[Flashback] Seahorses: Swimming Made Easy [Telos]

by **Candira** on June 12th, 2011, 3:02 am

Season of the Summer, Day 50, 500 AV

Today was the day, and the girl was full of nervous excitement as she leaned against the mesh coral dome. Her body posture, like all the other Charodae her age, betrayed her anticipation.

"What're you going to name yours?" her sister whispered, nudging Candira.

"Name? I don't know!" she said. Worry tinged her voice, and she leaned heavier against the mesh coral dome. Her eyes roamed the large area, outfitted with plant life and natural terrain. The water was hot and bright, still deep within the lagoon. A fish floated lazily, here or there, but no other movement showed itself. Where were the seahorses? "Don't they have names already?"

"That's a big part of it! Naming your seahorse!" the other girl said. She, too, peered wide-eyed into the corral, clinging like a starfish to the fence.

"Has anyone found them yet?" a hearty voice called. Candira, her sister, and the rest of the school turned at the teacher's voice. She was a strong Charoda, gentle with her steeds but ready to scold at a moment's notice. Her one eye crinkled in laughter; the other was forever hidden behind a large scar that ate her beauty and reminded the horrors of violence. Rumors had always swum rampant among the children: that she got that against a Myrian, was attack by a shark and a stingray combined, or was infected by a strange bacteria that would kill a normal Charoda. No one knew the truth, and her air of mystery, hanging as heavily as her earrings, only made the children love her more.

"No?" she said, when no one answered. She snorted a laugh to herself, bubbles popping from her flat nose. "Of course not! Seahorses are the best hiders in the ocean. You'd be hard-pressed to find one." She motioned with her arm, sitting onto the ground. The children followed suit, creating a semi-circle. Candira settled next to Telos with a grin.

"Today, you get to find your own seahorse. It's tough. It's challenging. But it's worth it." The woman leaned back against a globe of coral. Brain coral, Candira recalled absentmindedly from a previous class. "The seahorse is the better creature here, between us and them. The men carry the children, but the female takes care of them - up to fifteen hundred. Their tails hold them to something strong, steady, when the ocean's currents are too strong. They have armor, but no teeth."

The woman pushed herself up easily, rising to her feet with the grace of a dancer. "But, what am I saying?" She waved her hand, stirring the water. "Open your heart to Caiyha, and you will understand their delicate balance and how we must emulate them. Today, you will find your steed and perhaps learn some more. If you can, that is."

by **Telos** on June 13th, 2011, 3:47 am

Telos looked around the coral dome nervously. But it wasn't just the anticipation of the lesson that made him nervous, it was his fellow students. There were much older Charoda here and he, a little six-year-old, was one of the youngest.

Listening to a conversation between Candira and her sister, who were floating nearby, Telos heard them mention something about "naming your seahorse". This made him even more nervous. How would he think of a name? What if the other Charoda thought it was silly? And how were you supposed to choose a seahorse? What if he couldn't find one that liked him? Or worse, what if he couldn't find one at all?

But his body language betrayed none of these worries. He swam confidently to the ocean floor and seated himself with the rest of the children, surprised when Candira, who was much older than he was, settled down next to him.

"Have you ever ridden a seahorse before?" He whispered to the older girl when the teacher's back was turned.

by **Candira** on June 13th, 2011, 11:30 am

Season of the Summer, Day 50, 500 AV

Secret :

The teacher walked to the coral dome, a natural cage fashioned to both protect the seahorses from wild animals and separate them from the trained sharks. The links were an intricate design fashioned by one of the most prominent Charbosi architects and the internal landscape was barely distinguishable from the 'wilds'. The Charodae were ever careful to protect life and make it flourish.

A mesh door, thick greens woven tightly together, was tied tightly to the structure. The teacher brushed away particles of sand and pulled at a knot holding the entrance closed. The children chattered while her back was turned.

Candira nodded. "Yes," she said. "But only once." She did not say how her father was also riding the seahorse, holding her steady and calm. "How about you?"

The door swung open wide, and the teacher floated casually in front. "Peace of Makutsi, children!" she said. "Quiet your song!" Candira gave Telos a small smile, sorry their conversation had been cut off quickly. He seemed to be shying away from others in the class, and she didn't understand why.

"Swim carefully," the teacher said. The students listened to her instruction. "And be gentle!" She stepped aside, leaving the door wide open. "Go in,then."

With many smiles and high expectations, the young Charodae swam inside the corral.

by **Telos** on June 14th, 2011, 6:18 pm

OOCSorry for the delayed posting and brevity of said posts. I'm hitting writer's block because I'm not sure how to role-play a little kid. I'm assuming, though, that Charoda mature faster than humans, just to allow myself to write dialogue with a bit more maturity than I would for a little human kid.

"I ride seahorses all the time," Telos said in answer to Candira's query, "But only with my parents or older brothers or sisters," he added. "But it can't be that hard, right?" He said with a nervous and half-hearted smile. He wanted to say more but their instructor cut the conversation short.

As the door swung wide, Telos swam inside with the rest of the class. For a moment he simply floated there, looking around uneasily. "What are we supposed to be seeing?" He wondered aloud. "Do we just wander around looking for the seahorses?"

He slowly floated further inside, looking at Candira to see what she was doing.

by **Candira** on June 14th, 2011, 6:51 pm

Season of the Summer, Day 50, 500 AV

Secret :

The teacher answered Telos when Candira did nothing but float, overwhelmed, in the open space beyond the door. Her sister had shot off with a group of other children, skirting loudly through the piles of coral, meadows of plants, and schools of fish. "No wandering," she said. "You search for your seahorse, calling to them like you call to coral. There are 'horses in the corral, all unclaimed, and waiting. You'll know it when you find the right one," she said, and leaned forward conspiratorially. Candira shuffled forward, ears perked at the hushed hints and advantageous advice. "And between us three, you'll find the most by the patches of tall grass. They like to hold on to things with their tail."

She straightened, pushing the children forward with her gentle, broad hands. "Now, go, before the others scare them off!" She let out a ringing laugh, swimming to tie the gate closed.

Candira swam off without another word, intent on gaining a seahorse. She wanted a yellow one, the girl decided quickly. Yellow seemed nice. Her eyes scanned the landscape, and she dove between flora and charged through fauna. If the seahorses liked the long grass, they would be in a meadow. She followed the slope of the ground downward, picking at the sea reeds with single mindedness.

by **Telos** on June 14th, 2011, 7:15 pm

Telos swam quickly after Candira with strong dolphin kicks. Plunging into the talls grass, his world turned green. He felt the influx of fresh oxygen provided by the plants absorbed through his skin and sighed contentedly, his strokes becoming stronger and faster as more oxygen became available. He couldn't see the other Charoda any more, but she couldn't be far ahead.

"Candira," he called, "How are we supposed to find anything in here? All I can see--" WHAM! He slammed into something solid and floated to the ocean floor, momentarily dazed. Then he suddenly came to his senses and found himself staring into the eyes of a large seahorse. For a moment he was speechless, a mixture of fear and admiration taking hold of him.

"Um...sorry..." he said nervously. "I...bumped right into you." He said apologeticly. Then he slapped himself on the forehead with a little splash. He was being stupid, talking to a seahorse. But then he reasoned that even if the creature couldn't understand him, it would still be affected by the tone of his voice. So he continued in a calm, reassuring manner. "Can I ride you, girl? Huh? How about a ride? I just want to climb on your back. Sound good? Can I touch you?" He reached out a webbed hand ever so slowly to the yellow, brown-speckled creature.

Would she let him touch her?

by **Candira** on June 14th, 2011, 8:07 pm

Season of the Summer, Day 50, 500 AV

Candira coasted to a stop, spraying her arms and legs away from her body. Plants wrapped around her limbs and tickled her pliable skin. Lost deep within the foliage, the girl could barely see anything but green kelp and tinted water, and Telos's voice echoed from behind. She pushed the slimy leaves apart, algae loosening at her passage. A fish flew past, eyes wide and tail twitching.

She had forgotten him, and bit her lip in silent apology. "Where are you?" she said, pulling a stalk from her tentacles before continuing her slow journey. "Telos?" Candira found him, facing a seahorse. She stopped in awe of the creature, so beautiful and still in the water.

Three more poke their heads out, tails gripping the stalks. Candira extended her hand, reaching toward a red one; it twisted away easily, and she was left feeling saddened at its departure.

Another took its place, dazzling red with rimmed eyes and thick segments on its back. It eyed Candira with flat brown eyes, and she gazed back with the same amount of curiosity. She wanted to pet his long nose and talk to him, but sudden shyness kept her mouth closed and her body frozen.

Had she, like Telos, found her seahorse among the reeds?

by **Telos** on June 14th, 2011, 8:32 pm

OOCMy character already has a seahorse current-day but I'm assuming this one grows old and dies before the present so this one will be named something different than what it says my seahorse's name is on my character sheet.

Stroking the exotic creature gently, Telos found its skin to be smooth yet firm along it belly yet rough and hard along the ridge of its back. He wondered, as it nudged and pushed him in a friendly manner with its long, narrow snout, how he would ride it. He clambered on awkwardly and winced as its back ridge scraped against his belly. Nevertheless he lay determinedly along its back and wrapped his arms firmly around its neck.

"Candira," he said delightedly as she swam up. "This is pretty easy. Maybe I'm just a natural when it comes to--" and for the second time in the last five chimes his sentence was cut short. The seahorse had taken off without warning and was swimming at full speed through the foliage. "Woah! Stop! Hey! Slow down!" But nothing Telos said made any difference. The sharp ridge of the seahorse's back scraped violently against his chest and stomach, leaving the skin there bloody and torn.

At the sudden pain he instinctively let go of the seahorse's neck but just as instinctively grabbed hold of one of the spikes on its neck to keep from being left behind. In a desperate attempt to stop the wild animal he pulled up sharply on the spike and, all at once, the seahorse came to a sudden stop. "Finally!" Telos breathed, exhausted. "Now let's go back to Candira, alright?"

He kept a firm hold on the horn and used it to turn the seahorse around and make it swim slowly back to the other seahorses and Candira, reflexively arching his back to keep his chest away from the ridge on its back. "We really, really need a saddle for you," he said, tenderly feeling his injuries and wincing.

by **Candira** on June 14th, 2011, 11:36 pm

Season of the Summer, Day 50, 500 AV

OOC... I didn't even think of that ^ ^;; I changed the picture in my last one, because that yellow seahorse was the one she started out with xP

Candira explored her own seahorse with cautious hands, running a finger along its snout and up the ridge between its eyes. Both eyes faced different directions, swirling crazily as she fluttered about the seahorse. Despite her excited antics, he did not move. A bubble popped from his mouth, catching against his skin before spiraling to the surface. His side fins fluttered and his tail undulated in the soft current. Along his back, thick ridges expanded from his spine and petered out to his thick stomach.

Candira glanced at Telos. He was already climbing on to his seahorse. "Telos!" Before she had the chance to reply, he was gone through the brush and at the mercy of his new steed. She watched hopelessly after him, knowing full well that she could never catch up.

Candira turned to the seahorse, petting his cheek. "Don't do that to me, okay," she said. Her sister had mentioned: they were to name the sea creatures. "Maslin." The seahorse shook his head, accepting the name, and she swam to his back.

Maslin was larger than her by a few feet, but was utterly trusting to bare his back so easily. I have to be trusting, too. The small Charoda would learn from her new horse, her own "little clam". She gripped his tough neck and settled her rump in the junction between his back fin and spine. It was uncomfortable, especially with her upper thighs trapped between the deep ridges and stomach pressed against his back ridge.

"I'm Candira," she introduced herself. Just as she was about to ask him to swim, in search of Telos, the other Charoda arrived at their small spot. Blood coated his chest, and the girl sat back in sudden alarm and fear.

"Are you okay!" she nearly shouted. "What happened? Do you need the teacher?"

by **Telos** on June 15th, 2011, 2:34 am

OOCIt's funny, your seahorse now is red but yellow in the future, and mine is yellow now but red in the future!

"Don't get the teacher!" He said quickly. He didn't want to be labeled as a tadpole by the rest of the class. "It doesn't really hurt," he continued bravely. "But we really need saddles or something before we ride them." He looked around for something to use for a saddle, but then another thought distracted him.

"Oh, we're supposed to name them, aren't we?" He wondered aloud. He tapped his fingers against the seahorse's side thoughtfully. There was an awkward silence while he pondered the matter, the saddle forgotten for the moment. Then he said, without really thinking about it, "Oh, I don't know...Lael." He could have sworn the seahorse nodded slightly.

Telos shook his head slightly and said, "Oh, right, so, anyway, what can we use for a saddle?" He looked at Candira questioningly.