long day of work. Belligerent waves and unbroken waves washed over Maui within each hour of her day-job. After she got off, that was her time. It made it hard to enough the last parts of her day, from being tired, but she was a trooper. Each day was a work-out, which kept the pirate in shape. It showed when she moved; ripples of muscles underneath her salt-washed pelt. If anything, she looked more masculine than she ever had feminine. Which had never bothered her. It didn't stop her from anything. If anything, it opened more doors. Built for a life that she'd always wanted. She'd been raised underneath her father, who was a Captain, the seas feared him. Oceans quaked and shimmered for him, whenever he passed. Maui wanted to be like that. She'd grown close with him; working for him when she was old enough and collecting, together, her own crew. Sailing far from her home-lands, and losing a crew. She ended up here. Lost for awhile and guilt-ridden. But now, here she was. On the beach, after a long's day of hard work. Maui walked along the sands, but not without the scent of sweet, fermented berries following her. The smell of salt water was already apparent, sweetness the only thing that stood out from her.

The other memento that Barbados; her father, had gifted along to her, was the goatee that hung from her chin. Another trait that made her unattractive to the opposite sex. It'd worked out well for her. Since she never really found men attractive - or worth it. Only if she was drunk enough. And even then, it was a fifty, fifty shot in the dark. Some men, were feminine enough; small enough for her to imagine somehow, as females. None of that really mattered as she looked to the waves crashing down upon the shoreline as she kept her paws moving. She'd been searching on Glass Beach, today, for her job and had brought a little treat with her. Some alcohol contained within a conch shell. Something to get her through the day. So, she was a little drunk as she walked alongside the broken, choppy waters. It seemed like it was going to rain soon, the smell of it in the air. The sky was in bloom in the meanwhile, bright with orange and pink as the sun set beyond the never-ending ocean. Maui hadn't even noticed that the salt smell had been invaded by the smell of lavender; a plant that never stood beside the beach - the air too violent and dirt never being found. Dark blue eyes, that seemed gray underneath the guise of the ocean behind her, were torn from the vast sea and towards the smell as it remained strong. Not much further ahead, was a woman. The wind blowing through her soft fur and making Maui's head swing in a double-take. She was beautiful enough to be something the ocean washed up. Everything in the ocean, was always unremarkable beyond beauty, or even morality.

Maui wasn't on the deeper end of being drunk, but just buzzed enough to have some liquid confidence. She didn't stride up as she would have in the Tavern, slinking along side one of the larger rocks used as a meeting place for one of the many gangs that frequented the Tavern. She didn't make some smooth comment that would give her the advantage and attention of an attractive woman. What she did do, was take a few steps forward and nod to her, "See something out there?" She asks, about the horizon, where the sun sets and there is nothing but water to connect to it. No land, no anything. Just sea-water.

"Speak and be heard."

@Rhiannon

”S

ee something out there?” The unanticipated sound had caught her off-guard, but Rhiannon displayed no signs of nervousness. The voice that addressed her was not masculine, exactly, but it was a far cry from the feminine, bell-like tones of many of her sex. Her head turned slowly to glance at the beast on the beach who had found her in deep contemplation, and twin brows arched curiously over deep pools of amethyst. Her eyes were greeted with an unusual sight, with hues of charcoal and ebony, in swirls that seemed rather chaotic as it decorated the she-wolf’s well toned body -- which, of course, Rhiannon found most intriguing. Her focus lingered on the noticeable scruff below the stranger’s chin, which provided the nameless other an even more male air about her.


Thankfully for Rhiannon, however, it was clear that this beast was not a man, and for that fact alone, the wolfess offered the hint of a smile. Her gaze shifted back to the darkening horizon as she mused aloud: ”Another day has ended,” she began in low tones, with a voice that seemed oddly deep for a delicate creature such as herself. ”And we have lived to see another sun set.” For Rhiannon saw much more than salt water and emptiness. On the contrary, she saw the magic behind it all -- how the sun still set as it had for all of time, how their ancestors had watched the same phenomenon before their births.


Now, Rhiannon had a question of her own, and her focus was finally torn from the distant west so that she could look at the stranger. Shadowy blue eyes, not unlike the oceans themselves, set among a dark masked face. The unknown woman’s form was that of a warrior, undoubtedly, but still, Rhiannon remained unafraid. It was the men she had to be cautious of, and this she-wolf was not looking for trouble, judging from the mingling scent of sea and alcohol. ”Now, what do you see?”


@Maui

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

washed ashore

The waves break over the beach, washing shells and seaweed up onto the bright sand. It was different here than from Sussex; where she spent most her time. The sands there were as black as the night sky, spots of white reflecting fragments of shells that had been smashed upon the shore. Where there was black skies, here, there were mostly clear skies. The clouds were softer here than there, the light rain clouds somewhat holding light. Sussex's clouds were dark, threatening; as if they would strike lightning without warning. The sunset was never seen, only the jagged shards of rocks that sprouted out of the sea in the distance. It'd be understandable for Maui to be caught in the rays of setting sun here; it was beautiful. But she's caught on the lady of the dunes. Asking her what she sees. Any other day, she probably would have been in the Tavern, getting drunk and snarling at the new boys who thought they had the biggest balls in the place. They were always so eager to be put in their place. The women's paralyzing violet eyes washed back over the shore, as if in thought about Maui's question. Her eyes followed suit, glancing out towards the horizon once more.

'Another day has ended.' Maui's ear twitched; to the tone of her voice, Maui hadn't pegged her voice to be lower. Nonetheless, her eyes to not fret from watching the ocean's waves grow higher and then come tumbling down. 'And we have come to live another sunset.' A smile etched onto her lips as the words came from the woman's lips, rolling with the same force as the waves. "Poetic." Maui mumbled, but honestly - it was true. One day they are here and one day they are not. She closed her eyes, the loss of a loved one had struck her heart, too close to home. She doesn't see the world again, until her question is repeated back to her. Blackened sea water eyes open once more, her head turning to look once more at the woman. She's not drunk enough to be too much of an ass, and there's no one out here she has to wear a mask for, or hide. She found it easier to be herself when not among the Tavern nor her boss that she saw pretty often. In that part of her life, she had to put on a mask, a front. Here, there's really nothing stopping her. "Home." As cheesy as it sounds; it was true. She'd been raised in a place much like Sussex. Rough waters and blackened skies most days, but then there were days where the sun shone bright and created colors unlike anything she'd ever seen. It was the same sea she swam in day after day. You'd think she'd be sick of it. The smell that sticks to her and waves that slam into her; gifting her new bruises and a thicker skin. She shifted her paws within the sand, not moving her gaze from the lass. "Cliché, I know..." She pauses, glancing out to the ocean, getting lost within the sound, "I was basically born in the ocean." Her accent is thick, from beyond the sea. She wasn't from here. "'m Maui," Her lips twitch into a small smirk before shifting her eyes back, waiting for her response - for how her name rolled off the tongue.

"Speak and be heard."

@Rhiannon

T

he nighttime had always been Rhiannon’s realm -- a time of greater creativity, of discovery. While some feared the dark of the twilight, Rhiannon embraced it with an open heart and willing mind. Once could never guess what might be encountered on such an evening, and if that entity should happen to believe in magic? Anything was possible -- kismet was beyond any mortal’s control. What one was destined to become, where one was meant to be in a precise time on an exact day.


And tonight, it seemed, chance had brought to her someone new. ”It is not I who writes the poetry. I am merely a translator,” she offered, but she gave no further explanation. The fae watched as the other looked longingly out into the distance. Home. Rhiannon could not relate to this feeling, for she had no home, not since her natal pack had all perished. The smoke-hued she-wolf observed the other’s physique, so different from her own. It was a wonder, really, how differently a wolf could choose to carry out their short lives. She wanted to know more, but kept her curiosity in check for the time being.


”Maui.” She repeated the name out loud for her own benefit and with a smile, enjoying the feel of the exotic moniker on her tongue, though she made no mention of it. An unusual name for an unusual creature. And as Rhiannon had no interest in the typical and mundane, unusual was a sought after description for the company the enchantress kept. Rhiannon could feel the other's passion for the ocean in the way she spoke, the way she gazed at the dark waves. ”It seems you are blessed by the goddess Clíodhna. Are you familiar with her?”


”I am Rhiannon. It is a pleasure to find you here.” But the fae had one final question, as the darkness of night continued to swallow the landscape. She did not have the benefit of alcohol to steel her nerves or garner courage; for Rhiannon, that was unnecessary. She did not fear that which intrigued her restless spirit. ”Have you anywhere to be tonight, Maui?” The name again produced a grin on an otherwise stoic facade.

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

washed ashore

It's as if she's waiting for a storm, her eyes forever lost in the boundless waves and mixing salt water. It was a whole other world underneath the sea. She'd gotten close enough to touch it. She did every day. Her job demanded her to be in the sea, collecting the products from the bottom of the sand. Conch shells that served as platters and cups for the royals, and somehow found their way (broken and used) to the Tavern for the ending of the life cycle, before they are tossed back out to the sea in hopes one day they might return as sand. A cycle that they all go through. One day, her bones will be returned to the mighty ocean that once created them. A small 'hmm' comes from her lips at Rhiannon's' voice, a siren's call against the vigorous winds blowing through. Maui's head turned towards her once more, muzzle pointed and eyes taking in each bit of the female's smaller, but not untoned body. The words make her father's voice echo through her head, a ghost that won't come to visit her until she sleeps, mostly. 'The sea has many voices, many gods and many voices.' She'd listen to him for hours as a young cadet, a pirate in the making. Wide eyes full of wonder, drinking in every tale he had to tell her. Wild ones of magic and gods beyond comprehension for a child. Now that she has experienced the world for herself, she knows that each region, each wolf, has their very own beliefs. And she is always willing to learn. "Who do you translate for?" She hums out. Normally, she would roll her eyes at an old drunkard, sloshed and yelling of the terrible gods of the north, while another would argue that gods from the south were worse. But, her ears move, inquisitive and eyes almost sparking with a wonder, glimmering.


'Maui...' The wind seems to agree, rushing past her wavelike patterns upon her fur. It looked as if a pup, messy and loose, painted her. She was unlike anyone else. Markings unable to be repurposed for another creation in the universe. Rhiannon pronounced her name differently, an accent she had caught on the Lowlanders more than anyone else. Then again, she was still rusty on telling who was who. What nationality came from where. But, she spent most of her days in the Lowlands, finding a home within the Guild and finding work with her boss. ' seems you are blessed by the goddess Clíodhna.' She nods to the testament with little skepticism. She asks if Maui had ever heard of her before, and she then shakes her head. "No, no one has ever mentioned her among my travels." She leans back on her ankles until her hind haunches find the sand as an embracing comfort, instead of standing. Her legs were tired from work, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. Also, it didn't feel as if she would need to be standing. She wasn't in any danger, and she could pop up quick if she needed to be on defense. With her name finally introduced, Maui's smirk returned, slithering onto the edges of her lips, "The pleasure is all mine." Her hearty voice thick with an accent undetectable by the locals but familiar to her. "I have no where to be, tonight." She could skip the bar for a pretty girl. "Will you tell me of your God?" She asks, moving her body so she is a bit closer, seated more comfortably.

"Speak and be heard."

@Rhiannon

”W

"ho do you translate for?" The question inspired the hint of a chuckle from young Rhiannon, and her head tilted as she considered how to describe it. Oh, how could she ever explain…? Still, she would attempt: ”That which goes unseen or unspoken. Some might name it simply as nature. But it is so much more than a meadow or trees or a mountain.”


As Maui declared the pleasure all hers (though Rhiannon suspected otherwise, and the warmth she felt at the other’s approach indicating to the contrary), the silvery femme followed the other’s lead and sat, slate gray tail curling around her forepaws delicately. "I have no where to be, tonight." Rhiannon did not attempt to hide her smile, pleased by this response, though she gave nothing more than that smile and a nod in reply.


"Will you tell me of your God?" Maui had moved closer, and Rhiannon followed this cue, leaning in so that her side brushed against the other’s, just barely. She could blame her actions on the cold weather, if she felt inclined. But Rhiannon felt no need to feign a reason other than what was true. She simply felt like doing this. Beneath the smell of the spirits that Maui had apparently consumed prior to strolling the shore, Rhiannon could detect her actual scent, still decidedly feminine despite the other’s otherwise masculine appearance and demeanor.


She spoke the ancient name more slowly now, taking time to carefully enunciate each syllable with her tongue. ”Clíodhna, she is the goddess of the mighty seas and worlds beyond what we can see.” As she spoke in a pensive tone, her focus turned between the churning waves and the stranger’s face. ”Like the sea, Clíodhna is wild. Untameable.” Her eyes explored the other’s warrior-like physique -- far stronger physically than her own average size, built for a life Rhiannon could not fathom. It was such a wonder, really, how different one wolf could look from another, both in size and personality.


After a beat, Rhiannon would add another important facet of the goddess who may have favored Maui: ”She is also a goddess of passion.” Though the rest was left unspoken, Rhiannon’s eyes hinted at what she was thinking. Was this aspect of the goddess as apropos to this stranger as the rest? Or was this one just a drunk with nothing better to do than listen to stories and play in the sand?


@Maui

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck