Kyna chuckled at her pet Labrador/Newfoundland's antics. Guinness was jumping all over the place, barking madly and straining at the lead. Taking pity on the obviously overjoyed dog, Kyna bent down and tugged off the purple lead. Guinness shot down to the beach and splashed into the roaring ocean.
Kyna stood, gazing out at the beach before her. It was very rocky and there was a cave at one end. The tide was coming in and the waves were crashing onto the rocks, deafening the young woman. Smiling, Kyna rushed to the main beach, running the length of it. As she neared the cave, she thought she saw a flash of red, like there was someone inside the cave.
"Are you alright?" She yelled, hoping that the person was all right. A tiny head appeared and Kyna recoiled in shock. A child! She immediately ran towards the cave, slipping on some rocks but she barely noticed. Calling for Guinness, she reached the entrance to the caves. Clinging to the rocks, she stretched out one arm and shouted into the cave, "Grab my arm!"
A tiny girl, no more than three years old, appeared and tentatively held onto Kyna's arm. "I'm going to put you on my dog, you've got to hold on tight." She explained calmly. Guinness patiently paddled in the freezing grey ocean. Lowering the girl on to the dog's broad back was trickier than expected. Once tiny hands were buried in chocolate fur Guinness bolted for the shore.
Kyna jumped into the ocean, unable to climb back over the rocks. The girl leaped on her as soon as Kyna's trainers hit solid ground. "Are you okay? Where are your parents?" Kyna asked. The girl shook her head, soaked blonde curls flying. "I'm fine. My mummy told me to stay here. She has been gone hours. I'm Candika. What's your name?" She asked.
"I'm Kyna. Would you like to come back to my home and warm up?" Kyna replied, starting to like Candika and internally raging at her mother. Candika nodded but then she seemed to wilt. "What's up? Are you tired?" Kyna questioned kindly. Candika nodded, one hand going towards Guinness. "You can ride on Guinness, if you like. He won't mind."
If the townspeople of Looe had looked outside on that dreary Saturday they would have seen a young woman, red hair loose and flowing down her back walking with a massive chocolate haired dog, a tiny blonde girl perched on his back.
I'm sorry it's not that long and our favourite knights will make an appearance in either the next chapter or the one after that.
Kyna is an Irish name that means love, affection and esteem.
Candika is a Sanskrit name that means fierce goddess.