AtoZ2020 - K is for Kelpie - #AtoZChallenge

AtoZChallenge 2020

Good day Lovelies, best wishes to all. Here's to health and happiness. Today we have the letter K. I've always liked the letter K, I am not sure why, possibly the shape intrigued me as a child. For this year's AtoZ I am introducing my new podcast and eBooks, with character intros, places and themes from The Manor. The episodes go out every Tuesday so look up E, L, R & X, or just check out the podcast & book pages.

We have a 2 part post for this lovely letter, so allow me run down the nature of a Kelpie and introduce you to The Manor's resident one: Paden.

K is for Kelpie

Kelpies are water spirits. In traditional folklore they live in rivers and streams and are often depicted as female, however, in reality they inhabit any fresh water bodies and can be male, female or other. Legends depict them as fierce and wild, and they are, however, they only tend to be violent if their watery home is disrespected.

A famous story about a Kelpie says that one day a group of children came across a huge black horse, which they stroked and decided to ride. However, one only placed his hand on it as the others clambered on its back. Once on it they could not get off and the Kelpie took them down into the water to drown. The boy could not let go either, but he saved himself by cutting off his own hand.

Any who have actually met a Kelpie would know to ask at that point, what had the children done to incure the wrath of the water horse. Ancient and powerful, Kelpies are rare and seldom seen even by those of a supernatural persuasion, so much so that even some of them thing them myths. However, those at The Manor know better, because they have their very own Kelpie living there.

Paden

Full Name: Paden
Species: Kelpie
Age: unspecified
Hair: Black, long, wild, when in human form
Eyes: Whatever he feels like, but red in his natural state
Height: 6'0'' / 183cm when human, up to 7' / 213cm when in demonic form
Pronouns: he/him

Being a Kelpie, Paden is secretive, alouf and mysterious. No one except Lucy knows why he came to The Manor. He lives in the large lake, rarely leaving it when anyone is there to see.

He mostly keeps to himself, really only communicating regularly with Tom, The Manor's resident fresh water merman. The pair are lovers, but it run deeper than that, so much so that Paden allows Tom to communicate with him mind to mind, something no one else does, not even Lucy, although Lucy does talk with him from time to time.

Paden keeps the lake healthy and, if the matter insterests him, helps to defend The Manor's borders, however, he has very little else to do with the day to day of the establishment.

One thing he does enjoy doing is creating sculptures from natural materials. Every now and then another one will appear in the grounds. Lucy always makes a point to thank him for them. With his permission, several have been sold to members for not inconsiderable sums. Lucy would have been happy to keep them all, but they were running out of places to put them.

He has four forms he regularly uses, athough no one is quite sure if he has more or can, in fact, appear any way he wishes. The four are:

• Large black stallion (land based)
• Full Kelpie water form, part horse, part fish (water based)
• Demonic form, humanoid but with demonic aspects (land and water)
• Fully human form (land and water)

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you found today's post entertaining.

Please do comment below and link me to your AtoZ posts if you are taking part 💖. If you don't know what to say feel free to use to question below for inspiration, but don't feel you have to answer it.

Q. Do you like to swim? Do you ever swim in lakes or rivers, or only swimming pools.

I used to, although I always have to wear a nose clip to go underwater lots, or I end up spluttering. My favourite thing to do was to dive down to the bottom of the pool and up again. Haven't been in years though.

My other self (Natasha Duncan-Drake) is also taking part in this years AtoZChallenge over at Tasha's Thinkings. Her theme is Vampire Drabbles (100 word stories). K is for Killer

 AtoZChallenge Master List

Click here to see all the other wonderful bloggers taking part.