Ankyra Sound it’s time to realize it

once sobeille made it to the stacks, she realized climbing would be no easy feat. while the water was barely ankle level, the stone itself was slick and dark — matted with colonies of seaweed and barnacles, a black line several feet above her head delineating the sea’s true height at high tide.

she placed a paw upon the slippery surface with a frown, neck craning back to assess her next move. as she did so, she heard a quiet ripple too intentional to be the soft lap of the waves.

turning around, sobeille was met with the broad face and large eyes of a watchful pinniped whose skull and body barely crested the water. having never seen them up close, she was struck by how similar they were — save this one’s eyes, which were dark as any wet stone, and had a strangely liquid quality about them.

she froze, the wet fur along her spine rippling.