3 years dev. [★] falling backwards

[salem]

[align=center]

♦ | SALEM

With the vines wrapped around his legs tighter than usual, the small wildcat had returned to the dock at the crack of dawn; far earlier than anyone would deem necessary but unable to remain anywhere else.  His tail rested over his paws, his muscles tensed as he sat.  During the night, Salem had paced back and forth in the Sky Parlor -- dark eyes constantly on the window, waiting for the first light of the sun.

He understood on some level, the extent of concern he felt may be overbearing; more than necessary and even an overreaction to the situation.  Yet the feelings remained throughout the night, despite his best attempts to argue himself out of them.  The distinct absence of his friend in her own room drove him up the wall -- mind spiraling out of control with countless questions.

Salem had yet to undergo the entrance ritual himself.  He had joined the Typhoon relatively young and placed little thought in the practice, aside from concern whenever others left, knowing the worst of the stories.  Keona would be left to her own devices, drugged, for an entire night.  He did not understand what such a dangerous-sounding ordeal proved -- he could only respect his friend's wishes to follow their crew's tradition.  When he had expressed his uneasiness, he had met nothing but resolute willpower; so he had been left to wait.

Even on the dock, Salem found it difficult to remain still.  He began fidgeting immediately, ignoring the stares of other early-risers.  His tail lashed to and fro, gaze locked on the horizon.  While the boy often possessed a deep pool of patience, the ocean had clearly evaporated today.  He had nothing to stave off his frantic desperation to see his friend safe and sound on familiar shores.

When the boat finally drifted into view, still with a great distance left to sail, the wildcat caught his breath.  Somehow the affirmation of the boat's return only caused his anxieties to spike further -- paws pushing into the wooden planks beneath him as he began to resume his relentless pacing.  He kept one eye on the boat, teeth sinking into his cheeks as he tried to decipher how much closer it was or wasn't.

He had not stopped pacing even when the boat finally reached the dock, his stomach twisted and uneasy.  When his eyes fell on the familiar jaguar, Natyli and an unfamiliar wolf, he froze in place.  For a moment, Salem could not recognize her -- his usually consistent ability to know a soul escaping him entirely.  Simple panic in the thought of his friend failing to return left him speechless and breathless; his throat seeming to close.

He found himself the blind one for a long moment it would seem, the realization abruptly slamming him in the face, even as Roan expressed his confusion aloud.  Her eyes hold him for a second; enough to sink into his heart and mind as a final affirmation to the wolf's true identity.  A color he could only compare to the sea itself with a pale undertone revealing her distinct inability to see; shared it would seem, even in a new form.

Salem let go of the breath he had been holding and scrambled forward.  "Keona?" As wildcats they had both been terribly small, with him only a few inches taller than his friend -- now his eyes grew large and confused as he found himself required to crane his neck to look into her face.

Simple relief is stronger than any bewilderment of the change, although Salem knew the questions would inevitably escape him.  First he had to accept his pacing and mounting impatience had been overboard and unwarranted.  Keona had always proven that she was more than capable of handling herself.  He could not help but feel as though he betrayed her in a sense -- he believed in her, didn't he?  Yet so many horror stories had lingered in his mind and remained, even as he stared up into his friend's eyes.

"..." The gears rapidly spun in the kodkod's head.  "... Are you okay?" The stories offered no reassurances for him -- proposing visions of fortune or combating horrifying inner demons.  The idea of Keona feeling fear seemed as foreign as seeing her in a new body, but he wondered and worried about the ordeal.  Would she talk to him about it?

"... I didn't-- I didn't know you could change." Of course, he knew her father could shapeshift -- the same father she inherited her water elementals from.  Roan could too and they shared blood as well; further cementing the ability within the family.  Yet Salem had always known her to possess close ties to the water.  She had never once mentioned sharing the same ability to shift, nor the desire to do so.  His voice felt quiet and uncertain; the possibility of hurt feelings creeping within.  The two spoke about most things, did they not?

Salem had to assume this change came as new to her as it did to him.  In that case, he realized she may be as lost as him -- more so, for it was her body.  Worse, it may have come from a moment of intense stress or danger.  The possibilities began to fester in his thoughts. "Do you feel okay?"

Don't push her.  Near frantic the thought stopped him in his tracks, paws once more digging into the planks beneath him.  He had no desire to crowd his friend.  Less so when her brother moved forward in affectionate motion; Salem counted his breaths, ears lowered.  A part of him longed to do the same, even as he remained where he stood.  In the end, he was her friend, not family.

Of course, she had to be more than twice her previous height.  Without sight to rely on, everything was likely off-kilter.  He refused to be the cause of any further distress to what she may already be experiencing.  He wanted to support her instead.

"I'm glad-- I'm glad you're back." Thank you for coming back.  For being okay.  Are you okay?

I'll take my heart clean apart if it helps yours beat ♦  salem / faemor / crewmate