PERSONAL HEADCANON/IDEA: SIRENS.
Hunters of the Sky. Stalkers of the Sea.
Sirens are typically known throughout the hidden cities for both their alluring voices and for the "disappearances" of multiple yokai near the ports. However; most people forget that they also hunt in the skies.
Each serve a purpose for said Siren.
The Land Form: The most basic form every Siren learns to take on. Their heights and body types can range, dependant on what the Siren needs to lure in their victim. The most recognizable feature on a Siren are the following;
- Gills along the sides of their neck & Torso
- Iridescent scales along their bodies.
Other notable features include their hypnotic voices and an almost irrefutable beauty.
Their vocal range is impressive. While sources are limited, research suggests that all siren voices range from a deep baritone to a high soprano! Reguardless of birth at that! Another skillful adaptation used to lure in their prey.
Once a Siren has located their next meal? They sing. Its slow, at first. A haunting of the ears. Whispered notes on the wind. A brush with death's beautiful melody.
The target may brush this off at first. But, if given prolonged exposure? Their minds and bodies crave the Siren's voice. Minute by minute. Hour by hour. Day. By. Day.
An insatiable yearning for more.
The singing crescendos. The siren gets closer to their next meal.
They become visible. The killer hiding in plain sight. They will get closer to their prey and lure them away by any means necessary. Lust, passion, an intelligent conversation, or a bleeding heart who understands the victim's pain.
Said victim? They're lured in by the call of the temptress. Eyes become clouded over. The mind loses sense of rational thought. The body follows the whims and commands of the Siren's Call.
From there, the Siren has options.
This is where the two forms come into play! For not all sirens have access to water or airspace at all times.
The Sea Form: They lure their victim into the waiting waters inch by inch. The water swallows the victim's too-tired body, and their minds are past saving at this point. The Siren lures them deeper and deeper.
Deep below the Untamed Sea. There? They transform.
Legs bend and twist into a tail. The mouth elongates. Unhinges. Fingers turn to claws, and their predatory nature is truly revealed. The singing stops. The victim's mind is freed. But by then, it is far too late. For they become the Siren's dinner.
(Note: No study holds accurate reccords for how big a siren can get. Many guess that a siren can excede the length of four busses at maturity! However, those that have attempted to study their anatomy further have... Unfortunately lost their lives.)
The Sky Form: Many forget that Sirens posses this. Not to blame those that do forget! The Sea Form is similar to that of the Mermaids of the hidden cities. But, the Sky Form cannot be taken for granted.
Similar tactics are used for when the Siren is about to enter their Sea Form. The only difference is, the victim is lured into the wilderness or to a staggeringly high cliff.
When the siren transforms, it's a horrific performance. One that the victim is paralyzed by.
Arms grow stronger. Longer. Muscles unseen spread "like thick oil on a dry canvas." Feathers sprout all along the Siren's upper body. The type of bird is dependant on the siren, but otherwise? The principal is the same.
Scaled-covered tallons, broad wings, a face that is a perfect blend of human and bird in all the wrong ways. But the Siren sings the entire time. A performance to die for. And many have.
Those deaths... Are from above. The singing only stops seconds before the victim dies.
According to the one survivor on file... "Fear makes the flesh taste bitter. It is a splendid texture."
