in the beginning...

...the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

      The day was winding down. Birds were beginning to quiet, crickets beginning to chirp. The rays of the setting sun washed everything in pale colors. Though the breeze from the open sea had yet to abate, it had not cooled with the coming night. Like warm fingers it threaded through the palms and across the grasses, caressing the beings there as a caring parent. The ebb and flow of the waves upon the shore was a peaceful lullaby, rocking many to sleep with its soothing rhythm. Just one form resisted the urge to rest.
      Sat just outside the entrance to Calypso's den, watching the clouds move across the darkening sky, was a brindled cub. Her pale eyes searched the heavens with interest, watching the swirl of winds far beyond reach and how they affected the skies. There was a sense of wonder, but also of contemplation. A serious edge that belied a maturation of soul beyond its span. Perhaps it was a fleeting thing, a single moment of aged clarity, but it was there.
      Questions and flashes of memory spun 'round each other in the cub's mind. Dancing together yet remaining apart--as though she could not figure how to marry them. They did not seem to cause her grief, but there was a certain amount of upset in the stiffness of her shoulders as she sat. It felt as though she was grasping at something many years beyond her comprehension, and railing against the acknowledgement of its enigma.
      So she sat, and she watched the firmament in quiet thought.

---

words. 259
tags. @Calypso
notes. introspective cubbin is introspective

june y7 ≠ amani cay, stygian shore
4 months old ≠ galloway crew boatswain
barbarian lvl 0 ≠ paladin lvl 0
wounded ≠ fatigued
H4 ≠ D0 ≠ L5

code by corvus

After the long days she most loved the quiet of the evening, especially lately when she was decidedly busier than she would like to be. Calypso did her best to keep her visits to the lagoon quick, but saga's wounds were severe and she felt a responsibility to ensure she lived. for the alliance, sure, but more so for him. even if it broke her own heart in the process. @Grit was the bright point in her days, the tiny bundle bringing more joy than she had imagined was possible. fast growing (and undoubtedly much larger than the other cubs on the island) it warmed her heart to see the poke of teeth from lips. fate had a laugh, perhaps, when it placed the long-toothed cub in the path of a similarly adorned mother. calypso's teeth may not be longer but the jut of her jaw forced them out from her lips, making the two obvious opposites. as a healer she is tuned in to the emotions of those around her, but for calypso it went much further than that. an empath in every sense of the word, taking on the feelings her environment was imbued with. it is why she is drawn to the child, now, with a knit of concern on her brow. "ye alrigh' darling?" straight to the point, inquisitive and affectionate as she came beside her daughter and placed a tender lick upon her head.

image by shan, code by koi

in the beginning...

...the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

      The kiss saw the cub's ears long ears lay back, her chin tilting up so she could look up at Calypso with fondness. Physical touch had quick become a favorite, a necessity. It was an expression of affection, of love, and would morph to represent ever more as she aged--if her craving for it at this age was anything to go by. As such, the cub shifted sideways until she could lean her shoulder against Calypso's leg. A 'purr' came vibrating from the child's chest as she rubbed her forehead against her mother's fur, reveling in the scent and sensation.
      "I'm a'right. Jus' wonderin'." The cub used a forepaw to indicate the sky above them. "What makes 'em clouds clouds? Why they move?" There was a pause, then. Not quite hesitation, but consideration. How to word the next part? The true cause of her contemplation? It was... difficult, to put the flashes and feelings into words. Especially since her vocabulary and understanding of the world was still so new. But she tried.
      "Why ye love me?" A loaded question when asked by any other age-group. Perhaps even by any other lion. As it was, there was no question of the typical 'prove your love to me' or 'stroke my ego by recounting my qualities.' Instead, it was more an asking of what love is. Why love is. What so bound them together that they were inseparable? The question was far from the roil of images that bubbled in her mind and chest, but it was, at least, a good start.

---

words. 260
tags. @Calypso
notes. sorreh for shortness! typing with a bum wrist today xD

code by corvus

there was that familiar clench of her heart at the touch, reveling in these small moments and finding them to be the most important part of her days. an answering purr rose in the wake of @Grit's, as mother and daughter both soaked up the bits of affection shared between them. the question was, well, adorable. the kind of musings of a child, and calypso's eyes crinkled with fondness. "dey move wit' de wind," she answered, because that part was easy, but as for the rest... "i don' know where dey come from," it was an honest answer, but her lips curled in a smile as she added "but don' dey look soft? i imagine dey would be nice to sleep on..." calypso knew many things, especially about herbs and healing, but the skies beyond had always been a mystery. the sea was more familiar to her, and the stars, but she had never given much thought to clouds. why ye love me? ah and what a perfect inquiry it was. first, though, her heart was warmed at the sound of her own accent bleeding through the vocals of the young child, and she thinks about this for a moment before she answers. "because ye are de light of me life," she answered, her voice soft and filled with love for the growing girl. "because ye are bright and curious and so very smart. i love ye fer yer brain," she tapped gently on the girls head, "an yer heart," and then on her chest. she lowered her head and sought to press her forehead against her daughters -- "i love ye because ye are mine, an' i am yers."

image by shan, code by koi

in the beginning...

...the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

      Pale eyes turned up to the sky as Calypso gave her answer. If the clouds moved with the wind, they must not weigh much. Like grass. Or dust. Or maybe they were really heavy, and the wind up there was just really strong. She couldn’t decide which would make more sense, and so settled with keeping both possibilities open. As such, it wasn’t much surprise that her mother didn’t know what the clouds were made of. They looked soft and fluffy, like snow, but what if they were truly dense and compact, like rock? Knowing that there were things her mother didn’t know didn’t bother the cub in the least. Perfection was not something she was raised to seek or know.
      When Calypso next spoke, the cub’s ‘purr’ grew louder. She looked up at the lion with a warmth given to no other. It could well be said that her mother was the light of her life, too. In part due to age keeping a focus on a small circle of relations, but, in much larger part, due to the sheer love she felt for the lion. Had she known, she wouldn’t have cared that she was not Calypso’s birth-child. Love was far deeper than just blood. It was a comfortable blanket spread over two souls, holding them together with a glue of adoration. That was all she cared to know, because that was all she needed to know.
      The cub lifted her head into her mother’s touch, closing her eyes as she rubbed her forehead against the larger. "I know I’m good ‘n all that." There was a touch of mischievous snark in her tone, though still clear that it was only in jest. "I learned from da best, y’know." Then her lips split into a wide grin that appeared all the more goofy for her enlarged teeth. After a moment, her expression returned to normal. "Ye think ‘em clouds ever gon’ come down here?" Ah, yes, the important questions in life.

---

words. 333
tags. @Calypso
notes. copied from google doc <3

code by corvus

so easily had she settled in to calypso's life that she could not imagine it without the girl, now. though at times she questioned her own ability to parent (didn't they all?) she hoped she was doing right by her ward -- she hoped that @Grit would grow knowing she was safe and loved, always. in the meantime she sought to teach the girl all the little things she could, but above else to care for others and for the world they lived in. and the sea -- above all else, the sea. her gaze drifts in that direction for a moment, before it drops back to the daughter tucked at her side. "i said ye were smart," she teased back, because a thick skin was just as important as kindness, "not good." but it is said with fondness, and a playful wink, just to make sure the young cub knew she did not mean the words. to the clouds, again, and a tiny purse to her lips. calypso thought briefly of the lingering mist that had blanketed the land, hoping it was just a strange weather quirk and that there was nothing to be said for the child's questions. "sometimes d'ey do," she answered, "an' we call it fog." perhaps not proper clouds, the white fluffy type that stretched like cotton candy across the sky, but something much like them anyway. "it isn't like de white an fluffy clouds, d'ough," she added with a small shrug. @Grit

image by shan, code by koi

in the beginning...

...the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

      The cub's grin returned, wider this time, as Calypso teased her. She plopped to the sand, rolling to her back, and wriggled until she was half beneath her mother's chest. Then she batted her paws the lioness's underside for a moment before turning her attention to one of the delicious forelimbs. She tried to wrap her legs arounds the limb and gnaw upon it--gently, of course, though her age and over-long teeth meant the nibbles were a bit too hard yet. It was a fond thing. A childish 'attack' in 'retaliation.' Truly, Calypso's words didn't bother her in the least. She was being raised among pirates. Thick skin was second nature.
      The child's playing paused as her mother mentioned that clouds do, in fact, come down. This left her with her mouth around one of Calypso's toes, her forelimbs wrapped firmly around the leg to which the toe was attached. It was an amusing position, made even more so by the ring of white that showed around her eyes as she looked up at her mother with wonder and excitement. Without a further moment of thought, she spat out the toe and let go her grip--assuming Calypso hadn't shaken her off already, of course--and bounced to her feet. She looked back and forth several times, up and down the beach and all around the Cay.
      "It do?" There was a high pitch to her voice, almost a squeak, as her energy gathered. "I wanna see!" Then she paused another moment. Bottom jaw opened, corners of the mouth turned up, eyes grew wide. She turned to look up at Calypso with an almost visible lightbulb above her head. "If the fog be soft, then clouds be soft! Are fog soft?" And suddenly she was squarely facing her mother, looking up with an eagerness so strong it vibrated her body. She had to know. She needed to know. It made so much sense that fog would feel the same as clouds. They were clouds. Just on the ground.
      It was, perhaps, a wonder that she hadn't seen fog yet. Surely there would be a morning and evening fog that rolled in from the sea and blanketed the Cay... right? Had she just been so lucky--or unlucky--to have been asleep or otherwise occupied in the den when this weather happened? Or had it something to do with the seasons? Perhaps her mother knew more about this mysterious cloud-falling and would see fit to share with her. It was, after all, very important to know about clouds and fog.

---

words. 425
tags. @Calypso
notes. i effin love this xD

code by corvus

by now she was used to the teeth of her daughter -- she does not flinch or pull away, adding these marks to the many others that litter her limbs. she wiggled her toes a little, playing with the girl, amusement adding a sparkle to her eyes that was rarely seen. except for by @Grit, who no doubt saw it all the time. motherhood had softened calypso -- but that softness was a precious gift rarely shared. she couldn't help but laugh at the expression, followed by the burst of motion that drew her cub back to her over-large paws (gods she really was going to be a giant, wasn't sure?) connecting the fog to the clouds was perhaps not quite correct, but she couldn't think of anything else that she could relate fog to. it looked a lot like clouds stretched thin across the ground. but as for what it felt like -- "ye can't really feel it. it's jest... d'ere." a furrow as she tries to think of how to explain it. "it almost be like ye cannot get to it. de closer ye get de furt'er it seems." another chuckle, knowing how insane that sounded. "next time de fog rolls in ye cen see fer yerself." an affectionate pat of one paw on her daughter's head accompanied these words.

image by shan, code by koi

in the beginning...

...the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.

      Focus was intent as the answer was given. It wasn't one she expected, though she didn't have an honest idea what she expected. Her rump met the sand as she looked up at her mother with a contemplative expression. What Calypso described was very similar to what she knew love to be so far; A thing you couldn't much see, but was still there, and the closer to got, the more space there was to wiggle even closer still. No matter how much she thought she loved her mother, there always seemed to be new dimensions and depths discovered each day. Pale gaze drifted back to the clouds high above.
      "Love be like that." Her words were wise beyond her age, and she had no clue. She only spoke what she thought. "Maybe clouds be love. Each'n a love. Like da stars." And how each one was a representation unto itself. Still, the thought of being able to feel a cloud on the ground was... exciting. The cub wriggled in place as her eyes shone up at her mother. "I'm gon' feel tha clouds." A statement. A promise. If she had to wake up even earlier than she usually did, she would. Anything to be able to see and feel the fog.
      Staying up late, however, was still difficult. It was the weariness of the day that had her mind wondering such thoughts to begin with, and now it was growing. The cub's mouth opened wide in a yawn, her nose crinkling as she sucked in air. Her teeth clicked as she finished, and her eyes blinked separate of each other. Rumbling a contented 'purr' the cub moved forward into her mother's embrace and settled down against the sand with content. It wouldn't take long before she was asleep, and Calypso would have to cart her off to the den.

exit via sleep

---

words. 310
tags. @Calypso
notes. if only they knew... xD

code by corvus

time and again she was taken aback by the child and her insights. calypso often wondered if this was normal -- were children always this wise? -- and had nearly convinced herself that there was nothing unique about it. grit was just like any other cub, right? full of questions, making connections where adults wouldn't usually make them. but then she remembered the many cubs she had known when she was younger, the ones that had come to her mother's den as patients, or those she had seen playing in the cove. none of them had every said something so special, and so she truthfully believed that this little girl that tucked suddenly against her side was something more. something important and perfect and unique -- and surely her mother's love made this seem all the more true. "if clouds are love," she murmured as the girl snuggled close, "d'ere would be a t'ousand jest from me." the stars, too, though she imagined there were not enough to mark her love for the girl. calypso rested as grit tumbled in to sleep, watching the horizon, content. after a moment or two she would gather the cub by the scruff (again realizing her size was bound to be immense) and cart her off home. -exit-

image by shan, code by koi