Citizen 1083 Aquine

Aquine opened his door to a world after a storm. Thankfully the mundane type - the unnatural tempest still weighed on everyone’s mind, despite being months past - and the grass glittered with water from the rain. He stepped further out and looked to the north, seeing the tail end of the storm trailing over the horizon. 

The air was fresh with the smell of battered greenery, and birds sang in the nearby trees. He shook himself out and stretched, then went back inside to get his bags. 

Storms meant a churned up ocean, which usually meant things washing up on the beach… things that he could scavenge. Seaglass clinked as it hung from wires on his porch, casting glinting, glittering splashes of light as the sun hit it. Inside, scavenged bottles filled with various knicknacks, eclectically sorted, dotted the windowsills, and interesting pieces of driftwood hung from the ceiling. 

Nothing matched, but it was home, and Aquine was content. He gathered his things and hurried down to the beach, feet damp in the rain-soaked ground. The sand on the beach was churned up by rain and wind, and he eyed the driftwood that had been tossed up with delight. Those would make some interesting art pieces… maybe he could trade some for some eggs from someone. Some scrambled eggs would be really nice on a stormy afternoon… 

His feet sank deep into the sand as he began to walk the beach, slowly and steady, keeping an eye out for things that shone and those that didn’t. He hopped delicately over a tide pool, leaving the sea life in their undisturbed, and crabs scuttled away from his approach. The cliffs loomed high overhead, pale and gleaming in the morning sun, and he paid them little mind. 

Until… something blue-green glinted up there. 

Aquine paused and looked up, tilting his head and squinting. Whatever it was caught the light again, glinting in the sunlight. It looked like… glass? He tilted his head again, deliberating. He decided to get closer. 

He headed towards a spot underneath the glint, and it soon became clear that it was more than just a glimmer - a statue of some sort, made of blue-green glass, had been tossed up by the wind and was wedged in a crevice of the cliffs. It was a wonder that it hadn’t shattered already, and Aquine’s curiosity only increased. Was it not made of glass, then? 

He considered, tapping his claws against the stone of the cliff, before setting his bag down and scoping out the cliffsite for a route to climb up. 

Most of the cliff was fairly sheer, but… there, a seam in the stone where a slab had fallen off in some long-forgotten age and left a narrow ledge that wound upward. Aquine placed his hand on it hesitantly - it was sloped and narrow, a natural formation not made for the comfort of ones his size. Still, it was something, and he began to inch up it warily. 

Thankfully the statue was not too far off the ground, but still - he did not want to fall. The thought of having to clamber up to the top of the bluff on the steep path home and then get any injuries looked at… he made a face and focused on his footing. Better to not take too many risks. 

The way up the narrow, makeshift path wasn’t easy, and soon he began to sweat in the rising sun. Still, it was nearly in reach and he continued, pausing and reaching up when he was below it. The angle made it hard to judge distances, and he had to stretch further than he had thought to feel the smoothness of the statue. 

After taking a moment to make sure his footing was steady, he gently began to work it loose. As it popped out with a small spray of pebbles and dust, he settled back on the narrow shelf with a relieved sigh. 

Examining his prize curiously, he began to make his way back down the narrow shelf. Just glass, it seemed - a fluke of fate that it had not broken. Whatever it was made of, though, it would look pretty in the window… 

As he stepped back on to the sand of the beach, Aquine nodded to himself, contented. Today had been a good day. He turned to continue on with his scavenging, thoughts turning elsewhere.

Artist: SilveryStormWing