“Only the moon,” Anandi repeats, lidded eyes looking coyly at only the moon as though she were being courted by it. That’s what it feels like, as the moonlight wraps around her so jealously. It makes her cheeks feel warm. She never had any hope or expectation of being a queen. There were five sisters ahead of her in succession, and her bloodline was a strong and long-lived one. It was not to say that she was indispensable, but... well, she did not share in the importance and attention that was given to her older sisters. Which was fine-- we only mean to say that she did not often have the full attention of anyone, and the moon's praise on her skin was flattering beyond words. "I have come from very far below," is all she says in response to the mare's question. She is too delighted by the moonlight on her skin to say much else, until the other woman asks another question, and this one catches her attention more than the first.“Are you searching for the relic?”
"Oh, no." Her laughter then is like water frothing in the shallows. She has no idea what this relic is, or why she would be searching for it, but it must be trivial in comparison to what it is she seeks. It tickles her to think the stranger would think her some commonplace peasant, caught up in the excitement of some unwarranted activity of the surface world.
"I'm searching for a king." The kelpie slips closer to the horned woman, still cloaked by the ocean except for her ears and headdress and two sharp green eyes. And then she lifts her head above the water to taste the air. She can smell the sea, of course, as it gently sways to and fro in constant, rolling movement all around her. Beneath that immediate fresh-oyster taste there is the scent of the humid jungle, damp earth and rotting fruit and a swelling darkness she has no word for-- and then there is her companion, heart beating like the toll of a bell. Gamey, fresh, ripe. So different from her usual meal, but that was not unappealing. If anything, it had the opposite effect– it would seem nature had designed her to be adventurous in all ways, including her diet.
Anandi reminds herself (sternly) that she would never eat such a noble creature, but it doesn't hurt to wonder... what would the land horse taste like? Would she put up a fight? Would she cry out, at the end? The princess would be mortified to admit it (for it was such a vulgar admission) but there was something so delectable about that last gasp. It was almost her favorite part of the whole affair. Be it in fear or relief or uncomprehending surprise, you could learn a lot about someone by the last sound they made. She shivers.
“You’re so tense.” Something is sharpening in her. Quickly.
"Good. As a courtesy I should inform you– I haven't eaten properly in weeks. It would be prudent for you to keep your distance," her speech is breathy and wanton, the tone enticing come closer in defiance of the words. "But don't run." Her eyes plead please-- turn and run-- and squeal-- and thrash-- and bleed so deliciously, love, for me, do it for me, aren’t we friends? She swallows. "I don't think I could resist the chase."
An ancient hunger quickens the pulse in her neck, dilates the pupils. She groans, the craving unfolding in her like a switchblade. "I'm so sorry," her voice is small and distorted, like its source is buried deep in her body, lost amidst the overwhelming hunger. Tears brim in her wide green eyes. She proudly attempts to blink them away but they just roll down her face and back into the ocean’s embrace. It is the first time she’s felt tears on her cheeks. "Its so embarrassing to– be like this, but… Please don't leave me. Can you," She takes a deep breath, swallows (again), feels at the darkness that thickens on the inside of her skin, “tell me about yourself?”
be careful who
you give your
midnights to
@Boudika
some say the loving and the devouring are all the same thing
☾
