[WWP#7] The Beauty in the Water

[Nashawryn]

Word Count: 540

Prompt:

Winter Wandering Prompt 7: Chilly Gills
Your kin has a strange dream of visiting the calm summer sea, the sky painted in sunset… and the foam dotted with a rainbow of colors. On closer inspection, it is a massive school of incredibly round fish, which bounce in and out of the water with reckless abandon.

When they awaken from this dream back into the familiar swamp, they feel a bit different… And they find that they can now hold their breath for much longer than they used to be able to, letting them explore the water with relative ease! What will your kin do with this strange new trait? Hunt down fish, or maybe swim through the deepest parts of the swamp to hunt for interesting things?

This effect will remain for the rest of the day. Once they go back to sleep, however, they will return to their normal self.

[Nashawryn]

Hidden Beauty woke with a start from the vivid dream, her heart beating faster than normal. She felt different, felt stronger; and because of how vivid her dream was she was craving a swim in the lake she was living near. She got up, stretching each leg out, and started off on a trip to the lake. Hidden Beauty normally was more interested in gardening and flowers than swimming and water, so to her this was sort of an odd craving.

It didn’t take long for her to reach the lake, though the path wasn’t exactly easy. A lot of rocks and debris were in her way, though she managed to get through it without stumbling over one. She reached the water’s edge and slowly inched in, one hoof at a time. As she got further into the water she developed a feeling, almost like that of coming home after a long time away. The water seemed as if it was welcoming her into its embrace. She ducked under the waves, the cold causing her to gasp a little as she came back up and the air hit her wet head. She’d stayed under the water for a good few minutes, longer than she’d ever remembered doing in the past.

Hidden Beauty continued on, diving again and swimming deeper and deeper. She was aiming for the bottom of the lake, curious about what she might find down there to see. Thankfully the lake water was very clear, allowing her to see every rock, pebble, weed and tree branch on the bottom. She swam back up to catch a breath of chilled air before diving again. She wanted to grab a small rock from the bottom of the lake in her mouth and bring it up onto land, watch it be caressed by air probably for the first time ever.

She grabbed a smooth rock that was black and brown in coloring, then ascended back up to the edge of the lake where it touched the shore on one side. She spat it out and stared at it in admiration, watching  the water glistening on its surface. This would be perfect to show off in her garden. She searched the area and managed to find a leaf to roll it into so she could carry the special rock back to her land. By the time she got back home it was almost dark.

Hidden Beauty settled the rock in a good spot in her garden, pausing for a few minutes to admire it in the fading light. She settled into her bedding, the dried grass nest very comfortable to her. She wanted to go back to the lake again tomorrow morning to find another rock. Sleep came over her quickly, making her eyelids heavy with it. The night passed uneventfully to her, no further strange dreams. In the morning she set back out to the lake, to gather another rock for her garden. When she got there however, she couldn’t seem to hold her breath for very long again. She thought for a few moments, recalling the vivid dream of the day before. Perhaps it had all just been a gift from the Motherfather.