[Gift] Beach Bums

                When her parents had promised her and her siblings they would go to the beach, they had all been excited. None of them knew exactly what a beach was, but the fact that it was being promised to them like a treat made the three sure that it was going to be fun.

                The trip to the baches of Isla Kela had been exhausting for the three juveniles. They trotted alongside Starburst and Snapjaw for the first few hours before they reached the tunnels that went from their home on Isle Pera to Kela. That was when Snap and Starburst had stopped, Starburst crouching down while Snapjaw carefully put the three hatchlings up onto the back of their father. They nestled amongst his feathers as he got back up and they started off again.

                The darkness of the tunnels and the idle chatter of dinosaurs they passed lulled the three siblings to sleep, safe on the back of their dad and the watchful eye of their mom.

                It had been the sun that woke them up, warming their feathers, and the sound of something roaring in the distance. Not like a dinosaur roar, but something softer. There was the sound of gulls overhead, and as Wellspring looked up, she saw Tropeos and Tapes gliding above in the air currents. The sky was clear, boosting her mood even more as she continued to wake up.

                “We’re close to the beach?” Wellspring asked and looked over at Snapjaw who was still walking directly beside Starburst. Her crest of feathers was down, relaxed, telling Wellspring that there was nothing to worry about at all even with all the dinosaurs around the area.

                “We’re there, actually. Right over this ridge.” Starburst replied, turning his head and smiled back at the three before looking forward again. Wellspring felt her feathers stand on end at the growing excitement, turning her head to look ahead as Starburst calmly made his way over the small, grassy, hill ahead of them. And as soon as he stopped at the top, the three juvenile Acros sat up and stared in awe.

                Snapjaw glanced over as the three stood, looking down at the ground from where they were on Starburst’s back and seemed to be debating if they should just jump so they could run down to the beach. Snapjaw flared her feathers, causing the siblings to quickly crouch back down and fall still, concerned they’d get the full annoyance of their mother. Starburst knelt down, rolling onto his side to let the three kids off before rolling back over onto his stomach and then got up. He stepped up beside Snapjaw and rested his head on the back of her neck in a quick hug before looking back down at the wiggling trio.

                “Alright kiddos. What are our rules?” Starburst asked and cocked his head to the side as he eyed the group.

                “We stay within eyesight at all times!” One said, his tail flicking around in excitement, shifting his weight from leg to leg as his attention was constantly shifting between his parents and the beach nearby.

                “We come back when we’re called for! And no complaining, otherwise mom gets mad.” Wellspring’s sister added.

                “We stick together!” Wellspring finished, her own attention constantly returning to the sight of the beautiful tan beach as well as the deep cyan waters.

                “And we are going to add a new one. Don’t get too near the waves unless we’re right beside you.” Snapjaw said, looking the three over and snorted to get their attention. The trio quickly looked up at their mother and gave a nod. Starburst and Snapjaw glanced the three over before Starburst bowed his head, permitting the three to run off. Snapjaw watched them go before shooting Starburst a slight smile, brushing up against him as they headed down the hill to the beach after their children.

                Wellspring stayed with her siblings as they ran around, laughing at how much harder it was to run on the sand and laughed even harder when their sister tripped over herself and fell. Once she was back up, they ran around to look at some of the washed up kelp from the previous high tide, Wellspring making a disgusted face at the smell of the plants. And it wasn’t long before the three made their way to one of the rocky tidepools.

                Her brother was the one that lifted his head and called, an almost chirp-like roar that caught the attention of Snap and Starburst. The two older Acros walked over, standing behind the siblings and looked down at the shallow water as the three looked up at them.

                “Can we swim in this? There’s no waves, right?” Wellspring asked, turning to look back at the tidepool and stared it down, on the lookout for whatever a wave was exactly.

                Snapjaw furrowed her brows as she looked at the calm water and then looked back at the three juveniles, all three looking concerned as they watched their parents. Starburst broke the silence by laughing, shaking his head. “No, there are no waves. Look, children. You see how the water over there is coming up onto the beach? How the water crashes up and then pulls back out to the deeper water? That is a wave. It’s not a living thing like you or I. So no, this water is safe from waves. And it’s not very deep, so you can get in and play around, it’s alright.”

                As soon as their father gave them permission, the three jumped into the water and started to play around. Wellspring kicked water up at her siblings as Starburst and Snapjaw moved to lay down beside the tidepool to keep an eye on the three as they played.

                The day they spent at the beach was one of the best days Wellspring had experienced since she had hatched. She enjoyed the farm and forest where they lived normally, but she always felt like she stuck out. Her siblings and her parents looked like they belonged in a forest with their coat colors being more natural. But the blues and yellows that colored Wellspring made it hard for her to blend in like they did.

                On the beach, though? She felt like she belonged with the waves and water. They had found a fish that was just as brightly colored as she was, too. There was a life there on the beach that Wellspring wanted. And as she and her siblings were told they needed to come along, that they needed to go and find a place to stay for the night, Wellspring had the larger fit of the three. It hadn’t been until Starburst had soothed her by promising they’d come back the next day that she finally settled down.

                Even being so young, Wellspring made herself a promise that she would live on that beach. Among the tidepools and sandy dunes of the coast. She loved it, and felt that love to the core of her being.