kalon1322 entry | saoirse

[danheng]

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i ... 1322
ii ... who is she?
iii ... her story
iv ... piece

[danheng]

| saoirse |
messenger of the sea
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say-er-sha // sair-sha
born august the 18th
she/her
asexual, aromantic
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she will not let the seas
beat her like they do the rocks
into jagged peaks
will not let the storming skies
turn her skiff back to
the shore
she will not let her hands
shake
her body
shiver
her breath
hitch
she is strong
the sea will not break her

[danheng]

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ainsley raised her girl on the sea.
nolan raised his girl on the earth.
ainsley always taught her girl to face the harshness of life with a brave front.
nolan always taught his girl to give herself to the world with all her heart.

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saoirse walked the cobbled village streets with a never-failing spring to her step.
the kalon was well known throughout the little community as the messenger,
the girl who raised her head high and didn't look down.

the moment her paws hit the bottom of the skiff, feel the sway of the ocean
beneath her- it was like she was home again.

[danheng]

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the ocean rolled underneath her skiff, churning waves sending sprays of foam over the edge of the boat and onto her unprotected paws, though they were hardened from years and years of work and had become habituated to the feeling of cold foam sinking into her fur. saoirse felt at peace with the gentle rocking movements on the ocean. the feeling had become calming. it felt like home.

staring off over the skyline, she could see deep grey clouds pouring in over the white caps of the waves. a storm was approaching quick, saoirse estimated it would arrive upon her within the hour. if she wanted to avoid being carried away in the harsh torrent of rainfall and tossing waves, she needed to act quick.

a sudden whitecapped wave sent her skidding across the boat, hitting the port side of her skiff. crying out in surprise, saoirse struggled to regain her footing. it seemed the storm was advancing even quicker than she expected. this sudden rocking had sent most of her loose supplies off the edge- as well. she gazed dejectedly down at the spare rope, food rations, and supplies now floating away into the depths of the emerald green water.

but no- now was no time to give up hope. she took notice of a little scroll sinking into the water and immediately felt a flash of panic. she swooped a paw down just in time to cup the little scroll, bringing it back onto her boat and with unfurled it to find the ink on the page slowly melting away and mixing with the salty water.

with quick movements saoirse patted what she could of the scroll dry before setting it out under her sail. hopefully, it would survive the storm. she would be sorely disappointed if one of her precious pieces of cargo was lost.

somewhere out there, somebody was waiting to receive this message. maybe a father, waiting to hear from his son as he awaited orders from a battle-scarred general. maybe a sister anxiously listening for any news of her newborn niece. even a lover, thousands of miles away, every night wishing bittersweet his love's message will come to him today.

saoirse felt full with purpose. a knowing that these people all depended on her, to carry the words of a loved one across treacherous waters to bring feelings of love, of hope, of affection. she would not fail these people today, or any day.

the messenger of the sea would prevail.


looking over the kalons that have been made from year to year, I struggle to choose just one person, one artist, one player, one member of this community to send a message to. so here's a message to everyone who will listen.

when I first tried out for a kalon, I didn't win. not that I'm bitter- I knew I'd have plenty of chances in the future! it was the overwhelming joy from those who had tried out that won my heart. the day it ended, 'good luck!' and 'this kalon is beautiful <3' flooded the thread and gave my a feeling of warmth. I sent out my well words along with theirs. once the winner had been chosen, nobody was upset, nobody was angry, and everyone fully reached out to congratulate this person on their hard work! it made me so happy. to see a community where people don't compete for this but instead strive to support one another to send each other to the top. it... it's sweet.

like a family.

so thank you. for letting me be apart of this family.

what a wonderful thing it is.

saoirse let her eyes skim over the message as it dried out in the sun, ink-stained paper a pale contrast to the soft sand beneath her paws. her skiff, though beaten and worn, stood strong as it moved ever so gently with each pull of the wave against the shore. the storm was only a test- of her bravery, of her focus- and she passed with flying colors as she knew she would.

as kalons took notice of her ship, they came running down the shore to collect their gifts. their messages, their stories, their pieces of one another they longed for so.

but there didn't seem to be anyone coming for this one. the scroll saoirse had saved from the icy cold water. nobody had come to savor it's words, feel the warmth from that who had written it.

she found herself pondering if anyone was coming at all. maybe, it wasn't meant for someone.

but a lasting message is what it left.