The Sentinels the salty seas behind the eyes

Akantha struck north towards the ashes of what was once a majestic, towering woodland teeming with life and protected by the ancient trees. They stood now, burnt up, hollow; a remnant of a greater age. The weather was warming now—the snow had ceased to fall, and the fathomless cloud cover was beginning to take form again. She saw them through, as She always did, but there was an unmistakable emptiness to their ranks now. They were missing a few from their convoy, and Akantha was determined to find what remained of them. 

She didn't harbor the hope that the missing few survived out here alone, but she owed it to Her to find their wayward children and bring closure to the Sirens so that they could move on. Curiously, Astraios was one of the missing. The ashen speck usually stayed close to Meteora, but had turned up absent on the night of the ice storm. Akantha couldn't say she missed him terribly, but his absence was tantamount to losing potential diversity in their breeding stock. If he was gone, it left only Whip as their progenitor, and he was too young to contribute until the next season.

Akantha frowned as she passed the charred corpse of an unfortunate deer caught in the blaze. Only it's ghastly grinning skull peeked out of the snow, the rest buried by the blizzard. She bristled and made to move past, until a tuft of fur beside the visage caught her attention. She turned and reached out to scrape the snow away, revealing more until a wolfish neck was exposed. Her blood ran cold, but she continued undaunted until she revealed the truth—@Astraios' face, frozen with the deer haunch still clutched between his teeth, lie there with his lips turned up in a foul grimace. 

The snow beneath him was brown with old blood, and she wondered just what had transpired to lead him to this unfortunate fate. Her ears slicked back and she felt the first, and only, pangs of loss. Despite his gender, he had been one of them, and he'd died away from the Sea. Akantha looked back the direction she came, then back to the corpse with a frown. "I'm sorry, Consort." She murmured as she reached down to place a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth.

me me me me 

Donovan had come back into her life and somehow the winter’s caterwauling had faded. This was no coincidence, Indie had been certain. Though the whiteout snowfall had only subsided for a day or so, Indie found no reason to not believe that it was a sign of brighter times. Suddenly, the world held so much magic. So many possibilities! Indie fled the thick forests where she sheltered from the storm and returned to the burned remains upon that cliff. The entire spectral scene drew her back time and time again. Everything this forest had ever been and every will be lay in those ashes. This was it; this was everything. Indie found that it gave her strength. 

There was a siren among the timbers. The woman was easy to spot with her pale coat, starkly standing out against the dark, mucky snow. It was Akantha: a woman she had spoken to and seen, but rarely talked to. Indie had recognized her as one of the most devout of the sirens and Indie had been her silent watchmen [much in the same manner as she had observed and studied Cathenna]. Akantha seemed forlorn over something in the snow and as Indie strode forward, she saw it was one of their man-slaves. Dead.

“Weak.” Indie stated tersely, as if she had been brought up a natural Nereides siren and harbored their same loathing of men. The veiled woman tried to mirror and adopt their ways an mannerisms, but there was always some small piece missing. Perhaps it had been the newness of their culture to the shewolf, or perhaps it had been their privy conversations in the guarded, foreign language — but no matter how much she lurked in the background [watching, observing [i]adapting] this particular facade never felt as authentic as her many other colorful masks. But the sirens wowed her with their novel, remarkable customs. It was like a show she had never seen before! How could she possibly look away?

I flippin' love Indie, gosh.

Solitude was peace of mind Akantha was rarely afforded these days. 

The sound of snow crunching underfoot drew her attention to the approach of a familiar face—Indie was her name, if she recalled from her conversation with Cathenna. She was not used to being discovered in such a state of weakness, but she could only assume that the dusky she-wolf had seen it all, so the only thing she could do was accept. Her lips twisted into a frown, and she expelled a breath through her nose that fogged in the winter chill. A comment, terse and biting, fell from Indie's mouth and Akantha bit back a retort—the hollowness in the effort put forth was evident even to Akantha's ears. Indie was, for all intensive purposes, trying to humor whatever emotion she thought proper in this moment.

Akantha lashed her tail and from her throat rumbled a note of malcontent. She turned away from Astraios to face Indie fully, "I'm glad to see you made it." She said, forming the sentence in such a way that was both a compliment to Indie, and a passing remark on Astraios' unfortunate demise. "A few of ours have gone missing, and I hope they haven't ended up with a similar fate."

She cleared her throat and continued, "Care to join me? These woods might hold more secrets yet."

Hehe she loves you too ;-*

As always, the siren kept her at arms length; Indie had a sneaking suspicion that her vivacious ways turned Akantha off. This was okay though, even though her comment about the departed consort seemed somewhat misplaced and feigned. Akantha turned to her head to greet the dark vaudevillian who slunk onto the scene quite ceremoniously, and her hurt was palpable. The Nereides were scattered and thin; any loss was a grave one. Indie felt a warm sense of devotion towards this group of amazonians and regretted her word almost as soon as it left her mouth. Harshness was not really the way she liked to conduct herself — she believed that’s was what drew her to the godly sirens to her, and she to them. She was as new to them and they were to her. They accepted her and offered their hearth and home. Under their wing, Indie had met that brilliant woman Chip — a relationship Indie already treasured greatly. Yes, Indie already owed the Nereides much and if Akantha was sad, then Indie was sad too… and it was not just an act.

Akantha offered her company and there was no way that Indie would ever refuse such an offer. Indie gave her head a distinctive shake, a silent agreement to her suggestion. Then, Indie cocked an angled eyebrow at the corpse below them, eaten away by frost. Indie had not know this man but had wished to; she usually saw him slinking along in the shadows and Indie very much liked creatures of the night. She touched her nose to him quickly, then lifted her head and, with a dramatic sweep of the shoulder, turned to face the woods. “What secrets do you seek? What questions do you wish were answered?” Indie inquired sotto voce, always wishing to learn more about these exotic women and their sparkly culture. Indie placed a foot forward, ready to leave but not wishing to rush the grieving woman.

Unfortunately for Indie, Akantha was naturally suspicious of everyone and everything. She couldn't know that Indie thought of their interactions and how she felt about the fellow dark woman and, really, she likely wouldn't care even if she did. But it'd kept her alive for this long, and she planned on living much longer yet. Still, her body language was welcoming as the newest recruit bobbed her head and readied herself to follow along. Akantha was still feeling the sting of loss, but she was slowly pushing it aside in favor of learning more about Indie. If she were to lead in Meteora's stead, she needed to be much more in-tune with the beat of each Sister's heart. 

Akantha swept along and away from Astraios' corpse with a few pointed steps, pausing only to wait on Indie as the other paid her last respects to the poor Consort and turned to face Akantha with a readiness in her expression and a question on her lips. Akantha expelled a breath through her nose, and began to march further into the woods with a welcome wave of her tail. One ear remained transfixed on Indie, and she kept her pace measured so that they might walk side-by-side as they talked. "Chiefly: what happened here, and if there was anything worth protecting in these woods." She replied.

As the pair walked deeper into the woods, the burnt boughs began to close in around them, but Akantha was unafraid. The charred smell of wood and earth was pungent and overwhelming to her sensitive nose, but there was a curiousity she could not quell. A part of her wanted to discover another corpse; not one of their own, no, but an unfortunate inhabitant caught in the inferno. A wolf skull would be a fitting gift for the ritual site, if not slightly gruesome. 

But Akantha was not just interested in that. In fact, she was more interested in probing the depths of Indie's history and personality. Her eyes flickered sideways, "What keeps you among us?"

The two women proceeded to walk amongst the woods, cheek to cheek, looking amongst the singed timbers for something… anything. In truth, Indie had done this very same act many times before, much in the same manner; snuffling around in the ashes, waiting for something even slightly out of the ordinary to capture her attention. The first time, she had found Cathenna — the once stranger who introduced her to the women called Nereides. The second time, Indie descried her scorned lover, the godlike racketeer Donovan. And now Indie waited, with bated breath, for what her third survey of the burnt sentinels would yield. It was sure to be good.

The vaudevillian walked in a lazy jaunt, the slurry of snow and ash underfoot creating a soft crunch with every step she took. Indie’s silken coat bounced around her as she walked, which was quite normal for Indie as she had this vivacious way about her; evinced through her dramatic, film noir-like movements and colorful flurry of words. Despite her animation, it was truly difficult to tell where the ashes ended and Indie began against their charcoal milieu. It was a great metaphor about how Indie like to think of herself: a mixture of scintillation and  strategy; exuberance and poise; able to dazzle while remaining calculated.

Akantha asked a question of Indie, and the vamp thought silently for a moment’s time. There was no real reason for her to have stayed with the Nereides [especially when she was such a foreigner to their culture, language, social structure…]. But Indie had a flair for dramatics, and the Nereides were the best performers that she had seem in a long time. Indie had grown to rather like this group of woman; loved their depth and how they lived so vividly. “Your ladies have shown me how to live,” she answered in her customary contralto. Indie’s voice was low and decorated with sibilant flicks of her tongue, done in such a way that her words commanded attention, yet were intriguing and curious. To Indie, normalcy was boring — so she would always opt for just a little dash of flair. 

“Well, I’ve lived, but I haven’t lived for something yet. I admire your dedication. I admire your… energy.” Indie folded to Akantha, honestly and eagerly. “I wish to know the ocean and to love it as you do.”

Gosh your writing. <3 THIS IS A NOVEL SORRY. Indie gets to hear Akantha's record for longest time spent talking ever. 

As they walked, Akantha stole glances towards Indie to further imprint the young vaudevillian in her mind. She was a sprightly thing with a vivacious spirit and a lust for adventure. Pretty, too. All sleek curves and enchanting smiles. She'd seen her type before—Sisters who had come and gone from Themiscrya, never really finding their place in the world, but all the better for it. She hoped that Indie might be one who stayed, but it was impossible to predict the future. Who was to say that any of them would stay? That this whole venture would even be successful? Akantha could only hope.

Indie's response drew Akantha's full attention. They continued to walk, but she swung her head around to regard the vamp with both eyes, transfixed with a spark of wonder. Her heart skipped. Perhaps strangers could be shown the truth of their birthright. Akantha had spent most of her life damning outsiders, and never giving them much thought. But Indie could prove to be an antithesis to their traditions. For now, she was a tourist. But Akantha, ever seeking a way to the heart, ruminated on this.

"It will take time." She said finally. "But if you are dedicated, and you listen, you may find yourself rising high among us." Akantha revealed with a flick of her ear and a quirk of her lips. The ground began to give way to the remains of an open meadow, and she passed by the threshold of the field without hesitation. Her tail waved to the side and brushed over Indie's hips in an act of both encouragement and comfort. "She, the Mother Sea, is difficult to understand. We have speakers, High Priestesses, who spend most of their lives with two feet in the water, and two on land. Essentially, they are the spiritual centers of the pack aside from the Matriarch."

Akantha approached one of the trees felled by the fire and reared up to sniff at the splintered remains. She continued after a beat, not bothering to ask if Indie even wanted an explaination. If she wanted to be a Siren, then she would have to listen. "Then there are Adepts—this is where most of our Sisters end up if they do not wish to train themselves further. They know the rites, the rituals, the culture; everything one needs to know to be a Nereid. Initiates are the next rung down and, as the title states, they have been initiated into our way of life and are beginning their training."

She pushes off the log and turns to Indie with a sincere smile, "Finally, there are Neophytes. This is where you, and a few others, currently sit. These are sisters who are former outsiders, or too young to prove themselves just yet. With guidance, it is unlikely you will remain there long. You've already shown keen interest, after all."

Honored :*)

Akantha looked at her in a manner similar to how Indie looked at others: as if she knew their kind and already knew much about them, just from looks. It was a skill Indie admired, to be able to read situations and assess them accurately for what they were. Akantha looked at her an understood her zest and passion with which she would use to achieve her goals; the application of which would be to further the best interest of the Nereides.

Yes, Akantha was good at reading her because that was exactly what Indie aimed to do.

Akantha spun a tale of her culture and religion - it was one that she had herd before from Cathenna, but her silver friend spoke with brevity and left out many details, all of which Akantha spoke of quite freely. These were the most words that Akantha had ever shared with Indie and the chanteuse was so delighted that if she had hands instead of paws, she would have clapped them together.

“Oh wow,” Indie sighed when Akantha concluded her diatribe. How vivid! How stupendous! Oh how Donovan would be jealous that she got to spend her time with such colorful characters and he that couldn’t join her to watch. Indie quite liked to make him jealous, though, as such competitive passions frove them and lit their fires — but she thought that he truly might enjoy this all and wanted to share it with him. 

Such competitiveness also caused her to give a small grimace at the word neophyte, as if she was a baby. Indie did wish to climb the ladder of Nereides social order if only to rid herself of the title. She much preferred the title of siren. or harpy. high priestess sounded good, too. and becoming close friends to the Nereides leader was the first step to that end goal — it certainly helped that Indie somewhat genuinely liked the woman.

“Can I count on you for such guidance, Akantha? You've taught me so much already.”

Indie always had been a student and Indie would forever be a student, as she greatly enjoyed learning from everyone around her and picking and choosing all the best parts to reflect within herself. She admired knowledge and wished to have it all; for Indie was a smart woman and knew it would behoove her not to only make friends but to learn everything about her friends that she possibly could. Indie liked to know their secrets and their quirks; which she sometimes put to bad use but it was always with good intentions. Indie never purposefully wanted to hurt people with her games and faces, but sometimes there was collateral damage; Indie just liked power and became frustrated when it did not become hers easily.

Akantha knew just how precisely her spear had struck into the depths of Indie's heart when the enigmatic woman sighed wistfully upon the conclusion of the Nereides culture-in-a-nutshell sermon, and smiled to both the swarthy woman and at her own play. She was not fond of speaking, but was glad when the few times she did chose to be winded ended up being fruitful. The Matriarch gave the other what little privacy she could offer by returning her attention to the path, keeping an ear trained on the other, but otherwise leaving Indie to withdraw momentarily and ruminate on the information.

The pair passed through the meadow and returned to the ruined wood, passing beneath the wreckage of the former glory like travelers treading through ancient remnants of stone age towns. She would occasionally swing her head around to look around—to make sure they were not being shadowed by unseemly rogues, or curious vagabonds. She was soothed, queerly, by the sheer emptiness of the scorched woodland. A void had opened up and swallowed up all joy, all light, and discarded the remains as a memoir of the earth's fury.

Indie returned to her, though she hadn't truly left physically, and brought a question to the table Akantha hadn't anticipated. Her eyes went a bit wide before she gained full control of her reaction, and allowed herself to open just that much more to Indie. There was no harm in the truth, even if it was only harbored in the relaxed lines of her usually terse expression. She was glad to be trusted in this, though she still harbored doubts about her capability of rising to the challenge. Still, this was a good a place as any to start. "Yes," She replied firmly, with a sure nod. "I would be happy to continue your training, personally." Indie was not the only one who required her attention in such matters, but she was the first to request it. 

She had a faith in the woman and hoped, almost desperately, that it was not misplaced.

ackk sorry about the wait

Indie knew these petrified, burnt woods well. She knew the muted crunch of ash against her toes, easily recognized the spiced scent of charcoal in her sensitive nares. Yes, she knew the forest well but only through what she could ascertain through her five senses. That might have been why she loved these timbers so; their pasts had been obliterated, completely erased, slowly to be eroded down further and scattered across the oceans. Something that must have once been so mighty was now… nothing. There was some prophetical meaning behind that, but Indie couldn’t really unearth what exactly that meaning was: but it made her feel good and Indie liked to feel good. Indie was a thinker, but she hadn’t been born a thinker [instead trained and brought up to think of strategy as a second language] and at her heart, the vaudevillian was a hedonist and would chase feeling good until the day she died.

Indie liked the incinerated forest because she saw herself reflected in those ashes. Like these times, she was someone who capable of break themselves down to their essential elements only to rebuild later, into something completely different. It was a beautiful pattern of chaos. Seeing and feeling this in the sentinels made her feel… less alone.

Indie swung her head to look at Akantha and could not help but noticed that the woman was just as engrossed in their milieu as she was. Indie liked Akantha — liked her seriousness. She reminded Indie a lot of Donovan: veiled, austere, and not without talent. So when the Matriarch offered to talk the simple mummer under her wing, Indie could not help but grin. Indie was certain that she could have found no better cicerone to show her the fantastic way of the Nereides.  “Oh Akantha,” Indie exclaimed sincerely, breathlessly “Thank you.”

“Please consider me at the Nereides service. — if there’s any I may be useful to you or your ladies, you need only ask.” The dark girl had slowed her gait to a stop, for emphasis. “I don’t seek to simply take; I want give what I can.”

It's chill! Wanna wrap up with your next post?

What she was building here was not a castle, or a domain, but a simple place of sanctuary where others who sought salvation in the churning deeps could return to them and find a home. Her vision demanded a family of Sisters standing strong against the storm; the ignorance of the mainland wolves, the naysayers, the warbringers. The Matriarch bore scars that told tales of past conflict, but she did not seek it to slake her pride. Her pride lie in the enthusiasm of those she'd managed to find along the way. Indie, of course, was just as important to the whole as Kalika.

A smile whisked across her lips at the reaction her answer garnered from the dusk-cloaked courtesean, and she, too, slowed to a stop as Indie did. Akantha brought herself around to face the young woman fully, and listened with cupped ears at her gracious appeal. "As much as you give, you will recieve it in return," Akantha replied. "There is no service needed. You are one of us now, Indie. Though we don't share in blood, or upbringing, I will do my best to teach you what I know." This was one of those moments of sincerity Akantha was not prone to, but she felt it necissary here. Indie was a former outsider, but she needed to understand just how dear to the Nereides sect she was just by virture of her loyalty. "Adept is within your grasp, and I intend to elevate you as soon as tradition allows."

Indie was very much so honored by Akantha’s words. The matriarch was stern and harsh, but not without love in her heart. To say that Indie was impressed with the Nereides would be an understatement; rather, they took her breath away, and none more so than the siren queen herself. Akantha would prove to be an invaluable friend and ally, Indie was sure, and she deigned to nuture this seed until it branched out and bloomed into something manificient. But for now, as the women continued on through the petrified forest, Indie made plans to soon hunt and deliver a small offering of gratitude and magnanimity to Akantha — and leave a little something at the gravesite of that poor consort, perished in service to the Nereides women, towards whom the starlet suddenly felt overwhelming sense of understanding.