Changeable as the Sea

Inbere turned out to be surprisingly patient-- patient for a curious little boy, anyway. For all he was less than enthusiastic about waiting to find out the "big secret", he restrains himself and only pestered his bond once a day. Keren found it highly amusing, and never failed to tease him about it the instant he brought it up.

Their return to the fort to show off their new bonds was, as promised, three days later. Though Fidena strutted proudly when introduced, Inbere was less concerned with impressing the other Cadets than with when they'd be able to get away to find Viatoro and go to the ocean. It was actually rather cute, though Inbere blushed a pleasant shade of violet under hsi fur when she told him so. In all truth, she was looking forward to "showing off", as it were, almost as much as Inbere was anxiously awaiting it.

The four bonded Cadets-- well, three and the twerp Riya, anyway-- had to endure a speech by Colonel Roset about duty and their eventual future, while Inbere was left with the other Cadets and his impatient seethed around in the back of Keren's mind. Then they were freed for a few hours, and Keren had wheedled a promise from the captain that she, Viatoro, and Inbere could take a quick trip to the ocean. As if he knew what she'd wanted to do, he granted it easily enough, and Viatoro was already waiting for them when Keren raced out into the lawn in front of the fort, Inbere bounding awkwardly along in her wake. His long toes weren't exactly conducive to easy running.

"Thank you!" Keren exclaimed breathlessly as they reached where the Earth dragon stood, bending over her knees to catch her breath. She had her smaller knapsack, for this trip, rather than her usual bulky backpack; all she really needed was a pair of towels and her sealskin, after all.

"It is nothing," Viatoro said with a little smile. "Are you ready?"

"Of course! Inbere?"

"Very!" the little Water answered firmly, beaming at both the thought of the ocean and learning Keren's "big secret".

"If you have never been teleported, this might feel strange," Viatoro warned, but Inbere snorted lightly.

"We teleported to get here," Keren explained, and Viatoro nodded. He wasted no more time, but instead cast his spell. The familiar fade-in and fade-out of surroundings took, in Keren's opinion, far too long. The salty-sweet smell of the sea flooded around her at they reappeared, and she breathed deeply, shutting her eyes a moment. Inbere's pleasure at the return to the place he felt most at home, as well, only doubled her own.

"There," Viatoro said, "here we are."

"We won't take too long," Keren promised absently, hefting her bag and heading for the water itself, and he settled down in the warm sand to wait patiently and watchfully. In a moment, she had kicked off her shoes and was walking along the shoreline, her feet splashing in the lapping waves. Inbere was less restrained-- he had no clothes to soak, after all-- and bounded right in, darkening his blue-violet fur to nearly black with water. He got himself thoroughly drenched and marginally satisfied before finding her again and walking by her side.

::I didn't know you liked it so much,:: Inbere's thought murmured in her mind. ::You seem just like a Water, sometimes....::

::There aenna ae lottae diff'rence, in some thengs,:: she agreed, making him glance up at her curiously.

Keren paused then, glancing behind her. Viatoro was now hidden by a jumble of sea-tossed boulders, and out of immediate line of sight, just as she'd hoped. She turned a sly smile on her bond. "Want to know my secret now?"

Inbere's answer was a happy yip and enthusiastic nodding, making her laugh. She set her knapsack down on the sand and started carefully shedding clothes. "Well, let me start by telling you a story," she said. The little dragon huffed, but forced himself to be patient, sitting there in the shallows. "Back en Earth, thae Irish-- people who live en Ireland, laik me-- heve a lottae oold legends aboot thengs laik magic an' magic creatures. One'ae thae ooldest aere aboot a kaind'ae people called selkies. Most of thae legends enna at all true... but that'n es."

Reaching into her knapsack, Keren pulled out her sealskin, running a hand over the velvet fur gently. Inbere had seen the skin, of course, but she had refused to tell him exactly what it was. Despite their being bonded, Inbere wasn't a psionic, and so was uncomfortable trying to pick around in her head-- besides, he seemed to think that would be rude. So he had, had to wait. Now, he was looking at it with a little frown, not making the connection yet. Of course, who would, unless they knew what selkies were?

"Selkies... they aere the gentle sea-people. Some other legends tell aboot warriors o'thae ocean, but nae thae ones aboot selkies. Selkies aere half seal, thae stories say, an if yeh kin steal their sealskins, yeh kin keep 'em from thae sea forever-- or until your captive selkie finds her skin again." She flashed Inbere's slightly confused face another grin, and unfolded the sealskin, holding it to her chest. "See, thes one es maine. Naebody has even traid tae steal et, baecuz naebody knoos what et is assept me, my family, my baest friend at hoome-- and now ye."

"Your-- sealskin?" he asked, blinking.

"Mmmhmm."

"You're a... whatsits?"

"A selkie. Thas why I daenna smell laik a human; I'm not one."

".... oh." Inbere was more surprised than anything else, and Keren couldn't blame him. She giggled a bit at his expression, partly amused and partly nervous.

"Et means I'll be able tae swim with ye baetter than aeny human could," she added tantalizingly.

That caught his attention. "How?" he demanded, curious.

"I'll show ye." She approached the water and waded into the water, first to Inbere, then past him, then far enough out for the sealskin to feel the water and start the transformation. Through Inbere, she could sense the actual magic taking place, and it made her change as she ducked under seem new, as if she'd never really done it before.

When she poked a sleek, darkened silver head out of the water and twitched dripping, white whiskers at Inbere, she could see his eyes were huge and surprised. But, when she extended a tendril of tentative thought, waiting anxiously for his reaction, his words lifted her heart from fear into joy.

Because those words were, simply and enthusiastically: "That. Is. So. COOL!"