Her head dropped to the grass she'd been cropping, a quick meal before she set out searching again. The whole isle was on alert now, and she had to keep up her strength. The salt stained hair of her coat was as pale as the scales that usually covered her, if far from lustrous. She was tired, very tired, and this bit of salty grass was the first thing she'd eaten since morning yesterday.
Her ears rotated constantly as she ate, filtering through the crash of the waves and the cries of the birds in hopes of catching her children's voices. The parrots chattered endlessly though, screaming and screeching for all they were worth, and the seamare wished she could scream with them. Maybe later. Maybe when she could breath again, she would scream.
When her head shot up to catch the sound of footsteps approaching, her heart leapt into her throat. Was it her children? Was it someone else with news? She took an eager step towards them until the antlers and the head holding them emerged from the bend in the beach. Her heart, which had risen so soon, plummeted beneath her gut with a sickening lurch.
"Warbird,"
A hysterical laugh forced its way past her throat, only to be cut off sharply. Of all the times he could have chosen to show up, now was surely the worst. Now, when the twins she'd borne of their one night of acquaintance were missing, and she didn't even know where to begin looking for them. It seemed like a sick joke, something the fairies in old stories would have brought about. Try as she might though, the ragged mermare couldn't think of what she might have done to bring on their wrath.
She should say something, she knew. It was rude to just stand here staring at the man. But the sooner she spoke, the sooner he'd ask how she was, and she knew she couldn't lie to him. Not about this. So she let the silence stretch, knowing when it broke so would she.
@[Warbird]