Ankyra Sound What a surprise- an otter in my water

I was hoping @Kierkegaard :) @Bain is welcome too. Set somewhere before Ondine's fight with Maude and somewhere after her trip to the mountains with Bain.

Her legs didn't seem to stop shaking after the trip, her eyes still seeing Bain's ass before her as they stumbled down the mountain side like mountain cats. She thought a night's rest would solve it, but it even haunted her nightmares. She woke up in the early morning with a grunt and a small scream, tongue out of her mouth as she panted. She looked around, calming her down somewhat as she realized she hadn't fallen at all. She was okay-Bain was okay, everything was fine.

Dear sea God, please make it stop so I can rest... She murmured in a sad voice, not trying to wake anyone up. She crawled out of the Grotto, weaving her ghost-like body to the sea. her "Make-up" was smudged, but present nonetheless. She moved into the salt water, the coolness of it stopping her shaking and she closed her eyes in happiness. 

Follow the Siren's song to face this empty cycle. Searching the darkest night- searching the silence...

She sung, but hummed the rest of the melody as she stood there, calming down from a horrible nightmare. 

He slept, but it was a light sleep at that, constantly interrupted by trips to the water and the buzz of night fauna. The trip with Ondine was fresh on his mind -- he thought about it so much that he couldn't sleep. It wasn't a bad thing though -- they were happy thoughts. Bain considered himself a helper, or at least he thought he helped Ondine with her fear of heights. He couldn't help but let his mind drift back to her ghostly figure, feminine curves and bloodstained muzzle painting a hauntingly beautiful picture in his mind. His eyes slid closed as the sun rose from behind the clouds, the sky becoming lighter as morning approached.

A familiar scream pierced his drowsiness. He awoke with a start, a frown on his lips. That was Ondine's voice. As if his tiredness had completely left him, he got up, running towards her voice. Thoughts raced through his mind -- was someone attacking her? Was she in danger? 

A haunting tune flowed to his ears, oddly captivating. It drew him in like a siren's song -- he was a mere fool to the power of her voice. Though unlike the tales told of sirens, he was not being coerced to his death. Bain strolled over, a silent figure in the night. He approached her from behind, muttering a silent "Boo" into her ear with a grin that danced across his features.

@Kierkegaard still very much welcome <3

Her ears followed the sound of the wind playing with her fur, the sound the foam on the waves made as they clashed together with the sand. Everything was so much more perfect near the sea- she did not get why other settled into the mountains or even in forests. That was not the place to be, she found, but she supposed everyone had their own taste when it came to their home. But her home was not the land all-together- it was beneath the waves she so adored, between the creatures of the sea.

As she was so concentrated on just the sounds, the sudden "boo" actually startled her. In a reflex, her hindlimbs gaven in and her butt splashed into the water. It wasn't exactly summer anymore, but it took her a few moments to jump in and scamper a few steps backwards, stumbling into Bain but catching herself just in time to not crush him. Cold, cold, COOOOLD! She screamed- quite softly for her. She turned around, her wet tail flinging around, following her behind with grace. She was going to fucking choke anyone who had caused this train wreck of events, but got flustered when she noticed it was Bain.

Bain! Her voice was a mix of surprise, awkwardness and happiness. She soon noticed she had had no time to paint on her blood before facing him, and wanted to hide her face in either her own fur or that of him. What a fucked up surprise! She giggled nervously.

He let out a laugh -- an actual soft, raspy chuckle instead of his usual sneer, as Ondine landed butt-first into the water. He raised a brow, watching as she got up immediately and barreled right into him. A sharp exhale from the impact accompanied by a laugh came from his lips, trying to regain his breath. "Wow, hello Ondine," the gangster exhaled, stepping back a bit away from the water. He loved the ocean, but it was too cold for him to take a dip at the moment. He took note that she didn't have on her usual face of fresh blood, but she was still stunning.

"I know that some like to get up close and personal, but...I think that was especially heavy on the "up close" part." He flashed her another signature grin, moving in to place another kiss on her cheek. "What can I say? I guess I'm full of surprises," the gangster smiled, rolling his shoulders back in a shrug.

The chill of the water against his limbs was numbing. The summer winds were fading to fall. The thought of another famine was crippling, but the pallid brute knew that they had quite some time before the first snows would fall and the lands would be blanketed in fresh, powdered snow. Caiaphas had told him that the sea had been a boon during the wilds debilitating shortage of prey. The mercenary would not have found himself near the water if it had not been for his friendship with the coywolf female and his trust in her words. 

The ragged beast moved with lengthy strides. The water tossed against his legs in varying degrees of strength. It had been a short while since the disappearance of the wicked little leader, but her absence and her supposed death had rattled him beyond comprehension. The idea that Caiaphas was truly deceased had no place in his thought process. The ghost would not accept the image of her demise to the waters that she had been so devoted to. She would resurface; Kierkegaard forced himself to believe it. 

Fiery optics settled on a pair of wolves who were entirely unfamiliar to him. The pace that he carried had slowed considerably and he peered at them without a change to his expression. The haggard form of his body would have been unsettling, but he hoped that he might slip past them without causing a disturbance. That was until he noted the smudge of crimson that was present on the woman's face. He knew her! The memory escaped him, and the brute could not quite place their meeting point, but there was a certainty in the thought that she was not entirely unfamiliar to him. Still, Kierkegaard did not step forward - he did not insert himself into a place that was not his own. 

Her cold butt was drenched- but luckily for Bain it hadn't been her whole body, otherwise she would've demanded a hug. The accident had only puffled her jigglies, especially with it being Bain. She really couldn't be mad at him for anything. Her wet paws made little flopping noises as she scampered onto land, close to Bain at all times. If it were Slancio, she would've rubbed her behind dry on his haunches. Bain was very fortunate being him.

Oh you wished you could be close to my fabulous behind at all times. She said with a face of mischief- eyes almost telling "you fucking know I'm fabulous from top to bottom.". It was clearly all a joke though- Ondine not being one to brag. Looks could only get you so far, she was way more happy to be somewhat smart and skilled. She smiled at his comment, but before she could make a snarky reply a scent drifted their way that was not the sea's.

Her white face -smudges of red present on her ghostly appearance- turned to the male who had quietly entered the scene. Even from such a distance he looked familiar- but Ondine couldn't quite place him in her head. Her brows furrowed as she retraced her steps in her thoughts, ending on the time in a bloody forest. Was this old man the one she had met there? Kier-something. Hello there! She called out in her singer's voice, wanting the feral creature to come closer as to trigger her memory. 

Bain grinned at the girl's comment, a thin line that showed his sharpened teeth. "I suppose I do wish that," the gangster crooned, returning her look with a sly one of his own. He was quite good at that -- being suave and confident. He hoped Ondine noticed his coolness, though he wasn't totally hung up on her validation. Well, not completely. "I'm pretty sure everyone wants to be close to your "fabulous behind" all the time, and if they don't, well...." he trailed off, an unfamiliar scent drifting through the air. It was one of a wolf's, causing the male's hackles to raise instinctively.

He stepped in front of Ondine, but not before she called out to him in a friendly, sing-songy voice. He couldn't quite make out the other form, though he knew by scent it was male. Although Ondine appeared to know this strange man, Bain couldn't help but to be on guard, his perplexed gaze almost beckoning the other man to come closer.

At once he knew that he was not suited for the environment that he called his home. Though the sea was quick to lash at him with a chilling slap against his limbs, the ghostly creature felt himself drawn more so to the depths than the shoreline. It was not as if his company was hostile or belittling in any way. The melodious voice that was carried over the sound of the water seemed to beckon him. Her tone was friendly and her eyes sparkled with kind intentions. Once Kierkegaard had noted the rising hackles of her companion, he narrowed his brows and frowned deeply. The creases against his aging face were enough to make him appear almost ghastly. Still, he did not waver under the light if the gangster's stare. It had seemed as though the male was urging him to approach them, but the ragged ghost held his ground. 

"Hello..." he returned through clenched teeth. Socializing was a difficult task for the mercenary. He had never found himself blessed with a silver tongue or the air of hospitality that some possessed. Instead, age had offered him a means of fading away. With a surprising pang, he wondered if that was what had carried Caiaphas to the grave under the swell.