Ankyra Sound thunderbird

Njord held his breath and strung every muscle taught to prevent himself from collapsing right atop Meerkat. He did, however, find himself bent across her like a leaning willow – and not innocently, either. Meerkat pressed herself firmly into the crook on his chest. A rush of heat in warms his cheeks. If Njord had no fur, the seafarer’s face would have been just as red as his tail. 

Immediately, he felt conflicted. Mireille was still lost, but here was all he wanted: the target of his affections on his doorstep in the middle of the night. Yet this encounter was colored by the ill-timing. Concern for Mireille stole his ability to fully engage, or even enjoy, the moment. As Njord was processing this, the sandy woman reached up and whispered into his ear, which nearly rendered the seafarer’s brain catatonic.

He lingered for a minute in an attempt to salvage, and savor, their first embrace. “Hmm,” he hummed as a cat purred contentedly. A weak, crooked smile stretched across his tired face as he looked at her endearingly. There were so many things to say, or explain… where could he begin?

“Meerkat,” he said gently, and found himself folding around her, reciprocating her touch and finding security in her presence. “Am I dreamin?” he wondered aloud, legitimately questioning reality in his state. “I am so happy to see you…” Njord's voice trailed and then became low. “Somethin’ terrible ‘as happened. There was a storm and Erzulie’s daughter,” my daughter, he wanted to say, “Mireille canna be found. I fear she…“ A flash image of her sire’s, Merlin’s, dead and sea-bloated body on the beach raked his mind and he fell quiet and solemn.