03-21-2020, 03:37 PM
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Lapping currents frothed and surged toward the grey shoreline, an aimless charge to throw itself onto the rocks with a dying roar before the next wave began to gallop in its wake. Dense clouds lazily hung over the sea like cotton bloat flies. Chartreuse eyes traced imaginary shapes from the safety of the treeline, the body attached crouching among a nest of pine needles. The new kitten really wasn't supposed to stray this far beyond the town. But the salt-scented wind ruffled his striped coat with a certain sensation he couldn't quite place, beckoning him further despite his parent's words. He wasn't old enough, he wasn't strong enough. At least not yet.
His feathery tail swished gently, rustling the bed of fallen needles he cowered upon. Seafoam crashed against the wet sand again, reaching past the mark of its brethren. Simon straightened, tufted ears no longer pressed close to his skull. Curiosity urged him forth, the moon to the tides he gawked at. He set a white-tipped paw in front of him, toes splaying as the squish of sand tickled his pad. Quickly the kitten recoiled, turning over his paw to squint at the sticking grains before shaking the sand away.
Yet he still dared to replace his paw in the indent it left, followed by the other. He slowly crept out into the open, the ocean breeze blowing his fur in all directions as it whipped around him, greeting an old friend. The tabby kitten stood in place, staring out over the sunlit waters, glistening surface obscuring whatever lurked beneath. What could possibly be out there?
A wave rolled onto land, grazing his front paws before retreating. Simon blinked down at the tinge of soaked fur, mouth parting slightly in infantile awe to reveal pearly teeth. "Whoa..." uttered the tiny voice. The fear tethering him in place snapped; the kitten broke into a gleeful bound, rushing to meet the wave as it beached itself. Water splashed over Simon, thoroughly drenching him. As the water receded for its next attack, a wild look filled his wide-eyed gaze, thrilled and eager. The first shot of adrenaline through his trembling body hooked him like a worm on a lure, his little heart pumping as another wave hit and earned a delighted squeal. It didn't take long for him to fashion a game of the tides, scampering about in the shallows with a grin plastered across his white muzzle.
The only issue with this scene was one tiny detail.
He didn't know how to swim.
His feathery tail swished gently, rustling the bed of fallen needles he cowered upon. Seafoam crashed against the wet sand again, reaching past the mark of its brethren. Simon straightened, tufted ears no longer pressed close to his skull. Curiosity urged him forth, the moon to the tides he gawked at. He set a white-tipped paw in front of him, toes splaying as the squish of sand tickled his pad. Quickly the kitten recoiled, turning over his paw to squint at the sticking grains before shaking the sand away.
Yet he still dared to replace his paw in the indent it left, followed by the other. He slowly crept out into the open, the ocean breeze blowing his fur in all directions as it whipped around him, greeting an old friend. The tabby kitten stood in place, staring out over the sunlit waters, glistening surface obscuring whatever lurked beneath. What could possibly be out there?
A wave rolled onto land, grazing his front paws before retreating. Simon blinked down at the tinge of soaked fur, mouth parting slightly in infantile awe to reveal pearly teeth. "Whoa..." uttered the tiny voice. The fear tethering him in place snapped; the kitten broke into a gleeful bound, rushing to meet the wave as it beached itself. Water splashed over Simon, thoroughly drenching him. As the water receded for its next attack, a wild look filled his wide-eyed gaze, thrilled and eager. The first shot of adrenaline through his trembling body hooked him like a worm on a lure, his little heart pumping as another wave hit and earned a delighted squeal. It didn't take long for him to fashion a game of the tides, scampering about in the shallows with a grin plastered across his white muzzle.
The only issue with this scene was one tiny detail.
He didn't know how to swim.