Steem Monsters Common Card Fantasy Story Contest! // Week 17 - Spineback Turtle

Took me a while to figure what kind of story to tell, but finally came up with it! So here goes my entry to this week's card, the spineback turtle!

Flavour text:

Sharp beak, strong tail, razorblade spines... we can reach over a ton, and swim faster than you. Still think we are harmless creatures?

The beach of the damned

I felt different this time, as I was approaching the beach, far from the happy, relaxed feeling I had every time I made this trip. Strange as it was, since it was my birthplace, and since my 10th moon year, I came back religiously to lay my clutch, for the last 62 years.

True, things were changing. The tales of the prophecy were being heard more often than not, as were the rumours of an evil spreading through the splinters, misterious disappearances, wild beasts, the doom day and the such. I disregarded them as gossips, but couldn't stop thinking if at least some of the constant rambling could have a little bit of truth. After all, being most of the life underwater does make us somewhat oblivious to what's happening in the surface; maybe that was what was changing my mood today!

As I grew closer to the shore, I couldn't shake the restlessness feeling. The beach seemed deserted, as it was supposed. The shipwreck was there as well, the huge pirate ship that crashed dozens of years ago against the rocks and the sand. I stood very close ashore for several minutes, only the eyes above water, trying to find some hidden danger, but nothing. Yet, something was off and I couldn't tell why.
I started my way slowly to the sand, onto the higher sand banks where I would lay, but after walking only half a dozen meters I finally realized what it was.

The silence.

I couldn't hear any of the jungle noises. Nothing. The buzzing of the insects, the small crabs feeding in the sand... there was nothing of it. Strange, loud silence.

I stood there, while thinking if I should proceed to the dry sand, or back in the water. The years do teach us that we should trust our instincts, and every nerve of my body was telling me to rush to the safety of the seas! But before I could make up my mind, something I never felt before happened: my spines started tingling! All of them!

It wasn't pain, just a strange tingling sensation, from the base up to the very tip. I stood very quiet, while the tingling started to get stronger... and stronger....

Up ahead, the foliage parted. And as our eye met, the tingling stopped.

The huge wolf was looking straight as me, the huge spines in his back reflecting the moonlight. They almost looked exactly like mines! Could he be feeling the same way?
I couldn't tell if it was a friend or a foe. He was expressionless, his eyes locked in mine, but no muscle of his body even twitched, after he left the foliage, onto the beach.

But he wasn't alone. I heard a sharp, old voice coming from behind him.

"So you thought you were the only one with spines, did you?"

Moments later, what seemed an old men, covered in a dark cloak, joined the wolf. He held a strange cane in his right hand, and strange rags hung from his arms. But that time, I was certain he wasn't a friend. There was evil in his yellow eyes, a malicious grin when he spoke again.

"We weren't expecting to find anyone on the beach. Strange as it may seem, spineback animals are connected by forces too old for you to understand, and you can both feel each other presences when near. In this case... how unfortunately for you."

"You're in Azmare Islands, stranger, and these beaches are sacred!" I said, “Leave, while you can!”

"Ahahahah Leave? No... I am right where I wanted! I came to pick up some old friends... maybe you care to meet them... I'm sure they haven't tasted turtle for a while now!"

The laughing continued as he raised the left arm, and mumbled a few strange words.

What kind of madman is this? I tought.

But soon enough I found the answer.

Near me, the sand started to shake. And suddenly, an arm! And a few moments later, a head followed, part bone, part rotten flesh, the decayed body twitching as it made his way off the sand. A quick look around, and 6 more bodies appeared, making their way from the dephts of the beach, while the laughs of the madman seemed to grow in intensity, echoing in the now not-so-deserted beach.

A necromancer! This was his doing!

To the left, a cracking sound, as some wood of the shipwreck fell off, a fleshless arm stretching to the opening.

The dead pirates were coming back to life!

I knew I had to get to the water; the long tail could deliver a nasty blow, and I was sure those corpses would be no match for my strong beak and jaws, but there were already too many of them; some almost completely free from the sand, leaning torwards me.

Could I do those tiny meters that separated me from water withouth getting caught? The wolf could surely move fast, but he stood close to the necromancer, without taking his eyes off me.
I challenged his look one last time... and darted to the water.

Two corpses had emerged in the shoreline, still waist deep in the sand. One of them reached his arm, but a quick snap and i severed half of it as i passed him and entered the water, still too shallow to swim.

I could hear steps in the water, but didn't stopped to look back. All around, I could see the corpses rising.

Suddenly, I felt a hand grappling the tip of my tail; one of the corpses had reached me! But a sharp swing of the tail and the grip was lost, as his hand separated from the body.

And then, the sand sunk a little bit... and freedom! I could swim!

I swam for a few meters as fast as I could before venturing to look back, and my heart sunk as I looked at the beach.
Dozens of corpses stood at the beach, and more in the water, the ones that chased me. The man and the wolf stood there as well, everyone facing the water.
I heard a loud mocking voice:

“Farewell, sea creature! We'll meet again... sooner than you think!”

One of the corpses didn't seem to stop the pursuit, a few meters in front of the others, still dragging himself torwards me.

And then, and idea crossed my mind.

I swam to him, and when i got near and he tried to reach me, I avoided it and swung my tail, lashing at his legs and making him fall face down on the water. Two quick snaps and both his arms were gone. And before any other corpse got near, I clenched my beak in his back, as he twitched helplessly, and turned to face to vast sea and swam, deeper and deeper, free from danger.

I had to bring proof, or no one would take me serious. The giants had to be warned, for the prophecy seemed more real now than ever .

War was coming.