In Shallow Seas » Places

         Ember

Breaking the surface with barely a ripple- her bright crimson hair obscured by fog- Ember's pale turquoise eyes peered through the fog, cat-like pupils stretching to let in the maximum amount of light from the fog-shrouded day. The waves had subsided earlier in the evening along with the wind, leaving the surface of the water smooth like a mirror and the large ship stranded. Slowly the slender Siren made her way toward the hull, slicing through the water noiselessly and leaving a trail of tiny v-shaped waves. The deep, grey clouds covering the surface of the ocean covered her approach as she made her way up to the barnacle-encrusted timbers.

Her eyes pierced the viel of the fog easily as she made her way beside the old shipping vessel, all senses open and alert for signs of movement aboard. As she circled the fore of the ship, she stopped to gaze upward at the figurehead carved into the wood. Needle-thin teeth appeared as Ember smiled up at the woman's likeness, worn smooth by a thousand waves and the salt-spray of the open sea. The red-haired sea creature floated closer to the carved wood and reached out to caress the oaken cheek with an icy-cold hand. "Hello gorgeous, it's too bad you're stuck here isn't it," she whispered to the false likeness- her voice a silken melody in the calm waters,"If only I could take you away from your prison."

The sound of footsteps from above had her sinking back into the watery depths until she was completely submerged once more, her teeth bared in a feral-look of surprise. It'd been too long since she'd done this, she'd nearly forgotten what her priority was- the intricate carvings of the figure head distracting her from the rumbling in her stomach. Shaking her long, fiery hair she forced herself to focus once more and rose back to the surface to listen once more for the footsteps. They sounded a bit further away from her on the deck of the ship- carrying eerily in the still, fog-shrouded atmosphere.

Ember began to concentrate then, and slowly the fog around her dissipated- creating a clear corridor between her and the man walking alone on the old ship's deck. Blue eyes gleaming in an unnatural light, the Siren rose out of the water until her whole upper-body was exposed- rivulets of water running down and across her shoulders and breasts as her hair floated in unnaturally dry waves across her bare back. Gently she began to sing, her melodious voice cascading through the fog and directly to the ears of the sailor who'd been unfortunate enough to draw watch while the rest of his mates sat below and drank as they waited for the wind to pick up again. The salt-hardened man stiffened as the music wrapped around him, but slowly began to give in and turned to walk to the side of the ship. When the man appeared above the railing, Ember opened her slender white arms and gazed up at him coquettishly- her eyes daring him to come and have her.

The old sailor's face split into a devilish grin as he gazed at her naked body, but slowly he began to shake his head- as if he was fighting off the effects of her song. Cursing inwardly- she'd waited too long to feed and now her skills had grown weak- the red-haired woman moved a bit closer to the boat, her music growing in intensity as she tried desperately not to lose her meal. Once more the music took hold of him, and the man began to climb onto the wood railing; he paused a moment before jumping over the side and into the still water below. The second he was in the water Ember's song cut off and she grabbed him in her needle-trimmed grip, her red lips opening wide as she surged for him. Sudden, blinding pain seared through her as the man screamed and jabbed an old boot-knife into her shoulder. Rolling in agony for a moment, she hissed and ripped the serrated blade from her skin which tore the hole even bigger and made her leak blood into the calm waters. Instead of stopping her, however, the injury only made her more angry and she dove once more at the man. A few moments later his corpse was floating heavily to the bottom of the ocean with Ember attached to his chest, her arms sunk deep into the cavity as she fed.

Once she had finished with the man, she left him for the other creatures of the deep to feed upon. Slowly Ember traced her way back to her nest on the sea floor- a trail of blood wafting after her in the water. Multiple times she had to stop to lie on the sandy floor, pressing handfuls of kelp against the open wound before spitting in anger and tossing them away. "Damn sailors, don't know when to just die," she spat as she reached her usual rock and collapsed onto the granite surface in pain. At least she had come away with a full belly.