Revaliir

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 12:48 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

The wolf demon stared at the helm of the ship. Her eyes narrowed while looking ahead of her at the cashing waves. The island was slowly becoming farther away. With the wind on their side, they were going to get away quickly. Getting ahead of herself, Katerina thought they were going to get out of there in one piece. The boat was moving fast, nothing was coming after them, and all the pirates were dead. But she thought wrong. Suddenly, the wind and everything around them stop. Even the people of the ship were silent for a moment, taking in the events around them.

Katerina's hand slowly slipped off the wheel, and moved to touch the little girl's back. Kiyomi moved at the movement, her eyes
looking up towards the sky. Something was out there, and she knew it before anyone else. Katerina's eyes moved with the child's, and yelled to the people around them. Her hand showing them the location. A moment later, darkness took her.

Katerina was unaware of anything that happened until after she opened her eyes. Sun shined brightly, making eyes wince closed. A grown left her as she sat up, her hands pushing her off the ground. “What happened?” She asked aloud, her mind flashing back to the moment she saw the stranger floating above. Who was that? What had they done? Why was she here and not the boat? Millions of questions ran though Katerina's mind. Then one question made the wolf demon jump to her feet. “KIYOMI!!!” She yelled as loud as she could. Her voice ringing over the skies. Her arms were empty.

Katerina's bright blue eyes, looked down one end of the beach to the other. Bodies laid scattered, un-moving. “KIYOMI!” She called again, before making her way left to look from body to body. Her heart raced; it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest. Her arms felt empty without the child in them. “KIYOMI!” She called again and again, slowly her voice began to wake the people around her. A gasp left her lips seeing a small figure on the rocks ahead. The figure was facing towards the sea. “Kiyomi!” She yelled again before breaking out into a run.

The voice of the woman made the child turn to look at her. A smile lined the girl's lips before she jumped down off the rocks. Her feet landing gracefully in the sand. “There you are!” Katerina said with a sigh as she lifted the child into her arms. Hugging her tight, she felt small arms wrap around her neck. “How about we check on everyone, and then get the hell out of here.” The wolf demon said into the child's hair before kissing her head.

Turning back to the beach, Katerina gathered everyone up, and walked up the beach. Their destination Adeluna. She had to make sure they were all cleaned up, and safe before leaving them in the city. It took a few days, but Katerina and the child finally left the city. The wolf demon wanted to be far from the ocean as possible. With the events that just happened, the elemental didn't want to think of them again, just her new found daughter and the adventure that awaited them.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2016 12:36 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

With the inhabitants of the island apparently crumbled into dust, the driving emotion for the fleeing passengers settled on fear. Even the animals were frantically running out to sea, trying to reach the retreating ships before their home disappeared into the depths. Once the air became completely filled with dust, however, the chaos dulled. Sound of new strikes against the land remained suspiciously absent, and even the noise of crashing waves fell to a dead silence without delay. The situation resembled something out of a story book: an island disappears into the abyss while be covered by insurmountable layers of dust. Unlike that fable, though, this island wasn't the only thing that disappeared in the eye of the storm.

"Captain! We have a problem!" A man on the bow of one of the ships shouted loudly once the island's noisy destruction paused. He had noticed the phenomenon that was becoming blatantly obvious at this point, and had felt the need to give it voice. "The ships aren't moving! We're stuck!"

Sure enough, reality had frozen within the immediate area once the explosions ceased. Large waves that had risen up from the tendril attacks simply stuck in midair like static edifices. Even the wind was stagnant to the point where Katerina and her flock became trapped in a dead sea.

"Everything is stopped," remarked the cat demoness from before, "but why are we immune?" Thus far, the Masked Stranger had been absent, but that changed the moment Kathrine opened her mouth. The shadow of a winged, fox humanoid appeared on the deck of Katerina's ship, and Kathrine called attention to the source by pointing upward."Above us!" Staggered screams echoed into the frozen landscape as the passengers looked up one by one. The Masked Stranger was already charging up some sort of attack in preparation to strike the ships, and she unleashed it as soon as Katerina looked up. All vessels in the immediate area were hit by invisible tendrils within moments of that action, and the sickening death knell of splintering wood roared out into the brine.

But one curiosity remained in the seemingly inevitable catastrophe. None of the women, men, or animals in the eastern sea were harmed during the sudden assault. In fact, before the attack hit, all living creatures in the area were temporarily locked out of their consciousness and transported to a shore near Adeluna. They would wake up in a few minutes, delirious but very much alive. And in the aftermath of this strange occurrence, only Natsumi's distant scream of regret would be left to fill the still, blue waters of the Nyella Ocean.

Meanwhile, in a distant sea…

"Keep paddling lads! He's right on us!"

"Get back here, laddies! Uncle Jack's got a surprise for ya!"

A group of pirates had been lucky enough to have escaped the island before its collapse, but Jack had recently ended their luck. By the time the destructive event caused by Natsumi's ascension took place, the dragon and his food were miles away. Jack, himself, was taking great joy in freezing the butts off of the last remaining scallywags who were already scared shitless from near annihilation. Somehow, they had thus far evaded certain death, and were rowing in a dingy hard enough to just barely outrun a dragon – something that should have been well beyond their capabilities. The survival of these three men would be a long chase across the oceans to come, if they even survived at all of course.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Mon May 30, 2016 1:18 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

“Ladies! We have to leave now!” Katerina yelled over the waves. She sighed, as she watched to women fumble with the ropes, the stress of what happening was getting to them. The yellow eyed cat was tying the ropes with perfection. “See how she is doing it!” She called to them while pointing at the women. The women frowned at they looked at each other, and then looked at the cat woman. They all nodded and with stern faces they tried harder. The ship was just about ready to go. Only the main mast needed to be let go and tied.

“Alright. Main mast! Let’s do this ladies!!” Katerina ran up to the back of the ship, reading herself at the wheel for the women to finish. As soon as the mast was down, they would be off and sailing. Both other ships would be almost ready as well.

The sudden movement of the child made her look down. Purple eyes stared up at Katerina. “Dont worry. We'll be out of here soon. I promise.” A soft smile spread over the wolf demon’s lips. As the child stared at her with sad eyes, Katerina could only imagine the pain the child was going through. She could understand some of her pain, but she was a child. She needed her mother more than anything. Leaning down, Katerina kissed the child’s forehead. “It will all be alright…” She whispered against the child’s hair. The words made the child hands tighten around the collar of the wolf demon’s shirt. Her head nuzzled into Katerina’s chest, and she was still again.

Grabbing ahold of the wheel, she looked back at the breach. Her mind going back to the events that happened in the last day. It had been a long one, an eventful one. Her uncle was dead, she made a friend, and she had found a daughter that she had always been looking for. “Thank you, Natsumi.” She whispered against the wind. If it wasn’t for her, Katerina would have died yesterday.

The wolf demon’s eyes suddenly saw movement on the beach. “Saya?!” Her acute eyes saw the child. Animals joined her, and rushed into the water before them. Not caring if they drowned. A gasp left the elemental’s lips as she watched Saya about to die. She was too far away to save her. “SAYA!!!!!!!!” Her voice rang over the waves and through the sky. Her hand reaching out as if she could do something. Instead she saw a figure run out from the forest. Tears filled her eyes as she saw Njall save her, but get hit himself. “Njall! Oh my go….” She started to say, thinking he had died before her eyes.

Instead of death, Katerina eye’s saw his face for the first time. The women around her started to scream in terror at him. “SHUT UP AND GET THAT MAST DOWN!” She yelled at them and they didn’t say a thing before they dropped the mass. The ships around them started to move just before theirs did.

Njall’s voice was carried over the wind to her, before he disappeared. Turning away with wide, tear filled eyes. She gripped the wheel tight, as they started to sail away from the island. “They are all dead…” She whispered, tears escaping her eyes. Leaning her cheek to lean against the child's head. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. Hopefully this ship was fast enough to get away from the island, before it took them with it.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 6:35 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

So history repeated itself. Whilst Katerina listened to and confirmed Njall's request, the lone butler disappeared to the next ship. With the skill of a seasoned mage, he gate travelled into the bowels of the port vessel, exactly where the slaves were held.

"Oi, help us laddie!" The shout from a nearby human reached out once the stranger manifested, and was immediately answered with an outthrust palm. A key ring from the nearby table flew through the air to Njall's hand, allowing him to unlock the first cage.

"No time to explain," he hurried while pulling the door open. "You lot will have to sail this ship away or we'll all be swallowed whole!"

"What did you say?!" Pale tone injected into the darkened faces of the men below deck once they heard the truth, but Njall was too preoccupied to notice. His focus remained on animating the keys so that they would automatically unlock the cages even if he wasn't there.

"Move, now," he proclaimed once the animation was complete! "Anyone who can sail should head up to deck immediately and weigh anchor! Anyone else should get to work freeing everyone down here and then going to help the sailors when you can!"

"Aye," was the sole response from the loin-clothed humans, though one did notice that Njall was already preparing to leave!

"Where are you going, matey," a particularly burly individual asked the scrawny wizard? Njall only gave the man a single glance before opening a portal further inland.

"To try and rescue the woman and child I love," he said before jumping inside, "even if it costs me my life." There was more to his answer, but such thoughts were best kept private. Njall knew he was too late, but he still couldn't bring himself to abandon Natsumi or Saya. Even if they didn't remember him, he remembered them, and would willingly die to protect that memory.

'I suppose that's just like me,' he asked himself while traversing the gate, "isn't it Natsumi?'

Meanwhile, the source of the quakes was still sleeping soundly back at the camp. Rauru, Saya and Kino all stayed behind to watch Natsumi, but, now that the white fox was glowing and the island was tearing itself apart, there was one who refused to stay.

"I'm getting out of here," Rauru squawked while taking flight: a move that caused visible distress in Saya.

"How could you be so cruel, Rauru," she asked?! "She took care of you when those hunters tried to kill you, and you'd just abandon her!" Kino was quick to silence this petulance, though not in the way Saya may have hoped.

"You must escape too, Saya," the artifact whispered to Saya, fully anticipating her next reaction.

"I'm not leaving my mother behind!"

"Madame Natsumi is the source of this disturbance. I cannot control her power anymore than I already have, and I cannot guarantee your safety if you remain."

Such was the truth. Natsumi's ascension to deityship had begun several minutes ago, and Kino had been trying to stabilize that ascension for the entirety. Unfortunately, the power was proving too great for the artifact to handle. Natsumi's ascension was reaching critical mass, and Kino was losing control. That was why the tremors were getting worse, and why she was imploring Saya to leave against her will.

"Kino…" The little girl's face was sullen at this revelation, her legs heavy; but Kino continued to press.

"Run, if you value your life," she said, "And even if you don't, run for Natsumi's sake. If she accidentally killed you, it would be the death of her." Saya listened at that moment, thinking of how sad her guardian would be in such a situation. Leaving Natsumi in the condition she was in would be far less painful in the long term than staying out of stubbornness. Realizing that, Saya picked up and ran into the forest with her eyes closed.
It was at that moment that Kino finally shut down, no longer capable of containing her host's divinity. The tremors grew incredibly intense as Natsumi's eyes opened. A nightmarish mask appeared on her face, and she stood up as sharpened barriers tore open the ground around her.

Mere moments later, Saya arrived on the beach. The boats were already prepared to set sail, and all the prisoners had been freed. Katerina was on deck as well, looking out at the shore. She might have been able to rescue her friend's daughter at that point, were it not for the sudden nullification of teleportation in the area. Quantum space froze as animals fled in mass from the island and into the sea. Invisible tendrils lashed across the landscape during the exodus, sundering land and ocean as the Masked Stranger emerged from the forest. One such tendril headed straight for Saya, causing her to freeze and stare at her doom.

Lucky for the child, however, a guardian was watching over her.

"Get back!" Njall tackled Saya out of the way of the invisible attack at the last second. In so doing, he spared her life, but took part of the blow himself. His mask shattered into pieces, and a large cut ran up his torso. He fell to the ground next to Saya after dodging just enough to prevent dying, but he could no longer stand. He could barely even speak, for that matter, but he did manage to look at Katerina with an expression she likely didn't want to see.

"Run, you fools…" he said before the approaching dust clouds engulfed him. The island was sinking, and the trio who once called it home disappeared with it.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Mon May 9, 2016 2:22 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

The child in her arms was all Katerina could think of. The loss of a mother was something that Katerina understood. This child was still young, but the pain would always be the same. Losing a parent is the worst thing that could happen to anyone. For a moment, the wolf demon forgot the scene that was happening around her. All she felt was little hands that gripped her collar and the tears that hit her chest. Holding the child tight, as tears of her own fell only the child’s hair. Her parents floated into her mind, then their voice. 'We made a mistake…' Her parents words echoed in her mind, it was almost like a memory.

Before she could think of what just happened, Njall’s voice made the thoughts disappear. Her eyes widened at his words.”Oh no.” She said, shocked. She didn’t want to believe him, but there was no lie in his eyes. The shaking of the ship made her believe him fully. Moving her legs apart, she kept herself from falling. Some of the women weren’t as quick and fell onto the floor or against the cages.

Njall started to speak again, bringing her distracted eyes back to him. She nodded as she started to move towards the women but another shaking of the ship stopped her. Slamming into the cage beside her, she cursed under her breath. “On it!” She called over her shoulder towards him. Katerina turned towards Njall, but he wasn’t there. “Damnit.” She cursed. ‘Get Natsumi and her daughter out as soon as you can.’ She thought to herself thinking of Njall. She knew she couldn’t help her friends right now. She needed to help everyone else, and she knew he could handle it. ‘Be safe!’ She whispered thinking of Njall, before rushing down the row of cages, she made her way towards the ladder. Her eyes looked toward the women, they were trying to dress themselves. The ship moving made them slower.

Reaching the ladder, she used one hand to grab hold of one of the legs. “I need help!” She called towards them. Two females that were dressed came over quickly, and grabbed the other side of the ladder. “Lift!” The elemental yelled over the crashing of the waves. The sound was like thunder. Lifting the ladder, she lead them over to the open area above them. Setting the ladder down, she yelled again, “Up the ladder now! You got to get the ship ready to sail while I help the others!” The women frowned as the looked at each other. “But we don’t know how!” The cat eyes woman said. “I will help! Get up there!!” Holding the ladder, the women started to climb up to the cabin. When most of them were out, she rushed up behind the women. A few of the captives stayed in the cages, unable to move.

“Check all the lines and get the sail up!! That line over there pulls the sail up. Make sure you tie off the line.” She yelled at them over the crashing of the waves and the roar of the wind. Something was definitely happening. Running over to the railing, she jumped onto the it. “Make sure to get the anchor up at the back of the ship!” She called over her shoulder as she yanked a line free and gripped it tight. “We’re on it!” One of the women said, and they all disbursed to get everything going.

Looking before her, she eyed the ship a few feet away. She needed to swing and jump to reach the ship. “Hold on tight Kiyomi.” She said to the girl in her arms. Feeling her hands tighten, Katerina took that as a sign to swing. Using her wolf strength, she swung herself and jumped. Landing on the deck of the ship, she didn’t hesitate to run down to the cabin. There wasn’t any time to find the door. Thinking of what Njall did before, a smirk appeared on the woman’s face. Listening closely, she heard the breathing of the people below, and slowly she brought her hand forward. Her eyes glowed white slightly as the power started to rise up within her. Suddenly,a large ball of ice with spikes on the top shut upward, ripping the wood to shreds in a perfect circle. Closing her hand into a fist, the ice disintegrated into a puff of smoke.

“Help us!” Echoed through the cabin below. Hurrying, the elemental’s hands swirled with ice magic. Ice shot from her hands onto the edge of the circle, soon a staircase appeared made of solid ice. Running down the ice staircase, she wasn’t shocked at what her eyes saw. Half naked men stood around in large cages, they were grouped together unlike the women.A piece of cloth was the only thing covering their privates. The smell was similar, dirty and the smell of death lingered in the air. “Let us out please…” A man moaned aloud, as he reached through the cage bars.

“Can anyone sail a ship?! I know you might not have the strength to, but this island is sinking, and we need to get out of here fast!” She paused hearing a few, “Ayes!” With a nod, she held out her free hand and shot an ice spike into the key lock. Turning quickly she did the same to the other on the opposite side. The men quickly escaped the cage, but a few stayed to help with the bodies. “Okay. We need to hurry. I can’t sail both ships, so you have to sail this one as best you can away from the island.” Her eyes glanced at the men, some showed fear, others showed confidence. “You.” She pointed to a young man in the front with brown eyes. “Yes?” He said shakily. “Get the keys and get the rest out….Let’s move!” She called out to them all and rushed up the stairs.

When they arrived on deck, the men started to get to work. Their voices yelling over the roar of the waves, telling the rest of the men what to do. Jumping back on the railing, her hand circled a line of rope. Her hand gripping tight, and her other holding the child tight to her chest. In a swift movement, she sung herself over to the other ship and jump. Her feet landing gracefully onto the deck.

Her mind raced with worry about her friends on the island. A large wave hit the side of the ship again almost hitting her off balance, but she caught herself. “Damnit.” She cursed at herself. They needed to get out of there and quick. Her mind went to Njall, hoping he got the slaves out and was on his way to Natsumi and her daughter.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 6:49 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

There comes a time to say, "Goodbye," even if that time is not one of our choosing. The machinations of Katerina's, late uncle maintained a stranglehold on the minds of the would-be butler and wolf-demon, but, whilst they toiled away in the bowels of the captured ship, tremors had begun to shake the island. Natsumi's body was already glowing when Njall breached the lower storage, and the man had begun to hear the cacophony of secrets even before the foul odor of semen mixed with blood and other bodily secretions reached his nose.

"Ugh," Mr. Clean Freak grunted once he caught wind of the air. He wasn't paying attention to the voices in his ears as the strong urge to sanitize everything came over him, nor did he catch what Katerina had told him to do. Instead, he immediately walked over to the nearest ladder as if to escape, and found a collection of chests just as a nude cat demon came by.

"Keys, keys, keys." She repeated the word as if it was the only thing she could think about at the moment while heading toward the man with a sapphire blade. Njall covered his eyes on her approach – given that his previous tactic of just looking down only put his gaze square of the woman's crotch – and then grabbed the keys from a nearby desk before animating them.

"If you have strength enough to find keys, go help the other women who are already let out," he said as the key ring whisked past the cat demon's head to the locks in the room. "Though I am a man, I am a gentleman who would rather not give vulgar looks to women who are naked through no fault of their own." The woman seemed to take this response kindly, and smiled before kissing Njall on the cheek. Though embarrassed by the act, the butler did not blush or move from his spot. The voices were getting louder now, so much that he could no longer ignore the absolute reign of fate.

"I need someone to point a finger at!"
"That's what goes on in our government."
"What if he doesn't like me?"
"I hope you forgave me before you died."
"That peasant stole my woman. I'll teach him what it means to get in a noble's way."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"The boss will be mad if he finds out that I broke this, so I'm just gonna sweep it under…"

So the melody of secrets continued until Njall finally put up a mind tower to block them out.
"I'm out of time," he whispered before opening up the surrounding chests to find clothes. There was enough to garb all of the living female prisoners, and so Njall ran over to where Katerina was in order to inform her. He arrived just in time to witness the sad scene of a dying mother. "I don't mean to be rude," he began with a sigh, "But we can't stay here. A prophecy of doom is coming to pass on this island, and these ships must leave shore lest they be drawn into the current. The island is about to sink."

And suddenly the tremors from before reached the ship, lending credence to Njall's warning. There wasn't much time left. Njall knew this, and realized he would have to move quickly in order to save as many lives as he could.

"There's clothes by the ladder over in the corner, enough to cloth all those left alive!" Yet another tremor interrupted the rushed man, but he pressed on while stabilizing himself against the nearest cage. "We need to free the other slaves as well! I'll work on the ship on the port side of this vessel. You'll have to get the ship on the starboard!"

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2016 2:47 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

The child in Katerina’s arms didn’t move, her continued to lay still on the wolf demon’s shoulder. The wolf demon’s hand subconsciously started to rub up and down on the child’s back. Her actions unknown to her, the wolf demon had asked the man where the door was. Njall had probably looked over the whole ship in search of pirates. He was a man who get things done. Katerina didn’t judge the man’s actions, because she would’ve done the same thing if she had the strength to. No pirate under her uncle's rule should live. They were all worthless scum.

Pushing the thoughts away, Katerina listened to the man speak. Her mind slowly drifting to what he had said before. She was only an acquaintance of Natsumi’s. ‘Am I?’ she thought, her heart felt differently after the last twenty four or so hours. If she was asked yesterday if she was anything to Natsumi. She would've said only an acquaintance, but now her heart felt differently. She would say that they were friends. Close friends. She almost smiled at the thought. She had finally made a friend.

The last of the man’s words caught her attention, ‘Make your own?!’ She thought. The wolf demon stepped back a few steps, and watched him start up his spell. Katerina didn’t want to be in the line of fire, if he was going to do the spell he did on the beach. It only took a moment before the floor beneath was open and awaiting for entrance. Her eyes moved to Njall, and he had motioned for her to go first. With a nod and a step forward. She didn’t know what awaited her in the dim area before, but that wasn’t going to stop her. She jumped and fell through the opening.

Landing gracefully on the deck below, her arms tightened around the child in her arms, as her eyes looked around at the horror. The wolf demon’s body freezing, because of the scene before her. The smell of piss and feces surrounded her. Holding her breath from keeping from gagging. Her eyes looked at the women locked up in the barred cages. There were three rows; cages in the center of the ship, and on either end of the ship, bars stretched from the front and to the end. The women were naked, with only a blanket on a bed beside them, but only for the ones who weren't chained up to the walls of the ship. Naked, bruised, and dirty their eyes watched her, waiting for her to move. Most of the women looked human, but the smell that lingered through the others, Katerina knew they were far from human.

“What was he doing..” Katerina whispered, thinking how horrible her uncle was. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was shaky, as her eyes took in the women’s sad pleading eyes. Turning towards the closest cell beside her, she started with the women who weren't chained. “Njall, I’ll start here. Helped the women that are chained.” She called over her shoulder. The women were close to the bars now, they hands reaching through. “Let us out!”, “Help us!”, “Thank you!” The words of the women almost made Katerina cry. Her hand circled one of the bars and pulled with all her might. Breaking the lock and opening the first door. “Thank you!” The women yelled and hugged Katerina. “Do you have enough strength to find keys?” She asked as her eyes looked into the woman’s yellow cat eyes. “Yes!” She said as she ran off.

The wolf demon continued to break open the cell doors. Letting one after another woman free. A few cells down, she tried to hand over the child to a woman. “Take her please?” She asked as she tried to pull the child away. “Come here sweetie…” The red hair woman said as she tried to grab the child. The little girl shook her head and held on tight. With a sigh, Katerina shook her head at the woman. “Never mind.” With a nod, the woman joined the rest who were gathered together.

Some women weren’t as lucky. A few women lay dead in their cells, blood covered their legs. A few tears escaped her eyes as she saw a dead baby laying on the bed by her mother’s legs. “How can someone do this.” She whispered, as she laid her head against the cell door. Clearing her throat to keep from crying. She opened the cell anyways. “Whoever has the strength. Please clean up the dead…” She called over her shoulder to the women behind her. There were no objections, only tears.

Making her way down the cages, another dead body after another. She opened the one cage and would move on to the next one. Her hand lingered on one for a moment, staring at the women with a pile of blood on the bed and around her thighs. The blood dripping onto the ground,fresh blood. Using her wolf ears, she heard the shallow breathing and the slow heartbeat of the woman. She had lost too much blood, life would escape her soon.

Slowly, the eyes of the woman opened up, “My baby girl…” She whispered. Ripping open the cage, the wolf demon quickly kneeled beside the cot. “You can’t die. She needs you!” Katerina said urgently making the child look over to her mother. “Mama!” She said reaching towards the woman. A soft smile spread over the woman’s cheeks, as her hand reached up to touch the child’s cheek. “I love you….. She is your mama now..be a good girl…” She whispered her eyes slowly moving over to Katerina’s. “Take care of her….” Was her final words before her eyes closed, and her hand falling down limp. Her last breath leaving her lungs in a sigh. The child turned back to hide her face in the wolf demons neck.

“No…NO!” Katerina yelled as tears started to fall down her face. “She needs you! She needs you..” She whispered,as her arms tightened around the child in her arms. Wishing with all her might that she could heal, but she was too far gone now. Standing up, she stepped out of the cage. Her head down touching the child’s. The tears falling from her face continued. “I promise to take care of you….forever.” She whispered into the child’s ear. “Kiyomi Katsu…Silverstein.” The wolf demon had named the child in her arms. If she was going to be in her life for good. She needed a name.

The child now named Kiyomi, tightened her hand around the collar of Katerina’s neck. Making a small smile appear on her lips. She had lost many children. Now this child was hers. Breathing and alive. She would keep it that way as long as she lived.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Thu Apr 7, 2016 1:21 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Fräulein Silverstein was a lovely woman: full of feminine appeal and voluptuous figure. But her beauty did little to ensnare the masked man she desired. Njall behaved as one whose heart had already been taken in her presence, treating her as a stranger rather than a potential lover.

"I have not actually spoken with Natsumi," he said abashedly and seemingly ignorant of Katerina's interest. The response reflected his loyal nature, but also revealed his stalker-like tendencies toward Natsumi. "More like listened, so I don't know who you are beyond an acquaintance of hers. Your appearance on this island is the first instance that I have seen you."

The truth is not always something we are proud of. Njall had been following Natsumi for years now, but never had the guts to approach her until recently. This delay in his decision was not something he enjoyed admitting even to himself, because he felt it made him appear weak. Yet he had just done that to a total stranger, because his sense of honesty was more overpowering than his shame.

Of course, Katerina proved too distracted to really care. Mr. Steward was confused by this lack of reaction from her; especially since she refused to make eye contact with him after he offered his hand. She, strangely, just quickly returned her attention to the room, leaving the still naive Njall to stew in his own confusion.

Regardless of the elemental's actions, though, the mage did not remain idle. While his guest redirected her attention to other things, Njall began scanning the ship from the cabin. Small runes appeared over his eyes, allowing him to scan for auras below deck. What he saw was unsettling, but helpful. The two dozen or so slaves on the captain's vessel were all women, and all being kept in the hull directly below where Njall stood. The masked man was able to locate most of them before Katerina called his attention back to her, but he still did not enjoy the thought of what awaited him in the depths.

"I know where the door is," Njall began while dispelling his detect aura enchantment. "Unfortunately, it's locked up tight, and I'd rather not waste time looking for a key. They're right below us, anyway, so we can get to them without going through traditional means. As my mentor used to say, 'If you can't find a door, make your own.'"

Both of Njall's, gloved hands glowed following his remark, charged with the same energy he had used to bombard the beach. It was significantly weaker this time, designed specifically to destroy the floor without causing widespread, collateral damage. With that power in place, Njall settled both palms against the floorboards under foot, sending the energy into them and opening up a gash in the ship. The resultant rubble landed in a ramp leading down to the storage hold, allowing the coughing voices of the captive women to flow upward into the cabin.

Rising to his feet as the dust settled, the seemingly young stranger looked back at his temptress acquaintance, and then motioned for her to go through his makeshift entrance. "After you, Miss Silverstein."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2016 10:58 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Watching the man’s actions, he had decided against attacking. A small smile crossed her lips as, she watched the man bow. As he rose, she realized that she was smiling and turned her lips into a straight line. He was also polite which was another good trait for a man. “Njall,” she repeated his name. She liked how it rolled off her tongue. “Hello, Njall. I am Katerina Silverstein.” Pausing, she nodded her head towards the mystery man. She would of bowed as well, but the child prevented that. “You have probably heard of me from Natsumi.” She finished, hoping that this would get the man trust her. From the smell of her and what she wore, she probably seemed like a pirate.

After the wolf demon mentioned the pirates below, Njall had corrected her. ‘Slaves,’ she repeated the word in her mind. Katerina stood there silent for a moment. Her uncle was the most horrible man she had ever met. The list of bad things her uncle had done just kept getting longer. A frown crossed her lips, as she stared down at the floor, while her hand moved up to the little girl’s hair. What had her uncle planned on doing with her? Why was the little girl and the tiger the only two there? So many questions were left unanswered. Now that her uncle laid on the beach, lifeless. There was no one to answer these questions. She wanted to know everything, even if after knowing, she’d wished she hadn’t. With a mental sigh, she just about shook her head. ‘Nothing about this man should surprises me anymore.’

Seeing the man reach out towards her, the elemental at his hand. She had the urge to grab it, his hand opened seemed so welcoming. Noticing that she was having feelings towards the new stranger before her, she took her eyes from him and towards the cabin. “Give me a moment to grab any possessions this child has.” She said, not wanting to acknowledge his offer.

Turning away from the man, she looked around the cabin once more. She kept trying not to think about how he held out his hand to her. She didn’t know if the little girl would have anything, but she didn’t want to leave anything behind. A few moments passed before a small glimmer of light caught her attention. The elemental’s eyes looked over to the bed, a small locket hung on the cabin wall. Walking towards it, her hand reached out to grab it. The front of the locket looked like dragon scales, in the middle was a purple large gem that seemed to glow lightly. It was unusual. Touching the locket, she felt the magic radiating from it.

The movement made the little girl turn and reach for the locket. “Is this yours?” The elemental ask. She didn’t get any response from the girl, only the outreached hand. Taking the chain from its hook, Katerina put it over the child’s head, so it can hang from her neck. As soon as the locket was in its place, the child turned back around, and put her head into the wolf demon’s chest.

“We can go.” The woman said as she turned around. Katerina didn’t want any possessions from her uncle, even if she could get answers from anything here. It was time to free the slaves and get out of that place. She didn’t want to look back again. He was dead and the past with him.

A growl made her eyes move towards the caged tiger. “Oh! I almost forgot about you. I am sorry!” Katerina said to the tiger as she hurried towards the animal. Her shoulder almost brushing against the man’s. Her hand grabbed the lock and she closed her eyes; her magic wasn’t as quick as before. Slowly the lock turned to ice. Pulling it hard, the lock broke into shards of ice, letting the cage door swing open. The tiger didn’t wait another second before jumping out of the cage. He made his way to the elemental’s leg and rubbed his body against the boot. Katerina resisted the urge to move away from the cat. “Thank you…” The tiger said as he sat down next to the elemental. “Your welcome.” She said with a smile.

Turning back towards the man, she glanced over to the door. “So where should we start looking for the door that go downstairs?” She asked looking back at the man, assuming he probably knew where the entrance was. He had killed all the pirates on the ship. Maybe he knew the way.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Mon Mar 21, 2016 11:44 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Had Njall been as hardhearted as he appeared, he would not have hesitated to attack Katerina through the walls. He could see her aura, and was perfectly capable of setting off a chain reaction in the captain's cabin without looking in through the entryway. Yet he did not, because, looks aside, the would-be steward was a compassionate teddy bear. He didn't wish to harm without verification, especially when a child was so close to the danger, so he risked bodily harm just to confirm that the wolf was honest in her intentions.

Thankfully, his trust was rewarded. Katerina did not attack Njall when he came into view, leaving him no reason to do otherwise. In fact, she even reduced her residual magic to prevent the wrong idea from coming across, speaking to the masked man in a calm, non-threatening voice. She asked the same question that he was about to ask of her, and he responded to this civility in kind.

"And from that assumption," he began with candor. "I assume you don't belong to the pirates, either." Bringing his blade to his side, Njall flung the blood off of it onto the floor; then sheathed the gleaming construct to make himself seem less intimidating. Finally, he bowed to the two ladies, and introduced himself. "I am Njall, would-be steward to Miss Yamauchi and her daughter. I apologize for frightening you, but these pirates have me antsy. I thought they were all dead until this most recent attack."

Admittedly, Njall was mainly doing his polite skit for the small, frightened child under Katerina's protection rather than the wolf herself. He didn't trust her just yet, especially not since she smelled vaguely of the late captain. His resolve on this issue was weakening from her dialogue choice, though. Katerina's request bade him to reconsider his mistrust, especially since he was a sensible man who realized he could use her help finishing what he started.

"They are not pirates, but slaves," the masked mage said while straightening from his bow and walking calmly toward Katerina and the child. "These pirates were slavers, and there are several prisoners on their ships. I haven't had the chance to free them, though, because it's been too dangerous. If that hadn't been the case, this girl and tiger would already be on the beach and I would be tending to Natsumi and Saya." Holding his hand out to Katerina, he stopped to lock eyes with her before continuing. "If you want to help free the others alongside me, I won't object to that. There should be an opening somewhere around here."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2016 9:23 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Katerina didn't take offense when Saya had moved from her hand before. She didn't like to be touched either. Unless she chose to be. Now that she was on the cabin floor, with the little girl crying in her arms; she couldn't help but hold the girl tight to her chest. The wolf's right hand slowly ran through the child's hair. Her mind forgot about everything else that happened that day. There was no dead uncle, no battle, just her and the little girl. Her eyes slowly closed as she took in that moment. The little girl soon stopped crying and just clutched the wolf demons shirt.

A soft smile formed on her lips as the child pulled away from her slightly. The little girl's eyes locked with the wolfs. “Hello there…” Katerina whispered as she looked into the child's bloodshot eyes. Jasmine colored eyes stared back at her. The elemental's fingers where curled in soft golden short hair. She was only a toddler. A frown wanted to line her lips, but she forced the smile to stay on her lips. 'Why is she in here? …What did my uncle do?' Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she knew that this little girl didn't belong here.

The child's eyes shot over to the door behind them. She had heard the footsteps before the wolf demon did. Taking notice of the child's eyes, Katerina look over her shoulder. The man who entered to doorway kept mumbling to himself, until he saw the wolf demon. Her arms tightened around the child, as the little girl's face laid back into her chest her. The man was raving like a mad man, making the wolf demon stand, her eyes narrowed and her right hand outstretched. She was ready to attack. “Killer?” She repeated softly as the man gasped.

Footsteps coming down the hall made the wolf demon step back deeper into the cabin. The man didn't seem to like whoever was coming down the hall, it didn't sound like it was Natsumi or even Saya. Hearing the tone in the man's voice, she knew that it was no one she knew on this island. Soft tears hit her chest again making the wolf demon look down at the child. “I will protect you… Shhh..” She whispered to the child.

Katerina watched as the pirate tried to attack, she couldn't see the other man. The fight was over it even begun. The other man sliced the man's neck and continue to walk towards the doorway. Her eyes stayed locked on the man until he cam into view. She needed to be ready as soon as he attacked. With the child in her arms, it was going to be a bit harder for her to fight, but she would do her best. She wouldn't let this child get hurt.

Katerina readied herself for the man that was about to come through the door. Smoke rose from her hand and swirled around her wrist and around her elbow. Taking a step forward, her eyes stopped at his face. She paused for a moment. The man was striking. His half mask face made him seem mysterious and intriguing. For a moment, she didn't see the blade that was at his side until a small hand tightened on her sleeve. Her eyes met the man's mysterious ones then glanced quickly at the man behind him. She remembered the rambles of the mad man, was there truth to his words? He had said this man was a killer, that he killed them all. Was this man who walked before her friend or foe? He didn't look like a pirate, he was too nicely dressed.

“Who are you? I assume you don't belong to this mass of dead pirates…” She said as her eyes went to the man's eyes again. Closing her hand in a fist, she needed to show she wasn't a threat to this man before her. Plus she didn't want to freeze that pretty face of his. Soft sparks show from her hand as she closed her fist. It was unnoticed by the wolf demon as her eyes didn't leave the man before her.

Sounds of banging from underneath the floorboards made the wolf demon's eyes move to the floor. Muffled voices floated up to Katerina's ears. “More pirates?” She whispered and shot her eyes back to the man before her. “If you are not with these pirates, I am not a threat to you.” She stated as wrapped her arm around the child. “I need to get this child back to camp, away from all these…. dead bodies.” Her eyes shot to the body behind the man for a moment then returned to the man before her.. “But I would like to see who is down there first.” She didn't move just yet, she wasn't sure what the man was going to do. Was he going to try to kill her or let her live. She had a feeling he wasn't going to touch her.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Thu Mar 3, 2016 5:26 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Whilst the camp remained in gruesome silence following the island rampage, watchful eyes remained fixated upon its wounded inhabitants. Saya and Kino, the last two to remain conscious, had assumed the explosion was Jack's work, but such was not the case. Njall, after decimating the last of the shore party, had rushed to the camp and was now observing the women. Katerina was already gone by then, and one of the dead pirates had been stripped nude.

A few moments earlier, Saya had been tending to the nude Katerina. The wolf's healing abilities made all efforts proceed surprisingly well, so the young girl decided to move back to Natsumi's side rather than waste her energy. Kino was handling most of the healing and recuperation efforts for the winged Ice Queen, leaving little need for her daughter to interfere. Instead, the artifact had the fox child begin cleaning up the camp as best she could. It was during that activity that Katerina finally woke up.

Saya heard the stirring elemental when she regained consciousness, and saw her naked form stand up. She didn't pay much attention to it, though, until she felt the woman's hand on her shoulder. Touch from anyone but Natsumi was not something she welcomed, and so Saya jumped back when feeling the icy touch of Katerina's fingers. She kept her distance despite the wolf's honeyed words, hiding behind her unconscious mother.

"Be careful, Lobo," was all she said in response while concealing herself in Natsumi's hair. The name she used was the native, Apoy term for "wolf," and easier for Saya to pronounce than the wolf demon's, full name. It was never meant as an insult, even though it would have been taken that way had Saya been older. She was clearly disinterested in getting close to Katerina, but whether the wolf demon understood that remained to be seen.

Kat departed shortly thereafter, passing around Njall just as he arrived at camp. Malignant odors of death and decay eclipsed his presence, allowing the two adults to miss each other along their way. Njall wasn't particularly paying attention, in the first place. The masked man appeared preoccupied with watching Saya and Natsumi when he first arrived, with eyes sullen enough to turn even a wicked heart. He stood there for some time, as if he were waiting for the opportune moment to approach. Yet that moment, or his nerves, never came.

Instead of moving into camp, Njall went back to the ships. He had noticed that there was one man more than the number of outfits, and so realized that someone else was on the island. Since there was only one place such an individual would head on an island filled with death, there wouldn't be much delay in tracking them down.

Meanwhile, a fateful series of events was occurring within the late captain's cabin. Two captives had been found by Katerina, remnants of Captain Silverstein's operations. The wolf demon was displaying some uncharacteristically motherly tendencies toward the tiger and child, but would soon be interrupted by a heavily panting man.

"Gotta get away. Gotta get away." The voice that followed down the hall and to the wolf's ears was masculine in nature, but raspy. Its owner had clearly lost his voice either from illness or fear. No matter the case, his terror was palpable, and his sweating profuse. "Masked bastard just comes in and… kills everyone. Just like that. Billy never had a chance!" He finally arrived in front of the captain's door after that recollection: a scrawny – as far as pirates go, at least – middle-aged man who had to be one of the lower ranks. "What the hell are you doing here," the last remaining pirate asked while looking over the strangers he found? "Never mind. Look, I don't wanna be here when the captain comes back, and you shouldn't either! Sides there's a killer on the-" Thump thump. "Oh no."

Njall, having memorized the location of the ships from his original visit, had teleported back to them without the need of a boat. Now his heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, a grim reminder of the death this sole survivor had so narrowly avoided.

"No," he cried upon realizing his squad's murderer had returned! "I won't die like the rest! I refuse!" Drawing the cutlass at his side, the pirate started charging away from the doorway next to Katerina and in the direction of a figure just out of sight. "You're not going to get me!"

Alas, the pirate did not succeed in his violent effort. It was true that, in a stand up fight, a rogue like him might have won against a mage like Njall. Yet the would-be butler knew this before the engagement had even begun, and, as a result, fought dirty. "I am sorry," he said while teleporting behind the man he was about to kill. "But kindness of heart does not imply a weak resolve." Thus the battle was over. With an agility spell still coursing through his blood, Njall was able to quickly and fatally slash at the pirate's neck before he could finish his turnabout. Blood gushed onto the floor while the corpse fell with a thud, but the masked man simply kept walking rather than pity his opponent further. There was a wolf that required his attention, and he had to be ready in case she attacked him before he even got to the door.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Sun Feb 21, 2016 1:54 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

The moment Saya started to work her magic on Katerina’s wounds, the wolf demon forced herself to open her eyes for a moment. “Thank you…” She mumbled softly before drifting back to unconsciousness. The wolf demon didn’t want to feel the pain that was radiating through her entire body. She was very grateful to have met these two. If she hadn’t, her uncle would have made her life a living hell.

Katerina didn’t know how much time had past when her eyes shot open, a loud sound awoke her. With her head still a bit groggy, she didn’t think much of the sound. It must have been the dragon still killing people. The soft ocean breeze that touched her skin made the wolf demon lean her head up to look down at her body. The clothes she once wore, were torn into shreds from the battle. She must have forgotten to take off her clothes before transforming. So much had happened, she didn’t remember. The wolf demon sighed as she pushed herself up, at first it was a struggle, her limbs were stiff and locked on her. They didn’t want her to get up. Forcing her body to move, she got to her feet. Her eyes moving towards Natsumi and Saya. The daughter who worried for her mother moved her. Taking her eyes from them, she looked down at her naked body. She couldn’t say a thing while being like this.

Turning to look around the camp, she saw the bodies that laid all around. She needed something to wear for now and a dead man’s clothes would work. She had worn worse. Making her way over to one of the corpses, she removed the man’s boots and long trench coat. It disgusted her to have the clothes touch her naked skin but she didn’t want to be naked for everyone to see. Tying the coat closed with a pirate’s shash, she moved back towards the child. Slowly, her hand touched Saya’s shoulder. “She will be okay.” She said with a soft smile. “Thank you again… If it wasn’t for you and Natsumi, I don’t want to imagine what would've happened to me..” The sound of seagulls made her eyes turn towards the sky. They reminded her of the ships at shore. She could take one of the pirates boat to go to one of them. Maybe they would have some woman’s clothes. She didn’t want to have to wear these clothes from a dead man for too long. “I am going to go search the ships. If Natsumi wakes, tell her where I went. Maybe you two could make some money off of them.” With a soft pat on Saya’s shoulder, the wolf demon walked off towards the scattered forest.

Slowly making her way through the corpses, her eyes couldn’t stop looking at how many people they had killed. There was so many, she couldn’t count them all. A sigh left her lips, if only her uncle never have found her. If only her uncle was a completely different person. These men could’ve lived. Her mind stopped as her eyes landed on her uncle, dead, with a knife in his face. Swallowing, she walked over to his body, her eyes looking at his face. The wolf demon stood frozen for a few moments. “I am the last one left.…” She whispered to herself as she kneeled beside the corpse. Her hand circled around the blade and pulled the blade from her uncle’s face. “Goodbye…” She whispered to the man who was once her uncle. If only she could remember what her parents had said back at the ship.

Stepping over the corpse, she made her way towards the beach. A gasp left her lips as she caught herself before she fell into a deep hole. Looking down, bodies smoked from the bottom of the hole. They’re flesh still flamed slightly and blank sand lined the outside of the large hole. “What the hell?.. Was this Natsumi’s dragon?” She asked aloud as her eyes moved to look along the beach, only a few boats were left and bodies littered the shore. Stepping over to one of the bodies, she looked down at the dead man. “Not the dragon..” She whispered taking in the slashes made her wonder who else was on the island and if they were a friend. Standing, her eyes moved over the bodies, "Hopefully, whoever did this doesn't want to kill me.." She said as her eyes looked away from the bodies and to the boats. Not wanting to look at any more dead bodies, she made her way to one of the boats that were on the shoreline. With a sigh, Katerina pushed the boat into the water and jumped in. Her hands circled the oars and started to row to the closest ship, she had a feeling that was her uncle's. It was also the only one with the black flag with a skull and daggers, the other two just had skulls.

It took a few moments before Katerina reached the ladder that hung from the side of the ship. Reaching for the ladder, the wolf demon paused, her hands hovering over the ladder. She listened, there was nothing but silence. “Everyone is dead..” She whispered as she ascended up to the deck of the ship. Her eyes moved across the deck, there was no dead bodies here. Her eyes stopped at the main cabin door. Where the captain usually took up residence. “Well. Here I go.” The wolf demon said to herself and headed towards the door. As she came upon the door, her hand reached for the handle. Freezing for a moment, her mind started to question everything. What would she find inside? Would there be anything of her father? Or would there be nothing but furniture? Shaking her head from all her thoughts, she swung the door open.

The room was dimly lit by the sun that shone through the windows and door that was open. She could see a bed, a table with plans and a bookcase. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the cabin. Her eyes scanning the map as she reached the table in the center of the room. It looked like a map of Revallir. X’s laid over the map in different area’s. Maybe, there was some treasure buried there. Something for Natumi to take a look at. She didn’t want anything from her uncle.

A banging on a cage made the wolf demon jump, turning around quickly, she saw the caged snow tiger. It was only a kitten. A soft laugh her lips as she walked over to it. Kneeling down she smiled at the tiger, “Cutie. Maybe I will take you with me.” She said to the tiger in a soft voice. A soft purr erupted from the tiger as he rubbed his side against the cage. “Please, get me out of here.” The tiger whined to the wolf demon. “Alright. Give me a moment.” She said as she stood up to look above the cage where clothes hanged. Women clothes. Rolling her eyes, she figured they were all from the ‘Women guest’ he has had over the years. Taking the pants and a white blouse similar to her old ones, she put them on and a pair of boots lying on the ground. It all fit perfectly.

Footsteps was heard behind her, making the wolf demon turn to look around the room. Using her wolf senses, she heard soft breathing from the far corner of the room. “Who is there?” She called out as she walked slowly over to the sound. “Hello?” She called out as she got closer. Kneeling a bit to peek into the darkness, a gasp left her lips. A small child ran out of the darkness and jumped onto her. Her arms circling her neck and her face snuggling into the wolf demon’s neck making Katerina fall backward. “Uh.. Hello. there.” She said and tried to take the girl off of her, pulling at her arms and on her shoulders. The little girl would budge. “Come on now. Let go.” She said calmly not trying to startle the child. Pulling again, this child had a firm grip and a strong one too. She couldn’t remove her. A sigh left her lips. What was she going to do now. Feeling the wetness on her neck, the girl shook slightly in her arms. A frown lined her lips as Katerina moved her arms around the girl, hugging her close. What had her uncle done to this poor girl? Sitting up, she moved the child to her lap but kept the girl hugged close to her. "It will be alright… I got you.." She whispered, her hand started to run her hand down the girl's head. Soothing her.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2016 4:43 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Entanglement was followed by darkness for Natsumi, and the beginnings of battle marked the end of her participation. She trusted Jack and Katerina to take care of the pirates, enough so that she could let down her guard without worry. The former, it seemed, really enjoyed the prospect of protecting his friend.

"t'cha got pirates," that icy blue dragon shouted as he continued to slam his tail on the head of a nearby scoundrel? He was treating them like nails to be hammered into the ground, and himself like a hyperactive carpenter. "t'cha got bitch?!" Those closest to Natsumi were the first to fall to this relentless assault, though not without their own commentary.

"What kind of dragon speaks like a slave," one would ask?!

To which, Jack would only respond, "This dragon, you ass monkeys! Now time for some flash frozen sushi!" His chilling breath froze the speaking man shortly thereafter, just in time for the hulking beast to devour him whole. The human barely had time to put up a fight, nor did his comrades that got caught in the blast. It was an outright slaughter; for, as skillful combatants as these pirates were, they were ill prepared to fight a dragon. They depended on their captain for such affairs, and, since he was currently being stabbed to death by his niece, they were short on hope.

Such despair did not go unnoticed. Once the captain had fallen alongside a great many of the nautical army, the survivors engaged in a mass exodus toward shore. Their shouts of terror filled the minute forest, as did Jack's angry requests as he gave chase.

"Come back here, ya pansies," he would say, "Jackaboy ain't finished with ya, yet!" Eventually, all voices faded, leaving the unconscious fox girl amidst a graveyard of mangled corpses. Katerina arrived just before the last of the pirates disappeared, freeing her weakened friend from the net despite her own wounds. She spoke to Natsumi whilst loading her up, hoping that the girl could still see her. Yet the conversation was in vain. The Ice Queen was too far into slumber to even feel the electrical spark, let alone hear anything. She didn't even wake when they were back at camp; not with the fainting of her friend nor the obvious disappearance of her daughter.

There they lay: a besotted pair completely without hope. Even if Saya hadn't been hiding at that point, her abilities would have been insufficient to fully care for them. Kino, the one conscious caretaker left, realized this, and immediately manifested her own power to take command of the situation.

"Saya," she said in a calm voice, "The pirates have been pushed back. It's alright to stop hiding now." The familiar presence seemed to placate the fearful creature, for she poked her head out from a nearby tree as soon as she heard it and walked toward the crumpled women in front of her.

"Is she…" Saya started to ask while drawing near to her mother? She was too frightened to finish, her voice catching in her throat, but Kino remained surprisingly comforting for being a near emotionless object.

"Madame Natsumi is fine. She's just weakened and needs rest. Miss Katerina, on the other hand, is heavily wounded and requires immediate medical attention." Turning toward the aforementioned wolf-demon, the small native of Apoy immediately noticed the multiple contusions the woman had suffered. Her knowledge wasn't complete enough to recognize all the injuries, but she knew enough to begin first aid treatment as soon as possible.

"I understand," Saya hurriedly proclaimed! Immediately afterward, she rushed to nude Katerina's side, and began using rejuvenation on the worst of her wounds. The wolf-demon's head was the direst portion, so the young child focused there before moving down. This action wouldn't fully heal her, but it would certainly bring her life out of danger. That was all Saya could hope for.

Meanwhile, back on the shores of the nameless isle, a darkly cloaked man stood in wait for the survivors of Jack's attacks. Whilst the majority of the pirate force had gone inland in search of the mysterious child, a small detachment remained behind. They guarded the slaves that had yet to be delivered to market, the same slaves that had been captured from Katerina's ship.

Or, at least, they had been guarding those slaves. The skirmish in the woods marked the arrival of a masked intruder in their holds, a very violent one at that. Wielding a combination of magic and sword, he struck them down, and dragged their bodies out onto the sands just moments before the surviving men returned home.

"Damn this island!" one said before his gaze fell upon the silent red-head in front. Disgust was his only reaction when that happened. [color=darkred]"For Canelux's sake, how many enemies are we going to run into on this gods' forsaken rock?!"

"Just one more," the mysteriously masked man responded while facing the fifteen survivors that had made it to him. His sapphire sword was already drenched in blood by this point, gleaming in the light of dawn. "I'm Njall," he continued without waiting for a reply. Screeching energy was already surging through the sands, and an array of symbols awoke beneath the troublesome interlopers. "You need not tell me your names. I merely thought you should know the one of the man that killed you."

And with that, the spell detonated. In a display of raw, arcane power, the shore was commanded to erupt. A massive explosion swept up the remaining band, killing them all and producing a colander of smoke that rose rapidly into the clouds. It could be seen and heard even from Natsumi's camp, perhaps even to the point of waking the slumbering wolf.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Tue Feb 2, 2016 4:59 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

As the wolf demon laid on the ground, twigs and rocks dug into her back. The pain was bearable but the man that was coming towards her wasn’t. This had never happened to her before, she had saved many women who were about to be or had been rapped in her past years but she was never at the other end of it. It was the most scariest thing in the world to be powerless. To have someone else take full control. Her mind was the only thing that screamed, screamed for help, screamed for the man to stop. Katerina never thought this would ever happen to her but at the hands of her uncle, her life was going to be a never ending torment. She hoped that Natsumi and her daughter was safe. Maybe Saya had got her out in time before the rest of the soldiers found them.

The wolf demon’s mind stopped racing when she heard Natsumi’s voice in the distance. ‘GET O—!’ Katerina mind went to a halt, hearing her words.‘My heart…. Because of him…’ She couldn’t believe family could do that. Was every lost child because of him? How could he do such a thing to his own niece. He was not family to her. He would never be her uncle and he was going to die at her hands even if she died along with him. Katerina grew angrier and angrier at each thought. Trying to move with everything she had. He was going to pay for the curse he had put on her.

As Katerina attempted to move, her eyes saw the flying creature in the sky, followed by a roar. ‘F**ck Yeah! Natsumi is the best!’ She thought as she laughed within. ‘I think I need more dangerous creatures in my life. Then I wouldn’t always end up dieing.’ Her wolves always kept her safe, yes, but sometimes there was a bigger, better foe that they could handle. Like in that moment, they wouldn’t be much help, but this dragon was the best of Natsumi’s creatures. Seeing the dragon land near, she watched as he turned the man to ice; a sigh of relief echoed in her mind.

It wasn’t long before the sudden freedom was felt by the wolf demon; with a scream, she jumped up, her eyes searching for her uncle. Spotting him at the back of the pirates, he was yelling at them. “It’s just a f**king dragon!!” He called out as he started to take off his jacket. “I’ll do it!” He was going to transform and she had to get to him now. Running with all her might, she jumped, flying over the men below and landing on her uncle. They rolled away from the battle, the wolf demon’s plan of attack faltered. She was the unlucky one and hit a tree as she rolled away from her uncle.. Her uncle stood quickly, a laugh erupting from his chest as he walked up to her, his foot connecting with her stomach. “That little b**ch…” He said under his breath. “She will pay and you…My dear niece will die and join your parents.” With that, the man leaned down to pick up his niece and through her into a tree just a few steps away. The wind was knocked out of her again. He was too fast and too strong, he had picked her like she was a rag doll. This wasn’t going to stop her. Standing up, she dodged the fist that was coming at her, it landed on the tree behind her. “Ahh! You B**ch” He yelled grabbing his fist, blood trickling down his knuckles.

This time it was her turn to hit him, landing a punch in his stomach then his face made the man stumble back into a tree. The wolf demon hit him a few more times in the stomach but her last one in the face was caught by his hand. His other connected to her lower lip making the wolf stumble back, for a moment she they looked at eachother as she whipped the blood from her lip with the back off her hand. With the taste of blood in her mouth, she charged at him, her fist kept missing their mark. He moved as a blurr every time he dodged. ‘Damnit.’ She cursed in her mind as she was tripped by his foot beneath her. Landing onto her back on the ground, he kicked her over and over till she spit blood out of her mouth. In a blur, her uncle landed on top of her, his fist connecting with her eye and cheeks. His fists felt like large rock slamming into her skin. When he stopped, she thought for a moment he was done and was about to kill her then he stood, grabbing her by the neck and lifted her up in the air. Her feet dangled beneath her while blood dripped from her face.

“What did I ever do to you!?” She gasped out only to be followed by a chuckle from her uncle before he replied. “You should know before you die.” Throwing her back into the tree, she gasp as the air left her lungs. Falling onto the ground, she quickly pushed herself back against the trunk behind her as he uncled kneeled down infront of her. Slowly, he brought up his hand to her face,his fingertips moved her loose hair behind her ear. “You’re father and I used to be the best friends… On one normal day, at sixteen, we were hunting in the woods, when we found the most blue eyed beautiful girl.” He paused as he closed his eyes, almost like he was picturing that moment.”Our family took her in. As time went by, I grew to love her….So did your father. He knew that I loved her and was trying to pursue her. But she chose HIM!…. It was always him…..”

The uncle’s eyes looked into hers as his eyebrows moved together. “They married and moved away, soon after they had a child. A boy, Wilhelm. Looked just like your father. Then you just two years after. Strong legacies. I soon moved close by. Noticing how they were so caught up in their religion, I convinced them to sacrifice their darling boy….Then after so many years.. I started to try to make my own legacy with women around the city, if they were willing or….not…They all ended up dieing…. It only took a few months for your father to find out. He begged me to stop and I convinced him I did. Stupid me, I left a corpse a few days later..” A laugh erupted inside him, “I told him to run, there was evidence that pointed to him. But, of course, being the man he was, he went to the council….You k–” Making him stop talking, the wolf demon slammed her fist in his face. “It’s all because of you!” She screamed at him as her other fist landed in his face, knocking him onto his back. Grabbing the dagger from her hip, ice smoked from her hand before covering the blade. As the man started to stand, he didn’t see the dagger that was coming at him but he felt the spike stab into his gut.

“Crystal, Jonathan, Peter, Bethany, Stephanie, Lucy, Edward! Katherine, Thomas and Wilhelm!!” She yelled into his face as she kept stabbing him, one at a time with each name she yelled out. “They all died because of you! Now it’s your turn!” She yelled as raised her arms up high, the swoosh of the dagger was the only thing she heard before the slice as the blade stabbed him right between the eyes. Rolling off of him, she laid beside him, coughing and breathing heavily. It almost seemed like a weight was lifted off her. The curse that held her was finally broken. She wouldn’t think of her uncle again from that point on. He was dead and so was the evil that was within her body.

The sounds of the fighting made Katerina come back to reality; Natsumi entered her mind. “SH*T!” She yelled as she grabbed the dagger from the corpse beside her. Her feet ran as fast as they could back to the battle. Soldiers still were alive, but not for long. Soon her eyes spotted Natsumi, a net was draped around her, she looked so weak. Running over to her, she had the ice and blood melt off the dagger before cutting net that held her friend. “I got you, Natsumi.” She called out to her, hoping she would hear. Letting it drop beside her, she looked over at the woman before her. She was still in one piece, slightly. but she couldn’t carry her without hurting her back. Grabbing the woman’s arms, she pulled Natsumi onto her back. “Of course, you just had to have wings.” Katering said before changing her form. Raising up, the winged woman now laid on the back of the large wolf’s back.A soft spark hitting her skin, unnoticed by the wolf demon.

With one more glance towards the body just a few yards away, she turned around and ran. She had to get Natsumi back to camp, to her daughter. Saya would know what to do. Her paws kicked up the dirt as she ran, jumping over fallen trees and boulders; she hopped this wasn’t hurting the woman on her back. The camp appeared after a few minutes later. The wolf demon had forgotten the corpses that laid around camp. ‘Did that day really happen?’ She kept asking herself. Moving towards the middle of the camp, she laid down. She didn’t want to try to move her for fear of Natsumi’s screams. She waited for her daughter, she knew what to do. Laying there, she finally felt all the pain in her body; the exhaustion finally hit the wolf. Her eyes slowly started to close. Snapping her eyes back open, she growled a bit, knowing they would know what she was saying, “Help Natsumi…. quick..” She said as she finally fell into darkness as her body slowly turning into human form.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Tue Feb 2, 2016 4:59 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:03 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Comfort was not something Natsumi felt deserving of when she was trying to apologize to Saya. She was too used to wallowing in her own failures, and only wanted to cry in the vain hope that her tears would wash away the filth. Katerina's interruption prevented that usual cycle, but not because of the words she used. The newborn angel's sight had evolved to see auras in the split second that followed her growth. It allowed her to spot the chains that bound the wolf-demon in heart and soul, to gaze upon her wanting, emotional health. Sorrow turned to pity the more she observed, and the tears stopped.

Katerina left after this, swearing to take care of the developing situation. It was an empty promise: one the bloodied woman knew her friend couldn't keep. She could already hear the footsteps in the forest: an army of a hundred fold encroaching on the camp. One wolf demon wouldn't be enough to stop them; and, without assistance, she would surely perish or, worse, be made into a sex slave for the rest of her life. A grim fate: one that motivated the weakened Natsumi to stand, much to the distress of her daughter.

"Don't get up! You're hurt," the girl pleaded as the sound of creaking knees filled the camp. Natsumi's conviction bade her continue, though, in spite of her daughter's wishes. She knew she should rest, but also realized that she would never forgive herself if Katerina lost her freedom because of this whole incident.

"If I don't go, she'll die a prisoner. I have to help. I want to help." Natsumi muttered with weakened tone, already beginning to shamble in Katerina's general direction. A dull roar came from high above as she moved, signifying the appearance of her last line of defense as she motioned for Saya to stay put. "Always remember, Saya, you are never alone. The friends you find throughout your life make you infinitely stronger than you would otherwise be. In this case, it is not my strength that will win this battle, but the strength of my alliances and friends."

It took Natsumi quite some time to catch up with Katerina after that, hobbled as she was. She managed to arrive just as the wolf-demon was about to be raped, but had heard enough of the conversation beforehand to join in an educated manner.

"Well looky here, boys. Seems we have another vixen come to play." The bastard uncle sneered as he watched the weakened Natsumi emerge from the tree line. He was already visually undressing her with his lecherous eyes; and his men followed suit when they stopped examining their soon-to-be rape victim. They all laughed as they saw her collapse against a nearby tree to steady herself, never figuring she deserved more respect than a toy to satisfy their base desires. Natsumi defied her physical weakness, though, maintaining a cold, calculating stare on the group's leader as she spoke up.

"So the pain in her soul is your doing," she asked with the utmost determination, never wavering from her support? "The twisted chains of despair around Katerina's heart are because of you?"

Even as her consciousness threatened to fade in that moment of time, Natsumi could see the connection between Katerina and her uncle. It was obvious that the perverted man had cursed his own niece, and had been tormenting her for many years. She was just another slave to him, the same as the others he had taken before her. And yet, still he kept wearing that filthy mask of familial love when speaking to her, as if he cared one crescent about the woman he was encouraging his men to gang rape.

"What of it, girl," this monster in human skin retorted, not ever paying attention to the looming shadow that had just passed overhead? He was more interested in mocking, too confident in the throngs of sailors that followed his command to lend credence to an actual threat. Perhaps he was even a little irritated that such a weak-looking female had dared to refuse the fear he offered.

Whatever the case, his misgivings exchanged with jubilance when the winged vixen finally responded with her usual death threat.

"Just wondering who needs to die so that Katerina can have the freedom she deserves, and stop blaming herself for the memory and sterility curse you put on her." Laughter, purest of all, was the only reaction such a threat garnered, because the captain's pride would not allow any less.

"You? Kill me," he shouted once his chuckling subsided? "HAH! You can barely even stand! You're more likely to kill yourself in that state!" That glimmer of sadism his gaze possessed intensified as he finally motioned for the crewmates nearest Natsumi to move in. "Men, tie her up. This one's features make me think she'll be better at providing a strong legacy for me than my previous wives. I intend to have many nights with her to find out, along with as many children as I can until her mind breaks."

That was it. The nets flew out, and the fetishized woman, weakened as she was, was captured. It seemed like the battle was over, and so Jack, the man who was designated as first in line to rape Katerina, moved closer to her to commit the foul deed.

However, anyone paying attention could see that Natsumi had something up her sleeve. Rather than resign herself to defeat, she was smiling. The roaring from before had gotten clearer, and the shadow overhead was becoming larger. Jack had just dropped his pants when the bound Ice Queen finally spoke up.

"It's a meaningless effort to contain me. I'm not the threat you should be worried about." The source of the disturbance finally emerged with that warning. A large ice dragon descended into the middle of the gathering with a deafening. His large feet crushed the two men nearest his winged companion, all while his ice breath froze Katerina's assaulter into a lewd sculpture. "That role belongs to him."

"Top of the mornin' to ya laddies," shouted Jack, the Boreas Dragon in common tongue, sending many of the men present into a blind panic! Captain Silverstein quickly became preoccupied with trying to maintain control during this sudden interruption, but he would soon find another thorn in his side to prevent his efforts. While everyone was distracted by the dragon's abrupt appearance, Natsumi cast arch cure on Katerina. It would temporarily disable all curse effects on the wolf demon, allowing her the chance to strike at the captain and, by so doing, permanently free herself from the curse that had caused her so much pain. The battle, it seemed, was far from over.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 3:46 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Reaching the camp, Katerina had yelled to Natsumi. Only to find that the men had already been there, a gasp left the wolf demon’s lips. Dead bodies surrounded Natsumi.The elemental’s eyes froze on the fallen woman before her; blood had covered her face and body. “Natsumi…” She spoke in a soft voice, it had been a long time since she had seen this many bodies in one place. She could only imagine what Natsumi was feeling in that moment. Katerina started to take a step forward but froze hearing the cries that escaped the cat. It wasn’t long before Natsumi’s daughter was at her side, a sad expression covered the wolf demons face. Was she that horrified by what she had done?

Saya’s words pushed those thoughts away. It was not that she was horrified, something else was happening. ‘What is she fighting?’ Katerina thought to herself as she watched the scene before her. Her question was answered by the blood shot out from the cat demons back followed by bones. The bones were bare for only a moment before the feather’s grew. The wolf demon’s eyes widened at the occurrence of the new wings that was now attached to her back. Katerina’s feet stepped back subconsciously making her trip over a body behind her. ‘What happened to that wild innocent girl? ….What happened to you, Natsumi?’ Her mind was going in circles about the past and what was happening in that moment. Maybe she was something more than a Cat-Sea Serpent. The scent from her was still unknown to the wolf demon but it was Natsumi’s words that cleared everything up. There was no more guessing now, only more questions.

There was many questions that the wolf demon wanted to ask but she held her tongue. The woman’s heartfelt confession had made the wolf demon think of her own curse. Katerina knew that her curse wasn’t the same as Natsumi’s but she knew how it felt to not be in control of your own body. Tears started to flow down the woman’s cheeks, making her heart sink. No one should be put through this. Standing, the wolf demon made her way to the winged woman and kneeled in front of her. Her hand moved to touch her shoulder, not caring for the blood there or if the woman didn’t want to be touched. She needed it comfort and she was there to give it to her.

Katerina’s bright blue eyes looked into her light ones, the winged woman’s eyes were lined with tears. Looking into the woman’s eyes, Katerina’s eyes were sad but confident as she spoke, “It will all be okay, Natsumi. If anyone can pull through something like this, it’s you.” She paused for a moment looking from her daughter to her. “You are the strongest woman, I know.” With a small smile, the wolf demon stood, hearing far off that people were coming. “Get some rest, I’ll take care of the rest of them.” She said while stepping away from Natsumi and her daughter.

Closing her eyes, the elemental decided it was time to be a wolf. Knowing three ships were anchored at sea, the next flood of men were going to be in more numbers than she could handle in her human form. Taking a deep breath, she waited for the pain to come. The wolf demon had gotten used to her limbs growing larger and longer than they were before. Holding back a scream, a bright light shone from her body and when it dissipated, a large wolf stood before Natsumi and her daughter. White soft fur covered her body to a white fluffy tail, black paws and nose, ears short and pointed and bright blue eyes. Large eyes stared down at the two below. At seven feet tall she towered over them. With a growl, she ran off into the scattered trees.

Only half way between the beach and the camp, she finally met them. Jumping over a hill, she landed right in front of the men. They didn’t seem surprised seeing her, it confused her moment but she didn’t let it stop her from growling at them. Hunching over, the wolf demon stared down at them, waiting for them to attack. “Don’t kill her, the boss wants her alive!” The man in the front called out to his men. Scanning them, she counted, ‘Ten.’ She could handle these guys, no problem but her wolf ears heard more coming; she needed to end them quick.

Seeing, some of the men take out ropes and some take out their swords made a louder growl come from inside her. ‘What the hell?’ She thought as they started to rush towards her. the movement made the wolf demon stomp both feet onto the ground, making shards of ice shoot up from the ground under the men’s feet. The men screamed as the shards of ice ripped through their skin; three men dropped to the ground, they’re pulse fading. Another came up to her and started to swing his sword at her. Mentally smiling, the wolf’s jaw closed around the man. His scream reverberated her throat as her teeth tore through his stomach. With the taste of blood in her mouth, the wolf demon threw the dead man to the side, knocking over a man onto the ground and into a ice spike that had fallen there.

The sound of movement behind her made the wolf use her tail this time. Sending the man flying into the air, where he landed was unknown to her. The rope that tightened around her neck took her attention, then two other ropes wrapped around her neck.The three man pulled, trying to get her to fall over but instead she caught two of the ropes with her teeth and pulled the men towards her. The movement made the men fall at her paws, rearing upward, she stomped down hard on the two men. Her nails digging into their throats. Blood softly tickled her feet making the wolf demon step forward to the last man.

Before the man turn to run, a laugh came from behind her which made the man run around her and into the crowd of men. Her large eyes followed him and froze on the most unlikeliest person. A man that resembled her father in almost every way. “You look just like your father.” He spoke while she quickly turned back into her human form. Words caught in her throat, she was unable to speak. “Lads…I’ll like you to meet my niece. The Barren One.” He said it as if it was a joke, and the other men around him joined in with his. Her eyes couldn’t look anywhere but the man. Her eyebrows drawing together in anger. “Who would like to have her first? You wouldn’t have to worry after all about children.” He said as he put his hands on his hips. The men behind him cheering calling out; “Me!”, “Let me go first!”, “Greatest F*ck ever!.”

There was no words to say to the man, who was her uncle. Instead hatred grew towards the man and anger. Dropping her hands to her sides, they started to glow. Spikes shot out of her them and towards her uncle. “I don’t think so.” Her uncle said with a smirk appearing on his face. The spikes stopped in front of him and dropped onto the ground. In that moment, pain surged through her body as if every bone in her body was breaking, Scream left her lips as she fell to the ground, limp and unable to move. “No matter what, you, my dear girl, can never kill me. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you scream, there is nothing you can do..” His voice was cold and confident in his words, while slowly stepping over to her. Her eyes watched him as he kneeled next to her. His fingers moving her hair from her face. She wanted to slap his hand away, but her body felt as if it wasn’t hers.

“If your father would of listened to me, he would of lived. And this, my sweetheart, wouldn’t be your life.” Pausing to shake his head, he continued. “He should of came to me and not the council….” He said to her as his eyes looked over her body. “You are as beautiful as your mother. If only you had her powers. Maybe you could of killed me.” He laughed slightly to that as if he knew something she didn’t. His eyes soon spotted on the dagger on her hip. “You did kill him,” standing, he paused. “He was weak just like the rest of my children….Why couldn’t I get it right!?” He said with anger lining his voice.

“Jack.” He spoke to his second in command as he walked back towards his men. “Why don’t your take her first. Don't forget to tie her down, so everyone can get a turn.” He said with a laugh while man he spoke to smiled and started to walk towards her, untying his torsos. Was he really going to do it now, in front of everyone? A tear ran down the side of her face. The pain that had surged through her had left her numb, and the man who was her uncle had angered her so much, she wanted him dead. He was the reason that her parents were dead. He would die, if she had her way. She tried to scream, tried yell for Natsumi but the wolf demon couldn't even move her lips; Inside her mind was the only place she could scream for Natsumi.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 5:10 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Katerina wasn't the only one having nightmares the evening before the pirates arrived. For a prolonged period of time – even before coming to the island – Natsumi had been suffering feverish dreams and a lack of restful sleep. She tossed and turned at night, worrying Saya with her cold sweats, all because she was too stubborn to let events proceed naturally. She was trying to fight something she had no power to control, trying to resist the newest mutations that The Handler had imposed. This enduring effort made her weak, especially in the mornings. That was why she wasn't already moving around the camp by the time Katerina left, and also why she didn't notice the approaching danger until it was too late.

She had to force herself awake that morning, the Ice Queen, and moved from the comfort of her blanket to relieve herself outside of camp. She was surprised to see that her guest was already gone, having not heard anything like she normally would have, and equally surprised when she returned from her potty break to find a collection of nine, crudely dressed men standing in the middle her home. Her thoughts immediately jumped to her daughter when she saw them, but, while she was worried, the groggy Natsumi decided to play coy in case Saya had managed to escape in time.

"I do hope you gentlemen have a reason for invading my home without permission, or I'm going to have to ask you to leave." She spoke with a clear, if subdued, tone, smoothing out her frizzy hair from the previous night while doing so. She didn't have time to do anything else, though, not before she spotted a very unwelcome development.

"Stop struggling, kid!" Behind his eight fellows, the man who was speaking had his arms around a wiggling Saya. She was struggling ferociously, and eventually freed her mouth enough from her captor's hand to bite him. Her sharpened teeth sunk into flesh from that act of desperation, drawing a substantial amount of blood as well as a shout. "Ow! You little witch!"

Of all the things that could have happened in that heated moment, few were more detrimental to the men present than attempting to kidnap Natsumi's daughter in front of her. Yet the one who had his hands on Saya found one of those few things when he struck the small girl on the head as punishment for her resistance. His fist came down on Saya's skull, causing her to yelp as a trickle of blood ran down her forehead. She went limp after that, as did her assaulter when Natsumi retaliated in merciless vengeance.

Barely even five seconds after the man had punched her daughter had Natsumi impaled him through the throat with her cat claws. The movement was a fluid mixture of teleportation and item summoning, combined for the purposes of a fatal conclusion. That pirate never stood a chance, especially not since he thought Natsumi was too far away to pose a threat.

"We got a live one!" exclaimed one of the men that were now behind her after he realized what had happened. His comrade was next to speak, but with a far calmer attitude than he had displayed.

"Listen, little Miss. Why don't we just make this easy on everyone, and have you come along quietly. You do that, and we won't beat you in addition to having you pleasure us." Natsumi was barely even listening to the foul creature's, arrogant posturing while it was occurring, instead choosing to forcibly remove her claws from her latest murder victim and kneel over Saya. Her immediate examination revealed that the girl had been wounded and stunned, but was not unconscious. She was absolutely thankful for that; but, even with welcome news, the mere site of her injured daughter sent the Ice Queen into an inconsolable rage.

"Counter offer," she seethed while turning around to face the eight remaining members. "You run, and I hunt you down like the slugs you are."

"Hah. Now that's not much of an offer from someone who is outnumbered eight to one."

"I wasn't negotiating!" Natsumi shouted as she punched the ground between her and the scoffing slaver, setting off a sizeable explosion that shook the entire camp. The remains of the campfire from last night were toppled, along with the scum that had invaded her sanctuary. Then, as the men tried to get to their feet, the Explosive Fist leapt into action.

With the speed of a cheetah and the strength of a gorilla, Natsumi laid into the invaders. She began her assault by cart-wheeling toward the nearest member and smashing his head against the rocks with a heel drop. The man nearest him tried to prevent the death of his shipmate, but only to find himself impaled through the heart and flung across the camp like a bludgeon. Six members remained now, with Rauru diving down to reduce it to five.

While they don't typically prey on fully grown humans, harpy eagles are particularly deadly with their claws. Rauru had grown accustomed to utilizing this fact for hit and run attacks; and was able to pierce the back of one of the men's skulls in a well timed dive-bomb. He flew out of reach afterward, distracting the remaining seamen long enough for Natsumi to close in.

"You think you can make a fool of me," the next dead man asked while bringing out his sword to block the druid's claws?! Her foot that came up against his ribs following that remark – along with the explosion spell that tore him in half on impact – was her way of saying, "Yes." He died before he could react any further, but, unlike the others, Natsumi didn't stop with just his death. She capitalized upon her kill, animating the slain man's sword and commanding it to fight two of the last four warriors. This left only the confident man and his second in command for her to deal with, both of which seemed fully ready for the coming assault.

"I know you," that scum leader said as he maintained a defensive stance with blades in both hands. "There's an obscure rumor among pirates that frequent the ocean, especially slavers, of a woman as white as the snow wielding a very deadly form of hand to hand. She's been a thorn in the side of our rivals, but we've never had the privilege of meeting her in person." He spoke calmly, considering the circumstances, and maintained his posture even as another of his men fell. Natsumi's animated sword had just beheaded its first victim, and was distracting the second long enough for Rauru to make another run. There were only two pirates left once he did, and both were being faced down by a teenage woman soaked from head to toe in the blood of others.

"And yet you still thought it wise to go after my daughter," the crimson assassin muttered while standing still; a response that elicited a chuckle from the two survivors.

"Not like we knew she was yours," the leader said. "She's very unique and would catch a pretty price from some nobleman looking for a daughter or, more likely, a pet. You, on the other hand, are worth several times more than she-." He was unable to finish before Natsumi's rage erupted once more. She charged at her opponents head on, leading them to believe that she was going to commit a frontal assault. They prepared for such an occasion, only to be surprised she stopped mid-stride and grabbed an unassuming mug from a nearby stone.

"This is why I hate the kind I came from," the Ice Queen said angrily while tossing a potent smelling liquid from that container. Highly purified liquor poured from its mouth in endless proportions, coating the two pirates and causing their eyes to burn. "Humans are so ready to take whatever they want so long as it means progress, never showing respect or remorse toward the lives they ruin in the process!" She stopped throwing the alcohol, and summoned a fireball in her one, free palm. "Screw you and your damnable progress! You can burn with it!"

"What are you doing," the leader and his subordinate shouted as they tried desperately to see what was going on?! They recognized the smell of alcohol coating them, but did not suspect how far Natsumi was willing to go to end them. They would soon learn the depths of her conviction when she released the fireball and ignited liquor.

The screams of those final two victims echoed out into the forest as they burned alive, but, rather than showing pity, Natsumi simply turned her back on them. She returned to her daughter's side in concern, not really caring how much of a mess her camp and she was now. Both entities were covered in blood, bits of flesh, and soot; but, unfortunately for the young woman, she was worse off. She had only just made it next to Saya where her vision grew unbearably hazy.

"Damn it," she gasped weakly as her legs gave out on her, "Not now." She had overexerted herself, and could no longer even walk. Her body was already flat on the ground and barely conscious by the time Katerina returned. It would look like she was dead with the amount of blood on her, but Natsumi was at least able to eke out a response to the wolf-demon before she started screaming uncontrollably. "I noticed."

Saya finally snapped out of her daze when she heard her mother's cries. She crawled to the writhing woman's side and tried to comfort her even as the stench of death instilled fear.

"Natsumi," she cried, "Stop fighting it! I don't like seeing you in pain!" The little girl was referring to the curse, of course, for she had known all along that her adoptive mother had been fighting her transformations. Natsumi was, obviously, surprised by this revelation, but was too preoccupied by the sensation of her bones melting to really vocalize her emotion. Instead, she simply grit her teeth, and granted her Saya's wish.

In a spray of her own blood, wings erupted from Natsumi's back. They rapidly grew feathers, taking shape as her human ears finally disappeared. The pain from these avian appendages would only subside when her entire body had been transformed to be airborne, and, by that point in time, Natsumi was barely able to talk.

"You probably figured this out by now, Katerina," the druid panted as her torn clothes repaired themselves by magical filaments. "But neither Saya nor I are normal people anymore. We were human, once; and it is only by the power of the curse that afflicts us both that we have been so heavily changed. My pain is because I tried to fight a hopeless battle against an entity that not even the conclave can control; and by doing so, I put my daughter in danger." Turning to Saya, Natsumi was obviously bleary eyed as she reached up to pat the little girl's head where he had been hit. "I'm so sorry, Saya. I promised I'd protect you when I took you in, and I let me own pride get in the way of that."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2016 1:35 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

The fire burned brightly before the wolf demon, her thoughts moving towards another unborn child that she had lost. With a sigh, Katerina’s hand slowly moved over her stomach and grabbed her shirt. Thinking of Natsumi being a mother and at her age, made the wolf demon want to be a mother even more. The love she saw between them was beautiful even if it was a bit annoying. Shaking her head, she almost laughed at herself. She wasn’t ever the type to want a child. But the loneliness she had felt in the last few hundred years had made her need for love even more. The elemental had many lovers and relationships in the past but she couldn’t love them the way they wanted. They had always turned from her, knowing she would never love them.

The sudden voice of Natsumi’s harpy eagle made her jump, her hand moving from its spot. Clearing her throat, she nodded towards the animal. Not really paying attention to his comment. Her eyes moved towards the table that was mention. Seeing the coconut, she was surprised that anything was even left for her. The final words of the animal made her nod; she knew what she said was wrong. It was out of anger and sadness. She hopped that Natsumi understood. “Yep. Thanks. I’ll take your advice on that.” She said before standing and retrieving the coconut.

Using the juice as her drink, the wolf demon ate her meal as she stared at the stars. After her meal, Katerina cleaned up her mess then decided it was time for bed. It was late and her whole body ached for sleep. Laying down on the table where she had heard the horrible news. It took her a long time before she drifted off to sleep. Her mind couldn’t stop thinking of the past. Naming off every child she lost. When her dreams finally took her, the wolf didn’t dream of anything, just darkness.

Birds singing in the distance, awoke the sleeping wolf. Blinking her eyes open, the woman stretched out, a soft moan leaving her lips. The area still a soft dark, the sun was soon going to raise in the sky to awake the rest of the animals around them. Even Natsumi and her child, who she could tell wasn’t awake yet. She could picture Natsumi throwing something at her just to wake her. A soft laugh left her lips as she sat up, a yawn escaping her lips and a growl coming from her stomach. ‘I could do that to apologize!’ Katerina thought to herself as she stood on the ground and put on her boots. It was time to get something to make for breakfast before the two awoke.

Making her way through the trees, the wolf kept her eyes moving around the area. “Bird eggs are the best for breakfast.” She said aloud to herself as she started to look for a bird nest in the trees. Her eyes looking through the trees, looking for some kind of nest. There wasn’t any in the side of the island she chose to look. “Damnit.” She said to herself. The soft sounds of waves peaked her interest. Walking towards them, the woman left the gathering of trees to an open area, a cliff at its end. Her legs made their way towards the edge of the cliff, her head rising slightly to feel the breeze as she closed her eyes. Her long brown hair moving side to side with the breeze. “Mom would've loved this..” She whispered, thinking of her mother.

The sound of creeks and laugher hit her wolf ears. Her eyes snapped open and a gasped left her lips.Three ships were anchored by the island. Scanning the ship’s, she noticed they weren’t as well built as most she had seen and black sails were hoisted up high. “F*ck…Pirates.” She said aloud and turned around, she needed to wake Natsumi. It won't be long till they reached them but instead of seeing nothing but trees behind her; four men stood a few feet away from her. “Damnit” She said while dropping her arms to her side, readying herself to attack. She didn’t have enough time at all.

"This isn’t the girl we saw at the breach.” One of the shortest of the men said, his belly sagging over his belt. He looked towards the man beside him then to her again. “She was little. She is supposed to be a child, not a full grown woman. We won’t get much for her.” A second later, the man was slapped by the taller man beside her. “Dumba**, we will get more than ever for her. Does sh*t not stick in that tiny brain of yours?” He must be the leader of this small group. Poking the man in the head, he made the other two laugh. “Shut up… Grab her.” Her ordered and the three came at her. A smile lined her lips, “Don’t think so..” She said aloud, she hated the thought of slavery. She despised it. Four less people to sell others would make her even more happy.

White smoke and shards of ice swirled around her wrist to her elbow. “Oh Sh*—” One of the men started but before he could finish a spike of Ice stuck out of his chest. Two men fell onto the ground with a thud. Katerina’s eyes shot to the short stubby man, who was backing away, fear showed on his face. “SHE ISN'T HUMAN!” He yelled with a shaky voice. “I see that. Get to the ships. Now.” The tall man ordered taking out his sword. The elemental’s eyes moved to the short man as she shot an ice spike at his back only to shatter hitting the man’s sword. A laugh left his lips before he started to run towards her

Shooting one ice spike after another, the man moved side to side, with great speed. With ever miss, the elemental grew annoyed. “Fine, you want to play it that way.” The elemental said as she fisted her hands, the smoke dissipated instantly. Seeing the dagger on his hip, she waited for the man to close in on her. As soon as the man brought up his sword, she saw her opportunity. Maneuvering under the man’s arm as he swung, her hand gripped his dagger and pulled it out of its slithe. His sword froze when the blade hit the dirt, his eyes looking over his shoulder at her. “You will give that back to me.” He spoke as his eyes looked at the dagger. Her eyes too, glanced at the dagger in her hands. The hilt was was gray with a single light blue gem. The sharp end of the blade was a dark red and the top was black. It was very familiar to the wolf demon.

The thoughts of the dagger was pushed away as the man came at her, swinging his blade. His movement flawless, if only she wasn’t faster than him he might have won. As he swung his sword at her again, she ducked under his arms once more, the dagger slicing into his gut. A groan came from the man as he dropped his sword. “You will pay for this, Cousin.” He whispered into her ear before dropping onto the ground. Standing frozen for a moment, her eyes stared down at the man who said he was family. If only he had said something before, she wouldn’t have killed him. Now more unanswered question arose in her mind. Why was he was so intent on killing her? Why did he couldn’t he just talk to her? The scent of his blood made her question his use of the word cousin. “Human blood…. Mixed with a wolf.” She said aloud to herself. His blood didn’t smell as old as hers either.

Yelling from the beach made her attention turn to the shoreline. Men piled out of the boats in more numbers than she could count. “Saya.” She whispered as she tucked the blade in her belt and ran. Her body almost moving as a blur as she passed the trees. She had to get to Natsumi quick, this wasn’t a big enough island to stall the men at the beach. The sounds of screams and explosions made the woman run faster.”What the hell is that?….it’s coming from camp.” She said aloud. Worrying, if she was too late.

Jumping over a falling tree, the wolf demon finally made it to the campsite. “Natsumi!” She called. “Natsumi! They are coming for your daughter!” She knew she didn’t have to say anything else to the woman. A mother would always protect her child, at all cost. She thought of the few moments her mother protected her. She would help Natsumi protect her daughter. At all cost.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2016 6:18 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

A medley of emotions accompanied the transition from castaway to medical patient, ranging from light-hearted laughter to simmering rage. Natsumi had taken the former in stride, maintaining her sunny disposition despite being made fun of by both Kino and Katerina. Even the wolf-demon's insincere jokes didn't affect her as much as they might have others; considering that she expected them from anyone but Saya. Excluding her sisters, after all, Natsumi had never been around someone who treated her with the utmost respect for prolonged periods of time. Sardonic tone was the norm, in her experience.

However, tensions took a turn for the worse when the miscarriage dialogue came up. Katerina's request for not speaking of the topic again would have been fine if kept benign; but she couldn't just leave the conversation at that. Instead, she chose to threaten Natsumi in her own camp just as her daughter was coming back into earshot. This was not something the Ice Queen ever suffered from anyone, and her rage was visibly peaking as a result of Katerina's careless words.

'I wonder if wolves can fly,' she thought sarcastically while cracking her knuckles. She was going to teleport Katerina several miles above the ocean's surface to find out, but was unable to follow through with her punishment before a garbled apology left the wolf demon's lips. It was rusty Nisshokian, but the pronunciation was close enough for Natsumi to recognize the intent. She was still enraged, despite Katerina's humility, but she was also placated enough to stay her hand until the wolf demon left.

Saya was coming back to camp with a collection of fish once the departure occurred, and it would be several hours before either Natsumi or her daughter saw the woman again. In the meantime, the two girls made dinner. Rauru returned with fish in mouth just as the meal was finished, and all three had their final meal of the day before retiring to their tent for the night.

By the time Ms. Silverstein returned to the camp, Natsumi and Saya were already asleep, snuggled underneath a blanket inside their tent. Rauru stood perched over the entrance, watching over them and eying the guest that he recognized. He was told to let her come back, and to point out the coconut Natsumi had left for their guest.

"I haven't seen your ugly face in a while," the harpy eagle said to the wolf in a cheeky tone as she emerged from the dusk colored forest. "Natsumi said you can hear me, so I'm going to tell instead of show. She left an opened coconut for you over on the examination table. You can have that to supplement the fish you brought. Your sleeping area will be that same table." Stopping for a bit, Rauru preened himself and stretched before addressing further topics. "By the by, I would suggest against threatening Natsumi again; especially in her camp when her daughter is in earshot. You're very lucky she didn't kill you when you did that."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 11:55 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Thinking about what the cat had said before made Katerina look down at herself. She could very much be a fine wine at the moment. For a thousand year old woman, she was sure a looker still. Especially,with the white ruffled button down that was still slightly damp and sticking to her skin. Her pants also, but not as see through. Shifting her position, Katerina sat up, her legs dangling on each side of the bench.

Natsumi motion her to lay down, she decided it couldn’t hurt for the woman to look her over for medical purposes. With a sigh, she decided to let the woman before her look her over. The mole had probably taught Natsumi a thing or to. The cat’s voice filled her ears, with nod, Katerina obediently laid back onto the bench.”Of course.” She joked with a slight smile. He just had to be away when Natsumi kept making eyes at her.

As the woman before her looked at her from head to toe, Katerina’s eyes moved away from her and to the sky above. This woman could see all the scars that were on her skin and every broken bone that had healed, but the bone still kept its history. Hearing Natsumi’s voice made the wolf demon relax a bit. As she talked about her animals, Katerina could tell by the way she talked about them, they were more than pets. That made her think of the wolves, she left across the sea. She hated being away from them this long, it had only been a few days but she worried and missed them. Thinking of her wolves, made her mind drift off to memories of them.

Soon the examination was over and her mind was pulled back to reality by the voice of the cat. Her eyes shot to her, hearing about the bad news. Katerina didn’t like the tone in her voice, even her actions said it was bad. Something was wrong, the wolf demon could feel it in her gut. The woman began to speak again, the wolf demon didn’t hear anything else besides one word. Miscarriage. Automatically, Katerina hand moved to her lower stomach. It was another miscarriage. ‘Seven..’ She thought as she held back the tears. Why could she not hold a child? Was motherhood not meant for her? It had been years since her last miscarriage. This one wasn’t supposed to be a child. A fun night with a random man, she had took precautions. Didn’t she? Why must this happen again!? Her mother had bore two children. Katerina had bore only one, but that one didn’t live either. She was stillborn.

Sitting up, quickly, she gripped the sides of the bench for support. . Katerina needed to scream at the woman before her, opening her mouth to yell, the wolf demon was cut off. The Cat Natsumi started to speak again about the mission. She had heard about this legend but had never thought it could be real. Resisting a sigh, she wanted to be outraged or even cry but she couldn’t do either. She needed something to get her mind off, Crystal. ‘Crystal.’ She thought as her hand gripped her shirt above her stomach. She had always named each one she lost. No matter what, a child should never die without a name. Born or unborn.

“I will join you.. As long as we don’t speak of this again. If you ever do, I will cut your throat while you sleep. Now leave me while I heal.” She ordered and closed her eyes, ignoring the woman before her. She didn’t want to hear her speak again in that moment. She needed to rest before her journey. She needed time to think about herself, about the baby, she could of had. With a sigh, she knew what she said was cruel. Katerina knew she couldn’t take it out on the cat. “Moushiwake gozaimasen..” Katerina said as she stood up, her eyes avoiding the woman before her. “I just need a moment to myself. You have been the messenger of bad news to me a few times lately…This isn’t the first time I have heard this type of news… If you understand, please leave me be.” Pushing herself off the bench, Katerina bowed slightly to Natsumi before walking out of the camp. A slight limp in her step and her right hand never stopped clutching her shirt.

Making her way through the small area of trees, she didn’t want to stray too far from the camp, so she stayed close. After a few minutes of walking, she fell onto her knees. Both hands clutched her shirt over her stomach, as she thought that this wasn’t the first time this happened to her. She thought she would have been used to it by now. But every time, she lost a piece of herself. “Moushiwake gozaimasen…” She whispered as tears started to run down her face. “Moushiwake gozaimasen…..” She repeated again to the baby she had just lost. If she had know before, maybe she would treated her body better. ‘Nothing would have helped..’ She thought to herself as tears fell down her cheeks. “I can never have children…” Katerina said to herself as she rocked back and forth. Falling onto the ground, the wolf demon pulled her knees up to her chest as she tried to push the thoughts away. Squeezing her eyes shut, she wanted to be numb but tears continued to fall and hit the dirt beneath her cheek. Darkness soon took her..

No dreams came to the elemental as she slept, she was glad. She didn’t want to see anything or feel anything in that moment. Blinking open her eyes, Katerina rolled onto her back. The soft waves off in the distance took her attention as she stared up through the branches off the trees. The sky was no longer the bright blue it was when she fell asleep, instead it was filled with orange and reds hues. ”Sunset already..” Katerina said to herself. A few hours must have past when she slept. With a yawn, the woman stretched her arms out before sitting up and scanning the area around her. A growl left her stomach, telling her to eat something.

Standing, the wolf demon made her way to the ocean she was just at; some fish would be great for tonight's dinner. With how she acted towards Natsumi, she didn’t think there would be any food waiting for her at camp. With two fishes dangling from her hand, Katerina made her way back to the camp she was sharing with the cat. She had gave her word that she was going to help the woman. In the morning, they would probably be off to find the lost city. She needed her strength.

The last heat from the burning wood was enough to cook the fishes she had catched. Sitting down next to the fire, her eyes looked up to the night sky. Tomorrow would be the day she would find the lost city, that people only read in stories. It was going to be a great day. Now it was time to eat and sleep more before the sun rose back into the sky.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2016 9:00 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Although it was a very accurate assessment given current habits, Natsumi did not view herself as the pervert Katerina accused her of being. A little overly friendly, perhaps; but a pervert? No, absolutely not.

'How dare she use such a crude term,' Natsumi thought? Surely, she needed a correction; a more elegant way of expressing the obvious. After all, the descriptor was more painful to the Ice Queen than the wolf-demon's hand. It couldn't be left to stand.

"I prefer, 'sommelier,'" the fox tailed woman elaborated with this goal in mind. "My eyes are my mouth, and lovely visions, such as you, are the wine." Sadly, such words did not appease Kino, who took it upon herself to correct the correction.

"I believe that's the definition of a voyeur, ma'am."

"Shut up, Kino," Natsumi responded with a frown, her defense instantly shattered by a single sentence. Events played out as normal beyond that point, the artifact's owner silently fuming at her betrayal. Only the soon to come outburst from the captive served to retrieve her from that abyss: for a coin purse lost at sea always produced the most boisterous kind of reactions. "You probably left it on your nightstand, and I went nowhere near the cabins," she explained. It was the most likely scenario, and one she assumed would suffice for the time being. The camp swiftly was already coming into view at that point, and so the Ice Queen needed to prepare for preliminary evaluations. She set the wolf-demon down on the reed table to that effect, and addressed her concerns in a calm tone.

"Nothing as mundane as piracy," she said while motioning for her patient to lie down. "But before we get to that, I'll be doing the medical examination. Gaston doesn't like the sea air, so he's back on the mainland. However, I'm much better at medicine now than I used to be, more so than he is. You'll be fine with me, so long as you lie down and don't try to fight me." Katerina, being surprisingly obedient at the moment, lay down as she was told. Natsumi could use her optics to freely examine Katerina in that position; and she took the opportunity to do so, making mental notes of every aberration in physiology she found while maintaining verbal contact. "As for Li and Rauru, Li eats too much for this island to sustain him, so he's back in Canelux as well. Rauru is around here somewhere. He's probably hunting fish in the ocean."

Rauru was, indeed, on the hunt in the nearby brine. He was the lookout for the island, but even he needed to take a break once in a while. Saya knew this and was supposed to tell Natsumi if she returned in his absence, but she couldn't do it before the end of Katerina's medical examination. The mother's eyes were focused intently on Katerina's abdomen at that point, and she was already motioning for Saya to go check on the fishing lines for a bit. It was the sign she always gave when she wanted to talk to a guest alone: one the little girl had learned to recognize immediately.

"It's unfortunate that I always seem to be the bearer of bad news with you," Natsumi said with a sigh just after her daughter was out of earshot. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, trying to carefully craft the rest of her diagnosis as she went. No small task, considering how touchy the subject she had to address was. "Good news is your physical injuries can be healed in less than an hour. Bad news is you were pregnant up until recently. My preliminary examinations show evidence of a spontaneous miscarriage, so it wasn't just a delayed period."

Had it been herself that received this news, the Ice Queen would have been jumping for joy in that moment. The diagnosis would have been nothing but good news for her; but Katerina was not guaranteed to be the same. There was a very real possibility that the woman had been trying to get pregnant, and far be it from Natsumi to disparage such a wish. It was actually a very uncomfortable situation that she didn't know how to deal with, and so she tried to distract all present by continuing to talk without pause.

"Tell me," she quickly interrupted in order to cut off any potential response from her patient. "Have you ever heard of Rystal: the mythical city hidden beneath the waves? Many think it merely a legend, but it's very real. It's near here, somewhere; likely filled with valuable artifacts. The goal of my entire operation revolves around cracking it open and finding whatever I can to sell off. I suspect, however, that there will be some guards to prevent my opportunistic scavenging, and that's where you come in."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2016 3:21 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

It wasn't like Katerina didn't like compliment, she just didn't know how to take them. Most compliments towards her were vulgar and ended up with a slap on her butt. Then she would end up
right fist in their face and them on the ground. Unfortunately, she was too weak. The wolf demon wanted to punch Natsumi but not having her strength made only a blemish appear on the cats face after Katerina's slap, instead of on the ground.

Hearing the cat's words, the elemental didn't even gasp this time, only to slap Natsumi again then cover her breasts. “You are a pervert.” She stated, calmly to as she looked away from the woman. She never have been complimented that many times in a long while, especially by a woman. This was not the girl she met in the woods a few years back. She was older and outspoken. It wasn't like she wasn't outspoken before, she was just, more outspoken.

As Natsumi started to speak again, Katerina kept her eyes ahead of her. “Yeah, cause this isn't helping me heal…” She mumbled as she laid her hands on the woman's shoulders instead of around her neck. Continuing to listen to the cat, she relaxed a bit as her eyes moved towards her. The way she talked about taking care of her child, made Katerina smile a bit. This girl had grown up into a fine responsible woman. Not the crazy one, wanting to get herself killed, girl. Realizing something within herself, she looked away. She had never had a child, not in a thousand years. She never had that type of love to lead to a child. She would always push them away, or run. What kind of child would want a mother like her, with a past filled with death?

Katerina's eyes went wide hearing what Natsumi had said about her coin purse. Looking down to her damp white shirt, her eyes closed on the location on her hip where she usually attached her purse to her belt. “You're F**king kidding me..” She said aloud, mostly to herself. “Out of everything your took, you couldn't have taken my coin purse?!” The wolf demon said, frustratingly. Becoming quiet again, she had to think about the woman's offer. Either stay on this island and probably starve or help her out.

Not answering Natsumi, she stayed quiet until she was sat down on the ground. Her eyes moved towards Natsumi's daughter. “I'll do it.” She said with a nod. Natsumi needed her, needed money for her daughter. How could she say no. “What are we doing then? Stealing from some ships? Easy.” She said as she leaned back on her hands. A sharp pain went through her side, which made her side. She had probably broken a rib. The only pain normal in her body was in her lower stomach. It was probably almost time for her womanly time.

Glancing around the camp, she didn't spot the odd pair of animals, Natsumi had. Especially the mole doctor. He would be great help right now. He might be a mole, but he was smart. "Where is that doctor? Would be great if he could help me out right now." She asked as her eyes made it back to Natsumi. "Also, where is that bear and bird? I could use some entertainment right now." She said with a smile, knowing those two were odd made her laugh a bit in the past.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Tue Jan 12, 2016 8:46 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Weakness was more a part of Katerina's personality than she might have realized or been willing to admit. She'd been running away for a long time now, something that even Natsumi could spot during their brief interaction 3 years prior. Even now, the weakened wolf-demon's insecurities were laid bare by the waves: ancient knife wounds that anyone with an intent enough gaze could see. It was a tragedy that she, herself, could not observe the beauty that the Ice Queen did, but then it is often easier for people to measure the worth of others than of themselves. Katerina was just one of many with that predicament.

Her slap was expected, as was her shout. The strike stung against the druid's left cheek, causing her pale skin to show a visible, hand imprint. Her hand was swiftly removed from the cushion below Katerina's waist as the inflammation manifested, but her attitude remained undeterred. Gaze still on Katerina's bosom, she made a cheeky remark meant to elicit another slap.

"Alas, for it was cushiony." Natsumi said with sly intent. "By the way, my eyes can see straight through your clothing, and I must say your body is exceptional." Exactly according to plan, this comment generated another slap from the wolf-demon, but the Ice Queen made certain it hit her on the opposite cheek. With that connection, she was finally symmetrical, and the slap marks merely appeared as oddly shaped blushes. "Much better. Now I'm even."

A lull in excitement followed that heated interaction. The melody of waves interceded as comedy subsided, and sincerity, at last, returned to answer Katerina.

"Compliments and bitch slapping aside," the Ice Queen began while still carrying her guest, "the camp is not far from here. We'll get you healed up in a non-compromising fashion as soon as possible, but there is a problem with what comes after." Pausing, the obviously strong woman turned to walk toward her camp. "A few years back – when I didn't have Saya to take care of – I would have been more than willing to transport you back to shore free of charge. That is no longer reality. I have a small child that depends on me being able to take care of her at a moment's notice now, and an actual need for silver to provide for her. My being here in the ocean is completely related to that goal, and I won't neglect it just to expedite someone's return to shore without monetary compensation. So here's the deal, if you want to go back to shore, you'll either have to pay me or you'll have to work for me for the duration of my salvage operation in this area; and, seeing as you don't have any coin on you, I'm going to assume the latter is your only option."

Having finished her explanation, Natsumi finally came into sight of the camp she had told Katerina about. It was a rustic abode located in a grove beyond the tree line of the local forest, well-hidden from passing ships and small enough to be moved at a moment's notice. Saya was already stoking the fire pit at the center, using the tinder box just as Natsumi had taught her to. Nearby was a tent where the little girl and her mother slept, along with a reed bench where the Ice Queen finally set Katerina down. She planned to begin a proper examination soon, but would wait for the wolf-demon to settle down first.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:33 AM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Asking for help was the last thing Katerina wanted to do. It was the most embarrassing thing she ever had to do. Being weak and helpless in front of Natsumi of all people was the last thing she wanted to happened to her. The elemental was never one to ask for help, not since her parents were put to death. Sitting there on the ground, Katerina’s eyes went to the sea, she couldn’t see Natsumi’s face when she asked. It wasn’t like she couldn’t ask for help; she just didn’t like to.

Natsumi voice made her turn and look, she had put down her child and asked her to daughter to start a fire. Katerina’s eyes went from Natsumi to Saya. The two seemed to care much about one another. She missed that; loving someone. She hadn’t loved anyone besides her parents. Yes, there was men in her life, but never one she had fallen in love with. She tried not to care for anyone she met. She couldn’t risk the chance to care for someone just to have them ripped from her life. Pain gripped the elemental’s heart as her parents appeared in her mind. Her parents love for one another was unforgettable and their love for her was something she would cherish for her whole life.

Katerina’s thoughts were pushed away when the cat-serpent headed towards her. Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms and looked up at Natsumi. As the cat girl picked her up, her arm’s circled her neck to get a better grip. “You didn’t—“ Before she was about to finish, she felt a hand on her ass and saw the eyes of the cat move to her breast. The cat demon began to talk as if nothing had happened, like her hand wasn’t still planted on her ass. “NATSUMI!” She yelled as she pushed away from the girl and slapped her, right after forcefully moving the cat’s hand to her waist. “Next time your hand decides to grab my ass; I will hurt you with every bit strength I have left.” The wolf promised then looked ahead of them. This is why she usually kept her distance from people. Some were just perverts. And the most unlikely of people, Natsumi was one of them.

“How long until we get to this campsite of yours?” She asked hopping it was close and that Natsumi didn’t try to touch her again. She was very vulnerable at the moment. She hated being as weak as she was in that moment. But she knew in in less than a day she would be alright again, hopefully. She had only almost drowned once before. It was never a good experience. It took her awhile to recuperate before and she was guessing it was going to take the same amount of time as before.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Fri Jan 8, 2016 11:39 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

[OOC: Gmode permission was given for my post.]

Bedazzlement and confusion were the emotions of the stunned Katerina as she lay on the shore. The way she enunciated Natsumi's name made that abundantly clear, as did the expressions on her tired face. Both made the situation infinitely more amusing for the Ice Queen, especially when her old acquaintance tried to disgust her with a joke about stepping in horse feces.

"I know what horse shit tastes like, and that definitely wasn't it." Natsumi said while calling Katerina on her lie. She was, at the same time, trying not to recall the meal that involved such an unfortunate flavor, even if the sailor vomit on the elemental's shoes hadn't been much better. Neither one of those was the most pleasant topic of discussion. "Don't ask."

The weakness in the wolf-demon's body became apparent to the druid following this remark. She knew, full well, that Katerina would not be able to rise despite her tongue's perpetual vigor, even before she admitted it. Natsumi's assumption had been that the woman's pride was more important to her than getting washed away by the rising tide, completely understandable even if incorrect. Truthfully, knowing how little she did of the wolf-demon's personality, a request for help was the last thing the Ice Queen expected of Katerina.

Despite this surprise, Natsumi was willing to assist, if only because watching someone drown was not entertaining to her in the slightest. To that end, she set Saya back down on the sand and addressed her on bent knee.

"Saya," she said in a calm, but firm, voice, "please head back to camp and get the fire going again. It looks like we're going to be here a bit longer while I help our guest recover."

"Alright!" Doing as she was told, the little fox-girl ran off into the trees of the mysterious island, making a beeline toward the camp in question. Meanwhile, Natsumi walked over to her wolf acquaintance on the beach's lowest point, and nimbly threw her over her shoulder like one would sling a bag. Subconsciously, her hand found and groped Katerina's buttocks during this transition, and her eyes lewdly glanced at the woman's voluptuous bosom.

"Just so you know," Natsumi explained while not realizing how perverted she was being at the moment, "I wasn't trying to eat you. I was salvaging the cargo from an abandoned ship with plans to sell it. Getting you inside my mouth was not my intent, especially since I didn't even know there was someone left alive on that ship."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Wed Jan 6, 2016 5:11 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Katerina laid there in the water, her eyes staring up at the sky above her. The waves washed over her, taking what saliva it could. She waited for the creature to take her to a dark place where she wouldn’t see the light of day again. Her mind started to think about the possible outcomes of fighting this creature. All ending in her termination. There was really no point in fighting this creature. She was too weak from almost drowning. There were stories of these creatures, they were large and powerful. In one chomp, she would be dead. There was no chance in her making out of a fight alive and all limbs intact. Maybe if she played dead it would go away? Maybe it would just loose interest in her cause she didn’t want to fight back? She hoped she would live or at least, die quickly.

A voice came from behind forcing her to sit up and turn to see its source. It was a little girl wearing a flower printed dress. She was young, very young. Not even in her teens yet. ‘Sweet girl.’ She thought to herself, but what was she doing here. Hearing movement behind her, the elemental turned towards the sea creature.

There was no longer a sea creature there but a young woman. Her skin fair and her hair white. The scent coming from the women made Katerina sit up and inhale. “Nat…Natsumi?” She asked turning towards the two reuniting. The word Okaasan leaving her lips as she was greeted by the white woman. It couldn’t be, Natsumi was too young to be a mother and she didn’t look like snow white but scent never lied. Her scent was the only one that smelled that way. Now she knew why. ‘Damn girl is a Sea Serpent and a cat.’ Katerina thought as she tried to stand but failed. Falling back into the water, she sighed, she needed her rest.

Hearing the woman talk, that confirmed that it was Natsumi. She was the only one she met to talk the way she did. So formal but a bit of insult still laid in her words. A smirk lined her lips, thinking, ‘Well that’s what you get for trying to eat me.’ Leaning back on her hands, the wolf elemental shook her boots side to side in the water. “You probably tasted the horse shit I stepped in before I got on the ship.” She joked.

The elemental sighed, she was tired of being in the water and with the rest of the saliva being washed from her clothes, the woman tried to stand again. Her chest ached and her legs were too weak. She wanted out of the water and onto the dry sand. Her eyes slowly looked over to the woman. This was going to hurt her pride. “Can…” She paused for a moment before trying to stand again, sharp pains shooting through her chest. “Can I please have some help?” She asked almost biting her lip, she hated having to ask for help.

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Mon Jan 4, 2016 4:20 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

Travelling to the home island that Natsumi had established from the caravel wreckage was smooth sailing, for the most part. The trip wasn't that long in the first place, and it was only during the latter part that some of the cargo awoke the woman's unknown guest. The ruckus that followed, while obviously loud, wasn't even enough to disrupt the current tranquility, largely due to the fact that Natsumi had grown accustomed to hearing echoes from within her mouth thanks to previous salvage raids. Not even the movement on her tongue was foreign at this point, though the horrible taste of Katerina's shoes did make her suspicious.

That aloof attitude, of course, changed when the wolf demon decided to use Natsumi's gums as a practice dummy. The most unwelcome, painful sensation that resulted from this action got the woman's attention right quick, and, unfortunately for the violent perpetrator, also did the same for Natsumi's "salvage guard."

"Hostile entity detected in salvage," said Kino, the aforementioned guard, as soon as the blood sprayed onto Katerina's face. The modified hibernation spells that followed this observation were a predictable outcome, as was the animate object spell that removed the wounding stake. Katerina, like others before her, had tripped the security system with her wanton destruction, and, as a result, had her limbs anaesthetized for easier expulsion. "Initiating emergency purge sequence."

Guiding Natsumi's tongue to the proper position, the duo proceeded on with the nominal sequence. The ice queen wrapped the fleshy organ around the intruder, slightly opened her jaws, and then spat both her and her impromptu weapon out into the sea as one would expel watermelon seeds. It just so happened that they were close enough to the island for the wolf demon to land near a shore, but that had never been Natsumi's intention, given how rudely she was assaulted.

The moments that followed this spit ball exercise were laughable, at best. Katerina, having no concept of manners or gratitude, threatened to kill Natsumi before she even turned around to see the size of her inadvertent rescuer. She didn't even know who she was threatening, a fact that reminded the druid all too well of their first meeting years prior. This time around, however, there was an oddly satisfying role reversal in attendance. That first instant of startled realization from Katerina was an absolutely delectable change of pace from the past: one that Natsumi adored.

"She won't eat you unless you're mean to the animals and plants," a nearby Saya said as the wolf demon told the sea serpent to just go ahead and eat her. The little girl stood a few yards behind Katerina, clothed in a white, flower print dress and swishing her tail in the sea breeze while her bare feet soaked up the sand's heat. She was looking directly up at Natsumi as she spoke, smiling and waving at her despite the obvious, sea serpent form.

This greeting by her daughter was a bitter sweet surprise for Natsumi. She was glad that Saya was coming out of her shell more without prior coaxing, but was less than thrilled that her disobedience of the island rules had positioned her so close to such an ill-tempered wolf demon. The child was trained in defensive magic, true, but a mother's concern for her daughter tended to override a teacher's confidence in her student for situations like the current one.

Still, despite her reservations, Natsumi did not move to scold her daughter for disobeying the rule to stay away from the shore. Rather, she quickly emptied her maw of cargo onto a dry patch of land, and then shrunk back into her tunic and pants clad, natural form. Saya's embrace was quick to follow this transformation, finding the woman just as she came back ashore in bare-footed stride.

"Welcome back, okaasan!" her daughter shouted with laughter that the druid could only assume was genuine. It seemed that getting out of the forest once in a while was proving to be a healthy influence on the girl's emotional well-being, but that was something to celebrate later. For now, Natsumi simply picked up Saya in her arms, and then turned to deal with the unexpected guest.

"Long time no see, Katerina Silverstein. I apologize for the spit, but then you did jab me in the gum line with an ill-mannered toothpick first. Not to mention I also had to taste you and whatever your boots stepped in aboard that ship just to remove you. Do you have any idea what touches the decks of caravels throughout their lifetimes these days or how persistent the residues left behind can be? I don't think you want to know."

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Sat Jan 2, 2016 9:58 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

OOC: Gmod permission was given for previous post and this one as well.

Katerina almost felt peace knowing her time had come. She didn’t like the fact that it would be drowning that would kill her. Her eyes started to flutter closed upon seeing her parents. A small smile appeared on her lips as a few air bubbles left her mouth. She would finally see them. She would finally be with them. She missed her mother’s fingers running through her hair. She couldn’t wait to feel it again. A cough left her as she swallowed down more water. As darkness started to take over her vision. The elemental heard her parent’s voices. “Katerina… Katerina….” Her mother whispered. “Find your brother…” Katerina eyes fluttered open to look at her mother. ‘I don’t have a brother….’ She thought to herself as her eyes started to close again. “We made a mistake…. You must fix it. Find Wilhelm…Find your bother.” Her father’s voice echoed, seeming to get farther away. The darkness taking her site as she fell unconscious or was she dying.

The time that past was unknown to her. All Katerina felt was a slam in her chest and the water that was trapped in her lungs, escaped. Coughing up the last bit of water, she pushed the wooden box off her chest. “Damnit..” Katerina coughed out as she tried to sit up, but instead bumped her head on something warm and moist. “What the h—“ Before she could finish her sentence, the elemental looked around and her voice was caught in her thought. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. Teeth, gums… She was in a mouth! “WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?!” She screamed. Feeling the tongue move under her, she scooted back against the side of the mouth against the teeth. Her eyes widened as she looked around her. Wooden boxes and other object lined the mouth, then her eyes laid on the water. The water that was moving to the back of the mouth. “No…No…” She whispered as she tried to move back more but was stopped by teeth. “DON’T YOU F**CKING EAT ME!!!” She yelled at the top of her longs. She would not die like this. ‘Oh hell no..’ She thought, her eyes spotting a broken piece of wood. “Hell F**CKING… no.” She said as she grabbed the wood and with all her might stabbed the gum next to her. Blood spraying over her face and wet clothing.

It wasn’t long before the creature decided it didn’t want her in its mouth anymore. The mouth opened but instead of crawling out or jumping out like she planned. Her arm’s seem to go numb, then her legs. She couldn’t move. She had just pissed off the creature. “OH Sh*T!” She yelled trying to move but failed. The tongue started to move beneath her, her head looked from side to side, her eyes wide. The tongue started to circle her body. The saliva dripping onto her face. “Yuck…” She said and shut her mouth tight. If this was how she was going to die, she didn’t want the creature’s saliva in her mouth. All of a sudden, Katerina was launched out of the creature’s mouth. The creature decided it was best to spit her out like she was nothing but a seed stuck in its mouth.

Landing in the water, just below the sandy beach. The wolf demon sat up in the water, coughing up more water…again. The creature’s saliva was a thick mess that drenched her. “So. Gross..” She said as she wiped the saliva from her face and flung it into the water. This day was just a dream, it must be. Because it was somehow turning into the worse day ever.

“I am going to kill you.” She said, thinking even if it did technically save her life, it was going to die. She thought looking up to see if the creature was still there. “Holy….hell..” She said her eyes widening. The giant serpent stood larger than her. She had never seen a creature such as this. Not in a thousand years. “Well. Shit..” She said falling back into the water. “Just eat me and get it done with.”

Author: CodeAni, Posted: Fri Jan 1, 2016 10:48 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

While the seas between Canelux and Parvpora were safer to travel given recent, technological advances, the Nyella Ocean was still far from a merciful mistress. Much of its depths – and even parts of its surface – remained unexplored, and pirates were an uncomfortably common sight. Smaller ships, like the one Katerina had boarded, relied on their size and speed to evade these plunderers of the high seas; but even they, sometimes, could not fully escape danger.

Katerina's captain was most unlucky in this respect. Half a day into the two and a half week journey, they were ambushed by a pirate galleon. The ram on the bow of the hostile ship slammed into the boat's starboard side, allowing the privateers a bridge between vessels while the passengers and deck hands were thrown off balance. It was a slaver ship, unfortunately, filled with a crew accustomed to quick "smash and grabs." With barely even time to fight back, the captain and crew of Katerina's transport were overwhelmed. The passengers above deck were brutally hustled over to the other ship, and the subject of the raid was left to sink from the giant gash in her hull.

Meanwhile, safely tucked beneath the main deck, the elemental awoke from her feverish nightmares. The slavers were already well on their way from fleeing their mark, and the lower deck had been inadvertently blocked off by debris. There was still cargo beneath the surface that could have been salvaged, true, but doing so would have violated the number one rule of slave hunters on the Nyella Ocean. That was, "Take what you can as fast as you can."

Exploring the lower holds would have taken longer than necessary for a good haul, and would have opened the pirates to counterattack from any passing warships in the area, or worse, from competition. It was more efficient just to take those passengers who were already out in the open, and rely on sinking the ship to scare out any stragglers. With that in mind, they left Katerina to a watery grave, assuming that no one was left alive or free on the passenger ship.

Had Natsumi not been lurking nearby when the attackers hit, it is very likely that her old acquaintance would have died. The druid was running a salvage operation in the area, and spotted the sinking ship after the pirates were already speeding off into the horizon. She had no way of knowing if there was anyone left aboard. In fact, the amount of dead bodies floating in the waters around the wreckage suggested, to her, that the entire crew was dead. This total destruction they had endured made their cargo hold prime pickings for an opportunistic scavenger, and, considering that that was exactly what the woman had become in recent years, she helped herself.

While in the form of a giant sea serpent, the Ice Queen lurked beneath the surface of the salty brine. She slithered her way over to the damaged vessel as it continued to sink, and then, using her knowledge of boat design, slammed her head through the weakest portion of the hull. With mouth open, she snaked through the interior of the ship from that entry point and into the cargo hold, grabbing up any materials she could before sealing her maw. With the salvage safely secured, she retreated from the wreck, and swam toward the nearest island that had been her staging area for the duration of her operation.

Ironically, Natsumi wasn't even aware she had picked up an extra passenger during that morally gray raid. Water was being slowly purged from the inside of her jaws as she travelled further north, revealing an unconscious Katerina tucked beneath the waves. She hadn't been underwater long enough to drown, and would survive: provided, of course, she didn't go into shock from waking up inside a serpent's mouth.

Author: Silverstein, Posted: Thu Dec 31, 2015 11:50 PM, Post Subject: [P][R]Under the Sea [P][R]

The elemental’s eyes looked up at the blue sky, it was a nice warm day with a soft breeze. A perfect day to sail to Parvpora island. It had been months since Katerina had been to the other island of Revalirr. Pushing through the crowded dock, she finally made her way to the ship that would take her to her destination. Stepping on the deck of the ship, her eyes glanced at the few people around her. There was on one side of the ship, their hands entwined and smiles lit up their faces. Another gentlemen was leaning against the railing beside the stairs leading up to the top back deck. A few other younger teens giggled on the other side of the ship. There wasn’t many here that day. The last time she was there, there were too many people. She just about had a heart attack with the screaming children.

The voyage would only take about half a day or so. A great time to catch up on some sleep. Sleep deprivation was not good for her. Soft snowflakes were starting to fall from her fingertips without her noticing. Hearing a yell, she looked up to the Captain at the back of the ship, commanding his men, “Cast off!!” He yelled over the voices and everyone went silent, watching the crewmen get to work. Sails were dropped, ropes were tired, then they were off. Crystal blue eyes looked around the ship. ‘Good, no rowdy kids this time.’ She thought with a small smile. It wasn’t that she didn’t like children, she just wanted a peaceful day. No distractions, no loud yelling. Especially the yelling, she couldn’t stand that right now.

Feeling the ship move, she decided it was time to get some well needed rest while she could. The young wolf started to walk towards the back of the ship, her boots clicking softly against the wood. Before reaching her destination, she was stopped in her tracks. “Hey Lady, how are you today?” A young man stepped in front of her blocking her path to the stairs. “How about you and I get to know each-other? Sure is a long way to the next island.” He said with a wink. “You do look rather lonely. “ He said in a seductive way stepping up close to her. His breath smelt of whiskey, and the bottle in his other had was proof he had been drinking. With a glare, she stared up at him for a moment before he was suddenly up against the side of the doorway. A spike of ice pinning his collar to the wooden wall. A gasp left his lips and he reached to free himself. “Hey I’m sor—“ He started to say and another shard of ice shot from Katerina’s hand and into the other side of his collar. He stood frozen, knowing he shouldn’t say another word. Averting his eyes from her as she walked by him into the doorway. A soft gulp was all she heard when she walked by him.

A small smirk tugged on the side of Katerina’s lips as she walked down the darken depths of the ship. Shutting the door behind her, she wanted to make sure she was left alone. Soft sunlight lit up the darkness around her from the small round windows. Seeing a few cots and a hammock, she chose the hammock, it looked the most comfortable. Making her way towards the hammock, she took off her cloak and laid it over the hammock. Her white long sleeve shirt was sticking slightly to her skin, for the winter season, it was sure hot out today. With a sigh, Katerina laid down, pulling her cloak over her as a blanket.

The soft sound of the waves crashing along the side soon made her drift off to sleep. The darkness soon turned into dreams. More like nightmare’s. She was alone in the stone courtyard. The only sound was the soft raindrops that hit the ground. Her parents stood before her, staring down at her with dead eyes. Blood started to flow from their eyes as their tears. “MOM! DAD!” Katerina yelled as she ran towards her parents, but the closer she got, the more they moved farther away. Yelling for them again, she slowed her pace. Her parents slowly turned around and walked away from her. “NO! MOM! DAD!!! WAIT DON’T GO!.” She yelled and yelled for them but they didn’t respond. Soon they disappeared into the darkness.

A loud crash woke her from her sleep, or it was her nightmare, she didn’t know which. All she knew was that there were screams from above her. Standing up quickly, she ran to the stairs and up to the door. It was locked, she shook it and slammed her shoulder into it, but nothing. The feel of wetness made her eyes go down to her feet. Water was trickling down from under the door and onto her feet. “OH SHIT!” She yelled and slammed her shoulder into the door again. Nothing. ‘There must be something wedged against it.’ She thought as she stepped away. Turning around, Katerina ran down the stairs, she had to find an exit. It wasn’t long before the water was up to her knees. She had to find a way out fast or she was going to down. “No…No… this cannot be happening.” She whispered walking down one side of the ship, then the other. She started to shake, the water was up to her waist now. “Calm down..” She whispered to herself. Looking on the final side of the ship, she finally saw an opening above. The small window was barred. Reaching up, she had to stand on her tippy toes to reach it, her fingers barely calm out from the other side. Shaking it slightly, she her a clinking sound of the other side. “NO!!” She yelled as the water rose to her chest then to her neck. “DON’T BE LOCKED.” She yelled and shook it again. She couldn’t see were the lock was located.

The water was soon lifting her from the floor below and her head was against the bars. “HELP!!!” She yelled before the water engulfed her. She continued to shake the bars with all her might, but they wouldn’t budge. A bright light shown before her, then slowly images of her mother and father appeared. ‘Mom…Dad…’ She smiled just a bit and closed her eyes. The water going into her lunges and taking her last breath away…

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