Sun, Sand, and Calcium

"You run a lot then?" Lochlann asked.

Another step back, another step closer to the ocean. He was gazing into her eyes, trying to convince her that she wanted to do this, that she wanted to come into the water with him.

Something was wrong with Lochlann, but it wasn't heat stroke.

He went for broke.

Lochlann leaned in and kissed her. it was a soft kiss, nothing sexy, just the press of his lips to hers.

Her fist collided with his stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing Lochlann to double over. The next wave that came knocked him into the water and he coughed, but it didn't matter once the water fully flooded his lungs.

It was too late to go back now, so Lochlann relaxed into the water, trying to ignore the dizzying pain and grabbed onto her ankle, giving it a tug just as another wave crashed, hoping it would unbalance her enough to pull her under.

His grip was weak, though, her punch having hit something in him hard enough to still have him biting his lip in pain. he was reacting more out of habit than thought.

There was a splash and she was in the water.

Lochlnn couldn't hold out any more. The air around him shimmered like a heat mirage and the illusion that he was human gave out. The black horse bit down onto her ankle and started to pull, but he was stumbling, because even in this form her blow to his stomach was still affecting him.

But still, he tried to pull her deeper, but....but christ she was really, really heavy. He snorted and whinnied under the water, bubbles escaping from his nose and dissolving into the sea foam, and Lochlann's struggling gave her extra time to react

Lochlann dropped her mouth the second...something happened.

He wasn't sure what, but he was in pain, and now she was getting away. That could not happen. First off, it couldn't happen because none of this was happening. Secondly, it couldn't happen because if she got out, she'd tell everyone. They'd know he was a monster and they'd said him back there again.

He galloped after her, his feet hitting the sea floor as easily as if he was a horse on land. He broke the surface, cresting like a shark, and Lochlann dived at her again.

There was a reluctance on her face, like he was intentionally mis-aiming...like he wanted to fail. Like he wanted her to hurt him.

Something like a bullet collided into him and for a second, Lochlann thought he'd been shot.

That wouldn't have been so bad, but it was where she'd hit. Lochlann was a heavy drinker and though he was in denial about it's effects, there was no doubt that where she hit hurt him, and hurt him bad.

Pain blinded him. He felt himself go under and Lochlann didn't care. The water couldn't hurt him. It was comforting, in a way, knowing that his hallucination ended this way. He let the waves carry him while he fought consciousness, but he was unhappy to find that he'd washed up on shore.

Lochlann was on his side, still a horse, his sides rising and falling rapidly.

He was grateful, but he was doomed.