[open] don't think twice

[Terin]

T E R I N it’s not the devil at your door its just your shadow on the floor I know near countless kelpies, but as my golden eyes focus on the somewhat blurry form of the black haired mare in the lake, I am instantly sure that she is not one of them. I have seen enough of my siblings to know this stranger is no kin of mine. I rise up slowly, my wide yawn a display of the sharp teeth of my aquatic form. I have no interest in becoming prey, and I do my best to convey that. Even with my eyes weakened by the dry air, I can tell that she is lovely. Lovely enough to lure a fool into the water, I know, and so I make it clear that I’ve no intention of leaving my dry rock, and rise only to my forelegs. I thought I’d seen some signs of nereids in the lake as I swam through, and it seems the dim light and my own weariness had led to me to miss the presence of this kelpie as well. “I’m only passing through,” I say, my tone calm and my expression as neutral as a dragon’s can be. “I’m on my way to the Mountain.” I don’t intend to cause trouble, or to linger in what might be her hunting grounds for longer than necessary. I’ve not gotten nearly enough sleep, but the danger floating in the water ahead of me has flooded my veins with an exhilarating dose of adrenaline. @ Deiti