stoic · insecure · disciplined · katana wielder · thieves den · masked · nature lover · owl companion · fisher · mythical encounter
Moonlight caught the pale gleam of his porcelain mask as he stood on the old fishing boat, the sea quiet after days of empty nets. Then the line jerked hard. He hauled back, shoulders straining, and pulled from the dark water not a fish but a shimmering, electric-blue form. The stranger thrashed, fins flaring like antennas, before going still beneath his firm, careful grip. Behind the owl-slit eyes of his mask, his gaze held wide on the living myth laid out before him.