Citizen 901 Gaellice

Gaellice sighed with just as much excitement and determination as with fear as he eyeballed the other island of the Posian archipelago in the distance. On rough, stormy days, that particular island would not be visible at all from where he stood, as the waves would reach for the sky, hiding it in their blind rage, even if it was not their intention. But today was calm - unreasonably so. Which is why Gaellice decided to swim from one island to another now.

He was barely out of the teenage hood; hell, some rexals would say that he was still a teen, but his solid throat armour was more than enough to tell him and the others that he was mature enough to tackle such a quest. He was always good at any physical challenge, but this... This one was the one that he was looking forward to the most. Ever since he had hatched, actually.

With steady feet, he took a small step into the foamy ocean, shivering at how cold it felt despite the sunny day.

"Well... Cannae back down now..." he murmured as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, as if that was supposed to give him more courage. Eventually, he went deeper and deeper until he could no longer feel the pebbles under his feet, and he began to paddle.

While he loved jogging, swimming was not his favourite activity. He did try to swim a tiny bit in ponds and rivers to prepare himself for this grand passage into adulthood, but the channel was nothing like that. This water was untamed, regal and proud, indiscriminately working against Gaellice as he swam further and further.

He could feel the current dragging him back by the tail, and at one point, they had gotten so strong that they dragged him under, threatening to swallow him whole. However, with some clever manoeuvres, he managed to make it back up the surface, gasping for the air that never felt so sweet as it did now. However, he got confused during this hurdle.

He was exactly in the middle of the channel, and suddenly, he could no longer tell where he was headed and where he came from. He turned his head left and right with uncertainty, trying to find any point of reference he could use, but from this distance, both islands looked the same.

"Shiet..." He cursed out loud, only to have the waves carry salty water into his mouth, making him cough and spit as it stang his throat. With teary eyes he tried to look again, but something else has suddenly appeared.

A small fishing boat was heading towards his direction from one of the islands, and as Gaellice squinted, he noticed an elderly fisherman rowing in it as he was smoking an old pipe that definitely could have used a replacement.

"Well... Aint ya an odd fish, sonny!" The fisher barked a smoky laughter as he reached Gaellice, looking down at the rexal with both affection and elderly judgment. "What ar' ye doin' out here?" He asked with curiosity, offering his hand to Gaellice to possibly pull him up into the boat. The lacuna rexal refused. Instead, he decided to gently hold onto the boat and turned on his back, letting himself float to regain some strength as he answered.

"Tryin' ta swim through ta channel." He huffed the response. "Got a wee bit lost thou. I cannae tell which way is which." He admitted with a chuckle.

"I'm commi' from Forgoth", the old lad pointed towards one of the island, which immediately made Gaellice's ears perk up.

"At's th' one I need!" he declared it more to himself than the fisherman before reaching to shake paws with him. "Thank ye, sir!" He added before commencing his swimming, leaving the old fisherman behind, who only rolled his eyes and puffed a bit of smoke out as he watched Gaellice swim away from him. "Back in ma days we took our time with these things..." he hummed to himself as he began to row.

Gaellice was practically unstoppable now. Not only he could rest just a wee bit thans to the boat, but he also found his way again! Determination and adrenaline coursed through his veins as he paddles, the cold now grinding it's teeth into his bones. Above him the sky darkened with malice, and as he looked up he had to realize that these were the signs of an upcoming storm.

"Bloody Ancients..." he cursed as he picked up the pace, not wanting to find himself fighting against giant waves and lightning. Not even experienced swimmers could survive meeting a storm during a travel like this. The feeling of impending doom was an unconventional but effective encouragement to him, and within ten or so minutes, he finally found himself walking the beach of Forgoth, collapsing onto the pebbles with a loud thud as the rain began to trickle.

"Fuck ye! Ye didnae get me arse!" he laughed victoriously as he turned to be on his back, listening to the sounds of the storm with content. What a melody it was... A perfect symphony for someone who just swam into adulthood.

ForgottenCerberus