The nereid swam the edge of the islands, a patrol of the waters as much as the boundaries of their home. Eva had declared them an open land, free for others to pass through as they pleased. That suited Aquaria and her ideals about the place. Still, she had been taught small pieces of caution over the last year or two. 

Open boarders would stay that way only as long as peace reigned in the island herdstead. Peace meant knowing, at least generally, who and what occupied the space within. So she patrolled the waters and the beaches daily, hoping every face she meet would. be friendly in nature. 

The cool salt water washed over her back as she kicked forward, tail a graceful rudder aft. So far, none had crossed her path, equine or otherwise. A quiet day in paradise. Even the parrots seemed less chatty than usual. She didn't run across any kelpies either, which was something of a relief. They occupied one of the islets, kept mostly to themselves, and it seemed easier that way for them and the other island residents. 

Over the lapping of water against her sides, a new sound rose. It was not the ardent calls of macaw, or the singing of dolphins in the bay, though the pitch was high enough. She couldn't place the noise, only determined that it seemed... wrong. Distressed, even. Her rounds put aside for the time being, she set off for the shoreline, eyes sweeping it for the source of the noise. 

Her feet struck the sand with practiced grace when the water released her. White grains clung to the lengths of her legs as she emerged with curiosity, ears pricked for some sign of the noise. It had stopped minutes ago, and an uncertain anxiety pulled at her chest. Had some predator beaten her to it? For the mewling cry seemed to herald an easy meal for one who sought it. 

When the little being came into sight at last, she hurried towards it. A huddled dark mass on the sand, as still as piled kelp and just as saturated with ocean scent lay so near the water's edge. There was no blood that she could see, which relieved her of the image of a torn ruin she'd been subconsciously expecting. It was whole, as far as she could tell, which lead on to a closer inspection. 

Foal, was her first thought. The size was about right. But... Not foal. The proportions were wrong, the colors unlike any horse she had ever seen. And that was saying something. Her head dropped, snuffling breathes inhaling what information could be taken in. Not much at all to go on. The sea had done its work, and erased everything but the tang of salt from the damp creature's hide. A little frown hung from her lips. There was a slight rise and fall to it's chest, the feathery exertion of breathing. Life. She nudged it with her nose so very delicately, the almost-foal. 

"Hey. Hey, are you okay, little one?" She glanced with little hope in all directions. "Where's your family? Your mama?" She asked, not even sure she'd be understood. At a loss, and for want of anything else to do, she began to clean the strange little thing, licking away the salt crusting it's fur into stiff spikes.     

Life returned to the striped child in a flurry of flailing paws. Her head jerked back to evade the broad pads that batted at the air, only to drop back down and resume the careful grooming. 

He--and now that she was close enough to tell, it was definitely a he-- wiggled and began to rumble strangely as she continued her ministrations. What a funny creature. She watched as the fluffy padded feet seemed to press against the air in response to her touch, the tips of little claws peeking through the pale fur. Those gave her pause. Sharp little claws, predatory things. Still, little and helpless things couldn't help what they were. She couldn't walk away now that she had come upon him.

She watched in fascination as the odd, fluffy little creature managed to roll over amid a scattering of sand. Experimental sounds, little growls and mutters and curious mewls, none of which made sense to the pearl mare. Still, they were kind of cute. Her nose pressed softly against the thick-furred back of the baby, a light support as he found his feet. Only to stiffen as the sounds coming from the funny jaws began to grow coherent. 

"Oh, sweet seafoam," she muttered, eyes widening as she felt him nudge and nuzzle beneath her. "Seabean, I know what you're looking for and I haven't-" her breath caught as he found his mark. "I haven't got that. You mama probably does, if we can find her..." She blinked out at the water, in the direction she knew he must have been carried from. This foal-thing didn't seem to have been born on the island. Which meant he only could have come from the mainland. 

How many mares lived on the mainland? How many of them had babies now? One was missing her little one now. Or... Maybe she wasn't. This was an unconventional child, to say the least. An awful thought occurred to the seamare. A horrible, gut-wrenching idea. Had he been cast to the waters intentionally? 

No baby deserved that. She had found him on her shores, and maybe that was meant to be. The ocean had given her many gifts overb the years, her cove was filled with shells and bits of coral that had caught her eye. This was no pretty trinket on the beach. This was a living, breathing, hungry baby. But he smelled of nothing but the sea. Had no trace of kingdom or family odor she could use to find his parents. Who might not even want him in the first place. 

That settled it, in her mind. She sighed, and returned to the job of cleaning the salt from his varigated coat. He was her latest gift from the sea, washed ashore for her to find. Beautiful, and clearly very strong. "I guess you can stay. For a while. While I figure out what to do with you." She smiled, a quiet, secret place in her heart filling with a sweet contentment. 

  

The rumbling emanating from the little one, a soothing burr that vibrated through her ribs like her own personal thunder cloud. His little words pulled at her heart while she worked at the scruffy suggestion of mane along his neck. The rounded tufts of his ears with the funny white spots. He was beginning to look a bit more like a living creature and less like the half drowned scrap she had found.

When he pressed to her chest, she leaned into it. Nuzzled the soft fluff of his cheek. Kissed it with gentle hesitation. "Mama's not going anywhere."  She promised, letting the title roll over her. Most mares had months to get used to the idea of motherhood. To feel the life growing within them, filled with anticipation and wonder at the child they had created. Aquaria hadn't gotten that, had seemingly skipped right to the end, and met her child fully formed. But he was hers, she knew it as surely as anything she'd ever known before. 

It became truly obvious when he leapt away, chasing one of the plethora crabs that lived on the beaches there. She laughed at his antics, pride already surfacing when the sparks of determination showed themselves. He was a wonder, and already she missed him from her side. The wily crabs eluded his every attempt to nab them. Still he bounded after them, until the space between them opened too far.

He hadn't really gone very far, not more than a length or so beyond her. But his nicker of concern mare her close the space quickly. She was powerless to deny him, and when she heard him call her, she was there. "Little bossy thing." She grinned ruefully, nudging him with her shoulder softly. "I bet you're still hungry. Come on, I'll find you a coconut or two. They'll fill your belly until we figure something better out." She whickered low in her throat as she moved off toward the jungle. 

He'd need lots of feeding. And coconuts wouldn't do it for long. She figured he was probably too young to have much in the way of teeth just yet, but she had to wonder how they'd come in. Blunt, like hers? Or sharp as his little claws. Only time would tell, but she hoped for the former. What would she feed a little carnivore, fish? Her dad ate fish sometimes. His teeth were sharp too... She would adapt, no matter how it came out, but perhaps a visit to her sire would help ease her mind on the subject. 

It was cooler beneath the lush jungle, the trail they walked well worn. The nereid mare kept her pace sedate as they moved along, giving the boy time to investigate his new world. Nothing seemed to strike his fancy, but that wasn't much of a surprise. He'd looked too young to be interested in a diet of roughage. Still, his repeated attempts at gleaning nutrients from her hadn't produced anything yet. 

His speech improved with every attempt, and a smile of appreciation grew on her pink lips. How clever her boy was! "They are fruits that grow on some of the trees here." She nodded at the palms growing among the other vegetation. "They have thick, hairy shells and soft white meat inside. I think you'll like them." 

It took a little searching, but a promising tree appeared. The crown hung heavy with half-ripe nuts. The green-brown orbs clustered at the top, a tempting prize. Aquaria stretched her neck upwards, gauging the height of the tree with a wary eye. Coconuts could be tricky things. She turned to nudge the striped boy a few feet from the tree. "Stay here." She instructed. Then turned to return to the chosen palm. One sharp hind kick struck the trunk and a trio of fruits thudded into the sand around her. 

She rolled them one by one to the waiting foal-cub. From there it was quick work to kick the wet husk from the shell, and to bust a hole in the brown exterior with a careful hoof. It wasn't the cleanest process, but by the end of it there was a few swallows of sweet water exposed in the shell's cup. "Drink up, I'll work on the next one." 

As she bit away the husk of the next coconut, another thought began to press on her. He needed a name. She couldn't just call him "boy" or "baby" for the rest of his life. But naming a baby wasn't something she could just spit out. He was going to be stuck with this for the rest of ever. It was a lot of pressure!

Well. He didn't know he needed a name just yet. Maybe she could think about it for a couple days.