It truly is a wonder they have survived for so long.
They should have another layer of skin that they shed, just like the Vyastil, but they do not. Instead, they wear sweaters, hats, and scarves. I would not like something like that wrapped around me. But I do enjoy my pink jacket.
Dante pulls into a spot near a walkway, and across the short distance, I can see the ground is…different. It is pale brown and stretches out as far as I can see, interrupted by something else. Something very, very vast and dark blue, a sharp contrast to the cerulean sky.
“Come on,” Dante says. He opens the door and leans in to grab his little bag full of the snacks he wished to bring, then he holds his hand out as I stretch and take a deep breath of the air.
It smells very different here—fresh, like the air just before it rains. I turn to Dante, who’s watching me curiously, a tiny smile touching his lips.
“Differennnnt,” I hum.
He nods. I love that I do not need to explain more than that.
He takes my hand and leads me to the pathway, the hard ground giving way to something soft. And…and terrible. “Saaannnd?” I ask, trying to lift my feet out of it. I look like a Seymosi doing a mating dance.
Dante covers his mouth, eyes twinkling as he watches me. “Yes. Sand. I told you it’s not that great.”
It isnotgreat atall. The tiny grains stick to me, and I trill as those tiny bits get between my toes and make my skin itch. It is not comfortable, but in the next moment, it’s forgotten as my eyes take in what spans out in front of me.
This is the lake.
The water above ground.
It is blue and rolling, almost as if it is alive. Waves—what Dante called them—hit the sand, bursting into small tuffs that arch outward. It is like a monster, ancient and restless. I am afraid, but also in awe.
I stand there, my hands at my sides, my mouth open as I inhale the scent of it.
“I know, I’m not a big fan of the beach part, but the water makes it worth it.” His words trail off as he stares at me. I canfeel the affection he is sending my way, and I can’t help but curl my tail around his waist as he leans into me. “It’s pretty beautiful, huh?”
“Yes,” I say, my eyes closing as I listen to it, the sound of the water hitting the shore, loud and unruly. “Beautiful.”
He tugs on my hand and pulls me across the small mounds that are difficult to walk on, but become easier the wetter they are. The ground isn’t very hard, and my claws sink in deep, and when a sudden surge of water rushes toward me, I panic and try to flee.
“Wait!” Dante calls, laughing. “It’s okay.” He flops to the ground and peels his boots off, then his socks, and rises, holding his hand out toward me. “It’s fine. It’s just cold.”
It takes me a moment to snag his fingers with mine. I have to be careful because I can’t seem to retract my claws, but touching him is calming. I let him pull me toward the water again, and this time, when the wave rushes up against my feet, I do not run.
“Oh my god!” Dante all but screams. “It’s freezing.”
He clings to me, and I lift him up into my arms, holding him steady with my tail as the frigid water rushes around my ankles. It is not unbearable for me. It is also nothing like a shower, which also seems like such a waste of precious water.
I only like those because I am able to touch my Dante all over.
But this is freeing. Healing.
Dante looks down at me for a moment, then he leans in for a soft kiss. I let my thrymm pulse from my chest to his as he wraps his legs around me, and eventually, as the kiss breaks, he slides down to the sand, and we back away so his toes do not freeze.
The sun setting across the water is growing orange, and it lights my Dante up with a soft halo. He looks so beautiful. More beautiful than the water that has no end. Just like my love for him.
My VySytheh.
He is mine, and I am his.
Our eyes meet, and he reaches out, his hand caressing my cheek.
“I’m so glad we met, that I found you, Cielo. You are my heart…I—” he wets his lips and his cheeks flush pink. He releases an unsteady breath. “I’ve never said this to anyone else…but…I love you.”
My eyes widen, and I trill loudly, my hands reaching out and pulling him into me. I lift him up, his ankles hooking behind my back.
