It hadn’t been long since Dhavan had fought the Kraken alongside the other Soquili and the Mer brothers. Only weeks, but to the young stallion the memory of that battle was still fresh in his memory. He felt adrift now that it was done. They were victorious, the danger had passed, and all of the ponies had parted ways. Everyone had returned home, except him. He no longer possessed the ability to breathe underwater but he still remained close to the water’s edge from where he first had entered into the fray. The inlet was peaceful but empty except for the occasional wild fish or crab scuttling across the beach. On occasion he spotted a sea bird flying over the gentle waves or on the shore. There was food nearby and even shelter for the rare moments when the weather would turn. What more could he want?
Dhavan walked along the water’s edge, letting the surf roll just up to his hooves. His head drooped as he watched his steps. What more could he want? He repeated the question to himself. He sighed as he contemplated his answer. It was a simple answer, wasn’t it? He had food, a safe place to lay his head, fresh water via the river that connected to the sea - all of the necessities. Was that all of the necessities? He flicked his ears. No. No, that wasn’t everything.
He thought back to his adventure under the sea. He recalled the creatures he had narrowly avoided and the wildlife that he had befriended. Azlyn had been the matriarch of a pod of dolphins, and a true friend. She and her family had helped him through so much. He missed his friend. They were to return by the end of the season but until then they were halfway across the ocean. With each passing day his loneliness grew. It festered within him like an itch he couldn’t satisfy. He ached for a friend.
-
The surf was quiet and the warm sand sunk around Daniyah’s rosy hooves. Her long mane billowed in the salted breeze. She sighed happily. This was the beach, she could feel it within her soul. She glanced down at her companion, a sea turtle as rosy as her. Kalila trudged through the sand, her flippers pushing the soft granules over the Soquili’s long fetlocks. Daniyah chuckled. She would have offered to help her familiar but she had already learned that lesson once. The day prior they had been at another beach, a rocky cove, and she had struggled to traverse the rocks and ended up stuck upon a large outcropping. The mare had tried to nudge her over the largest stone before Kalila snapped at her. She didn’t raise her voice, she literally snapped her jaws and glowered - a most unusual reaction for a usually sweet disposition. Then again, their whole new adventure was unusual.
It was only recently that the turtle had started to feel her biological clock winding down(or ramping up depending on how you view it). Her instincts brought her to the beach ready to lay her non-existent eggs. Daniyah had tried to reason with her but the turtle refused to listen. She was just so certain that she would need to find the right beach, a place to shelter a soon-to-be nest. The soquili had tried explaining the birds and the bees…and how there was no need for a nest but the pink sea turtle just shook her head. Eventually the mare gave up and gave in, and just like that they were off on a journey to find a secluded shore where she could lay her imaginary eggs.
Who knows, Daniyah had thought…perhaps the spirits truly had blessed her with a clutch.
Kalila and Daniyah had visited beach after beach, and with each place Kalila grew even more irritable. Since the ‘snapping’ as she was referring to it, she had taken a more leisurely approach with her friend. At each place she’d offer something helpful about the location. The first beach was very remote, the second was warm, and the third was not far from other turtle homes. Each time Kalila would just shake her head. She was a turtle of very little words, so little that during their friendship Daniyah had never heard her speak. She wasn’t entirely sure if she could speak even if she wanted to.
“Well this beach has the softest sand I’ve ever felt.” She smiled warmly at her friend, hoping to sound sincere and not tired.
The rose-hued turtle gazed up at her silently, taking a moment to think before inching forward. Daniyah sighed softly, hoping the surf hid the noise, but Kalila didn’t seem to take notice anyways. She trailed after the slow moving turtle. “Are you sure this is the right place? Maybe we should take another swim and find another?”
-
Dhavan trotted along the beach, keeping to his trail just outside of high tide. He rounded a bend when he heard a voice. It wasn’t coming from the surf but from the actual beach! He peered out over the beach near some large dunes, and there he saw her - a soquili like him! Well mostly like him. She was stunningly bright with small but elegant wings, a mane that carried in the wind, and a broad mer tail built for seafaring. His heart thumped in his chest and his face flushed hot. Should he introduce himself? With any other horse he would…but this one left him breathless.
Thankfully, she made the decision for him. The mare had looked up and spotted Dhavan across the beach, though he was mostly blue it was nothing compared to the ocean at his back. He stood out like a sore thumb. She smiled broadly and kicked up dust as she trotted over to him.
“Hi there!” Her eyes twinkled in the gentle sun. “I’m Daniyah. That’s my friend, Kalila.” She gestured to where she had been, the sea turtle that had been hidden was a bit more visible now. “Are you from this beach? We’re looking for a safe place for her.”
Dhavan was a bit taken aback by her forward attitude but he quickly recovered, with the barest of stumbles. “Erm…uh hi! Hi!” He shook his mane, “I’m not from here, I just visit from time to time.”
“Oh,” she seemed a bit disappointed.
“Erm..but it’s been very safe each time I’ve visited,” he assured her.
She flashed him a smile, and his knees went wobbly. It took all of his focus to stay upright. She had been chattering about the fair weather, or at least he thought she had been. All he could do was nod along. Daniyah stopped talking and waited for a moment before a grin spread across her face, “I asked if you wanted to join us.”
“Oh! Sorry, it’s a bit uh…tough to hear over the waves…yeah.”
Daniyah glanced behind her at the relatively calm sea then back at Dhaven. She chuckled. “No worries. Well the offer still stands. We could use your perspective, you’re more familiar with this beach than we are.
He didn’t have to be asked a third time, “Uh yes! Down that way tends to be much calmer.”
He trotted ahead. Daniyah glanced back at Kalila, she was slowly making her way across the wet sand. “I’m going with Dhaven to scout ahead!” She called out to her companion. The sea turtle bobbed her head as if to say ‘go ahead without me’.
As she trotted behind the blue stallion, she couldn’t help but wonder if this had been her familiar’s plan all along - to find her a pony friend. It had been just the two of them for the longest time. Dhaven showed her a small lagoon and by the time Kalila caught a glimpse the sun had started to set. The sea turtle shook her head, it wouldn’t do. Daniyah sighed, and was ready to say goodbye but the stallion spoke up first. “I know of a few other places, some are not far but we can take a look at first light.” The pink mare glanced at her familiar, Kalila bobbed her head in agreement, and she turned back to Dhaven with a soft smile, “Then it’s a date.”