Gilded Bay I can make you scared

WC: 1689
No need to match length- just throwing out a day's worth of words so I can have a day off if I need it.

 

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Under the cerulean sky, the beach was bright, and the waters surging along the coast sparkled and frothed as they lapped at rocks softened by years of being rubbed together under the force of the tide. The sand there was soft and white, fine and smoothe underfoot, loose where it was dry making walking a bit more difficult. For one who lived along the ocean, who existed to praise and revere the ocean, it was no issue whatsoever. The Nereides woman had been walking on sand and seastones for her entire life, and found no difficulty in strolling along the shore. The clever woman knew to walk where the sand was damp, where the tide had pulled back in the past hour and where the water couldn't quite reach her. Here, the sand was pack hard, and her feet barely left marks as she moved along the shoreline. She hardly ever left the ocean's proximity as she had roved South along the shores, away from the land where it was much colder already and sprinkled with a coat of white which would last until into the next spring. She'd come from a land where the mountains rolled down to the ocean, with little to nothing in between but trees that were so large around that they could hide several wolves standing side by side. She traded dense, arboreal rainforest for this open expanse where open plains stretched away from the ocean rather than being sheltered by mountains. She felt unprotected, but the surge of the ocean kept her from feeling vulnerable. Nothing could harm the Nereides woman so long as she was within reach of the salty waters that she prayed to. She moved along through the area throughout the day, eventually finding herself a place to rest for a few hours.

Once the sun had gone down, the sky was mostly clear., revealing patterns of stars that shone and twinkled in the dark skyscape. Amidst the stars, the moon rose above the horizon, peering over the edge of the ocean where the waters glinted and tossed gently. The alabaster she-wolf emerged from her resting place just as the moon rose above the horizon, and she walked down to the shoreline, listening to the gentle whisper of the water along the shores, which was where she stopped, first. She gazed out over the ocean, before she turned her back and returned to the small seaside cave where she had been resting. A few moments later, she emerged with a skell- a beautiful thing, an abalone shell which had been cleaned out thoroughly so that all of its brilliant, beautiful colours showed plainly. Ribbons of pinks, greens and silvers wove together in patterns somewhat reminiscent of the shape of waves. It was a treasure of a find, that was to be certain- it would have made a beautiful ornament if she had had any intentions on keeping it. She had found the shell- still closed- during the daytime and had opened it, cleaned it out and had held onto it, guarding it in the little cave until night had come. No wolf would touch the shell but she- it was her prize and it would be her humble offering. She felt proud as she returned to the ocean's edge, the shell hanging from her mouth gently.

When she reached the water's edge, she closed her eyes and bowed, sinking her front end down the the sane, and tucking her head so that the bridge of her nose was parallel to the ground and only a few inches from the wet sand. The water rose to greet her, running past her front feet and up to her forefead where it gently kissed the white fur there, as though to baptise her. Gratefully, she sighed before she straightened up, a few droplets of salt water running down her temple and onto her cheekbones. She didn't bother to wipe the water away, and she indeed considered it to be a blessing of sorts, as she baptised herself with the salt water. She closed her eyes again, as she straightened, mentally speaking a silent prayer to the gods Doris and Nereus, waiting until yet again the waters were pulled toward the land, washing past her front feet. She remained there, hearing the same silent prayer over and over again inside her mind until the waters pulled past her front feet and eventually touched her hind feet. Only then did she believe that she was being welcomed into the ritual that she would perform under the full moon that had risen off the horizon now, though it still remained hanging low and casting its silvery light over the shoreside.

Nike moved forward then, slowly stepping through the waters with such grace that she hardly created a disturbance that would have been seen past the ripples in the water created by the waves. It was as though she had spilled into the water like a fluid being herself, and like fluid into fluid, she was simply blending in with the material that matched her genetic makeup. She moved into the cold waters, ignoring the sting of the chill in her bones and adjusting as quickly as her body would allow her to do. Once she had waded in to a depth where the water rose up to her chest and along her underside, chilling her ribcage, she stopped. Once there, she raised her head, presenting the brilliant, beautiful inside edge of the shell to the moon which hovered in the sky. She did not speak, but she closed her eyes and again silently prayed to the moon, asking for blessing and courage, for the supply which she needed. Of course, like any other Nereides, her task in life was to glorify the gods and to bless them with female children. She would need to find a home- or create her own pack of Nereides here, finding others who were also blessed by the ocean, recruit a few consorts- but not too many, of course, as they were useless for the greater part of the year- and then set a course that would bring her the greatest satisfaction in life. Nike was young yet, and perhaps a bit experienced- but certainly not without ambition. This why she had chosen the most beautiful shell she could find, to present to her gods in order to appease them. If she did so, and if they were pleased, then she had full faith that she would be able to get what she wanted.

With a movement deft but gentle too, she cast the seashell out into the waters where it disappeared quickly below the surface as though the Gods had reached out and collected it the moment it touched the ocean's surface. There, she closed her eyes and began to pray audibly in her mother tongue. Her quest was clear- at least, it would be to anyone who spoke Greek. She sought to thank and glorify Doris and Nereus, though with more emphasis on Doris as Nike- in her youth and foolishness- still harboured a great deal of resentment toward males. They were useless, except for presenting the gift of life directly from Nereus. And even then, Nereus sometimes cursed a Nereid with male spawn. There was no greater dishonour than to give birth to a litter of pups which were only males. It meant that one had a lot to atone for. Nike had yet to conceive a litter, and she both dreaded and feared conceiving even one male spawn among her children. Thus why she had so eagerly accept the mission that had been put before the group of young Nereids who wished to go forth, spread the word of Doris and start their own packs. If she could, as well, then joining another pack and converting them was another option, though slightly more difficult as it was easier to persuade individual wolves than it was to persuade an entire pack.

Once she had finished, she bowed down again, this time submerging her head. She exhaled as she did so, blowing a stream of bubbles to the surface before she held her breath for a few moments. Once a wave reached her and slid along her spine, covering her entire body momentarily, she emerged, a dripping white spectre surrounded by the cool waters of the ocean. Convinced that her offering had pleased the Gods, she turned and left the ocean, her ritual now completely finished. He felt more relaxed as she emerged from the ocean and shook her pelt dry, as though a weight had been lifted from her supple shoulders. With her coat drenched, she looked smaller than ever, but she convinced herself that her size was not an issue. What she did need to work on was changing her aspect and balancing out her nature. Though she was a devout wolf, she was still much more of an Amazon than she should be. She would need to engage her spiritual side more often if she ever wanted to be a proper Siren Queen. But time would simply be the one to tell if she was ever able to tame a spirit which was devout, yes, but still too brash, too quick to act and speak, rather than listening for guidance from the gods first. Patience was not a virtue the small wolf possessed in great quantity, even though she never tired of making offerings to the Gods. She continued along the shoreline again, still scouting out the lands to see if she could find somewhere that might be worthy of a new colony of Nereides. She wanted her pack to be the loveliest of them all, so blessed that only female pups were ever born. She was convinced that such a thing could be accomplished- and if anyone could, it would be her. She only had a few months left before the breeding rituals would begin, if the Gods chose her to conceive at all. She would have to find a home before then, and begin the task of converting any followers she met into Nereides.

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