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©2008-2009 *Epiaruna
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Striding confidently to the docks, head held high, Nehana had no time for handouts for beggars. Nehana dodged inbetween passerby in the somewhat congested town, heading straight for her ship. She obtained a large stock of fine jewelry and clothing in the trading sector of the port, and she needed to deliver her precious cargo as soon as possible to get the money she craved. Ignoring the beggars’ earnest cries for a few coins, Nehana averted her eyes and deafened her ears; if she made eye contact, she learned, they would follow her like a starving dog for scraps. She spotted her extravagant ship, her billowing, pristine sails and clean, polished deck putting shame to the local anglers’ boats.

Someone stepped out in front of her, hand extended. Nehana had not a chance to avert her eyes; she made eye contact with the beggar. The beggar was an old woman with ragged clothes, hunched over piteously. Her stringy, white hair had not seen a brush in ages, and her milky eyes suggested she had poor sight. Sniffing in disgust, Nehana coldly replied, “I have no money for beggars—or any sympathy, at that—so do not expect money from me. I live an honest living, old crone, and I don’t want to waste any of it on people too lazy to find a job.”

“ Please,” the woman pleaded, “just a few coins for an old woman? I have worked all of my life, and at my old age, I am not fit to work any—“

”Then you’re out of luck,” Nehana brushed past the old woman arrogantly, resuming her prideful stride.

“A curse be upon you!” the old woman shrieked. “May despair and misfortune fall upon you!”

Shrugging, Nehana did not bother to look behind her. “I’m not a kid that believes in curses,” she snorted loudly.

----

Nehana gave the order to hoist the sails and move out as soon as she stepped on board, wanting to arrive at the island by midnight. Several old men’s bones were aching, and they warned her of a terrible storm before she set off, but she retorted that she did not believe in old wive’s tales.

Several hours after setting off, however, Nehana’s crew noticed that a horrible storm was brewing in front of them. Lighting flashed ominously over the horizon, a slight haze signifying that rain fell heavily. A harsh wind blew, whipping Nehana’s hair in her face.

“Could we just sail back?” Nehana yelled over the loud wind to a sailor.

Swallowing hard, the sailor shook his head gravely. “The wind is blowing it right at us; even if we were to turn back right now, it would still catch up.”

Nehana looked to the direction of the storm, her lips set in a thin line. “Is there nothing more we can do? My cargo will be lost and—“

”Look, lady, the least you need to be worryin’ about is that cargo of yours. We could very well lose our lives out here!” the sailor exclaimed. He was called over to tie down parts of the ship; Nehana’s heart pounded, but she tried her best not to show it.

Her cargo was precious, yes, but her life was invaluable. She retreated to below decks, not bothering to help the crew in their panic. Locking herself in her quarters, she curled into a ball underneath her bed sheets, hearing the rain pound against the ship. Shouts were heard above her; Nehana tried her best to attempt sleeping, but the panic-stricken sailors continued to yell and shout. Finally giving up, Nehana threw her sheets to the floor, noticing that the hardwood was a little wet. Frowning, she opened her door—and found that half of the ship was taking water. Jaw dropping, she ran to check on her cargo in the back room. Much to her dismay, it was ruined. Pieces of cloth were half-submerged and her jewelry was not supposed to be soaked in seawater. Screaming in anger, she stormed to the main deck and began shouting obscenities to anyone who would listen. Nehana prided herself on never losing any cargo; now, she was certain the jewelry would rust and the fabric would become mildew-ridden. Her pride injured, she stormed to the captain of the ship. He was preoccupied with the madly spinning steering wheel, trying his best to gain control of his boat. Large waves crested over the deck and crashed with a terrible force, knocking several sailors’ feet from under them.

“Just what do you think—“ she started, but found herself unable to finish her sentence. A large wave—larger than any of the crew had witnessed—overcame the ship, pushing it on its side and into the depths of the unforgiving ocean.

---

When Nehana stirred, she could scarcely remember what happened. She knew that her body ached all over—that was for certain—and that her throat was very dry. After laying motionless for several moments, she cracked one of her eyes open.

The bright sun greeted her (perhaps too bright, for the moment), and the waves lapped at her ankles. A tranquil sky stretched above her, and not a trace of the dark grey storm clouds remained. Several seagulls floated in the fair sea winds, unaware of the terrible incident at sea hours earlier. The sand she was laying on was still slightly wet; she closed her eyes again, trying to gain her wits.

After several moments, she opened her eyes once more and attempted to rise. Nehana flipped herself over, supporting herself on her elbows, then her knees. Finally, she staggered to her feet, finding that her precious, expensive boots fell off in the storm.

She looked herself over, finding that the rest of her designer clothes were completely ruined. However, she still had her life, and that meant a bit more to her than her clothes. She scanned the shore for any signs of human activity—footprints, even—but the only signs of life on the winding shore were sandpipers and the occasional crab. She noticed that several wooden planks and fabric washed ashore in the distance, as well as next to her. Other sea life washed ashore, as well, from the wrath of the storm. Several shriveled starfish littered the shore, the seagulls picking at them. Pale jellyfish were strewn on the sand, becoming cloudy as the sun dried their transparent bodies out.

Nehana did not like what she saw. Either the sailors had walked off without her, they did not survive, or they were on another island. Panic and desperation gripped her—she had never “roughed it”, let alone be on an island she was unfamiliar with. Nehana was raised in a wealthy merchant’s family, and never went a day without food or shelter. Nehana decided to walk down the beach to see if anyone lived on the island, half of her mind preoccupied with her fate, should no one occupy the island.

A shining object caught her eye as she walked; scooping it up, she thought it was originally a piece of jewelry from her cargo. Sadly, it was just a large, brightly-colored fish scale.

Scoffing, Nehana dropped the scale, only to find that it was somehow stuck to her hand. She was going to pick it up with her other hand to throw it, but it sank underneath her skin. Shocked, Nehana did not know what to think.

A terrible pain suddenly gripped at her stomach, making her dismiss the strange incident; groaning, Nehana doubled over, clutching at her abdomen with her hand.

“Too much seawater?” she thought to herself, deciding to kneel until the pain disappeared. Yet it continued to beleaguer her, becoming worse. It was a sharp, constant burning in her abdomen; she squeezed her eyes shut in response. When she felt something strange on her stomach, she opened her eyes.

Nehana screamed. Two leg-like protrusions were sticking out of her stomach, flailing about to their own accord. She looked down at her original legs, finding that they were slowly shrinking. She felt her spine rearrange in a strange way, seeming to stretch out to phenomenal lengths. Nehana looked behind her to realize that her body was somehow becoming equine in structure, yet her upper body remained unchanged. Tangerine, fish-like scales were in place of horse hair, and a fish tail replaced the traditional horse tail she was accustomed to seeing on horses.
The strange legs from her abdomen grew, becoming horse-like—besides the lack of hooves, that is. Instead, two fins were in place of the hooves. Strange, circular markings appeared on her growing horse-legs, and if she were concentrating on the horse-body behind her, she would see that they grew on her back, as well. Her original legs were now completely gone, replaced with two large, dark peach fins. Although she could not see it, her hair was slowly turning a dark violet from her roots to the tips of her hair. Three sharp pains were felt on the sides of her neck—the forming of gills—but the acute pain in her ears distracted her more. Nehana clapped her hands to her ears as they split into three small spines, dark peach webbing forming between them. Everything was happening so fast for her, and she was feeling overwhelmed, not to mention terrified. She felt her strange ears, noticing that her hearing was somehow amplified compared to her human ears. Feeling them in a strange curiosity, she noticed that it became harder to stretch her fingers out. Nehana lowered one of her hands and noticed that they were becoming webbed with the same dark peach as her fins. Screaming again in fear, she rolled on her equine side, feeling undignified as her horse-legs flailed instinctively. The water rushed over her new body, and she suddenly felt an urge to get into deeper waters.

“What am I?”, she caught herself thinking, “and what started all of this?”


I haven't made a story for an image in a longggg time, haha.
Lots of errors, I'm sure, but it's kinda late.

Comments


love 0 0 joy 2 2 wow 0 0 mad 0 0 sad 0 0 fear 0 0 neutral 0 0
:iconpinktomato00:
the Comments is so long so i didnt want to read it:P
but that cool:)

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:D my avatar is from angelishi :D
:iconmarjask:
Luverly. Getting better every time! I'd actually say this is one of your best works.
:iconavariciousmoose:
Loooove the composition and the tilt! The form looks very, very good too. I agree that this is definitely one of your best.

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Also Nothing Yet (Gaia, Niko's, random other things), Larxene/larksheen, and Goblin. <3
:iconmastermastel:
WOW! that story was really cool! and yet, the cargo was lost. oh well, she has spmething now. Brilliant Pic and story!

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Has the world ended yet?
:iconmidnight395:
Very nice! The story goes along well. Very nice work here hun. :3

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The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources. - Albert Einstein
:iconlilsocks:
this is so awesome! brilliant job :D i love how youve done the wave in the picture- its so good :D
:iconinchide:
Awesome. I really love the image. The fins instead of hooves is a really nice touch.

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If you like TF, check my fav: [link]
:icondeslacooda:
Wow, I was amazed even before the whole picture loaded up. It's purdy!

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Nurse, I spy Gypsies. Run! :ohnoes:
:iconcoyotesgaze:
This is awesome, and I love the story :D
Makes me want to read more n' stuff :]

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Jesus, lover of my soul.

~DA-Pound
:iconryleah:
SO GREAT!! I LOVE IT!! and the story that accompanies it is just so enthralling!!! ^^ keep it up you're getting better at everything each day! :hug:

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Behind the darkest storm clouds, the sun is still shining
~AmityArt ~Norli-fans ~AnimeLovers ~Lasaro-Lovers ~writersdA
Avatar compliments of ~sprite85 (i.e.--check out her page!)

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January 17, 2008
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