Okay, so Gideon knew something was up, obviously. You'd have to be a moron to not find something odd and unsettling in the corpses which littered the shore. The water had taken on a sickly green tint during the daylight hours, and the creatures left in the wake of the tide were unlike anything he'd ever seen before. Limbs where they did not belong, extra eyes, extra heads. He shuddered. What had caused this terrible curse? He decided he didn't want to think about it in case acknowledging it somehow brought it down upon him. Instead, he'd picked his way along the beach looking for something that seemed reasonably safe to eat. So far, he'd found not one damn thing. Then, the sun had set. He had seen the waters of this beach become illuminated before on several occasions, and it did not typically take his breath away as it once had. He still felt mystified, but somewhat less awestruck. Tonight was an exception. Perhaps it was linked to the strangeness which had overtaken the ocean, and perhaps not. Gideon did not pretend to know the answer, and did not care. He simply sat on the beach and watched the spectacular light show play out. Alongside the typical blues and greens, the waters also blazed orange and violet and magenta. The colors roiled and transformed in rapid succession, bleeding into one another as the waves rolled along. Where the water crashed onto shore it left a brilliant scattering of light and color, seemingly intensified by whatever dark mysteries were at play here. The splashes of color seemed to sink into the sand, linger there long after the water had receded, and glowed with the aftershock of it. Gideon did not know how long he sat there, listening to the crash of the waves and the whistling wind, and the eerie silence of not much else. Gone entirely were the sounds of crying gulls and bussing insects. Gideon shivered, and pretended that he did not mind. "Talk" "You" Think

The night air was crisp and Skia found herself wandering from her cozy den. Amon had finally seemed to come around and she could rest easy knowing each young one in their midst was close to a year. There was also the fact that they were safer with their patriarch among them. Though she knew no mortal would be foolish enough to dare set paw inside the canyon walls. They'd be strung up and Skia could practice one of many torturing methods upon them. Be it taking a toe, their tongue or severing their spinal cord Skia figured she would have fun with it.

She padded on, no pyr to keep her company this night. Nor were any of her cousins about to pester her. It was a good night. Though it ceased whence she padded to the beaches. Along it was corpses and they were cursed to bear such monstrous forms. Her eyes scrutinized the form of a dead gull. It's skin was exposed and where there should have been feathers spikes rose. It's beak contorted at the edges with teeth. Such a monster this was. It was as if the god had cursed this prey for some reason that went over Skia's head. She sniffed at it, extremely cautious and wary of the creature.

She picked up her head then and moved on. There was nothing good to come of questioning the God's handiwork. Her paws moved her, her eyes scanning, catching on a set of prints in the sand. Wolf from the look of them. Something normal at least. She shrugged and decided to move in the direction they had. Perhaps she might find a mortal worthy of her time for the night.

It was minutes before she found the sight of the rusted man. Her eyes caught upon him and she moved closer. Stopping when in the light of the moon, her eyes caught on his markings. Was this what she thought it was? A spirit? No that couldn't of been so easy. Her cousin had never told her how to find one though and she was not about to just label one a spirit willy nilly. She moved closer, darkened limbs coming to a halt as she stood beside him, about five feet away. Her eyes studied him coldly. Her family would laugh at her if she just labeled him one with no proof. But here he sat, along a beach with markings in his rusted colors like the waves of the waters. She said nothing but waited to see if he would say something first.

Walk, "Talk", Think

Perhaps it was simply a night for monstrous things to roam about, Gideon reflected upon noticing the giant woman lurking in his midst. Well, to be fair, first he'd nearly jumped out of his pelt and then he'd reflected but... details. Eyes narrowing in a moment of brief caution he froze and observed her. She seemed keenly interested but not quite threatening. Of course, then she begun to move closer and Gideon decided he did not like that at all. He back peddled two steps before his hind paws squelched onto something slimy and foul. He caught a glimpse of fins and gelatinous growths in the corner of his eye and shuddered. Turning back to what he was forced to perceive as the lesser of two evils, Gideon composed himself. The woman had come to stand not but five feet away, which was far closer than his comfort bubble typically allowed. Then again, when the stranger confronting you was a head and neck taller than you were, he supposed you didn't really make the rules. The beauty of the waterborne display was forgotten as he fumbled for something to say. "Seems a night for unusual things, eh?" He could not help the dry, forced humor that crept into his tone. "The water seems rather... concerning." Perhaps not the best subject to open with, but it was certainly at the forefront of his mind. Well, that and the fact that a monstrously large wolf had decided he was worth a thorough examination. In all, he'd had better nights. "Talk" "You" Think

The man seemed jumpy as soon as he noticed the goddess. She watched, half ammuses as he back peddled into some cursed creature. How amusing she found it that one feared her, just by being in her presence for no more than a minute. The fallen g of would be thrilled with such a thing. His descendent was feared and it was that fear that would lead to respect for her family name. A soft chuckle blew from her lungs, one laugh before she fell into silence again. She was intrigued. Though a problem remained in her mind. Was this mere mortal or was he a spirit?

Only time would tell.

She eyed him with as much curiosity as she dared. He spoke up first. His words brought her ears to pin at first. Had this male the audacity to insult a goddess? Did he not know the true gods will? Did he not know the ferocity of the warrior that stood before him?

He was treading a very fine line with her. One that few ever dared cross. Her eyes warned him with a glare. She did not enjoy being the brunt of his joke. He moved on though and she looked to the water for but a moment before returning those cold eyes to him. "It is not for any to question the will of the god. Though should you wish to incur this curse upon yourself, spirit of the water, I am not one to stop you." her mind was made up when he had spoken of the water's color and fate. He was concerned with that which he was spirit to. The glow of moonlight making his ble seem to shimmer in its light was enough to convince her.

Though the bigger question was how did one deal with a spirit? Did she dare enslave him? Should she try to seduce him? Befriend him? What was the proper course of action to take? One thing was for certain, his status kept her from outright attacking him. She did not wish for gills or scales. "Skia Abraxas, descendent of the true God, warrior goddess if you will. And what do the mortal swine call you dear spirit?" she sat. She was not releasing him until she was certain of what a goddess was to do with a spirit. She didn't even know if he could be captured.

Walk, "Talk", Think

So, from the moment the woman had appeared Gideon knew she was bad news. That was obvious right from the start. His impression of her only continued to worsen as she began to speak. He fought to keep his expression level and calm because, whoo buddy, this was a lot of crazy to deal with this late into the night. And sure, Gideon had met some weirdos in his day and the speckled fae was certainly not the strangest, but just because her screws were not quite as loose as some others did not mean she wasn't a homicidal maniac. That was yet to be determined. This 'will of the gods' thing was kind of concerning as well. Apparently she was a goddess, and apparently he was some sort of spirit in her eyes. Gideon had never been terribly spiritual himself, so while he did not exactly believe her, he decided to take her opinion as the expert's on the matter and not question. That also seemed the best option where keeping his blood inside his body was concerned. She introduced herself as a descendant of a god, and as Skia Abraxas. "Er, Gideon Eden," he mumbled out of reflex. Well, at least he wasn't one of the mortal swine. "And before, I hardly meant to imply that you were one of those unusual things, to clarify," he added in hastily, hoping he might improve her mood. "Only that we're surrounded by mutated carrion. It seems far more unusual in comparison." This woman definitely had a short fuse and was almost certainly insane, which combined meant she was probably rather well suited to ripping him to piece. Best to tread lightly... "Talk" "You" Think

She listened as he stated his name and further added that he hadn't meant to offend her. Good. If he feared the thought of it then this would go well. The problem arose that she was no longer in heat enough to tempt him. Should she remember he lived here or should she capture him and drag him back to be her slave with specific privileges?

She gave a nod. More to herself than him but he likely would perceive it as her nodding to his words. She would capture him. Amon would never believe her otherwise and Pyralis would be jealous. She would amass her own legion this way. But did this man have any skills worthwhile to their cause. It was of little concern at the moment. She had spent almost two whole seasons trying to find a spirit. He obviously was meant for her to have.

He also ranked below her so would he truly fight back too much? Only time could tell.

What would the children of a water spirit and a goddess become though? Asharya and Ashiel both had their fathers powers deep within somewhere but could they wield them? Only time would tell.

"I can think of a few we could terrorize with these corpses. I'm certain my kin would find it amusing that we dump them in some packs lands. Though we could also take this to the canyon and dump them off to frighten some certain children." More over they could frighten Lydia with these she was sure. The mortal scum would look deliciously terrified. Her lips turned in a dark smirk.

Her legs pushed her to stand. One step closer to him then another. If her ran she would be chasing. There would be no outrunning her, not at his size.

Walk, "Talk", Think

Gideon hoped that perhaps the longer he was exposed to this woman, the more at ease he would feel. Unfortunately, his initial apprehension seemed keen to stick around. The woman came closer yet and he forced himself to stay put, instead of retreating like that tiny voice in the back of his mind wanted to. He was in no mood to be terrorized today, no sir. Apparently that was too much to ask for. Luckily, it turned out she was more concerned with terrorizing others. Children, perhaps. He blinked at her, suddenly finding himself fighting the urge to laugh. She was crazy, but if all she wanted was help being crazy, Gideon figured that wasn't quite so bad. "Well, I don't necessarily want to put those in my mouth," he hedged, casting a dubious eye down towards the nearest miserable carcass. His voice was dry, and perhaps a bit too sweet. "So unless you have a better idea, I'll have to politely decline." They certainly were the stuff of nightmares, he wouldn't argue with her there. He enjoyed a good laugh as much as the next brute but unless she was planning on carrying them all herself, well... No thank you. "Talk" "You" Think