Blackwater Islands searching for smoke in a stillwater pond

@Gabe

Morning found Akantha striding boldly down to the southern shore in search of one of two young men beneath her rule. Logically she wanted someone in the Epivitoras​ position should more men come along, coerced into their trap by the sweet words and promises of the sea nymphs, but knew neither young man was quite up to the task. They were still untested, and untaimed; neither had bowed to her way of life, and only Whip showed any true respect (even if it was born mostly out of fear) towards her and the Sisters. She'd allowed Gabe his freedom for now, because she had no other choice. Akantha needed able bodies to provide and protect what belonged to her.

The tide was out, exposing the slippery green of the deflated seaweed, and trapping all manner of critters in the small pools hollowed out by the riptide. The scent of brine and sat was so thick it was palitable and, there across the sands, a gaggle of gulls were bickering over the bloated corpse of some unfortunate thing caught as the tide receeded. A thin rope of saliva dripped from her mouth and she broke into a sprint as she diverted, chasing away the pesky sea birds with a growl and snap of her jaws. Her gaze snapped towards the prize, which turned out to be a bleached, stripped salmon carcass. 

Akantha sighed, and turned away, leaving it to the gulls as she continued on across the tidal flats.

<3

Gabe had been traveling in the opposite direction down the island when he noticed Akantha coming his way. The woman had rushed into a crowd of gulls, and sent them flying his direction. Gabe watched as one flew dangerously close to his head, and being unaccustomed with the sea birds, he ducked awkwardly instead of trying to pull it out of the sky. When he looked back up, Akantha was walking down the beach in his direction. If she hadn't of seen that awkward little incident, he would've had to call her blind. To play it off, he trotted towards her, hoping she might ignore how truly out of place the arctic boy seemed at the coast.

When he drew close enough, (which for him wasn't too close to her) he bowed his head and tucked his tail. Now that he knew of his place in the pack he had to make sure to be extra respectful around the other women, especially the matriarch. When he was alone with Kalika, he felt completely comfortable, but he wasn't sure Akantha would feel the same for him. She seemed much more strict and opinionated, and ruthless at that. G'day Akantha. I hope you're doing well. He said, in his most friendly and respectful tone.

Thankfully for Gabe, Akantha hadn't witnessed his incident with the seabird. When she finally laid eyes on him she was well away from the fish carcass, and even had the decency to look somewhat pleased at the sight of him. The young man bent into an acceptable submission posture, but she still arched her tail over her back to further cement the fact that she was in charge here. When she neared she almost reached out to nose him possessively but thought better of it as the soreness from her mending injuries ached acutely at the sudden tension in her neck. 

She moved in close and caught the barest whiff of Kalika on his pelt. Something about it shook her to the core and she rumbled a single, low note of discontent while her now narrowed eyes switched over to his own searchingly. Akantha knew how fond the younger Nereid was of the other gender, but she could only hope the only interactions so far had been purely coincidental. They were lacking in the male department, and she would rather Kalika go with one of the two unproven Drudges than alone if she needed any company beyond the Islands.

"Well enough." She remarked cooly, her gaze lingering a moment too long until she looked elsewhere. "You've settled in, then? Fed yourself, found a place to curl up in at night?" She asked, the icy tone fading into something more neutral. Her ears twisted towards the Sea as a rather big wave crashed against the rocks.

The dark brown matriarch was clearly very comfortable in her position, he tail held high she walked towards him with such confidence. She checked him over a few times, taking in his scent. He remained completely submissive for the duration of her search, but felt a bit worried when he heard her growl. He wasn't sure what, but something about him had displeased her, and displeasing Akantha had certainly not been his intent. His ears flattened further, his fiery amber gaze came to rest on her face for only a split second before he snapped them back down to her feet.

When the woman's tone became more neutral, Gabe straightened himself though still making clear that he knew his rank. I have. The coast is not my first home but I'm sure I can make it my second. He said, his eyes drifting to the crashing waves nearby.

Akantha was satisfied, for now, by his continued deference. She took a bit of joy in it, of course, but knew better than to let to go too far because she valued him too much to scare him off with her prickly tendencies. By allowing her muscles to relax and her ears to shift back to a more casual set, Akantha silently released them both from the need to posture. While she still had suspicions of his involvement with Kalika, she chose not to question him. He knew his place well enough, like Whip, and remained respectful despite their rocky start (both presently and before in the grotto).

The swarthy Matriarch swung her great head around to regard him with a quirk of her brow, and a lopsided smirk. "And that won't be a problem for you?" She asked somewhat rhetorically, not really caring for the answer. Akantha drew in a breath before straightening a bit, bracing her paws against the sand, and shaking out her windswept pelt. A few tufts of shed fur erupted from her fading winter coat and fell upon the sand. Her jaws parted as a yawn overtook her but when it passed she abruptly set off down the beach in the direction he came, inviting him along with a gentle sweep of her tail over his flank.

"Do you have any questions for me so far?" she asked over her shoulder to the pale boy with the curious accent.

Gabe relaxed his body as she did, standing at his usual posture. His large ears returning to their usual spot on his head, his paws shifting on the ground as he shoveled through the soft earth beneath him. Akantha gave him a quirked brow look, and Gabe let out a short chuckle. He sort of wanted to answer her, but from the way she said it, he figured it was meant to be rhetorical, so he kept his mouth shut. He turned his head to look towards he sea, the water shimmered likes the stars in the night sky. Yes, he could make the coast his second home, if he really tried.

Akantha's tail brushed against his pelt, making him look back to her. She was standing to walk, so he stood with her, following a few steps behind her. She asked if he had any questions and he shrugged his shoulders, looking down at the ground as he walked. No I don't think so. Well actually, I was wondering why all of you don't like men so much? Of course I mean no disrespect I was just wondering. He said with a bit of a nervous hint in his voice, even though he tried his best to sound confident.

She was secure in her position as Matriarch, though she wondered if her loose grip style of leadership would lead to them all taking advantage of her passive nature. So far so good. She couldn't judge her success solely based on the actions of a drudge of course and, thankfully, Kalika was proving to be exactly the sort she valued as a leader. The antithesis to Akantha's suspicious nature; the ambassador. She would serve as the kindness and compassion that Akantha lacked, or so she hoped.

The pair walked slowly down the shore with no obvious heading. Walking helped keep her mind occupied and clear, so that she might focus on the conversation at hand. When he voiced one of the questions she'd been waiting to hear she looked back over her shoulder, searching Gabe with one shrewdly narrowed hazel eye, and smiled. "It isn't as simple as disliking men." 

The Matriarch fell silent to collect her thoughts and supply the young man with an adequate answer before beginning, "The Mothers birthed their daughters, the Nereides, and made them in their image. The Drowned God vomited forth the men from his mire to feast upon the land, or so I am told. It is a parasitic relationship, but unfortunately necessary if we are to survive. Men need more men to feed the Drowned One when they perish from this mortal world." She explained. "We need sisters to serve the Mothers in life, and bless them in death. So the sisters care for the men until they have served their purpose, and the men fulfill their duty in the hopes that the Sirens may take pity on the male children and rear them until they are able to serve."

Akantha frowned and swished her tail, potentially catching Gabe in the shoulder with the action. "I would tell you more of the Drowned One if I could, but I've forgotten most of it."

Gabe remained quiet as Akantha shared the story of the Drowned God and the Mothers. Essentially the boy found it all the be a load of mouse shit. He'd never believed in anything, he'd never even contemplated the idea of a god before. Being born not in an established pack but a massive nomadic family, everything he knew came from his brother's and his parents, mostly his mom. She had always told him that he was only to believe in himself, and that would be enough. The thought of starting to believe in a higher power now felt like a betrayal to her. And if he hadn't betrayed her then, then he wouldn't now.

But he also didn't have to tell Akantha what he thought about her mothers and drowned guys, he could keep it to himself and pretend he understood. When she finished, he had more questions that he didn't hesitate to ask. He was paused only by the matriarch's tail brushing against his shoulder, which then caught his nose and made him sneeze. After sniffing for a moment he spoke, What about love? Like what if a sister and a guy really like each other? Oh and what do you mean by 'care for them until they served their purpose'? He asked, without any hint of accusation in his voice, it was all out of curiosity.

Aha, oh Gabe. You heretic!

The Matriarch had no way of peering into Gabriel's mind and seeing exactly what he thought of the Mothers and the Drowned One. The latter she didn't care either way; it was not her place to claim any sort of reverence for the masculine beast that fed off the Mothers. But the former... if it were to come about that he was unwilling to accept and respect the Sea and Moon for their status among the Nereides, Akantha would be placed in a difficult position. To be anything more than a Drudge required full subserviance to the Sisters and the Mothers. 

Though the question he produced was innocent enough, the fury within her was barely restrained as the anxieties and suspicions she'd had upon their greeting came crashing back into her body from the depths of her mind. Her great head swung around and her sharp hazel eyes snapped to his own while her muzzle wrinkled from the growl that spewed forth from her slightly open jaws. Akantha's teeth were slick with saliva and, though they did not drip, she was the picture of savagery. "Forbidden, and it will remain that way. Sisters do not love a Consort. Have I made myself clear?" She rumbled. "As for your question: until they pass from age, the elements, or when they fail to do their duty and their Matriarch sees fit to rid herself of the chaff."

he is trying xD

Gabe was completely taken off guard when Akantha whirled around to face him, snarling with all the ferocity of the sea. His ears slicked back onto his skull, his head ducked down submissively. Why was she always doing that, going from nice to angry in mere seconds. He really couldn't get her personality figured out, and it scared him. He nodded when she asked if she'd made herself clear, though his thoughts kept telling him to ask, why? He luckily had enough common sense, so he locked the curious part of his mind up with a iron lock, and kept his mouth shut.

Her answer to his other question still didn't have the simple clarity he'd wanted. What he'd wanted to know, was do they let the guys leave, or kill them. But now that their conversation had turned rather one sided, he didn't ask again. Thanks. He said quietly, hoping that short phrase wasn't too much for the matriarch.

Gabe, thankfully, had no comment on the matter and moved on with a quickly ecked out reply of thanks. Her lips slipped back over her teeth and she turned away but she continued on down the beach with a much more rigid gait. She didn't believe the conversation was over, but her tolerance for it was at an end. The Matriarch didn't trust him; she didn't trust hardly any of the Sirens, not even Kalika. Soon enough, when the rites began and their will was tested, she would see their true colors. But for now it was all suspicion and speculation, and Akantha abhored it.

She flicked an ear back towards him and, in a half-hearted attempt at making peace, waved her tail in a much more friendly gesture than before, "What are your interests? Skills?" she intoned with the hopes of probing him for something useful.