SEA, SWALLOW ME, remus lupin

aon, birdhouse in your soul

CHAPTER ONE
birdhouse in your soul

                           𖦹 ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ ⋆｡˚⋆ฺ˚⋆˚ 𖦹

  A GALE THRASHES THE DESERTED shores of Lewis, waves thundering down onto the sandy beaches relentlessly. Lightning strikes across the tempestuous width of the sky, a single flash of light to brighten up the miserable darkness. The air is thick with the smell of rain dampening the seaweed, that saccharine petrichor upon the sand drowned out by the overwhelming static of the storm. A spray of saltwater beads against the window pane from a particularly colossal wave, mingling with the raindrops as they batter the glass. A sudden thunderbolt rumbles overhead to dramatise the downpour just as it begins to calm down.

Cove watches from where she's perched on the windowsill, biting her nails nervously. She catches sight of a figure twisting from the surface in choreographed flips which are similar to that of a porpoise, the man's skin glowing furiously blue in the darkness. His presence above the surface causes another violent slash of lightning, the rain picking up at his command.

  The storm kelpies are beginning to grow bolder, drawing closer to the shore and straying into selkie territory more frequently. Usually, they would leave with bleeding wounds and prominent bite marks, the seal folk remaining unharmed, but it's becoming increasingly common to see selkies with puncture marks from spears or fractures in their flippers. Due to the bloody Blue Men of the Minch and their overconfidence, Lenore has forbidden her from going in the waters unless the coast is completely clear or it's an emergency, wary of the dangers that lurk beneath the surface. She's beginning to lose her mind knowing that she can't do anything to help. Lingering indoors is doing her head in as well, what with the constant thunderstorms forbidding her from going outside.

She sighs heartily, head thunking against the glass. The holiday has been lonely for her, with a strict curfew from the waters and Cordelia off getting cosy with her cousin, Finlay — she tries her hardest to feel happy for them, but the only thing she feels is bitter considering that she's trapped indoors whilst they're making memories in the sea. Don't get her wrong, Cove is definitely rooting for them, but she's just incredibly salty that their freedom runs wild whilst hers can only roll over in its grave. It's just not fair.

  Her shoulders slump miserably as her mind begins to wander, drifting to cheerier thoughts of Remus. She can only hope that he comes to rescue her from the miserable weather soon.

With her eyes screwed shut in exhaustion, she doesn't quite register the woman meandering up to her side, an absent aura fogging up her consciousness — she's shell of a person, her dark eyes cloudy and her expression passive.

"There's something wrong. Isn't there?"

Cove looks up in surprise, her sleepy eyes widening when she processes who it is that's speaking to her. Her mouth runs dry as pure shock electrifies her.

"Mum—"

Mairi stands next to her silently, peering out the window as the foamy waves tumble towards the shore. The bags under her eyes are beginning to dig even deeper, forming purple craters that taint her otherwise perfect face. Another one of the storm kelpies rises from the surface and realisation courses through her face, her chapped lips parting in bitter understanding.

Cove is too afraid to say anything, lest she shatter the moment. She tenses up when Mairi sits next to her, fingertips pressing up against the window helplessly and forming little marks in the condensation. Tragedy is evident on her face when she leans back slightly, her eyes flitting over to take in her daughter. She stares at her intensely, scrutinising every inch of the girl before her as if committing her to memory. Cove begins to shift nervously, but she promptly stills at what her mother next says.