#amathan was the one who started out looking for adventure

[find-the-path]

Me: Sooo... who's up for a road trip to Mirkwood?

Amathan: Not it!

Aderthor: Not it!

Areher: Not it!

Me: ?????? you're my main guys! are you deserting me????

Amathan: Lady, we're all home and safe and legally alive for the first time in like. fifteen years. The moment Mordor's done we're all going back to Calembel and you can't stop us.

Me: I guess that's fair, but who's going to Mir---

Lastadron: Sorry I'm late guys! Agarnaith was a blast... Why are you all looking at me?

[nightly1602]

Destiny Pools (ReWritten Want to keep since it’s not half bad. But totally not part of the story anymore)

Owen had always craved the bitter taste of destiny. She had seen her fair share of it take place as it wove its tricky paths around her elder brothers and sister. She had seen the way their shapes were called to a change as the fair folk tittered around them whispering the promises of fortunes and grand futures.

They had always done this for her family.

A favour given due to the heroics of some ancestor.

When Owen Kilroy watched destiny occur it always made the one in her heart, still waiting to blossom, howl in solitude.

The last one was her brother. Only three years older, he had succumbed to his change as naturally as one could in his situation.

“Leader, revolutionary.” The fair folk had chanted. “King!”

It made her antsy. Why would Riell be given such a destiny? Why would a boy of his age be granted a future with so much possibility and...well adventure?

Now that was what got her heart leaping. All Owen ever wanted was an adventure. To feel the wind in her amber hair, to feel the forest foliage tickle the skin of her gangly limbs as she ran by, to feel the excitement of change and destiny course through her veins and alight her sea-grey eyes. She wanted to hear the fae whisper stories of grand tales forged by her own hands.

Would she slay beasts? Would she scale mountains untouchable by humans? Would she stare death in the eyes and invite it for afternoon tea? Would she win battles that were outnumbered and without her favour?

What destiny would lie upon her?

“It will happen. Patience is a virtue, chrigh.” Her father would murmur as he would watch his children succumb to their destinies. He could see the want in her eyes. He could see her starvation to just be.

His thick Scottish accent would barrel itself into her ears, but she would never make a full understanding as she would watch her siblings.

The day Owen Kilroy first made her acquaintance with destiny, she was only days away from her change.

Her father could sense it. He could see the pacing, the agitation, the curling crisp movement as bone and sinew snapped and rearranged itself.

“Let’s go to the pools.” He had grumbled.

“Farris?!” Her mother snarled. “Ye ken it? They’ll tear her to bits!”

“Cara dinna fash! She’ll be fine. She’s a Kilroy through and through, they daren’t touch a hair in harm.” He snapped. “It’ll ease her. She is having difficulties.” He had whispered into his wife’s ear.

Owen had bristled. Her teeth clenched in a show of baring anger. “I am not having difficulties.”

Cara and Farris both looked to their haggard daughter. She had grown almost two inches in the past month. Her slight frame shook against the shivers of change. It would be soon, they both knew it.

“Don’t be reckless,” Cara warned heavily to her daughter who nodded.

“Aye.” Farris breathed. He clapped a massive hand on to Owen’s shoulder. “Hurry lass, the quicker we get there the better our chances.”

The pools were full to the brim as seawater crashed into the cliff overhang. Soon the tide would be able to hide the rocky openings to these grande underwater caverns. In the local mythos, the pools were where heroes had begun their journeys. It was said that they were the openings to what the sidhe called home. The ones who were either stupid enough or knowing enough only went to the pools when in need of guidance or dire situations. Those like the Kilroys used it for other purposes.

Tonight they would be used for relief.

For the dwellers of the pools, relief was far from the evening’s agenda.

“I’m not going in.” Owen had growled, clutching her abdomen as a sharp pain stabbed its way into her gut. “I can handle another day. I know I’m close Athair.”

“Go in.” He commanded sternly. “Or I’ll drag ye myself and hold you down into the waters until you pass unconscious.” He brought a cigarette to his lips, cupping his hands protectively around it as he lit the end. Smoke curled around him. “Make a decision, lass.”

Water sprayed as angry waves crashed into the rock face. Some of it rolled near her bare ankles as she watched the pool in front of her. It called to her with a pulse. It was then that the melody came it’s way into her sensitive ears. It was a soft harmony that kept in tune with the note of the sea. It urged her making her bare feet twitch in anticipation.

Come forward, pup it whispered to her. Come to our depths. Come to our lair.

She closed her eyes as she rolled up her pant legs. She discarded her heavy canvas jacket and her gray woollen sweater. She rolled the sleeves of her knit black long sleeved t-shirt as she kept eye contact with the pool.

“Resist the urge to stay too long, pup.” Her father warned as he gathered her discarded clothing. “Their calls will likely try to drown you, however, you’ll feel better once you accept it, just don’t clutch it too long. Their magic is dangerous.”

“Aye, athair. Just have my sweater close by. It’s going to be a shivering sight when I come back.” She spat back. “Amathan cac, why in the names am I doing this?” She scoffed to herself.

Traditions were an important thing within the Kilroy family and this was what pushed her onward as she pinched her nose and lept into the dark abyss of the tidal pool.

The coasts of the western Scottish isles have chilling seas. But this was a chill that Owen had never felt before in her entire short life. She had dove straight into the depths. Her body lay suspended where she could not see anything of the evening sky above her or the bottom of the sea cavern below her. Air bubbles loosened themselves from her lips as the cold struck her chest. The feeling of the change had lost itself within the frigid waters. The cavern had been created thousands of year ago with granite and lava stone leaving the pool to also take on pitch darkness. She tried to reach out to catch the sides of the cavern but her fingers could not find the rough bits of rock.

When she felt her lungs burn, she started to hear the movement of water below her. It wasn’t water per say, but the sound of something moving in the water. It wasn’t until she heard the melodic sound of underwater singing that Owen knew she had stayed too long.

She could feel jaws grab at her feet and bottom of her shirt. She tried to swim away from the drag, tried to grab any type of rock face around her to grab a grip, but her luckless self-was surely in play.

She tried to kick at the grips of her draggers when she came face to face with the creature.

It was the most elegant fea she had ever seen. She was familiar with many kinds, had even witnessed wood nymphs dancing during Samhain, but the Sidhe before her was something extraordinary.

It was a creature of feminine features. Its cheekbones were sharper than the rock faces surrounding the cliffs. It had the palest skin that almost seemed like translucent water. Its long brown hair flowed around its floating shape. Its jet black eyes bore into the awed hues of Owen. It wore a sheer white coat that clung to its slim build. Seals surrounded the two figures in the pool, their powerful tails maneuvering to the push and pull of the current in the cavern.

Owen Kilroy, The creature sighed within her mind.  I have been waiting for your arrival.

The creature’s hands cupped Owen’s jaw and drew itself closer to her person. They were chest to chest as the seals around them scattered into different paths. The creature drew closer, her lips faintly touching the teenage girl’s cheeks. Owen’s hands went to the creature’s waist, holding it steady in a daring fashion as she stared it dead in the eyes.

The creature stroked Owen’s fiery hair away to flow around her like that of the creature.

It has been a while since a wolf has come to my pools.  The creature chuckled.  I am Nia the Selkie whose territory you have entered.

The melody in Owen’s ears grew stronger and more enticing as it wound its way around her body. She hadn’t realized that the song belonged to Nia as the selkie pressed its blue-tinted lips against her jawline. She hadn’t realized she was being dragged down until those lips connected with hers.

Your shift is near. Nia purred into her mind as it hungrily kissed Owen. You will be so respected among your peers. Your strength screams immeasurable ability. You will be the downfall and the beginning of your kind. But if only you are cunning enough to escape me, pup. The selkie chuckled as teeth gently clamped around Owen’s lower lip.

The girl could feel her consciousness slipping. She hadn’t realized how long she had been in the pools. Not with the pain of her change gone to remind her of time. Not with the blackness of the pool.

Time simply did not exist when she was numb and hypnotized by the intriguing creature and its song.

Your brother was almost my new mate. The selkie sang. He almost gave me my coat until he recognized the signs of my kind. What a gentle soul. If you survive this trial you should bring him back to me, pup. Maybe you can be my new mate.

The kiss became more frantic and hungry once Owen felt the slipperiness of algae and rock at the bottoms of her feet. Seaweed wrapped itself around her ankles and midsection. Panic was long gone as her fingers dug deeply into the waist of the purring selkie. The song was now deafening as it wove its way into her mind blinding her to the fact that she was being kept stationary from the currents and from escape to the clutching weeds.

Darkness came ever closer as the last air bubbles escaped her lips. She began to move limply as the currents battered her body more roughly.

A little while longer, pup. The selkie sighed as it broke the kiss. It’s webbed thumbs drew long circles into her cheeks as it watched her eyes begin to slowly close.

A rush of water made the selkie hiss in fear.

Owen blinked slowly as the selkie disappeared, leaving her floating amongst the weeds.The song was no longer screaming in her ears but now a distant whisper.

She clung to the last millimetre of her mind as she looked to the disturbance that caused the selkie to flee.

If Owen hadn’t paid attention to the stories of her father, she would have been extremely confused as to why a dark horse was now swimming to her.

With the last bit of consciousness she had, she gave a great grin. She had succeeded in her mission. Then blackness took over her as the water horse swam closer.

She awoke to the smell of brine and decaying seaweed. She coughed up seawater as she rolled onto her stomach. Her clothing clung to her frame reminding her of how cold the waters were.

“Ah finally.” A calm voice breathed. “The young pup awakens. You Kilroys really need to come up with better family traditions. One of these days one of us is going to get lazy and leave you to the mercy of the selkies.” The womanish figure chuckled. “Aye, I guess you get to ensure if you have the fae blessing, but I mean it is quite risky. One of these days it will run out.”

Owen coughed again before she rose with a cocksure grin. “My athair says never to thank your kind, but I must say I do appreciate your services. I was sure I was a goner. The selkie was quite the songstress.”

“Aye, they didn’t go easy on ye, Owen Kilroy.” The woman rose an eyebrow at the teenager. She was sitting cross-legged on to the rocky shore. She was a burly woman with wide-set shoulders. Her wavy green hair gathered near her shoulder blades. Seaweed covered her dark mud tinted skin. Her yellow eyes focused on the drenched teenager with a serious curiosity. A crown of starfish and coral lay upon her head.

“I should probably be giving you a bit more respect than I am giving currently, right, my majesty?” Owen bowed her head. “I’m surprised to be granted the blessing by the Queen of the Ao Sidhe herself.”

“There is a reason for that, pup. You and I share a path. I will be needing your services and I thought it best to introduce myself now before other paths begin.” She explained.

“What kind of services?” Owen rested a hand on her hip as the other pushed her salt-soaked hair out from her eyes.

“You will be my personal champion. I will call upon you and you will do as ordered. Two queens working for the same goal. We will have the fate of our species on our shoulders. We must have an allyship.”

“Two queens?” Owen asked perplexed. “I don’t mean to be rude, your majesty, but I’m no queen. Aye, I do have power trips at times, but a queen? To who? As far as I know, my kind don’t quite enjoy having a monarchy. In fact, if my father has the right history texts I’m sure my kind tore apart the last monarch. To be honest my species are at peace. Why claim something I don’t truly want?”

“As I’ve said, pup, our paths are crossed, and you are destined to lead your species forward. Your brother Riell will help bring a pack together and they will follow you. But for now, to ensure our survival we must work together. We have quite the dangers ahead of us. Now we don’t have much time left. Your change will be in a few short days. We will talk again once you have finished your ritual.”

“Wait, I have so many questions!” Owen exclaimed.

“In due time. First, you must awake and survive the selkie. You are close to drowning.” The queen explained.

“Wait, what?”

Before Owen could get a reply, her eyes flashed open once again. Her chest felt heavy as she broke from unconsciousness. Seals circled her as their songs meandered there way into her eardrums. Their beautiful white seal skins almost looked like nimbus clouds in a dark night sky.

Owen gave a quick turn about to ensure her surroundings before she began her ascent. The seals followed her. The nipped at her exposed skin. One dug its teeth straight into her exposed hip bones. She ignored them as she swam upward, kicking her legs to propel her forward.

She breached the service, clawing at the rocky opening. She gave a great gasp of air as she pulled herself up. A seal grabbed at the bottom of her pant leg trying to drag her back, but she kicked it off, snapping her heel into its snout.

She exited the pool, heaving her chest as she caught her breath. Her father rushed to her wrapping a towel around her body as she rested on her hands and knees.

The kelpies continued their songs, trying to coax her back into the pool.

“Who came to you?” He asked curiously, rubbing circles on her back.

“We need a family meeting.” Owen coughed, ignoring her father. “We need to prepare.”

They stared at each other, their grey eyes focused in an unspoken conversation.

“Get me out of here. They are becoming too tempting, Athair.” Owen complained closing her eyes in concentration. “We can talk on the way home, just get me the hells out of here.”