Finding Home

[Clownpiece]

“Costa del Sol, huh,” Somerled parroted, hesitant to turn away from the warmth of the light. “It’s a fitting name.” Saying nothing else, the weather spirit allowed the gentle sounds of wind and waves to fill the air. His eyes darted across the vast blue above, unmarked by any clouds, no longer scanning the weather at its surface. A voyage seemed to be on their horizon, and for that, they would want to avoid any typhoons.

“Want me to lead?”

The voice of Connor found his ears, overshadowing the delicate process of reading. Wrenching his head away from the sky finally, he spun on his heels, stopping upon facing his moose.

“Lead on,” he said, grabbing hold of the saddle and hoisting himself up and into it easily. “I don’t know anything about here.” He brought the reins up and pulled them taut, and the great beast he rode was forced to hold its head up, grunting anxiously. “What is this ‘Costa del Sol’ anyway?” He pulled at the reins again, and with a reluctant tread, the moose turned itself along the path to face down it. Here, Somerled found the answer to his own question. Not too far into the distance sat the city itself, far more imposing than something its size should usually be.

Buildings gleaming in the sunlight, the city was far from the largest Somerled had seen in his life. It was still large enough that just seeing it from this distance was enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. His moose shifted under him, neck straining against the grip the monster had inadvertently tightened.

“Relax,” his voice ordered him, guided by Sonny rather than him. “There’s no council presence here.” The command took a few seconds to process in his mind, but soon enough the monster, releasing his tension, eased up on the reins a bit.