UnMasked Nomad

21

^^ Aileen Doran ^^

— Erin —

I swam swiftly next to Terran, whilst the tiny blue-silver cat that Terran had named 'Minnow' was laying in the hood of his pilfered jacket, carefree and lazy, despite the four-hour swim, even at our superhuman speeds of swimming.

Sofia, -both her human form and the cat version hiding in the shadow realm,- hummed mentally. 'We are being surrounded by four humanoids.'

Terran nodded, stopping swimming. "They're here to guide us in."

I came to a halt next to him, and watched as four Atlanteans surrounded us, then began calmly guiding us into a corral reef, which we'd circled once, already. The corral moved away from them, revealing paths that hadn't been there before, and we were suddenly inside what appeared to be a small village, hidden inside the Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Australia.

"I thought Moray/Sirens didn't live in groups?" I asked Terran quietly.

"We don't. This is a Temple, built by Them Who Came Before; our Ancestors. And today is the Ascension; the Mateless Moray came to find partners." He answered in the same tone, as two women began wrestling, while a man swam above them, eying them with interest.

"Ah... So it's a gathering day that you all appear at? Seems dangerous..." Sofia muttered, voicing my thoughts as well.

"No, most stay away unless they are in Season, or have a connection to the people becoming adults. Each Tribe has its own date for the Ceremony, though only the adults know when all of them are, so they can find mates." He hummed, and stopped swimming as the guards flicked their feet, swimming away and returning to the outskirts.

As we swam forward, an Atlantean man swam towards us curiously, and circled Sofia a few times before holding out a hand. She reached to shake it, and he smiled, kissing her knuckles then speaking Atlantean. She supplied an instant translation to me, and I smirked. "You are quite beautiful... might I ask for a chance at giving you children?"

She raised an eyebrow, and responded kindly. "You seem sincere, and are quite handsome, but I have a lover already, and he becomes a man, today. Perhaps next season."

"My apologies; next season, then." He bowed his head respectfully, though he looked between the three of us curiously, and then swam away, sighing.

"Refreshing to find men who understand and respect being rejected so well." I smiled.

Terran chuckled. "Men are outnumbered here sixteen to one, Erin, even without the Atlantean Guests. He'll find someone else, before the day is over. Now, I need to find-"

I darted in front of him and caught the collar of the woman diving at him, growling harshly. "Back off, woman! He's spoken for."

"Mother!" Terran laughed, swimming around me and hugging the woman tightly. "Sofia, Erin, this is my mother, Aileen!"

I released her collar, and hummed. "Greetings."

She grinned and ruffled his hair, speaking Atlantean. "You have grown so much!!! And you bring two women to your Ascension Day? That may be a record! Oh! And what's this creature?" She poked Minnow.

The lazy cat sat up, yawning pointedly, then swam over to her, laying herself down in the mane of white hair the woman sported above her light brown skin. The hair floated upwards, revealing her face, and the vivid series of four angry scars along the left half, nearly bisecting her eye, though her vision seemed to have retained itself.