Tears For the Sea - Chapter One -
Declain clutched the piece of paper on one slightly webbed hand, before he crumpled it, the tears which had threatened to spill from his emerald green eyes welled, then trickled down his pale face. Grief rose from some dark recess within him, and he raised his narrow snout to the uncaring night sky and screamed his pain and suffering until he grew hoarse. Falling to his knees on the moonlight beach, his small ears twitched, listening to the sounds of the waves as they hissed against the sandy shoreline - seemingly oblivious or uncaring, to the pain that Declain felt. Unnoticed, the hand written letter fell from his limp paws and was soon consumed by the uncaring sea, carrying his lovers last words away from him forever.
His mind cast back to the contents of the letter, forever burned into his very soul - words he knew had come from the heart of his beloved, words that once again, brought bitter tears to the young sea otters eyes....
"My beloved Declain, my love for you is as undying as the sea itself, for the past several years, have you shown me what true love is. A kind, gentle spirit, whose warmth of character and love knew no boundaries - and you gave so much to me, I could never hope to repay such kindnesses. I know now, why you will cry when you receive this letter - my love - I wish it did not have to be so, but I stood here on the foreshore, as you probably are now, and for many hours - did I search my soul, looking for answers to questions I knew I could not answer. I am so sorry my love, leaving you like this, but please, dry your eyes my love, it was nothing you had done - it was never you, I wish I could have explained, could have made you understand - but I can not - and all I can do, is ask for your forgiveness, you will never be forgotten my dear, beloved Declain - I promise...
_ Yours Forever,_
_ K._
Declain was beside himself, as he sank to his furred knees on the wet sand, and clutched his muzzle between his webbed paws and sobbed heart-brokenly. What had he done to drive Kelana away? Their love had always been based on one of mutual trust and respect, their lovemaking had never been one-sided - often bringing each other to mutual orgasm within seconds of the other - their souls shared a bond...he knew all this - yet Kelana had left in the early hours of the morning - leaving nothing but this hand-written note in the scrawling writing he knew and loved so well....
"Why have you abandoned me!" Declain screamed, throwing his head back and giving his grief full release. "I loved you - do you hear me...I loved you! I never strayed - not even for a second - you were the love of my life, my sweet, gentle Otter..."
Impassively, the waves continued their quiet surrurations against the beach, their whispering almost like some voice in a language he could not understand. Whirling far out too sea, a lonely cry pealed forth - as an Albatross curled and glided, before vanishing back out to sea - its cry seeming to echo the pain and loneliness that Declain felt. For hours, he knelt in the sand, his legs long having grown numb from the wash of the surf that broke only a few dozen feet away - he did not care...
Kelana had loved him, and he her, and it was this sudden dissolution of their partnership, that drove him to such despair and grief. He had no warning Kelana was going to leave him, for just last night, they had strolled this moonlit beach, paw in paw, and before the silvery moon, on this very sand - almost where he stood now, they had made passionate love together - their furred bodies twisting and writhing in ecstasy and mutual love...Kelana had shown no signs of wanting to leave him...which made her sudden departure, all the harder to take....
*
In happier times, Declain worked as a Ranger for the National Parks and Wildlife, sometimes guiding tourists through the beautiful rainforest that almost backed onto the sands near his home, other times working alongside others - fixing signs, making sure trails were well defined and safe, giving lectures too young schoolchildren about the wonders of nature - even though his true calling was the sea, for this five-foot ten sea otter, he'd made himself just as much a part of the land - as the sea.
Declain was a woodland brown over much of his body, a paler tan colour from the underside of the throat, chest, belly and thighs, with slightly webbed paws and a thick, short tail that served him well when he returned to his true love - the sea. Children were fascinated with Declain's webbed paws - and he explained out a feral otter used them like paddles, along with the webbed toes and rudder-like tail. He had a gentle voice, always impeccably polite and calm, keeping his anger at what humans did to the environment he so loved, a jealously guarded secret.
When he met Kelana, she had caught his eye - and his heart. She was with a group of humans and other anthropomorphic animals, whose camera's and incessant questions, oohs and ah's kept Declain busy for the tour - yet this strange otter maiden, dressed simply in a kelp-green skirt that come to her ankles, and a slightly paler green shirt, walked along in companionable silence, infrequently glancing at Declain and when their eyes met, he felt a genuine warmth. At the end of the tour, he carefully cornered her, and gave his most charming look, his furred cheeks dimpling, and whiskers twitching. She had seemed almost aloof in her first meeting, but his personality and genuine love of life won her over - and by the time they had finished talking, Declain had her name, Kelana, and been given her number, and he promised to call her.
Their love started as a friendship, this enigmatic young sea otter female shy and evasive, but Declain was the perfect gentleman, and after a dozen dates, Kelana lay her paw on his, then leaned over and kissed his cheek shyly, favouring him with a shy, almost skittish glance, before she looked back at her paws she clasped in her lap. Declain was ecstatic, but kept his emotions close to his chest, not wanting to frighten this young female sea otter away - she kept her history a closely guarded secret, and Declain was man enough, not to pry into her private life. If and when, she wanted to tell him, then she would tell him, he told himself.
It took nearly six months to finally win her heart, and that night, they had both entered the sea as naked as the day they had been born - and Kelana had wrapped her strong arms around his neck and kissed his muzzle, before turning her dark green eyes on him - and nodding once in acceptance. Declain had led their lovemaking, there in the warm ocean - the two otters swimming together and nuzzling each other playfully - millennia of courtship and instinct controlling their actions - until Kelana finally submit with a shy giggle, then Declain pulled her wet, streamlined body tenderly close - and consummated their love there on the shore amongst the waves....
Their first lovemaking had come as a shock to Declain. He had not known, and Kelana had not told him, that she was still an Otter-maiden - in every word. As he began to make love with her, Kelana's strong paws had clutched at his back and she had buried her muzzle against his neck as he made her a woman - the pain soon forgotten by the gentle lovemaking Declain gave her. He had plenty of experience - knowing how to please a woman intimately - but something about Kelana drove him quicker and quicker, as the tears of her maidenhood slid down her furred cheeks - Declain gently kissed and licked at them, stroking the back of her head with his webbed paws and nuzzling tenderly. Soon, she stopped crying, and gazed into his eyes with an intensity that made him gasp - before she shyly kissed him and nuzzled him in return - her firming nipples pressing against his muscular chest.
Despite Declain's best intentions, their first lovemaking had been a rather quick affair - as Kelana's body was so much warmer than he had ever known - and she had nibbled his throat and licked his ears - two things that made him lose what little self control he had left. Within twenty minutes of claiming this young maiden's virginity - Declain slid his webbed paws around her lower back and gently pulled her close, as she moaned and then gasped - feeling him thrusting almost with bestial intent - before his orgasm flooded her body. Ashamed and embarrassed, Declain moaned and began to cry, thinking he had ashamed himself and defiled this sweet young Otter, but she merely shivered and licked away his tears, stroking his back and holding him close until he finally brought himself back under control.
Tenderly breaking his grasp, Kelana gazed into his eyes, before she smiled and as only a sea otter can, twisted about and vanished under the water. For several minutes, there was no sign of her, and Declain became increasingly worried - knowing his own ability to hold his breath - and he began swimming about, diving down and peering into the sea, trying to find Kelana. Growing increasingly panicked, he dove again and again, pushing himself beyond his normal capabilities, fearing she had become trapped and would surely drown. Just as his head broke the surface and he gulped in a breath - a webbed paw gripped his tail and yanked him underwater. Flailing and choking, he disappeared under the water - breaking the surface a few seconds later, then twisting about to see Kelana's whiskered muzzle surface just before him - a large blue crab clutched in her paws. He blinked in confusion, then coughed and spat out the salty water, as Kelana smiled at him, then gestured towards the shore.
Confused and relieved, Declain swam to the shoreline, where Kelana soon joined him - then as she sat she held the crab between both paws - and expertly snapped it in half. He was shocked by the strength in this young otter - her beautiful lithe body didn't seem to have anywhere near the strength required...yet she held out half the crab to him - before biting down on her half of the tasty meal. As her sharp teeth easily crushed the chitinous shell of the crab, she delicately tore a chunk off and began chewing, as Declain watched in a mixture of horror and confusion. Oh, he knew well - Otters could and sometimes did, eat raw food - but working amongst humans for so long, he preferred his cooked, but a shy smile from Kelana convinced him - and he shrugged, the water dripping off his wet fur, then tucked into the meal with joyous abandon. It took him several bites to get used to it - and more than once he choked and covered his muzzle with a paw, as Kelana laughed delicately and pet his wet shoulder.
"It...its been a while - " Declain admitted, giving Kelana a weak smile.
"I noticed - " Kelana responded, favouring him with a grin that made his heart melt....
*
Declain wept, clutching his muzzle in his paws, as memories of his time with his beloved washed over him mercifully. Their love had grown from one of innocence - to outright trust, love and affection...and yet - after seven years of incredible pleasure with her - she suddenly left, leaving only this note...and as he threw his head back and screamed again, the agony of the loss threatened to overwhelm him...as he knew, he would never love another, the way he had loved Kelana...and still did....
To Be Continued....