the line where the sky meets the sea wrote:arethusa had always been curious about the water. what was it? what did it do? why was it here? how did it get here? how much of it existed? these were all things she had asked, but still had yet to get an answer for.
that was why she here now, standing on the line that divided the two. the shore was loud with all kinds of sounds; seagulls squawking, the waves crashing against the sand, the scuttling and clacking of tiny sea creatures making their way around the beach. her curiosity was at its peak today, and she had taken the chance to explore without interruption without hesitation.
however, her previous ambition and excitement was starting to dip in favor of her rising anxiety. she wasnt so sure she could do this.. what if something happened? no one was around to help her; she was as good as gone if she got stuck out at sea.
but..
she still wanted to go out there, to find the answers to these questions burning in the back of her mind, the answers she had wanted since forever. she still wanted to go out to sea and get a look for herself what was out there, to see it with her own eyes, not imagining it by way of stories from other people or adventures in her mind.
mind made, arethusa trudged towards the shoreline, easing into the water slowly, anxiety falling back, making way for confidence and determination. each step left her wondering what might happen, but the journey to the shallow water could only be described as, "short and sweet." nothing really happened, which was a disappointment and a relief, but arethusa wasnt deterred. instead of moping, she pursued the secrets of the ocean and made her way deeper into the water, watching the water rise around her to slowly come to her chest. at that point, she was standing on her tippy toes to keep afloat.
arethusa allowed her feet to rise from the sand, and with a quick movement, she was floating, feet paddling leisurely. she began inching out towards the sea, making sure to keep her head above the water at all times. she knew the rules of the ocean, but the most important one of all was that it was unpredictable. she had to always be on guard lest she want to drown or worse.
for awhile, this tactic seemed to be working well, but then she noticed the sky was getting darker and the clouds thicker, fat drops of rain occasionally fell on her face, and the water began to churn around her. despite her previous confidence high, she was feeling anything but that right now. fear slowly crawled into her veins and sloshed around in her heart, and panic began to seep into her at a rapid pace.
with the dark clouds came the rolling thunder and bolts of untamed lightning, wild and free as it streaked across the sky, lighting it up like fireworks. rain beat down on her fur and made it difficult to see, and the thunder made hearing difficult and everything was disorienting.
all her knowledge she was so quick to boast about before seemed to slip between her paws and she paddled wildly to try to get back to shore, but the problem was she had no way to know which was she was going or where the shore even was anymore.
she had gone too far out, too far, and now she was going to be stuck here, or worse..
no, think positive.. she scolded herself quietly, taking deep breaths to calm down. this did little to help her though, and the ingrained responses to her situation still reigned with an iron fist. she was still scared and afraid and she couldnt think clearly for very long before being lost to the panic and desperation.
eventually she gave up all hope of thinking rationally and decided to paddle in any old direction, hoping it was the right one. she tried her best to remain calm, but found it difficult despite the reassuring thoughts she was trying to conjure up. no matter how fast she thought of them, she couldnt squash the panic.
it felt like hours before she saw land again, and thank goodness she actually recognized it! but she was still a long ways to go, and she was starting to get tired. she wasnt sure how much longer she could paddle before she passed out from exhaustion. still, she had to try, so she swiftly changed her course to head directly for the shore and paddled. she could do this, she just had to take her time, go slow, and not rush things..
this attitude would only get her so far though, and before long she was having trouble just keeping her eyes open. her muzzle dipped below the water more now, and her movements became sluggish and clumsy. multiple times the sea spray or water up her nose had jarred her back to consciousness only for her to feel exhaustion sink its teeth and claws into her and drag her down again. it all seemed rather hopeless, and she considered allowing herself to sink. she was just so tired..
"arethusa!" a voice shouted, and she blinked slowly as she rose her head to see who'd called her (assuming she heard right; she wasnt sure if her ears were working correctly yet). to her surprise, she saw a figure paddling out to her, and upon closer inspection she realized it was her father.
"dad!" she said in return, feeling a brief burst of energy surge through her veins, spurring her to try and meet him halfway. she paddled as fast as she could, remembering to keep her head above the waves despite her exhaustion.
soon he reached her, and she felt like crying from the relief she felt. oh thank goodness..
with his guidance, she was able to paddle herself back to the shore, and she breathed a sigh of relief for probably the twentieth time that day when she felt the sand beneath her paws. she had never missed being on the ground so much.
while she worked to get her breath back he turned on her to check her for injuries, squinting at her left front paw. she looked at it herself, wincing when she tried to move it. she hadnt even noticed it before, but now that it had been brought to her attention, she realized it actually really hurt to move it.
"come on now, your mother is worried sick. she'll know what to do with your paw." he didnt sound mad, but what if she just couldnt tell? fear gnawed at her stomach as she followed in silence.
eventually the silence became too much, and she had to ask. "um, are you.." he stopped to turn around and look at her, and she gulped, but continued, "are you mad?" she asked tentatively, tail and ears drooping and her voice taking on a worried and anxious tone.
he stared at her for at least a solid minute before walking over and nuzzling her head, shaking his head rather insistently. "oh goodness no! im not mad at you, im worried, but not mad, i promise."
she breathed yet again another sigh of relief at that, feeling the pressure of looming anxiety ease of ever so slightly. oh good.. ok, he's not mad. good. good..
"come on, silly daughter of mine. tell me, what ever were you doing all the way out there?" he asked, a slight smile on his face.
she followed with a slight bounce in her step, but she was cautious to keep her weight off her injured paw. "well, y'see..."
