Down by the river in the full moonlight || Hod ||

[Adria]

Youth becomes the little golden-white filly. She’s a chirpy little thing, brimming near to bursting with curiosity and gifted with the ability to fully explore most of the world around her - land and sea. The sky is forbidden to her but occasionally, she feels a longing in her chest and an urge to race the wind when it tangles invisible fingers into her plaited mane and tail. Like her ancestors before her, Adria is purely elemental in design and blessed with a family who encourages these habits.

It hadn’t taken long for her to discover that, like her dam, she was nereid in every way. When the salty spray of the ocean had touched her legs for the first time, scales had raised themselves from her smooth flesh to glitter and gleam in the bright sunlight. The water was no obstacle for her; Hod and Nyxa had appropriately birthed a water baby through and through.

It’s the same waves she seeks out today; Ischia’s seasonally pleasant current is smooth and yet unencumbered by impending winter storms so she’s off to find her father - no doubt hunting with his sharp teeth and echolocation, keeping himself fit and happy. Mother is out to sea, deep in concentration on gathering what water forces she could ever since King Brennen had left and the Island had grown suspiciously quiet. Outside of this perfect bubble of a home, danger was overflowing, and yet the beautiful girl could hardly begin to fathom or care for it.

She has all that she needs here, that and more. “Pappa!” She calls, once her hooves reach the edge of the island where the sand is soaked and cool. He’d promised to teach her stealthy swimming today, to feel her environment with her other senses, not just sight alone. He wasn’t about to get out of it, not if she could help it. “Pappaaaaa I’m ready for my lesson!” The young girl croons, edging a bit further into the foamy surf.

Where was he?

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@[Hod] <3 <3 yayyyyyy!

[Hod]

Fatherhood suited him more than he'd ever thought possible. Adria had come into their world like birdsong on a spring morning; beautiful and perfectly in tune with life. Nyxa had been away more lately, deeper than he could follow. While he missed her, he honored her commitment to their bargain with Brennen. In return, he minded their daughter, and encouraged her exploration of their island home. 

He smiled in amusement as Adria's insistent voice reached him beneath the waves. With slow, strategic strokes, his limbs brought him within reach of the shallows of their cove. He moved cautiously between the rocks that dotted the sand, guided by the sound waves bouncing back to him. Adria called again, her form coming to him in rippled echoes. Hmmm... 

The burly stallion cut a wide arc beneath the surface, until the shattered cliffs hung over him, cooling the water significantly. If he was right, his filly currently faced the water away from him. Surfacing with barely a scattering of droplets, he stalked forth into the powdery sand. With slow, predatory steps, he let the shifting air tell him where to go. It wasn't difficult, as Adria made a surprisingly large amount of noise just existing. Which was what today's lesson was meant to begin addressing. Stealth was an invaluable skill both in the water and on land. 

At last he grew near enough to feel the small heat coming from the filly's skin as she glared over the foam. "No need to shout, Minnow. I'm right here." He spoke with his saltwater tone, laughing lightheartedly. If she had noticed his approach, that was fine, but he was hoping to begin today's lesson with a  little demonstration. 

@[Adria] <333

[Adria]

That rough, seawater voice of her father’s sends Adria leaping into the sky when he surprises her from behind. “EEYAAAH!” The girl screeches, kicking her heels into a little tattoo behind her as she shies away. “DAD!” She yells, her heart racing when she turns around to pin him with a fiery glare, “Don’t do that!”

Around them the sea begins to churn, her waters growing choppy and unsettled as if to match the temper of the little sabino buckskin. It lasts for a moment, only until her mock anger breaks and, like the sun breaking through a sudden storm, she laughs away her fear and splashes her way back to the loving embrace of her father.

All her life she’s never really thought of Hod as being blind, not in the way that others might. Her mother acts no different because of it so neither does she. To Adria, it seems as if her stout, fleabit sire is capable of more than the average horse, and she looks up to him the same way an adoring fan might look up to their idol.

“Where are we going today?” Hod’s firstborn asks, curious and eager as she peers up to him, “The reef? The drop off?” She guesses, too impatient to allow him a reply at first. Beneath her, Adria’s white-splashed legs are a flurry of activity, just waiting for direction from her favorite mentor.

@[Hod] xoxo