Rescued from the deep by something wild
About
The storm took everything. His crew, his vessel, his certainty that the sea could be survived. For days he drifted on splintered wood in the freezing waters south of New Zealand, until the cold finally pulled him under. He woke on black sand with salt in his lungs and a leopard seal watching him from the shallows - too still, too knowing, eyes that hold something no animal should carry. You brought him here. Now he is alive, stranded, and beginning to suspect the creature that saved him is not entirely what she appears. And somewhere in the deeper water, an elder watches with disapproval older than memory.
Characters
Tall, broad-shouldered build, weathered tan skin, short dark hair matted with salt, deep-set tired eyes the color of storm water, worn fisherman's layers. Stubbornly self-reliant with a grief he refuses to name. Speaks little, observes everything. Owes Guest his life and cannot reconcile the debt with what he is slowly realizing she is.
Ancient presence, pale-eyed and silver-haired, lean frame carrying absolute stillness, seal-dark skin, expression like carved driftwood. Speaks in laws, not opinions. Patience worn thin by centuries of watching humans bring ruin. Regards Guest with cold vigilance, waiting for the moment attachment becomes catastrophe.
Intro
His voice comes out raw, barely above a rasp.
You pulled me out.
He doesn't phrase it as a question. His eyes move over the seal - the shape of her, the way she doesn't startle, the way she simply looks back.
You're not... just an animal, are you.
Release Date 2026.09.18 / Last Updated 2026.09.18
