Chapter 1: Hope
The land of the rising sun. That is what Neighpon has been known as. This eastern island is the home of different walks of life, from kirin to kappa and dragons. The land had its beauty: cherry blossom trees that dropped their petals through the wind; green hills; and tall mountains that seem to touch the sky. However, beauty is always escorted by danger in this land. From monsters, demonic beasts, and, of course, hostile kirin. This is what a young kirin came to know throughout his life.
From a cave hidden among stones and foliage and by a beach, a kirin with a charcoal grey coat stepped outside. His ear twitched as he bore a drowsed expression. He was a foal, bearing large amber eyes and baby fangs that stuck out from his upper jaw and his lips. He yawned as he opened his mouth wide and revealed his sharp teeth. Leaning down as he stretched his forelegs, the black claws at his hooves scratched at the dirt as he swayed his short tail, where the dark hair brushed away sand. He then stood back up and shook his head, causing his spiky dark mane, which ran all the way from his head to the mid-section of his tail, to stand erect. The young kirin was fully awake as he felt a cool breeze brush his fur and hit his tan, armored underside. This young Kirin was named, Gojira. An odd name in the opinion of an outsider, but a well-known name to the natives of Neighpon.
Gojira inhaled deeply the fresh air with his nostrils and exhaled. He began to leave his cave, trotting to the green fields, butterflies flapping in his line of sight. The land was peaceful and there was nothing more that the young kirin liked than to live in solitude, in his damp cave, and to take a stroll in the luscious green fields that surrounded it. He immediately stopped as he spotted a rabbit lying in the grass. The young kirin licked his lips as he crouched in the tall grass, stalking the unsuspecting bunny. As the rabbit fed on the grass, Gojira slightly raised his rump into the air while swaying his tail. He narrowed his eyes as he wiggled his rump and broke off into a sprint, racing through the grass and to his prey. The bunny shot up with a start and fled with all the speed that it could muster. Gojira was falling behind as the bunny scurried all around the field, making sharp turns and bounding over logs and stones. As the rabbit found a hole, it leaped inside. Gojira skidded to a halt and found the burrow in the ground. He stuck his claws inside and began to scratch at the walls. After a minute, he removed his foreleg and peaked inside of the burrow. It was a small tunnel, which the rabbit had escaped through.
Gojira scowled in response as he kicked the dirt in failure. ‘So much for breakfast. No matter,’ he thought. He knew his land well, and bunnies weren't the only source of food. Gojira walked away from the burrow and continued through the field until he was near a river. There, he found a couple of kirin mares sitting near the bank, scrubbing kimonos against boards in the water. Their antlers glowed with magic as they willed the clothes to be scrubbed against the boards. Gojira's ears folded against his skull as he bore a look of disappointment. He reluctantly began to walk closer to the river with his head slightly lowered. As he came up to the river, the mares that were washing clothes noticed him. They bore looks of disgust and disdain as the young kirin followed the river away from them. Gojira could hear them whisper unkind things about him, which ranged from him being a demon’s spawn to being a hideous beast. Gojira bore hard eyes as he picked up his pace, kicking up dirt.
One of the reasons for him living alone was to avoid the stigma of the local kirin near his land. The river divided his territory from their village. The villagers never stepped cloven hoof onto his side, and he never stepped clawed hoof on their side. It was a respectable neighbor pact, but that never stopped the other foals from mocking his appearance, nor did it stop the adults from ridiculing him. As Gojira roamed about, he eventually came across a pond, where reeds stuck out above the surface. Gojira smiled as he spotted koi fish swimming in this pond. Their bright orange and white scales reflected the sunlight beneath the shimmering water. He dove inside of the pond, allowing the cool water to wash over him. From the sides of his neck, gill flaps were revealed from beneath his fur. The kirin breathed in his new environment as he watched koi fish, large and small, swim about. Gojira scanned the fish as he searched for the most appetizing one. He then found a koi fish with golden scales mixed with its white. The fish fed with its large lips as its fins swayed like hair in the water. Gojira's stomach growled as he eyed the large fish. He then swam through the water like a crocodile, swaying his body and tail from side to side. The fish were startled by his approach, but the one he had his eyes locked on was doomed. Gojira emerged from the water with the koi fish in his mouth. His jaws and fangs kept a firm grip on the flapping fish. As Gojira made his way to dry land, a rock landed by him, causing him to jump.
"Get away from my precious koi, you wretched beast!" shouted an old kirin stallion as he shook his hoof. He then picked up another stone, which Gojira was forced to duck from. He then broke off into a sprint, fleeing his attacker. Gojira had ran further away from his home and the nearby village, desiring to eat in peace. He sat down on his rump as he dropped the fish to the ground.
As he prepared to eat, he spotted a metal cap rising out of the bushes. Curious, Gojira stalked over to the metal cap, crouching down to the ground. As he walked closer, the cap suddenly hid beneath the bushes. Gojira quickly pounced where the cap had disappeared to and found that nothing was there. He then heard snickering, prompting the kirin to turn around. His eyes widened as he found a creature that was about his size. It stood on two legs, bearing webbed claws. The creature was scaly and green, resembling a humanoid turtle. Its beak bore pointed teeth and it bore a large shell on its back and a metal cap upon its head. This was a kappa, a yokai that resided in lakes and rivers in Neighpon. The creature stuck his tongue out at Gojira as he it held a finger beneath his yellow eye, revealing part of his socket.
"Nyeeeeeh!" taunted the kappa as he held Gojira's fish over his shoulders. Gojira growled in response as he bared his sharp teeth. The kappa gave a high-pitch laugh as he ran away from the kirin. Gojira was about to chase after the kappa but suddenly felt himself trip. He grunted as he fell face down into the dirt and felt a figure hop onto his back and jumped off him. Gojira raised his head and found a second kappa, this one more of a yellow-green, running to meet his friend. The two laughed as they mocked the kirin while turning to each other and bumping their shells. The two ran away, leaving Gojira in the dust.
The young kirin flopped his ears against his head with a look of disappointment. He then sighed as he planted his head on the ground. The kappas were known to be mischievous little creatures. Sometimes they committed harmless pranks and other times they performed actual malicious acts. However, they mostly settled with stealing the clothes of the villagers and their food. Gojira wished that he had a cucumber on him to maybe offer up as a trade in return of his fish, considering how the vegetable was a favorite to kappas. Gojira sighed as he slammed his hoof on the ground and slowly stood back to his hooves.
Gojira was roaming down the road with a rumbling stomach. He hadn't eaten in hours, due to how his food sources were now out of reach. The fish in the pond were owned by the old stallion, the bunnies were much too quick for him to catch, and he had no money to purchase any food from any pony or kirin. That has left him to one option, and it was one he preferred not to do. Gojira sighed as he turned and headed over towards the nearby village. He sneaked through the dirt road in the village, while diving behind barrels, baskets, and houses for cover. He peeked his head out from behind a bush as he sniffed the air. The smell of delicious dumplings filled his nostrils. Gojira sneaked through the area until he came across a hut, where a green-scaled kirin mare with a white mane placed a tray of dumplings by a counter, allowing them to cool off. Gojira took another whiff, able to catch the scent of fish from within the dumplings. He sneaked about towards the hut as the mare looked at a pot and the contents inside. As Gojira was close enough, he immediately dove for the dumplings and scooped them all into his mouth. With his face stuffed, he felt that they were still hot. He painfully scurried away as his eyes watered. As the mare turned back to her tray, she gasped as she found that her dumplings were gone.
Gojira had then hid himself behind another house, where he spat the dumplings onto the grass. He panted as he hung out his burned tongue out. He then sniffled as he wiped his teary eyes. The little kirin then happily leaned down to the food that he had stolen and blew upon each dumpling before devouring them. He didn't necessarily felt bad about stealing that mare's food, considering how she had a big pot filled and was cooking something up. He mostly felt worried of being seen in this village. He hadn't been in this village in the past couple of years, where he himself was ostracized from. But, he was too desperate to eat something to let his fear of entering the village stop him.
After Gojira had eaten, his stomach still growled. The dumplings were simply not enough to satisfy his hunger. He sniffed the air again, and caught the scent of more food further down the road. It seemed like a bad idea to continue to remain in this village because of a barely filled tummy, but the smell was too delicious to pass up. So, Gojira stood back up and sneaked through the village. He passed a couple of kirin as they pulled carts down the road, while ducking behind a bush as foals giggled while kicking a ball as a game. Gojira's heart raced as he continued his mission. It was foolish to risk being seen by the other kirin just because of a starving stomach, but there was no turning back now.
Gojira finally found where the source of the smell was coming from. His eyes widened as his mouth drooled over at the sight. He found a plate of salted salmon, simmered in its juices, sitting on the wooden porch of a house. Gojira's stomach growled again, demanding that he consume the cooked meat. He was reluctant, considering how it was out in the open, but as he continued to stare at it, the less he began to worry. There seemed to be no one else around. So, Gojira quickly made his way over to the plate and bit down on the fish. He gave a happy sigh as he tasted the succulent fish, bearing a salty taste to it. As Gojira was about to move away, but he heard the sound of hooves clopping against the wooden floor. He froze as he spotted a kirin stallion with whiskers over his snout stepped out from a room. His eyes widened as he spotted Gojira in front of his home, with the fish in his mouth. He narrowed his eyes as he gave an enraged cry.
"You dare to invade my home and steal my food, you foul monster?!" demanded the stallion as he levitated a katana to his side and drew the blade from the sheath. Gojira's eyes widened as the kirin lunged at him with the sword in his magic grip. Gojira dodged the steel blade and quickly ran away from the house. He grunted as he slammed into a mare, knocking her to the ground. The female kirin wailed in horror.
"The Kaijirin is attacking me!" screamed the mare as she pushed Gojira off her. Gojira stumbled back, and found the horrified faces of the villagers. They all gave enraged shouts; the stallions grabbed their farming tools or cooking utensils and charged towards him. Gojira frantically stood up and ran away from the enraged villagers. He took cover by a well, where the villagers missed him and continued to run down a path that they believed that he had followed. Gojira sighed in relief but then gasped in shock as an arrow struck the well just near his head. He turned and found a villager with a bow and arrow in his magical grip. He drew another arrow and took aim at Gojira. The youngster immediately took the opportunity to run like the wind.
As he came away from the well, the villagers spotted him and continued their pursuit. Gojira frantically made his way out to the exit, maneuvering any blades or arrows that came his way. Soon, he had made it outside of the village. However, the angry stallions continued their pursuit with their weapons. Gojira leaped through the river, kicking his legs against the weak current, making it to the other side. As he made it to the surface, he continued to run. The villagers continued their pursuit, crossing the river as well. As Gojira grew closer to his home, he found that the villagers were keeping up their pursuit. Soon, he found himself cornered by the large stones that made up his cave. He stopped and turned with a frightened expression as the villagers pointed their farming tools, swords, and cooking tools at him, bearing menacing glares. Gojira trembled at their presence as they threatened him. He shook violently as he closed his eyes while gritting his teeth. Then, he felt himself grow enraged.
These villagers had spent their time stigmatizing him because of how different Gojira was compared to them. He had no parents, no cloven hooves, and he had gills. He was different compared to ordinary kirin, so he was considered a monster by them. Gojira opened his eyes with a fire that burned with anger in them. The back of his tail's mane lit up a soft neon blue, which traveled up the mane on his back. The sound of whirring and low humming filled the air. The villagers backed away with frightened expressions as Gojira's back glowed with the neon light. Soon, the bright glow had reached Gojira's spiky mane on his head, while he growled angrily and glared at the intruders.
He reared his head back while inhaling deeply and then shot his head forward while opening his jaws wide open to spit forth neon blue flames. The flames burned the grass in front of Gojira as he turned his head, causing his breath to scourge the earth like a hose. The kirin cried in terror as the flames burned the ground at their hooves. The kirin quickly backed away and fled from Gojira as he poured his anger upon them. As soon as they were gone, Gojira stopped spewing his breath and began to pant. This breath was just one of the few other things that had led to the villagers to call him a monster. Gojira dropped his ears down as he lowered his head. He turned back and headed for his cave, making his way deep inside to the dampest part, where water droplets echoed inside. He found himself by a pile of moss that sat on the ground. Gojira sniffled as he lied himself down on the patch of moss and curled himself up, allowing a couple of tears to stream down his face.
It was hours later. Gojira, lied curled in his cave, his eyes closed. The early night sky illuminated the entrance of his cave, along with the stars and moon. As the youngster rested in his lonely cave, he heard an echoed sound. His brows crinkled as his ears picked up a soothing tune. Gojira opened his eyes and then raised himself up. He raised his ear as he listened carefully for the mysterious sound. It came to him as an echo, soothing his hurting soul. Curious, Gojira walked towards the outside of his cave, searching for the source of the sound. It was like a vocalizing tune that was in the air, which seemed to be coming from further out to the beach.
Gojira walked away from his cave and made his way to the sandy beach that lied just ahead. He passed rocks that were buried in the sand as he listened to the sounds. The closer he came to the waters, the louder that the vocalizations were becoming. He stopped at the shore and listened. It was rather odd that vocalizations were coming from the water. It seemed impossible for a kirin to be capable of doing so since they couldn't breathe under water, but for Gojira it was possible. He stepped into the cold ocean water, slightly stiffening. He took quick breathes as he fought the cold and dove inside of the water.
Gojira swam to the deeper end of the water, able to see the moonlight cast its soft light just upon the underwater sand. He spotted several rocks below and a few crabs sitting on them. Fish swam in groups as they moved away from Gojira. Now, the vocalizations became much clearer. He continued his swim as he searched for the source. Soon, Gojira came across a great bush of kelp that swayed in the water like flowing hair in the wind. He swam through the kelp as the sounds grew louder. As he reached the end, he poked his head out of the kelp. Ahead, he spotted a strange creature.
She appeared like a pony, golden in color and about the same age as Gojira. However, she had a fish tail on the lower half of her body rather than hind legs. Instead of a mane, she had a fin that ran down to her back. She also had a golden gem embedded into her chest. The creature swam about as she closed her eyes and vocalized. As she did this, Gojira could connect the sounds that he heard to her. A lovely tune was coming from her lovely voice. Gojira lightly smiled as he felt himself relax as her singing had such a calming effect on him.
As Gojira listened, the creature turned her head and found Gojira. She gasped with a startled expression. Gojira immediately hid in the kelp, bearing a frightened expression. As he hid, the creature slowly swam towards the bush of kelp. Gojira slowly peeked out of the kelp and found the creature looking at him in curiosity. Gojira slightly hid himself with a gulp. However, the creature swam closer and peeked her head inside of the bush. She pulled her head away as she found the uncomfortable expression of Gojira. The kirin slowly emerged from the bush, allowing the creature to get a better look at him. She swam around him with a hoof to her chin, analyzing his mane, coat, legs and tail. The creature then found the gills on his neck, watching as they took in water. She smiled as she looked into Gojira's eyes.
The creature spoke to him, but Gojira looked at her in confusion as he failed to understand her tongue. The creature gave him a half-offended look. The creature spoke again, saying a strange word that he could not decipher. Gojira remained silent as he thought of a response, but the creature turned tail and left. Gojira reached a hoof out to her to try to make her stay, but then lowered it. Perhaps he was too different for the creature to be around. With that, Gojira turned and swam back to the surface. After making land to the beach, he shook off the water that clung to his coat. The foal sighed as he made his way back inside of the cave. At least he was able to hear a lovely voice up close.
The next day, Gojira sat on the beach in silence. His eyes looked out to the horizon, where the crystal blue water calmly sent its waves upon land. Gojira turned his head back to the village in the distance. He couldn’t return to there after what he had done. It wasn't something he was proud of, but he had no choice, being that his life was in danger. No doubt that the villagers may have been plotting to be rid of him once and for all. Gojira sighed as looked at his cave. It was no longer the safest place for him to be, since the villagers knew where he lived. He thought that perhaps now was the time to leave this land and find a faraway land, where he would be able to be free and safe.
With that thought, Gojira's mood began to brighten up. He stood up and looked towards the ocean, feeling the need to go someplace that was not Neighpon. Gojira ran towards the open water, in pursuit of his freedom. He splashed through the waves of the water, fighting through the force of nature that pushed him back, as if it were attempting to keep him from leaving. He wasn't going to back down from the waves. He grunted as he dove beneath the surface and used the strength of his muscles to move through the water with enough speed to pass through the coming wave without effort. The foal continued through this vast sea for just about a couple of miles. His determination went undeterred as he continued. In fact, he grew much more determined to leave the wretched place that he had hailed from.
After the next couple of hours, Gojira had parked himself upon a stone, gnawing at a crab's shell for a lunch break. After breaking the shell, Gojira proceeded to suck out the meat from the shell. He munched and crunch with a happy expression. Food seemed to be much more convenient to come by in the ocean, considering how there were some slow-moving prey. He wondered why he never thought of hunting in the ocean before. As Gojira continued his feast, he heard giggling in the area. He immediately stopped eating and turned to find four figures in the distance.
He recognized their appearance being the same as the pony-fish hybrid that he heard singing the previous night. He spotted the same light brilliant golden one, giggling as she chased a cerulean-colored hybrid, where she bore a bluish gem in her chest. The two swam about in a quick pace, in a game of what Gojira could assume was tag. The third creature was violet in color on her upper body, with darker purple on the scales of her tail. This one bore a grumpy expression as she rubbed her aching hoof, while looking down at a crab. The fourth creature was sea foam green in color, bearing an older appearance. Her body was longer than the other three and her fangs appeared out of her mouth. This one was a teenager in age, compared to the younger foals, and seemed to be their caretaker as she patted the violet creature's shoulder in comfort.
Gojira watched curiously as he lied on his rock, while he swallowed the rest of the crab meat that he had in his mouth. As the two sea fillies chased each other, the light cerulean one swam away from the light golden filly, unknowingly headed for Gojira's path. As she spotted Gojira, she immediately stopped herself before she could come any closer. Her eyes went wide as dinner plates and her pupils became pinpricks as she saw Gojira, who was vastly different compared to her. She gave a shrill scream in terror, startling everyone in the area. Gojira recoiled and crouched on his rock, while the light golden filly's eyes widened in surprise. The light cerulean filly swam away from Gojira in a frantic motion, hiding behind the older creature. The sea foam green mare's eyes widened in surprise while the light violet filly bore a nervous expression and swam to the elder's side. The light golden filly smiled at Gojira and swam over to the sea foam filly, speaking to her in the same strange language that Gojira had no knowledge of. The filly pointed to him as she spoke, referring to him. The older filly turned to look at Gojira, who flopped his ears against his head with a slight nervous expression. She swam towards Gojira, which caused the two younger ones to bear looks of panic.
"Hello," greeted the sea foam creature. Gojira's eyes widened in surprise. This creature spoke Neighponese. He gulped as he searched for the right words to reply.
"He-Hello," responded Gojira, carrying a small voice. The older creature smiled warmly.
"My friend here says that she saw you the other day but you never responded to her when you said hello. She thought that maybe you didn't understand," said the creature. Gojira slowly nodded in response.
"I didn't," responded Gojira. The sea creature swam around Gojira, analyzing his traits with a look of curiosity.
"You're a land dweller, a kirin. Yet you can breathe under water. You even have gills!" said the creature as she pointed at Gojira's neck.
"I-I always had them. What... What are you?" asked Gojira.
"We're Sirens. My name is Umiko. What is yours?" asked the Siren.
"Gojira..." answered Gojira. Umiko looked at him with a look of interest.
"As in..." Umiko was interrupted as Gojira nodded.
"Yes. As in... That," answered Gojira as he looked away.
"Well, that is an interesting name choice by your parents," said Umiko with a smile. Gojira lightly frowned as he looked at the ground.
"I... I don't have any," said Gojira. Umiko looked at Gojira with a sympathetic look.
"Oh. I'm sorry," said the Siren. She then cleared her throat as she gestured to the smaller fillies around her.
"Um, these are some friends of my family's from up west. This golden one is Adagio, the violet is Aria, and this little cutie is Sonata," said Umiko as she pointed to each filly. Although Adagio couldn't understand what her elder was saying, she knew how to recognize an introduction. She smiled as she waved at Gojira, while Sonata still hid behind Umiko and Aria lamely waved. Gojira slightly raised himself and bowed.
"Nice to meet you, I am Gojira," greeted the colt. Umiko turned to the fillies and began to translate.
"Gojira?" asked Adagio. The kirin nodded in response, which the filly smiled brightly to. Adagio began to speak in her native tongue.
"She asked if you want to play," said Umiko. Gojira looked away shyly. Never did other foals ever invite him to play. It warmed him up inside.
"Oh. Thank you. But... I'm actually traveling right now," said Gojira.
"Oh? Where are you going?" asked Umiko.
"I'm leaving far away from Neighpon, in search of a new land to call my own. I never was welcomed back where I come from because of how different I was from other kirin, so I decided to leave it all behind for something new. But...I'm not sure where to go," said Gojira with a sheepish smile.
"On your own? The ocean can be dangerous, you know," said Umiko.
"Maybe, but it’s better than staying on land, waiting for angry villagers to attack me," said Gojira with a sigh. Adagio looked on in annoyance, not understanding a word. She tugged at Umiko's shoulder, while speaking to her. Umiko translated to the girls, which Adagio looked on with a deep frown. Sonata slightly came out of hiding as she heard Gojira's story. Adagio gasped as a bright smile appeared on her face and spoke to Umiko again.
"Wha... What's she saying?" asked Gojira with a tilt of his head.
"She says that if you'd like, you can travel with her and her sisters and mother to get to wherever you'd like to go," said Umiko with a smile. Gojira looked down in thought as he pondered his move. It didn't seem to hurt to take her on that offer, considering how they haven't exactly reacted with hostility towards him. Gojira lightly smiled as he nodded.
"I... I think that would be OK," said Gojira. Umiko translated, which Adagio smiled at. She swam over to Gojira's side and tugged at his foreleg. She spoke to him as she continued to tug.
"She said, 'come meet our mom'," said Umiko. Gojira began to paddle his tail.
"O-OK," said Gojira as he led away from his rock. In reluctance, Sonata and Aria followed. The group soon came across a group of other Sirens, the rest of which were older, with a few foals as well. Umiko gestured for Gojira to remain at her side, while the fillies swam towards an adult Siren mare that was bluish in color, bearing fins with dark blue stripes. Adagio excitedly told the adult about Gojira, while pointing to him. The mare looked in Gojira's direction; he shied away next to Umiko, who merely held her hoof against his back. It seemed that Adagio had gotten into an argument with her mom, where she shook her head and seemed to be giving reasons.
"What is she saying?" whispered Gojira.
"She says that it's not right to take you along with them. Your parents would be worried sick. Now Adagio's countering with her argument, saying that you told us that you had no family and that you were a traveler to find a new home," said Umiko. Adagio's tone carried desperation as she tried to convince her mother to have her reconsider her stance. Meanwhile, Sonata and Aria were still silent, unsure on what to say. Gojira was amazed at why this stranger was so willing to help him. In all his life, no one offered to help him. This must have been what compassion was. The mother reluctantly looked Gojira's way and then to the other adult Sirens, who shrugged in response.
"If it doesn't work out, I won't be angry. I am a stranger, not to mention that I may look strange to you all. I wouldn't mind swimming alone," said Gojira as he looked towards Umiko.
"No, don't say that," said Umiko. She then smiled as she found Adagio hugging her mother tightly. "Besides, I think luck is on your side."
As she said this, Adagio came rushing back over to Gojira and Umiko. She grabbed Gojira's hooves and held them with a bright smile on her face. She spoke her foreign language to him again, this time filled with joy.
"She says that her mother is fine with you joining them on their journey. But they won't be leaving until tomorrow morning," said Umiko. Gojira lightly smiled in response.
"Thank you," said Gojira. Umiko translated to Adagio, who nodded to Gojira in response. The kirin gently pulled his hooves away from Adagio and swam towards Adagio's mother, who looked at the kirin curiously. The colt bowed his head deeply, the deepest bow that he has ever made in his entire life. That was how much he was grateful for the siren’s kindness.
"Thank you, I am in your debt," said Gojira. One of the adult sirens translated to Adagio's mother. The sea mare turned to looked down at Gojira with a warm smile. Adagio swam back to Gojira's side and tugged at his foreleg. She began to lead him to Aria and Sonata. Aria merely slightly recoiled in response, bearing a look of reluctance, while Sonata's lips quivered as she cowered at this strange looking creature. Gojira gave a forced smile as he lightly waved. He then spotted a pack of large fish-like creatures that swam nearby. They were grey in color, bearing short dorsal fins on their backs and tail fins that were horizontal. These creatures had bottle-like snouts, squeaking as they swam. Suddenly, the fillies all gasped as they turned to find these creatures squeaking as they swam nearby. Sonata gave a delighted squeal as she swam after the fish. Aria and Adagio followed after her.
"What's with them?" asked Gojira as he looked towards Umiko.
"Oh, they really like dolphins," said Umiko with an amused smile. Gojira looked at the grey creatures in curiosity.
"Never heard of a dolphin. Are they good to eat?" asked Gojira. Umiko lost her smile bore a look of discomfort.
"Umm... I-I don't really know. We never eat them," said Umiko.
"Why not? They're much larger than most of the fish that I've seen and plump. You could feed a family with one of them," said Gojira as he licked his lips.
"Well uh... It's just that we don't want to. Dolphins are our friends. They're smart, playful, and cute," said Umiko.
"Yeah, bunnies are cute too. I never made a fuss about it. I have to eat to live," said Gojira. Umiko tilted her head at him.
"Bunnies?" asked Umiko. Gojira shook his head.
"Never mind. Just animals that live on land. But if dolphins are that special to you all, then I won't eat them," said Gojira as he pawed at the sand, moving a clam shell out of the way. Umiko sighed in relief while Gojira swam after the siren fillies. He made his way by Adagio, who giggled as a dolphin nuzzled her chest while giving playful squeaks. Aria smiled as she gently pat a dolphin's head, while Sonata performed flips underwater with the other dolphin, giggling. Adagio gestured for Gojira to come by her side. The kirin did so, and was brought close to one of these dolphins. The creature squeaked as it brought its muzzle near Gojira. The kirin lightly chuckled in response as the dolphin nuzzled his chest. Gojira swam forward and performed a corkscrew spin while the dolphin chased him and swam all around him as he spun. Adagio laughed as she followed the two and joined Gojira's side, spinning as well.
Meanwhile, the rest of the dolphins joined in with the siren and the kirin from the surface. The playfully squeaked as they began to move like torpedoes in the water. Sonata placed on a pout expression and called out to Adagio, not wanting to be left out of the fun. Aria shrugged in response and joined her siblings and the kirin. The group swam about in the area, passing each other and performing twists and turns as they swam. Gojira laughed from the experience with joy. He never knew that fun could be so... well, fun. He never thought that he could share this experience with others. As Gojira swam by Adagio's side, the two glanced at each other. Gojira gave her a soft smile, meanwhile Adagio seemed to bear a bit of a shy smile, with a tinge of red on her cheeks that went unnoticed by Gojira. She then gave a toothy grin and speed up, which Gojira responded to by pursuing her.
It was the next day. Gojira was swimming after the sirens, with the mother of the young fillies in the lead. Meanwhile, Umiko was following along as well. She had volunteered to head back to the home with the others and Gojira, acting as a translator for him until he either learned their language or vice versa. Her family was reluctant to let her go along, but she was old enough to travel and was therefore trusted and wished a safe journey.
Gojira glanced back and found Adagio questioning Umiko. Occasionally, Umiko would speak in her language and would say some words in Gojira's. The kirin assumed that she must have been teaching her Neighponese. As the sirens continued their journey, Sonata had grown to be a little braver around Gojira and proceeded to tag after his tail. She giggled as she reached her hoof at the hair that made up the tip. Aria looked at her in annoyance and proceeded to scold her for likely pestering the kirin. However, Gojira never really mind it. He found it rather endearing that she found a fascination with the dark hair on his tail.
As the group traveled, they grew near wide open sandy plains of the ocean floor, where rocks and bottom feeders lied. As they continued, they had the pleasure of seeing all sorts of sea creatures, some of which that Gojira had never seen before in his life. He saw grand fish the size of boats swimming by, with a baby by its side. The creature let out a gentle and majestic call, which echoed in the watery environment. Gojira stared in awe at this massive beast along with the fillies. In this deep ocean, they even spotted a massive squid drifting through the sea, waving its long tentacles and looking around with its massive eyes. The group continued their travels for four days and nights, stopping for rests and feed during their breaks. Gojira was amazed at just how vast the ocean was, and wondered just how far the nearest shore was. He was lucky to have others with him that knew their way around on this journey.
After days of swimming, the group soon came towards an area where tons of stones were stacked together, and a few were cave-like structures. Here, a few other sirens were swimming out and about. As they spotted their neighbors, they greeted them with a wave, while casting odd glances at Gojira. They were puzzled at seeing this land creature swimming with the family, appearing as if it were breathing under water. As the group made their way near a reef, where kelp and sea anemone were planted, fish swam all around, ranging from many different colors, along with eels hiding in their nooks. Sonata sighed in exhaustion as she plopped herself on the sandy ground. Gojira yawned as he did the same, while lying down on a flat rock. Umiko came near Gojira.
"Their mother said that this area is where she and her daughters live. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like," said Umiko, while the sea mare looked to Gojira with a warm smile.
"Thank you," said Gojira as he stretched his legs and yawned. Umiko translated, while made her way next to Adagio, where the two shared a conversation. Meanwhile, Sonata sneaked by Gojira as she attempted to feel the hair on the tip of his tail again, but Aria sent her a glare. Sonata smiled sheepishly as she backed away, but instead dove over next to Gojira, holding her chin up by her hooves. She pointed towards the ground in front of the kirin while saying something in her language. Curious, Gojira looked to where she was pointing and found a star shaped creature lying in the sand. Gojira looked at it in confusion at this strange thing. It appeared to have rough skin, lacked eyes and appeared to have tiny tube feet underneath, that allowed it to traverse the terrain in a slow pace, like a snail. Gojira smiled as he poked the starfish with his muzzle, feeling the rough body of it. He and Sonata spent the next hour looking at the star fish as it moved towards a nearby rock in a slow pace. Meanwhile, Aria was napping on a stone, exhausted from the journey. Gojira and Sonata however, couldn't rest now that this creature had captured their attention, wondering how long it will take before it reaches one rock after the other. Sonata said words in her language with excitement as she pointed at the star fish.
Later, it was the evening. Junior lied in a patch of kelp nearby the fillies. Sonata snored as she lied on top of Aria, with her tail fin in her face. Aria bore a crinkled muzzle as she pushed Sonata's fin away in her sleep. Meanwhile, Adagio lied curled up next to her siblings in a peaceful sleep. Gojira was still awake, looking around at the area and found the other sirens of the area sleeping the night away. He locked his eyes up to the surface, where the water glimmered with the beautiful light from the heavens above. He imagined that the heavenly beings had smiled upon him and had decided to rid him of his misfortune, providing him with a chance to be happy. All it took was a push to leave his old land, to start again.
As Gojira lied down, he felt a weight against him. The kirin turned his head and found Adagio snuggled next to him on her belly with her calm sleeping expression on her face. Gojira felt his heart jump in response to this. He looked away with a warm feeling in his cheeks, one that he never felt before. He shook off the thought and lied his head down as Adagio's scales brushed against his fur. Soon, he drifted off to sleep, looking forward to his future.
It was just a few months later. Throughout this time, Gojira has been close to the sirens. Although they were at odds with his appearance and how he could breathe under water despite appearing as a land creature, they treated him like the neighborhood child that they were used to. Gojira had recently taken up living on the surface, much to Adagio's disappointment. However, he remained close to the beach. Or rather he lived on the beach, underneath a large stone that offered shade for the kirin as he lied by it and on top of a smooth stone that was beneath him. Gojira sighed after taking in the fresh air of his new land. He was curious as to what lied beyond his beach but was not in a rush to find out. Right now, this was his home.
The kirin dashed towards the ocean and dove inside, proceeding to swim further away from shore. After swimming about a mile, he came across the region where the sirens were living. As he swam by, he was greeted with waves by these sirens, which he waved back to. Gojira then came across where Adagio and her sisters were. Umiko was present as well.
"Herro, everyone," greeted Gojira with a thick accent as he came by. Sonata stifled a giggle while Aria snickered. Adagio sent them both a glare in response. She then turned to face Gojira with a smile.
"Hi, Goji!" greeted Adagio. She responded in the strange language that she had, which Gojira struggled to learn.
"Sorry. I still... Can't speak r-right," said Gojira as he searched his brain for the words to formulate a sentence.
"Don't worry, Gojira. Adagio is getting better at understanding and speaking Neighponese. You'll be able to communicate better soon," responded Umiko with a reassuring smile, in Neighponese. Gojira sighed.
"But I wanna be better at speaking their language. I want to be able to speak to all of them more," said Gojira in disappointment.
"You'll get it down. I promise. Now, I gotta go help harvest some clams. You and the girls behave and don't stray too far from the reef," said Umiko. Gojira nodded in response. Then, Umiko said the same command to the fillies. With that, she left the children alone.
"Tag?" asked Adagio in Neighponese. Gojira nodded in response. Sonata swam towards Gojira and tagged his shoulder and swam away with a giggle. The rest of the fillies began to swim away too, laughing as Gojira chased them. They continued their game through the next few minutes, eventually straying a bit away from the reef. As they played, Gojira noticed that they were straying from the reef, out into the open. As the fillies giggled, Gojira had stopped and was tagged by Aria. As she swam, she noticed his discomfort she raised a brow and tapped him again. Gojira faced her.
"We too far," said Gojira. Aria rolled her eyes. She spoke to him, but Gojira failed to decipher.
"She ask, ‘are you afraid’?" asked Adagio translated in a teasing tone. Gojira scoffed in response.
"No. Umiko said not to. We'll get in trouble," said Gojira. As Adagio partially translated, Sonata's eyes widened as being in trouble was something that she rather not be in. She went to Gojira's side and tugged at his foreleg, urging him to lead the way back home. Adagio puffed her cheek out with a scowl on her face as Sonata held his foreleg. Meanwhile, Aria was mocking Sonata over being afraid to get into trouble. The two had a spat contest as they argued. Adagio sighed in annoyance while Gojira shook his head.
Suddenly, a screech reached their hearing. The foals turned with startled expressions and gasped as they found a serpentine beast swimming nearby. It was about as large as an orca, with a head large enough to eat a foal whole. The serpent was 40 feet long, bearing tan armored scales and sharp horns on its head. The head bore red eyes, a forked tongue, and razor sharp teeth in its beaked mouth. Its long body had four short limbs and gills on the sides of its neck and its mid-section of its body. The creature gave a horrific roar as it spotted the foals, who were frozen with fear. The foals gave cries of terror as they fled from the sea dragon that was in pursuit. The beast was quickly catching up, but Gojira felt his mind elsewhere. It seemed that this was the end. After all his life of being an outcast and later being welcomed by strange creatures for about a few months, he was going to be eaten with his friends. However, Gojira’s fear slowly transformed into anger when he realized the sirens who accepted him as one of their own would be killed by the serpent. Acting against his flight instinct, the kirin immediately turned around and headed straight for the dragon. Adagio turned her head back and gasped in horror.
"Gojira!!" screamed Adagio as she and her sisters looked back to watch as Gojira hurled himself towards this predator. The sea dragon roared as it grew closer to Gojira, its eyes filled with hunger. As Gojira swam, his body suddenly sparked all around himself. A neon glow came from his eyes as his gills illuminated beneath their flaps. His mane sparked with the same neon glow from the back to the head. Gojira growled as the dragon came closer, while his sparking grew more intense. Before the dragon could open its jaws to devour the young kirin, Gojira gave a shout as he stopped and stretched his body out, releasing tense energy that filled his very being.
Suddenly in a bright flash, a blast erupted from all around Gojira in a neon blue sphere. The energy from this sphere burned through the water that surrounded him, creating an intense, boiling heat all around him. The dragon was blinded by the intense light, as well as the sirens. As the serpent came closer to the blast, it felt an intense burning sensation on its scales. It screeched in pain as its upper half of its body was burned severely but this energy, which was greater than fire and lava, something that sea serpent dragons were immune to. The serpent convulsed from the tender feeling that it bore from its body and swam away. Gojira panted as he felt the water in his proximity keep his body locked in a boiling heat. He grew light headed from the heat and the exhaustion that he had experienced after letting loose such power from his body in a large blast. This was nothing like his breath of flames that he was capable of spewing on the surface. Gojira allowed himself to sink down to the ocean floor, while the sirens cried out his name, swimming towards him. Gojira's vision went dark as he sunk.
Gojira lied down in a cave near the reef. The sirens watched worriedly over the kirin as their mother and Umiko looked him over. Gojira could hear them speak to each other as he was partially awake. Umiko turned to face the older mare.
"No, I'm not familiar with kirin being able to do what the girls described. But we do know for a fact that it happened, and we would all have been lost if it didn't," said Umiko as she spoke to the mare. She nodded in agreement.
"We're fortunate. All of us," said the mare as she nuzzled her daughters.
"Mommy, it was so scary! The dragon came out of nowhere and was like, 'Raaargh!' And Aria was like, 'Eeek! Mommy!' And-" Sonata was interrupted as Aria nudged Sonata in the side with a look of annoyance and pink in her cheeks.
"I-I did not say that!" said Aria with a look of embarrassment as she scowled. "I wasn't scared. Sort of."
"You just admitted that you were," said Adagio with a deadpanned stare. Aria crossed her forelegs over her chest and huffed in annoyance.
"What matters is that you are all safe. Including our hero here," said the mother as she glanced to Gojira with a small smile. She and Umiko began to swim out of the cave, leaving the fillies alone with the resting kirin. Adagio bore a deep frown while Sonata bore a look of worry.
"Is... Is he gonna die?" asked Sonata in a whisper.
"Don't be stupid. He's gonna be fine! He has to be," said Aria as she gazed at Gojira. Though she did feel unsure after witnessing something as frightening as a sphere of light coming from Gojira. It wasn't magic, since neither of her sisters could sense it. Not to mention that it left Gojira unconscious after using it. Adagio swam over to Gojira's side and lied down on the ground next to him. She nuzzled his cheek.
"Thank you, Goji," whispered Adagio in Neighponese. She then rested her head against his back and curled her tail close. Sonata smiled as she swam over to the other side of Gojira and lied against his rib. Aria rolled her eyes in response and proceeded to swim away. However, she felt a pair of hooves grab her by the tail and pull her back. Aria grunted as she was forced against Sonata in a hug. Aria struggled to free herself from her grip, but Sonata's tight hug was too great to overcome. Aria sighed in exasperation as she gave up her struggle, lying her head down against Sonata's tail.
"Darn it," said Aria. As the foals lied together in a pile, Gojira was fully in his blissful slumber, with all voices from the outside world becoming silent. Adagio glanced at Gojira, her hero. If not for him, she and her entire family would be in the belly of the sea serpent right about now. Her heart fluttered in her chest at his heroic, yet foolish, action. She smiled as she planted a small kiss on his cheek and brightly flushed to herself as she snuggled next to him. It seemed that now, Gojira had found a new place to call his home. Along with that, he had now gained something that he never had in his life. Friends. Gojira cracked a small smile in his sleep, having pleasant dreams.