People always commented on the smell of grass after the rain, but for Noelani there was no better perfume than the sea after a storm.
It had raged for three days. Winds and water had lashed at the sea gate and kept it battered shut. It had grounded all trade and swept to them evidence of more than one shattered trading ship from only the Mother only knew where. Despite their best efforts, the strongest of the Namaka's hadn't been able to bring the seas under their control enough to send out those who might be able to help captain's and their crews struggling. Even the legendary Lung's had preferred to stay grounded, though of course they had lounged out on the streets like giant scaly cats and watched the storms play above them with a joy that had made her heartache. Being inside and away from the sea for so long had been agony for the young Mchawi Princess. She did not understand how her old siblings could stay put like they did on their islands. She wanted the endless horizon and the adventures it held.
Today, she didn't think it would hold that many. The sea had flattened down to small, choppy waves. The contrast to the previous day as akin to a child suddenly asking for a cuddle after a raging tantrum. Her fingers stroked through the crests that lapped against her board and she smiled before dragging herself further out. The sun was at its pinnacle now and the heat from its uninterrupted glare kept the water chill at bay. Not that she really minded such a chill in the heat of summer. Her eyes closed with a satisfied sigh as she stretched out on her board and let her arms dangle down either side beneath the water. She could fall asleep like this but she knew that was dangerous. Even if she could command the water falling asleep could see her swept to waters she didn't know and the lands beyond. As it was she was further from Narufi'ti than her parents would have approved of without a ship.
Lifting her head she squinted against the sun to the blurry line of the horizon. The heat made the water shimmer and dance making it hard to make out much so far away but she had thought... there it was again. A slight pulse beneath the waters of something moving through it. A ship? It could be one of theirs. She pushed herself up onto the oiled board and held a hand against her forehead to shield her eyes. Maybe not a ship... or a ship with something wrong with it? Or a ship she simply did not recognise; a rare thing indeed for the Empires Naval Vizier but not impossible. Curiosity piqued whatever it was, she began to swim her board closer.
It had raged for three days. Winds and water had lashed at the sea gate and kept it battered shut. It had grounded all trade and swept to them evidence of more than one shattered trading ship from only the Mother only knew where. Despite their best efforts, the strongest of the Namaka's hadn't been able to bring the seas under their control enough to send out those who might be able to help captain's and their crews struggling. Even the legendary Lung's had preferred to stay grounded, though of course they had lounged out on the streets like giant scaly cats and watched the storms play above them with a joy that had made her heartache. Being inside and away from the sea for so long had been agony for the young Mchawi Princess. She did not understand how her old siblings could stay put like they did on their islands. She wanted the endless horizon and the adventures it held.
Today, she didn't think it would hold that many. The sea had flattened down to small, choppy waves. The contrast to the previous day as akin to a child suddenly asking for a cuddle after a raging tantrum. Her fingers stroked through the crests that lapped against her board and she smiled before dragging herself further out. The sun was at its pinnacle now and the heat from its uninterrupted glare kept the water chill at bay. Not that she really minded such a chill in the heat of summer. Her eyes closed with a satisfied sigh as she stretched out on her board and let her arms dangle down either side beneath the water. She could fall asleep like this but she knew that was dangerous. Even if she could command the water falling asleep could see her swept to waters she didn't know and the lands beyond. As it was she was further from Narufi'ti than her parents would have approved of without a ship.
Lifting her head she squinted against the sun to the blurry line of the horizon. The heat made the water shimmer and dance making it hard to make out much so far away but she had thought... there it was again. A slight pulse beneath the waters of something moving through it. A ship? It could be one of theirs. She pushed herself up onto the oiled board and held a hand against her forehead to shield her eyes. Maybe not a ship... or a ship with something wrong with it? Or a ship she simply did not recognise; a rare thing indeed for the Empires Naval Vizier but not impossible. Curiosity piqued whatever it was, she began to swim her board closer.