tiamat

the Ocean’s Light

‘Wolf!’

The word suddenly echoes through the sea maiden’s mind; feminine, soprano, and childlike, but distinct and clear, like someone calling out to her across the glassy waters. Somehow, it seems strangely familiar. Caught off-guard, the mare stops mid-step, a cloven hoof raised above the surface of the shallow water as her white eyes glance around. Not seeing anyone through the starry darkness, Tiamat continues with a purse of her sapphire lips, her gait slow and casual along the glossy shoreline.

‘Wolf!’

The word resounds again, more insistent now as it seeks to reach through all corners of her thoughts, demanding her attention in a way someone’s simple voice cannot. Raising her head and trying to ignore the way her heart beats uneasily in her chest, the Basin’s Lady stops again, searching more intensively through the clear summer night. “Hello?” She murmurs breathlessly, one of her ears slanting briefly to the side. Just as she catches sight of something moving—the familiar floating of her companion from where the whale had wandered—she receives a mental imagine of a lone wolf, its white coat glowing beneath the moonlight.

‘Wolf!’ The child’s voice sings once more, merging the voice and the image together. Looking into the Leviathan’s bright blue eyes, Tiamat finally understands.

“Was that you?” She questions with a broad smile of elation. While they have been bonded for months since the orca’s hatching, Nimue has never spoken before, and it brings an affectionate kind of pride to Tiamat’s expression. The young whale trills pleasantly in response to her bondmate’s wordless praise, but concerned about the presence of the lone predator, she sends the image to the mare again.

Following her companion’s direction, the sea maiden wanders further along the Halcyon Flats, until she is able to see the wolf for herself. The creature is not far away, its pale coat brilliantly illuminated by her sister stars, and easy to see against the black velvet of night. Nimue presses against Tiamat’s shoulder, instinctively frightened. “Look, darling,” the mare urges, her voice soft and soothing, motioning with her chin a few paces behind the wolf, where an equine—darkly colored and far more concealed than her companion—walks behind the white wolf.

Satisfied that they are in no danger, the oceanic pair approaches the strangers. “Hello,” Tiamat greets the taller woman with a warm smile, her eyes glistening with a quiet happiness, afraid to shatter the fragile peace of the waters. “Beautiful night, isn’t it?” Her attention wanders momentarily, taking in the wondrous picture, where the water mirrors the sky and the horizon seems to have disappeared. She sighs softly to herself before looking again to the bay. “My name is Tiamat, and this is Nimue,” large blue eyes peek out from behind the curve of Tiamat’s hip, shy and curious while the sea mare chuckles dotingly.

“Speech.”