Chest heaving with laboured breaths, the young Mako’s pink eyes shot open. His body shook with the force of the sudden awaken to reality, the fear still present in his eyes as he was greeted by the sun through the water. The nightmares were often so vivid that at times he wasn’t even sure if he was even asleep. However that had been a dream. Must have been. Expelling some of the air from his lungs, in no danger of drowning thanks to the gills behind his ears, he watched the water around him become clouded with bubbles. A soft smile broke out across his face, the fear dying down as he watched them. The colours danced across the watery surface of the nearest bubble, reflecting a distorted view of the pink of his eyes back to him. The colour was familiar… Welcome… Calming. Something that he was used to seeing, and that could ground him back to the real world. For this was real. This was home. Here he was safe. Taking a deep breath, his expression fell calm for now. Safety was something he had always been paranoid about, but it was gentler moments like this that eased his mind. Temporarily, but it was enough to clear his mind. The sun was sifting down through the water, its golden beams lightly brushing his skin to warm him through to the core. It was morning, and the sun was barely up. It was soft. Comforting. Just a reminder that he would have hours of light and good feelings before the darkness returned to wreak its havoc on him. After all, the darkness will always return eventually. No matter where you are. It always does. And with it would come the nightmares… But he would be ready for them. There was plenty of time to prepare. He didn’t have to always be so afraid.
With a slight swish of the tail, he was off, escaping from his thoughts with physical actions. His small, light frame enabled him to move fast, with the elegance of the sharks that shared his species' ancestry. The fish at the reef scattered as his shadow fell over them, but the young Mako wasn't a threat. He wasn't hunting. He would often just swim about, or lay back and watch the busy lives of the fish that lived there. Well aware that he unsettled them (as a predator how could he not?), he kept his distance, laying himself down on a large rock several feet away. Body completely relaxed in their company, the fish eventually came out from their hiding places to continue with what they were doing before they were so rudely interrupted by the Mako's presence. Often he would lay there and wonder. Wonder if the fish looked back at him with the same curiosity that he used to look at them, but today was not one of those days. Too much on his mind to care about the minds of the fish. Today he just rest his head down and watched them. The memory of the nightmare that had plagued his sleep slowly drifted away from him, like seaweed carried by the tides. Mind at peace again, for now, he slowly rose from his relaxed position, getting ready to head to the shallows. It had been a little while since he had properly stretched his legs out with a run along the beach... Felt the sand between his toes... Maybe even found more of those beautiful abalone shells that he had always loved looking at... Well, that was if he could find a nice unoccupied spot. The two-legged things seemed to like using the beaches almost as much as he did. Not so much the black sand beaches of the north, where his species was born, but they certainly did enjoy the soft white sand where the weather was warm...
Heading to the shallower waters, the young Mako carefully raised his head above the surface to take a look around before even attempting to approach the beach. A larger individual of his species would have very little to worry about, but he was fairly small, and nervous to begin with, so he was going to be extra careful. There were lots of things much bigger than he was out there. In the water, where he spent the majority of his time, there was very little to fear. Not that it was completely safe, nothing ever was, but it was safe enough… However, out of it? Completely different story. Out there anything could be a threat to him. While he knew quite a bit about the water, having grown up and lived there, he knew very little about the land. It was almost completely alien to him. In fact, beyond the beaches it probably was. New sights, new smells, new sounds. Everything was new for him. So he didn’t ever go any further than the beaches. He could still see the water from those. It made him feel just a little bit safer to know that he could run to the water to escape from any danger that should show its face. After all, what if he got lost or attacked out there in the trees? What would happen to him then? Where could he possibly go? No, he knew he had to stop this way of thinking. It wasn’t good for him… Besides, otherwise he would never get to the shore. He would just worry, and worry, and worry some more - until night fell and he was forced to turn back to the familiarity of the sea. So, deeming it safe
enough, he paddled closer. His movements were slow, and still very cautious, but at least he was actually getting somewhere at the moment. Unlike before, while he had been worrying, when he had just been treading water and going absolutely nowhere. What use was that?
-----ｔｉｍｅｌｉｎｅ
Birth -
Lumen was born into a small family. Two parents, (though one around more than the other) and a small number of siblings. None of which he really got close to. He was born quite small and weak, and wasn't expected to survive the first night, though through his mother's care and father's protection, he did. Much to the surprise of the others however. It was because of the relief at seeing the light of the sun the following morning, paired with the colours on his body, that earned him the name Lumen, meaning 'light'.
Early life -
As he had a very protective mother, Lumen was a very sheltered pup. He was fairly naughty, but the tales of danger beyond the safety of his mother's care was enough to deter him from any riskier actions than chewing on his father's tail. The worst thing he did was peek out of the cove they lived in, and stare out at the wider world before being ushered back inside. Too many predators out there that a young Mako would make a nice snack for... Or so his mother said... But at that age, you believe everything your parents say, as they know everything, so he didn't question it.
First adventure -
He was several months old when he was first allowed out of the cove, accompanied by his father and siblings of course, but it was still more of an adventure than he had so far. They swam out into deeper water, staying close to their father's side, then made for the shallows. This was the first time he visited the reef, something he would never forget. No matter how many times he went back in later life. It was so bright compared to the cove he had grown up in, consisting of vibrant colours like reds, oranges and purples, rather than dull yellows and greens of the sand and seaweed he knew. Everything was so alive... Even the plants seemed to shine with a vigour previously unknown to him. His father and siblings wanted to move on, so he followed, eager to see more. But the coral reef on that morning will never be forgotten.
Beach -
A few days later was the first day he was allowed to go to the beach with his family. It was further than the reef, and he was very unsure about it, but his father wouldn't let anything happen to him. It was odd at first, breathing through lungs rather than gills... Now, of course he had done it before, but never without the option of the other form of breathing. Feeling something solid, yet not solid, under his paws was the weirdest part though. It was really squishy, and his feet sank into it... When he wiggled his toes, it tried to get into the gaps. It tickled and made him laugh. Another memory he wasn't going to forget in a hurry. Just one of no doubt many good memories to come out of life with his family.
Where is everyone? -
Just when you think everything is good, something takes it away from you... He thought he had everything, then was hit with a bombshell. Family life didn't suit them. Now that he was a young adult he had to strike it out on his own, for good. No more mother to watch over him, father to keep him safe. His siblings seemed fine, but he had been much more dependent on his parents than they had been. He had needed them, and now who could he rely on? Himself... Only himself... And what use was that? Might as well feed himself to the monsters now. Where ever they could be hiding.
Dark in my imagination -
After the sheltered life he had lived as a pup, the solitude of his adulthood did not agree with him. He became more and more nervous... He was completely convinced that the world was as dangerous as his mother had made it out to be in her stories when he was a pup. Little did he know that those were just to keep him from wandering off. Would she have told him those if she had known how it would have affected him in later life? Who knows. But it messed with his head, and continued messing with him throughout his time alone. The monsters weren't real, but he didn't know that.
Who knows what lies ahead -
The future is impossible to predict successfully without any special abilities. Who knows what it really holds for anyone, but we can hope. He wishes to find someone, anyone, to help him remove that shell of his. Someone to pick him up when he's down and help him stay up there. To improve his confidence, send away the monsters and the frightened little pup for good, and let him live his life in peace. Who knows if that will actually happen, but he knows he can't do this all on his own. No matter how scared he is of letting someone else close, he will have to trust someone in order to get himself back on his feet. Maybe he will, but maybe his trust will be betrayed, and he'll spiral down further. Life is a mystery – full of surprises. We'll have to see what really lies ahead for our little Mako.
----- ａｒｔ
Charchar 2 | Crysalis | Firefly.
Firefly. | Firefly. | Rabbitheart
Raven Feather | Ravetta | Sanara
PFDC | Vegtable Mihawk | weegeestar5
Firefly. | ShadeyPaws (via DragonflyAmethyst)Still a major WIP
