@Somnus & anyone else!

Anyone who wants to meet Odessa is free to join, although this will be where she meets Somnus <3

The rip current of the often-violent Terminus Sea was unforgiving, brutal and hungry as it sunk its bony fingers deep into tired muscles. It tried its hardest to hurl the siren far away from Novus' shores, growling an angry warning as she pressed on..

And oh, did she press on. The hippocampus strained against the tide, long and slender ears slicked back against the crown of her neck and her forelegs curled gracefully against the swell of her breast. Kai pressed himself under the safe haven of her collar, his form hidden under her locks and the gentle hug of the neckband, where he was safe from the sea's violence. The crash of the tide beat her body and threatened to rip the black pearls from her throat, but the fight was nearly useless against the streamlined grace of her form.

Maybe the ocean, in all its wisdom and wild, knew something no one else did. Maybe it was right, trying to keep the phantom of the sea far from Novus.

- - - - - - - - - 
Eventually, she broke through the rocky outer-lying current and hit calmer waters... For a moment, she heaved a sigh of relief, her breaths deep from exertion — but she dare not stop for more than a second, worried that the ocean will revolt against her once more. And she could see the ocean floor recede in its depth, could see the rocky outcroppings that rose from the sea bed. She knew what it meant. Land.

At this realization, her breath stilled and head tilted upwards towards the surface a couple of yards above her. Bright eyes stared at how the sea and the sky married, the refraction and shimmer beautiful...

Bubbles escaped the upturned corners of her lips and gently wafted towards the surface. With an arch of her spine and sudden, strong snap of her tail, she was propelled closer towards the shore - unbeknownst to her, towards the upper southwest mouth where the Rapax River ran alongside Delumine's southmost border and dumped into the Terminus sea. Swimming against the tide was hardly a challenge for her.

- - - - - - - - - 
She brushed past the rocks that peppered the coast and mouth of the Rapax river. She felt the sharp shift around her.. from the saltiness of the sea to the brackish feel of ... well, she assumed it was an estuary? Hugging the northern most cost of what she would eventually learn is the Rapax, the inky phantom swam close to the surface, her eyes glued almost exclusively upon the sights above the water.

After what felt like miles - and what very well may have been - the river shallowed drastically. She slowed down and rolled languidly within the water, her stomach to the sky as the siren floated mere inches under the surface. Drifting slowly along a calm portion of the Rapax, she lifted her caudal fin so that it split the water's surface. A soft hum slipped from her throat as she stared at the brilliant iridescence and how the sun glittered along her scales...

And then she saw it. Vivid, inquisitive, wide eyes caught sight of a castle looming in the close distance. Immediately, she stilled her fins and re-oriented herself, eyes still glued on the impressive structure. She practically clamored to find an small cluster of rocks above the surface, onyx hooves slipping messily along their smooth surface as she pulled herself from the water.

Spectrum hair was magnificently weightless within the water, but as she pulled herself out and into the sun, it lay slick and damp against her neck — painting a haphazard rainbow mask across her face. But she didn't care. All she cared about, as she curled and uncurled her tail languidly atop those rocks, was staring at the beautiful castle in the distance.

Oh, what she wouldn't give for these fins to allow her to walk on solid land..

@Somnus <3


Thoughts | "Speech" | Kai's nagging

The soft hum returned to her throat as she continued to stare curiously into the distance, foolishly unaware of all that was going on or anyone around her. Her mind bloomed with beautiful thoughts of what may lay behind those castle walls, what secrets they may hold upon the earthen throne on which they sat...

How her thoughts were so suddenly interrupted! From what felt like nowhere, she heard the loud, raucous sound of hooves as they slipped on the bank. It took mere seconds for her heart rate to skyrocket as she glanced frantically in the direction from which the sound came. Her lungs felt like they were seized with an iron, icy grip that threatened to freeze her in place...

But despite her heart wedging itself firmly in her throat and her breath catching hard in her chest, she was nonetheless quick to act. The phantom dove headfirst from the rocks, clamoring to get off them as quickly as she had climbed up them. The stark contrast of the pleasant air was replaced by the familiar chill of the water as it enveloped her.

She did not look back; she never even got a glance at the the being that posed the perceived threat. Instead, forked caudal fin flared open and with a quick, hard whip of her tail, she jettisoned forward and away. Mind raced as her heart beat a million miles an hour, the sound of blood rushing in her ears nearly drowning out all sane thought within the phantom's mind. 

Were they trying to hurt her? Did they see her — stupid, of course they saw you! Why her, who were they? What did they want? Was she unwelcome? Where was she, even? How could she not know where she was?

Kai's nagging voice tugged insistently at the edge of her racing thoughts, sharp little teeth nipping angrily at the skin of her neck as he tried to break his bonded out of her fear-induced trance. What happen?! came the persistent peep. Kai need to know what happen! it only grew shriller as the tiny sea newt grabbed a lock of rainbow hair at its base, shaking it feverishly with a bubbled growl. She didn't know how long she'd been swimming for before she finally stopped.

As she slowed, her chest heaving from the exertion and the raw fear that pumped like a drug through her veins. She realized that she had been alone for so long — What, Kai not count?! — that she hardly knew how to react to another individual.

That realization was a sour taste that hung on her tongue, and slowly the phantom exhaled a long, deep breath and closed her eyes. I got scared, Kai. That's all.. was met with a nasty, grumpy little grumble as the sea newt settled back beneath her hair again. Well stop that! he chided as she rolled her eyes.

Eventually, her gaze drifted back towards where she had bolted from. She stuck to the lowest depths of the water and slowly swam back down, cautious and alert, before she came upon the golden stallion once again. For the first time, teal doe eyes regarded his figure from beneath the rippling water, and she felt a lump in her throat. He had not chased after her, so...

She kept the river between them and hovered shyly near the opposite bank. Slowly she descended towards the surface.. and made sure to keep the majority of herself safely below the water. Only the top of her head was exposed to the crisp air, lips just barely above the water's edge as it tenderly kissed her jaw. The wild spectrum of her hair plastered haphazardly around her face, the rest untamed and flowing freely beneath the water's surface.

For a solid (and incredibly awkward) minute, she just stared at Somnus as teal eyes drank in every detail of him. Oh, how curious she was despite her hesitation! Gaze lingered on his gorgeous and majestic feathers, breath catching longingly in her throat. To walk on land was surely a dream... but to fly through the sky? Ecstasy, she was certain!

Finally, after she was certain she had memorized every curve of his muscle and hue of his pelt, she cleared her throat. Undeniably, his feathers — and much more of him — were quite wet... she wondered how heavy those wings must be, drenched as they were. "Are you alright?" she questioned softly.