can’t stop staring at those ocean eyes.
As much as Sabal really didn’t want to, she shifts into her fully equine form to make her way closer to her friend. The water was her safe place, but she knew Maze well enough by now to know that it most certainly wasn’t Maze’s safe place. She wasn’t sure if that’s because Maze’s spirit animal was clearly something feline or what, but this really wasn’t the time or place to unpack that now. At the end of the day, Sabal’s friend needed her. Even if that friend happened to also be one of the most annoying and infuriating creatures on the planet, Sabal’s loyalties ran deep once they’d been won. But she’d never admit they had been so don’t even try.
The water dripped off her scaled skin as she made her way to stand next to her friend – watching as Maze fought for the words. A more empathetic creature may have said something reassuring or offered a comforting touch – but Sabal knew that Maze didn’t need a predator’s teeth to tear someone apart. Even if Maze didn’t.
Sabal, for once in her life, waits patiently for Maze to explain what the hell happened. I mean the kelpie is sure she they could have gotten to the bottom of things like, a lot, quicker without the waterworks but here they were. She listens, patiently, soaking in everything Maze has to say. Which, yeah, now Maze’s reaction makes some sense. But it also makes no sense at all.
You know how you have those friends where you can talk to and they offer you a shoulder to cry on and tell you everything is going to be okay? Yeah um so…Sabal isn’t one of those friends.
“You’re right. It is pretty stupid,” she says, finally, in her most matter-of-fact voice. She knows that Maze probably won’t react well to this line of questioning, but the kelpie is not backing down. Maze needs someone to set her straight, and god help her Sabal is going to be that someone. Because if she were moping she would hope someone would do the same for her.
“You said it, not me,” she counters, already countering the attack she knows is coming. ”But seriously, Maze. You went to the mountain. They gave you a task. A task meant to challenge you. And it totally sucks. I get it.” She knows that it will be easy for her friend to assume she really doesn’t get it, but she does. Maze’s shifting is as integral to her as the water is to the kelpie.
“If the mountain took away my ability to swim you know I’d probably do something stupid and dramatic and I’d fully expect you to be there yelling at me as I try to drown myself out of sheer stupidity.” Because Sabal knows she probably would do something so dramatic. And she knows that Maze would be front and center on the shore telling her to drag her annoying anchovy ass back to the shore and get the fuck over it. But here we are.
“But Maze, seriously, I love you but.” She pauses – making sure that her friend has calmed down enough to listen to her because if there’s any part of what she’s saying that she wants Maze to really hear. It is this part. “Get over it. It’s temporary. It’s a challenge. Prove to those motherfucking faeries that you can meet this challenge. Don’t stand here and mope. You’re a badass with or without your shifting. It might not feel like it but fake it ‘til you make it, right?”
s a b a l . |
