[PLOT] An Unexpected Hunt (Anatolio, Caymus)[FIN]

[Menelie]

Mene

Anatolio was out making his rounds for the day. It was a dual duty: to patrol a set route and look for anything out of the ordinary or dangerous, and also to hunt for anything large enough to bring back to the palace for food. It was usually dreadfully boring, and allowed him plenty of time alone with his thoughts. Today he was feeling slightly melancholy, as had been his general mood for the last several tides. He and Lala had mutually agreed to part ways, and while he was sure that was the best decision for both of them, he was still sad about it. He'd liked her a lot. He'd felt real love for her. And now he was alone again, which he hated. How could you have a family as big as his, and still feel so lonely all the time?

Something caught Toli's eye and he focused his attention on the present. He held his spear in a defensive position. Something large was swimming near him. That was certainly out of the ordinary. He'd have to report back. He hung back, away from it. It appeared to be some kind of animal, not a fish. He'd never really seen anything like it before, and his curiosity was piqued. Carefully, and at a distance, he swam after the creature.

Wolf

She had come into the lake from the eastern sea passage. The journey had been long, but it had been made in hope of there being less dangers in the lake. As a selkie, there were still dangers for Caymus, just different ones. She had felt the gradual change in the water as she entered the lake and there was some sense of relief, but she was nervous. Caymus knew the lake belonged to the naiad and she wasn't truly one of them. She had no plans to make her home in the naiad palace, but she was sure she would still run into naiad while she was out and about, catching her supper for example.

Her stomach grumbled. She supposed it was time to catch her meal. Her bright, rainbow colors did nothing to camouflage her seal form as she dived through the water after a school of fish. At least she was fast, but it was a miracle she had survived out in the sea as long as she had.

Mene

The light caught the mysterious creature he'd been watching and Toli was surprised to see all the colors of the rainbow shimmering on its skin. He'd thought to perhaps hunt it for food, but no natural animal had colors like this. No, this was something magical and it would be disrespectful at best (and catastrophic at worst) to damage it. Still, though he was curious about it, and kept following it, at a distance. His spear returned to a neutral position, his body relaxed as he "pursued" the beautiful creature. He wondered how and why he'd never seen anything like this before.

Wolf

One of the times she had circled around the school of fish, try to corale them for easy feasting, the glimmer of the spearhead caught Caymus' eye. Another circle around the school, and she realized what it was she was looking at She froze, and the school of fish dissipated around her to seek their own safety from her. It was one of the dangers of the lake: a naiad. Nervousness filled her, his pose didn't seem all that aggressive, but it certainly seemed as if he had been following her with that weapon. Perhaps she could out swim him, But the truth of the matter was that life in the lake would be the same as living in the sea if she feared their hunt and didn't try to connect with the naiad.

"Wait..." She said calmly, the opposite of how she felt inside. The voice came from a regular-looking, although still vibrantly colored, naiad. In truth, she wasn't anything like a naiad, but it was what the hunter would see.

Mene

It was Toli's turn to freeze. Suddenly it wasn't an animal at all, but a beautiful naiad girl. He was practically dumbstruck by her striking appearance, awed. Her skin was a beautiful shade of pink on her face and chest, which then faded into the rainbow he thought he'd seen on the creature. And her hair...he'd never seen such a vibrant shade of red, and the voluminous locks flowed around her. He realized, suddenly, that she'd been using the form of an animal to hunt, and he'd interrupted. "M-my apologies," he stammered, running his hand through his hair and feeling completely like a teenager again. "I didn't realize you....I thought you were..." He blushed and rubbed his cheek, embarrassed.

Wolf

As the naiad stammered away, it was kind of endearing and it chased away some of her nerves to see how nervous she had made him. It was probably because of her illusion. Caymus felt confused about how to respond. Should she tell him what she was, or simply let things be vague, maybe even lie. "It is alright, this happens sometimes," she chose to be vague. She glanced around, the school of fish was completely gone now, there went her lunch.

 

[Menelie]

Mene

Toli stuck his spear into the ground, shaft first, so that it stood upright while he tried to compose himself. Just talk, you can always talk yourself into confidence. "My father also can shift into an animal form," he said, omitting that it was a friggin' Leviathan. "Although, I've never seen him use it. I confess, though, I've never seen the creature whose form you were using," he said curiously. He wondered if she'd tell him about it. Then, he added, "I do apologize for ruining your hunt...I admit to being quite mesmerized by you and I appear to have lost my wits." He chuckled and scratched the back of his neck.

Wolf

"Oh, he can?" Caymus briefly began to wonder if he was also a Selkie, but the idea began to make less sense the more she thought of it. "Uhm, it's a seal. They live in the sea, which is where I'm from." Caymus hoped none of that information seemed too out of the ordinary.

"Ah yes, well that happens too, I suppose." She responded to his apology for ruining her hunt. Hopefully there were plenty of fish in this lake. "I'm sorry if I ruined yours," she said, motioning to the spear sticking out of the ground that she has been eyeing cautiously.

Mene

"Hm?" said Toli, then followed her gaze. "Oh! Oh, no, I wasn't, I mean, I probably should have been....heh." He took a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I am a hunter," he started over. "But today I was mostly on patrol. Keeping our waters safe for lovely ladies like you." He smiled what he hoped was a flirtatious smile.

"You're from the sea? You must have traveled quite a distance to be here." He hadn't heard of many sea Naiad lately; he'd figured they'd all mostly made their way home to Alu Spring where things were safe and there was plenty for everyone. But all those unique Naiad who'd come from the sea all those tides ago...maybe there were more.

Wolf

"Oh, um," some color came to her cheeks. It was now Caymus' turn to stammer as he smiled at her, the compliment wasn't missed this time. But he was a hunter, didn't that just figure. She wasn't really something he needed to keep the water safe from, she hoped.

"Yes, it was a much longer journey than I expected, but I'm hoping it will be worth it." Her large, dark eyes looked at the male hopefully. Then she glanced to the ground, realizing that she had unintentionally flirted back. Caymus had come here for safety, that was what needed to be worth it, she reminded herself. She couldn't help that in addition to hunger, she was feeling loneliness from the long journey on her own, selkies usually travelled in groups.

Mene

Hold up, was she flirting back with him? Toli could hardly believe it. She was way out of his league. But he wasn't exactly going to say no, not by a long shot. "I hope so too," he agreed with a smile, then straightened up a bit. "I'd be happy to escort you home," he offered, "by way of the bazaar, so I can buy you some fish to make up for interrupting your hunt."

Realizing he hadn't yet introduced himself, he cleared his throat with a start. "I'm Anatolio, by the way," he said with a small bow. "Toli."

Wolf

Home. Yes, she was going to need to figure out where that was. Then he talked about a bazaar and buying fish. He was a hunter, couldn't he catch her a fish? What a strange, new world she was in. The idea made her sort of nervous, and yet she couldn't help but be curious. "The Bazaar, what is that? Is it like a reef?" She asked, although she guessed it would be crowded since naiad could buy fish there.

"Toli," she repeated. Oh, this was the part where she should give him her name, this was normal, even if it felt like giving information about herself was only barely second to handing him her skin. "My name is Caymus." She held her breath for a moment as if she expected something monumental to happen at the completely normal name exchange, but of course nothing did. "Perhaps an easy fish would be good." She decided, hopefully this bazaar was close.

 

[Menelie]

Mene

Toli expertly concealed a moment of surprise. Of course she wouldn't know what the bazaar was. "Ah, of course. It's like a gathering of booths where naiad sell things to other naiad. You can buy necessities like fish and other food, and you can also buy just-because things like jewelry."

"It's lovely to meet you, Caymus. C'mon, I'll show you around," said Toli. He picked up his spear with one and hand offered her his other arm. Perhaps in another life he could be a tour guide rather than a hunter.

Wolf

Well she had been right, a bazaar sounded very busy, but her stomach had already committed to the idea of an easy meal. Actually, it really liked the idea of an easy meal. She might have to learn to be comfortable around the naiad. "Oh, ok." She responded to his offered arm, taking it somewhat awkwardly. Caymus was less used to the feeling of an arm.

"I know na-," she started to say naiad, but she realized that talking that way might send up flags when she was trying to pretend to be a naiad. "Did you grow up in the lake?" She changed her question.

Mene

If Toli had heard her change questions he didn't show it. "Mhm," he affirmed, beginning to steer them in the direction of the palace and bazaar. "But both my parents are from the sea. They came here after the island fell." He assumed most naiad knew the details about what had happened and didn't elaborate further. Too much sadness.

Wolf

Caymus slowly nodded her head. "I'm sure they have told you how different it is in the sea. Or at least from what I have heard." She hoped that it was true, it certainly felt different, whether that was a good change or not remained to be seen.

Every once in a while Caymus would glance over at the naiad, in some ways studying him as this was the closest she had ever been to a naiad. She could appreciate his bright coloring, like a cloudy sunset. And his hair looked playful, she wondered if his personality matched that, right now he just seemed nervous or like maybe something else was going on inside his head, she wasn't sure.

"Do all the... Does everyone live here?" She asked, referring to the palace. She hadn't planned to make her home in the palace.

Mene

Toli chuckled. "Oh, no, not at all. I mean, I do, makes my life a lot easier since I have to report there every morning, but my mother and her husband and their kids live in a little grotto out where it's quiet. I think for folks who like the hustle and bustle living at the palace is nice, but not everyone wants that, y'know?" After a moment, he continued. "After the princesses were born the Queen called a lot of other naiad home from the sea too. And I think a lot of them find the palace too busy so they've made homes elsewhere in the Lake."

Suddenly a realization dawned on him. "Wait, you do have a place to stay, don't you?" he asked, concerned.

Wolf

Caymus was thoughtful as he spoke. A little grotto sounded nice. "Oh yes," she recalled the calling, her kind had gotten it too, even though they weren't true naiad, and some had made their way to the lake, she wondered what had happened to them... If they had made themselves known. Would this queen know? There was no easy way to ask if Toli had personally met a selkie though. "Oh, you must have met quite a variety of naiad when that happened..." She mused, hoping to find out something about the selkie. Then she remembered he hadn't seen a seal before.

"Not since I left my home in the sea, I was still getting my fins wet," she admitted.

 

[Menelie]

Mene

"Well that won't do," said Toli, shaking his head. "We'll have to find you someplace to stay, at least temporarily until where you find where you want to settle." He coughed slightly. "I mean--that is--if you want to stay in the Lake..."

After a moment Toli continued to answer her earlier question. "Yes, it was mesmerizing seeing naiad of all different shapes and colors and forms. I think it's wonderful." His mind drifted to Lala for a moment before he banished the thought. "It does make me wonder, if out in the wide sea there's naiad who were too far to hear the call...others we haven't met yet, y'know?" He shrugged a little. "If there are, I hope they can make their way here someday."

As they neared the palace every once in a while they'd see another naiad swim by. Everyone seemed busy, though Toli did wave to a couple. "The bazaar's not far. We'll get a nice meal and then figure out what's next for you, yeah?"

Wolf

"You don't need to..." Caymus paused, he was being friendly and perhaps she could use some help, at least to make sure she didn't set up camp for the night in someone else's home. "Well maybe if you know of some of these grotto's? I don't want to intrude on anyone's home."

Caymus curiously eyed the other naiad who passed them. She was relieved that she didn't seem to draw any extra attention. She relaxed a little bit more. "Well I made it here, so I'm sure there are more that will."

She listened to Toli's plan and smiled and gave a quick nod, "That sounds nice. Those poor, lovely ladies who are left to face the dangers of the lake alone since I have stolen you." She referred to his comment from earlier when he explained his patrol.

Mene

"Of course," said Toli. "I know all the good spots." A beat. "Well, all the good spots along my route," he amended. "We'll get you fixed up somewhere." At her last comment he chuckled and blushed. "Yes, well, they'll have to wait, as I'm quite enjoying your company."

The pair found their way into the bazaar, which was indeed noisy, busy, and full of life. Vendors of all naiadkind sold wares of all types. Some things were very recognizable, such as fresh fish, others took another look. Toli kept Caymus close, drawing himself up to his full stature to cut through the crowd more easily. The very official-looking spear probably didn't hurt either. "C'mon, the fish market part's over here," he said, directing her to one of the busiest part of the market. "There's all kinds of fish here, and shellfish, which are my personal favorite, so you can pick out what you like and I'll take care of it."

Wolf

Caymus smiled, unsure of what to make of their unexpected companionship. She was momentarily put into shock as she looked around the Bazaar. She thought she had already seen 'busy' in the few naiad they had passed, this was something completely different. "Wow, I don't know why I expected the lake to be quieter." She commented, though she supposed less dangerous was a different kind of quiet. Toli didn't have to work very hard to keep Caymus close, she practically sink into him. Of course she felt like that made it painfully obvious that she wasn't from around here. "Wow," she exclaimed naturally pulling away from him to look at the assortment of foods, everything different from the varieties found in the sea. Her stomach growled approvingly, "All this food..." To think how hard she had to work for a meal in the sea. She glanced at Toli, still a little uncertain that this was ok, before swimming to a stand and ordering their variety of fish.

Mene

oli followed her from booth to booth. He ordered a few oysters for himself, which came in a net bag he tied to his spear so he wouldn't lose them. He'd have them for supper tonight. He took care of whatever Caymus ordered for herself, then steered them out of the bazaar to a more quiet location to eat.

Wolf

Caymus watched as Toli took care of her fish for her, paying attention to how the exchange worked. She was going to have to figure out how all of that worked so she could come back and do it on her own. As attractive as all the food had been, she was relieved to be out of the Bazaar. "That will take some getting used to," she bubbled in relief. "But it at least seemed easier than having to catch my own meals. Now to see how your lake fish taste." She held up her acquisition. It took all of her self control to not shred it to pieces, leaving little pieces of fish floating around for the krill. The naiad seemed more sophisticated than that.

 

[Menelie]

Mene

Toli led them to a quiet spot near the kelp forest and stuck his spear in the sand before sitting down in the lakebed, resting his tail. He chuckled at Caymus' joke. "All the vendors claim their catches are the freshest, but I doubt it's better than catching your own meal." He flicked his fins, amused. He was glad to have helped her find something to eat, even if it were less satisfying than having caught it herself. He fished one of the oysters out of the bag he'd gotten and smacked it on a nearby rock until it opened. "I have a tool for this at home," he said apologetically. "But this works just as well, if not as clean." Once he had the oyster opened he tossed each half shell back like it was liquor, then tucked the empty shells back into the net bag so as not to litter.

Wolf

"That's true, how fresh can this really be?" She wondered out loud. Caymus tried not to think about it too much as she bit into the fish. The fish had a different taste, but she couldn't place if it was because it was freshwater or less fresh. At this point, she was hungry enough that the taste mattered less. She watched Toli smacking the oyster against a rock, which is what she would have done too. "You have a tool for that?" She asked incredulously as if the rock wasn't tool enough.

Mene

"Mhm," said Toli with a nod. "It's a thin blade that you can get in between the shells, then you twist it to pry them apart." He shrugged a little. "I really like oysters," he confessed.

Wolf

"Hmm," Caymus acknowledged. She was sure he had mentioned how much he liked shellfish several times now, so she tucked away that bit of information. For what purpose, she didn't entirely understand. She finished eating her fish. "Thank you for leading me to your... Uh... Hunting grounds, I suppose, and catching me a meal, in a way." She laughed quietly, "I didn't expect such a welcome when I saw you with that spear."

Mene

Toli laughed nervously and blushed, running his hand through his hair. "Sorry about that," he apologized again. "But I am happy to have run into you," he said, perhaps a bit too candidly. "Once we've finished here I'll help you find someplace quiet to stay, at least until you get your bearings." It must be so hard to acclimate to a totally new place. He'd never thought about it before, but so many of his elders--Mother, Father, even the Queen--had had to do the same, and under such duress. It gave Toli pause.

Wolf

There was a shy smile from Caymus, "It was actually probably a really good thing I ran into you." She admitted thoughtfully. "I probably wouldn't have plunged so quickly into this new lake-life on my own. I didn't know what to expect..." She was talking about him or at least naiad, but she couldn't make that clear. If all naiad were as kind as Toli was, then perhaps she had nothing to fear of them. Still, a quiet place was preferred. "Thank you, that would be really helpful.

 

[Menelie]

Mene

"Of course," said Toli graciously.

The two wrapped up their meal, Toli only actually eating the one oyster, choosing to save the others for later. They then swam further out, up toward the Lomir Caves, which were secluded enough that Toli was sure they'd be able to find a quiet place for Caymus to live. Stay? Something. "Not too much light in these caves, but they're certain to be private," he offered. If she wasn't a fan he had a couple other ideas.

Wolf

Caymus casually followed her tour guide out to the caves. To think just a few hours ago she probably wouldn't have followed him anywhere. Caymus wondered if she felt that way because he had fed her, did it only take fish to earn her trust?
She inspected the caves, "The darkness isn't so bad, it's mostly just a place for me to rest my head at night. I am used to spending most of my time in the open water or finding a nice rock to sun on..." Caymus paused, unsure if she had just revealed something that would sound strange to a naiad.

Mene

A strange statement, but he chalked it up to personal preference and her being from the sea. "Then this should feel familiar," he offered with a bit of a shrug.

Not really knowing what to say or do next, he scratched the back of his neck. "I, uh, I'm happy to check in on you in a few days, if you like..."

Wolf

Caymus gave a small smile and nodded her head. He didn't say anything about her comment about sunning on a rock, and his face didn't seem to say anything about it. She was relieved, But it was a reminder of why she should be careful being too comfortable with a naiad.

Still as they got ready to part ways, there was some sadness within Caymus, she was a social creature and she had been without a pod for long enough that she had forgotten what companionship felt like and he had reminded her of that too. "That would be good," she agreed. "I might have more questions that come up about the lake." She said in a way to encourage him to come back. Caymus wasn't so sure she was about to dive through the palace searching for Toli. "Thank you for taking me under your fin today."

Mene

Toli gave a little bow. "Of course," he said with a bit of a boyish grin, despite his formal posture. "Until then, I wish you smooth currents and an easy hunt." And, not really knowing how to say goodbye, he opted to just sort of....leave.