It wasn't often that she wandered from the Lagoon but there were rare moments where Dahlia was able to sneak away without the prying eyes of her siblings or parents. She wasn't purposely trying to be disobedient, in fact she felt called to the darkened shorelines despite every attempt at ignoring her yearnings. The patchwork princess managed to make her way to the beach in record timing but instead of approaching the water she stood a few feet back. She watched as the waves crashed and rolled and she couldn't help but gulp nervously. Dahlia was determined to overcome this fear of hers but .. she had to do it on her own. She couldn't let her family know that she was afraid of water. Swiftly the girl moved forwards to make her way towards the water, at first her paws sloshed gently in the water and she froze. But .. even though it was cold it wasn't so bad? She smiled softly to herself, this is easy (she thought) before taking a few more tentative steps forward. She was hyper alert at the sloshing water beneath her, feeling incredibly awkward as it rocked her back and forth. As she moved a little deeper however the water quickly became too high as a wave swept in and sure enough the small calico girl was knocked off of her feet. Immediately she was sent underwater and her limbs began to thrash as she tried to right herself again. However she couldn't tell which way was up or down. When her little head managed to break out of the water she let out a terrified scream, trying to make her way back to the shore but failing.

@Hákon

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These black shores were, for better or worse, his home. There was a strange sense of familiattiy to found here, nostalgic comfort in the grains of sand beneath his paws. His days are peaceful and quiet, or they were when Minna was not spitting and snarling at him. Today is one such day, right up until it isn't.

There is splashing in the wake and he turns, ears tipping forward as he sees a cub standing in the water. She's hard to miss, all patchwork pieces against white fur -- standing out like a sore thumb. He knows it isn't safe for a cat of her size but it isn't any of his business; if her parents let her out of their sight, then that was their problem. He makes to continue on, not bothering with @Dahlia until the waves knocks her paws from under her.

She falls and thrashes, shouting out shouting terrified noise. If she could scream, then she wasn't drowning -- wasnt suffocating under the waves. Still, he shoulders forward as paws divert their course, moving towards her as he keeps one eye on her and the other om th e waves. Knowing enough not to trust the wake or the sea itself. Move towards me, he calls - tone loud and firm. swim this way. He's almost within grabbing distance of her but still he remains motionless -- poised to snag her if she can't heed his instructions, but certainly willing to let her try.

These greenlanders needed a chance to learn, after all.

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Panic grips her like a vice as she thrashes within the water, her head dunking underwater and then coming back up for air over and over again. Suddenly though someone else is here, or in the very least her ears manage to hear his muffled voice through the water, "Move towards me, swim this way." @Hákon instructs as if it were the easiest task in the world. Her little chubby legs fight to push her body towards him as she gasps for air, claws extended and paws kicking furiously in an effort to bolster herself towards him. She's dunked again and again until finally she is but a pace or two from him. Frantically Dahlia reaches outward in an attempt to grab the much much larger adult, coughing and hacking all the while.

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She bobs around with little grace, but he keeps an eye on her and the currents swirling around them. Best case scenario he saves her, worst case scenario he.... doesn't. He doesn't peg her for family so truthfully he isn't too terribly fussed -- isn't even sure why he's bothering to help. A random cub, careless enough to be caught by the current, wasn't any of his business. Maybe time has made him soft, or maybe he just doesn't want to see another worthless sacrifice given to these seas.

Whichever.

Only now that hes close to her does he realize how young @Dahlia e is, but she's managing okay. Her swimming isn't great but she manages, and Hakon only let's her swim a little bit before reaching over, intent on snatching her up. His jaws aim for the scruff of her neck, clamping down with maybe too much force -- though he doesn't do it maliciously, just unsure how much is necessary to grab hold of her. Getting her back to shore is harder than he'd anticipated ( who knew that scared babies were so wiggly? ), but once there's sand beneath his paws he spits her out -- keen gaze watching, waiting for her to spit up any salt water she swallowed.

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She's too busy kicking and sputtering that she doesn't even notice when @Hákon reaches down and plucks her out of the water. His grip is strong and a little rough but her mind is too focused and trapped in survival mode to even take notice of the pressure on her nape. Soon enough she is put back on the shore and she clumsily stumbles forward. Her legs feel like jelly and she collapses in the sand before coughing and hacking the salt water from her lungs. Large eyes move to peer up at her savior but stop when she notices a random cluster of .. orange things a few feet from them? "W- what.. are those?" She is frozen before she scrambles to her paws and careens backwards to dive behind @Hákon's front legs. She peers in-between them, fur puffed up as she stares at the pumpkins. At this point this man had saved her and she didn't have any doubt that he wouldn't protect her from whatever those things were.

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he watches the piebald babe closely, not trusting her ( nor her absent parents ) to have any idea what to do after nearly drowning. a shame, then, just how close to the mark he was. @Dahlia does indeed cough up some seawater, not quite choking on them though she does stumble under the weight of her own body. easy, he says -- though his voice is not quite as comforting as she might want. he is gruff, almost angry as he says it, though there is vague concern turning his features. it is short-lived, for soon the cub catches sight of something -- her little frame tensing up in fright. seafoam eyes swing to the pumpkins with mild interest, arching a brow at what he sees. they are orb-like and bright orange, strangely out of place where they sit on the beach. it is strange ( though he has certainly seen stranger ), but the way the girl acts as if they're going to eat her... sigh. i don't know, he says plainly, shifting to he side -- hoping to get her out from behind his legs. sorry, @Dahlia, he's not going to let you hide here today. they're nothing to be scared of, though. at least, he's pretty sure -- assuming nasfri behaves herself today.

CODE BY LARS

double, double toil and trouble;
fire burn, and cauldron bubble...

Nafasi watches from the bushes, never once letting herself be seen by those huddled around her perfectly-placed pumpkins. They really were a curious bunch, weren't they? But, unfortunately for them, the sprite was feeling extra mischievous today, and had a trick up her sleeve! And so, with a small grin, the being tilted her maw down towards the earth, eyes glowing, before she gave a pointed flicker of her tail and brought her vision to life in the process.

Uh oh...

Suddenly the temperature plummets, your breath visible in smoky plumes. The wind picks up as the sky above whites out, a thick layer of cloud falling over as the sky opens up. It's less of a snow storm and more of a blizzard: the wind whips around with an unyielding ferocity, and before you can even blink you're standing knee-deep in snow. The storm shows no sign of slowing down, and.... is that hail?

Travel..... is not advised.

pixel credit to moonlight-pendent13

No sooner does he explain that there is nothing to be afraid of when suddenly the weather around them instantly begins to change. Out of nowhere snow begins to fall at an alarming rate, the wind around them swirling and kicking both snow and sand up. Before Dahlia can really react the snow begins to accumulate at her paws. She backpedals immediately and turns, attempting to climb up @Hákon's leg in order to get to safety. He was much larger and taller and the snow was hardly high up on him whereas it practically began to swallow Dahlia. She let out a squeak as she slid down his leg, "Up! Up!" She says frantically, large eyes pleading as she slumps down in the snow at his forepaws.

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