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 Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:29 pm
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Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:59 pm
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Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 9:06 pm
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Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 10:19 pm
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: ~Spazzy_the_Wolfie~
Preference List: Deep Sea Kelpi, Blood Ghost Seathi, Skeletal Koi, Shiro Utsuri Koi, Dark Water Jellyfish
Entry:
We had only meant to go to the edge of the reef that evening, the group of us. A gaggle of foals, eating up as much of the day as possible with play and games. We were children of the nearby herd, a ragtag bunch of mers, seathi, and kelpi.
"Never go beyond the reef," the adults would always warn, "stay close to home."
We didn't listen.
One of us caught sight of something beyond the reef, something shining and sparkling and interesting. "What if it's treasure?" Off that child went. "I bet it's gold and silver!" And another followed after. "What? Dibs! I call dibs on the first treasure we see!" And another. "Ooh! Let's find it and bring it back home!" And another, until all of us had managed to catch up, excitement in the air.
We swam straight at first, looking back towards home every so often to keep track of where we were going. We wouldn't go too far. Finding our way back home would be easy if we kept looking back!
Then we decided to go down.
"Look, see that glimmer down there?!" One child cried out with a grin on their face. We followed, naive as youth tend to be. The deeper we swam, the darker it became. And colder. And even darker. And even colder.
"I bet we're really close!" Soon the dark became overwhelming, only the foals closest to me remaining visible in the depths. "Look! Did you see that?!" One child yelled out, their voice sounding distant.
What glimmer? I hadn't seen anything yet! And how far down did we go? How deep were we?
"Guys, maybe we should go ba-... Oh!"
A glimmer down below, something shining, sparkling. Faint, but it was definitely there.
Shoving anxiousness to the side, I swam further down, seeking it out.
Another flash of color, this time from the corner of my eye, and a strong rush of water around me. It wasn't one of the other foals. Where were my friends? Whatever this was, it wasn't treasure.
"Never go beyond the reef," the adults would always warn, "stay close to home."
What was it? A fish? Something falling from the surface? A predator?
"We should really go back home, something's wro-"
A glimmer.
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Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2017 11:33 pm
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: NovaCracker
Preference List: Deep Sea Kelpi, Blood Ghost Seathi, Shiro Utsuri Koi, Skeletal Koi, Jellyfeesh
Entry:
Never return a ship's bell to the surface of the ocean.
Before I explain, it's nothing the ocean will do although the spirits lost in her embrace might have Words for you. It's because what the ship's bell represents.
The ship's bell, in use, is used for common things -- signals and show, for timing... So many things. But there's an old sailor's believe I agree is true. The ship is alive. Every single one, from that tour boat sailing you around New york Harbor to the ancient ships of the Greeks; let's not forget memorable beasts like The Queen Anne's Revenge. Every single one is a possessive, hot blooded woman that will protect her crew if possible come hell or high water.
So what is the bell to a woman? I'll tell you. The ship's bell is her heart and soul, and humans have a nasty habit of bringing the bell back to land to parade around or stick in a museum for some cheap momento.
There's a reason we don't touch the dead, but we touch the heartt of a ship.
I went to a college with one such bell. She sank close to shore, but the feeling -- I can't explain how some things feel. In the student union of my old college was the bell of the USS Arizona. Swear on my grandfather's watery grave (for his ashes were spread on the oceran he loved), they salvaged the bell and that's where she is. They rarely ring her except certasin occasions, but have you ever heard a ship's bell? It's loud. It's meant to be heard across the deafening silence. Waves are lapping a ship, and sometimes the wind is blowing.
That bell.
God I remember the sounds of Ship's Bells even now.The USS Arizona's bell is rung, if anything, to honor the dead. But you hear it carry, especially in the desert. It's the heartbeat of the ship. Her heart, her soul... To hear her call when her body is gone...
I believe ship's bells, after a ship sinks, is haunted. Because we claim them so often, the soul clings. They don't want to be forgotten nor do they seek to be desecration. The Arizona had two, but one is where she sank. And how do you knmow the bells don't call? A ship's soul - twin voices, twin calls.
I want to tell you when a ship sinks, that bell doesn't.. Feel the same. I'm sorry for rambling, but it's important to tell you why they are so tied to the sea and ghosts. A sunken ship often has so many people trapped. Haunted ships? The spirits often can't leave. I believe and will tell you if a ship sinks, that bell brings the spirits back to the land of the living. Those who survive will feel the lost one more time. Sometimes, a person not there then feels them too. The twin sister to the bell of my college remains on her ship.
And so many ships will also sink, asnd bells be saved.
When the bell of a lost ship rings, if you're quiet and feel, truly feel with your heart, you'll know you're not alone. Sailors lost when it sank, sailors returning to their brothers in arms -- to those they knew - that bell will take you there. The ocean is many things, but she doesn't allow voice to just anything....
And the bell, the heart is sometimes all we have left.
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:55 am
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: belloblossom
Preference List: Deep Sea Kelpie, Blood Ghost Seathi (can't win familiars)
Entry: With traditions as dark as the ritual sacrifices, there were bound to be some ghost stories with it and Saltwater Sal claimed he knew them all. He didn't call them ghost stories, of course, he'd tell them like they were the truth and for all we foals knew, they just as well could have been.
The one I remember the most, however, was the story he told only when the water was at its darkest, nearly as dark as the cave which held the Sacrificial Altar. It was called the Tale of Mahi, the mare who lost everything.
It begins with a mare, light-hearted and merry. She was a mer with slender fins and luminous scales. Her eyes shone like abalone shells and she sang with the whales whenever a pod swam by. Her name was Mahi and she was the happiest that could be.
Despite living so very long ago, the sacrifices were still taking place when Mahi was a youth. She never had any direct contact with it, but she heard the screams growing up. Like her parents, she had learned to turn a blind eye. She grew up into a radiant beauty, settled down with a kind stallion and had just had a lovely shell together. They were so caught up in their own little world that they had forgotten what time it was, the Day of Choosing. And Mahi's mate was the one that was chosen as the sacrifice. This was when everything began to crumble at the edges.
Mahi begged her mate not to go. She couldn't live without him-they could swim away together, far away from this horrible village-she would take his place if she had to! He gently shot down each of her pleas. She was a strong mare, he told her and their foal would need a strong mother to look out after them. Running would be to dangerous, what if they dropped the shell into the darkness as they fled, besides, now that he had been chosen, her mate would be watched near-constantly. He had to do this. So, he told he loved her and then the next day, he went off to the cave.
His screams were the last that she heard of him and he never emerged from the cave.
Mahi tried to be strong for her foal, but it was so hard without her beloved beside her. She raised her foal, a colt as handsome and charming as his father, to know true sacrifice and to appreciate what came of it. She would tell him stories of his father's bravery... perhaps that was her downfall. When the next ten years passed, Mahi was doing well despite her loss and was happily observing her son continuing to grow into a handsome stallion. She was so proud of him and she knew her mate would have been too. This time she was well aware of the Day of Choosing. Just so long as it wasn't her son, she thought and much to her relief, it wasn't. Her relief was short-lived for the elders soon told her that she had been chosen.
She was stunned into disbelief, still as she looked around her, but a peaceful calm came over her. She could be with her mate now. Then there was a blur of green and blue as her son passed by her, swimming protectively in front of his mother and demanding he be chosen instead. Mahi crumpled. He couldn't do this! The elders couldn't let him do this! She had been chosen, it was her son's duty to live a happy life, like she had wanted for him! Yet the elders were intrigued, for rarely they had volunteers and so they accepted his sacrifice and forced guards to keep Mahi at bay until her son went into the cave.
Mahi was coming apart, shoving at the fins that blocked her path. She screamed at her son not to go, but down he went. When he had vanished from sight, the guards let up and she barreled into the darkness after him. The elders did not stop her. Maybe the god would leave them alone longer if he got to eat twice that day.
Mahi swam on and on. She was determined not to lose her son, not after she had lost her mate too. When she finally got to the cave, there was the dimmest of lights shimmering in the back and that's when she realized that it was too late. She had lost her mate, she had lost her son and seeing what it was in that cave, she lost her mind, too.
Saltwater Sal usually let that sit in our minds and we could imagine the heartbroken wails of Mahi, a mate and mother, doomed to be lost in such a manner as her loved ones were. It may not have been the most gruesome of stories, it may not have even been the spookiest ones, but it was the one that haunted me the most. After all, it was the most real of all of them and reminded everyone who listened to it about the truly scary story that could just as well become ours when we were older.
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 7:49 am
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: – mynsed -
Preference List: Deep Sea Kelpie, Blood Ghost Seathi, Dark Water Jellyfish, Skeletal Koi, Shiro Utsuri Koi
Entry: The fisherman had heard stories of the great depths of the ocean. He grew up on tales, of magnificent fish and creatures living in the lightless depths, of fanciful mermaids and giant squids. He knew of the tales involving Poseidon, the greek ruler of the ocean. He knew of tales of giant sharks and creatures unseen to the eye. There was even many versions of the lost city of Atlantis, with crumbling spires and legends of the ancient civilization that was taken by the sea. But he knew all of these tales for just what they were; stories.
Letting out a deep sigh, he leaned against the sea-misted wood of the vessel, looking down into the inky darkness below. A sliver of the silver moon hung high in the sky, concealed every now and then by the heavy clouds that hid the stars. It was a dark night, full of mysteries just a few feet from the ship, the only light provided was the dim glow from the occasion view of the moon and the wavering light of the oil lantern. The ship moaned and groaned at the tip and rock of the waves, providing a familiar lullaby for the crew who had gone under to sleep until day. Someone was at the stern, uselessly watching into the darkness, glancing up to the sky for hopes of navigation. The fisherman could hardly see him when he glanced up at the man, shadows casted across his night companion, clinging to him and fighting off the light. The wind whispered into the wind, synchronizing in a duet with the gentle laps of the waves, the creaks of the ship.
It wasn’t raining but the fisherman soon became drenched in sea spray; he hardly noticed. No one who lived most of their lives with the sea ever noticed. It was as normal as breathing. It was the way of life. Salt stung the eyes and clung to the fisherman’s beard like raindrops. The ship rocked roughly once, than twice, but was unsuccessful in its attempt to dislodge the seamen with their sea legs. All and all, it was a peaceful night, undisturbed by abnormalities.
The fisherman glanced up at his night companion again; he was still there, head tilted to the sky. There was an eerie feeling about the night but the fisherman couldn’t place a thumb on it. Grunting, he shrugged in his slick coat, attempting to create a bit of warmth, before fishing into his pockets. There was line for the rods, a bit of hooks that did nothing against his callouses, a long pipe, a cardboard box of matches, and a metal container that was cool to the touch. He turned his back to the sea, leaning against the rail, pulling out the metal and his pipe. Deftly, he opened the small container and pinched a bit of dried tobacco, placing it within the pipe that dangled from his mouth. He replaced the metal container back into his deep pocket and pulled out the box of matches. The first match fell to the deck and he mumbled around the pipe, not bothering to bend down and search for it. It was lost in the night and would only be found in the light of day, the fisherman was sure of it. He grabbed another match from the box, was able to hold onto it, and ran it quickly against the rough edge a few unsuccessful times. Finally, it lit, a small light that was valiantly fight back the dark. He quickly pushed the fire into the pipe before the wind claimed the flame and puffed a few times. Finally, it caught and he waved his hand to rid of the tiny flame. It went out, the wind finally catching its prize. Contently, he puffed, returning the matchbox to his pocket and turning to the sea once more.
He stood there, staring out at the waves for a good moment, letting the tobacco calm his nerves, allowing sleep to slowly creep up on him. After this smoke, he would go lay down in the cabin. Sighing, he closed his eyes briefly. And then, he frowned, crooking his head to the side, ears picking up something other than the wind and the crash of the waves, and the creaks of the wood beneath his feet. It was… he wasn’t sure what it was. Sleep playing tricks on him, for sure. He opened his eyes, looking up at his shadowed night companion. He showed no signs of looking around for whatever the noise was. It was sleep.
Minutes passed by with the faint, imagined noise on the wind. The fisherman ran through a list of other possibilities, none quite alarming. Something drifting in the sea, maybe. The wind playing the light sound on whatever the object was. That had to be it. A few more minutes, and that idea was discarded. His bushy brows furrowed down low, head tilting. It sounded like… singing. But so light compared to the wind that he wasn’t sure. He glanced at his companion again, who was now leaning against the railing at the top, staring up at the sky. He was obviously not alarmed. The fisherman frowned, squinting into the darkness, looking for an explanation. As the minutes ticked by, so did the singing get louder.
He could make out words, now. ”Be wary, fish, of the sea, for in the waves she lurks,” it was a bare whisper but he was certain of the words. His stomach began to pit and he earnestly looked for the source of the voice. The darkness did not give her away. ”Be careful, fish, of his pleas, the wooden whale with rope.” Quickly, the fisherman went to the other side of the ship, eyes scanning the black. The moon was hidden, as though hiding from the voice. As though the moon would not betray the singer.
”Upon his back, stands a man, the hunter of the blue,” his heart was hammering in his chest now. Cold sweat dripped down his back, clinging his shirt to the skin. He felt heated with fear, though a slow tremble was beginning to happen. Swallowing thickly, his pipe dropped to the planks unnoticed by him. He glanced back over to his night companion, who was still looking up to the sky. Surely he was hearing things. The voice was clear but his companion wasn’t showing any signs of alarm. Moving to the lantern, he picked it up, determined to gain comfort in the company of the other.
The voice sang on. ”Upon his back, we will come, and give him what is due,” The voice sounded across the waters, out in the darkness. Not from the ship. Was there another ship with no light out in the distance? He put his hand on the ladder and briefly squinted into the darkness again. Nothing moved. The wind was still blowing, carrying the sound of the singing, accompanying it with its own instrumental.
”Swim fairly, fish, she is here. She will guide you to her arms.” The fisherman quickly climbed up the ladder, nearly slipping in his haste. He wouldn’t go below deck; the other man wasn’t alarmed and he was way to seasoned to be jumping at shadows and noises. He got to the top of the deck and moved over to the companion.
The lantern hit the ground, glass shattering. The flames licked at the wood, shying briefly from the wet planks until the heat dried them, before consuming and spreading. The light was brighter, illuminating the entire deck. His companion was there. Horror swelled in his stomach as he stared at the eyeless face that was tilted up to the sky, at the gray pasty skin, at the sunken cheeks and the cracked, dried blood. The chapped lips of the man was parted in a scream or a call, the fisherman didn’t know which. He couldn’t quite pull his gaze from the dark sockets where his eyes had been. As dark as the night. Empty. Terror clutched as his throat as something slid on his shoulder, up his neck, around, clutching, holding his scream at bay. A voice whispered near his ear, a gentle caress as the song continued.
”Swim safely, fish, she brings fear, to the hunter of the blue.”
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 8:06 am
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username:Ryghann
Preference List: Deep sea kelpie, blood ghost seathi, skeletal koi, shiro utsuri koi, darkwater jellyfish
Entry: Dead Lights
"They say that sometimes if you look really close in some of the deepest darkest caves you can see lights. Lights like billions of stars in the night sky, but underwater!" The little one went on about an old tale that he heard from his father after returning from his adventures in the deep waters. All the children around him were positively glued to everything coming out of his mouth. "They always say never to go where the wide eyed ones are.....but thats where HE was at!" Everyone could tell that this little one was itching for trouble-making, and maybe to prove a old fish tale to be true. "Either way IM going to go there to see the stars! If you are with me ill see you at first-dark..."With a flick of his fins he was off to prepare supplies, leaving his audience stunned with his persistence.
When the time arrived only one other youngster decided he was brave enough to seek the stars. The little storyteller was not disappointed even if their numbers were few. After making a few more checks he was satisfied and they set off into the deepwaters.
Determination contributed to his bravery as their surroundings seemed to swallow them in the frigid depths, however his compatriot was not as strong of fortitude. "Wh-w-what are we looking for a-g-ggain?" He managed to chitter out. "Wide eyed ones." The youngster replied very seriously. "im sure we will know them when we see them."
It didnt take them long to come across an aquatic life form that fit the bill unfortunately the creature was 5 times their size! It was speeding past at an alarming rate with its many tentacles billowing behind, the current it left pulled them down down down so fast they almost lost the direction they were going!!
After the children caught their breath they huddled closer for warmth and for vision purposes. Noone wanted to get lost in the blackwater. "H-h-h-h-how are w-we going t-t-t-o find the cave?" The brave one didnt reply but pressed onwards until they reached what seemed like a cave. The brave storytellers tone had changed to one of excitement ,"Here it is! The cave he was talking about!!!" Slowly they edged inward following the bits of wall they could barely make out. "You s-s-see anything yet?" The scared one squinted in the darkness. "No....I dont hear anything either..." He replied with a frown noone could see. This wasnt good. No sounds, no stars.....wait....He peered and thought he was seeing things, but the further they drifted inwards the more lights appeared before them. This was it! "We made it!!" He shouted triumphantly, and then immediately found odd since there was no echo in this cave at all. The other boy was entranced by the lights as they started to shift and move in color and frequency and it seemed all of his nervousness was gone as he swam further towards the waterstars.
Just out of curiosity the storyteller swam closer to a wall while the other was busy getting as close to the light source as he could, only to find that there were spiky bone-like pieces facing towards the exit. Was the wall...moving?
It dawned on him and filled the boy with dread. "We Gotta get outta here!!!" He shrieked at swam away from the stars as fast as he could, unsure if his companion would follow. NO. Too late! For as soon as the other boy closest to the light show turned from it a deafening roar was heard from the depths of the cave and tendrils shot out from behind the light show to wrap around his flailing body.
The storyteller let out a cry as he heard the muffled shrieks of his friend, his only escape from imminent death, his fool errand of darkwater stargazing. He swam and swam until he reached the sandy reef of his homeland....never looking back and never returning to where the wide eyed ones dwelled.
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 1:01 pm
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: elfstar89
Preference List: Deep Sea Kelpie, Blood Ghost Seathi, cannot win familiars
Entry:
Of all the things that dwell in the deep,
Never forget, my jo, the nuckelavee.
"Don't stay out too late!" the seathi mare called out as her foals scooted out toward the reef, giggling merrily.
"They're just going to visit with friends, they'll be fine. Surely you don't really believe in the nuckelavee nonsense?" her mate asked.
The mare shook her head vigorously. "They shouldnae be out sae late these dark days. They shouldnae even be allowed to wander frae hame. I can feel it in my bones, ye ken? The nuckelavee will arise soon."
"You didn't worry about their elder siblings."
"The nuckelavee was still bound by the mither o' the sea."
It was an hour later when the seathi received surprising visitors in the form of the kelpie family that their foals had gone to visit. The seathi foals were nowhere in sight.
"Where could they have gone?" the father raged as he searched beside his mate for their lost foals. "I know I said it was safe, but this is ridiculous!"
"It's no' 'where' they could hae gone. It's no' e'en wha' possessed them." The mare swam swiftly and determinedly toward the abyss that lay so close to their home reef. In her eyes shone a deep fear, one that went beyond the simple twilight disappearance of a group of foals. She slammed to a halt at the edge of the continental shelf, and gulped.
"They wouldn't," the father said, staring into the abyss. "They must be on the other side, or further along the shelf."
"No. The nuckelavee--"
"What is it with you and the nuckelavee? It doesn't exist!"
"It does. I saw it wi' my ain twa eyen, the last time it went riding."
The father froze, and turned to face his mate. "What?"
"Ten years ago. I saw the nuckelavee."
The young seathi mare swam defiantly toward the edge of the continental shelf. The days were getting shorter, and the currents colder. It was the time that the kelpies and nixies called autumn, and said that the plants on the land turned interesting colors before they died. It seemed silly, for plants to just up and die just because it got cold for a few moons every year, but those kelpies and nixies who'd seen it seemed to take it as the perfect time to dive beneath the waves and live in the sea with the seathi and mer.
Her parents didn't know she was out, but her friends certainly did, and they waited for her, giggling, by an outcropping of rock at the cliff's edge.
"Did your parents see ye?"
"O' course no'. They would hae stopped me!"
"Shall we gae?"
The young mares, a mixed bag of nixies, kelpies, seathi and mer, drifted over the edge, gazing down into the depths, darker than any midnight. An icy current ripped up, briefly, and they shivered.
"Last one tae the beginning o' the pressure is a sea slug!" the seathi mare cried, dashing down.
Her friends called out and charged after her.
The canyon was quite deep and dark, with a squeezing pressure. Far below flickered the eerie will-o'-the-wisp glow of angler fish, with huge, dead eyes, and ungainly jaws filled with countless needle-like teeth, their light punctured briefly before it vanished by their blind and innocent prey. Or rather, there should be. Tonight, there were no flickers of witch-light. Just one burning red light, far below, like a malignant eye.
Behind her, the seathi mare heard her friends pause. "This seems...off," one nixie said. "Where are the angler fish?"
"Maybe they're just sleeping. Is it really sae bad tae no' see the wee beasties?" the seathi mare asked.
"Is it me, or is the light getting bigger?" a mer asked, nervously.
"That doesnae seem possible," the seathi replied as she turned back toward the red light.
It was getting bigger. It was getting bigger far too fast. The young mares screamed and scattered toward the canyon walls.
And the full moon broke through the clouds above the waves.
Seated in a roiling, boiling mass of shadows rested a single burning red eye. The midnight morass resolved itself into bleached bones, a two-legger fused to the spine of a tortuously mutated kelpie, massive in proportions. The skull of the two-legger was too big, bouncing like it was about to fall off and crash to the seafloor, like a macabre boulder. Long arms trailed behind like streamers, and the kelpie's mandibles were filled with shark teeth. Where its hooves should be were malformed fins.
As it rose past them, the shadows spun themselves out into organs and muscles and blood vessels, black fluid pulsating furiously in creamy veins under the cold and pitiless moon.
It floated above the reef, single red eye glaring balefully as it blotted out the moon. No skin or hair formed over the creature, whose outlined pulsed so intensely with each beat of the two hearts that one could hear the susurrus of blood.
It regarded the surroundings, and seemed to smile its shark-toothed grin. The monstrous maw opened, exhaling a mass of oily bubbles, dark and opalescent, before it turned, and exploded out of the waters.
Below where it had been, polyps withered on the coral, bleaching white as bone. The clams of unborn Soquili foals faded, too, and parents who broke them open pulled only the blackened remains of their children from the wreckage. A keening wail rose, as parents with older foals watched their sweet children cough amid the oily bubbles, struggling to breathe.
It would be a few more months before the creature vanished again into the abyss, and it left the local seas a bone-white and oil-black ruin in its wake.
They never saw their foals again.
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Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2017 2:17 pm
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: Artymus
Preference List: Deep Sea Kelpie, Skeletal Koi, Shiro Utsuri Koi, Dark Water Jellyfish, Blood Ghost Seathi
Entry:
We'd been sailing for weeks. We were destined for The New World, but things were looking bleak. People had begun getting sick, whatever plagued them quickly spreading to the others, infecting nearly all of our passengers. Most, if not all of our ship's crew had been keeping above decks, so almost all had avoided catching it, save an unlucky few. We were quickly running out of food, at least of the things that hadn't gone rancid, or molded. We hadn't made landfall in the time our captain said we would, but we still remained hopeful. He'd been a good captain, tried and true, and we trusted him.
We shouldn't have.
Within a week, nearly all of the infected had died. We, the crew, had to help those who were still able-bodied enough to prepare the dead and bury them at sea. Those who had helped quickly became infected themselves, breaking into fevers, their skin turning a sickly pale shade. The captain had told those of us remaining to keep topside, lest we lose too many men and end up with a skeleton crew. Within another few days, the rest had died, including our infected crew members. Our captain, good man that he had been, seemed genuinely sad and concerned at the fate that had befallen our ship. He mourned those who passed, and tried to lift our spirits, those of us who remained, but was often in his own quarters.
I thought he, too, was beginning to fall to this plague, but whenever he returned from his quarters, he looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to take whatever the sea threw at us. We didn't learn until it was much too late that it was he who was doing the throwing.
I had been sleeping in the crow's nest, taking over for poor Charlie who had been stuck in there for a week solid. I hadn't meant to, but the seas had been clear and calm, and I'd allowed myself to be rocked to sleep by the deceptive gentleness. I woke with a start to a strange hissing noise. It wasn't so loud to have been immediately noticable, and there was was a strange cadence to it, like speech. The hissing stopped, and I listened to the waves, believing I'd just imagined it in my sleep-addled state, until I heard the captain's reply, attempting to keep his own voice from being overheard. Normally, he wouldn't have been heard, but with how quiet the sea was that night, I heard all.
"Yes, yes, I know. I will deliver the rest of them within the next few days, and you'll have the number we agreed upon. I might have to just start throwing them overboard, I don't think I'll be able to slip anything in their food like I could the passengers. No one, so far, has found the stash I've kept. Perhaps I can use that, tell them I found extra supply.....yes, yes, that will do."
My eyes widened in horror as I sat, staring at the other side of my small hiding place. He was going to feed us to....what? When the hissing began again, a chill ran up my spine. I didn't want to move, but I wanted to see exactly what our captain was giving us to. I hadn't wanted to believe our luck thus far was anything other than bad, sheer coincidence that so many would take sick. But, I'd just heard him admit that he'd slipping something in the food. He'd purposefully murdered those people to feed this....thing, whatever it was.
I took a few steadying breaths before I slowly sat up and peered over the side of the crow's nest, towards the captain's voice. He was standing on the prow of the ship, and towering above him was something I can only attempt to describe. It was much larger than the ship, I could tell, but it's body was mostly submerged in the water, only it's massive, spade-shaped head sticking out. It's head must have been four times as tall as a man, and twice as wide at the top, tapering down towards what I can only assume was it's mouth. On that head was a number of eyes, perhaps 4 on each side, glowing an eerie crystal blue, and seemingly beady in comparison to the rest of it's massive head. By what little moonlight there was, I watched it blink, it's eyelids closing side to side instead of like a man's. It's skin shone in the moonlight, slick-looking, like an eel, but pale and mottled.
I thought my heart would stop beating, for all the fear I felt right then. I almost jumped clear of the nest when the captain spoke again. "And you'll give me your word? I will never die, be immortal, and will have riches enough to rival even the king?" There was a bit more hissing before I heard something lifting from the water, and saw two of it's limbs lift free of the water and deposit what looked to be an old chest on the deck. He opened it, and a few gold coins clinked onto the wood at his feet.
The sodding b*****d had sold innocent people, women and children, to this monster for a bit of coin, and more time in this gods-forsaken place.
I felt a familiar warmth spread through my chest, a fire of rage for the injustice done to those who had trusted this man to safely deliver them to a new life. I must have made some kind of noise because suddenly, those glowing eyes shifted their attention on me. Every ounce of fire I'd had in my belly was suddenly extinguished as the sense to be afraid came flooding back so quickly, I might as well have been a candle in a hurricane. The captain's attention shifted as well, but from where he was, I knew he couldn't see me, especially in the dark. But this creature could.
Without time to even cry out a warning, one of it's limbs shot out, wrapping itself around the mast right below me, and broke it clean off, sending me into that cold, dark water. I went through my prayers in my head, and hoped it would all be over quickly. The water stirred as the creature submerged itself to come for me. I opened my eyes, and to my surprise, it was just staring at me. Then, I heard it in my mind, clear as a bell.
Join my service, Little One, and I will reward you greatly...
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:36 am
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: Mewsings of An Angel
Preference List: Deep Sea Kelpie, Blood Ghost Seathi, Skeletal Koi, Shiro Utsuri Koi
Entry:
Have you ever heard the story of the "Look" Monster?
It is a tale told to naughty foals who don't go to bed when their mothers tell them to.
You may be wondering: "How can a look be scary?"
Well, it is. For one reason.
The look of the "Look" Monster is unknown. No one knows it's appearance. For those who witness this monster are never seen again.
The "Look" Monster loves to linger just outside where we can see, yet you get the tingling feeling of someone watching you. You can turn whichever way you want but you will not see it.
At least... not until it is too late.
It's favorite time is during the night, when it wanders unseen looking for a sweet foal to pick off for it's daily dinner.
But it does not feed on good little foals who go to sleep. It finds sleeping foals to be an unfair prey.
Oh my. A monster with a brain. That is a terrifying notion.
And yet it exists.
Just on the edge of your vision.
You might be telling yourself, "Why just foals?" Oh but that is an easy one. The "Look" Monster loves their innocent flesh and the crunch of their tiny bones. And the terror. The pure terror that gleams in their looking eyes.
Naughty foals.
Being up when you know you should be asleep. Off in the safe embraces of slumber.
But no.... you're awake. And unable to sit still.
And you're being watched.
Just beyond your wandering gaze.
It waits... you move beyond the comforting confines of your family. And it knows what entices little foals.
It creates an illusion. Fireflies dancing or some little gleam in the grass for little looking eyes to catch their attention.
A little further....
And like a shadow it falls upon it's prey, suffocating darkness that seems to stifle noise.
And gone.
Disappeared.
Nothing to be found.
Prey to the "Look" Monster. An easy dinner.
And so at night, little foals, if you feel like someone watches you, make sure to close your eyes and go to sleep like your mother tells you.
Or you will be the next dinner for the "Look" Monster.
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 5:18 pm
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: Azael_Rose
Preference List: Kelpie, Reroll
Entry:
It wasn't long after her whirlwind romance with a young, handsome stallion that Temperance found herself with foal. At first, the prospect of starting a new family was exciting for her mate. Those feelings quickly dissipated as the pregnancy progressed. Temperance was not the type to sulk though. She plucked up her courage and made the difficult decision to raise the foal on her own. It was a decision she would not regret. From the moment her young son emerged from his basket to his first steps, she was in love.
There was no greater love than that of a mother's and her child's. The two were inseparable. Temperance took great pride in exploring her forest home with her inquisitive colt. Her heart swelled with joy as she watched him bound and chase after the various insects. "I'm gonna get you..." He'd call out as he ran antlers first after a small yellow butterfly.
She smiled as she watched him play. The young colt thankfully resembled his mother. His coat was as white as hers, dappled with silver near his flank and face with the same smudge but his was of a teal hue. That's where the similarities ended; his mane and tail were as white as his father's - very unlike the charcoal colored hair of his mother’s. His small hooves were cloven and deep turquoise, once again resembling his father - even his budding antlers were too.
Sometimes the overly enthusiastic foal would begin to stray farther than she'd like. Her smile faltered. Worry filled the new mother, "Able, that's too far!"
The colt stopped just shy of the dark glen behind him. They hadn't gone out this far before, at least not together, Temperance knew what lay beyond. That portion of the forest seemed to remain dark and cold despite the bright sun shining overhead. The trees were so thick here, that only the tallest seemed to survive, whereas the smaller timber wilted and twisted into brambles. It was not an area that she had visited often...just the once as a foal but that one experience was enough to keep her from ever returning.
As Able trotted to her side, she kept her watchful eyes on the dark spaces between the trees. "That part of the forest is not safe," she told him, "We never go there."
He followed her gaze and gulped nervously before finally nodding, "Yes, Mama."
She shook her head, as if coming out of a trance, then looked down at her foal. She smiled at him but it was a sad smile. "Let's go home, little one."
By the time they reached their home, a small meadow on the forest's outer edge close to the plains, the minor event had been long forgotten. The two quickly fell into routine as they settled in for the night. Able curled his small body in the crook of his mother's side and promptly started snoring. Temperance watched his belly rise and fall with each breath before finally nuzzling the top of his muzzle, right on that silly smudge, and wrapped herself around him.
Something startled her awake, a whisper or noise; she couldn't be sure what it was. It took her a few moments to take in her surroundings, for the night was far darker than normal. She quickly looked down to where Able had been sound asleep only to find him missing. She stood up in alarm and whipped her head searching the glen. He was gone!
"Able! Able!" She called out frantically into the dark night.
There was no answer but her eyes caught a flash of white between the trees. “Able!” She called out again and rushed after him.
She quickly lost sight of him but kept rushing forward anyways, certain in her gut that he was just ahead. She stumbled over rocks and branches, scraping her legs as she ran through the forest, but it was all white noise to the frightened mother. Temperance kept calling out to her son, until finally she thought she heard him reply just ahead… She skidded to a stop, realizing they had reached the dark portion of the forest – the very spot where she had told Able not to go.
That’s when she caught a glimpse of a young foal skipping among the bramble. Temperance’s mind flooded with worry because she knew what lay just beyond, a frigid and fast moving river. She rushed through the dark twisted forest into the tangled bramble. If it had been day, she might have seen the large sticky webs and thorny bushes she had just pushed through. The web was thick and coated her face and neck. She shook her head free just enough so the substance wasn’t covering her eyes. She could feel the dried and dead bits of branches stuck in her mane, but she didn’t care. Her only thought was to catch up with Able before he reached that river. Before…he ended up like her brother…
She could no longer see him. Not even a small flash of white. Her heart started to fill with dread. Her voice was raw from the constant calling, “Able! Able!” Still there was no answer.
The river was just ahead. She could hear the running water, it was loud. There was another sound, a splash. Then there was more splashing, almost as if someone was struggling in its depths. Temperance burst through the last of the dead trees to stop dead in her tracks at the site before her. There in the river, she saw Able, he was struggling to keep his head above the water and his little legs thrashed against the current.
“Able! I’m here, Momma’s here!” She cried as she waded into the river.
The river was much deeper than she remembered, but she was also much bigger and stronger now. She was no longer a small foal unable to swim to her brother. Her hooves left the rocky riverbed and she began to swim out to her son. She glanced back at the river’s edge to gauge how far out she was, when she suddenly felt a tug on her back leg. Instinctively, she kicked out but nothing was there. Her eyes grew wide as the tug suddenly grew stronger. Had she caught herself on a submerged branch or was it something more sinister.
Temperance had to fight to stay above water. She thrashed and kicked out to no avail. Her eyes scanned the water’s edge, searching for her son, but there was no one. She dove below the water, the cold water stinging her eyes as she frantically looked for Able. There was nothing but black. She gasped for air, more frantic now than ever. Where was he? Where could he be?!
Her eyes turned to the shore, as if by instinct. There on the edge of the river stood her son. This time she was certain it was him. She could see his pale coat and mane, and his little antlers. He called out to her but the current made it difficult to hear his words. His eyes were wide with fright, and he appeared ready to jump in after her. Before she could call out to him, to warn him not to follow her, another tug threatened to take her below the water’s surface. She struggled with all her might but whatever held her was stronger. Temperance gave one last kick trying to free herself, but it was useless, her strength was no match for whatever held her in its clutches.
The last thing she saw was her son wading into the cold, black river before she finally succumbed to the icy depths.
Many speculate that it was a river monster that took their lives, while others claim it was the mare’s brother that lured her back. Though both will agree that a ghostly mare and foal can be seen wandering the river’s edge on the darkest of nights…
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 5:30 pm
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: Rein_Carnation
Preference List: Deep Sea Kelpie, Blood Ghost Seathi, Shiro Utsuri Koi, Skeletal Koi, Dark Water Jellyfish
Entry:
"Listen not to those glittering lights that sing sweetly into the night. For those unaware will never survive daylight".
Those words forever sticking with me since I was but a mer filly in the ocean. It was well known the elders would spin tales to keep the youth beneath the waves, yet curiosity always got the best of us yearning to discover the water's surface upon the full moon.
One night a group of us agreed to break the surface and seek the truth of those legends that had haunted us. We wondered what they were, truth or fiction ringing curiosity to a full peak. Waiting till the elders were asleep or preoccupied, five of us met in secret agreeing we'd break the surface near the jagged rocks.
"Alright, we won't stay above the surface too long. Soon as any of you hear something let us know. Remember if we get caught we'll be grounded from the surface for life". Spoke the eldest of the group named Kelpie. The second eldest named Reef nodded, "Agreed. Amarintine, Treasure, and Coral stay close because we'll keep you safe".
The three youngest nodded, a shiver creeping down their spines unintentionally. Amarintine of the three was the only one that spoke, "But, What if it finds us first before we discover it?"
"Kelpie swam over placing a consoling hoof upon Amarintine's shoulder, "When have we ever let you guys down? Seriously, we got your fins. She then swam upward to break the surface knowing the other's were in tow.
Amarintine followed the other's her eyes darting this way and that. Something didn't feel right as an echo cooed in her ears...
"Turn back now"
Shaking her head the young mer broke the surface noting how the water glimmered under the fattened moon. Though the waves were all around them, all five could see each other brilliantly upon the water's surface. That's when we heard the sound like an angel in the night echoing eerily around us. Suddenly, a fog started to settle causing the brilliant glittering light to fade leaving only darkness.
"Hello?" Amarintine called out leaving silence as her only companion. The other four's voices nowhere to be heard. Then the song began again which she started to worry that the other mers were nowhere. Swimming nervously her small tail carried her toward the song that filled her with hope.
"Turn back now. I beg of you"
The young mer looked around noting a flickering light in the distance, "Who are you?" Now she became worried as loneliness crept inward like a plague." The night seemed heavier in the fog leaving her frantic yet afraid to dive inward. She had to locate the others of they would all be grounded for life.
Suddenly, she heard screams one by one in the distance long after the singing had stopped. Distinct, cries of agony she recognized well. Immediately, she closed her eyes swimming toward the cries only to feel her body stopped from moving.
"You can not help them now. Turn back and never come here again".
Frozen in fear, what she saw was only glimmering lights off in the distance upon the jagged rocks. Silhouettes of creatures unknown with sharp teeth feasting upon something the young mer couldn't fathom its identity but knew her friends heeded not the warning. Suddenly, she felt breath upon her neck as something slithery curled around her aquatic form. A lingering scent of decayed fish with a distinct aroma of blood came to mind plauging her senses with deepened fear...
"Now you shall join us young one.. as they have..", this voice sounding much different from the previous one, lingering sinisterly in her mind.
Then she heard the song so sweetly in her ears and knew what had found her. Quickly, twisting her slippery body she pulled forcefully from the monster's embrace stumbling backward with a splash of the water. Grabbing her chance, she dived deep into the depths never to look back the moonlight once again peeking through the waves. One phrase coming to mind...
"Listen not to those glittering lights upon the full moon that sing sweetly into the night. For those unaware will never survive daylight".
The elders had been right all along...
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Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2017 5:33 pm
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I am the shadow on the moon at night!
Username: Lady_Katsaya
Preference List: Deep Sea Kelpie, Blood Ghost Seathi, Skeletal Koi, Shiro Utsuri Koi
Entry: "Please my child. Do not look towards the sea at night. Whatever you do, whatever you hear, you must not look!"
I remember my mother begging me numerous times as a child not to look, to ignore. I had no clue as to why but because of my love for her, I listened. At night, I would shield my ears as a soul chilling wail would fill the air just after sunset, the entire town boarded up for the night. Sometimes I would hear the cries of a lost child, wandering through the town looking for it's mother. We saved one, once. My mother could not keep herself from opening the door a crack and beckoning the child inside. She was small, probably younger than myself and she had pale eyes, blind. After she fed her and laid her down, she sent me to bed as well, the cries of whatever lay in the dark echoing throughout the night. The next morning, my mother returned the child to her family, who gifted her with food and showered her in thanks. But that was a good night. The only good night.
Soon, stories of houses filled with blood and body parts began to fill the town. I would cover my ears as the screams would echo down the road, a family torn asunder by an unknown beast. My mother began to bolt my room door and sit at the edge of my bed with my father's old military rifle. She kept watch, eyes on the door after nailing my blinds down. I asked her once, why did we not move? She just looked at me sadly and said we were cursed. There was no way to escape.
One night, however, things went terribly wrong. As we were locking up, we heard the cry of a child. My mother paused, hands shaking as she debated with herself. Save the lost child or save her own child. Her helping nature won out and she opened the door a crack, expecting a tiny babe in need. But what she saw was no babe. Rows and rows of sharp teeth greeted her, green, putrid slime dripping from the creatures maw. She paled and slammed the door, gripping me by my shirt and flinging me up the stairs and into my room with strength I didn't know her slender form had. The front door splintered as she ran up the steps and grabbed the gun, slamming my door shut and bolting it from the outside, ignoring my pleas for her to join me in supposed safety.
"Mommy! Please, come in with me!" I screamed, scratching at the old wood so hard my hands were bleeding. I needed her in here, with me. "My child... I promised your father I would protect you and I will. I love you." I heard her whisper, the gun cocking as she took aim. The house shuddered as the door splintered again before giving way, that... Thing now inside with her. The first shot made my ears ring harshly, I thought they would burst. Covering them, I huddled against the door to be as close to her as I could as the monster screamed, something breaking. The shot had hit, my mother firing two more rounds. Blinded with pain and rage, the beast leapt up the steps, only to come face to face with the gun, the last shot blowing it's brains out. But it still managed to sink it's poisoned claws into my mother, breaking the door as they both slammed back into it.
I passed out then, waking up as the town's people carried out the body of the beast to burn it as a warning against the others. It had learned what people would give up their safety for and used our compassion against us. My mother was laying there, eyes wide and milky as I stared at her. No tears came as they gently picked her up, cradling her lifeless figure. I became the child of the heroes, my father and mother both giving their lives to protect the town. And as I drove the last of the beast to extinction years later, I knew I would tell my child the same. Never look at the water at night. Lest the monster return and seek our heads once again.
The End.
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