Just another Tail

She felt the cool water rushing over her slender body, her fingers brushed across the soft grasses that had sprang up from the muddy bottom. Swishing her tail a bit harder, she rushed quickly along the lake’s shallow shore line. Fish swam alongside her, darting around the rocks and searching the mud for fallen food and insects, their scales glinting colorfully with each bit of sunlight that streamed through the steady rolling waves.

Looking up, she slowly slipped her head from the water, cautiously looking about, careful not to be seen. Closing her eyes against the blowing breeze, she took a deep breath, inhaling the scents that came with the change of the season. Aife could feel the change in the waters, they became faster more turbulent, the waters mixing more with the dirt from the sandy shore. Above the water though, the colors on the trees were changing each day, becoming a bright array of colors that matched the trout below. The air felt crisp and clean, and smelled of the pines, nuts and sage that grew along the banks and mountains that surrounded the lake. The animals on land were busy, foraging and digging around, gathering as much food as they could, preparing for the snows and ice that would soon coat the land and water in its frozen blanket. Below the waters, it grew quiet and calm, during the winter months, the fish swam slower, traveling across the lake less.

Dipping her head back below. She dove in, swimming to the edge of the shallows and into the darker depths. Her hair trailing behind her with the flow of the water, the occasional fish brushing smoothly against her, in a rush to find food before another creature did. The light streamed in, breaking up the darkness, lighting the depths with a green hue, that at times turned to a golden light below. Shadows of larger fish and plants, disrupting the glow with their strong fins and leaves. Swimming lower, she wanted to gather the rich mud and leaves for the creatures above. The gnomes and fairies often asked her and the others that lived in the lakes and streams, for various materials that they could not gather on the lands.

Plucking the leaves from the stems that swayed in the current, she stuck them deep in the pouch that draped over her shoulder. She had made it from thick grass that grew in the lake, pleating them together, it had created a sturdy bag, allowing her to carry the materials with ease. The creatures on land did not use the lake weeds the way her kind did though, once out of the water, they would dry up and become brittle. The Gnomes had told her that they grind the lake grasses up and use it for teas the drinks that aid in healing the creatures above.

Aife looked up, turning her head, and listening, feeling the waters around her. She could sense the struggling of a large fish. Closing the pouch, she hastened towards the vibrations. They were different than the current. They were sharp and panicked. A thick bed of lake grasses and tree limbs lay in front of her. Knowing very well that the sticks were sharp, having cut herself on them many times before. She gently pulled at them, careful not to harm the fish that had become trapped.

“It’s alright,” she whispered, her soft voice stopping the desperate moves of the large catfish. Reaching in the mass of branches, she carefully pulled the fish from its entanglement, holding it gently in her arms as she swam slowly about, bringing the flowing water through its frightened gills. It nuzzled against her, regaining its strength. Pulling out a long piece of lake grass from her pouch, she wrapped it around the injury the fish had sustained from the bramble. The wrap would hold just long enough for the cut to heal. Thankfully it was in an area that allowed the poor fish to still swim. Stroking the large creature once more, she laughed as it swam about her, circling her in a gesture of gratitude.

Glancing up, she saw the sky above had darkened. The waters had grown anxious and excited, the heavy drops from the white lakes in the sky would soon pour their waters into her own and across the lands. She needed to reach the banks before the drops became too many. The fairies and gnomes could not be out long in such storms. Rushing to the shallows once more, she pulled herself onto the slick rocks that lined the shore. A rustling in the tree behind her announced the presence of her friends.

“Quick, the drops will come soon. Here is the mud and plants,” she said, scooping the contents of her bag out and placing them in the small basket the gnomes had brought. “Stay warm,” she said, glancing up at the fairies that rested in the warmth and protection of the thick tree.

“A flower for thanks. The last of the blooms before they are all closed up tight for the freeze.” Niamh said, her light-colored hair matched the sand that ran along the edge of the lake. Her wings beating steadily, pale pink.

Aife slipped from the rock, waving a goodbye before diving beneath the water. The drops steadily splashing on the water’s surface. Excitement filled the lake. Swimming faster, she spun in the current, gliding just below the surface. Letting out a squeal of delight, she leapt from the water, letting the droplets break upon her body. With a splash, she dove back under, the calm that had settled in only a moment ago had shifted to bustling pleasure and joy.