Guardians of The Priestess: An Almost lost cause IC

The sea spread out before Saru like a vast blue blanket, sparkling and shimmering from the light of the hot, bright sun which hung high in the sky. The magician was sat on a section of elevated ground, his legs dangling over the edge of the cliff as he lay back on the grass and slipped and out of consciousness. A large straw hat was laid over his face and hair, protecting his porcelain skin from the sun and from any sea birds who may decide to randomly attack him. They wouldn’t get very far, however... A silver trident lay next to Saru, close enough for him to remove her hands from his belly and grab the handle, lift the spiked pole and skewer the noisy creature before it could even touch him. Fortunately, no birds flew near him today. They fled at the feel of his malicious intent as he smirked underneath his straw hat; catching a bird meant providing himself with a small snack before dinner. Living by the sea was nice, especially compared to the freezing temperatures of his previous icy home, but it did have its down sides. For example, the only thing you could hope to eat was fish.

“I should go and catch something soon...” Saru purred beneath his head garment, his voice like the ocean around him; deep, serene, calm. Suddenly he lifted himself up from the ground, securing the hat to rest on his head with a single hand and taking up his trident in the other. His kimono shone in colours of blue, turquoise and green with a koi fish imprinted on the back in golden thread, a stark contrast to the plain yellow belt which held it in place. His feet were bare. Saru swiftly left the cliff top, walking gracefully as he approached the beach and his study yet lone hut. When he made it to the door he dropped his trident and striped quickly, until his body was completely bare and the criss-crossed scars on his back which he usually kept hidden could be seen.

Picking up his trident again, he kicked his clothes onto the doorstep and made his way down the beach and towards the sea. The white sand was warm from the sun and sunk in-between his toes. Saru felt a small shiver crawl up his spine as he entered the shallows, though his pace into the water did not falter. The water was chilled, despite it being the hottest part of the day. When the water’s height passed his waist, the magician dived smoothly underwater, his trident in one hand as he pushed with breast stroke arms and kicked his feet. He was a quick and silent swimmer, so it was no surprise he reached his destination quickly. It was a small island, only about ten or twenty yards from the shore. He could have walked, but the magician enjoyed the feel of the water on his skin, through his hair... It soothed him more effectively then the most melodic music.

His head broke the surface as he neared the rock and he shook his head in an attempt to remove most of the saltwater away from his face. He used his long, lean arms to push up and heave his body out of the water, skin glistening with moisture and salt. He hopped atop the rock, standing and staring intently into the watery depths for so long that he soon dried, salt crystallising in small pin pricks on his flesh. Saru paid no attention, he was far too busy watching the water and waiting... Waiting... Waiting...

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The catch had been successful. Saru had caught three fat fish whose silver scales and attraction to the surface had been their downfall. The catches had been quick but with long-ish waits in between. Even fish could remember to not return to the same place where their brethren had been skewered long enough to make Saru wait. After the third kill, the fish seemed to have disappeared and the ebony haired young man took great pleasure in diving back into the water and cooling his burning skin.

Once the sun had gone down, the cool evening had been a relief to the magician’s minor burns. He healed himself with fresh water he had collected from the river which ran into the sea not too far away, while he ate the fish he had gutted, skinned and roasted upon a small fire he built not too far from his hut. He had redressed himself back into his kimono, wearing nothing underneath. After all, no one ever visited the secret cove where he lived and he was the only soul besides the wild life for miles around. He felt no shame in swimming around naked or wearing nothing underneath his thin silk garment. Why should he? He was alone... He had always been alone since the priestess died.

Such thoughts brought back memories which he did not wish to re-live in his mind’s eye, so he shook his head as he finished his meal. As he cleared away, he tried his best ro remind himself of the reality. The priestess was dead and the other guardians wanted nothing to do with him. He was an irritation to them; a thorn in their heel which they just had to bear with for the journey. He was probably only kept around because of his strength, which he boasted matched that of the Fire Guardian’s... Well, he felt he could beat the others in a fight at least. So it was no wonder they didn’t come and have tea with him, not to mention none of them even knew where he lived! He had left the temple first after all; slithering into the dark night like the serpent he was, never to see any of them again.

“What foolish thoughts...” He spoke to himself, chuckling under his breath. He didn’t need them anyway. He was a lone wolf whom had only served the priestess because... Well, that was classified. Only but Saru himself knew that and he wasn’t going to tell anyone, not even on the day he died. Anyway, it didn’t matter; she was dead and he was a lone wolf once more. He would carry out his revenge on the Emperor by himself. Or die in the process of dragging the Emperor down to Hell with him. It was normal for his thoughts to be ones of malicious and blood thristy intent as he had killed many men even before his as a guardian. Nowadays, even th thought of his own death did not frighten him.

Saru turned his head to gaze up at the moon, which shone like a new silver coin in one's purse. It was approaching the witching hour, so he thought it best to go to bed. As he stood and slipped inside inside his hut, something caught the corner of his eye. The ring which he had worn faithfully to prove his allligence to the preiestess was glowing a calm blue. Saru halted in his tracks immediately and stared down at the ring. That was impossible. The stone in the centre was always blank. It had been since the priestess had died... How was it possible that it was coloured now? Had the priestess returned from the dead.

The malicious magician's breath caught in his throat for a second as he considered this thought. It the priestess had someone been risen from the dead, then she would most likely be at the temple. If Saru left now he could make it by tomorrow morning. He moved quickly, pulling on clothes and pulling a brush through his long hair without much thought for packing. It could always be a glitch and carrying a sack full of stuff around wasn't his most ideal way to travel. He would need only his trident, his hat, his purse and the clothes on his back.

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The moon was high in the sky and darkness swept over the countryside as Saru made his way up the dirt path which led to the main road so he could leave the cove and hed to the temple where the priestess had resised before her death. The magician had pulled on a different kimono of deep purply blues with a silver crane threaded into the back; black hanaka patns underneath; a pale sky blue belt to hold them up; a pair of white tabi socks and wooden geta sandals; a pouch of money; his straw hat and his trident attached to his back with a leather strip. His geta's wooden teeth click-clacked against the hard earth as he strided towards his destination with purpose.

Although he claimed o hold nothing close to his heart, there were two secret exceptions he had made in his life; the priestess and his home, whether it be the secret cove or the icy temple in the land where it always snowed. Saru wathed his old home with the small islands, the waterfall with the hidden cave, the ruins of ancient stone buildings speckled around and he let out a small, silent sigh before he turned his back on the landscape he had slowly become close to and fell into a steady, strong pace.

((Apologies if it's horrible :\ I just started writing and went with the flow of it all...))