Prompt list here

Prompt list here

The fishermen of St Helier had looked slight askance at them when they'd first arrived, but one evening in the pub had established Ralph's credentials as someone who knew what he was about. The rest of the time had passed in a blissful haze of fresh seafood, local cider and long evening walks on the sands which stretched all the way to St Aubin.

Saturday, as the tide went out they'd strolled after the retreating sea to the castle perched incongruously ona rock just outside the harbour. They'd een given a tour of some of the rooms, then gone to inspect the hermitage and long breakwaters before returning tot he "mainland" for ice cream.

By Sunday, Ralph had charmed someone into driving them to the southwesern corner of the island. There, they'd visited the lighthouse, which was apparently famous and certainly very picturesque. Ralph had enjoyed a very technical debate with the head keeper on the merits of parafin vs electric. Laurie had been more interested in the generous cream teas served at the lightkeepers' cottages after.

When Ralph had first come home talking about the yacht, Laurie had worried. Might it not be too much for them, with their different handicaps, to manage it alone? It was unthinkable to bring someone else along though. It would change the whole experience. He should have realised Ralph wouldn't get too caught up with the idea to forget his limitations.

They'd started with day sails along the south coast. This was as much to get Laurie familiar with sailing as anything else. He had to do the heavy work of raising and lowering sail as that required both hands, but nothing beyond his capability. He'd worried about his limp too, but again it hadn't been a bar to developing sea legs. This was their first proper trip and it had been a resounding success. Ralph was on now about teaching him navigation over the winter, but that was some months off yet.

Yes, it had been a very successful weekend indeed. As the island of Guernsey slipped past as a dark shadow to port in the evening sun, Laurie slipped into a contented doze, not quite asleep but not fully awake either, his thoughts running away down their own paths. A sudden shout from Raph roused him.

"Dolphins!"

Prompt list here

The simple surroundings didn't immediately break the illusion. In the low lamplight the polished wooden furniture and narrow bed could easily be a tidy ship's cabin, if one didn't look too far. No, it was the stillness which reminded him that he was off the water. Standing to refill his glass, he'd braced himself for the roll of the deck and been briefly but utterly disoriented when the room failed to move around him.

Just in case the first round wasn't enough

I've dredged this up from The Past for when I'm lacking in ideas

This much heat was unusual this early in the year, and a shock after the late spring. Mentally Ælfwulf made a note to keep an eye on the harvest over the summer. If the crops struggled, the people would too. His responsibilities were never far from his mind.

"We'd best be off. The road goes ever on," he sighed, retrieving his staff.

"It doesn't have to," the creature padding next to him replied placidly. "We could travel a lot faster if you would but say the word." Ælfwuld eyed him in response, but the wolfhound face was inscrutable. It was an old debate, and not one the mage fancied relitigating today, so he merely shook his head.

They continued in silence beneath the dusty blue sky. The brown heather stretched away on all sides, fading to grey as it went. And it was in silence too. At some distance, skylarks trilled their joy into the air, but the human and his companion travelled in a bubble of quiet. Domesticated animals were wary, but the wild creatures sensed the true nature of the large dog. Far better than people did, if Ælfwulf was honest. The stonechat and the hare trusted their instincts more than their sight, that foreboding sense of threat! Threat! Demon nearby!

Humans, of course, rationalised it to a remarkable degree. Everyone knows mages have familiars, demons bound to their will. If their animals seem a little unsettling, well, that's only to be expected. You won't get anywhere if you start taking mind of it. People were stupid and-

Ælfwulf pulled himself back from that line of thinking. He knew to well what lay at the end of it. Once the sense of superiority has crept in, you stop seeing any reason to care what people want, to not use your powers. Broken things can't always be put back together.

"Come on, Dog. We need to pick up the pace if we want to reach Hametun by nightfall."

GUYS I HAVE JUST READ A FIC THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I'VE BEEN SAYING THE ENTIRE TIME