It was not unusual for Nepeta to find strange things tangled in her nets. To be purrfectly honest as a hunter, she preferred to catch her prey from the woods or water by surprise, than leave it to struggle until she returned. Misery tasted bad, she had learned. This evening, though, Nepeta had been away, and hadn't the time nor patience to swipe at her dinner with a tired hand.
She ambled her way down the rocky crags near the mouth of her cave, that yawned open to face the misty sea. Nepeta employed a series of nets and buoys, which she would snatch with a long hook. She didn't want to get her paws wet, after all. The netting was certainly heavier than her normal haul of small sea kippers. Anything leftover could easily be taken to market, she decided.
With a mighty heft, Nepeta drug her prize ashore, harpoon raised to end the wriggling victim's life quickly and humanely. Instead of a pile of smelly fish, a body rolled across her feet, spilling hair and scales and tentacles after it.
It took some figuring to find which end was up. And frankly, Nepeta had lost her appetite at the twitching, pale tentacles. Squids would never be appetizing to her. The suckers always got caught on the inside of her cheek. Nepeta nudged the shape with her boot, attempting to find an throat to cut. The mass of hair lifted what could be described as a head- and then dainty little hands parted the soaking strands.
The girl yiped, scrambling backwards and instinctively angling herself sideways. If she puffed her dark hair, she would even look bigger. Her lips peeled back in a hiss, which was only met by another, equally angry hiss from the thing- only to be followed by a whimper.
She had read about these! Half-human, half fish. But this thing was certainly not all fish, and not all human or anything else she had seen. She had the parts of a fish at the waist to be sure, but a filmy ruffle along the sides of her tail, which fanned out into a spray of tentacles that twisted and wound. Her skin was a soft pink-grey, mottled with dark fuchsia spots that only deepened darker as she panicked.
Nepeta wasn't sure when she had decided IT was a She, and that she was clearly panicked. The big fat tears were certainly an indicator. It was then that Nepeta noticed the thick lashings of rope around her delicate wrists, biting into the soft, scaly texture of her skin. The creature made the most pitiful keening sounds, a set of fins at her ears pinning back in distress.
Before she had time to think that it wasn't the best idea to approach unknown cryptids, she was knelt at the creature's side to slice open her bindings. She laid still, petrified, her gills expanding to their full breadth and heaving shut.
The rough ropes had done plenty of damage. Dumbly Nepeta turned the wronged limbs in her hands, as if running her calloused fingers over the maid's purpled skin would somehow heal the spots. In a flash of tail and hair, the creature slapped the huntress with her heavy tail and bounded awkwardly back into the cold sea.
"W-wait, come back!" Nepeta leaned over the edge of the rocks.
After a moment, a wet head peered up to her through a ring of bubbles. Nepeta gestured with her wrists, then to her eyes. "Let me see?"
The fishgirl was suspicious- but blew a bubble up at her, and offered one- only one- arm up to her, as regally as a princess offering for her hand to be kissed. Nepeta tugged off one bandana and wrapped it snug around her wrist. The girl was making the most curious sounds now, chirruping curiously, trilling.
"Now don't get caught in my nets again, OK? I don't want to eat you!"
The girl watched for a long time, her eyes wide, knowing and her face crooked in a cheerfully sweet, possibly manic grin. She was still, her hair swaying in the tide like seaweed for a few minutes- allowing Nepeta enough time to mentally sketch her, and all her strange features, and pray someone would believe her.
Another flash of tail and the creature was gone, not even leaving a trail behind for her to track. This was why Nepeta hated hunting fish. The next morning her fellow hunters scoffed as she described her strange catch. Did she grant wishes? Were her bubs huge? Did she sing?
No, she didn't say anything, she just chirped.
Weeks came and went, and as the season changed from fishing to snowshoeing, Nepeta drug her nets ashore so they would not freeze. Wrapped around the buoy was a bright pink bandana, tied in a perfect bow.
FILL: TEAM ERIDAN<3FEFERI<3SOLLUX<3<ERIDAN
She ambled her way down the rocky crags near the mouth of her cave, that yawned open to face the misty sea. Nepeta employed a series of nets and buoys, which she would snatch with a long hook. She didn't want to get her paws wet, after all. The netting was certainly heavier than her normal haul of small sea kippers. Anything leftover could easily be taken to market, she decided.
With a mighty heft, Nepeta drug her prize ashore, harpoon raised to end the wriggling victim's life quickly and humanely. Instead of a pile of smelly fish, a body rolled across her feet, spilling hair and scales and tentacles after it.
It took some figuring to find which end was up. And frankly, Nepeta had lost her appetite at the twitching, pale tentacles. Squids would never be appetizing to her. The suckers always got caught on the inside of her cheek. Nepeta nudged the shape with her boot, attempting to find an throat to cut. The mass of hair lifted what could be described as a head- and then dainty little hands parted the soaking strands.
The girl yiped, scrambling backwards and instinctively angling herself sideways. If she puffed her dark hair, she would even look bigger. Her lips peeled back in a hiss, which was only met by another, equally angry hiss from the thing- only to be followed by a whimper.
She had read about these! Half-human, half fish. But this thing was certainly not all fish, and not all human or anything else she had seen. She had the parts of a fish at the waist to be sure, but a filmy ruffle along the sides of her tail, which fanned out into a spray of tentacles that twisted and wound. Her skin was a soft pink-grey, mottled with dark fuchsia spots that only deepened darker as she panicked.
Nepeta wasn't sure when she had decided IT was a She, and that she was clearly panicked. The big fat tears were certainly an indicator. It was then that Nepeta noticed the thick lashings of rope around her delicate wrists, biting into the soft, scaly texture of her skin. The creature made the most pitiful keening sounds, a set of fins at her ears pinning back in distress.
Before she had time to think that it wasn't the best idea to approach unknown cryptids, she was knelt at the creature's side to slice open her bindings. She laid still, petrified, her gills expanding to their full breadth and heaving shut.
The rough ropes had done plenty of damage. Dumbly Nepeta turned the wronged limbs in her hands, as if running her calloused fingers over the maid's purpled skin would somehow heal the spots. In a flash of tail and hair, the creature slapped the huntress with her heavy tail and bounded awkwardly back into the cold sea.
"W-wait, come back!" Nepeta leaned over the edge of the rocks.
After a moment, a wet head peered up to her through a ring of bubbles. Nepeta gestured with her wrists, then to her eyes. "Let me see?"
The fishgirl was suspicious- but blew a bubble up at her, and offered one- only one- arm up to her, as regally as a princess offering for her hand to be kissed. Nepeta tugged off one bandana and wrapped it snug around her wrist. The girl was making the most curious sounds now, chirruping curiously, trilling.
"Now don't get caught in my nets again, OK? I don't want to eat you!"
The girl watched for a long time, her eyes wide, knowing and her face crooked in a cheerfully sweet, possibly manic grin. She was still, her hair swaying in the tide like seaweed for a few minutes- allowing Nepeta enough time to mentally sketch her, and all her strange features, and pray someone would believe her.
Another flash of tail and the creature was gone, not even leaving a trail behind for her to track. This was why Nepeta hated hunting fish.
The next morning her fellow hunters scoffed as she described her strange catch. Did she grant wishes? Were her bubs huge? Did she sing?
No, she didn't say anything, she just chirped.
Weeks came and went, and as the season changed from fishing to snowshoeing, Nepeta drug her nets ashore so they would not freeze. Wrapped around the buoy was a bright pink bandana, tied in a perfect bow.