Inktober - 13 - Sorrow

"Papa... what is this black, gooey stuff...? It's moving..."

"We call them the Black Waters, son," Lionel answered him. "They covered the lands of Etaliari since the Great Purification, many, many generations ago. Some call them the Tears of the Lonely One."

"His tears?" Artur asked, raising his head to his father. "Why was he sad? Was it just because he was lonely?"

Lionel seemed to hesitate at that part, and only replied in an evasive tone:

"That is a story for another day. Right now, I want you to put this crystal bud right there, with the others."

Artur shivered at the thought while his father handed him the crystal.

"B-but... Those Waters, aren't they gonna eat me like they ate that Dragon?" he asked timidly, to which his father smiled.

"No, Artur, they won't. This Dragon has been laying here for generations. Some think she fell into it by accident. These waters have been perfectly calm for years. It is custom to give them offerings every year, to appease their sorrow."

Artur looked back down at the fallen Dragon, and quietly watched as the Waters pulsed and breathed around it. The young Ikre could feel a certain heaviness in the air, like a deep sadness sitting on his frail shoulders.

"The only times you must be wary of the Waters," his father said, "is when they do move. We call those creatures Zaras'inuk. If they touch you, they will devour you, so keep away from them at all costs. Do you understand?"

Artur looked up at his father in shock, then lowered his eyes to his fake arm; he pointed his beak to it.

"Is that what took your hand, papa?"

All Lionel did, was nod his head.

"Have no fear, Artur," the Patriarch smiled down at him. "I was young and daring when I lost my arm to that Zara. As they are now, the Waters are not dangerous. Just be careful not to touch them."

Artur turned back to the Waters. They did seem calm... Quietly, he stepped forward, toward the rest of the offerings laying before the great Dragon skull, and gently put the crystal bud down.

A bit of a longer story for this one, eh? The Black Waters are a very important part of the world of Etaliari, but yet I've barely drawn them at all in any form recently. Basically, the Black Waters, or the Tears, can be found just about anywhere on Etaliari, even down in the Great Sea or on the highest mountain. They remain idle for millenia, and generally mark a territory that no one will ever approach because of how dangerous they are. If one touches the Waters, they will grab at this person and literally suck the life out of them, poisoning them and eating them from the inside. It's quite a gruesome death, and the only way to save oneself from being eaten, is to cut off the poisoned limb. With luck and proper care, the poisoned person will survive, although who knows what limb they would have lost...