[Deepwater Hole]A Leap of Faith (Natalina)

Timestamp: Season of summer, Day 10, 512 AV Almost skipping a beat with every step she took Galene stumbled about the forest floor. It was quite a wonder to her how she could have never managed to quite get used to the roots that lined the ground and the smaller fauna that always seemed to catch the young Konti girl quite off guard. Though the reason for this Galene was certain was because of her extended time spend underwater- she had never cared much for the surface. In her mind she always questioned just why she hadn't been born as a fish or some other sort of water creature. She could spend full days swimming among the seaweed and water fauna, sometimes more if she truly were to lose track of time. This did not happen very often of course- perhaps once every few years and never before she was twelve years of age. But none the less, she had chosen this day to focus more on the forest brush. She could almost always find her way back to a landmark by sea- but navigating the trees was a different story. She could honestly say she hadn't the slightest idea where she stood at that very moment, it would have been quite a frightening thought to most, but this young Konti truly was not unphased by the simple fact. Her usual backpack was kept tight on her back, filled with any supplies she may find herself needing- or at least with the supplies she had needed in the past which wasn't very much. A small supply of food, just enough to snack on if she were to grow hungry, along with a dull knife, her deck of seer cards and a variety of other small hardly useful supplies. But nonetheless she carried this bag everywhere she went, under no circumstances was it left behind. It would become caught on a straying branch occasionally, but it wasn't long before Galene had freed herself from the tree's grasp and continued noisily treading through the forest. More often than not Galene second guessed any travels she made on foot, she was quite clumsy even on simple paths so the challenges the untamed forest floors offered were no easy task to her. She found herself drifting off, thinking more about how she possibly should have gone swimming instead. Kept submerged under the welcoming ocean currents, when suddenly something caught her foot. It was a stronger grip then any others that day, and caught Galene herself quite off guard. Before she knew it the young Konti found herself falling forwards, tumbling a few feet and finally reclaiming her balance and laying flat on her back. She blinked a few times, trying to replay the last seconds in her mind, figure out just what it was that had grabbed her and pulled her to the floor. Glancing to where she had come from she noted a longer root in the perfect curved shape to grasp the toes of an unsuspecting victim. Moving to shake her head, something caught her eye to the opposite side from the root- a far drop. In that moment, almost instinctively Galene stumbled to her feet and took a few steps backwards. She put a hand to her lips as she glanced downwards, she had been laying barely a few inches from the edge. Enough space for her to not notice the impending danger, but close enough for it to be quite impending indeed. Upon closer inspection of the drop she noticed the water, and the shape of the area. A grin almost instantly formed across her lips and she took a few more steps towards the edge, much less afraid then only moments ago. Deepwater Hole, or 'the drop' as her own personal group of friends from her younger years had referred to it as. Usually it took a dare or a shove to experience the drop, but that was child's play and Galene had already been pushed off enough times to know it was safe. Quite the adrenaline rush, but safe. Although, one had to be very careful about the way they jumped, diving was ideal as it gave the most control when one hit the water and there was less confusion that way. A nice running start was also quite important, and the little root would not be very helpful to one going after that kind of thing. It was quite an odd thing, how complicated things children survived really were when you were to think about it. There were plenty of ways a jump from this height could easily be lethal- yet it wasn't something that Galene was aware had ever happened before. Maybe a little scratched up, but those things were usually just laughed off. Not considered a bit deal at all- in fact quite the opposite. A scrap from the drop was considered less odd then a scratch from running into a table in one's home. The more Galene analyzed the situation before her the less she wanted to take the leap. Instead the Konti found herself kneeling at the edge, one hand in her lap holding onto the soft white fabric of her dress and the other on the ground helping her keep her balance. There was quite a nice breeze from where she stood, though it didn't make the task ahead any less frightening. She felt like a child again, as if there were at least three other blonde natives behind her edging her on to jump- one sneaking up close behind her to give her the right shove off the cliff. It was considered a friendly thing to do, but in retrospect it was quite dangerous- and potentially could result in death. Or could it really? It hadn't happened before and these games had been going on for generations- so a leap couldn't be that dangerous. Taking a deep breath and in turn letting out a loud sigh Galene looked up at the sky. She had planned to stay on land all day, but this discovery was almost an insight to how she should really be spending it. It wasn't like the girl prefered the land by any means- she would have loved to have already been under the waves and in father Laviku's arms. But she had made the decision to enjoy the forest, become more familiar with those surroundings. Perhaps just a dive wouldn't hurt, she could always find land. But there were also caves down under the water, she could easily explore one of them and return home with a treasure. Again, the dive appeared dangerous so it really was all about priorities for once. While the water was welcoming, it could easily be quite deceptive. With a slight pout Galene scanned the perimeter of the drop, almost searching for one of her fellow sisters- perhaps a group of younger Konti she could observe for a bit of reassurance that these waters were still safe. When no such group was found Galene fell backwards on her back letting out an uncomfortable groan. "Oh Avalis, why can't you be more clear at times like this...?"