He'd heard of the Maw from sailors at the Port, murmured rumors caught as he'd walked along the wharves, seeking information on something more that might help the Grounders during LongNight. It hadn't been what he'd been seeking, but it had piqued his curiosity enough that one afternoon he took a break from preparations in the grounds and hurried to Torchline to investigate on his own.
White-feathered wings carried him over the rolling sea, his precious blue crystal caught in his beak, always with him these days. Isuma soared below him, fascinated by the endless expanse of blue beneath them, broken only by the Kuali'i Isles that they passed over. The raven was beginning to wonder how fast they'd have to fly when a dark smudge in the water on the horizon caught his attention and he angled towards it.
The smudge grew large, broader, and more mysterious as it resolved into a darkness in the waters below, ominous from his vantage - but enticing as well. So many questions it posed, so many secrets it must hold...
He circled lower and then lower still, drawn to try and see beneath the impenetrable surface of the sea as the sun beat down upon it. Isuma peeped a warning and he tried to pull up, realizing too late that he'd gotten too close-
The wave splashed over him and dragged him down, inundating his feathers in a heartbeat, a raven's plumage no match for being submerged in saltwater. He tried to cough, but the stone fell from his beak and he panicked, stroking his wings through the water as the current carried him about. He couldn't lose the pretty blue gem, not now!
His chest burned with the need for air but he ignored it for the moment, seeking a shape that wasn't so helpless against the waves. He felt his wings shortening, his body lengthening, and he moved more fluidly through the water, chasing the falling stone as it glittered against the depths.
He caught it carefully in his mouth, barely tasting the salt in the water, and realized only then that his mouth was far too large, and had too many teeth. The burning in his chest was gone, and he swam through the water in shock, trying to reach the surface, only to find himself moving faster and more smoothly through the waves than he'd ever thought possible. From the corner of his eye he caught the flicker of a wickedly long and sharp shark's tail behind him, and he realized with a start that he was its owner, a sleek, pale white ghost of a shark in the deep blue sea.
White-feathered wings carried him over the rolling sea, his precious blue crystal caught in his beak, always with him these days. Isuma soared below him, fascinated by the endless expanse of blue beneath them, broken only by the Kuali'i Isles that they passed over. The raven was beginning to wonder how fast they'd have to fly when a dark smudge in the water on the horizon caught his attention and he angled towards it.
The smudge grew large, broader, and more mysterious as it resolved into a darkness in the waters below, ominous from his vantage - but enticing as well. So many questions it posed, so many secrets it must hold...
He circled lower and then lower still, drawn to try and see beneath the impenetrable surface of the sea as the sun beat down upon it. Isuma peeped a warning and he tried to pull up, realizing too late that he'd gotten too close-
The wave splashed over him and dragged him down, inundating his feathers in a heartbeat, a raven's plumage no match for being submerged in saltwater. He tried to cough, but the stone fell from his beak and he panicked, stroking his wings through the water as the current carried him about. He couldn't lose the pretty blue gem, not now!
His chest burned with the need for air but he ignored it for the moment, seeking a shape that wasn't so helpless against the waves. He felt his wings shortening, his body lengthening, and he moved more fluidly through the water, chasing the falling stone as it glittered against the depths.
He caught it carefully in his mouth, barely tasting the salt in the water, and realized only then that his mouth was far too large, and had too many teeth. The burning in his chest was gone, and he swam through the water in shock, trying to reach the surface, only to find himself moving faster and more smoothly through the waves than he'd ever thought possible. From the corner of his eye he caught the flicker of a wickedly long and sharp shark's tail behind him, and he realized with a start that he was its owner, a sleek, pale white ghost of a shark in the deep blue sea.
