The Kelpie

That one looks particularly delicious.

“No.”

Come now. We haven’t eaten in weeks, you can’t put it off forever.

“I can try.”

Oisin had been arguing with his water horse form for nearly an hour, reluctant to let the beast free. He hid in the swampy foliage of his lake, perched on an outcropping of rock watching three young maidens on the shore. They laughed playfully, sitting on the sand and rocks, chatting merrily as girls do. They had no idea the danger they were in. Did no one speak of the fae anymore in their towns? How could they be so naive as to bask in the rays of sunlight filtering through the trees right beside the lake of a bloodthirsty kelpie.

Let me out. I just want one of them.

The water horse was insistent, but Oisin held him back, resisting the transformation that would ensure death to the unsuspecting women.

“You’ll survive.” He murmured quietly, resting his head against an ash tree, silently begging the girls to leave before it was too late. He couldn’t hold out forever. And he couldn’t deny the desperate need he felt to feed, despite his morals.

It was a cursed existence.

You are pathetic to deny yourself. We are one, and yet you so rarely let me take the lead.

“Because you’re a murderer.” He huffed back. He hated that he could still hear his water horse’s thoughts even when his form was kept concealed.

You read too many human novels. It has corrupted your mind, your very nature.

“My mind is fine thank you.”

He turned his head sharply at the sound of a splash, blood running cold as he saw that one of the maidens had thrown her dress to the side and entered the lake for a swim. Her auburn hair floated around her as she squealed in delight.

No. No no no.

Oisin clutched his head and closed his eyes, willing himself to stay in control. But the water was a part of him, and he could sense the girl swimming about. Her slender limbs propelled her toward him, toward her unsuspecting fate.

Look, you don’t even have to hunt. The prey is coming right to you. Just surrender.

“Shut up.” Oisin growled.

“The water is perfect! Come in!” The girl shouted to her friends on the shore.

Oisin’s eyes flew open in terror. No, that would be too much. He’d never be able to hold back from the temptation. But it was too late as the second girl threw off her corset and jumped in followed closely by the third.

Let me out.

“No.” Oisin choked, starting to slip into the water behind the large boulder. He had to get space in between him and the prey. But it was a small lake, and there was only so far he could swim. As the first girl reached the rock and sat on a small jutting, Oisin slipped below the surface. He could see the girl’s legs still submerged in the water, kicking pleasantly.

The other maidens were swimming toward her, seemingly in no hurry to get anywhere. Oisin gazed at their forms, the curves of their bodies, he couldn’t take his eyes off of them.

Let me out.

The voice inside him was getting harder to ignore. He descended deeper into the water toward the bottom of the lake where it was colder and darker. But his senses still picked up on every movement from the group of girls, every disturbance in the pond he called home. It was too much. His hunger was gnawing at him in every way imaginable and he cursed himself for what he was. A monster, though his water horse form vehemently disagreed.

The water turned murky around him as he kicked up the sediments in the dirt, taking out his frustration on the flora and fauna of his lake. He dislodged plants from their roots and scared fish away with no remorse.

LET ME OUT.

Oisin growled in frustration, bubbles floated up to the surface, sure to be unnoticed by the oblivious girls above. Why couldn’t they just leave? Did they have no survival instincts at all? Taking a swim in a forest of fae… these humans were foolish, senseless, completely insane.

He could feel his water horse growing stronger, a tremor moving through his body. Nothing was going to stop the beast from getting his wishes. The girls would be dragged under, one by one, drowned then swallowed by the kelpie. The viscous teeth would be inescapable and painful and Oisin would be the one to remember their helpless screams and hopeless thrashing.

NO.

No…

no……

His hands began to morph before him, fingers turning to hooves, jaw lengthening and fangs emerging. His hair transformed into a mane, the same silky grey as the rest of his water horse body, the perfect camouflage in his murky lake. A design of nature that he secretly cursed, knowing the women would have no warning of the imminent attack.

The creatures of the lake swam away from his new form, knowing that the kelpie was prone to swallowing anything that moved in this state. Oisin had no control.

Finally…

His water horse laughed in victory, a deep rumbling chuckle that made Oisin feel sick. He was trapped inside the beast, unable to do anything but watch as they ascended, swimming closer to the one girl who was still fully submerged. She was treading water, her bare skin exposed and enticing to the kelpie. He grew nearer, barely visible beneath the surface of the lake and opened his mouth. Rows of sharp teeth awaited the young maiden, her feet just inches away from his waiting maw.

There was no stopping it. Oisin could hear the screams of her companions above as the girl was dragged under. Her desperate attempts to get free. The taste of her blood as his teeth sank in. Her struggles, lasting barely a minute before her lungs filled with water.

Humans… so fragile, they couldn’t even survive long enough to beg. The others might make it to shore. Oisin hoped they would. They would probably never forgive themselves for leaving their friend behind. But their survival depended on it.

The blonde haired girl now becoming his meal was not the first and would not be the last in his cursed existence. Other kelpies like him didn’t care, they took their prey like any animal would. But Oisin had made the mistake of getting to know his victims, investigating the belongings they left behind, reading the books they left on shore never to pick up again. He had a collection of mementos in his den that he went back to fondly.

How he wished he could find another way to survive. But there was none. And the monster within him would not let him die.