SWC: Bathtub

Tags

Abuse, Avia, Backstory, Bathtub, Daughter, Fear, Haven, Hiding, Mother, Origin, Single Word Challenge, Winny, Winona

Her mother was drinking again. The entire house stunk of alcohol and burnt food. A small part of her heart broke at the familiar stench.

So close. Just a couple more days and the record would have been broken. There was no time to dwell on it though. By the angry tone of voice as pots and pans were thrown around the kitchen, she only had a few moments before that rage was eventually turned onto the only other person in the house.

Clutching her backpack tightly, she all but ran to her bathroom. It was the only safe place in the house. When her mother was this drunk the passage of time was lost on her. If she could make it to the bathroom, she could wait out the rage.

At the end of that rage though, there was either sadness or she passed out. Either way, it was better for her health if she avoided the rage. Anymore bruises and the faculty at the school would start asking questions.

“Winona!” Her heart froze in her chest when her name echoed down the hall. She spared a glance over her shoulder, expecting to see the form of her mother bearing down on her with the closest object to hit her with. “That stupid girl; where did she put that pancake mix?”

The breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding rushed from her lungs. If her mother was sober, she would have remembered they used the last of the pancake mix a couple days ago. But that didn’t matter to the drunken version of her mother; nothing mattered to her except for finding the bottom of all the bottles of alcohol she could get her hands on.

She had to tiptoe through the last of the hallway. It was littered with items that her mother had thrown around this time. She had cleaned it up with the hopes that it would stay clean but that lasted as long as the soberness of her mother did.

There was no door to her bedroom anymore. She slammed it once to get away from one of her mother’s rages and it only took her mother a couple days to take it off and chop it into little pieces. But the bathroom that was connected to her room was the haven. No matter how many times she hid in there, her mother would never take that door away.

It was weird and twisted but even a drunk mother valued the privacy of the bathroom.

Ever since her father had left, she had done all she could to survive the house that her mother controlled. She was the only one in her entire grade that did her homework by flashlight in a bathtub. It had been her system for years now; though the scars that littered her skin proved that it didn’t already work.

To make sure she didn’t give herself away yet, she tucked towels in around the faucet and knobs of the tub. If she dozed off, she wouldn’t accidentally kick one and turn on the water. Once that was done, she pulled a pillow from underneath the sink and made herself comfortable in the porcelain tub. It had been her metaphorical castle since she was a little girl and hadn’t failed her yet.

She had barely managed to open her chemistry book when the dreaded footsteps echoed in her room. It wasn’t uncommon for her mother to tear apart every single room in the house but there was a determination to these steps.

They moved around her room, the angry mumbling was muffled by the door. A short pause was enough for the truth to sink in. Her mother knew it was about time for her to be home, which meant that she hadn’t been drunk that long or wasn’t as drunk as she expected.

“Winona.” She sunk lower in the tub and hid her face in her book. Not today, she wasn’t going to open that door. “I know you’re in there young lady. Get your ass out here.”

“I don’t feel well Mama,” she lied through her teeth, depending on the echo of the bathroom to carry her voice. She couldn’t speak very loud anyway. The power of her voice was terrifying. “You don’t want me to hurl on the carpet again, do you?”

Last time that her mother had gotten her out of the bathroom, she had been sick. The beating that had followed had been bad but it was even worse after she lost her lunch on the carpet.

“What is it this time? The flu?” She hazarded a glance over the edge of the tub and shivered in fear when she saw the shadow beneath the door. Her mother was right there. She was so ready to attack if there was even a chance that the door would open. “Or is it morning sickness? Having you been sleeping around? Are you being a whore?! I will not have a slut in my house!”

“No!” She could feel the tears pricking at her eyes but she couldn’t cry now. If her mother heard then it’d just be another reason for a later beating. A small reminder to herself not to raise her voice and she was able to continue. “I haven’t been doing that at all Mama! I only ate something bad yesterday!”

“So help me, if you’re lying to me Winona Harvey, I will beat you in front of god and everyone.”

“I promise I’m not!”

The silence that followed was a blessing in disguise. It gave her a moment to compose herself before her mother started with something else. She pulled her shirt up to wipe away her tears while she waited with a bated breath.

“Don’t stay in there all night, y’hear! The kitchen is a sty. I expect it clean before you go to bed!”

Though it possibly meant leaving the room before her mother was in a safer state, she knew it would be worse in the morning if she didn’t. A messy kitchen gave her hung over mother plenty of things to grab and throw before she left for school. “Yes Mama.”

_____

I don’t know if any of you remember Winny from Silence is Golden, but this is her again! Only this time, it’s her home life before she was subjected to the torture on Avia.

100 Creatures Challenge-Day 84, Thunderbird

Tags

Creatures, Daily Challenge, Daughter, Death, Family, Folklore, Horned Serpent, Mother, Mythical, Native American, Survival, Thunderbird

The great snakes had descended that morning. They tore into the village with wild abandon, swallowing villagers and destroying their homes. Kanti had followed her mother’s instructions and taken her little brother to hide in the rubble. No harm will come to you. The words rang in her thoughts. They were the last thing her mother had said before running off.

Everyone had thought she had been crazy, that her visions of this day were nothing but dreams. Where were those disbelievers now? Kanti hoped that they had been the first swallowed by the horned serpents.

In the afternoon, the thunder started. After listening to the people of her village scream for hours as the snakes had their fill, Kanti’s old fear of thunder seemed so petty in comparison to the horrors she’d witnessed. Even as the sound became deafening, drowning out the cries of her people and the hissing of the snakes, she did not flinch or cry out. Instead, she cradled her brother close to her and tried to soothe his crying.

Achak had always been a quiet baby but the terror had even struck him. He was crying and Kanti was frantic to calm him before one of the snakes found them. They had been lucky so far but once the snakes ran out of people to eat, they might hear Achak’s cries once the thunder died down.

But the thunder didn’t quiet like it usually did. It continued to drown out all other noises. Achak cried louder in response and Kanti could only wish for her mother’s presence. Plagued by visions as she was, their mother was better with babies than she was.

There was a rustling sound that made her heart stop in her chest. It was the same rustling that had gone around them when the attack first started. But this time it was faster, as if the snakes were moving at high speeds.

Glancing through the broken pieces of wood that had been keeping them hidden, her gaze caught one of the snakes. Others were moving past it, as if fleeing, but that one paused. They stared at each other and Kanti could tell that the snake was debating whether or not to move the wood and get one last meal.

Just as the giant snake moved in her direction, great claws descended from the sky with a boom of thunder and took the snake away. In her shock, she clutched Achak closer to her and put her back to the sturdiest spot of her hiding spot. The sight was so strange but not unfamiliar. In fact, it reminded her of the eagles that would hunt fish and normal snakes in the valley.

Ancient stories did speak of one enemy of the great horned serpents. Since she’d never heard of anyone actually seeing the creature like they’d seen the snakes, she never thought they were actually real. The even booms of thunder made sense now though. Like the beating of a drum, with each flap of giant wings a great boom of thunder echoed in the air.

Reaching up, she pushed aside some of the debris so that she could see the sky. All her work to position broken pieces of wood and animal skins above their head to hide them was blocking any view of the sky. If it was the thunderbirds that were chasing the snakes away, she wanted at least one glimpse.

The legendary birds were just like the eagles that she’d admired before except they were much larger. No bird she’d ever seen before could even compare. The serpents stood no chance against attacks from above, even with the warning sounds of thunder each time the birds flapped their wings.

“We’re saved,” she murmured, looking down into the face of her little brother. He would get to see the changing of the seasons and grow into the warrior that their mother always said he’d be.

Though the constant thunder hurt her ears, she felt that it was safe enough to leave their shelter now. It took time to move the debris with one hand while the other held Achak, just as it had when she was trying to hide them.

When she had a space big enough that she could crawl out with Achak, she paused. While hidden, Kanti had only a little space in order to look out and see what was going on. This was going to be her first look at the entirety of the damage and she feared what she would find. Were there other survivors? Did the serpents destroy everything or were there still homes standing?

Bravery was not her strongest point, it never had been. But without her mother here to be her rock, her stability, she had to try and be that for Achak. With a deep breath, she crawled out of small hiding place.

There was no time to take in all of the damage. Kanti was barely able to stand up straight before one of the thunderbirds was landing before her. Her eyes widened in a mixture of fear and awe as the bird’s wings folded in next to its body. She was frozen to the spot, trying not to shake in the presence of the creature.

An odd movement at the breast of the bird caught her attention. In absolute fascination, Kanti watched as the feathers shifted and changed. As if pushing a great cloak back, tanned arms emerged and shrugged away the feathers as they shrunk into a dress and actual cloak. It settled around the woman’s shoulders gently as she reached up and tipped back her own head.

Only, it wasn’t her head. The bird’s head dropped back like a hood and long black hair tumbled around the tanned shoulders. Even with the feather dress and wild look, she’d always recognize her mother’s features. Relief filled her chest and she ran forward, wrapping her free arm around her mother’s waist and burying her face in the feathers.

Her own mother, one of the legendary thunderbirds, wrapped her arms tightly around both her and her brother. The safety of that hold was enough for her to push away all the questions for now.

Happy tears ran down both of their faces. Kanti allowed her mother to smother her and then her brother with kisses before falling into her warm embrace again.

“I told you that no harm would come to you,” the whisper made Kanti smile and she snuggled closer to her mother as the other birds began to land around them and shift. None of them mattered, nor did the villagers who had believed her mother to be crazy. They were safe and her family was as whole as it was ever going to be.

That was all that mattered.

_______________

Ta da~

Next Creature: Pukwudgie

100 Creatures Challenge–Day 75, Yuki-Onna

Tags

Creatures, Daily Challenge, Daughter, Family, Japanese, Mother, Mythical, Yuki-Onna

Snow had never bothered me. The cold was never as bad as other people made it out to be. In fact, I found it comfortable and familiar.

My traveling companions did not share my ease in the snow.

“Who in their right mind would be living on this mountain?” In the last hour and a half, both Terry and Michael had asked me the same question in at least twelve different ways. Reminding them that I wasn’t paying them to ask me who or why about anything of this trip only worked for the first five minutes.

“Someone important to me.” I kept the answer short and hoped that it would be enough to keep them from asking about it again. They reminded me far too much of my father; gruff, stuck in their ways, and prejudiced. It was because of him that I had to make this trip in the first place.

“Who could be so important that you had to make a trip in the middle of winter?” The judgment in the question was so obvious that I resisted my urge to turn around and push him into the snow.

The wind around us began to pick up, whipping us from side to side and blowing my hat away. One of the guys, Terry I think, caught me when I was blown backwards. It wasn’t natural wind, it felt too deliberate. With each step forward that we managed, it blew us back another four steps.

I paused in my next step as I realized that I recognized this wind. It was the same as from my childhood, one that would blow to keep me away from ledges or things that weren’t safe. It was what I had climbed this damn mountain for.

“Mom?” My words were not much more than a whisper but the winds began to soften. My guides got a reprieve but the wind circled around me, softer and almost loving. It lifted my hair and brushed across my cheeks. Closing my eyes, I smiled at the feeling. It had been far too long since I had felt such open love. My father hadn’t wanted much to do with me after he chased off my mother.

“What the hell?” Michael’s voice nearly broke through the peace I felt but I pushed it aside. His attitude couldn’t break this moment for me, not now.

As if my thoughts conjured her, she was there when I opened my eyes. The winds left me to return to her and I couldn’t help the smile that broke across my face. She was here. It had taken me years but I finally found where she was.

People talk about being frozen in place when they meet someone for the first time in years. That they took a moment to take in the changes of time and all that bologna. I didn’t have that moment. She hadn’t changed a bit since I last saw her.

I was practically flying over the snow and launching myself into her open arms. There were shouts of surprise from the guys but they weren’t important, I had found what I hired them for. They could go back down the mountain for all I cared.

“My little one, my Kukiko.” Her voice was one of the few things that memories hadn’t been able to hold onto. My imagination hadn’t done it justice. The name on the other hand had stayed with me, much to my father’s ire. I even researched it to find out what it meant long before I finally found out what my mother actually was.

As tempted as I was to break down and cry, I held back. Not only was it not a good first re-impression with my mother but I would not do it in front of two men. My arms tightened around her while she ran her fingers through my hair. Black hair and pale skin were the most obvious things that I inherited from her and she seemed as fascinated by it as I was by hers.

“I’m so glad I found you,” I murmured, emotions that I wasn’t ready to face clouding my voice. She was silent but she did draw back to cradle my face with her hands and stared at me. Normally, I would have been weirded out but there was something searching about her gaze that kept me from pulling away.

“You came into it, didn’t you?” Her tone told me that denying it would do me no good and I nodded slowly. For a moment, her lips curved into a proud smile before it faded away again. “Who?”

That was a question I had feared. I hadn’t wanted to remember what I did, what I started doing every time I touched someone, but I searched her out because I couldn’t control the power.

“Father.” The whisper came out before I could stop it. Freezing him solid and watching him crumble to pieces had not been my proudest moment. He may have been abusive and called me a monster when he realized I was the same as my mother, but he was still my father. I hadn’t wanted to kill him.

Understanding softened her gaze and my mother pressed a small kiss to my forehead. “I’m sorry, you needed me and I wasn’t there.”

“He chased you away.” I had to point that out. Even at five years old, I knew that she didn’t leave willingly. Threats and intimidation had been something that he had been very good at.

“We have a lot to talk about, my little one. But first,” Looking up in confusion, I was a bit surprised to see her attention had turned towards the guys I hired to help me up the mountain. Glancing over my shoulder, I realized that they had stuck around. Their expressions were a mix of curiosity and wariness.

It was the same look they had given me up until I mentioned hiring them. But mother was able to make those looks shift to curiosity and wonder as she moved closer to them. I had read up on the old legends of her, now mine as well, kind but I had never actually believed how easily Yuki-Onna could charm a man.

“Thank you both for bringing my daughter to me.” Her smile was infectious but my heart thudded dangerously in my chest as she pressed a kiss to each of their cheeks. I couldn’t even warn them, the idea that she’d do that so openly had shocked me still.

As she walked back towards me, I watched as the two clueless hikers froze over. Their skin tinted blue from where mother had kissed them and turned to ice. Once their entire bodies froze, the ice began to crack and with it, their bodies.

“Mom?” This wasn’t what I had expected, not at all. I wanted to get to know her again and learn how to control the powers that had begun to take over my life, not kill the two guys that had helped me despite their reservations of a snowy mountain.

“I can’t let them take the information back to the humans, our kind are growing rarer as the world warms. This is one of our last strongholds.” She linked her arm through mine and began to head up higher on the mountain. “I loved your father but he couldn’t handle the truth. He didn’t want to believe that you may come into the power and wanted me far away from you. It is his own fault that he died. I have so much to teach you, Kukiko.”

All I could do was follow her along. One glance over my shoulder towards the piles of ice made me wonder. Would I grow to be a woman who could kill so easily, one who belonged in the stories of Yuki-onnas? Or was I going to be able to have a life back among the normal people one day?

__________________

This was difficult for me to write and I have mixed feelings about it. Japanese creatures are fascinating but they aren’t easy to figure out a plot for.

Next Creature: Bakeneko

100 Creatures Challenge–Day 51, Dryad

Tags

Creatures, Daily Challenge, Dryad, Family, Home, Mother, Mythical

Throwing her toys across the room in her frantic search, Kaitlyn ignored just about everything else. Her new friend was hungry and she needed something for her to eat off of. It just wasn’t proper, even in the mind of an eight year old, for a pretty lady to eat off the ground.

Her eyes lit up in triumph when her little fingers curled around the plastic bowl. It was usually reserved for the guest of honor to her tea parties but she figured that she could make an exception for the pretty lady.

Bouncing down the stairs, the odd looks that her siblings and their friends were giving her from their various positions around the room was lost to her. The looks didn’t last for very long anyway before they all returned to their cell phones and conversation.

It was the woman bustling around the kitchen that was her goal. Putting on her most angelic smile, she held up her bowl and tapped on her mom’s leg. If her older sister could get what she wanted with words, then Kaitlyn was determined to do the same.

“Yes honey?” Her mom glanced down and her brow furrowed in confusion. She had been sure that her daughter had grown out of the stage where she needed actual food and water for her tea parties or it wouldn’t be ‘real’. “Dinner will be ready in an hour, can’t you wait?”

“It’s for my friend! She’s really hungry!” Kaitlyn beamed, setting her bowl on the counter like her dad had told her to do. Her parents never liked it when she held things out; they always said that it was ‘impolite to demand things’. Not that she fully understood what that meant but if she got the food she needed, then she’d do it more often.

“Layla has already had her snack for today,” when her mother turned back to chopping vegetables, Kaitlyn’s smile morphed into a frown. Layla the bunny did get her snack but her new friend didn’t like sweets like Layla did, she only wanted fruits.

“It’s not for Layla mommy; it’s for my new friend!” She argued, crossing her arms with a pout. Her older sister only needed to stomp her feet and throw a fit to get what she wanted. Well, sometimes it worked but others, her sister would end up in trouble.

“Oh? And this new friend doesn’t want chocolate chips like Layla?”

“No! She only eats fruits! She says she’ll die if she doesn’t eat something soon!!” Kaitlyn’s frown began to wobble and her eyes watered up as her mom paused again to stare down in shock. Unbeknownst to the distraught girl, her mother was in absolute shock. Her youngest was an avid avoider of anything that wasn’t processed, fruit included, and so this request was especially shocking. None of Kaitlyn’s imaginary friends liked healthy foods either.

With a sigh, she walked over to the fridge and pulled out the package of grapes. Kaitlyn was very adamant about filling the bowl to the point that it was nearly overflowing but since she was finally eating something healthy, she really didn’t argue.

“What is this new friend’s name?” She asked while she carefully moved the bowl to the awaiting her hands of her daughter. “Be careful, you don’t want to spill her dinner.”

“Uhmmm,” Kaitlyn paused, not actually having a name for her newest friend. The pretty lady hadn’t given her a name yet. She did mention that she was a magical creature in dire need of help but Kaitlyn couldn’t remember what exactly she said. “Her name is Drya! She lives in our big tree out back!”

“Oh does she now? Well, you tell her to make sure you’re back inside in time for dinner.”

“I will!” Moving with exaggerated slowness, Kaitlyn carefully made her way outside and towards the oak tree that shaded their yard while her mother held open the door.

“You really should stop encouraging her.” Her eldest leaned against the doorframe and was eyeing her mother with disapproval.

“You had imaginary friends until you were eleven, Maya.” She pointed out as she turned back to finish dinner. “Besides, if it helps her eat something other than chocolate and lunchables, then I don’t care if she says she’s got gremlins asking for dinner.”

Outside, Kaitlyn gently set down the bowl among the roots of the big tree that were facing away from the house. It was the oldest tree on the block, with large sloping branches and a thick trunk. At one point, there had been a tree house that was in the lower branches but after one too many accidents, Kaitlyn’s father had it taken out.

“Drya? I brought you what you asked for; you won’t die now, right?” She settled down in a small hollow that was just perfect for her little frame. For a few moments, nothing happened. The wind didn’t even stir the leaves that were still clinging to the branches.

Then all at once, the bark of the tree seemed to twist and flow like liquid. Kaitlyn’s eyes lit up like the fourth of July as she watched her newest friend emerge from the trunk of the tree. The pretty lady had long green hair and light brown skin; perfect for a lady who lived inside of a tree.

“My name isn’t Drya,” she giggled softly, settling down next to the little girl. Her nimble fingers were already plucking up the grapes a few at a time and plopping them into her mouth. She had gone too long without eating and it was starting to wear down on her and her tree. “My name is Calista.”

“But you said you were a Drya!” Kaitlyn’s brow furrowed in confusion but it quickly melted away into laughter when the tree lady tossed a grape at her. No one in the house would play with her like that; they all wanted to be proper and boring.

“I’m a Dryad. My sisters and brothers all live in trees.” And for the most part, they could take in nourishment from their homes but they did need to eat real food now and again. It was why she asked the little girl to get her some fruit.

“That sounds like fun! Can I see your home?” Calista giggled again as the little girl bounced up in an attempt to get into her tree home. The bark wouldn’t budge for her and she was quick to pat the spot in front of her to get the girl’s mind off of the fact it wouldn’t work.

“Sorry sweetie,” she murmured, running her fingers through Kaitlyn’s hair before slowly braiding it. “I can’t take anyone into my home with me. It’s too small.” A lie but she wanted the child to smile again, not cry.

“But it’s not fair!” Kaitlyn sniffled, kicking the dirt unhappily. All she wanted to do was see Calista’s home.

“I know, but let me tell you a secret.” That got the girl’s mind off of the unfairness well enough. After dragging out many promises for secrecy that Calista knew wouldn’t all be kept, she slowly began to tell Kaitlyn the stories of her kind. It had been so long since she had last spoke to anyone that she didn’t mind that her new companion was only eight years old.

Humans weren’t all bad. Little Kaitlyn was a ray of hope among them for her and others like her. If they could get the young to realize that they weren’t all dangerous, then they wouldn’t have to always cling to their trees for safety.

Kaitlyn beamed up at Calista and settled down so that the dryad could finish braiding her hair but at the same time, she hung onto every word that passed the tree woman’s lips. The little plastic bowl was empty long before Kaitlyn’s mom called her in for dinner but the girl promised to bring her more food in exchange for more stories.

Calista smiled gently as she became one with the oak tree again, listening to the girl and her mother as they disappeared into the house. Her kind wasn’t known for dealing with many humans but so many of her kind had disappeared from the area that there was no other choice for her anymore.

She needed someone to help get her food just as much as Kaitlyn needed a real playmate who didn’t judge her as harshly as her older sisters did.

____________________

Meh

Next creature: Nymph

100 Creatures Challenge–Day 38, Kelpie

Tags

Birthday, Child, Creatures, Daily Challenge, Fantasy, Kelpie, Mother, Mythical, Nymph

Poking her head out of the water, Syllis turned slowly to be sure that the coast was clear. This was far from home and the others would be angry if they found out but she couldn’t deny her little one such a simple wish for his birthday. Besides, a nymph such as she didn’t have much to fear from humans. Not when her first child had been a human and became a king.

On the bank grazed a few of the kelpies. Majestic water horses created just for those of the Laurel by the water god. Their coats shone in varying shades of blues and silvers, meant for blending in seamlessly with the water. It was not unusual for them to choose to graze in the human territories; they did enjoy toying with the mortals.

Moving up towards the kelpies, she paused to hold her hand back out towards the deeper part of the river. “Come sweetheart, it is safe.” When there was no stirring from the water, she shook her head with a small laugh. “I thought you wanted to see the Kelpies for your birthday. You know we don’t have a lot of time Alarn.”

Syllis couldn’t blame the hesitance of her little one as he reached out from the safety of the water. He was still so young that he did not go to the surface without a large group. He didn’t even know that they were in human territory.

His orange locks were the first thing to emerge, followed by the rest of his head. She beamed proudly down at him as he glanced around in much the same way she had done. Her little one was going to be a strong warrior for their group, she just knew it.

As it was, the Kelpies had already noticed their arrival and were inching towards the water. Syllis was glad to have gotten a herd of attention hogs; it meant that Alarn wouldn’t be disappointed today.

Letting him take his time in emerging from the water, she moved up to the bank and reached out to put her hand on the nearest Kelpie’s nose. The beast snorted and nuzzled her. Glancing over her shoulder towards her son, she laughed at the look of wonder and awe on his face. She was hoping that in seeing her petting them, his fear would melt away but it wasn’t quite going as fast as she would have liked.

Reaching up to tweak the ear of another Kelpie, she waited until that one moved closer to whisper in its ear. They were intelligent beings that understood speech but were very fickle about obeying anyone. Syllis knew how to ask and was more than pleased to see the creature prance towards Alarn.

He was so busy watching the other kelpies rough house that he didn’t notice the one that was coming towards him until the animal was towering above him. Syllis watched on as the kelpie blew air in Alarn’s face and moved to ruffle his hair with its mouth.

“Mom! He’s eating my hair!” Alarn tried to push the creature’s head away from his hair and was looking to her for assistance. She just smiled as the game turned to one of chase as her little one darted away. The kelpie chased him in the shallows, nudging him whenever it was close enough and then turning to run while Alarn chased it.

Seeing the smile and having his laughter ring out without restraint was exactly why she had wanted to do this for him. Alarn was the youngest male nymph in their group and already the restrictions that were being placed on him were killing the son she knew. Male nymphs were as much a rarity as it was for a human to live through an encounter with a kelpie.

But no one would be able to tell how deadly these creatures were as they all began to push forward for both her and Alarn’s attention. She kept directing the horses towards her son who was trying his hardest to keep them away from his hair and give them all equal attention.

“They must think you are sweet to want to nibble on you so much.” Syllis scooped him up before he was buried beneath impatient hooves and took him around to each kelpie one by one. Patting down the cowlicks that the kelpies had caused, she reached up to set him on the back of one of the smaller mares. “You must be gentle with her Alarn; she is going to have a baby of her own.”

“Kelpies can have babies too?” He sounded so genuinely confused that she didn’t want to laugh at him. There were times when she wished he didn’t have to grow up to be used as a weapon and a tool for breeding.

“Yes darling, all female creatures have a way of bearing young.” She walked to the side of the silver-blue colored mare as it indulged her son in a little ride. It was growing late as it was and she couldn’t keep him away. The others would want to throw him a birthday party and his father still wanted some time with him as well.

“Mom, how does the baby get inside the kelpie?”

“That my love, is something to ask your father.”

_______________

Getting closer! And yes, this is Alarn from Maura’s post ‘Alarn’s Revenge’. Just at a much much younger age. Even bloodthirsty nymphs were children once too.

Next creature: Puca