All washed up and no place to go (M'caiyha)

[Aqua]

Spring, Era XV PF

Winter had given way to a much more mild spring -- a relief for the whole island, given the ferocity of the weather for the past several months. The brutal heat of summer had not yet arrived, and for the moment, the Fire Isle was almost...tranquil.

Which made it a perfect brightening to visit the beach, especially since it was early enough that the shores weren't crowded yet. There was a beachcomber or two, and the odd fisherman, but the children and swimmers that filled the beaches during summer were still absent.

The waves gently lapped the shore, moving grains of sand slowly up and down the beach. A circle of gulls flew overhead, screeching to one another and then diving towards the water. A crab scuttled beneath a rock.

It was a beautiful day for exploring the beach...and who knew what surprises might be at hand?

[M'caiyha Vosmaeri]

M'caiyha was greatly enjoying the Demosian spring. The mild weather suited her just fine. To top it off, it had been too early to bring the birds to the restaurant. She'd seen to the ponds already, and now she was going on a beach combing expedition. Viskyia had shown her some of the treasures she'd found on the shores of the beach, and the Esh had been most impressed. Nature was the best artist of them all. No matter what others did - Kyia's jewelry, Eben's food, or her own woodcarving - all they did was help polish perfection.

It had been a good morning so far. She'd found some shells, some ridged, some washed smooth by the tides. She liked to decorate with them, and some of the better ones and any stones she found went to Viskyia, who could do things with them. She liked driftwood sticks herself, to carve with or use for bird toys.

She didn't carry her heavy staff today, but had worked a promise out of Ethgri about behaving himself, a promise largely unnecessary without the presence of others. Air was her usual silly self, chirping and whistling as she climbed from M'caiyha's thick green braid to her shoulder to her sleeves as she climbed all over. Ethgri, in the meantime, perched on her shoulder and hung on, head tilted, watching with interest. The bird's behavior changed dramatically when it was just them.

Not that anyone ever believed her when she told them that...

She bent, and scooped up a round black stone, brushing the stubborn grains of sand from it with her long fingers, and tucked it, along with the stones, into the pocket of her hooded tunic. Purple eyes roamed the sand, noting tracks and trails left by coastal life. The song of the waves tickled her double pointed ears, and she felt the breeze lift her spirits a little more.

[Aqua]

M'caiyha was early enough, both in the day and in the season, that the beaches weren't at all crowded. An older couple were strolling, hand in hand, perhaps two hundred yards away, but otherwise, the elf and her avian companions were alone with their thoughts and the sand.

And, it should be noted, a sudden splash. It came from a spot thirty feet or so away, towards the edge of the water. It wasn't a particularly large splash, but it was noticeable -- the more so because there was nothing visible that could have caused it. It could perhaps have been a fish, but there hadn't been any other fish jumping this morning. It had certainly not been a person. The water was not particularly clear, and it was essentially impossible to see anything beneath the waves from M'caiyha's position.

Perhaps it was unimportant -- just one of those random things that happens sometimes. After all, the setting was as far from ominous as possible, and the biggest danger at the moment was probably getting a sliver from a piece of driftwood. The wispy clouds in the sky drew vague lines in white.

[M'caiyha Vosmaeri]

M'caiyha was stooped, scooping up a smooth stone when she noticed the splash, one double-pointed ear flicking. She straightened, dusting the smooth blue stone off with her fingers, and studied the water where the splash had been. There was no fish breaking the surface elsewhere, much less where the water was so shallow. If a gull had come down, Ethgri would've mentioned it. No children, either. Those she would've noticed - especially after living with Viskyia's for a while. Children were essentially incapable of being quiet for too long, unless they were sleeping.

The Esh'lahier placed the stone into the already bulging pocket of her tunic, and made her way over towards where the waves lapped gently at the sand. She laid the driftwood she'd tucked under a long arm down on the shore, and crouched down to get a closer look. Ethgri hung onto her hair and a shoulder, deeply interested in whatever the green-haired Esh was looking at, or for, and Aira peeked out, too, getting into the act of things. Long fingers swept the water back, if only for a momentary respite, trying to leave the bottom undisturbed. Stirring up the sand would only cloud it further.

[Aqua]

The water was too murky for M'caiyha to see through, even when she was right next to it. The sand and mud from this portion of the shoreline hung in suspension in the water, and it was essentially impossible to make anything out below the surface of the lapping waves.

As the Esh'lahier's graceful fingers dipped into the water, there was a moment of silence. Perhaps whatever had made the splash had already moved away. Perhaps there was nothing to be seen here after all, and a moment of idle curiousity would soon pass into memory.

Then, without warning, there was another splash.

It wasn't particularly large, but it was right next to M'caiyha's hand, and it came with such suddenness that it would have startled nearly anyone. Then, a few inches away, something broke the surface. It was a head. A green head.

The head of a turtle.

It was, fortunately, still attached to the rest of the turtle, which was obviously what had been making the splashes. It was a sea turtle, a mottled green and brown, and although its back half was still beneath the water, it didn't look to be fully grown. It looked at M'caiyha with strangely sad eyes, and then smacked the water again with one of its flippers.

[M'caiyha Vosmaeri]

Maybe it had just been a fish or something. She had been about to straighten up and go back for her birds when there was another splash. M'caiyha's eyes flashed in the direction of the displaced water, and if she hadn't been used to staying still, might've fallen flat on her rump and thoroughly soaked her trousers--not that they weren't already, by now--from jerking her hand back. She peered at the source of the splash, and felt a bit of relief when she recognized the head of the critter, and then there was even more relief when she realized it was still attached to the rest of its body. There were plenty of critters on land and in the sea and air that might have been glad for a nice fresh piece of turtle.

She was curious and confused at once. Sea turtles usually hatched and went into the sea, and were carried away by the water, and began a tough life in the depths. So why was this poor fellow doing here splashing about? Was he stuck? "Let's have a look at you," she murmured as she reached for it, knowing what she was looking for now.

[Aqua]

Under normal circumstances, reaching for a sea turtle was a good way to get a puncture wound in one's hands -- the creatures had a notoriously sharp bite, which they were more than willing to inflict. This one, however, was tired enough, or desperate enough, or both, that it made no attempt to resist M'caiyha's touch.

It was somewhat heavy, but M'caiyha would be able to lift it entirely out of the water. It was about two feet long, and the same color that prevailed on its front half continued on to the rear. The cause of the creature's distress was immediately evident. Its back left flipper had been mangled, perhaps by a shark or other predatory fish. Although the limb was still present, it was twisted and cut; the wound was fresh enough that there were traces of blood on what remained of the scales.

The turtle looked unhappily at M'caiyha, and made a circling motion with the damaged flipper. Then it noticed the birds, and gazed at them with the same expression, although it seemed poised to regard them as a threat should the need arise.