ORIGIN - Whale and the Flying Whale

ooooOOo ooOOOooOoo..... oOOOOO! oOOOo?? OOOOOOOOoooo

The sounds of whalesong could be heard faintly at first, growing gradually stronger and more resonant each minute, as Whale drifted slowly into Pisces. One might also call it whalewail instead of whalesong, because that might more accurately reflect what Whale was doing: wailing melodically about her loneliness to a despairing little tune she'd composed herself in ALL her free time.

"All aloooone.... in the water...... waves lapping, washing away old acquaintances..... ridges from rock.... fleeting meetings like a flash of silvery scales, there and then gone...... alone, alone, nothing but the water for company! Ah! Sky and sun! Brave comrades in adventure! When will I see you again? I remember--but where are those who share the memory? aghhhhhhhh......"

And so on. She spent most of her time singing these days, but never expected any response. The caves were quiet these days for someone who lived in the water, like her. Most of their residents walked on land, and few were ever able to keep her company. How long had it been since she last met someone? Whale couldn't remember, so she added another mournful click chirp... oOOOoo to her song, like a sigh.

Then she had reached the surface, and ripples in the water gave way to a moving patch of visible blubber and a spray of tiny glittering droplets, like an actual sigh, as Whale took a new breath. More as a repeated ritual than out of any actual hopefulness, she poked her head out of the water and scanned the area from the center of the lagoon: was there anyone around this time?

@Anthem

The sound was, at first, the most distant of musical moans. It reverberated through the stone, muffled but with a strength that carried, and Anthem--who had never happened upon Whale before, or any whale--turned toward it.

His days usually found him drifting through the air, eating and singing to himself, but it was a lonely existence--so much so that his initial bright joy at hearing a similar song was at once seized by uncertainty. Is it another? -Or a trick? he wondered, even as he turned toward it. His turn was gradual, more a drifting blimp than a whale's agility, and bright glowing vents opened to hiss out plumes of steam as he descended toward the water's surface. He could make out words, now--words that mirrored his own heart and mind, though they bore the silvery poetry of water rather than the dry heat of his airborne existence.

And he saw, tipping somewhat sideways, that the shape was indeed in the water. Ripples parted above a silhouette, and to his shock he saw someone like... him. Her shape was his, her size somewhat larger, though her color was softer; she didn't bear his glowing vents--but still, there could be no mistake. She was as he.

He felt, deep within himself, that there would only be one chance for a first impression here: the first, and perhaps only, meeting with another of his kind. (Or close enough, at least.) And so instead of calling out, he took a breath, his usual wordless song erupting with softly sung lyrics. They were spontaneous, halting, and clumsy--but his melody was one he knew: deep and lilting, resonant with his size, and enhanced somewhat with magic. The song was beautiful, even if his words were made up on the spot.

"All alone... in the air... drifting lonely. All the children... met from stone... wandered away. Here is another, in the water, the first to find-! A gift, a stranger, a friend--hello... who are you?"

He drifted lower, belly skimming the water as he slid his slow drift to a halt, tipped so that he could see Whale just below. His many eyes were bright, despite his gradual song and slow movement, with excitement.

@Whale

... No way.

Whale cut her lament short with a trill of pure delight. All these cycles without seeing another soul, but suddenly, another whale! She almost couldn't believe this was real--certainly, the fact that he was floating in the air, like a blimp, added another fantastical element to the meeting. She echoed his song, adding her own voice to the soaring melody. "A gift, a stranger, a friend! A whale, like me! My name is Whale, and yours?"

... Actually, would that be a problem? Whale called herself Whale because she was a whale, and that part of her had seemed so unique that it was only natural to name herself after it. But now that she had met another whale.... it wouldn't be too confusing, would it?

He was a whale, Whale was certain. The shape was right, the size was right, and even if he was black and red instead of the blue and grey of Whale's own blubber, and floated in the air, it was impossible not to recognize the whaleness about him. After so many cycles alone, Whale would have been happy to meet anyone, but another whale!, someone who looked so much like her...! Whale couldn't explain why seeing another whale made her so happy, but... the sheer delight welling up inside her didn't need explaining.

"Can you swim?" she asked eagerly.

@Anthem

His own name was not far off Whale's concept--not what he was, but rather what he embodied. "I am Anthem," he answered, his words gentle despite the loud music of his words. And--ahh! An invitation! Excitement was already thrumming through him, but now deep contentment settled in. No--that was too weak a word.

It was joy.

He drifted lower, until his belly began to skim the water with little splashes; then he was floating. It was not swimming, really. But it was as close as he could get. "I can swim... a little. But I am air," he explained, or tried to. Whale was obviously full of water. How else could she submerge-? "If I let too much air out, I will sink and drown. I do not want to do that," and there was amusement in his voice. But enough about him-!

He drew closer, swimming gently alongside Whale as best he could, constantly turning to stare at her in what was clearly a happy awe. "I am... so happy to find you! -Friend! I have never... seen one like me. Like--us!" His words, though quite musical, were halting. Anthem often sang, but he rarely held conversation; his life was generally that of a solitary nomad. "You are beautiful!" There was nothing flirtatious in the statement; only truly happy. "Do you... live here? I have never heard your song," and in this, there was a lament.

But--of course--now he had; and it was wonderful.

@Whale