The first indication that it was no longer just me and my gull friends, came in the form of a shout that nearly sent me leaping out of my skin. I had already grown so content and relaxed standing in the water that even my bottom limp had begun to tremble and my eyes fall shut, but they snapped wide open at the call of another.

My thick body shot forward a few steps before I whirled my rear end around to face the stranger, the water flying up around me, left front leg nearly buckling at the force and speed of the movement due to its weakened state. But rather than the huge hulking monster my mind had expected to see, it was but a fair lady of gold and copper, and a large, striped feline. I eyed the latter with trepidation, but if this lady showed no fear of it, then I figured I shouldn't either. Or at least... not yet.

A nervous laugh escaped my throat as I looked from the tigress back to the mare; what a fool I must've looked, acting in such a cowardly way at the mere sound of somebody's voice... "Sorry about that, lass, my nerves got the better of me I suppose." Picking up my feet, I stepped out of the water, the sand continually causing me to sink down a few inches. At the lady's question, my eyes shifted to that of my discarded boot and I chuckled softly. "It's a boot I fashioned for my leg here," I explained, lifting the still swollen and throbbing leg for her to see, "The pressure of it helps me walk a little better. I suppose I should find myself a healer, but... No such luck for this traveler thus yet."

Closing the distance between us just a bit more, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the white tigress, I offered the lady a bright smile as I spoke next. "My name is Finn, madame," I said, and just as I opened my mouth to ask of her own, my eyes grew wide and my words died on my lips as I really got a good look at her. Those bright blue eyes, that pure white blaze and those stockings, and that coat of coppper... Could it really be? Sucking in a breath of shock and awe, I could hardly help my staring for a few moments before my impending exclamation came.

"By Jörð... Could it be? Princess? Is that really you?" The words started out as a whisper, but grew in volume as they were said. It couldn't be, no; the heir of Ossic Briar just couldn't have ended up here, outside of the Kingdom and in way of all the dangers of this land.

Was she well in the head? Was I well in the head?


"talk"
F I N N
to coax the darkness into light