Miku Beach Episode

Miku waded into the shallow waves on the beach, letting the water skirt around her ankles and feeling the cool, soft sand spread beneath her weight. The sea was always so beautiful, even on the most miserable of days her stormy presence could swoon even the darkest of hearts. Miku didn't live by the coast all year round, but she made as many trips out as a Shuno could manage. Every summer especially, down to the azure waters to sink up to her chest and let the water carry her body away, weightless. This year she had company for most of her trips and this time was no different. She had recruited her friend Raspberry back home on the outskirts of the Dead City, but on their way to the beach they had picked up a third, a pale pink raptor that had tried to shake them down for any valuables. Now, she was on Miku's back, coming along to see the fabled ocean for herself.

Cassidy knew she'd landed a couple of rubes when she first spotted the Shuno and the Para wandering through her scrubland. Even without her gang, she reckoned she had a decent shot at shaking down these two fro something juicy. What she hadn't expected was an invitation to join the blissfully ignorant herbivores on a trip to the beach. The way the big blue one had described the sea they were traveling to made it sound almost mythical, and Cass would've been lying if she insisted she wasn't interested. So, she thought, follow along, watch them splash around, have a rummage around to see what she could snag when they left their belongings behind on the beach.

What hadn't been part of the raptor's plan was being taken hostage right into the shallows while still stranded on the Shuno's back.

"I can't swim!" she squeaked, digging her claws into the feathered back beneath her.

"It's a good time to learn, we can help," the blue Shuno said in her strange sing-song cadence.

"My feathers, I'm not built for this," Cassidy protested.

"We're feathery too, you'll be fine," the Para snapped.

Raspberry had been entirely opposed to the idea of bringing the highway robber along on their trip to the beach but Miku often got strange ideas of friendship in her head and her friend was forced to play along. She kept her bag close to her as the raptor eyed her from her perch on the Shuno's back and maintained eye contact with her. Raspberry wanted to convey as much as she could, while staying silent, that she knew exactly what the raptor was up to. It was a good plan, the sustained staredown meant that the little thief had no time to react when Miku began to charge into the water. Raspberry joined her, letting the waves hit her square in the chest and shutting her eyes to avoid the spray. She didn't need to see the raptor's face to feel satisfaction, just the shriek of horror was enough for her. She kept going out further until her feet left the ground and she paddled in place as the early afternoon waves rocked her back and forth.

Miku was up to her chest in water before she realised her passenger was screaming. She assured her that they could help her learn how to swim but she only trembled about her feathers and wasn't reassured by Raspberry's insistence that both of their feathers were holding up just fine. Miku tried to take control of the situation by swimming further out into the sea, trying to convince the raptor that everything was fine. She could feel the weight being taken from her legs as the salty water buoyed her along. Her neck sticking out had an adverse effect on her balance but over the years she had adapted, she considered herself a very strong swimmer.

"See? Everything is fine," she sang to the pink raptor. She could just about feel the claws keeping the raptor anchored to her back but she had thick skin, she could bear it if it meant her new friend got to experience the sea up close and personal. 

Cassidy stared at the waves that lapped against the Shuno's sides, like she was on some massive feathery rowboat. Her arms and legs shook as she hung on as tightly as she could. Maybe she could hold even tighter, she hadn't even drawn blood on this beast yet. Unfortunately, she timed her readjustment with a wave rising over the Shuno's side and ended up knocking her completely off balance. She tripped down the other side of the Shuno's back and barely managed to hang on, sighing out shakily when she realised she could haul herself back up. She began her climb, but felt something tug at her tail before she made it to a more level surface. 

Raspberry grabbed the raptor's tail just as she was about to scramble her way back to safety.

"Surf's up," she said through a mouthful of feathers as she pulled and dunked the pink feather duster in the salt water. The raptor flailed and screeched for a moment before realising that all she was accomplishing was inhaling more water. Miku's long neck stretched down and Cassidy grabbed onto her head for dear life, kicking her legs to try and keep herself above water. Once stabilised, she managed to cut a glare at the Para.

"What the fuck was that?" she snarled, the effect ruined by having to sneeze salt from her snout.

"You're swimming now, you're welcome," Raspberry said serenely, smiling as she paddled back to the shallows and shook herself. 

"You're doing very well!" Miku sang at the creature hanging on to her face. Cassidy groaned and didn't reply, just hung on to the Shuno and waited to be brought back to solid ground. She'd stand by her assertion that these two were easy marks, but next time she was invited to the beach by a mark she'd have to take a good long think about it.