Solo Treasure in the Sand

[Nieve Glass]

52nd of Summer, 518 AV

It was a lovely day in Syka; the sun was shining and it was warm, but a strong breeze was keeping the settlement from being too hot, whispering through bungalows and tents and sending palm trees swaying gently. It was a lovely day indeed, and Nieve was bored.

The yowlwing lay nude on the sand in front of her tent, sprawled on her back and staring upwards at the sky, watching the clouds drift by the endless expanse of pale blue...but she was restless. One could almost imagine her tail twitching back and forth, if she had been in her animal form.

Nieve enjoyed lazy days, and there was always plenty to do in Syka...people to help, things to build, pottery to make, jungle to explore...the list went on, but none of the things she could do particularly struck Nieve's fancy that day. She supposed she could go swimming, but she didn't feel like getting salt in her hair, and the thought of having to gear up to venture into the jungle made her wrinkle her nose.

She let out a loud, exaggerated sigh, despite there being nobody around to hear her, and rolled over onto her stomach, propping her chin on her forearm. She missed Sinaetri; while the Verusk was still in the settlement, she was no longer staying with Nieve, and the Kelvic found that she didn't enjoy the solitude. She liked her freedom and independence, but Nieve was lonely.

Nieve blinked, focusing her gaze on the sand in front of her, watching a tiny crab scuttle past towards the ocean. It was nearing noon; she supposed she had done enough moping around for one day. Besides, she was beginning to get hungry.

With another sigh, Nieve pushed herself up and jumped to her feet with an easy grace, brushing the sand off her skin. Trotting up the beach towards the treeline, she made her way over to one of the banana trees lining her piece of land; the one she stopped in front of had a large pile of the fruits hanging down.

The green tinge to the skin told Nieve they weren't quite ripe, but she didn't mind. Jumping up, she swiped at the fruits, frowning when she missed. They weren't all that far off the ground, but vertically challenged as she was...Nieve gave another jump, putting more force into it, and managed to grab hold of a banana, pulling it down. The force of her tug shook loose a second as well, and she grinned at her prize.

She picked up the bananas, and as a secondary thought, scavenged around for a moment before grabbing a few sticks as well. Padding back over to her tent, she dropped the bananas and sticks, then made her way to the ocean. She had fishing tack, but she found it easier to catch fish in her yowlwing form. In a swirl of lights, she stood in her animal form. Stretching out her wings, Nieve slipped into the water, trying to splash as little as possible. She waded a ways out, then stood still, patiently waiting.

Sure enough, small silver fish resumed their darting when the water finally settled; but a larger, rounder fish swimming lazily nearby caught her attention. Unbidden, Nieve's tongue darted out, her focus now entirely on the new fish.

Evie crouched lower to the surface of the water, watching with intent, hungry eyes as the large fish flicked its fins and swam closer to her. So close...just a little bit closer...the fish moved closer, and Nieve struck.

One of her paws darted forward, and her claws dug into scales as she batted the fish upwards, lunging forward to close her mouth around it, sinking her sharp teeth into the fish. It flopped desperately in her jaws, squirming, but Nieve ignored it as she turned and bounded back onto the beach, head held high and wings aloft with pride at her catch.

Word Count: 656

[Nieve Glass]

Shifting back into her human form, the fish still clenched firmly between her teeth, having finally stopped wriggling, Nieve dropped it into her hands. Grabbing one of the sticks she'd picked up earlier, she pierced the body of the fish, then stuck it in the sand. Content it wasn't going anywhere, she fetched her flint and steel from her tent, along with her eating knife, and crouched in front of the small fire pit she had outside of her tent.

There was tinder left in the pit from when she'd last refilled it, so it wasn't overly difficult to light the fire. Nieve hunched forward, scraping the flint over the steel once, twice, before a spark caught in the tinder and began to smolder. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she breathed gentle onto the little ember until more of the tinder caught, beginning to crackle.

Pleased, Nieve broke up a few of the sticks she'd collected, and tossed them into the fire. While the fire began to grow, Evie grabbed the bananas and her eating knife; peeling one of the fruits, she cut it into haphazard slices that she then slid onto the stick holding her fish.

The meal was hardly going to be a delicacy; Nieve had no spices or even salt to speak of, but she didn't mind. Sometimes she preferred the natural flavour of meat, in any case; she often ate her meals raw when in her animal form, and even on occasion when human.

Satisfied, Evie yanked the stick out of the sand, and held it out over the crackling fire. Her arm quickly grew tired as she turned the stick this way and that; she would have to see about something to hold a stick up in the future. Cooking her meal, Nieve quickly realized that the slices of banana were cooking much faster than the fish; the yellow-white flesh of the fruit was beginning to blacken, while the fish still looked wet and raw.

Grimacing, Nieve removed the stick from the fire; blowing on the banana slices to cool them, she slid one off the stick, wincing as it still burned her fingertips slightly, and popped it in her mouth. She breathed out with a low 'hah' sound, chewing with her mouth open as she realized how hot the fruit still was, swallowing quickly and crinkling her nose. Charred and smoky did not suit the flavour of a banana.

Regardless, she wasn't about to waste food, no matter how plentiful in Syka it was. She ate the banana slices quickly, then cut off a piece of the fish with her eating knife; sure enough, it was still raw. Not perturbed, though perhaps slightly disappointed, Nieve ate the fish piece by piece.

With her meal done, she stood, stretching and stifling a yawn. Having a full belly was making her feel somewhat sleepy, but she'd had time to think while eating, and had decided she should explore the beach; despite being in Syka for some time, there were still parts of the settlement she hadn't really taken the time to visit.

Kicking sand over the fire to put it out, Nieve gathered up the remains of her meal and tossed them into the treeline; something she loved about Syka was how little waste there was, and how easy it was to dispose of it. Leftover plant matter decomposed quickly, and leftover meat and bones were always welcomed by scavengers in either the ocean or jungle.

Wrapping her scarf around her waist and securing it with a knot, but not bothering with a shirt, Nieve took off at a trot down the beach, away from the Panacea.

Word Count: 612
Total: 1,268

[Nieve Glass]

Nieve took her time, bounding along at a comfortable pace; she'd never gone farther than the Tidepool Bar in the direction she was heading, and she wondered what, if anything, lurked at the edge of the settlement.

She passed a scarce few of the other settlers as she walked, and waved with a bright grin when she saw Randal walking along the beach towards her. He waved back, slowing as they approached each other, paths crossing. "And where are you off to in such a good mood, kitten?" He asked, his voice rich with amusement.

"Exploring," Nieve chirped, her grin never leaving her face. "I was bored, and I realized I haven't been down that way," She gestured in the direction she was heading. "Not really past the Tidepool Bar, anyway."

"South?" Randal asked, and Nieve cocked her head.

"Is it south?" She asked, glancing around. She had no idea how to tell the directions.

"Of course. The easiest way to tell when it's nice and bright out is by the sun," Randal pointed up, and the yowlwing followed his gaze, squinting slightly. "It rises in the east, and sets in the west; east is always right of north. So based on where the sun is, you can usually figure out where you're going. Unless it's exactly midday, of course," He said with a wink.

Nieve nodded, taking in the information, mentally marking it as important and trying to memorize it. "I didn't know that," She admitted. "Thank you for telling me."

"Of course. Down that way, you'll hit Nya's piece of land, and then Treasure Point. If you're lucky, you might find some neat things there. There are always all sorts of things washing up on that part of the beach," Randal motioned with his hand.

At that, Nieve perked up. "Really? Like, actual treasure?" Now that sounded fun and exciting! Randal laughed, nodding his head.

"Sometimes, if you're lucky. Go on, you little pirate; I won't keep you from your bounty." He waved Nieve off, and she giggled, thanking him again before turning and jogging down the beach with renewed vigour.

Nieve eventually reached the Tidepool Bar, but whereas she normally would have walked up the pier upon hitting the section of beach she had reached, she kept walking. Sure enough, as Randal had said, Nieve eventually came across an obviously occupied piece of land.

A path lead up to an overlook, and at the base, on the beach, stood a large tent, the front of it opened upwards as a sort of shelter. It looked immensely cozy, and Nieve found herself curious; she wondered if the other Kelvic was around to bother? But she had a mission in mind; she could visit Nya another time.

Tearing her gaze away from Nya's home, Nieve bounded onward; it had been awhile since she'd left her own tent, and the walking was making her slightly tired, especially under the sun and after a meal...but Randal had said Treasure Point was just past Nya's land, and excitement stirred in Nieve, giving her the energy to continue on, light and bouncing on her feet.

Word Count: 522
Total: 1,790

[Nieve Glass]

Finally, Nieve reached what she assumed was the beginning of Treasure Point. The beach continued to spread out before her in an endless expanse of white sand, but it was much rockier; large rocks jutted out of the ground along the sand and treeline.

Moving on instinct, Nieve ran to the nearest one, launching herself up onto it. Her feet slid on the rough stone, and she bent over to grab onto it with her hands as well, walking her way up the stone on her hands and feet; the incline was surprisingly steep. Once at the top, she dropped into a crouch, perching on the edge of the rock; it wasn't too high despite its incline, perhaps five feet or less above the sand, but it offered a better view of the beach.

Nothing immediately stood out to her. Nieve scanned the beach for the signs of anything peculiar or out of place, but all she could see was white sand. Huffing, she hopped down off the rock, hitting the sand feet first and ducking into a roll before popping back up, shaking herself off.

Evie padded down the beach, sharp eyes scanning the sand for anything out of place. It occurred to her that she hadn't brought her rucksack, so if she did find anything, she'd need to carry it back in her hands. That made her frown slightly.

As she walked further out into the beach, Nieve felt...strange. There was something perhaps just slightly unusual about the place. It made the hair on the back of her neck prickle, but not in the normal way that meant she was being watched; she couldn't place it.

She glanced around curiously, but everything seemed fine. The waves continued to crash gently on the sand, and a bird somewhere in the jungle let out a high-pitched trill, prompting answers from some others. Perhaps it was simply her imagination. Turning her gaze back down to the beach, Nieve yelped when her foot suddenly caught on something, sending her tumbling to the sand.

She didn't have enough time to catch herself, and landed with an undignified 'oof' on her front. Rolling to the side, Nieve turned to glare at whatever had caused her to trip, ready to give it a scathing piece of her mind, whether it was alive or not, but what she saw struck her silent.

She stared, dumbfounded, at a brown leather rucksack in good condition. Evie opened her mouth as if to say something, then shut it again with a soft click, bewilderment evident in her face. She was certain that the backpack had not been there a mere five ticks ago...and just after she was lamenting her lack of foresight to bring one along, as well.

Nieve stared at the bag for a long moment, as if expecting something else to happen, but nothing did. The bag simply sat innocuously at her feet, one of the straps tangled around her ankle. Hesitantly, Nieve reached forward, unlooping the strap from around her ankle. Still, nothing happened, and the bag sat still, as if perfectly innocent in what was transpiring.

She could hear the shadows laughing at her, lurking near the treeline, watching; they swirled across the sand to her, lurking under her legs for protection from the sun when she addressed them, speaking in Makath. "What is this?"

"A rucksack," One of the shadows hissed, and Nieve frowned as the rest of them laughed.

"You're not helpful," She grumbled. "There's something strange with it. Right? There must be."

"Don't know, don't know, don't know," Came the chorus of replies. Nieve sighed; the shadows urged her on, but her curiosity didn't need their help. She reached forward, plucking the bag off the ground and sitting it in her lap, finally deeming it harmless.

She flipped the flap of the rucksack open, peering inside, not sure what she expected to see. However, Nieve couldn't have prepared herself for what she found...which was nothing. Not nothing, as in the inside of an empty backpack, but...blackness nothing is what greeted her.

Nieve blinked slowly, staring down into the darkness of the rucksack, trying to wrap her head around what she was seeing. It wasn't the first time she'd experienced something strange happening to her in Syka, but the logistics of what she was seeing made her head spin.

Seeing no other option, Nieve took a deep breath in, and stuck her hand into the bag. Her hand didn't feel any different; perhaps just slightly cooler, but that may have been her mind playing tricks on her. Nieve groped around inside the bag, realizing it was much larger than it seemed on the inside.

Finally, her fingers brushed something, and she grabbed it, pulling it out. A ratty cloth sat in her hand. Tossing it to the side, Nieve plunged her hand back in, pulling out various similar pieces of junk and scrap until her hand no longer found anything inside of the rucksack.

Pulling her arm out again, for indeed she had plunged it in almost up to her elbow, Nieve stared at the bag with furrowed brows and pursed lips. "What a strange thing," She muttered to herself, but she was also excited. Surely the rucksack didn't belong to anyone else, having appeared (for there was no better word to describe it suddenly showing up and tripping her) as it did on Treasure Point, of all places. Treasure indeed!

Nieve stood, brushing sand off her legs, and slung the rucksack over her shoulder. She wondered what Randal would think of it, if he would know anything about it. Perhaps she should ask him when she next saw him. Now excited and wondering what else she might find, Nieve whirled around on her heels, sending the shadows scattering, and bound down the beach with a gleeful laugh, kicking up sand and peering around for any other oddities or treasures as she went.

Word Count: 990
Total: 2,780

[Nieve Glass]

Gradually, Nieve slowed her pace, meandering along the beach. Something shiny half-buried in the sand caught her eye, and she stopped, crouching to investigate. Reaching out, she scraped away the sand, and found a lovely seashell. It was oval-shaped and chipped, one side rough with raised ridges and off-white, the other side smooth and shining opalescent.

"Oh, how pretty," Nieve murmured to herself, delighted. She had yet to go seashell collecting, though she had seen a few on the beaches. Deciding that it was about time she spiced up her tent and that the seashell would make a lovely decoration, she slipped it carefully into the rucksack before continuing on her way, a new mission in mind.

As she walked, Nieve came across a few more shells, each of which she picked up and put in her new bag indiscriminately. She didn't care about shape or colour; they were all lovely, at least to her. Most of them were chipped or broken in some way, but she didn't mind. Flat ones, spiral ones...Nieve crouched to pick up a large, seemingly intact shell.

It was lovely; pointed on both ends, with a sort of flap, and what she assumed the top had spiraled ridges. It was a lovely off-white and pale peach. Before she could do anything with it, however, several legs and a little face with eye stalks popped out of the gap in it.

Nieve jerked her head back, nearly dropping the shell in shock, and stared back at the rather affronted crab. It waved one of its arms, snapping its pincers at her, and Evie laughed. She hadn't realized that crabs could use seashells as...well, shells. "Sorry to have disturbed you," Nieve said, with some amusement. She would have felt silly talking to a crab, but after meeting Iolara, she knew that animals could be spoken to; by some people, anyway.

She doubted the crab understood her, though. Gingerly, she set it down in the sand, and watched it scuttle its way back into the ocean, eyestalks and arms waving as it did so. Still giggling quietly to herself, Nieve made to stand when something shiny caught her eye. Another shell?

She glanced down to the indent in the sand where the crab had been sitting, and her eyes widened slightly. What sat buried in the sand was no shell; gold gleamed up at her, shining in the sunlight. Nieve reached down, plucking the chain off the ground and holding it up; sand fell from it, and she gave the discovered necklace, for that's what it was, a little shake to clear it off.

It was, similarly to the backpack, in surprisingly good condition. The slender gold chain shone brightly, no sign of tarnish or rust in sight, and dangling from the end of it was a breathtakingly beautiful pendant. Nieve pulled it closer, cradling the pendant in her palm as she looked it over with wide eyes.

Delicate gold wire wrapped around a pale white-blue opalescent stone, in the shape of an upside down teardrop. Nieve turned the pendant over in her hands, admiring the way the light reflected off the stone, causing it to shimmer in hues of white and blue and even pale purple. She sat back on her heels, slightly dumbfounded. When Randal had said treasure, she hadn't expected to actually find anything, much less a magical backpack and a beautiful necklace.

"I wonder if you have any secrets," Nieve mused, holding the pendant up. Pleased with her find, she fumbled with the clasp for a moment, stiff from the sand, before managing to undo it. She slid the chain around her neck, reclasping it, and peered down to admire the necklace.

The pendant rested right in the hollow of her throat, as if made for her. The gold complimented the brown of her skin nicely, the pale blue-white of the stone a stark contrast to it. With a happy grin, Evie stood, resuming her search for shells, though this time she was distracted by her latest find.

It was late, the sun having slipped across the sky towards the horizon by the time she was satisfied, and decided to head home with her curious finds.

Word Count: 698
Total: 3,478