From the Blessed Waters

[Lyssander Blue]

The overcast and dreary sky had been threatening to rain most of the morning, but had not yet made good on it's promise. But a brisk and impatient wind stirred the waves to a froth, crashing them across the broken and crumbled rocks that formed this portion of the island's coast. There was a small gathering a short distance out to see, seals of varying kind and color mingling, waiting. They cavorted a bit, playing cautiously and breaking of as if by some unseen signal, only to once again taunt each other into games. Then, finally, two seals broke from the group, making easy progress towards the rocks. As if by some helping hand they were beached easily on one of the flat area, still well within the spray of waves that would discourage most land beings afraid of being swept away by the waves that still curled and licked around the seals' bellies.

Lyssander, under the watchful eye of his brother, peeled away the powerful form of the leopard seal, writhing out of it's welcome grasp to be in only his human shape that seemed so frail in comparison. He slicked his hair back from his face, other hand holding the velvety shed skin to his chest. With great care he rolled it up, and reached for the simple net that was slung from his brother's neck, holding a few soaked items of clothing. Retrieving the human clothing he replaced it with the skin, then secured the net again to his brother. The other selkie gave a parting bark, and then the waves seemed to rise up and carry him back into the water with little fuss. Ever watchful, Lyssander's indigo eyes followed his brother's progress until he rejoined the group, and the small portion of their colony swam away, returning to safer territory.

This may have been a sanctuary for the host, but for him it was simply one more lifeless piece of land. Drawing on the sea soaked shirt and shirts, he made his way farther up the beach, away from the worst of the spray. Even in human form he was sure on the ocean drenched rocks, callused feet never stepping in error. Inland, he knew the way by instinct now.

[Undine]

Being a Selkie was new for Undine. All her life she had been taught to avoid the sea. The sea was dangerous. There were demons in the sea. Swimming was for the devil and only witches could swim. The demons that lived in the sea would entice Undine by their singing and lead her to drown. She should never, ever go near the sea. But it had called to her and it had been forced upon her.

She had slipped away from the watchful eyes of her protective colony and made way to what she knew as her home. She had spent more years on land then sea. She was nude now, covered only by her white seal skin – she had been taught by her mother to hate her body. It was ugly and it was hideous. She had tried to spy on her mother and to perhaps strike up a conversation once she felt brave enough - though she knew the risks were high. Her mother would flip if she now saw her daughter with her own seal skin. Her mother would most likely chain her and hide her seal skin as she had done with her father years ago.

Undine had been no braver then she had the last time. She could only watch her mother from afar and watch her reading books or cleaning. Her mother looked uglier, and more old then the last time she had visited in secret. Once again Undine was a coward. She was sitting near the beach close enough to the water while on land that she wouldn’t be constricted to needing the sea and its beautiful cursed sounds!

The seal girl could also hear the sounds of other seals by the ocean. They were not there when she had made the trip to the surface. She was awfully shy and thought that she would be in danger if she tried to get back into the sea and join her father’s colony. Thus, she remained hidden – or close enough since she doubted that they would actually go onto land. "Huff!" she said.

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[Lyssander Blue]

Lyssander ran his hands through his hair, slicking the inky strands back from his face. Indigo eyes like the cold water of the ocean deep swept over the beach as he gradually followed the shore towards where it came closest the Sanctuary, loathe to leave the comforting lull of the ocean until he was required. He knew there would be at least one if not two selkies waiting off shore, hanging near the rocks, for when he returned. They would have his skin, waiting to catch his human form when he hit the deep waters so that he could change and resume his proper shape. As any natural born selkie, he'd been born a seal, not shedding his skin until he was almost two years old. In fact, his own youngest pup was still a burbling pup, carefully guarded by one of the farther out nursery colonies, along with his eldest who was already learning to be human.

To say he was uncomfortable was an understatement. Always the first few hours wet from the sea he felt like he had to relearn how to walk, to move. He felt so awkward, stolen from the powerful grace of the sea. And yet, he moved with a supple feral attitude on land, it just didn't feel quite as easy for him. Every watchful as he paced along the ground, he noticed the strange blue haired girl a ways out down the beach. He hesitated, looking out towards the sea where he still saw the occasional seal head bob up. He felt naked without his skin, but he couldn't run the risk of being ambushed even in an area that was supposed to be allies. It was too precious, and too dangerous that someone with his skin would force him to lead them to one of the sanctuaries, possibly even the nursery.

The selkie resumed his journey though with even further caution. But a short distance closer and he could identify the near naked girl was wrapped in a seal skin- a selkie possible, or a pretender. She was not one he knew, and he was familiar with most of the nearby colony. Taking a slow inhale, he lifted a hand and called out to the young woman in an easy voice that carried over the crash of surf.

"Hello, down the beach!" Though their was no one down the beach it was ingrained habit to make sure she knew he was speaking to her. "Are you lost?" It was a simple question, a measuring one. Since he couldn't politely ask what she was doing there, it was the closest caution and courtesy would allow. He kept up he easy pace towards her.

[Undine]

Undine was unsure of what to do. She could not stay on land for fear that someone might see her and capture her. The little seal did not want to be taken prisoner like her father, even though her mother had always been nothing but kind to him and to Undine when he was there. Her mother’s attitude had only changed when Undine had freed her father and he left. Undine could not move further into the forest because she could not bear to leave the sea. It sang to her and called out joyously. But she could not go in the sea either because of the other seals. She rationed out that she would know no one because she lived very far away, very far away from man or vampire or hell hound. She did not know how the seals would take a stranger seal. And she did not wish them to see her nude body while she put on her new skin.

When someone cried out, ‘Hello down the beach’ Undine tilted her head and looked at the person. She pressed her back against the large rock that was closer to the forest still within excellent range of the beach and ocean. She would pretend that she was invisible. If she thought that then maybe she really would become invisible. The person was speaking the language of land creatures. It was a language she knew very well – or had at one point in her life. But she had forgotten it almost since she spoke Selkie and Mer Speak as her colony was located near the Merking’s castle in the Mervillage where the Selkies and Mer people got along quite well.

‘Are you lost?’ the person asked again. The voice carried to her once more. Undine did not want to look. She did not want to see him come either closer to her or move about his own business. Finally, she spoke. “No.” she said in a whimper. “NO.” she said louder again. Her voice was rusty as she had not used it in a long time. She had understood his words – of course she had – but it was a slower process of communicating despite the many years she had of speaking land speak.

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[Lyssander Blue]

Lyssander stopped a short ways from her, acutely aware of the way she pressed back into the rock. The thought she might be afraid of him made him cautious, and curious- he was not one who often instilled fright, though he was in ways more dangerous than he looked. Her nudity did not bother him, in fact he hardly noticed it. Had he not been visiting landwalkers who lived for their modest panoply he would have been nude himself, free of clinging cloth. Indigo eyes left her briefly to again glance longingly to the sea, feeling more comfortable under the watchful eyes of his colony's sentries. Turning his attention back to her, he crouched down in an attempt to be somewhat more casual, less threatening.

He was close enough now that he could identify her skin as distinctly a seal, and she had the sea breeze scent of a selkie to him, though there was something strange to it. He'd never seen one of his kind look quite like her- especially one with near human eyes in landwalker shape. She had answered his question, though not quite in the way he'd hoped. Still he supposed telling her business to a random stranger was really to much to hope for.

"Are you alright? Is your colony close?" She may have said she wasn't lost, but she certainly looked it, curled up here on the beach, well out of reach of the surf. Why did she choose to remain on land when the sea was so close at hand- she couldn't be hurt. The first place any hurt selkie went was the sea.

[Undine]

Undine probably should have fled but she did not know where to go. Though she had lived here for all these years in the host sanctuary she had never actually left her mother’s home until by force of her father and Selkie older half-brothers. She did not know the forest nor the land. But she had found her way to her mother’s home after half a dozen wrong turns.

It was too late to move. Once she had finally thought all her options – still not knowing which one to take – the person was upon her. He was wearing clothes but he smelled like sea salt. “If you don’t mind,” she said timidly. “Can you please leave me alone?” It felt so unnatural to talk. Undine had never spoken much as she only had the company of her mother.

She pressed the seal skin closer to her body as if either she was embarrassed of being naked or she had the thought that this strange stranger would take it from her. It did not even really belong to her though it was given to her. It always felt so right, turning into a seal. But she always felt like an outsider. That was why she thought those other Selkies would try to harm her.

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[Lyssander Blue]

Lyssander hesitated as she spoke again, loathe to leave her shaken but at the same time aware that he could do little good if she wanted to be left to her own means. Slowly he stood, shaking his head and giving a low hoff under his breath. He glanced out to sea, saw that the sentries were watching, waiting for him to continue on. He delayed in leaving immediately though.

"If you'd rather I'll leave you be." He stated quietly, dark eyes flickering over to steady on her, seeking to catch her gaze with his. "If you'd like I can have one of my watchers stay here, off shore so he would not bother you but close enough that should you need assistance he can help. These are dangerous days, lady, and I would not wish to see one of my own harmed." The possesive words came easily to his mouth, casually. He had been raised on the understanding that he was a selkie, and the protection of his people was as much his responsibility as every other member of the colony. All selkies were then, in essence 'his' just on the fact that they were of the people.

He waited patiently for her response, gaze never wavering, sincere and concerned. Though he could see little physically wrong with her, something just seemed off, and it bothered him he could not do anything about it.

[Undine]

“I not …” Undine said as she tried to search around for the right words. She was thinking but it was so hard to think on the proper land words to use. This was land speak and as a seal she used Selkie speak, and then of course she knew a bit of Mer speak – not enough to hold a full conversation but enough to get her phrases said in broken Mer speak. “One of your own.” She said after a moment.

“No,” she said more harshly then she intended. “I do not want no one to watch me!” She realized she ought to have said ‘I don’t want anyone to watch me’ but words were words. It seemed to be coming back to her now, words. After all she had spent almost eighteen years using land speak. But being a seal for some time had taken its toll. She lived too far from any land except a cluster of small islands – the sort in old books with one tree and one coconut.

She wondered where this man was when her father had been captured. It probably would have been better if she had never been born. And she wondered where he was when she was being beaten upon by her angry mother. Of course she doubted he or anyone would have helped her as she had no skin then. She stood up, her seal skin was covering the front side of her and began to walk, rear end exposed and all. She marched her way in the forest where it was by her mother’s house. There was also sea there that she could slip into after a drink of water. She was thirsty now and her throat was dry and sore. She had done more talking this minute then in the last five months.

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[Lyssander Blue]

Lyssander rarely spoke his native tongue on land, partly because it was one of the things he preffered not to be over heard by those who would use it against them, and in part because for some reason it didn't sound quite right when it wasn't surrounded by the sea and the bark of seals. Most often when he mingled with other selkies, they communicated through the vast vocal range of their animal kindred, and through their own complicated body language. In his colony especially they used spoken language mostly for formal occassions, story telling and councils.

He watched the girl walk away, making no move to stop her. Finally he turned away and walked into the sea, until the surf crashed around his waist. One of the seals flipped through the water, coming up to him and curling around him. This, of course, would be another time where the use of their native tongue was useful, speaking to his own when the sound of seals was taken from him. He knew this as his youngest brother, by the silver stripe down his back and the bright sea green of his curious eyes.

"We cannot help those who won't allow it." He murmured, ducking his head to rub his cheek against the water slicked fur. Then with a pat he sent him off again, revived by the closeness of family and the comforting drag of the sea. He waded again from the water, stretching, and moved down the beach again, acutely aware of the time lost from the task set to him. He still had people to meet and speak to, and likely messages to carry into dangerous but not unfamiliar waters. He glanced again in the direction the girl had gone, then longingly out towards the sea before he angled his path more inland, to where he would find the blessed city of the Host.

A prison with crystal bars.

[Undine]

Undine headed in the forest. She turned around and saw that the Selkie – whose name she did not even know – had not followed her. She made a quiet sound of relief. But soon enough she realized that she was quite lost. This wasn’t exactly the way she had come. She set her back against a tree. She was lost yet she wasn’t lost. For she had an uncanny sense, she always knew where the sea lied.

Her feet were tired of walking so she slipped her Selkie coat on her. Instantly she transformed into a baby seal still with its white fur. The transformation was not uncomfortable. It did not hurt in any such way. In fact it was comforting and felt right. She moved more easily as a seal then she did on land where her feet were almost clumsy from lack of practice. Now here she was inland. Just a little white seal on the grassy road.

Ooc – Not sure what to write. Maybe Undine beat Lyssander? You can pick her up and take her with you like ‘wtf is a small seal doing here?’ xP

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[Lyssander Blue]

ooc: sure, why not *shrug* Kind of running out of steam too. XD

The skies opened up as Lyssander broached the grassy road leading to the Host city, and he had to grin as the raindrops ran across his skin, slick and delightful, cutting through the thin film of salt that had dried from his time out of the ocean. He loved rain, it lightened his step and infinately improved his mood when on land. He almost didn't notice the little white seal, face turned up towards the clouds and eyes partly closed as he enjoyed the sky's gift. But the flash of white against the rich colored grass made him pause and look down, only a few steps away. He shook his head, a slight chuckle escaping him. It was an odd sound, edged with a hint of a bark as if he couldn't quite make a proper human laugh.

He stooped down, cooing softly under his breath in an unconcious sound he'd made to soothe his own pups before. "Little one, you shouldn't be so far from the sea. There are beasts around here who would find you quite a snack." He spoke in soft selkie tongue, and with a last glance towards the city decided that perhaps his task could wait a bit longer. After all, they just expected him sometime today, not at any specific hour. He could return later, perhaps in the evening so he'd have the excuse not to linger long.

After a moments thought, he scooped up the young seal, shaking his head. "Trust me, little one, and let me help you." He murmured, the strange soft coo still forming a lilting undertone to his words.

[Undine]

Undine had felt that it would rain today and soon. The clouds were pregnant and needed to release. The little seal looked up in the air, mouth open ready to catch a few rain drops to moisten her mouth. The rain only made her thirstier. She was thirsty and lost though she could easily find sea. But as a seal she preferred freshwater. She was so busy drinking the water from the sky that she missed the Selkie coming up and scooping her up.

The soft cooing noises and Selkie speech were comforting. Undine did not know what to reply with. This was the same man who she had said she would require no help from. “That way!” Undine said in Selkie speak pointing in the direction she thought her mother’s home was in. She cursed herself for being so small. A normal seal was larger and she looked like a pup in seal form. Granted she looked very cute but it was perhaps a curse. There were many who would like her white fur. As a small seal she would probably be taken back to the sea.

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[Lyssander Blue]

Lyssander looked towards where the sea lie, then back towards where she was pointing- farther inland. Then back to the sea. Then he looked quizzically down at the young selkie-turned-seal. Finally he shook his head. His voice, when he spoke again, was tired but not unkind.

"Littling, we have come to an impasse. Either you must tell me why it is so important to go inland, or we return to the sea. What on all land could be so compelling as to draw you in that direction?" He sounded genuinely confused, covering his own yearning to return to the sea. Now that he'd decided to briefly deter his mission on land, he wanted little more than to be back in the waves. But he felt also duty bound to help this young one, who may not have looked so young in her human shape but was obviously not grown yet. It was one of the more puzzling things he'd ever encountered.

[Undine]

Undine resented being called a ‘littling’. There was always the chance that he did not realize that the little white seal was also the blue haired young woman. Though what were the odds that there were two strange and unknown Selkies nearby his colony? “I’m trying to visit someone.” She said. Then realizing that he was probably heading for the sea now she reluctantly added more: “My mother, in fact.”

Undine really didn’t want to explain anything further. Like the fact that she was a seal and her mother was a human and living on land. She pointed in the same direction she had pointed earlier – hopefully. It was really; really hard to find a home she had lived in for a long time. All this grass and dirt and rocks felt odd on her flippers. It was nice to be carried.

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