Submission (#446) Approved

The water brushed coldly against the creature's shoulder as she moved along beneath the tide. Her eyes almost seemed to glow red whenever she dared to look up to watch the sun sink into the depths of the ocean. Softly, she released some air through their nostrils and darted upwards, following the bubbles to the surface. A large, beautiful creature leapt out of the water swiftly into the sky to breathe in the fresh ocean breeze. She had a turquoise pelt with a white belly and white paws, as well as shining scales along herlong body. Her tail almost looked like a mermaid's, colored in blues and purples. Her red eyes darted around, taking in whatever she could see in such a short moment of just a few heartbeats. She briefly saw birds and could hear their distant chatter. She watched as white, fluffy clouds moved above her head through the orange and purple sunset sky. But she could also see a glimpse of a strange, moving object that she could identify as a boat with its passengers, looking in her direction. Without another thought, it vanished into the deep blue again.


She quickly moved her legs and tail to dive deeper and escape the spear, which followed her path just a heartbeat after. The creature snarled and bared its teeth, releasing yet more bubbles from its open mouth. Her red eyes narrowed into an angry expression. Bright stars appeared around her head, as the dragon-like creature moved beneath the shadow of a boat that followed the spear to where she had been just a few moments ago. Furious, she watched as the weird, naked creatures looked above the railing, trying to spot the mystical creature they had been following and trying to kill. She kept watching them, trying to find any kindness in their distorted faces. But all she could see was the ugly expression of greed. Her tense expression softened, and the white fangs disappeared once again. Slowly, she allowed her body to float up to the surface, moving around the boat to escape the sharp eyes of the naked creatures. She lifted her head from the water quietly, tiny waves tickling her cheeks. A soft hum escaped her lips, turning into a song in a language she didn’t understand but picked up from the fragile creatures on the boat. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, sounding like a mother singing to her child. Her ears picked up movement on the boat, the heavy steps of many, two legs walking on the wooden planks. Just a heartbeat later, the dull eyes of the creatures met her staring gaze. There was no longer that ugly expression of greed on their faces, but rather a mixed expression of admiration and awe. Their furless paws slowly tried to reach her, to touch her, to be close to her but the closer they thought they got to her, the more she slowly pushed herself away from the boat. Excitement rushed through her body like adrenaline, heating the blood rushing through her veins. The first creature jumped off the boat and into the cold ocean. At first, it was one, then two. Soon enough, every crew member had jumped into the water, moving their legs and arms to follow her into the unknown. She never stopped singing, filling the now night air with her soft voice. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on leading them away from their boat” she had to force herself to keep back that sadistic, ugly grin of hers. It wasn't the first, nor was it the last time she had encountered these strange creatures. It wasn't complex to understand, even if she couldn't understand a word they were saying. But they all shared the same expression of greed on their faces and the dull eyes that had seen enough to know how special and rare a creature like her was. She had never met anyone like her, just bigger creatures like sharks, sometimes even whales. But whenever she tried to communicate with them, they didn't respond, and their eyes didn't look as lovely as her own, whenever she caught a glimpse of her reflection on the surface. There was no one she could talk to, no one she could ask who she was. So she decided for herself what she wanted to be. Without hesitation, she suddenly bared her teeth, exposing the white, long fangs glowing in the soft light of the rising moon. Quickly, she sank her teeth into the soft flesh of the one naked paw closest to her. With a strong pull, she dived deep into the water, ripping apart the creature's arm from its core. She could hear a muffled stream, yet she decided to ignore it. With a strong burst, she once again jumped out of the water and grabbed another one of the creatures. None of them had yet succeeded in breaking her spell. As she dived into the tide once again, her tongue picked up the metallic taste of blood in the salty water. It was probably enough blood to attract any ocean hunter close by. Disgusted by the taste on her tongue, she retracted her fangs from her victim and shoved herself away. As she moved her head, she caught the creature's shocked gaze, but soon enough the dark-colored water around them swallowed their glassy, opened eyes completely. She almost felt guilty, but then the face of greed appeared in her mind, refueling her rage. Once again, she darted up to the surface and jumped out of the water. It almost looked elegant, as her scales shimmered in the soft moonlight. But as she opened her mouth again, red fluid dripped from her fangs. She had decided to be a sea nymph long ago, learning the human songs to lure them into their doom. She didn't have a mother, who had picked a name for her and she didn't know who she was exactly, so she had given herself a name. She had heard the humans cry out whenever they had broken her spell.


Nerine.