Silver Waves

Fifteen

It took the storm three days to pass. When the Tribe felt the water that flowed into the cave become calmer, and the holes in the top of their retreat finally let in weak, morning sunlight, they all dove into the pool and swam through the tunnel as quickly as they could, emerging into the endless blue sea around the island with bubbly sighs of relief.

Ren had been the first out, her lithe body slipping past all of her friends and shooting unhindered into the daylight. She spun and twisted in the water, doing back-flips and corkscrews, swimming in ever-widening circles. Always full of energy, even the large cave had become confining for the young girl over the course of the group's seclusion from the outside world.

To pass the time during the tempest, the Crafters had used their enhanced eyesight to work on their projects, weaving baskets and making needles and other tools, but even their vision was sometimes too dim in the pitch black of the cave. The Gatherers and Hunters tried their hands at crafting, or came up with games. Everyone quickly became bored and restless, and Nami had carefully marked the wall with her stone, three tallies beside the first one that she had made, counting the days of their isolation.

Amidst the thunder and darkness, Nami had remembered an old legend, one that was largely regarded as a children's story on the Island. She asked Oona if she knew it, and if she could tell it to pass the time. The story was about Ame, and how she saved the life of a young girl who had fallen from a fishing boat by turning her into a Mek, a creature that was half fish and half human. The tale was remarkably similar to their own experiences, and Oona had remembered and been excited by the legend, retelling it in great detail, and had proudly dubbed each of her Tribemates a Mek, a creation of the ocean goddess.

Oona's retelling had prompted each of the girls to ask after their own favorite legends and stories, and the storm was weathered through tales and histories, along with sweetly nostalgic or amusing anecdotes about the Tribe's lives on Nyct; what and whom they loved and missed, what they thought each of their loved ones was doing at that moment, whether they were missed.

Fil and Kaia reminisced about how they first noticed each other, both of them wanting material from the same, rare island plant for separate projects. They disliked each other at first; both feeling that the other was encroaching on her territory, neither of them willing to share the material. Eventually, though, Kaia found another one of the plants, and the two girls were both happy. They worked side-by -side on their separate projects, sharing tips about how to best use the plant matter, and had been steadily growing closer ever since.

Over the three days, Sprigg had worked diligently, listening to the stories as she concentrated, even in the dim light, on finishing Ren's shaving shell, and passed the razor clam she had chosen to use to Nami when they had finally left the cave. The elder girl motioned Ren to the surface of the water to shear off her inch-long stubble.

Rocking gently in the subtle waves, Ren's wet, brown skin glittered in the sunlight as she tilted her head back, the tip of her cranium almost brushing Nami's chest as her hair was shaved away. The dark stubble fell like feathers to the water and floated on the gently rolling waves in a mass of brown. Ren ran her small hands over her scalp as soon as the job was done, relishing the smoothness of the skin unfettered by hair.

Sen smiled at her friend and ran her own hand over the girl's scalp, then playfully shoved Ren down under the water, prompting a bout of lighthearted wrestling between the two, who were quickly joined by a few of the other Tribesfolk.

The Tribe were all starving after days without food; their watery lifestyle and new muscles burned more energy than their land life and legs had, and to keep themselves from wasting their reserves during their confinement, they had all tried to rest as much as possible. Even with those precautions, they were all starving, and they needed to eat.