#as of right now Kelp is NOT a kelpie | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

awkwardgtace · 2 years ago

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Past and Resolution

TW: Blood, mentions of merfolk eating each other, abandonment, A look into Kyrie's past, how he reached Byssal and Pelago plus the growths before he became 300+

Poll winner from tumblr and something I've been working on all day cause i am about to lose myself to video game (zelda time!!!)

- perspective shift ----- is time shift

14k words cause I have a problem

ao3 link cause long

Past and Resolution

“Are you excited?” Foam asked. He had a vibrant red tail with eyes the same shade. His claws were dull, a benefit as he wiped away sand seeking out a white fin. The little mer in the sand tried to bury himself deeper. Foam forced out a chuckle before grabbing the end of the hidden tail.

The young mer was pulled into the open. It was clear the white tailed mer had dug it for himself as sand fell from his hands. His white eyes were shining. His hair was odd, a dark black that made the white of his fins look wrong. The face of the now revealed child had a smile, but fear hid behind it.

“Come on runt,” Foam said. “What has you hiding this time? Your scales will change during the night and by morning you’ll finally look like one of us.”

“What if I don’t?” the small white mer asked. Tears floated up from his eyes. Foam offered a tight smile before letting the white mer go.

“That won’t happen. You’ll get your colors and your name tomorrow.” Foam curled his tail into a coil, resting next to a spot of sea moss. He tilted his head and the white mer dashed into the moss bed. It was almost the same as when he’d buried himself in the sand. The kelp and moss hid the white of every fin and scale. Even his ear fins were well hidden.

“What if they don’t have a name for me?” The white mer’s fins folded against his head. He’d heard his parents talk about him. They hated him. Blamed him for the siblings who didn’t hatch. Sometimes they said it was his fault that the entire season had ended with just him being born.

“Of course they do, something like Tide or Wave. Better than Foam,” Foam kept his tight smile. The white mer had a bit of light enter his pure white eyes.

“I like your name though. I want to know what it means!” Foam ran his hand through his hair and bit back a tired sigh. This was taking forever.

“It’s a part of the water near the surface. Kelpie is named after kelp because of her green tail, and Anem because of those weird little fish things that are purple like her tail.” Foam pushed away, a darker look flashing on his face for a few seconds before his smile returned. “You should go to sleep, we’ll even take you hunting tomorrow too.”

The white mer nodded, but didn’t close his eyes. After a few seconds Foam’s fins drooped. He was sick of this. Just because he was the youngest the others left him taking care of the runt. He was probably going to be such a bright color that the runt grew backwards. Getting smaller until he fit in the coral humans liked. That would be a relief. None of this weird pup’s actions would be there to disturb the pod, his family.

“I hope I’m red like you, or pink like mom and dad,” the nameless mer said. Foam offered another tight smile to reassure the runt. Finally the white eyes closed and Foam swam out. He rushed to the others, grumbling about his current job taking care of the runt.

“The runt’s finally asleep?” Kelpie asked. Her tail was a deep green, as were her eyes. Her hair was a lighter shade of green, they all knew it would change in a few years. It didn’t stop her from being almost three times Foam’s size.

“So if he gets smaller we’re just sending him to live with those small mers right?” Anem said. Her violet tail was draped lazily over a stone. Her eyes were hidden from view by the sea blue hair floating around her head. “I hope he’s small like you or mom and dad if he doesn’t start growing smaller. I don’t want the runt following me around.”

“Took forever. He hid in the sand again. It’s annoying. I hope he’s one of those tiny mers. I don’t want him to be my problem anymore,” Foam hissed. His parents had forced the runt on him. Claiming it was better he learned since he’s small. He’d be back with his sister’s children in the future too. Easier for the larger mers to hunt when the young hid. He didn’t mind having that role, but he hated this runt. His parents were going to be smaller than him eventually, it should be their job. Plus it’s their kid.

“Aww Foam, it’s not so bad right?” Kelpie brought her hand near, but her brother slapped it with his tail. She couldn’t hold back her grin, he hated the runt more than any of them. The kid followed him like a lost shark for months. Foam actually growled at her, it just made her laugh. Anem laughed a bit too.

“We should go to bed. Tomorrow’s the first time mom and dad will actually take care of him. If we’re lucky he’s out of all our hair soon. If not it won’t be hard to lose him in a tide… Unless he’s useful.”

The white mer used his hands to keep his tears from floating up. He’d gotten scared, he wanted his brother. Foam hated him just like his sisters… just like his parents. The nameless mer rushed back to his bed of sea moss, opting to dig into the sand nearby instead. He always felt better when it came to hiding in the soft sand. Everywhere else felt too open. His eyes drifted close, his last thought a plea that he’d be a color they all like. That his family could finally love him.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two mers with tails a deep pink like coral approached the spot the nameless mer slept. They had a mixture of worry and annoyance plastered on their faces. They’d let the child pick his name and send him off. He would be a runt, not just a runt, one of the mers even smaller than a human hand. Any mer in their right mind hated caring for those ones. Too easy to hurt, too easy to leave behind, too much of a burden.

The mermaid hung back as the merman swam into the small hollow. Only the two of them and their son Foam could fit. The merman bit back a growl seeing the nameless child had once again hidden in the sand. He carefully dusted at the lump near the bed they had supplied. A hiss mixed with a whimper slipped from the merman’s throat. His mate swam forward releasing a choked sound at the sight herself.

The nameless child’s scales had changed. They weren’t the color of a mer smaller than a human’s hand. Nor the color of his parents. His siblings, all unique in their pod, remained that way. The scales revealed a shade of deep blue. One that promised a mer that belonged in the trenches of the ocean. One that had been rumored to devour its pod in frenzies…

The two rushed to their other children. Something had to be done. They couldn’t send him to the smaller mers. No pod in their right mind would take in a trench mer. At least not around here. They couldn’t keep him, it would mean death for themselves and the three children they’d raised. No… They knew an option. It was an awful one, but it would save their lives and remove the soon to be impossible to ignore burden.

* * *

The nameless mer woke up with a shiver. His tail was open to the cool water, but he knew he’d hidden in the sand. Eyes shooting open the little mer realized his scales must have changed. Foam would have checked on him. He freed himself from the sand and stared at his tail. A brilliant blue that the mer was sure had to be like Anem or Foam’s size. He’d fit in with his family now. He’d be useful too.

The boy shot out of the den he had. The open area his family spent time in was empty. He swam forward hoping for some idea of what was happening. He should be getting his name right? His parents and his siblings should be happy with him. He could be useful… couldn’t he?

“The runt’s a deep sea mer!?” Foam shouted. The nameless mer hid, his scales helped him hide now. He didn’t know what deep sea meant. Could he be bigger than Kelpie? That would be great. He could make her feel safe like the time she growled and scared the shark away.

“I’m not staying if you keep that monster,” Kelpie growled. The young guppy shied away. Kelpie got angry at him a lot, but he wasn’t a problem right?

“Can’t we just drop him with those things and run?” Anem said. He hadn’t heard from his parents yet. Maybe… maybe it was just his brother and sisters.

“I’ve seen those things An, there’s no way we do that and don’t become a meal ourselves.” Kelpie sounded angry. “Maybe… maybe we just handle the runt ourselves. He’s still small enough.”

“No,” it was his dad speaking up. Maybe the little mer could understand now. “We’ll be outcast if we do anything to the only survivor of that season. We need to do something else. There’s that bigger mer who has hunting grounds near here…”

“We could cover his tail to look like the fish in the area, then leave him there. If we use the fish themselves the scent shouldn’t throw off that mer. They’ll eat him,” his mother said.

The nameless mer swam away, burying himself in the sand again. Kelpie would always growl when he got too close, but chased off the sharks that saw him. Anem yelled at him for staring at her tail, but still used her scales to reflect the sun on the roof of his part of the den sometimes. Foam helped him sleep and told him stories. His parents made him his bed and hunted the fish that was best for him to eat. Even if his sisters hunted bigger fish for the others. All he wanted was to be someone his family could want around. If… if his existence was too much for them then he’d do what they wanted.

Eventually the little mer’s parents came to get him. He’d been waiting, but stayed hidden until one of them dusted the sand off his back. He tried to bury his tail deeper, like it would fix him. They grabbed his hand, the nameless child didn’t ask a single question. His parents never liked him talking around them anyway. He jumped when Kelpie’s hands wrapped around him and his parents.

* * *

Kelpie swam fast, her hold firm. She was worried about hurting her parents, not so much the runt. She’d keep her family fed if they lost their place. It didn’t matter to her. The swim at least was short with her guiding it. She let her parents and the runt float in front of her. She paused for a second before dashing forward and clamping her hand shut. She pulled it back, finding enough of the fish that swam around the grounds to camouflage the runt.

“Stay still now,” her mother said. Kelpie watched as her mother and father hid the deep sea blue from sight. They stuck some of the pieces of fish in the runt’s hair too. A part of her felt sorry for him, but not enough to risk her own life. Not enough to risk her pod and her family. Although she winced when her father caked the fish on the runt’s fins. She could just imagine the discomfort.

“Now be good and wait here, we’ll come get you soon. Once we come get you we’ll have your name for you,” her father said. The runt swam off. It was almost like he knew. Once he was far enough away she cupped her parents in her hands and swam off. They’d never deal with the runt again, the last five years will become a bad memory.

* * *

The nameless mer swam out into the open water. He’d wait for the big mer to show up. As he floated there, swarms of fish surrounded him. Their fins tickled his skin. It made him smile, he should be happy today. It was the fifth anniversary of when he hatched. He should have a name and be learning what his role in the pod would be. He should be happy.

The boy cried hidden in the school of fish. He was small enough they managed to pull him along as they swam. He was small. The mers hatched after him were all bigger. Now he was alone, now some giant mer would come along and eat him. At least the fish hid his tears.

The mer had no idea how long he’d been floating. The fish on his scales and fins made them itchy. The fish around him started to swim in all directions. Darkness surrounded him and the fish as they swam. His eyes went wide as he found the massive teeth surrounding the school he was hidden in. They snapped shut with blood floating past the nameless mer and down the giant one’s throat. He tried not to scream as the mer started to chew. He was going to die…

* * *

Byssal froze as something strange touched his tongue. It was coupled with the fish he was currently eating. Something that didn’t belong. He chirped curiously. In the silence of the ocean the smallest sniffle reached his ears. He chirped again, this time a muffled shout came from his closed mouth.

Panic set into his heart. Had he hurt a mer? They had to be small, maybe young. Using his tongue Byssal managed to isolate the strange taste. He pressed the tiny form to the roof of his mouth, swallowing the fish he’d been eating. With his tongue pressed firmly he started on his way home. It was too dangerous for him to attempt to free the mer he’d nearly eaten.

As he swam Byssal kept up soft chirps to try and stem the tears hitting his tongue. It was a futile attempt. When his den came into view Byssal put his all into reaching the entrance. Chirps begging for the one he lived with to come to his aid. Pelago rushed to his face in worry.

“Byssal?” she chirped. He whined, it would be hard to talk. Byssal tried his best to maneuver the mer to a safer spot. “What’s wrong?”

“Small mer,” he mumbled around them. It wasn’t exactly clear, but the look on her face told him enough. She understood. “Pel, will you-”

“Open up!”

* * *

The nameless mer had tried to stay silent, the chirps were too loud for him. When the mer finally opened his jaws the young guppy was terrified. He saw his future already, the way the massive being swallowed fish bigger than him whole. He’d be dead soon enough. The rocking voice around him was too much. He couldn’t make out the words.

Soon a mer with stark white fins appeared at the mouth’s entrance. Her face was covered in pale scares. They stood out on her dark skin along with the bright white of her eyes. He’d heard about mers like her, his family didn’t like them. She swam right into the massive one’s mouth, right up to him.

“Hush guppy, it’s alright,” she whispered. Her voice was so kind. It was different from how his family had always spoken. She wrapped her arms around him and made a face when her hand touched the fish stuck to his tail. “Guess my Byssal is a messy eater? Let’s get out of here.”

The white mer held him close to her chest as she swam out of the massive mouth. The massive teeth snapped shut. The nameless mer shivered from the sound. The one holding him offered kind chirps. It made him chirp back. Immediately he forced the noise to stop, he didn’t want to be yelled at before they killed him. The massive one, Byssal, backed away. The boy looked up seeing a terrifying gaze staring down at him.

“What were you doing out there on your own?” Byssal asked. The boy just offered a chirp. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t exactly want to ask if they would eat him or just kill him. He started to cry again.

“Byss back off you’re scaring him,” the one holding him said. She hugged him tighter, his family never did this. “Guppy, can you tell us your name? We’ll help you get back home.”

The boy chirped. He didn’t have a name. She tightened her hold again, she was a little bigger than his parents. Her hands were as long as him.

“Well you can call me Pelago, or Pel. The grumpfish is Byssal he didn’t mean to scare you,” her voice was soft. He liked it, his family was always harsh when they spoke to him. Even Foam.

The nameless boy whined when the big one came close. He could feel the water pulling him free from the kind arms. He didn’t want to go back to the mouth yet. He wasn’t ready to die. The pull was gone and Byssal let out a small chirp.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to find the kid’s pod. Don’t go too far while I’m gone this time Pel,” Byssal’s voice sounded sort of soft too. The nameless mer forced himself to look into the eyes of the one expected to eat him. The merman looked kind… He sort of hoped they’d just send him off on his own. These two almost made him feel like he belonged.

“Oh please, you’ll worry your tail fin off at this rate Byssal. I am perfectly capable of defending myself, besides last time was just-”

“Just the net of a human boat that almost pulled you on board. Be safe, especially for the kid.”

* * *

Pelago watched as Byssal swam off. The grumpfish was too worried, but he did save her from a lot of close calls. She pulled the guppy tighter against her. He wasn’t talking and he was so small. The little mer must be one of the higher coral ones. She waited a few minutes just holding the little guppy. Tears started to float by her eyes.

“Guppy, it’s ok. Byss will find your pod,” she whispered. The little guppy shook his head.

“They don’t want me,” he said. His voice cracked as he spoke. It was so quiet. She chirped at him. Just something to reassure the little mer. He couldn’t be more than a foot long so far. The poor thing. Mers grew more than this by the time they got their scales… usually.

Pelago moved one of her hands. The slick of dead fish made her grimace. There was a cleaning spot nearby, it wasn’t too far. The poor thing was coated in sour smelling fish, not the ones Byss usually ate. It had her worried. What had he been through? Especially if he thought his family didn’t want him. She looked into his eyes.

“Why don’t we get all that fish off you?” she asked. The young mer paled, but he didn’t object. She held him close to her heart as she started to swim. Once he was cleaned all of this would be clear. Byss could take care of finding the pod he belonged with. Poor thing probably ran off… She hoped he just ran off.

* * *

Byssal swam as fast as he could to reach his hunting ground. The mer was young enough his scent was a mix of his pod. It should be easy enough to find them. They should be relieved to hear the guppy was safe and could come home. He chose to ignore that the coating on the guppy had been dead for a long time.

In his hunting grounds a multitude of scents intermingled. It wasn’t easy to isolate just one. He hoped he’d find something by starting where the guppy was floating. The scent on the mer mixed with long dead fish left him struggling. Byssal froze as he caught a few unusual scents. At least three more mers that were close to what he was looking for. He followed the trail.

Byssal forced himself to swim slowly, he needed time. The words to discuss the guppy were failing him. His thoughts turned dark as the distance from his grounds grew and grew. There was no way for the tiny pup to get to his grounds accidentally. A growl was building in his chest. The true reason a pup coated in dead fish was hidden in his territory started to become clear.

“So are you going to see if the runt’s still alive?” someone said. Byssal narrowed his eyes and his fins folded back against his head. A sneer planted itself on his face as he found a group of mers, all much smaller than him.

“No way,” a green mer said. She was a different shade from himself, she’d never reach his size. The growl in his chest wanted to push itself out. “Mom and dad coated the runt in fish he’ll definitely be eaten. If not by the mer by a shark or something.”

“Stop talking about the runt, he’s not our problem anymore,” a pink merman said. Byssal approached at a slow float. The small group had yet to notice him. He could see the red, violet, and pink tails behind the green one.

“So you left a pup out for me to do your dirty work?” Byssal growled.

The green mer swam in front of the others. It didn’t make a difference, she wasn’t big enough to be a threat. A threatening growl escaped him. He almost swore he could smell the fear on the small pod. The pink mermaid swam up and tried to glare at him. Her shaking fins revealed her fear.

“We don’t know what you’re-” Byssal growled to cut her off the speaking mermaid.

“Why?” he said. She backed away, this time the second biggest mer came forward. Violet scales. The color was rare, but another one that wouldn’t be a threat. He glared down at the pod, they weren’t even worried. They wanted the pup gone.

“If you saw his scales you’d want the same thing!” she said. “Do what you want with the runt we never wanted him anyway. He doesn’t even have a name.”

His next growl was loud enough to echo around them. The violet mer swam back. She didn’t have any bravery behind her attempt. Even the green one’s fins were shaking. It was how she should be. Mers like this made Byssal sick. A part of him wanted to punish them, but he wouldn’t be like that when Pel was waiting… when there was an apparently abandoned guppy involved.

Byssal leaned closer, three of them were bite sized to him. He could easily scare them. Baring his fangs he let out another deep growl. The entire group floated back, but he just moved closer. He let them get a good look at how big he was, how big he would always be next to them. Byssal used his size advantage to grab the smallest one, the red one, and bring him close to his teeth.

“The pup is mine now,” he growled. The little merman had tears float from his eyes. “You go near him, call him a runt, or anything until he’s full grown and I’ll have a fun time seeing what a red or violet tail tastes like.”

Byssal let the red mer go and pulled away from the pod.

“You’ll feel the same way once you see his tail!” the green mer shouted. Byssal glared at the small mers. Another growl followed by a snap of his teeth was his response. No color could make abandoning a guppy a good option. Let alone leaving him hidden so he’d be eaten. Byssal didn’t bother saying anything. He swam off, apparently he and Pel had a pup now.

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pelago kept the guppy tucked close to her. He could be lost too easily. The cleaning station came into view and she smiled. A few chirps to let the guppy know it was soon. If she’d ever been coated like this she wouldn’t be able to sit still. The guppy barely moved even as she swam, it scared her. He was too calm, too quiet, for a young mer. She couldn’t wait to see the blue of his scales going by his eyes.

The fish in the station swam away as she approached. It wasn’t uncommon, all the mers scared the smaller fish. She settled down near one of the larger groups. She knew this guppy needed to have a good cleaning by these little helpers. She chirped before finally letting the guppy fall from her arms and land on her curled tail.

The guppy curled up more on her tail. Chirps weren’t enough to convince him to move. She sighed, most mers she met were older than him. Bigger than him. Her hand was as big as him. A sigh escaped her followed by bubbles. That caught the guppy’s attention. His eyes were shining as he watched the bubbles float in the air. It made her laugh.

“I’ll make more bubbles, if you stretch out your tail and fins ok?” she asked. The guppy kept his head down for a bit of time before he looked up with a nod. He stretched his tail out on top of hers, leaning his back against her stomach. Honestly she found the guppy adorable.

Pel did as she promised, blowing bubbles from her gills. The guppy looked happy enough he didn’t even notice the cleaner fish slipping out. He tried to grab the bubbles she made. It made her smile, he was so innocent. The poor thing all alone. Byssal needed to find his pod otherwise they were keeping him. While she blew bubbles she tried to clean his hair with her hands.

The chunks she found hurt her heart. They weren’t like the ones Byss had in his teeth sometimes. The little guppy chirped and leaned into her hands. His head was so small next to her fingers and he was so happy. She tried to ignore the sick feeling growing in her stomach as the long dead fish fell out of her claws. It couldn’t have come from when Byss fed.

She hoped the mer would grow to purr. It seemed to suit him. Slowly she stopped blowing bubbles as the last bits of fish fell from his hair. The guppy’s eyes drooped, he must be tired after today. She ran her fingers through the kelp like strands for a few minutes before reaching towards his fins. The second her claw touched one he folded them back against his head and looked into her eyes with fear.

“Guppy, we have to remove the fish from your fins, doesn’t it feel bad?” she whispered. He looked away from her, his tiny body shaking on her tail.

“You’ll hate me too if you see them,” he whispered. She chirped a few times as she tried to find something to say. How could his fins make her hate him?

“Guppy, why in all the seas would…”

Pelago trailed off as she saw the shining scales where the cleaner fish had been at work. A deep blue she’d seen rarely when she was with her mother. The mer would be large enough to purr. He would wind up even bigger than Byssal. So much made sense as that brilliantly deep blue wormed into her mind. A child punished for stories caused by mistakes of the past… A child like her.

“Oh guppy,” she mumbled. She slid her hands under his arms and lifted him off her tail. He chirped, she could hear the fear in it. She tried to chirp and calm him. Pressing him tightly against her chest she started to pet his head. “You’re going to be amazing when you grow up. So big you can help so many mers. I love the color of your scales.”

“But… the others were mad. My scales-” the guppy started. Pelago pulled him away and held him above her. Tears floating from his eyes.

“Your scales mean you get to be one of the biggest creatures in the ocean. You can travel all the seas and see everything.” She floated up, spinning in a circle with him. “You’ll see wonderful sights and meet hundreds of mers. The others don’t see the beauty behind your scales, but you should. Your scales are a gift, a wonder, something truly amazing.”

The guppy continued to cry, but she could see a difference. The face behind those tears looked hopeful. She pulled him into another tight hug as she let herself fall back to the ground. Instead of putting the young mer down she angled his tail out in the open. The cleaner fish could continue that way. While he cried against her she pulled at the fish on his fins, cleaning off what was too well packed to be a mess from the close call with Byss. She wasn’t sending this guppy back to that pod.

* * *

Byssal swam back slowly. He knew Pel would have taken the young mer to get cleaned up. He couldn’t imagine any color worth torturing a guppy. Abandoning him in the hopes someone ate him. He still wanted to go back and teach them the pain they tried to inflict, but he wasn’t that type of mer. With a pup to raise he never could be.

As their den came into view he caught sight of Pel ducking back in. He hovered outside for a bit. He wanted to give her and the guppy time to settle in. Byssal chirped as he swam close, letting her know it was him. Others still came by sometimes. Oceanid was one thing, but her mother caused the trouble that left Pel struggling. He knew she promised not to cause that pain for her own pups.

When he ducked his head into the den his heart froze. The guppy was curled up in Pelago’s hands. It was hard to believe how small he was. The sweet moment died as he noticed the deep blue tail. He thought the eyes were going to show a mer that would be barely visible when full grown, not a trenches mer. It made him angrier, a growl slipping out of his chest.

“Shush!” Pel whispered. He fought down the growl. She would know it wasn’t towards the kid… he hoped. “He only just fell asleep. Don’t wake him up by growling, he’d probably just cry again.”

“I met his pod Pel,” Byssal whispered. He had to hope his voice wouldn’t wake up the sleeping mer. “They brought him to my grounds after he got his colors.”

“No…”

Byssal nodded, there wasn’t a way to make it sound better. The poor pup’s family sent him to die and none of them felt an ounce of regret. There was more to say, but the tiny tears floating past Pel’s face distracted him. The pup had woken up.

* * *

The nameless mer tried not to cry when the massive mer came back. Hearing he met his family broke the little mer’s strength. Now they’d kill him. Either one could eat him. He was small enough. Although… Pelago said she liked his scales.

“Guppy, did we wake you,” Pelago whispered. He shook his head, but that made her laugh. “You shouldn’t answer if you want us to think you’re sleeping.”

Slowly he uncurled and swam off her hands. Byssal was so big. It would be easy to just disappear behind the giant teeth. The little mer tried to be strong as he stared into those massive green eyes. It would be fine. Whatever they decided he couldn’t get away anyway. Even if he did, no one would be there for him.

The little mer yelped as a finger came up behind him. He was pulled closer to one of the massive green eyes. A claw was placed on his stomach. He couldn’t stop himself from squirming. A chirp echoed in his ears.

“You’ll be bigger than me someday,” Byssal whispered. The little mer chirped in fear. His fins pressed against his head.

“S-so y-you’re g-gonna eat me… right?” he whispered. The hands as big as him surrounded him and Byssal growled. It scared him, he saw his tears start floating in front of him.

“No.” The hands his size pulled him from the finger and claw. He felt safer in her hands.

“Guppy, of course that’s not happening. Even if he wanted to, I’d never let Byssal hurt you.”

Pelago pulled him against her chest again. She was chirping, his family never did this. He screamed as she was pulled by the giant hand. She held him out so Byssal could see him. That face just kept coming closer. The tip of a nose came to rest against him. Just barely avoiding his head.

“You’re in our pod now,” Byssal’s chirps rumbled through the little mer’s scales. “We’re keeping you safe and happy. We’ll give you a name too.”

Pelago squirmed until she freed them both. He felt better when the other one wasn’t so close.

“Guppy!” she shouted. It made him flinch. Kelpie and Anem always shouted at him for annoying them. “You weren’t even given a name?” He shook his head. “Then we need to do that right now… I know the perfect one. Kyrie!”

“Kee ray?” the mer tried to mimic. Byssal huffed, the water flew past them.

“Really Pel? One of the names you heard the humans using?” the little mer actually smiled. The deep voice sounded kind of happy.

“Of course! The human was kind and patient. The perfect thing for a guppy who’s going to grow big enough to make me look like a human!” She pulled the mer from her chest and held him in front of her. She spun in the water so he could see the massive mer behind her. Byssal was starting to look less scary. “Well, what do you think? It’s your name. Do you like Kyrie? Of course we’ll help you learn to say it right guppy. You don’t have to use it either, whatever name you like best.”

The mer stared at them both with wide eyes. He was given a choice. They picked a name just for him, for how they wanted him to be. More tears floated from his eyes as he nodded. He liked his name, he liked having a name. He liked that they wanted to give him one and keep him and just have him there.

“Kyrie it is,” Byssal smiled at him. The little mer… Kyrie… Kyrie felt warm seeing it. “You’re one of us now so you can call me Byss like Pel does.”

Pelago… Pel pulled Kyrie close to her face. “He likes to act like a grumpfish. You’ll learn to read him soon I promise. Welcome home, Kyrie.”

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kyrie had some trouble adjusting over the next few months. He didn’t grow much and the different food made him curious. It was fish like his parents and siblings ate, not ones that were small and shaped with pointy limbs. These fish tasted better, but his parents always said the others were better for him until he was bigger. Plus Byssal never ate when Kyrie and Pelago did. Kyrie was convinced Byssal was waiting for the two to be alone.

Knowing that, Kyrie followed Pelago everywhere. Just like he had with Foam. At night he slept curled up in her arms. She never acted upset by it either. He got to go swimming around with her and learning about magic. She said he wasn’t going to be able to use it, but she’d always help him with hers.

Pel even played with him. Out in the open. He would swim away and hide while she searched for him. At times she’d chirp to find him and he’d chirped back. He loved it, his family never let him play like this. Thinking about them made him cry, but that was happening less often.

One of the times they were playing he learned what others that knew his family thought of him.

“Is that the runt?” a voice said. It felt like the water dropped to freezing once he heard that. They knew Foam and they never liked Kyrie. He hugged his tail as shadows surrounded him. “You ran off as soon as you got your colors huh?”

Kyrie looked up at the mers around him. He was still so small next to them. Kyrie’s fins pressed painfully against his head as the three mers blocked his escapes. Three shades of red in all directions, but up.

“Think you’re better than them now that you’ll be big?” one of them sneered. Kyrie curled in on himself. He didn’t like this. A hand grabbed his arm and forced him to stare up at the three faces glaring down at them.

“Foam’s been getting the blame because of you. All of us are being forced to take care of the new mers so they don’t run off too. We should take you back, show them you ran off all on your own.”

“N-No,” Kyrie whimpered.

The other mers kept talking but he couldn’t understand anymore. He didn’t want to go back. His family would make him leave again, but they wouldn’t send him back here. They didn’t want him to live. The hand on his arm grew tighter. A tail fin smacked against his back making him yelp. Claws dug into his shoulders.

A strange feeling coursed through him. Sort of like when the lights hit the water during a storm. The other mers screamed, but his body was let go. He darted out, terrified of what would happen next. Gentle hands grabbed him. Ones a little smaller than him now, that held him warmly at night. He buried his face in the chest he was held to as a growl came from the mermaid.

“Touch my pup again and you’ll pay,” Pelago growled. Kyrie didn’t bother trying to see how the other three reacted. Pel started to pet his head and he let that take his attention. “It’s ok guppy, they can’t hurt you. Not while I’m here.”

Kyrie chirped. Pelago chirped in response. Confirmation and promises with no words. He felt safe, Foam always let them do whatever they wanted. Pelago held him close, he didn’t even have to ask her to. She didn’t let Byssal come close that night either. Kyrie fell asleep in her arms much earlier than normal, but he preferred it. He liked feeling safe.

That wasn’t the only time the mers from his past arrived. Kyrie was pretty sure Pel never told Byssal. If she did the mers probably would have been eaten, that’s what big mers did. At least that’s what his family acted like they did. That weird feeling came every time she scared them off. They terrified him, but she held him close for the whole day each time.

“Kyrie,” Pelago whispered one morning. He chirped back at her, groaning when she let him fall from her arms. “Stay here, Byss will be back soon. I need to go close to humans for something today. I’ll be back as soon as I can. We can play then.”

Kyrie nodded before burying himself in the sand. The den Byssal and Pelago used had nicer sand than his old one. He smiled to himself, slowly starting to sleep again. As soon as he realized what Pel said he shot up from his cover. He was being left alone… with Byssal. Kyrie darted out. He would catch up to her, it would be fine.

It wasn’t long before he realized she might have been gone longer than a few seconds. He wasn’t sure how to find her… or get home. A tail suddenly slammed into him. He was thrown into another mer who dug his claws into Kyrie’s arms. The three who had been after him were back.

“Hey runt, don’t have your guardian today, do you?” one of them said. Kyrie tried to push himself away, but the hands grabbing him locked his arms to his side. These hands were smaller than Pelago’s, but still most of his size.

“Knew she’d get sick of you eventually. You were always annoying when you followed Foam around,” one of the others said. Kyrie folded his fins against his head. He wanted to get away. The mer holding him pushed him into one of the others.

“You know there were a few places sharks hang around.” Kyrie stared up at the one talking. Sharks were terrifying, they’d eat him in one bite. It was the only idea they had Foam ever stopped. Bringing him to a shark ground… bringing him where he’d die. Pelago wasn’t there, Foam wouldn’t care if he knew… Then Byssal… Byssal would probably eat all of them in one go.

“Go on runt,” The one closest to him pushed him forward. One of the others swam ahead, but he was left with two blocking him in. “Let’s have some fun. See if the sharks care about a mer who’ll hunt them later.”

Kyrie didn’t have a choice, his heart was pounding. No one would save him.

A deep growl that Kyrie swore echoed over the whole ocean came from behind them. He spun around unsure how to feel when he found Byssal floating behind him. Staring down with two red tails poking out of his mouth. The one ahead of him whined, Kyrie had to assume that mer looked back too.

Byssal’s hand moved. Kyrie’s fins folded in on themselves. He wanted this to be over. The hand surrounded him, locking him in a fist. Chirps and tears escaped as he was moved by the massive mer. He was barely even a fingertip. He never would be now that Byssal found him. The next growl let out nearly deafened him.

“Next time you hurt my pod, you’ll get more than a few marks,” Byssal growled. Kyrie curled in on himself in the water of the fist. He heard three sets of terrified chirps. So Byssal didn’t eat them… There was no telling if that was a good or a bad thing.

Byssal chirped as he swam. Kyrie didn’t know what the chirps meant. He wanted to run away, he wanted to feel safe. He wanted Pelago to be home so she could make sure Byssal didn’t eat him. Tears started to float from his eyes, but he failed to catch them. The chirps grew faster and louder. That just made Kyrie more afraid.

Eventually the hand opened. Kyrie expected to see the sharp teeth and hear them snap behind him. That he’d finally be ended because he was alone. Instead he was in the cave the two stayed in. The place they let him stay in. After gathering his courage he looked up at the massive face above him, only seeing worry.

“It’s ok pup, you’re safe now,” Byssal said. Kyrie chirped, the tears were still floating from his eyes. A claw came near him and ran down his back. It made him shudder. “Still scared of me?”

Kyrie barely managed a nod. He was scared. Lying about it didn’t matter.

“I’m not going to hurt you. You’re in our pod. I’ll keep you safe, just like I try to do for Pel.”

Kyrie bit his lip, it hurt. His teeth had gotten sharper recently. It pushed him to stare up at Byssal. The mer looked sad. He didn’t look angry or like he was bothered. It wasn’t how his family looked at him all the time. It felt more like Pelago’s stares.

“...you were gonna eat them,” Kyrie whispered. Byssal sighed, it blew Kyrie back into the fingers cupped around him. He hadn’t even realized the fingers were there.

“No, I scared them. In this pod we don’t eat other mers,” Byssal’s voice was quiet. It was stern, but it made Kyrie believe him. There was no way the words could be a lie. “I’d only do that if the mer left me no choice. It’s what I want you to do too.”

Kyrie nodded. Byssal smiled. It was the first time he felt safe staring up at the other mer. It left him with the confidence to ask another question that had been on his mind.

“...B-Byssal,” he stuttered. Byssal just chirped, a proof that he was focused on Kyrie. “W-why do you get the fish like you and Pelago eat for me? M-my parents said I should eat the ones that have all the pointy edges and stay on the ground. Th-that it was-”

Byssal’s growl cut him off. Kyrie’s fins folded in again. The mer was mad, he was wrong. Now he’d get eaten or killed. Maybe they’d just send him out on his own. That would be worse, the other mers would try to bring him to sharks again.

“Those fish are called starfish by humans,” Byssal said. The growl caked the words. It left Kyrie shaking. “They’re not good for you, might be why you’re still so small. I’ll make sure you’re getting everything you need Kyrie. Even when you’re bigger than me.”

Kyrie let the words sink into his mind. Byssal wanted to take care of him. As long as he was here the mer wanted him safe. It didn’t sound real. The way the mer stared at him before, the careful fingertip on his back, and the soft chirps now made it easier to believe. Kyrie wanted to believe it, he wanted Byssal to like him. He wanted Pelago to like him. He wanted… he wanted to be safe. So… he’d believe them. Even if it meant something bad.

Kyrie slowly met the massive eyes. Byssal didn’t look scary anymore. He looked safe. Kyrie darted up and buried himself in the mer’s hair. Byssal chuckled, chirps mixing with the noise. Kyrie wasn’t forced to leave, he wasn’t yelled at either. Just like how Pelago laughs when he’s buried in the sand. He was… he was accepted.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a year with Pelago and Byssal, Kyrie was happy. Byssal was closer to him now, they played too. The massive mer would chase him and try to grab him. If Byssal caught him Kyrie would have the giant mer’s nose pressed into his chest followed by echoing chirps. It made him laugh, he liked it. Pelago would join in and distract Byssal with spells. Sometimes he caught them both, but that was usually when it was time to go back to the den.

Sleeping at night changed too. Kyrie stayed in Pel’s arms despite being four times the size of when they found him. She didn’t mind. Byssal curled up around them, blocking out the world. It felt like when Kyrie hid in the sand, even better than that. Other times Byssal would hold Pelago and Kyrie on his chest. The chirps while the mer slept mixed with his heartbeat were calming. Foam used to yell at him for trying to sleep close like that. He had to stay in his den.

They told him stories too. Ones about mers with voices that helped others find their perfect partners. He would fall asleep dreaming of the songs leading him to someone who loved him. Promising Byssal and Pelago would stay together too. He wanted a pod that cared about each other forever. He wanted this part of his pod forever.

All of that was probably changing. Byssal and Pelago told him the three had to go see one of their friends. At first Kyrie was excited. Foam, Kelpie, and Anem hated letting their friends see him. It morphed to fear as Byssal grabbed them both to swim faster. He grew terrified as they entered waters so deep he couldn’t see the sand. He wanted to see the sand. They stopped over a crevice that went on forever.

“Marina!” Pelago called out. Kyrie was let free. He was floating, still close to the other two. He yelped as the deep blue beneath them moved. Hair as dark as the water parted to reveal ebony skin and eyes an even darker blue than the hair. He ducked behind Byssal, he’d keep them safe.

“Pel, Byssal? You two are lucky I got your message,” the mer said. Their voice was melodic, but terrifying. Kyrie poked his head out to see her, but hid once her eyes widened. “You two had a pup?!”

“Not exactly,” Byssal laughed. Kyrie whined a bit. Sometimes he forgot he wasn’t their blood. He wanted to be. He wished they were his parents from the start. “We need you to take a look at him.”

“Oh?” The mer was even bigger than Byssal. Not enough that they were dangerous to the massive mer. They brought their face close and Byssal moved. Kyrie was left in the open, tears slipped from his eyes. “Hey guppy, I’m not gonna hurt ya. Pretty small aren’t ya?”

“Marina,” Pelago said. Kyrie whined, but Pelago’s hands grabbing his shoulders helped to calm him. She guided him closer to the massive mer, close enough Kyrie could touch their eye. “Were these your scale colors?”

The massive mer’s eye blinked a few times. Kyrie tried to stay still, but he was fidgeting. They finally pulled away to look down. The huffed growl that left them made Kyrie shake.

“Hmm. It’s close, not quite there though. Anyone would probably think that you’ll be like me,” they grinned at him. “Maybe you’ll be just a bit smaller. Ha!” The shout made him shiver. “I knew that would make ya smile.”

“So he’s not a trench mer?” Kyrie swam closer to Byssal as he spoke. He wouldn’t mind staying smaller than the green mer. Although the words sounded almost sad. Kyrie knew he had to be wrong. “Do you have any idea what type he is? Who’d be able to estimate his size?”

“Nah. The kid’s close enough in colors to one of us it’s hard to tell. Anyone would tell ya he’d be like me. I don’t know anyone who ever had scales that shade. I’d guess he’ll be bigger than most of the other mers. Maybe like me, maybe smaller, but probably bigger than the green grumpfish we have here.”

Their massive hand ruffled Byssal’s hair. Kyrie stared in awe, bigger than Byssal might be ok. Then he could save them too. He could protect them like they protect him. He started chirping and that made Pelago pull him into a hug. Plus if he was just like Marina he wouldn’t be a bad big.

“If ya get worried when ya get bigger guppy come find me, there’s plenty of room in the trench,” Marina smiled. Kyrie nodded at them, but he wouldn’t go there. He didn’t want to leave Byssal and Pelago. He wanted to stay where he felt safe. Where the mers around him always offered warm smiles.

Pelago clapped her hands and smiled at Kyrie, “Go home with Byss for now, ok? I need to talk with Marina a bit longer!”

Kyrie nodded, but Byssal chirped. It was clear the bigger mer didn’t like leaving. A few moments of silence passed as Pelago and Byssal stared at each other. Byssal huffed, but held his hand out for Kyrie to swim closer. The young mer did as expected and swam into the palm offered. The massive fingers curled around him before Byssal swam off.

All he could think about was what would happen next. If being different than they thought would make him be sent away. A few tears and fearful chirps escaped. He didn’t think Byssal would notice, but the hand holding him moved. He was pressed over the heart of the mer a few chirps of reassurance followed the movement. Kyrie pushed into the chest in front of him, desperate for this to last.

“It’s fine, Kyrie,” Byssal whispered. The voice made Kyrie’s body shiver. “Big or small you’ll have us behind you.”

* * *

Pelago watched as her pod left. She had questions that needed answers. Things that Byss would be too defensive to let her ask. She swam up to Marina’s face, their eyes were narrowed. They knew she was going to be asking something that needed the others gone. She folded her arms and stared into the massive eyes.

“Are there bigger mers? Deeper in the water?” she asked. Marina narrowed their eyes. They always said they were the biggest. That they were the biggest any mer could be. Pel was the one who healed them, she knew the truth. A bigger mer’s teeth had been the injury that sent Marina from trenches in search of help.

“Pel, just hope I’m right. Don’t ya want to feel calm?” they asked. It settled the matter for her. This was something they were hiding.

“I’ll feel calm knowing what to expect.” Marina sighed, the bubbles from their sigh hid their face. Pel yelped as their fingers wrapped around her. She was pulled close as the trench mer started swimming.

“I’ll take ya, but don’t hurt that pup. I know ya aren’t the type, but that other one…”

“Byss is more protective than I am of him. We named him Kyrie. I have to know what’s coming. I have to make sure he’s safe.”

“If he goes on a frenzy what will ya do?”

“Stop him without killing him and get what he needs. He may not have started as my guppy, but he’s mine now. Byss thinks the same.”

“All you small mers talk like that, ya don’t know what-”

“We already accepted he might kill us Marina. Byss knows it might be me who dies first if we aren’t prepared. Even if it happens Kyrie will have a home. If we learn now, we can be ready. We can make sure nothing happens.”

“Well… just don’t forget ya can send him to me if he’s too much. Even the ones bigger aren’t that much, maybe a few of you longer than me. They’re not as friendly either.”

“Then it’s good I have you to help me talk to them for my pup.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Years went by and Kyrie grew. Soon enough he was Pel’s size. It made him sad, he missed the days she could hide him from everything. Byssal still dwarfed him, but there was no promise how long that would last. He snuck out more often too. Looking for ways to be useful. To ensure the fact the two took him in was worthwhile. Usually he was told not to do it again, but it didn’t stop him.

Lately his scales itched and his body ached. He’d been hungrier too. He didn’t mention any of it to anyone. He was grateful for what Byssal and Pel gave him. A bit of hunger and some discomfort was easy to handle. Easy enough until the aches started making it hard to swim.

One of the days he couldn’t force himself from the sands of their den Pel got worried. She was swimming all over, but Kyrie just wanted her to stop. He was hungry too, Byssal was probably hunting. His vision was blurry but he managed to follow Pel as she swam.

“Mmm,” he groaned. Words weren’t working. They were hard, but he wanted Pel to come closer. She did, right after he made noise. He was so hungry.

“Oh Kyrie, it’s ok we’ll take care of this,” she soothed.

Her hand on his head was nice, she was colder than him. Instincts were winning against him and he pulled her close, holding her in a tight hug. He just wanted her to be safe when he couldn’t do anything. He wanted Byssal safe too, but he’s too big for now. Pel squirmed, but he tightened the hug he held her in.

“Mine,” he growled. She was his to protect. So was Byssal. Both had to be safe as long as he was alive. Pel froze in his arms, but that wasn’t important. She was safe. His stomach growled, he was so hungry. He’d need Pel to go with him if he wanted food.

“Kyrie, you need to let go,” Pel’s voice wavered. He couldn’t, if he let her go she might get hurt. He needed Byssal, they had to be here. They had to be safe. If Byssal wasn’t back soon he’d take Pel along for something to eat. Another growl from his stomach was followed by a piercing pain. He squeezed Pel, she must have this pain too. “Kyrie!”

“Pel!?” Byssal shouted as he swam in. Kyrie could barely make out where the massive mer ended and the cave began. His vision was so strange, kind of dark. Byssal and Pelago were sort of… glowing? Yeah glowing, like the fish in the darker waters. “Pel are you-”

“He’s just hugging me.” Pel sounded strange. Kyrie chirped in worry. He folded his fins back, she must be in pain. “A bit too tightly to be honest.”

The weird blur that was Byssal came closer. A hand was coming near him. Panic set in his heart, Pel was his. He would keep her safe. Just like Byssal, Byssal was his too. His job, his charges, they were his. He grabbed the claw of the hand as it grew close, a growl slipping out.

“Mine,” his voice sounded strange to him. The scent of the claw reached him, it was his. The one he held and the claw were his, he’d keep them safe. “Both mine. Safe.”

His stomach growled again, but he could ignore that. His lights needed him to keep them safe. This was the best for him to do. He’d survive until the danger passed whether or not he ate. He’d keep them safe. Just like they kept him safe, it was his turn now.

“It’s safe Kyrie,” Pel whispered. Her hand on his arm was nice, cold. The claw in his grip pulled away, but that wasn’t allowed. He tightened his hand. The claw sliced his skin, the scent of his blood blocking others in the water. It made him loosen his hold. Did he really have Byssal and Pel? Were they other mers? Not his?

* * *

Byssal pulled his claw away as Pel squirmed out of Kyrie’s grip. He never sounded like that before. He watched Pel dash around the cave, Kyrie looked empty. Curled up hugging his stomach. Byssal almost forgot the fish he’d gone out to get. He dropped it next to Kyrie, focusing on how the young mer moved.

It wasn’t the frenzy they expected. It wasn’t the anger that Pel was warned could come during a growth. It looked careful, one clawed hand reaching out to pull a fish close. Careful check of its scent before taking a bite. The speed Kyrie devoured the fish was what they expected. It was his size and gone in a few minutes. Byssal narrowed his eyes when the young mer reached for more.

Pelago took the distraction as a chance to use a spell to seal the cuts on Kyrie’s hand. It was strange that he’d be so focused that he let himself get hurt. As though there was no instinct to defend himself from danger. Byssal decided to curl up around the young mer and rest a hand over him. Kyrie wrapped himself around one of Byssal’s fingers instead of eating.

“Mine. Safe,” Kyrie growled. Byssal shook his head.

“I’m safe,” he whispered. Kyrie’s grip loosened. When the young mer looked up, Byssal saw empty eyes. He’d never seen a mer like that. Pel swam close just in time to see them.

“Byss,” she said. He chirped as she slowly swam closer to the pup they’ve been raising. “It’s not like Marina or the others said. This is different… I’m worried.”

Kyrie perked up at her voice and tried to reach her. Byssal curled his fingers around the smaller mer. Luckily he was still the biggest of the three of them. It didn’t stop Kyrie from trying to escape, with a strength that didn’t match his size. Pel swam down to him and placed a hand on his face.

“I’m here, I’m safe,” she said. Kyrie relaxed again. He held his arm around her, but it was gentle this time.

“Safe, kept safe. Always safe,” he said. The empty look disappeared as Kyrie closed his eyes. Nothing would ease the concern that settled on Byssal. If Kyrie got bigger, how far would he go to protect them?

* * *

The next time Kyrie was fully aware of anything he was on Byssal’s chest. The older mer had both arms pinning him. Kyrie started to squirm, normally he wouldn’t mind, but he had to move. Byssal tightened his hold.

“We’re safe, we’re here,” Byssal mumbled. Kyrie chirped back. Of course they were here and safe. He could see Pel’s tail. “She’ll be back soon, just rest.”

“What do you mean?” Kyrie asked. Byssal sat up fast enough Kyrie was thrown forward. It should have been a lot worse, but he finally noticed what happened. He was bigger, a lot bigger. Still smaller than Byssal, but at least four times Pel’s size. He… did he do something bad?

“You’re awake!” Pel shouted as she crashed into his chest. He couldn’t make himself move, Byssal’s eyes were wide. “You grew so much! How are your scales? Does anything hurt? We’ll need you to take it easy for a while. Byss kept bumping into things when he’d first grown so much!”

“I-” Byssal cut him off by placing a hand on his head. It felt weird, Byssal should be so much bigger. Pel should be smaller. He didn’t want this, he didn’t want to be big. What if he hurt them? What if that frenzy he’d heard other mers talk about happened? What if-

“I’m glad you’re awake. In a few days I’ll show you where we usually hunt, we’ll go together now. You’re big enough I can’t hurt you.” There was so much warmth in the words Kyrie started crying. Byssal had always been this figure that could and would hurt him. That put up with him even when they played, even if he was nice. He never thought the reason he couldn’t follow was for his safety. If that was it then…

“Thank you… Byss.” His hair was ruffled again. He looked up and saw one of the smiles Byss always tried to hide. Maybe being big wouldn’t be so bad…

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the next few years Kyrie’s life did change. He’d go hunting with Byssal a lot. Sometimes on his own too, but Byss made him promise to tell them next time he was hungrier than normal. It took a while to figure out what was normal. Although that was the easy part of how his new size changed his life.

Mers were coming after them more often. Angry that Kyrie wasn’t in the trenches, angry that he was with Byssal and Pelago. He didn’t know what made the two of them specifically so bad, but he didn’t care. Sometimes mers bigger than him and Byssal would attack them. The only option was to kill, it hurt him more than he let Byss know. Pel seemed aware of it.

The days that a fight went bad she’d play with his hair. It reminded him of when they took him in. If it was to protect this life he’d fight and kill anyone he had to. As he started to get bigger there were more mers targeting him alone. Those times he’d say he was hunting when he got home to explain away his lack of hunger. He couldn’t let anyone know how often he’d had to take the life of another mer to protect himself. They might hate him for it.

He just had to rely on the mers focusing on him alone. Also that he wouldn’t be targeted when his limbs grew heavy and his scales itched. Unfortunately he wasn’t that lucky.

A group of mers came after him when he left to hunt. A few were easy enough to scare away. One was bigger than Byssal, he needed his speed to survive. His tail felt like stone as he tried to swim. The massive mer managed to scrape his tail. His blood painted the water red and left him falling to the sand. He barely rolled out of the way before claws slammed into the sand where he’d just been.

“Do you get it now?!” the mer yelled. Kyrie growled. He didn’t get anything. They always tried to chase him to the trenches, he wouldn’t leave. Not when there were people who cared about him. “Leave. You don’t belong in these waters! If you don’t go now I’ll make sure you won’t ever reach your full length. Not with those two raising you.”

“Back off!” Kyrie shouted. The mer growled in response. Kyrie put all the strength he had into a last ditch push from his tail. He slammed into the other mer, biting deep into her side.

She screamed, barely managing to push him away. He fell to the sand again, more of his own blood painting the water. It mixed with hers creating an awful scent. His back hit the sand with enough force he thought something cracked. His vision started to darken.

“Cursed tides!” she shouted. He growled, somehow he’d survive. Another growl from somewhere echoed his own. “I’ll kill you for this!”

He tried to swallow the chunk he’d bitten to make another attack. The taste alone made him sick. He never liked it, but this time it made him gag. As soon as he managed to fight it down, a green blur swam over him. The other mer screamed. Kyrie managed to push himself up just enough to see Byssal taking a chunk out of the mermaid.

The fight was different from the ones he’d been in. Byssal was using strength to win despite his smaller size. He took chunks out of the mers tail, but the mer was scratching Byssal. She took a chunk out of his side, but Byssal used the chance to bite her neck. The dispersing blood turned the water a sickening pinkish red. Byss floated towards him, the older mer covered in blood.

“...Home. Now,” Byss growled.

Kyrie nodded and used the little strength he had to push himself up again. Byss grabbed his arm and the two swam home. The blood left a sickening trail behind them. The heavy feeling in his limbs grew worse, but Byss wasn’t safe. They had to get to Pel so she could heal him. Kyrie forced his pain from his mind. He had to get Byss home. It was Kyrie’s job to protect Byssal. Not this, this shouldn’t have happened.

* * *

Byssal was tired and in a lot of pain. They just had to reach Pel. He’d seen her heal worse injuries, they’d both be fine. He wouldn’t let Kyrie go out hunting alone anymore. This whole time he thought this might be happening, but he had no idea it was this bad. His own vision was going dark as he tried to get them home. This wasn’t good.

Just as his speed started to fall Kyrie’s picked up. He looked back at the younger mer, the empty eyes were back. It had been years since he’d seen them. Kyrie’s speed was more than Byssal had ever seen. The younger mer acted like the injuries he had didn’t exist.

“Kyrie!” he shouted. The empty eyes just stared past him as the younger mer swam forward. It wasn’t long before he was dragging Byssal behind him. “You need to stop!”

“Safe!” Kyrie growled. It was that same odd tone of voice as all those years ago. Byssal accepted it, after last time he knew there was no stopping this.

Byssal started chirping as they neared their den. Pel needed warning, there had been danger. They were hurt. He wasn’t expecting Kyrie to nearly throw him into the den as the younger and still smaller mer sat at the entrance. Pelago’s scream kept him from trying to move towards the mer.

“What happened?!” she whined. He watched the small woman flit around the cave. It was clear how anxious she was, ingredients thrown down constantly. “Byss I don’t know if I can fix this!”

“You’ve fixed worse,” he smiled. A large chunk of his side was gone, he was no fool. That mermaid was just as ready to die as he was. He protected his pup and that was the part he cared about. Pel floated just above him, tears floating from her eyes. “Do your best. I’ll pull through.”

Pelago shook her head as the tears continued to float away. Byss grabbed her with his hand and held her to his chest. If she wouldn’t try he’d at least hold her. He was too afraid to admit how he felt because of something like this, because he could leave her. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t be selfish at the end.

“Take care of him,” he whispered. Pained chirps followed, but he couldn’t look at her anymore. He was distracted by the empty blue eyes staring down at him. Kyrie had left the entrance. “Take care of her, Kyrie. We’re yours right?”

“Mine,” Kyrie mumbled. Byssal’s eyes went wide when his pup went straight to the wound. After all this time did Kyrie finally hit a frenzy?!

“Kyrie don’t!” The kid could have him once he died. Not now, not when Pel would watch Kyrie kill him. The younger mer looked back with that cursed empty gaze. “Tides above listen for once!”

Byssal’s plea landed on deaf fins. If Kyrie was even awake he didn’t care. Byss did what he could to protect Pel from the worst of it. Pulling her from his chest and pushing her into the small hole she used to store rare ingredients. Her claws dug into his skin as she tried to make him let her out. She wasn’t watching him die because they failed to keep their pup fed.

Instead of the pain of teeth, he felt Kyrie taste him. His whole body shuddered at the sensation. This was the only time a mer treated him like this. Byss tried to push Kyrie off him, but the younger mer wouldn’t budge. He felt like he was pushing against a wall of stone. Pel hadn’t stopped trying to force his hand away to get free. Kyrie had to hurry up.

“Stop playing around,” Byss growled. Kyrie didn’t stop tasting him. More growls left his chest as the younger mer floated over him.

“Byss let me out!” Pel’s muffled voice hurt his heart. Kyrie had to make the kill already. It would hurt her, but they knew this could happen.

As time passed Byssal started to feel less pain. The sting of the saltwater on his side faded. He had to be dying, close to the end of his life. Feeling should fade when that happened. Although he felt stronger than before. It wasn’t hard to keep Pel trapped and his breathing grew easier. It was strange.

“Safe,” Kyrie murmured. The younger mer met his eyes, the empty eyes had a look of relief mixed in. Kyrie returned to the entrance and Byss sat up, finally letting Pel out.

“You eel!” she shouted. “I can’t believe you would waste the time we have-”

Her words died, Byss had nothing to say either. His side was back to normal, like the fight never happened. Pel swam to it and ran her hands over the spot that had been missing. New tears floated from her as she inspected what should have been a deadly wound. Byssal stared at Kyrie, something was different with the guppy. Something that no one could help them understand.

“You… Kyrie had been… how?” Pelago whispered. Byss shook his head.

“I have no idea,” he said.

* * *

Kyrie opened his eyes to the cave he’d known for so long. He expected pain, anger, shouts, but that wasn’t happening. There was no pain in his body this time, but there was a weight on his stomach. He sat up a bit, finding Byssal and Pelago curled up on top of him. Pel looked so small and Byss was smaller than him. He grew again, he grew and now he was a monster. With all the care he could manage he slipped the mers who took him in off his stomach.

They barely moved as he did. It made him nervous. If their tails weren’t twitching he’d worry something else happened. Kyrie carefully left their den to swim. He had to think. For once he took the direction Byss and Pel always told him to avoid. It was better if he didn’t go where they could find him. It might be better if he doesn’t ever go back. Byss could have died, he didn’t even know how Pel healed him.

For all he knew they had to stop him from doing something awful. He couldn’t remember anything after Byss started dragging him towards home. Maybe he was too dangerous to live in the shallow waters. It would be better not to put the two in danger anymore. He didn’t want to leave though. Now he was big enough he could probably protect them and himself. He could be helpful, but he had one more time he’d grow. He could-

Kyrie banged his head on a hill of sand in front of him, knocking him from his thoughts. He looked up, freezing when he saw a human face staring down at him. The human girl had brown hair and eyes. It looked like she’d been crying, something in him was desperate to comfort her. He never felt that way before.

“Don’t sing in the water,” she whispered. He didn’t know what she said, Pel used those words sometimes. Maybe she’d help him understand. “Be wary of the monsters in the sea. Except go live in a house on a cliff near the fucking ocean. That makes fucking sense.”

Kyrie forced down chirps of comfort. Humans weren’t supposed to know about him. She looked so alone. There was so much pain in her voice. She was like him. He didn’t know how to explain it, but he knew. He knew she was like him. He wanted to know more about her.

A prick of pain on his tail fin distracted him. He hadn’t noticed his arm starting to reach towards the human girl. Another tug on his tail and he found an angry Byss staring at him. Kyrie didn’t exactly want to leave the human, but he had to. It took a bit of squirming to turn around without disturbing the surface of the water, but once he did, Byss grabbed a strand of his hair and started swimming away. Kyrie followed.

“What in all the seas were you doing!?” Byss growled when they reached their den.

“I-” Kyrie tried. Pel slammed into his cheek making him stop.

“Oh guppy, I thought something happened when we woke up and you were gone!” she said. He didn’t understand.

“He was near that human beach when I found him.” Pel’s dull claws dug into his skin, they didn’t break it. They used to be able to break his skin. Somehow he knew that wouldn’t happen anymore.

“What? Why were you there?” Pel swam back enough he could see her.

“I… I went for a swim and got distracted,” he said. It was mostly the truth.

“Why were you reaching for them?” The growl scared him. Now Byss and Pel would abandon him. They’d send him away like his first pod.

“I wasn’t thinking.” It felt like he was that tiny guppy again. Byss swam closer. Kyrie could see now the older mer was half his size. “I-”

“Be careful next time, humans will have a much easier time hurting you than another mer.”

The care wasn’t what he expected. He’d done something wrong that could have put them all in a lot of trouble. If Byssal hadn’t shown up he might have revealed himself. He knew better. They’d taught him better. Pelago pulled him from his thoughts. Her now miniscule hands wiping at tears he hadn’t noticed started.

“Guppy, what’s wrong?” she whispered. Even now she called him guppy. He was a dozen times bigger than her, twice as big as Byssal. He wasn’t a guppy anymore, he probably…

“I’m too big,” he whispered. His tears went faster, he’d be a danger for them.

“Kyrie,” Byssal said, his voice stern. He’d never heard the older mer sound like that. “I’ve thought the same thing in the past. If you try to leave we’ll go after you. You’re part of our pod, you aren’t too big.”

“But-” A slap from Pel’s tail stopped him.

“Do you want to live in the trenches?” He shook his head, but he was supposed to. Byssal was hurt so badly because of him. He would hurt them someday. “Then don’t worry about how big you are. You have a long time before you’ll grow again. We can find a new den before that. We’re a pod, a family, you didn’t do anything wrong guppy.”

Kyrie cried. Pel and Byss were always there for him. They found him and never once saw a monster. Never once treated him like a burden. If they’d let him he’d stay with them forever. He didn’t want to leave.

“Don’t worry so much,” Byssal’s small hand ruffled his hair. “You’re fine here.”

Kyrie nodded. As long as they’d let him stay he would. They were his family now. He was scared to say it out loud, but that was the truth. His family was this pod and hearing Pel say it, hearing Byssal tell him he could stay… He wanted this to last.

In the following years Kyrie grew more confident. He would go hunting with Byss and spell ingredient searching with Pel. Sometimes he went out alone. When he did he found himself near the human he had seen. He would listen to her talking, at least he thought it was talking. Someday he wanted to understand her, to meet her, but he would never risk Byss and Pel on a human. Not without a good reason… Not unless a siren gave him reason to act on this strange feeling in his heart.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Kyrie!” Byss groaned. “You’ve been hiding in the sand for three days. You need to leave at some point.”

“No,” he said. It had been a few days since Melody found the scale in his teeth. He wanted to be near her, but if he went close they would probably find her. They might hurt her. He was safe, but Melody would have to sing to make them go away. He didn’t want her to have to sing because of him.

“Guppy,” Pelago landed on him. The sand he’d buried himself in was too thick for her to disturb it much. His claws since he finished growing were better about digging through the ground. He could hide in the sand again and leave the cave looking like he’d never been there once he left. “Melody told me she was worried about you. What happened? She just had a violet scale…”

“Wait, violet? Where did she-”

“Hey!” A voice cut Byssal off. Kyrie knew the voice, one he hadn’t heard in a long time. One that terrified him. “Is… Is this where the uh gigantic mer lives?”

Byssal started growling, but Pel swam forward. Kyrie shifted, but stayed hidden under the sand.

“Why are you looking for him?” she asked. Kyrie fought back the chirps of his fear.

“I… look, is he here?” Byssal growled again, but Kyrie moved. It had been enough time… he could face them again… He could see his brother again. The sand cascaded down as he moved. He could see the bright red tail as the clouds of sand dispersed.

“I’m here,” he said. It was hard to talk to them. To say anything when those memories had never left him. Foam swam back, fear in his eyes. Kyrie expected pain from seeing his older brother, but it was… neutral.

“Oh, uh, just I… Th-thanks for uh… healing my sister, she would be dead if you hadn’t, so uh yeah thanks!”

Foam swam off and Kyrie was left behind watching him go. He lowered himself, finding his brother swimming into his sister… Into Kelpie. The two swam off and Kyrie wasn’t hurt. It was fine. Byssal swam up to his face placing a hand on his cheek.

“Are you ok?” he asked. Kyrie nodded. Pel chirped as she swam closer. “You should go see Melody.”

Kyrie agreed and swam off. He… he wanted to tell her it wasn’t bad. That it didn’t hurt. He wanted to hold her close, remind himself that he got everything he wanted. People who loved him and someone he loved.

* * *

“There was no way that monster was the runt!” Anem shouted. Foam swam after her, Kelpie close behind. “You saw how big he was. There’s nothing bigger in the water!”

“It was him, go see for yourself. That mer that threatened us back then was even there!” Kelpie said. Foam didn’t know what to think. The runt was that monster and let them go.

“We should-” Foam was cut off as the massive blue tail passed overhead. He and his siblings stared after the tail. He was the first to follow. Kelpie grabbed him while Anem swam next to her. “Believe us now, An?”

“Where is he going?”

“We’re finding out.”

They swam in silence. It was unbelievable. Kelpie was only half the size of the mer who threatened them. He was half her size, then Anem was only a little smaller than her. How did the runt become… that?! The chirp from in front of them echoed, it had to come from the runt. They found his tail resting on the sand, but his upper body was above the water.

“The surface?” he whispered.

Foam swam ahead of his sisters. He was the bravest of the three despite being the smallest. He poked above the water at the edge of a beach. Splashes sounded behind him as his sisters surfaced too.

Ahead of him the runt had his nose pressed against a heavy set human. Brown hair and eyes, but she wasn’t screaming. There was no fear of the monster against her. How could a human act like that?

“Kyrie, stop,” she laughed.

Foam chirped, Kelpie chirped too. Anem was silent. That wasn’t normal. He turned around finding Anem staring at a mer Kelpie’s size with stark white fins. He had human eyes and hair… It made no sense. He was dangerous, an oceanid that looked human. The mer swam closer glaring down at them.

“Touch her and I’ll be the one you deal with,” he said. His words were human, but somehow they understood.

“W-we were just curious about th-the massive mer,” Foam said. The oceanid nodded, swimming past them and climbing onto the beach.

“Kyrie, give me a lift!” the mer shouted. One of the runt’s impossible hands came close, lifting the white mer without even looking. The mer was placed next to the human who gave him a hug. “Told you he was fine, dork.”

“Cap, don’t be rude! You were worried too. You’d gone looking for-”

“Safe,” the runt said. He nudged both the human and white mer with his nose.

“Let’s leave before he finds us here,” Anem said. Foam didn’t know what to think.

“Yeah… let’s go,” Kelpie said.

His sisters dove under the water. He stayed behind to watch the runt with the other two a bit longer. As he watched, the white mer slowly changed into a human. The runt might have helped, but sending him away was better. If they stayed with someone like him all of them would have lost the lives they had. A part of him was glad the runt had survived and found his own pod. He dove in the water, hopefully he never had to see the runt again.

#gt #giant/tiny #giant tiny #g/t #g/t writing #gt writing #gianttiny #gt community #g/t community #oc:Kyrie #oc:pelago #oc:byssal #more kyrie past #I have no chill

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the-mighty-mittens · 4 months ago

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End Roll day 2

Still struggling with the Burying One fight smh (Also apparently Russell's name has 2 L's and I've been spelling it wrong oops)

I think I'm underleveled so now I'm fighting the (invisible, for some reason) enemies

Hey I got far enough for some lore this time

Oh I won

She just did nothing for the last few turns lmao

Oh.. Darcover

Dark

Cover

No one saw him burn the church down because the darkness covered him

I see very clever (Or I'm looking way into something that isn't there XD)

Oh I forgot all this trouble was bc Cody broke a vase smh

Anyway I need to find the florist's now

I think I found it but idk if it's too late now that it's night bc nothing's happening. I feel kinda bad XD

Oh well this is different than the last few times I went outside, it's just pitch black

My guilt level is zero?

Yeah I mean I don't blame her for hating me XD

I DIDN'T THINK CALLING HIM MR TURNIP WOULD FUCKING KILL HIM

NO LET ME LEAVE PLEASEEE

Probably should have saved before this 😀

Ah, apparently asking for forgiveness was the wrong answer

hmm

I want to leave this room

Oh hey he has a friend (I'm actually kinda surprised lol)

... No matte how fucked up this experiment is, at least Russell's away from his parents? That has to be doing some good right?

Idk what I'm doing but I'm lighting candles now

Mmkay no matter what he claims, Russel definitely has some guilt

Oh I do! My guilt level is 10 now!

OH I HAVE TO FIGHT HER NOW?!

Well, I died, and the last time I saved was before fighting the tree lady 😀

Are they feeding this kid? Like is he just waking up and then immediately going back to sleep? Or is everything else just cut out?

Wait no she broke a statue not a vase lmao

Back where I was before (Still have to do the autograph and kelp things though)

Ok so the birthday area is normal now? Did I really have to do the seaside stuff first?

I feel so mean doing this a second time aaa

Rip mr turnip kelpie

Ok but what happens if I kill the kelp

Oh same thing ok

My guilt level is 5 though (I think bc of going to the tree again with dogma?)

Oh I guess I did have to do that bc now the bloody smiley faces are back, I guess the creepy stuff is caused by the guilt level

#end roll #end roll spoilers

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gryphons-n-kelpies · 2 years ago

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MC: I FOUND IT! I FOUND THE MISSILE TOAD THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. CAN WE NOW KISS MOROGH, BIRD????

Morogh is confused. Why is a missile tied to a toad? Why do humans kiss under it? What is the purpose for that. Bird on the other hand. Is laughing his ass off.

"Kelp-face.... It's supposed to be a pun on mistletoe. You know the tradition to kiss under that, right?"

"... What's a ... .'pun'..?"

Bird is rolling on the floor, wheezing. That poor kelpie doesn't understand puns at all.

Looks like Bird will be the one to receive a kiss for the clever prop. And no... Bird will NOT be explaining what puns are

#bird writes #bird orion #morogh answers #morogh

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yamitsuki-devillie · 2 years ago

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Prompt day 10: Angst

This is a small moment that happened just after Moby survived a mer hunter attack, he's extremely hurt and exhausted. Yami and Gin rescued him and brought him to their crater to recuperate, they already patched him up, but the poor guy keeps having nightmares and can't rest properly, so Yami came to comfort him while Gin takes care of the mer kids.

Prompts list by @intistone

Tw: Blood

Prompt and small drabble under the cut.

A long night with a whale and a salad.

On the middle of the ocean, there's a small pack of whale mers swimming, the youngest one, a 5 years old male sperm whale mer, is swimming close to its mom, making happy warbles for his mom while the bigger blue whale mer is chuckling at her adorable baby nuzzling him. "Stay close, okay sweetie?"

The baby mer nods bapping at his mom while swimming around him. His mom smiles watching him before a stir starts on the pack and she immediately perks up, trying to understand what's happening. "Father, what's wrong?" She looks at the oldest whale mer on the pack holding her kid close, who's confused about what's happening.

The older sperm whale mer immediately answered: "Human hunters! Stay together everyone!" The pack of whale 5 mers enter on a defensive position around to the mer who has a kid. The blue whale mer immediately perks up in surprise growling defensively to the ships moving over to them.

She looks down to her kid, feeling dread for some motive, before quickly hiding him in a submerged cave, saying in a fully worried voice. "Stay here sweetie, don't come out till I come to get you."

The kid warblers worried, hesitantly nodding for the blue whale mer. The big female mer immediately swims over to join the group while her kid is hiding, ready to help out in protecting the group. The baby sperm whale mer hides deeper in the cave, starting to wait for his mom.

He waits… and waits… and waits… after several hours, the mer slowly perks out wondering what is taking his mom so long…. He never regretted something more than he regretted it. He regrets that moment more than anything. Especially after seeing his mother… with no glow on her eyes and red everywhere in the water.

The sperm whale mer, who now is a 20 years old young adult, jolts awake, hissing in pain before looking around him in a frenetic movement… He is in a covered area, in the island he was brought to after finding him hurt in an isolated shore, the black sperm whale mer sighs in relief, black bags under his eyes, before hearing another voice.

"Another nightmare?" The sperm whale mer snaps his head in the direction of the soft feminine voice, seeing one of the… kelp creatures that brought him here, kelpies they called themselves, the female kelpie walking over to him with an empty mug of a hot drink… cappuccino, that was how the kelpies called it right?

He looks at the female kelp creature for some seconds before hesitantly nodding to her question. "....Yes…"

The kelp creature nods in understanding, putting down her mug on the nearby beach table, moving closer to him. "I came to check on you."

The massive mer slowly looks at the kelp creature, before looking at the strange white patches on his body, the female kelp creature called it bandages, she said it would help him to heal his wounds. "..... It hurts…"

The female humanoid salad looks at the bandages before sighing, looking back at him. "I know they hurt… but it will get better." Moves even close to him, signing for him to lay down.

The sperm whale mer tilts his head in confusion, not understanding her signal and he just looks at her, confusion in his eyes, before he understands she wants him to lay down to rest. The mer complies after the realization hits, laying down in a comfortable position before looking over at Yami, he hesitates before asking her. "Do you promise? Do you promise they will get better?" The kelp creatures didn't hurted him and treated him well during the days he's here, but he still isn't 100% sure he can trust them…

The female sea monster nods, before answering: "Of course I promise…" She slowly lifts her hand, making the mer tense a bit, before she gently starts to pet his horn and head, being careful not to touch his bandages, a sad expression for seeing such a creature so hurt.

The mer tenses more, confused about what she's doing… It's weird but not in a bad way, it's actually…. nice and comforting to be touched like this, he doesn't know what she's doing, but she isn't going to complain about a nice and gentle touch, the mer leans against her hand unconsciously.

The kelp lady blinks a little surprised, smiling softly for him and she keeps petting him, wanting to comfort the poor mer. ".... Mind if I stay here with you?"

The mer looks at her, very surprised before starting to think about her offer… if she stays here it means more of these nice touches… He nods a bit, trying not to show that he likes her staying close to him.

The kelp woman smiles, before taking out a beach blanket to sit on, resuming her petting. The mer is still a bit confused about her action, before it clicks that she didn't meant to stay just for a while, but indeed for a long while, not like he's complaining.

He thinks for a while, before asking in a soft and sleepy voice, leaning more into her touch. ".... What 's your name?" He opens his eyes looking at the female kelpie with bright violet eyes.

She perks up, looking at him surprised, she could swear she said her name to him, but she answers him nonetheless. "My name is Yamitsuki or just Yami, and you?" Keeps petting his head.

He makes a soft rumbling hum. "Yami huh?..." He thinks about his name, he doesn't even remember his name, it's been so long since he last heard it… "....I don't have a name."

Yami blinks surprised and looks at him…. "Oh.. I see…" She thinks for a while, before looking deeply in his eyes. "..... Mind if I give you one?" She pets his horn gently, waiting for his answer.

The massive whale mer's eyes widened in shock. She wants to give a name to him? The cogs are turning in his mind for some moments. He snaps out his shock, before nodding a bit, still laying down. "..... I would like that…"

The tall female kelpie smiles, her violet eyes shining, before she observes him for a while to think of a good name for him… She has a good idea of a name and smiles. "What about… Mobydick? or just Moby for short?"

The mer thinks, checking how to say his name. "Mobydick… I like this name." His eyes have a glow of happiness.

Yami smiles at him, proud of his new name. "So your name is Mobydick, I hope you like it." She resumes petting the massive mer, sitting on her haunches while humming a soothing and calm song.

The mer unconsciously leans against the kelp lady, his eyes becoming heavy, he likes her singing… It makes him remember his mother, when she sang for him to sleep every night. The mer slowly falls asleep being petted by the kelp lady, his green eyes closing while he enjoys her voice.

Yami blinks softly, surprised by how easy he fell asleep, before smiling, her eyes becoming even more softer. She keeps petting the sleeping mer, who this time sleeps without nightmares about his conturbed past. Soon the female kelp creature fell asleep alongside the mer, no more nightmares for either one tonight.

#mermay 2023 #personal blorbos #personal bean #Mer hunter au #kinda of salad family #these two have no idea they are future besties #Yami just wants to comfort the mer #and moby wants and appreciate being comforted #angst but it becomes wholesome #My art

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crow-with-a-pencil · 2 years ago

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So. Tell me a story about your OC. (please)

hehehe hhahaeheha I'm bout to ramble about the doggo

(so context, higher forms of kelpies are like powerful animal forms that are highly individual [see the other ten or so members of the au])

Anyways, Beetle's higher form is a wolf! A really big wolf, like around 5ft tall and 15ft nose to tail tip due to the giant freaking kelp tail.

Approximation:

In this form, they are well suited to combat (strong fangs, big claws, etc), have an incredible sense of smell, and run real fast. On the other hand, though, they only have partial control over that state. In a high stress situation, they tend to act more like a particularly smart guard dog, and yes that includes accepting pets and occasionally napping in cat beds.

Shifting into doggo form is relatively easy. Shifting out is the problem.

You see, Beetle has a teeny tiny definitely not overwhelming problem with anxiety [/sarcasm] that makes it difficult to control form changes when there is anything to worry about (there's usually something to worry about). So... this results in being stuck as a big leafy hound for hours or days at a time.

The other other complication is the fact that speaking is kinda difficult, and the hound's voice is very low, scratchy, and some might say cursed. The howling is an entirely different beast. Nonverbal communication is preferred, but short sentences are ok.

So, you'd think with how often I like to draw this beast that it'd be a common occurance, right?

Nope :D

Beetle, quite frankly, does not like their higher form and only shifts into it when necessary. If the hound is present, you can assume that something bad happened. It's like an Absol. There's a reason it earned the nickname 'bloodhound' ANYWAY-

They dislike it for a few of the reasons above, but mostly because of what I like to call the Werewolf Incident (won't get into that now hehe)

In conclusion: doggo

#corvid answers #beetle oc #it may or may not have something to do with their insomnia problem as well but thats another thing lol #kelpie stuff #lore lore lore ring the lore bells #this little insomniac lives in my head constantly #crows sketchbook #I guess?#just doodles I made for the discord lol #long post #OH AND THANK YOU FOR SENDING ASKS I LOVE RAMBLING

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scotianostra · 4 years ago

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The Corryvreckan.

The Gulf of Corryvreckan is a narrow strait between the islands of Jura and Scarba, in Argyll and Bute, off the west coast of mainland Scotland. It is famous for its strong tidal currents and standing waves. The whirlpool which forms at the right state of the tide is the third largest whirlpool in the world.

With this brings loads of stories of loss of life and miraculous escapes, the most famous, well in my opinion happened in 1947, when author George Orwell, who was in Jura to complete his internationally famous 1984, almost drowned with his young nieces and nephews after sailing too close to the whirlpool.

The Corryvreckan or to give it the Gaelic name Coire Bhreacain meaning "cauldron of the speckled seas also is a place of legends and folklore, one of which surrounds Norse king Breacan attempting to woo a princess. He tried to sail near the whirlpool. However, other people claim that he was attempting to flee from his father’s wrath. Either way, the whirlpool beat him and now the whirlpool may be named after Breacan, or a Gaelic pun on his name.

Another legend revolves around Charles Mackay’s poem “The Kelpie of Corrievrackan,” which tells the story of a woman who leaves her lover for sea kelp. She tried to go after the kelp by diving to its home (which just so happens to be at the bottom of the whirlpool). Therefore, she drowns trying to seduce a piece of seaweed. This piece of folklore was meant to be a “warning to fickle maidens,” claiming that if you are unfaithful to your lover, you’ll end up dying.

He mounted his steed of the water clear, And sat on his saddle of sea-weed sere; He held his bridal of strings of pearl, Dug out of the depths where the sea-snakes curl. II. He put on his vest of the whirlpool froth, 5 Soft and dainty as velvet cloth, And donn’d his mantle of sand so white, And grasp’d his sword of the coral bright. III. And away he gallop’d, a horseman free, Spurring his steed through the stormy sea, 10 Clearing the billows with bound and leap — Away, away, o’er the foaming deep. IV. By Scarba’s rock, by Lunga’s shore, By Garveloch isles where breakers roar, With his horse’s hoofs he dash’d the spray, 15 And on to Loch Buy, away, away! V. On to Loch Buy all day he rode, And reach’d the shore as sunset glow’d, And stopp’d to hear the sounds of joy, That rose from the hills and glens of Moy. 20 VI. The morrow was May, and on the green They’d lit the fire of Beltan E’en, And danced around, and piled it high With peat and heather, and pine logs dry.

VII. A piper play’d a lightsome reel, 25 And timed the dance with toe and heel; While wives look’d on, as lad and lass Trod it merrily o’er the grass. VIII. And Jessie (fickle and fair was she) Sat with Evan beneath a tree, 30 And smiled with mingled love and pride, And half agreed to be his bride. IX. The Kelpie gallop’d o’er the green — He seem’d a knight of noble mien; And old and young stood up to see, 35 And wonder’d who the knight could be. X. His flowing locks were auburn bright, His cheeks were ruddy, his eyes flash’d light; And as he sprang from his good gray steed, He look’d a gallant youth indeed. 40 XI. And Jessie’s fickle heart beat high, As she caught the stranger’s glancing eye; And when he smiled, “Ah well,” thought she, “I wish this knight came courting me!” XII. He took two steps towards her seat — 45 “Wilt thou be mine, O maiden sweet?” He took her lily-white hand, and sigh’d, “Maiden, maiden, be my bride!” XIII. And Jessie blush’d, and whisper’d soft — “Meet me to-night when the moon’s aloft. 50 I’ve dream’d, fair knight, long time of thee —

I thought thou camest courting me.” XIV. When the moon her yellow horn display’d, Alone to the trysting went the maid; When all the stars were shining bright, 55 Alone to the trysting went the knight. XV. “I have loved thee long, I have loved thee well, Maiden, oh more than words can tell! Maiden, thine eyes like diamonds shine; Maiden, maiden, be thou mine!” 60 XVI. “Fair sir, thy suit I’ll ne’er deny — Though poor my lot, my hopes are high; I scorn a lover of low degree — None but a knight shall marry me.” XVII. He took her by the hand so white, 65 And gave her a ring of gold so bright; “Maiden, whose eyes like diamonds shine, Maiden, maiden, now thou’rt mine!” XVIII. He lifted her up on his steed of gray, And they rode till morning away, away — 70 Over the mountain and over the moor, And over the rocks to the dark sea-shore. XIX. “We have ridden east, we have ridden west — I’m weary, fair knight, and I fain would rest. Say, is thy dwelling beyond the sea? 75 Hast thou a good ship waiting for me?” XX. “I have no dwelling beyond the sea, I have no good ship waiting for thee:

Thou shalt sleep with me on a couch of foam, And the depths of the ocean shall be thy home.” 80 XXI. The gray steed plunged in the billows clear, And the maiden’s shrieks were sad to hear; — “Maiden, whose eyes like diamonds shine — Maiden, maiden, now thou’rt mine!” XXII. Loud the cold sea-blast did blow 85 As they sank ’mid the angry waves below — Down to the rocks where the serpents creep, Twice five hundred fathoms deep. XXIII. At morn a fisherman sailing by Saw her pale corse floating high. 90 He knew the maid by her yellow hair And her lily skin so soft and fair. XXIV. Under a rock on Scarba’s shore, Where the wild winds sigh and the breakers roar, They dug her a grave by the water clear, 95 Among the sea-weeds salt and sere. XXV. And every year at Beltan E’en, The Kelpie gallops across the green, On a steed as fleet as the wintry wind, With Jessie’s mournful ghost behind. 100 XXVI. I warn you, maids, whoever you be, Beware of pride and vanity; And ere on change of love you reckon, Beware the Kelpie of Corryvreckan. (From Charles Mackay, Legends of the Isles and Other

#scotland #scottish #whirlpool #history #folklore #Legend

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blueporl · 3 years ago

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29. Apple Cider

Warnings: Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon spoilers, character briefly being drunk

a short, one-off Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon fanfic i wrote! takes place pre-manga, back when the Golden Kingdom had just won the war and Thistle was only barely starting to lose his grip.

The prompt is from @creativepromptsforwriting‘s November prompt list

The Kingdom’s main square was quiet by the time Thistle had relaxed enough to partake in a drink, signs of the earlier celebration all but abandoned for a quick return to practicality.

A small tankard in one hand and candle in the other, he took the occasional sip as he stalked slowly through the streets. While most would feel lonely (or, if one were the particularly jumpy type, unnerved), seeing the items from the earlier feast scattered throughout the streets, the elf could only find relief in being alone after such a long day. He’d been subject to several questions throughout it, words tainted with either excitement, suspicion, or fear. Some had even wished to learn of his methods themselves, but the elf was well-aware of those who may very well betray him if the opportunity arose. Not even just him, but King Dergal as well by extension, and he wasn’t about to simply let another would-be assassin have their way with the Golden Kingdom.

Not as long as Thistle drew breath.

Monsters of various kinds drew his eye as they occasionally moved through the shadows. Most slipped between buildings with ease, and Thistle couldn't help but stare at the more powerful of his creations, watching them even as he raised the tankard to his lips again. Everything was coming together. Not only had he found the Winged Lion after what felt like a decade of sleepless nights tracing the source of its power, but it had enabled him to ensure the Kingdom’s prosperity- immortality, even. The smile widened, before eventually shifting into an outright grin.

He’d truly done something amazing, hadn’t he? It was the happiest he’d seen King Dergal since the death of his father. Not only that, but he was safe as well. Possibly forever.

Just thinking about it made the feeling contagious to the point that Thistle couldn’t help but laugh to himself, spinning around as if being twirled in a joyous waltz with his old friend. The bells on his clothes jangled at the movement, catching the attention of a few young wyverns, who flew loose circles around him in their own little dance, letting out the occasional chirp. He came to a stop only as he nearly stumbled. Perhaps it would be for the best to return to the castle.

“Having fun, are we?”

Thistle turned abruptly at the sound, the wyverns alighting on his shoulders protectively. Whoever it was was hidden by shadow. “We won the war, and the Kingdom has been saved.” He replied. “There’s no reason for me to not celebrate our victory, is there?” The stranger stepped forward, only for their identity to be covered further by a hood. He was not completely clueless, however, as he recognized the clothes they wore as belonging to King Dergal’s royal court. But this did little to ease the elf’s mind. Thistle wasn’t about to let another traitor come in right under his nose, royal court or not.

“Perhaps that is the case for now. I am one of King Dergal’s prophets, and I have come to inform you of a vision I had- one of terrible danger.” They recounted, tone serious. “I foresee that this path - awakening the Winged Lion, joining the kingdom with this underground place, immortalizing everyone - will someday spell out your doom. Not only yours, but-”

The abrupt sound of iron thrown hard against stone cut them off.

“That’s enough.” Thistle growled, the hand that had previously been holding the tankard clenched into a tight fist. “I followed the necessary course of action, and no amount of ominous muttering from the shadows will undo what has been done. I now have the power to save them. Do you really wish to take this away from those who need it?” He took an accusatory step forward. “Or are you a spy, hoping to unravel us from the inside?” This, possibly combined with the three other pairs of red eyes watching them from his shoulders, finally seemed to unnerve the self-proclaimed prophet, who widened the distance between them yet again.

“I-if you won’t listen, then at least withdraw your monsters. We’re almost overrun with them, and many are getting worried.”

He was quickly losing patience, which showed blatantly in the furrowing of his eyebrows. “They protect us. With the monsters on our side, the people of this kingdom no longer have anything to fear,” Thistle had come closer as he spoke, and the prophet suddenly found it hard to not be aware of the aforementioned monsters creeping closer out of the corners of his vision. “Be it thieves, armies, or even traitorous scum, King Dhergal is... safe. We... are all safe. Maybe you’ll even… even milk one someday.”

He stumbled.

Whether it was over a monster, the prophet, or a mere misplaced stone, he was unable to process. Nothing much was reaching his brain anymore, only a single thought shining brilliantly in his mind:

He desperately needed to sleep this off.

Thistle moved past the stranger with an awkward half-push and several careful steps, long legs struggling to cooperate with his slowed mind, only making a few steps before having to lean against a wall for support. They were speaking, but he hardly bothered to listen. A single thought brought a kelpie - a horse-like monster with kelp for its mane and tail - to his side. “Do you see?” He slurred as he dragged himself onto it, though it was unclear whether or not the question was intended to be heard, let alone answered. The triumphant tone it carried implied that the answer was a no.

“Helpful.”

They then departed into the night, leaving behind only a bewildered prophet, reckless promises of a better future, and a single empty tankard of apple cider.

#dungeon meshi #delicious in dungeon #dungeon meshi thistle #dungeon meshi spoilers #fanfic #alcohol #thistle dungeon meshi #writing #[💜 | Chex’s Writing]#[Misc.]#2021

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sammystep · 4 years ago

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No One Lives Forever- CH10

(AO3 link)

Stardust Crusader Wolf Pack AU

[From the beginning- CH1]

Between the road noise and the insulation of the cooler it was easy to ignore the shouting from the gremlin. Kakyoin had taken shotgun this time, the rest of you piled in the back rows and passing around bandages and ointments as Polnareff drove. After cleaning away the blood you could see none of you had sustains injuries worse than some deep scratches. With the accelerated healing you all had they would be fine by morning, but you patched each other up with gauze and bandages just in case. It felt nice, satisfying even, to take care of the others and let them take care of you in return.

You lose track of time for a bit, content to sit quietly in the middle row and rest. You hear someone start snoring from behind you and turn around to see Joseph has nodded off, Avdol also has his eyes closed but looks more like he’s meditating than sleeping. Jotaro must have turned at the same time, you caught his eyes as he turns forward again as well, a small smile on his face. You smile at him and hold out your hand to him over the middle seat. His gaze flicks back again before he faces forward completely and covertly takes your hand.

You didn’t realize how tense you still were until he took your hand and you felt the muscles of your back and shoulders melt. A tingling feeling of relief, you were safe, your pack was safe, your mate…

You tense slightly again and grip Jotaro’s hand, where had that feeling come from? You are bewildered for a moment, you barely register Jotaro squeezing your hand back, his emotions hidden by his resting serious face. You relax into your seat again, coming to at least basic terms with what your instincts have been screaming at you for a while now. Yes, it was a terrifying situation happening when you first met him, and Jotaro could physically fit the definition of big bad wolf, but his actions so far have proven he’s anything but cruel or violent. When you had gotten a look at the cut on his leg earlier you had to suppress a sudden shift and urge to rip the monster that did that to pieces. Maybe he was experiencing the same feelings towards you?

It’s been a few hours after the events of the gas station and capturing Dio’s minion when Polnareff makes a turn off the road to a campsite. Although it looked well cared for there weren’t many campers ready to brave New York forests this late in the season, there were no other cars in the lot or in any of the designated spaces close to the entrance. Jotaro is surveying the space outside his window so he doesn’t see Kakyoin turn around and catch sight of your intertwined hands. You blush and look away when you catch his eye and he’s polite enough to clear his throat before announcing this was the nearest campsite he found to dispose of the gremlin in its prison.

Polnareff parks and you’re surprised Jotaro gives your hand a squeeze before letting go and climbing out. You suppress a giggle at Joseph’s sudden snort as he jostles himself awake. Exiting the truck, you enjoy a deep lung full of clean air, not even a trace of human scent present. The falling leaves and large lake to your right create a picturesque scene and you almost wish the pack had stopped for pleasure and not business. Speaking of… Jotaro and Polnareff are unloading your captive from the back, the creature either playing possum or it had finally run out of air. A couple of hard shakes to the container don’t produce the screeches you expected.

Joseph has fully woken up from his nap and joins them in staring at the cooler. “Well, looks like we won’t be getting any more info out of that thing.” He puts one hand on his hip and scratches at his beard with the other. “Jotaro, what do you think? Risk it getting away to see if it’s really dead?”

“No. It didn’t seem all that clever, it probably had nothing more to tell us. It’s not worth the risk of it getting loose out here.” Jotaro motions with a jerk of his chin to the dense woods. “We’ll burry the whole thing and be done with it.” The rest of the pack nods in agreement and Jotaro and Polnareff haul the cooler towards the line of trees.

You all take advantage of the rest stop and walk around the campsite while Jotaro and Polnareff make quick work of disposing of their cargo. You douse a few paper towels with some of the bottled water as they make their way back and offer them to the guys to clean up with. “Ah, merci mon amie.” Polnareff looks around for a moment before leaning in slightly “Ah, say (Y/N), you didn’t see any restrooms around here, did you?”

Jotaro rolls his eyes as he finishes cleaning the dirt from under his nails. “Good grief Pol. It’s the woods. Go anywhere.”

“Fine! Fine!” Polnareff puts his hands up in surrender, “Just thought I’d check.” He backs away from you and Jotaro and towards the lake. You turn away to give him privacy and survey the rest of the pack. Avdol and joseph are going through some of the snacks; more like Avdol is trying to restrain Joseph from sampling each new type of jerky he finds. Kakyoin is making his way to you and Jotaro when you hear a sudden shout from behind you.

Polnareff had just finished his business and was headed back to the group when his leg gets caught on something. Yelling as he’s pulled to the ground, he re-evaluates, he hasn’t tripped on his own and whatever has caught him is dragging him back towards the lake. He catches a glimpse of what looks like seaweed wrapped from ankle to kneecap as he tires to scramble away. His claws dig into the dirt as he struggles to gain traction and from behind him he hears an ungodly noise of whatever has caught him.

You and Jotaro turn as soon as you hear Polnareff’s distressed yelp. The unbelievable scene of a creature rising from the lake makes you both hesitate for a moment to comprehend what you’re seeing. Its body ungulates, a writhing mass of pond weed and lake plants twining together to take the form of what looked like a horse. Jotaro recovers from the shock first, surging forward and transforming as he ran. You are right behind him, transforming as well. The creature rears back and screeches as you both approach it, desperately trying to drag Polnareff to the water as the plants rooted to its body climb further up his leg to gain better grip on the struggling werewolf.

From your left more beasts are emerging from the water and you and Jotaro dodge the kelp and vines shooting out at you. You hear the rest of the pack behind you also start making their way to the lake but are cut off by more creatures. The one holding onto Polnareff has managed to drag the massive white werewolf to the water by the time you and Jotaro rush the last few steps to his aid. Both of his legs have been tangled by vines now but they fall away limp as Jotaro is able to cut through the main vine. You quickly help Polnareff to his feet in the knee-high water.

“What the hell are these things?” Polnareff’s voice is deeper and slightly distorted with his change and constant growl rumbling from his chest. The three of you take a defensive formation covering each other’s backs and claws out. Your ears flatten and you snarl at one of the seaweed horses as it gallops by.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” you huff and swipe at a tendril of lake-weed snaking too close for comfort, “Some kind of horses? Or we pissed off a plant witch or something?”

“Kelpies. They’ve never been sighted this far north though.” Jotaro growls out as he snaps at the beast in front of him. By now the things were running amok along the shoreline and around the pack, six of them in total working as a team to try and capture and drag you all to a watery grave. One of them turns and stamps its hooves before charging directly at you, Jotaro and Polnareff. You are forced to dive away as it barrels by but a vine of weeds wraps around your waist as it passes. You are lifted briefly into the air before landing on all fours, the vines tangling your legs as well. You hear two loud thumps behind you and see Jotaro and Polnareff were also bound by that last charge, their arms stuck to their bodies and unable to claw their way out.

You cut your own bindings as fast as you can and quickly cut them free as well before you are all dragged along with the galloping kelpie. It bellows as it realizes its prey has broken free and tosses its head making its mane of kelp fly about. The three of you quickly move to the offensive rushing the creatures standing between you and the rest of your packmates. Jotaro takes the lead and you defend his sides, swiping away any tendrils reaching too close. Polnareff assists and keeps another beast off your backs. Ahead of you, Avdol, Joseph and Kakyoin are also struggling to keep themselves guarded and untethered, but the horses are galloping too fast to try and get any substantial hits in, circling in a pattern to keep the pack separated and vulnerable.

Jotaro narrows his eyes and growls louder as he realizes there is something more going on here. Although they are fast there are only six of the kelpies, the pack should be able to take them on one-on-one but their movements are too coordinated to be wild kelpies. He stops and takes on a defensive stance again as a sudden gleam of light catches his attention, what looks like spider’s thread catching the sunlight. He follows the line with his eyes and sees it connects to one of the kelpie’s heads. In fact, now that he’s noticed one of them, they all seem to have this silver thread connecting them to a single point in the lake. About 20 feet from the shore a figure has risen from the water, humanoid but draped in gold and blue lakeweed. It makes no move to come ashore, instead moving its arms like an orchestra conductor would to control the team of water horses under its command.

Before he can make a move towards this figure another kelpie blocks his path. Polnareff barrels forward from his right and slashes at the beast’s face with his claws. He yelps in pain at the same time the kelpie rears back and retreats, a pile of silver rope falling to the ground. Polnareff cradles his silver burned hand for a moment before his eyes light up in understanding. “It’s silver! They have silver leashes!” the kelpie he accidently freed runs past the fighting happening between its herd and the pack, running on top of the water to the far side of the lake. “It’s gonna burn like hell but we can free them!”

With one of the kelpies no longer under its control, the man in the lake’s movements become more exaggerated as the remaining five horses push themselves to move faster, biting, stomping and charging the pack. Jotaro seizes the opportunity to break another of the silver ropes as he dodges the kelpie charging at him but instead of letting go, he grips the silver line tight where he severed it. It burns something fierce but he’s able to control the horse long enough to force it to charge at the lake man and bring Jotaro along for the ride. When he’s close enough Jotaro slips the silver harness from the kelpie and throws it, hoping to tangle the puppet master. Up close he can see the man’s flashing amber eyes and although as a wolf his sense of color is limited, he can tell the kelp and weeds cloaking the creature would actually be red instead of gold if he had full color vision right now. A rusalka then. A male rusalka and a herd of kelpies under its control?

The rusalka hisses at him but it’s a mocking laugh and not a fearful defense mechanism like Jotaro expected. Instead, it seems confident in its ability to take on the hulking werewolf in the water. “Hssss… You are a foolish one, aren’t you? Making it so easy to carry out my orders. You think you’ll beat me in my element? Show me what you’ve got then, pup.” Vines of lake kelp lash out as the rusalka flails his arms, no longer focused on controlling the kelpies now that his prey was in range of his own claws. Jotaro growls and snaps the first volley of vines with his claws as he swims closer. Grabbing at the next vines that hurl at him he holds tightly and begins reeling himself closer toward the rusalka.

He’s underestimated the rusalka’s speed and he has to suddenly deflect razor sharp claws away from his exposed torso. Although it has the advantage of speed in the water it is still weaker than Jotaro and on its next swipe Jotaro is able to grab on and immobilize it while swiping with his own claws. The rusalka hisses in pain and thrashes enough to break Jotaro’s grip before getting a hit in on the wolf’s side. More lake weed vines shoot out from its body to try and wrap him up and finally succeed in binding his leg. With a great tug the battle is moved completely underwater. Jotaro is just barely able to resist the instinct to gasp as the cold water rushes into his ears and nose uncomfortably. Snapping his eyes open as he feels a shift in the water, he’s able to evade the claws that had been aiming for his face.

Now that he can see his enemy in his entirety, Jotaro realizes the reason the rusalka had been controlling the kelpies from such a distance. From the waist down, instead of legs or even fins is a thick tangle of lake weed and kelp that anchors it to the lake bottom, more vines branching off and shooting towards him from this central pillar. The vines were easily cut away as they reached him, but they were only a distraction for the rusalka to pull himself closer and unleash a flurry of slashing strikes. Jotaro blocks them with his arms and again grabs on to immobilize and pull in closer to deliver his own blows. He moves to the offensive, digging his claws into slimy flesh as the rusalka struggles in his grasp. He almost looses his grip when it lands a hard blow to his shoulder but keeps hold long enough to accomplish his final attack. With a powerful strike, Jotaro severs the thick tether keeping the rusalka anchored to the lake.

The screech it lets out is almost deafening under water and Jotaro nearly looses his grip a second time. But with his claws embedded deep into the rusalka’s torso and his other hand gripping it by the throat he is able to swim and haul it to shore. With every foot closer it struggles harder, finally showing fear in its panicking eyes. Its movements are becoming less and less coordinated and it makes motions Jotaro recognizes as trying to call upon the kelpies for help through the silver ropes it had been using. The water is shallow enough now that Jotaro can stand and looks around for the kelpie reinforcements coming to its master’s aid. Instead, his pack spots him and rushes to help him drag the rusalka all the way to shore. Kakyoin reaches him first and the red wolf helps pull the creature the last few feet to the shore.

The change begins as soon as the last tendril loses contact with the water, some leaves shriveling and turning brown while others seem to rapidly decay and turn to sludge. The rusalka screams and thrashes as its body dries out and starts to flake away, but its strength is failing and it can’t pull itself back to the water in time. It collapses as it shrivels up, arms outstretched to the lake and it succumbs to the dry air.

You are the first one to let your transformation drop as you run up to Jotaro and Kakyoin, careful not to step in any leafy remains on the ground in front of them. Your sable fur falling away to reveal smooth skin and clothes is the unofficial signal for the others to drop their transformations as well. You reach the alpha and beta just as Jotaro lets go of his wolf form and you can see the damage the rusalka inflicted in their unseen underwater battle. You and Kakyoin nod at each other before reaching for Jotaro’s right arm and lifting it over your shoulder to support him, Kakyoin doing the same on his left side. You blush as you hear him chuckle but you’d be dammed if you weren’t going to help him after he risked his life to defeat the enemy. It seems he does appreciate your effort though as his chuckle turns into a huff and you feel his weight shift to lean on you as the three of you make your way back to the truck.

The rest of the guys move ahead getting the first aid supplied you all ransacked from the gas station opened and organized. Avdol takes charge of distributing bandages as Joseph and Polnareff drop dramatically to sit on the logs surrounding the unused fire pit. Jotaro is obviously sporting the worst injuries, but the rest of the pack is also covered in various bruises, bitemarks and silver burns. You and Kakyoin focus on getting Jotaro patched up together, you carefully clean the slashes from the rusalka’s claws and Kakyoin follows your wake drying and bandaging what he can. You don’t realize you are purring until Jotaro starts purring back and relaxes as your hands make contact with the bared flesh of his arms. You blush as you glance at his bare chest, looking in a non-clinical way now that things were calming down. Your hands only hesitate a moment though before you return to your task.

Your blush returns tenfold when Jotaro practically drags you down to sit next to him once you and Kakyoin finish bandaging each other as well. By the time everyone is bandaged up it’s getting late enough that you knew the pack wasn’t going to finish the journey to the city tonight. Everyone is sitting around the still unlit firepit and relaxing for a moment, watching the herd of kelpies you freed running and jumping across the surface of the lake when Avdol makes his suggestion. “Well, it seems like we’re not going to make much more progress tonight. We don’t have any camping gear with us, but we are already at a campsite.”

Polnareff flops over onto the log he’d been sitting on. “You mean we’re roughing it out here tonight? Can’t we keep going until we find a motel with actual beds? And proper bathrooms?”

Joseph throws an empty bottle at him, “Hush you spoilt pup! I don’t want to hear your bellyaching when you’ve got no idea what camping out here will do to my old bones!” You’re starting to recognize Joseph’s tell when he’s teasing Polnareff is to cross his arms and try and look stern, but a small grin gives him away.

“No, its too risky right now to be near humans. That rusalka, before we really got to fighting it mentioned ‘carrying out its orders’.” Jotaro shakes his head as he addresses the pack, joseph and Polnareff immediately back into serious mode. “We’ll be safer if we are able to fully transform to fight if we need to. I think that’s worth being uncomfortable for the night.”

You all agree with the decision to rank safety over comfort but you slump a little as you continue to watch the kelpies dance around the lake. You’ve slept in your car and camped out enough in your own travels that it’s not a huge hardship to do it again, but you also appreciated having a real bed to relax in. Especially after a day like today.

“I agree. However, on second thought…” Avdol motions to the kelpies, one had caught a large fish in its mouth as you had been daydreaming and now two were fighting over it and ripping the catch to pieces in the process. “Kelpies are carnivores after all. Perhaps a different campsite would be more suitable.”

Jotaro sighs and you feel him slump slightly into your side before he rallies himself and stands up. “Good point. Kakyoin, you’re navigator. Find a campsite we can get to quickly. Everyone else pack up and let’s go.”

Author’s Note:

So. A week late, but I swear its not my fault. Guess who lives in Texas and couldn’t use a computer for the week? This gal. Everything is fine now and I’m one of the lucky few who doesn’t have a 10k electric bill or burst pipes.

Anyway, this chapter was a lot of fun to write- I always thought it was weird the crusaders just jumped right in with the rest of the crew after the Dark Blue Moon episode when CLEARLY you can’t trust anyone. So this chapter is the “Captain” and his crew as cryptids and myths. If you haven’t been reading the notes so far, I’ve planned out all of the enemies in this fashion, each battle a new myth to discover (and for me to research). Also every Wikipedia article I’ve looked at for the monsters has a reference line that is something like “Appears on episode 25 of Supernatural”. I have not seen more than 2 or 3 episodes of that show, I got to the one with the Wendigo and NOPED RIGHT OUT. Was wwaaaayyy too scary. Couldn’t handle it! So any similarities to the show are going to be pure coincidence.

Also I had to do a gag at Pol’s expense

#werewolf #pack #family pack #jjba fanfic #jojo's bizarre adventure #jojo part 3 #stardust crusaders #jjba anime #jjba au #jotaro kujo #joseph jostar #noriaki kakyoin #jean pierre polnareff #muhammad avdol #jotaro x reader #reader insert #au fanfiction #dark blue moon

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gil-estel · 4 years ago

Text

~✨gil-estel’s long-promised spn rec list✨~

the general criteria:

(all fic will fit at least one, many will fit most)

✓ long (10k+)

✓ published after 2017

✓ canon-verse

✓ plotty and/or casefic

✓ nuanced exploration of dean winchester’s bisexuality

the fics:

Bender by vipjuly (destiel, 13k, rated E)

In order to protect a sorority from a vampire, Dean allows Rowena to transform him into a girl so he can go undercover.

He's still Dean. Just in a female body.

This is surprisingly easy.

Build a Home by domesticadventures (destiel, 20k, rated T)

After they save the world, Dean expects Cas to come back to the bunker with them.

He doesn’t.

Everything Comes Back to You by VioletHaze (destiel, 33k, rated E)

Dean knew better. Of course he did. But Cas seemed so charmed by the antique-filled bed and breakfast that Dean went along with it when the proprietor mistook them for a couple. Telling himself it gave them a strategic advantage to be so close to the crime scene, he agreed to the weekend special she offered them. When the case ended up being a bust, they stuck around anyhow because hey, the second night was free…

it never gets dark by vaudelin (destiel, 30k, rated E)

Normally Dean wouldn't get out of bed for a run-of-the-mill kidnapping, even without the hangover, but when Sam can't even write out the missing kid's name, he has to admit something's up.

Helping Sam, Patience, and Claire figure out who (or what) erased all traces of the kid is as good a distraction as any to get over Cas bailing from an abortive love confession. But when finding answers comes at a terrible physical price, the team is left with no choice but to call in any help they can get.

Like it or not, Dean and Cas have some uncomfortable truths to confront, and when worst comes to worst they'll discover what truly matters in the end.

Kelp! I Need Somebody by andimeanittosting (destiel, 27k, rated E)

It’s been a week since Michael was defeated and Dean freed, but Castiel can’t seem to get back on the horse. Dean, on the other hand appears to have bounced back completely, with one small exception: he no longer dares touch the now-human Cas at all.

When they receive a call from Jesse and Cesar to come investigate a series of mysterious drownings near their New Mexico ranch, Dean jumps on the job, much to Cas and Sam’s dismay. But more challenging than the kelpie they encounter, Jesse and Cesar’s relationship holds up a mirror, showing Dean and Cas the future they wish they could have. When Rowena and Charlie get involved, a shake-up is inevitable.

let me lay here so slow (i need never get old) by vaudelin (gen & bg destiel, 10k, rated G)

The day of Dean's fortieth birthday, told from Lebanon's point of view.

like moses and batman and james dean by saltyfeathers (destiel, 31k, rated E)

dean used to turn tricks. over a decade later, he met cas.

One Cold Night by xylodemon (destiel, 16k, rated E)

"Dean, are you all right?"

"Yeah. I'm just —" Dean shivers again. His teeth clack together. "Jesus Christ, it's cold."

So Goes the Song by aeli_kindara (dean/lee webb, 21k, rated E)

The first time Lee meets Dean Winchester, it’s courtesy of a chokehold.

Someone Who’s Feeling For Me by ellispark (destiel, 46k, rated M)

Dean sees her for the first time in nearly six years in some no-name town in Idaho, and it's panic at first sight.

Lisa Braeden, the one woman Dean ever actually had a shot at a real life with, back from where he buried her in his mind. And her hand is on Cas's arm like it's no big deal, like it belongs there. Cas, Dean's dorky, sweet, badass, angelic best friend, and he's just standing there next to Lisa and not moving her hand away.

Dean feels the jealousy rising, and it's not directed where he expected it to be. Because it takes this exact moment for Dean to realize he's in love with his best friend. He's in love with his best friend, and Lisa is looking at Cas like he's the best thing since automatic rifles, and Dean is utterly fucked.

Suck It, Judy Garland by midrashic (destiel, 20k, rated M)

It had to be St. Louis. Or, the one where Sam and Cas get fake married for a case, and Dean loses his mind.

Superheroes by aeli_kindara (dean/omc, 4k, rated T)

"I fuckin' hate group projects."

Dylan gives Dean a wary glance. He gets it — he’s not the biggest fan of these things himself. But when you’re a group of two, “I fuckin’ hate group projects” is awful close to “I fuckin’ hate working with you.”

In which a teenage Dean Winchester makes a friend and leaves something behind, and Sammy doesn't know when to shut up.

Talkin’ Bear Mountain Picnic by MittenWraith (destiel, 41k, rated E)

Strange things were happening in a small town in Northern Maine that had gained a reputation as the most honest town in the world in only a matter of weeks. Residents were going out of their way to confess their sins-- everything from jaywalking to murder, infidelity to true love. Sam, Dean and Cas all have their own reasons for wanting to stay far away from an honesty curse, but with Jack and his natural bluntness serving as their last line of defense, they decide to investigate. The last thing they need is another Veritas situation on their hands. The honest little town might be enjoying their newfound liberty to speak their minds, but the cause of this particular curse might prove to be Dean and Cas’s undoing.

The Thirty Six Questions That Lead to Love by aeli_kindara (destiel, 13k, rated M)

“So I need you to be my gay dads,” says Claire.

Though The Course May Change by imogenbynight (destiel, 51k, rated E)

After a couple who went missing several years ago from an Oregon couples retreat are mysteriously returned on the same night that another disappears, Dean and Charlie plan to go undercover to find the cause--until Dean's foot meets his mouth, and he finds himself fake-engaged to Castiel instead.

The Tunnel of Love by xylodemon (destiel, 21k, rated E)

"We might," Cas starts slowly, pausing like he's choosing his words. "We might have to kiss."

Dean just stares at him.

You Start to Grow Wings by FagurFiskur (dean/omc & destiel, 11k, rated T)

Dean feels his face warm up, suddenly all too aware that he’s sitting right next to his very male friend. He can’t make himself look over, too nervous that he’ll catch Eli’s eye and make this whole experience even more excruciatingly awkward. He wants to leave, but he also doesn’t wanna call attention to how uncomfortable he is.

He’s known gay people exist of course, but he’s never seen them outside of Very Special Episodes on sitcoms. Never seen something so explicitly, in-your-face gay.

At seventeen, Dean falls for another man for the first time. Twenty years later they happen to meet again and things are somehow much more complicated.

#spn tag #fic recs

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happyhollow-mellowmarsh · 4 years ago

Text

A Day in the Life of Gumi

“Zzzz……”

The camera continued to film the sleeping bunny for a while longer, before a small banana was brought into the frame, closer to the camera. The stem was cracked, and immediately the rabbit woke up with a start, looking around for the source of the banana… Before letting out a yawn.

“Awawawa…”

Yawn finished, the rabbit hopped over, and began to munch on the banana. A smattering of Japanese kana floated across the screen, with the corresponding English translations captioned.

“Ohayou, everybunny! It’s me, Bubblegum, everyone’s favourite bun-bun!” The subtitles spelled out even if the rabbit herself didn’t actually vocalize anything. “Sorry for waking up late, peko! I was celebrating my third birthday yesterday… There was so much soda and I tired myself out partying!”

As she continued to munch, the camera was set down on a table. Their owner stepped into the frame of view still holding the banana, revealing a young Japanese woman in a white dress and a black hair bow: those of you who had knowledge of the idol scene (or had just read the channel’s about page) recognized her as the underground idol known as TASOGARE, or Dusky to others.

“Mama’s here! I mean, she’s always behind the camera, but she’s here now! And I love her so much!” Her free hand gently ruffled the back of the bunny’s ears. “Awawa! She always pets me just right!”

A soft melody started playing over the two of them, before the overlaid intro card spelled out just what you were in for:

The next scene faded into a lounge room, where Bubblegum was being chased by what looked to be a tiny italian greyhound, barking as he went. Watching them frolic from atop a couch was an interesting animal, one that looked like a large cat the size of a boxer dog, but had fluffy wool much like a sheep possessed. She regarded the two on the ground impassively, as if waiting for the perfect time to strike, or simply because there was nothing better to do.

“Today, I want to introduce everyone to my familiar friends! The iggy chasing me is Bucephalus, though most of us usually call him Buce as a nickname. Say something cool, Buce-kun!”

“Yipyipyipyipyiphellohellohello!!” The tiny dog finally caught up, and booped his snout onto the fluff of Bubblegum’s tail. “Tag!”

This prompted the bunny to turn tail and chase after him back, and would not have been able to catch up to his superior speed if not for the sudden appearance of the sheep-cat, who bounded off her couch and down to block one of the greyhound’s escape routes.

“And this is my cousin, Baaby! She’s a really strong and magical sheep-cat hybrid! Please don’t call her a shat, she doesn’t like that.”

He dodged the large feline with a whine. “No fair! Why are you on her side?”

"Because you slept on me... again. And you drool in your sleep." Baaby mewled lazily, licking one of her paws.

The chase continued for a few seconds more, before Buce bounded straight into the camera and knocked it into a black screen, setting up the next scene transition.

An underground lake framed the scene this time, as Bubblegum hopped along the water’s edge. Finding the first of her two friends, she thumped a foot in a high-five against the tailfin of the winged magical fish that leapt out of the water.

“This is Astrid! She’s a fairy koi, and she likes to swim down here. Mama likes to help her friend feed Astrid whenever she has the time to.”

The camerawoman, presumably Dusky, holds out a handful of apple blossoms towards the water. The fairy koi’s eyes light up from a distance, and she jumps out of the lake in a miniature water bubble controlled by her own magic, before swimming in the air over to munch.

“OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM!!”

Finishing up all of the flowers, the fish let out a burp and smiled. “Thank you! Much appreciated! Astrid is very happy and full.” She blew some water bubbles into the air above Bubblegum before swimming back to the lake, popping her own water bubble as she did.

“See you around, Astri-tan!” Bubblegum waved, before continuing to hop along the perimeter.

Eventually, she came across a majestic horse-like creature resting on the side bank of the lake, with mottled green skin and a mane that looked more like seaweed than hair. A bright red eye cracked open at the sudden presence, as the sea-horse lifted her head to regard the rabbit.

“This is Undaria! She’s a kelpie, and she’s also my sister! Well, technically, half-sister, her dad and my mama are dating and all, but she’s my sister all the same! Say hi, Unda-chan!”

The kelpie neighed softly, prompting Bubblegum to hop closer. “What is it now, Bubbles?”

The bun hopped onto her half-sister’s back, before beginning to run her face through the kelp. “I’m helping to groom you! Because I can!” As she continued to trim through the kelpie’s mane, Bubblegum chirruped softly, “I love my sis so much! She’s the tsun-tsun to my dere-dere!”

“What does that even mean?” Undaria whinnied haughtily. It did not stop her from allowing the grooming to happen, or from gently setting the rabbit back down onto shore once she was done.

“See you later, nee-chan!” Bubblegum thumped happily, before skittering away to a new setting.

Now she was in the middle of a pumpkin patch, nibbling on some pumpkin leaves. “Hello again! My next friends are flying at the moment, so I’ll introduce you to them when they come down!”

A few seconds later, and they did. A white pigeon with streaks of purple and red in his wings glided down to land on a pumpkin, followed shortly after by a pale yellow budgie with a dash of small white spots on his head. They raised a wing in greeting.

“I’m Berry!” The pigeon coos, before he scratched his head. “Still don’t know what kind of berry I’m supposed to be, but I guess it depends on the day.” He eyes the camera, and the person behind it extends a baked cracker, which he comes over to eat.

“And I’m Alkonost! I- ooh, cracker.” Distracted, the budgie hopped over to munch on the cracker. “Where was I? Oh yeah, I’m visiting today! Mom works somewhere else usually, but her girlfriend was in the area so I tagged along.”

While the birds were busy, Bubblegum moved further down the pumpkin patch; once they were done consuming the cracker, they led the camera over to their next pair of familiars.

Unsurprisingly, the massive clydesdale horse stood out first. Towering over Bubblegum and the two birds by a magnitude of at least ten, he had a dark brown mane with a matching brown tail, and a chocolate brown body with white patches around his face and legs. A loose red bandana was tied around his neck, and part of his mane had been braided to rest behind one of his ears.

At his feet was a strange snake-like creature, but this one was distinctly less long and slithery, and more compact and chubby. A glow stick necklace circled around this one’s neck, and his forked tongue stole chunks of pumpkin flesh as he vibed, brown and green stripes vibrating.

“This is Johnny Kane!” Bubblegum introduced, gently thumping her paw against the stallion’s leg. “I’ve been trying to get him interested in Unda-chan for a while now, but since he only comes to visit every now and then, there’s never really been much time to schedule a date.”

Judging by the long face on the horse, both metaphorically and literally, she was the only one in support of the idea. “Charmed.”

“And this is King!” Despite the natural tendency for rabbits to fear snakes, she approached him with no fear whatsoever. “He’s a tsuchinoko! Yes, tsuchinoko real. Do you wanna say anything?”

“Flpflpflpflpflp…” Retracting his tongue, King gave a toothy half-smile. “I mean… party rock is in the house tonight? I dunno, but I’m always down to have some fun.”

While rabbits weren’t usually capable of smiling, Bubblegum could trill happy vibes very well. “Aren’t we all? Thank you guys for showing up, I’m going to go find the others now. Stay sweet!”

Hopping away, she sped past the camera to the final pit stop in her adventure quest, a snazzy recreation room that contained a karaoke machine and a countertop bar. As she hopped inside, something ran outside, a black blur of an animal with the briefest flash of yellow eyes.

“That was Teto! It’s alright if we didn’t get to see her, she’s not very sociable.” Bubblegum sniffed. “Unlike the other black cat in the mansion… my mom’s boss, Trouble!”

She pauses in her tracks, scrunching up her face. “At least I know I’ve seen her as a black cat at some point a while ago… Maybe she likes transformation magic? Or maybe that’s just her fursona.”

Hopping onto a bar stool, the rabbit came face to face with a rooster on another stool. This was no ordinary rooster however, as instead of brown or white feathers, every inch of the sun bird’s body was covered in multicoloured flechettes. Both his comb and tail feathers had little balls of what looked to be concentrated fire, and he let out a cocky crow at the sight of the camera.

“This is Bata! He’s a sarima… sarima…” The subtitles were clearly poking fun at Bata’s species, even if both rabbit and mistress probably knew what he was. “Sun chicken! He’s a baby.”

“I am not!” He clucked back. “I am a very proud rooster who eats lots of big man food and can still find the time to give my Dad feather hugs whenever he wants them!”

Bubblegum blinked. “That’s… oddly specific.”

“Shush, don’t judge me, you get hugs from your momma all the time too.” He stuck out his tongue.

“Fair enough!” Bubblegum conceded with a trill. “And you will always be a baby because that’s what I remember you as when you were still a chick. A baby!”

Bata let out a squawk, preening his feathers. “Lies! Slander! I’m bigger than you, Bubble-brain!”

The two continued their friendly banter as Dusky stepped into view and pressed the service bell on the bar’s top. A little scratching noise was heard, before a mouse scampered up onto the bar: this mouse looked to be a little old, with a small witch’s hat that had probably seen better days, but he nonetheless squeaked cheerily to ask for orders.

“A tall glass of apple cider, please. And some water for them.” Dusky requested, giving the mouse a gentle pat on the head. The mouse moved to go make those drinks, and seconds later the order was set out in front of all three of the bar’s current occupants.

“And that’s Jeffrey! He was, um… he belonged to mom’s teacher before she passed away, but he’s still working here out of loyalty to my mom’s bosses. Really great mouse, who serves great drinks!” Bubblegum happily starts lapping at the water.

Once they were done, the idol scooped up her rabbit, waved goodbye to the other two familiars and walked out of the door. The scene cut back to the inside of their room, where Bubblegum is set down gently, and the bun hops around the room to exercise, just a little.

“As you can see, there’s a whole bunch of friends here with me in the mansion, and they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and some of them are plenty magical, too!” Rubbing the back of her ears with a paw, Bubblegum yawned. “Familiar or not though… we’re still like everyday animals and we all have our own needs. Food, sleep, and of course, love!”

Dusky shows up one last time, simply to press a kiss onto Bubblegum’s eager forehead. “And I’ll always give you as much love as I can.”

“Yay! That’s all for tonight! I’ve been Bubblegum, and I wish you all a gumi-goodnight. Goodbye!” While the outro music played, Bubblegum hopped around in a circle before she binkied herself into her bed, waving at the camera one last time before the ending card signalled the vlog’s end.

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monstersandmaw · 5 years ago

Text

Male each-uisge (sea kelpie) x reader (sfw) - Mermay story #6

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

This started out as a hippocampus kelpie, but upon being reminded of the glorious and vicious 'each-uisge ' of Scottish legend, that fitted him so much better. There's room for a Part Two in the future, so don't let me forget about this one!! It’s been up on my Patreon for a little while now, so it’s time to share it with you folks!

Content: near drowning, brief descriptions injury and blood (not to reader), gender neutral reader, sfw.

***

Inky water coiled around you the instant that your back hit the sea. The squall had swept in off the open Atlantic, and the deck of the tiny boat vanished as the waters closed above you. It took immense mental strength to force your mouth to stay shut before you sucked in a gulp of water in place of the air that your body was already craving as the adrenaline surged.

Panic, hot and searing and in total opposition to the bitingly cold waters, coursed through your veins and you fought off the wild, flailing fear as best you could. Clawing your way towards the surface, your clothes dragged at you, and as you tried desperately to kick off your shoes, you realised with a thrill of horror that something cold and slippery was coiling around your ankle.

The surface had slipped a long way away now as you sank under the weight of your own clothing, and your futile kicks only used up precious air without propelling you upwards.

You risked a glance down and your stomach turned over with horror.

There, wrapping black fronds like slick kelp around your ankle, was a creature you could never have dreamed up, even in your strangest nightmares.

The black head of a horse stared out of the depths at you with wild, white eyes, and strands of black, wafting hair and weed waved in the water around its head and neck. Below, its sinuous, eel-like body tensed and contracted, and as you opened your mouth to scream, forgetting the pressing tons of water on all sides, it latched another tendril around you and yanked you not up but down.

Your ears popped and you fought and twitched and struggled like a bird in netting as the thing from the deep pulled you down and down. In what felt like minutes, but what was in reality more likely to have been seconds, you found yourself being dragged into a dark opening in the craggy rock beneath the roots of the kelp surrounding the shore.

A moment later, you were thrust out onto a hard surface, and you were coughing water from your lungs.

Blinking and dazed, you looked around and discovered that you were lying on a bed of hard, damp sand, cradled in the hollow of an underwater cave. And there was air. The walls of the strange, rocky bower were illuminated by ethereal, glowing weeds and plants, and to your right was a pool of water that led out into the sea beyond. It lapped vigorously at the hard sand like ink in a shaken bottle. You were in an air pocket, and like a conical flask thrust underwater, it held the air for you to breathe. You blinked, vision blurred from the stinging salt and raging panic, trying to calm your breathing and the burning of the salt water in your throat.

You heaved and wretched the remnants of the seawater from your lungs and mouth, bedraggled and weak, but as you shifted your legs, a flash of memory seared across your mind and you recalled the horrific creature who had dragged you here.

Had it drawn you underground to keep you prisoner, or to keep you alive?

You whipped your head around to stare once more at the midnight-black water that pulsed rhythmically, as though the sea’s troubled heartbeat throbbed in the deep, and there, just breaking above the water, was the creature with the large ears of a horse. Its dead-white eyes were fixed unblinkingly on your face.

“What the hell are you?” you hissed, more to yourself than to the thing in the water as you scrabbled backwards and left scars in the smooth sand.

The creature rose above the waves just enough to reveal its mouth, and to your horror, you observed that the split of its mouth ran far up its skull, almost to its ears. This was not the head of an ordinary horse; this was the head of a predator, of a creature that hunted with those jaws and with the canines of a killer. Its long black tongue slipped free of that deadly maw for the briefest of instants, and then it hissed, in a voice like crunching sea salt, “I will not harm you.”

With your blood pounding in your ears and your breath hard to catch, you tried to swallow as you stared at the milky eyes of the horse that had spoken to you. “What are you?” you repeated.

“I am… an each-uisge,” the strange creature said, still not coming nearer to you. “I will not harm you.”

“What do you want with me?” you blurted, a violent, almost spasmodic trembling spreading through your already shivering limbs as the biting cold and choking terror caught up with you.

“Want?” it said, its strange, ageless voice echoing dully in the sea-hewn chamber. “I saved you. When you are recovered, I will take you to shore.”

“Oh…” you said, feeling only a little less afraid. “Why… Why did you save me?”

The creature bobbed amid the frothing water, and you noted how the coal-black coat on its neck gleamed in the odd light cast by the otherworldly corals and plants. “You were going to die,” it said simply. “Humans cannot breathe the sea like we can…”

“What are you?” you repeated, not believing that a creature from folklore could have come to life like this.

The being in the water blinked and said rather slowly and patronisingly, “I am a each-uisge… A water spirit, like a kelpie, though my herd makes its home in the sea.”

“But… you’re not real… You can’t be real…”

A braying, wild laugh answered your breathless statement. “Do I not look real to you, human?” it jibed, and then it swam a little closer, putting its weed-wreathed fore-hooves on the sandbar on which you lay sprawled like a piece of flotsam. Its eerie jaw clicked shut and its dead eyes rolled. “This is no fairytale, no folk-tale to frighten the children.”

Without warning, your blood pulsed in your temples and suddenly blackness closed in around the edges of your vision, and you collapsed onto the sand beneath you, unconscious before your head even hit the earth.

When you woke, you still lay on the sandbar, but the water was much closer to your feet, and you were alone.

You struggled to stand, fighting the waves of nausea and vertigo that swept through you from the lingering taste of the sea in your mouth and the exertion of your ordeal, and you turned your gaze warily to the dark waters beyond the hard sand.

The scuffed hoofmarks at the edge of the water told you that the creature had been there not long ago, and your heart threatened to beat its way out of your chest as you stared at them. You’d lived all your life by the sea, if not here in this town, and you knew the fish-wives’ stories as well as anyone. Your own mother had told them to you to frighten you out of going swimming beyond the safety of the lifeguard’s buoys, but as you’d grown older, you’d seen the tales for what they were: warnings to avoid the sudden currents and moods of the sea. That was all. They were not supposed to have a grain of truth to them.

Your sodden, salty clothes still clung unpleasantly to your skin, and gooseflesh washed over you again as you shivered. You had to get out of here before that creature with the eel’s tail and the horse’s torso and head came back. You couldn’t shake the image of those predator’s teeth, nor those cold, misty, dead eyes.

Just as you turned around to see if there was a way out of the air-pocket, perhaps upwards into the rocks and up to the safety of the surface, a gentle splashing disturbed the regular breathing of the sea in the cave, and you turned with dread billowing thick and acrid in your stomach.

The creature had returned.

Clenching your jaw to stop your teeth chattering, you turned slowly and sure enough, floating there like a scrap of weed-bound driftwood, the horse’s black head glistened in the water. It blinked its dead eyes at you, then broke the surface and champed its unnerving jaw a little. Finally it said, “You are leaving.”

It wasn’t a question, but it drew a flickering frown from your brows. “Yes. Will you let me go?”

The tapering, almost elegant, black ears of the monstrous creature swivelled back a little. Not flat to its head like an angered mount, but almost sadly, like a kicked puppy. It nodded once and rasped, “Of course.”

“You say that like it should be obvious,” you said, “But I know a little about kelpies and each-uisge from the stories… You eat humans. You hunt humans.”

“We do sometimes,” the creature replied steadily. “But only when we’re desperately hungry. And I’m not.”

Its blunt words sent a fresh thrill of fear through you.

“Besides,” it said rather conversationally, “Seals are much better. Personally, I don’t see the attraction to human flesh. The taste is… awful.”

“Right,” you whispered, feeling faint.

The creature sighed, air bubbling through the water. “If you climb up the rock there, it leads to the shore. It’s far from human houses and the stone wall of the harbour, but you’ll get home alright.”

Something in its tone made you pause. “You don’t want to keep me, but you don’t seem all that enthusiastic about letting me go either…”

At that, the creature snorted a laugh - a sound like a horse’s whinny - and half reared out of the water, making you stagger back over the sand, arms flailing as you fought for balance. “I was not made for traversing the land, human,” it sneered at your reaction. “You don’t need to worry about me lumbering after you like a beached seal.”

You nodded slowly, feeling your rapid heartbeat in your throat.

The each-uisge braced its powerful equine forelegs on the sand, propping up its upper body and revealing a sleek, muscular figure, with an incredibly long mane tangled with seaweed and starfish. Its lower half was the murky, muddy green of an eel, with a long, papery-looking fin running the length of its spine. There was an odd beauty to the mottled skin of its sinuous tail, at odds with the joints and individual muscles of the horse’s chest, forelegs, neck and head.

It spoke to you in that strange, deep, rasping voice, and you found yourself inclined to listen, despite your instincts telling you to run from the predator. “I’m curious about you, I suppose,” he said. “My herd usually hunts squid and the like in the deep. I’ve only seen humans from a distance.”

“Seems like you’ve been close enough to taste one,” you blurted combatively, and to your surprise, the creature laughed again.

“True, though in my defence, he had drowned all on his own already.” When your lip curled in disgust, the each-uisge sighed. “Go on, go. You should go.” A second later, it added, “So should I.”

“Your ‘herd’?” you asked as a thought occurred to you, and it nodded. “Are… Are there many of you?”

It gave a kind of shrug, its weedy forelock flopping across one of those dead, white eyes before it tossed it out of the way again and said, “It varies. We are not so numerous as we used to be, but my herd is strong. We number about twenty.”

Your eyebrows rose, and it laughed softly at your surprise.

The thought of twenty of these predators surrounding a person in the water like teeming piranha and tearing them to ribbons with their sharp teeth suddenly made you feel sick to your stomach, and you turned away, squinting at the rough cave wall behind you. It was still illuminated by the soft glow of those mysterious corals, but now daylight filtered through the circular space above you, and as you neared the rock face, you looked up and saw that this was an old blow hole in the rocky shore.

The creature had been right and all you had to do was use the natural hand-holds in the stone to pull yourself up. It was a fair few metres, but with one last look back at the creature who was still mostly beached on the sandbar, watching you with a dolorous expression, you began to climb.

The encounter with the each-uisge stayed with you, and you found yourself researching them in your spare time. You didn’t have a huge amount of that, but what free hours you had, you dedicated to mythology and folklore of the region. There were newspaper accounts of the area, going back centuries, of men and women being lured out to sea by what they thought was a drowning horse, only to find themselves with its dread jaw clamped around them, their body straining as it dragged them down into the depths. To your surprise, however, you discovered one or two tales of kelpies falling in love with humans and using their equine strength to help their chosen love. Admittedly, these were all the kelpies who supposedly lived up on the higher moors inland.

You found no tales of the each-uisge falling in love.

And yet something eventually made you return to that submerged cave one afternoon.

The autumnal beach was deserted as you strode across it, the base of your jeans quickly soaking up the puddled seawater from the retreating tide. A piece of sea glass caught your eye, lying on the ribbed sand, and you stared at it. It was white and frosted with the battering of the sea against the sand, and it instantly reminded you of the each-uisge’s blank, milky eyes, set like two full moons in its inky face. You stooped and pocketed the rounded piece of glass and continued back along the rocky shoreline, skirting deep rock pools and crevices that would lead to a broken leg at best if you slipped into one. For all its beauty, this part of the coastline was treacherous.

With trepidation, you stared at the blow hole in the dark rock for a long time before you mustered your courage and descended into the blackness below.

The sand was smooth and unmarred, the corals still glowed merrily, and the slap of the freezing water against the rock still filled the small, tomb-like space. Other than that, it was lifeless.

You stared at that small stretch of dark water for a long time, half expecting that the creature would burst up through it like a crocodile from a river and seize you like hapless prey, but nothing happened. It seemed that you stood in a timeless space between the underworld and the earth above, waiting for some wraith to emerge. Feeling suddenly foolish, you took out the pebble of sea glass and turned it over in your hand. With a sigh, you bent and left it on the sand before climbing back up and into the daylight.

That was not the last time you found your feet taking you back there, and the next time you went, you found the sandbar as empty as you had the first time, your little sea glass pebble nowhere to be seen. You thought it must have just been swept away by the rising tide, and you left another piece there, higher up this time, and when you returned for your third visit, it too was gone.

You hadn’t managed to find a third piece of glass to leave there this time, so you descended empty handed. To your shock, halfway down, you found not the empty sandbar, but the curled figure of an each-uisge slumbering atop it like a story-book dragon atop a hoard of golden coins.

Its wheezing, rattling breath reminded you of the wind whistling through the rigging of ships, and you froze like a spider on the wall, torn between continuing and returning. It had all been real after all.

Before you had the chance to decide, the creature stirred and raised its head. At the sight of you, its large, elegant ears pricked up and it whickered softly. “You came back,” it murmured. “I don’t believe it.”

Taking a deep breath for courage as fresh fear, and a small trace of relief that this was ‘your’ each-uisge, you asked, “Am I still safe with you?”

The creature bowed its head and snorted. “I swear it, human. No harm will come to you from me.”

Taking that on faith, you nodded and continued your descent until your soles hit hard sand. Completely out of the water like this, the creature was much bigger than you’d realised. Had it been a normal horse, it might have reached sixteen or seventeen hands high; a mount fit for a king or a cavalryman. But this was no ordinary horse.

You let your eyes drink in the full length of that mottled tail, and the each-uisge watched you with amusement as you stared openly at it.

Finally, you asked, “What’s your name?”

Its lips curled softly, as much as its strange jaw would allow, and it said in a low voice, “Rhion.”

“Is that a male or a female name?”

“Male,” he said gently. “May I know yours?” You told him, and he nodded, repeating it. The echo of it on the walls of the cave made you shiver and sent a cold, scraping finger down your spine.

You stepped a little closer and he watched you intently, tilting his head slightly to one side in a manner that reminded you of a young and wary dog.

“Why are you here?” you said. “I thought your kind lived in the deep?”

He smiled again in that subtle way. “I… I thought… perhaps foolishly… that you might come back.” That surprised you, and when it showed on your face, he rasped another laugh. “And here I thought it was you leaving me these little tokens… Was I wrong?”

“Tokens?”

He shifted slightly, parting the forelegs that were folded neatly beneath his equine chest, and you recognised the two milky pieces of sea glass you’d left behind on your previous trips. When he saw your expression, he laughed and said, “I was right then. Why did you leave them?”

Embarrassed and awkward, you mumbled, “They reminded me of your eyes.”

He raised his head at that, and then shook it in soft disbelief, sighing cavernously. Then, to your surprise, he lowered that big, dark head and placed his chin on the sand like a big dog waiting on a porch. His eel’s tail twitched and thumped disconsolately once against the sand.

“What is it?” you asked, stepping nearer before you’d even thought that it could be a trap or a ruse on his part to get you to go close enough for him to snatch you away into the water.

In fact, he didn’t move at all, and only watched you approach. His ears drooped softly, hanging out to the sides like a horse at ease, and you felt so emboldened that you actually knelt down in the damp sand beside him. He kept watching you, but didn’t speak.

You raised your hand and, with only a slight tremble in your fingers, asked silently if you could touch him. He blinked slowly, which you took for assent, and he permitted your hand to rest on his head, just below his ear. He rumbled a wheezing groan, like a wounded animal, at your touch, and his lunar eyes rolled closed.

After that, you explored his body with your hands, stroking his soft, dark coat that was now dry and shone like black silk, and when you came to his belly, where the eel’s tail began, you looked once more to his face for permission.

He just jutted his nose at you in a ‘go ahead’, gesture, and you took a breath and passed over the transition from fur to skin. Where you had perhaps expected it to be slimy, his skin was smooth and dry, tough and leathery, with little bumps and rough patches like sharkskin where the pigmentation differed. He must have registered your surprise, because he admitted sheepishly, as though it were a sin, “I shouldn’t stay out of the water much longer. I’m at risk of drying out completely, but I’ve recently discovered that I love the feeling of the air on my skin…”

“You’re… not what I expected,” you said as you shuffled back towards his head.

He brought his nose to your shoulder and pausing there for a moment, he then began to nuzzle you. His eyes rolled shut again and he blew out a long, slow breath as he tipped his flat cheek against you. “Nor are you,” he said, experimentally inhaling your scent and moaning again. “I was taught that humans would hunt us and lop off our heads to stick on their walls as grotesque trophies, or stuff us and send us to a museum of curiosities…”

“I’m sure some would,” you said quietly.

A beat later he said, “And you think we’re barbaric for hunting you…”

“At least you do it for food… even if you enjoy chase too…”

He laughed and nodded. “Tell me about where you live,” he said, changing the subject to a less grim topic. “I’d like to hear more about your world.”

So you described the walk up from the harbour, past the shops and the pub with the broken compass on its sign, past the blazing pink geraniums in the window boxes, and then onto the narrow, cobbled streets of the town beyond. “I actually chose my house because of its lovely red door,” you laughed. “I had to have it. It’s a tiny old fisherman’s cottage I think, and there’s barely enough room for me in it, but it’s pretty cute. It’s the only one with a red door on the whole street. The man who owned it before me liked to buck the trend, I think…”

Rhion had been sitting with his head in your lap while you talked, and you played with his coarse forelock, untangling it and gently plaiting a strand into it with idle fingers. Suddenly, he lurched up and scrabbled away from you, his huge hooves nearly clipping your thighs, his ears straining, his gaze locked on the inky pool that led down into the depths of the sea.

“What?” you asked, ready to stand, body tense. “What is it?”

He cocked his head, all his focus on listening. Then he cursed. “You need to leave. Now.”

“What is it?”

“My herd. They’re hunting in the shallows. They…” he broke off and you heard the faint sound like a whale’s call, only shriller. It had the echo of a horse’s whinny to it. “Oh no,” he said, and he shoved you hard with his nose, a desperate gleam in his wide, white eyes. “Go! Please… They’ve caught your scent. They’re coming. If they find you here with me they’ll… they’ll…”

He was scrambling to get back into the water, his tail thrashing and sending salt spray everywhere as it hit the shallows. Water splattered across your face in a cold chain of fat drops and as it ran down your cheek you were reminded viscerally of the time you’d hit your head as a child and blood had run down your face. You rose and reeled backwards until the rough rock was at your back and he was staring at you. His jaw opened and he made the unearthly sound a horse makes in immense distress. It struck you to your core and as his mouth opened in that guttural scream of pain and anguish, you froze.

“Go! Please! They’ll kill you if they find you here. Go, and don’t ever come back!” he said in a horrible rush.

You scuttled back up the rock as fast as you could, but your muscles locked when you heard him scream.

You looked down and saw that another each-uisge had breached the surface beside him. It lunged for you, but Rhion jostled his shoulder against it and it stumbled, rounding on him with a vicious snarl. It opened its immense jaw full of sharp teeth and latched onto Rhion’s neck. Thrashing, Rhion was dragged screaming below and the waters seethed, empty and broiling, until you finally fled.

His was not your world, and you tried to put it behind you as you sped back up the beach towards the town. You couldn’t shake his final scream from your mind and it haunted you long into the night.

Too unsettled, it was long after midnight before you’d even thought of going to bed, and as you finally rose from the sofa, you heard an irregular scratching at your front door. Frowning, you stood, thinking perhaps it was a cat or even a fox, but even as you stood there, the scratching became a weak thudding.

Peering through the peephole revealed nothing, so you opened it cautiously, nerves thrumming.

Half collapsed on the step was the naked figure of a scrawny, wiry young man. In the moonlight, you could see that his pale skin was green and mottled like dappled shadow on fallen leaves, but it was slashed with cuts and - horrifically - deep puncture wounds arranged in an arc. Bite marks. Blood tracked down his torso and thigh in thin ribbons to his bare feet.

And as he looked up at you, you saw those dead white eyes from behind a curtain of lank, wet, black hair. “Rhion?” you asked, darting forwards as he swayed, half doubled over already.

He smiled, though it was weak and obviously pained. “I knew you’d recognise me,” he said, pitching forwards as his balance failed him and his legs wobbled. “I didn’t know where else to go. I remembered your story… I… I found you…”

“Come on,” you said, hooking an arm under his and guiding him inside. Blood dripped onto the flagstones as you led him towards the kitchen and eased him into a wooden chair. You had emergency supplies, and told him you’d be right back as you darted upstairs to fetch lint dressings and bandages. You were no surgeon, but they didn’t look deep enough to need stitches. You couldn't exactly take him to a hospital anyway.

When you came back he was just sitting there, staring around.

“Rhion?”

He turned vaguely and smiled at you. “Thank you,” he said faintly. “I’m sorry.”

“What happened?” you asked as you got to work on cleaning and disinfecting the wounds. He hissed at you in protest at the antiseptic, but let you continue.

“They said I should have caught you and brought you to them. They said I was a disgrace. They said I betrayed my own kind.” His chest heaved. “I barely got away.”

“I didn’t know your kind could take a human form,” you said carefully as you encouraged him to lean forwards a little so that you could wrap the bandage around his ribcage where the worst of the bite marks were. Luckily he wasn’t bleeding through the dressing. Each-uisge it seemed were much tougher than humans. You wiped up the blood that had trickled down his skinny legs with a kind of clinical detachment, despite your growing curiosity about him. You wondered if it felt strange for him to have legs now.

He huffed a rather sharp laugh and said, “It’s… It’s not something we can do as easily as our kelpie cousins,” he said. “It nearly killed me to shift. I won’t be changing back for a while.”

“What will you do?” you asked. “You can’t stay here…” you added, easing him back against the chair so he could catch his breath and running your thumb across his gaunt, unusual face. “We don’t tend to get too many humans with green skin like yours…”

Rhion laughed bitterly. “I don’t know. I just had to get away. I suppose I’ll go back to the sea and find a new herd somewhere far away.”

Your heart lurched at that and you thought that perhaps he saw a little of your emotion because his pale greenish-grey lips twitched softly.

“You should rest a while first,” you said. “Come on, you can sleep in my bed.”

His thighs trembled as you helped him up and tried not to stare at him. Anatomically, he resembled a biologically male human in every way except for the colour of his blotchy olive green and grey skin, and you wanted to afford him at least a little dignity as you supported him up the stairs and into your bedroom.

Rhion eyed your bed warily as you looked about for some clothes and found a baggy t-shirt that you usually used to sleep in. You dressed him in it so that he wouldn’t get cold and would at least be a little covered, but when you eased him down onto the mattress, he groaned with pleasure and sank gratefully onto it, moaning as you drew the sheet up over his body.

“Where will you sleep?” he asked, his words softly articulated and almost slurred with his exhaustion.

“There’s a sofa downstairs,” you said, but he frowned.

“Stay?” he said. “I… I’ve never slept on land before.”

“You’re afraid?”

He didn’t speak for such a long time you thought he might have passed out. “Yes,” he said very quietly without looking at you.

With a smile, you crossed to the other side of the bed and undressed. You felt his eyes on your back, but he said nothing. Wearing your pyjamas, you climbed into bed beside him. He kept his distance, lying very still, and you weren’t sure if that was because of his injuries or because of his manners.

It took a long time for you to fall asleep, though Rhion was unconscious in mere seconds, jaw slack, delicate fingers softly curled beside his sharp features, eyes tracking back and forth behind his closed lids. His long black hair flowed all the way down his back and it was still damp. The braid that you’d plaited into it while you’d told him the story that would later save his life, probably, was still there and you fought the urge to touch it. You thought vaguely that you should have washed the seawater out of it before letting him sleep on your pillow, but somehow you couldn’t muster up quite enough energy to care.

When dawn came, sensation filtered slowly back into your awareness, and you opened your eyes to find him trailing his fingers along the inside of your wrist. You smiled up at him and he jumped when he realised that you were awake.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I didn’t meant to disturb you.”

You inhaled thickly and shuffled slightly. “You didn’t,” you said. “I still can’t quite believe this is real though…”

Rhion’s smile was sad.

“How are you feeling?”

“Sore,” he admitted, shuffling his mottled green torso experimentally. “And… I’m scared.”

“You can stay here as long as you need,” you said, reaching for his skinny, pale green fingers and clutching them suddenly. “You don’t have to face them yet.”

“Thank you,” he rasped, his milky eyes swimming with tears. Were it not for the accuracy of his gaze, you might have thought those eyes were sightless.

You brought his knuckles to your lips and kissed them softly. A shaky breath escaped him and his smile broadened, crinkling his eyes and bringing little curving dimples to his gaunt cheeks.

“I don’t scare you any more, do I?” he asked.

You shook your head just a little and kissed him again.

“When I’m better,” he said, “I’d like… I mean…”

“I know,” you grinned. “I think I’d like that too. For now, rest and heal. Everything else will come afterwards.”

His tired eyes fluttered and he allowed himself to fall back into a healing, dreamless sleep while you watched over him for the time being.

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#exophilia #kelpie #each uisge #male monster #gender neutral reader #sfw #monster x reader #male monster x reader #sea monster

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eclectic-nb · 4 years ago

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1/? Hi I'm an ocean witch and I'm currently doing a month-long ritual leading up to my birthday in August. The point of it requires some context: I grew up in a Southern state, not a drop of ocean water to be found, yet ever since I discovered the ocean when I was young, I've always felt drawn to it. I'm a big believer in past lives and believe I may have been something ocean-related in one. But I've always felt connected to the water. Bodies of water, in general, but specifically the ocean.

1/? I've always dreamt of how the waves look, how it would be to swim past a kelp forest and coral reef into the vast empty expanse of blue water. To see a storm from underneath, the surface torn by winds and rain. And I've always felt drawn to merfolk. Growing up, there were many little plants around my yard. We had a honeysuckle bush on the fence, a bush in the yard that grew bundles of little purple and pink flowers, a peach tree, tulips in the backyard and tons and tons of fairy rings.

1/? I would water these plants and never, ever step in the fairy rings since I knew old tales of humans who would. After I left, everything, even the fairy rings, died. When I was 10 years old, I found a spell online that by now, everyone's knows of or heard of it, where you would wear a charm necklace for a week, say the spell in the bath under a full moon, and become a merperson when the week was up. I did it, having this really beautiful heart stone that shone different colors and since lost.

1/? But something.. weird happened. My last day of the spell was on a Friday. I remember that week (and the many before it) of dreaming, hoping, and wishing to be a merman. When I fell asleep that night, I awoke in water. A few feet off the shore, the water was clear as day. Big stone pillars covered in algae dotted the seafloor and I felt a pull to start swimming, to find something. Ahead of me I saw a flash of an orange/yellowish tail. It wasn't a dolphin or shark or anything like that.

1/? I swam after her. It felt like whoever or whatever this was had feminine energy. She turned left, right by a pillar, and I woke up. My heart was pounding and in one fluid motion, from the seconds between seeing her vanish and waking up, I ripped the necklace off. I calmed myself and went back to bed, then having a dream with hints of clouds and feathers. For years and years I've tried to figure out what this dream means, who that being was, and why I dreamt of air after that since I feel

1/? little to no connection to it. And then I grew much older, moved in with some witchy friends, and started my oceanic craft. Only.. I had a dream, a couple months ago (I can lucid dream somewhat and have always had very vivid ones). My friends and I were driving down a road I know in my town, but it was covered on either side by trees. A forest. We stopped the car by a rundown convenience store to get gas and snacks. It was the dead of night and when I looked up from the car, I saw a sky

1/? full of a thousand stars, a thousand galaxies. It was so vast and you could see every single one. I ripped my gaze away, instead going inside the store with my boyfriend and this girl with hair this shade of orange it looked almost red, piercing green eyes, and freckled white skin. I wasn't aware I hadn't seen her before in my life, and we entered. My boyfriend was asked to stay in the very small entrance, two people sat at a table in front of a door barring him from entry. They let the girl

1/? and I enter. We did and saw a rectangular table with many people sitting at it, all but one I didn't get good vibes about. The one who felt okay was at a corner seat, flashing my friend and I a kind look. I sat the table, which was filled with 3D shapes of all kinds, colorless, top and bottom. In front of me was a very large book, opened to a random page. They told us we had to solve some kind of puzzle and could use the book if needed. I kept looking at the shapes for meaning and before I

1/? knew it our time was up. Here I actively affected the dream by telling them, no, give us another chance. They reset the timer and we started. I flipped the pages to find a folded up piece of paper. I glanced at the woman at the corner seat and it was an old friend of mine. She smiled and winked at me. I looked at the book and looked back, but she was the woman from before. The page I'd flipped to had a picture of a lushous, green valley in it and a folk tale about a lava horse, similar to a

1/? kelpie but benevolent. The piece of paper had a spell written on it. But they were mad we got it and we had to escape. I wasn't worried about my boyfriend or friends, I knew they could get themselves out of trouble. I used the spell and the red-haired girl turned in the lava horse from the story. I hopped on her back and she created a portal to a valley similar to the one in the picture. When I woke in the valley, the girl (not in horse form) and I were in a car, driving in the lil valley

1/? town. One either side were strips of valley that went upward, leading to a dam that people walked on. The girl and I made our ascent and caught a group of people throwing airplanes off the bridge, but they flew so far and didn't really look like airplanes. They offered for us to throw some. I think the girl did. But I had turned to see past the dam. It was an expanse of forests and a field. It stretched on for miles. And I remember smelling the sea breeze and a splash of water before I woke

1/? And that was the dream. My roommate actually had a dream a while back with the same exact red-haired girl in it. We think she may be a Fae. I don't know what this dream means. My friends suggested it could be an introduction to elemental trials to where I have to get through them to go back to the place I dreamt of when I was 10 and that's what my ritual's for. All this month, I've been working with offerings and Caer Ibormeith, Dream Goddess, to try to go back to that spot. Not dream since

1/End I know I was younger and different. I wanted to know your thoughts and apologize for how long this got. I wanted to ensure you had plenty of context. I've also worked with certain sea energies/creatures before and though landlocked, I know my magick is powerful. I really need to get back there. To know what it all meant. And I wanted your thoughts and advice on the matter. Do you think it will be a series of trials? With Earth, Air, Fire and Water? The last dream felt like an introduction.

I also forgot to mention that since July 1, after soaking it in rainwater, I've been wearing a crystal necklace (nearly transparent, light purple/blue in color) and did a ritual bath for the Buck Moon to invoke a similar call to magick that I did at 10. Thank you for reading, sorry about all the tasks. 😳

I apologise if I miss something, so just send in another ask if I do.

First and foremost, I think you should look into starseeds. Mintakan, specifically. They are strongly drawn to water, dream of swimming, compassionate, etc etc. There’s a lot more too it but those are just some key points I noticed.

Also, your first dream kind of sounds like a memory. You should look into the meaning behind each detail and each dream. It will take a while but I think it will give you some answers. Make sure you figure out how the details are connected to each other too. (This may not apply across dreams).

I agree that the girl in your dream may be fae, too. Most have green eyes, and since yours is paired with pale skin, she’s probably a Seelie. Their hair is also indicative of their first element. Some think that the four elements are where faeries originate, which would explain why each faerie has its own element which it can control and create. Mermaid/merman faeries are also a thing and they have the ability to breathe underwater, giving them infinite air.

I believe that the mermaid in one dream and the orange haired girl in another are the same. And, assuming she is fae, she has used/incorporated all four elements in some way. (Walked by a forest, breathed under water, was an underwater creature, colour of her hair, etc).

I’m not too sure if this is a trial but you could ask your deity about it. You have a lot of signs pointing towards one as each element is a reoccurring theme in your dreams.

I also can’t help but feel the need to ask if you did ever step in a faerie circle, even accidentally. There feels like there’s something else you don’t know about the situation so that was my first thought.

One last thing. I’m not sure how you feel about this, nor how I do honestly, but it might be worth researching fae-people. As in humans that are faeries. I don’t know much about them but I know they can be either born or turned.

Don’t be shy if you want me to clarify or help with something!! Lmk if I missed something too

#magick #witchcraft #witchblr #divination #beginner witch #asks #fae #dream #faerie #elements #four elements

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yamitsuki-devillie · 2 years ago

Text

Prompt Day 3: 'Scuba', although is more of the deep ocean.

Minerva: Blue mossaur siren chasing feesh

Huge ass sleeping titan of a dragon: Yamitsuki's (kelpie oc) higher form, a huge eastern dragon long asf.

About the texture the higher form has, it's because she has the ability of camouflaging and she's camouflaging right now to be able to sleep peacefully without creatures messing with her or humans seeing her.

This is moments before Minerva is yoinked and adopted by the 500 years old kelpie.

Prompts for @intistone Mermay prompts : D

*Omnious momma theme (Hiding in the blue by TheFatRat) intensifies.*

Story and prompt below the cut

The first meeting

On a remote coral reef of the Atlantic ocean, very far from the coast.

A small female mer is looking everywhere, it's the first time said mer ever saw how the outside world is…. It 's so colorful. She watches the several animals who live on the coral reefs with starry eyes, full of awe and curiosity about the first time she's out in the world.

The mosasaur and axolotl mix swims around the reef, looking at the creatures and starts chasing a clownfish, but stops when it hides on a sea anemone, the mossy-lolt may not be able to feel pain, but she knows it looks dangerous and even poisonous.

The mosasaur chases more fish, even eating some, before she rests over a rock wanting to have a small nap. The water is clear and warm, besides very… peaceful, way different from that… hellhole.

The mossy-lolt kid sleeps for a while before walking up to something brushing against her face, she opens her eyes, blinking very confused and looks at it. It's an angel fish, but its colors are very different from normal angelfish and very pretty, her eyes become stars seeing the beautiful fish graciously swimming on her front.

It's a lilac fish with violet patterns, it's long tail moves around on a gracious moviment, it doesn't seem to mind the mosasaur on its side. The mossy-lolt red eyes are so big and shiny, it's the first time she sees such a beautiful fish.

The fish suddenly starts to bolt, and the mossy-lolt wiggles her tail before zooming behind it, chasing it a bit outside the reef, on the deeper parts of the ocean, before a enormous kelp forest appears, the mosasaur notices it but she's too busy chasing the fish through the kelp and other fish around to mind it.

The fish keeps swimming till suddenly stopping on the end of the kelp bed. The mossy-lolt reaches the fish and curls in a ball hovering on the water while holding the fish with starry eyes. She starts gently poking its fins and tail, but the fish somehow doesn't mind.

The mossy-lolt is just so focused on the fish, that she doesn't notice the 'sand mountain' behind her… Slowly opening 2 huge violet eyes, one below the other and looking at the small creature on the side of its head, its violet eyes staring at the small kid without stopping even for a second.

The mossy-lolt is a small long mer, with a tail with 4 swimming fins and a mosasaur tail. The small kid is deep marine blue with lighter blue circular patterns and spiky arm frills, the mer also has curly black hair and 3 axolotl frills on each side of her head. She looks… honestly terrible, with several scars on her body, some ragged and some straight.

….. Seeing such a small kid, obviously unattended, hurt and basically without even clothes, which most sirens have, honestly infuriates the enormous dragon. Even after several minutes the kid seems to not notice the huge dragon watching her, so said dragon decides to finally talk.

"Hello, child." It says, on a soft but rumbling, thanks to its size, voice with an obviously feminine hint, greeting the small kid.

The siren let out a surprised warble looking extremely surprised at the 2 violet eyes looking deep in her soul, finally noticing that what she thought was a normal sand mountain with a kelp bed, indeed isn't a mountain.

The enormous dragon slowly lifts her head, deactivating the camouflage, the sand colors and texture slowly fading in black and dark purple, before glancing at the kid.

The siren knows she should probably be terrified of the huge dragon, but something, probably the soft look on the dragon's eyes, instead gave her a sense of protection and relaxation for some unknown motive.

The dragon speaks again: "Are you alone here little one? Where's your family?" It keeps gently looking at the small siren.

The kid seems very surprised about the question, and keeps staring at her for several minutes, before saying something. "I don't have a family…" She is a bit confused by the question.

The dragon's eyes widen a little, no wonder that kid is in such a bad state, she doesn't have anyone to take care of her. ".... I see, I'm Yami, and you little one, do you have a name?"

The siren looks confused at her, tilting her head. "I don't have a name, but the… people in the… bad place called me M-44…"

The dragons kelp rise up like an angry cat at the mention of something like this, thinking: 'What the fuck, why this kid has what is a lab experiment designation instead of a name?'

The realization hits, this kid…. She's probably an experimented siren that humans took from the sea. She feels the rage boiling inside her, but keeps a calm expression to not scare the kid. "I see… So I will just call you little M till we find a name for you."

The siren seems confused, but also a bit happy for not being called exactly her serial name. ".... Your eyes are a similar color to the big bad scary guy that was the boss of the lab.. But I don't feel fear of you for some reason." She says softly with a confused look.

The dragon, Yami, pauses, thinking: 'Excuse me? The only other person who has his eyes on a shade of violet is- …..'. She can't stop herself from cursing before she notices she cursed. "That bastardly son of a fucking dirty bitch-" She slaps her own mouth with her front paw in surprise. "Uh, ignore those bad words, okay?"

The kid is confused but nods, although she probably will guard this statement, the kid has such an adorable confused face. The dragon looks at the kid, silently dying of cuteness, before asking softly.

"Well, if you are alone, would you like to come with me, little one? I'm always ready to take care of a kid." She says softly.

The kid is so surprised and is visibly debating whether to accept or not… Well, she knows it's probably best since she's sure the humans could catch her again if she stays around here, besides it's not like she has anywhere else to go after escaping the boat… And the dragon lady seems very nice… She slowly nods.

The dragon seems to smile. "Just wait for a second, sweetheart." She slowly reverts back to her kelpie form, making the kids eyes widen in surprise and awe, she never saw anything like it happening in her life, besides she never saw such a massive sea monster.

The siren asks for the big kelp lady. "Ms. Yami, what are you? And how did you do it?" She looks up at the massive kelp lady.

The huge 10 ft tall female kelpie chuckles softly, picking the kid in her arms hovering in the water. "Well, I'm a kelpie, another sea folk like sirens, which is your species little M. That form you saw is my higher form, kelpies can have one if they train enough, it's a form used for fights and for intimidation." She gently kneads M's head and frills.

The siren kid has starry eyes, she blinks at being picked up, but it kinda… feels nice and safe, she leans against the big living salad and nods. "A kelpie, it's my first time knowing about such a creature… There's other sea folk"

Yami chuckles softly, smiling at the kid. "Well little one, yes there is, if you want I can teach you more about sea folk later." She offers gently, adjusting the kid on her arms.

M's eyes widen and she smiles widely with her sharp teeth. ".... Do you promise?" Seeing the large kelpie nodding she smiles more before flopping on Yami's chest, closing her eyes, she feels so tired for some reason…

Yami blinks softly before smiling at the sleeping kid, and starts swimming to her mansion carrying the small kid, making sure that she's comfortable and that she won't wake up while being carried.

'Kelp forest', Obviously it wasn't on that size but instead way more massive, but it wouldn't fit on the screen if it was bigger.

#mermay 2023 #scars and scales #personal blorbos #personal bean #OMNIOUS SAPPY MOMMA SIGHTED!#Hiding in the blue by TheFatRat INTENSIFIES #salad family #My art #My writing

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aweebwrites · 5 years ago

Text

Trials of the Heart (H&F)

Warning: Blood, gore, dismemberment

___________

"It's finally spring!" Jay chirped flying out of the side of their cliff home, over the still iced over waters l along the fjord they called home.

"This winter was a little shorter than normal through." Cole says as he walked along the shore, finned tail flicking back and forth as he looked it over.

"By a few days." Kai agrees, perched on Cole's back. "Jay's happy about it so I am too." The Phoenix harpy grinned and Cole smiled a little.

"Alright. Off. I have to break up the ice for Nya then you do your thing." Cole told him and Kai nods, taking air and hovering there as he watched Cole rolled his shoulders.

He pushed himself up on his hind legs then slammed his front ones down, creating an earthquake to shatter the ice along the water.

"Show time." Kai grinned then flew over to Nya's side of the lake end of the fjord and gathered fire along his feathers and him his mouth, much like a dragon.

He then blew it out as he flew around, melting the ice on top and continuing still to warm the water up a bit.

"That should do it. She can swim out and about but the deeper portion of the water will be pretty cold." Kai says, coming to a hover over the water as Cole walked over to the iceless side of the lake area.

"It'll take a few weeks before it's warm enough for her. Skylor should be fine." Cole agrees. "Hey Jay, tell them the good news." He called out to the storm harpy that was doing loopty loops in the air.

"Gotcha!" Jay called out then pulled off a sharp dive then turned last minute, going into the side of the cliff.

"In the meantime, I'm gonna take a quick run to see if all the ice around the edges are broken up." Cole says, turning away.

"Alright." Kai says, watching him take off in a steady gallop.

"Kai!" Said Phoenix blinked at his name then looked towards the large chunks of ice on the colder side of the lake.

He spotted Zane once he raised a hand and waved. Kai chuckled as he flew over.

"Boy you really do blend in with the ice." Kai smiled as Zane slid up on a large chunk.

"Could you do me a favour?" Zane asked quickly and Kai frowned at his urgent tone.

"Sure. What is it?" Kai asked, flying closer to the mer, watching curiously as he held something to his chest then stretched his hand out to show Kai. "Oh. It's your gold. Do you need me to make it into something for you?" He asked, using his taloned foot to take it as he hovered still.

"Yeah. But it's something specific…" Zane says with a light blue flush in his cheeks that had Kai raising a brow.

"Well then… I'm all ears." Kai hummed, intrigued.

Cole on the other hand stood on the other side of the cliff facing, making it to the top rather easily. It gave him a higher view of the water below. It was all broken up. Much further down the channel still had ice but that would melt on its own soon. He turned around then galloped his way down the hill that made the cliff, enjoying the feeling of his hooves hitting the ground, the wind through his much longer hair. It's getting out of control. He should find some way to trim it but…

He thought back to all the times Zane kept running his class through the thick strands of his hair, an adoring look in his eyes. Well. If Zane liked it that much, he would keep it as is. He looked ahead curiously once he noticed Zane and Kai talking. They looked up to see him before Kai grinned and flew off.

"What's that all about?" Cole asked as he slowed to a trot.

"Nothing." Zane immediately dismissed then slid his way further on sure and Cole smiled, kneeling before him and cupping his cheeks.

"You're up to something. I can tell." Cole hummed and Zane only grinned, revealing sharp, pearly whites teeth.

"Maybe… But you're going to have to wait and see." Zane purrs, using his mate as support so he could reach his height.

"Ooooh. A surprise. I like the sound of that." Cole smiled, nuzzling his nose against Zane's as the mer purred happily.

"Good." Zane hummed before they both pressed their lips together, tongues coming into play right away.

Zane's black tongue slid against sharp fangs and further still to strong yet just as sharp molars that weren't that sharp before his change. While Cole had eaten other animals as a normal centaur, most of their diet was plants after all. Now, while Cole would enjoy kelp with him, he very much preferred meat and fish which made his newer, sharper teeth come in handy. On Cole's end, his light green tongue met rows of razor sharp teeth he had to be careful with. While Zane doesn't chew his food, he has this many teeth to allow him to latch on firmly to prey and puncture more lively fish and animals so thoroughly, if they somehow manage to get away, the bite alone is guaranteed to kill them. Their equally long tongues tangled together, their movements slow and savory. That is, until-

"Hey. It's too early for that." Nya called out and they pulled away from each other to blink at the warm water mer as she swum around stretching her fins.

"There's still a week tops before you two get rut brained." Skylor smirked as she allowed herself to float and both cold water mer and Kelpie flushed.

"You're one to talk." Cole huffed as Zane hid his face into his muscular chest, a low whine leaving him as he flicked his tail in embarrassment.

"Cool it. By then we're all slaves to instinct." Jay huffed as he arrived on scene, landing on the shore. "Really, if anyone should be making fun of anyone or complain, it's the Senseis and Lloyd." He says, sitting on the cold sand.

"Which is why we should make sure everything is in order for when they wake up." Kai says, arriving as well, perching next to his mate. "They can awaken at anytime during or after that time for us so let's start planning." He told them and they nodded.

"Alright. Anyone have any clue what waking dragons need?" Nya asked and there was all around silence.

"Boy do we have our work cut out for us…" Cole says drily.

___

"So food's obviously gonna be a thing on the list." Nya says, sitting on the shore with everyone else. "But we can't start stocking up too early and risk spoilage nor can we wait until it's too late and our instincts are mostly in control." She says, tapping a red claw against her arm.

"We start gathering in about 4 or 5 days instead then." Zane suggests and Nya nods.

"Fair enough. I'm just grasping at straws here but since the cold had put them to sleep to begin with, maybe some warmth will help them wake up." Cole suggested.

"So… We make them a fire?" Kai questions.

"That seems impractical since we don't know exactly when they're gonna wake up." Skylor pointed out.

"Well yeah, but they can all spark a fire on their own. Maybe we just leave them supplies to make it." Cole clarified and they paused to think on it.

"Not a bad idea." Jay nods, the others agreeing.

"Ok. Food and warmth. What else?" Nya asked them and they all paused to think.

"Oh! Water!" Jay spoke up with a grin.

"Of course." They huffed, facepalming.

"Alright. Food, warmth and water. Anything else they might need?" Cole listed off and they paused to think on it.

"No. I think that's about it." Kai says, crossing his singed arms.

"Alright. Then- huh?" Cole looked at Zane as he scented the air, eyes narrowed sharply.

Of all of them, Zane had the best sense of smell as he needed it for his time up north while hunting. He narrowed his eyes at the tree line, spines standing on edge along his back down his tail as a low hiss escaped him. That put all of them on guard. Zane's never reacted like this before, not even to the bear that attacked them during autumn. It must be an intruder.

"We'll take a look from above." Kai says seriously as Cole urged Zane in the water fully, just in case.

They took off once Nya nods, retreating to the water as well but still staying close to shore with Skylor. They had an advantage there after all. Soon, Cole could hear them approach and he snorts, dragging his hoof through the sand, ready to attack at any given time.

"I see them. it's just one creature." Jay says, sharp eyes spotting the figure as they keep coming directly towards them before his eyes widened once they walked through thinner coverage. "It's a-"

"Centaur?" Kai finished, surprised.

He wasn't the only one. Centaurs don't live this far up north naturally. Plus, there's a lot of hills and mountains rather than the plains centaurs prefer. Cole should know, he used to be one. That didn't make him any less wary though. Finally, they broke through the tree line and Cole blinked at the centaur that walked through. It wasn't anyone he's met before, that's for sure. She was a very light brown, almost blonde coloured centaur who's coat matched her wavy hair that spilled down her back. She looked around with wide hazel eyes then spotted Cole.

"Oh… You're a centaur…" She says, walking forwards slowly. "But also not?" She says, spotting his finned tail as it flicked back and forth warily.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Cole asked, getting right to it.

"Oh. I'm Mariah. I…" Tears filled her eyes. "I got separated from my herd. We were escaping hunters…" She whispered as tears fell down her cheeks.

"You're a long way from any nearby plains though." Jay says suspiciously as he swooped down to land.

Apparently that was the wrong thing to do since she reared up with a startled whinny then galloped towards Cole. He tensed, ready for an attack- only to blink when she held onto his arm tightly, whimpering against the back of his shoulder from her shorter statue. Cole… Didn't know what to make of this.

Zane on the other hand… He watched with wide eyes from the water as she held onto his mate's arm, burying her face into his mate's skin. He stared for a moment longer before he released a series of warning clicks and trills under the water that mimicked growls, the broken up ice solidifying again as he glared at the imposing female with icy venom.

"Cold!" Nya's yelp startled him out of his challenging stance.

He watched as both she and Skylor dove under the water before the surface stilled, solidifying into clear ice. His ear fins flattened when he realised that he was the cause.

"What happened Zane?" Cole asked, green eyes focused on him, the worry in them thawing the icy bitterness that took him just now.

"Oh. Sorry. I wasn't paying attention." He apologised with a sheepish smile.

It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the whole truth. He just felt silly for reacting the way he has. Cole loves him and this outsider will be leaving anyways. Speaking of, she turned around to see him, seeing his intimidating teeth and claws then gave a shrieking whinny, shifting to bury her face into Cole's chest, trembling with her tail between her legs. Cole grimaced, looking down at the skittish girl then sighed. They couldn't just tell her to scram. It wasn't in their nature.

"Jay, could you and Kai look around to see if you can find any nearby centaurs?" Cole asked, looking across at him.

"Roger." Jay nods then took off, going after Kai who had remained hidden but only to ambush if necessary.

"You know that harpy?" Mariah asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

'Isn't that obvious?' Cole thought dryly. "Yeah. He's a friend. Don't worry. We'll find your herd." He says aloud and Mariah smiled widely.

"Thank you for your help!" She says happily, nuzzling against him and Zane sneered, his sharp teeth glinting menacingly as he narrowed glowing arctic blue eyes at her from the water.

For her sake, Kai and Jay better find her herd quickly.

________

"This is bad." Nya says from inside her pool in the cave.

"Yeah. Mariah's presence means that hunters have already mobilised and are closing in." Skylor says with a frown, keeping her company, her sealskin wrapped around Nya's neck to help keep her warm.

"That's bad but it's not what I meant." Nya says, glancing towards the obscure exit onto the beach. "I meant Mariah all but clinging to Cole like that." She clarified.

"Huh? But it's obvious he isn't interested in her." Skylor says with a frown.

"Yeah that may be true but not only has Zane never experienced a challenger who obviously wants to stake a claim, it's really close to that time of the year. You should know. Jealousy and instincts aren't the best mix." Nya says pointedly and Skylor's purple serpentine tail swung from side to side.

"True. Do you think he'll attack?" Skylor asked, resting her chin in her clawed hand.

"Definitely if Mariah keeps clinging to Cole like a parasite. It's just a matter of when." Nya says, nuzzling the warm seal skin around her neck. "I've never seen a cold water mer before Zane and I certainly haven't seen them hostile. I've heard that's when they're most fearsome." She whispered.

"... I've seen cold water mers before him. They aren't as social as Zane is. They're intimidating, even while not paying any creature any mind." Skylor says, recalling a brief trip she had some time ago further up north.

They were all pretty gray scale, varying from dark gray to light with barely visible flecks of colour. They were all pretty big too, not to say Zane was small. He was much bigger than Nya and herself after all. It's just… She slipped into the water, using her legs to tread as she brushed Nya's hair back. They've gotten so used to Zane, to how soft and kind he was. This would be a reminder that Zane is capable of more than they ever thought. Nya looked up at her with her clear blue eyes and she smiled softly, her purple serpentine tail coming around to wrap around Nya's tail. It'll be unfortunate but it might also be a good thing.

_________

Cole sat, completely annoyed on the shore, a hand crafted fire before him… And Mariah glued to his side, preventing him from going in the water and cuddling Zane in his arms, preventing him from watching his relaxed face as he slept soundly, brushing his fingers against his pale cheek…

"It's a pretty cold tonight, isn't it?" Mariah asked with a shiver but Cole couldn't feel it.

The cold didn't bother him at all and as far as he knew, heat is the same.

"I suppose." Cole says, trying not to let his annoyance bleed through into his voice.

He knew it wasn't her fault but dammit he can't leave her out here alone. Centaurs separated from a tightly knit herd go through separation anxiety. It has them searching endlessly for their herd or latch onto a new one- or any creature close to a centaur. It's what helps his former kind integrate into new herds. He frowns, looking out at the iced over water, at the small hole there that was just about large enough for a head to poke through.

This'll be the first time in over a year Zane would sleep by himself. That realisation didn't bode well with him. He hopes Zane would have patience, until Mariah was gone…

Zane on the other hand tried to talk himself down just below the ice. He was just so used to sleeping next to Cole, his body can't even fathom such a feat tight now. At least his species could go days without sleep and still be unaffected but it was a routine he had come to treasure and she was ruining it with her presence! A low warning trill escaped him as his spines flared wider slowly darkening as more of his blue blood pumped through them. He shook his head, trying to shake it off. He knows Cole loves him and would never pick her over him. Knows this more than anything. But the problem lies with that mare touching his mate. A low trill escaped him as he looked up towards the surface with ominously glowing blue eyes. He doesn't share.

____________

Morning came with no signs from Kai and Jay, giving the odd family reason to worry.

"They never take this long to come back…" Cole whispered, looking to the sky. "How long have you been wandering?" He asked the mare who was glued to his side still.

"I've lost track. A few days at least…" Mariah says quietly, pressing even closer and Cole grimaced realising that this might actually take longer than he'd expected.

She's out of luck come a few days. Whether she likes it or not, he'll be returning to the water to mate with his mate. Speaking of, he hasn't been able to see him since she got here. It was time he changed that.

"Wait here." He told her, getting to his hooves and walking towards the water.

"You'll come back, right?" She asked, eyes wide and tear filled.

"Yeah. Don't worry. In just a sec." Cole says, glancing over his shoulder at her then stepped onto the iced over lake.

"Are you sure?" She called out, figuring nervously.

"Yeah. I'm sure." Cole says, irritation blooming.

He doesn't want to be angry at her but he hasn't been able to hold his mate since she got-

"I'll come with you." She says as she got up, trotting over.

"No. You can't. I'm-"

The ice breaking the moment she stepped on it cut off Cole's explanation and she rested back at the ice cold water that splashed against her legs.

"C-Cold!" Mariah stuttered, backing up and Cole facepalmed.

What was this situation even?

"I- I'm sorry. I just… I just wanted to stay with you a little. Just until I can find my pack and I… I'm already such a burden…" She whispered, wiping her tears with the back of her hands and Cole felt a twinge of guilt.

He looked out to the ice, seeing barely visible eyes of glowing blue there, watching their movements.

"Sorry Zane. Maybe later on." Cole says softly then walked out of the water, missing when it immediately froze over. "You're shivering. Let's head back. I'll build another fire." He says, reaching a hand down to help her up.

Mariah sniffled then nodded, taking his hand, not letting it go as she followed alongside him. The temperatures took a steep dip then, frost building up along the bark of the trees. Cole turned back to the frozen body of water once he heard something. It was more like low vibrations coming from the water. He shook it off. He must have been hearing things.

_____

Zane decided the best way to push these feelings back was contact with his mate. A kiss even. Just the thought had him perking up as he used his claws to cut himself a hole so he could pop up through. He pulled himself out of the water partially, his tail still mostly in the hole as he looked around. He perked up even more seeing Cole return from a round of hunting.

"Cole!" Zane called out grinning once his Kelpie mate perked up at his voice and smiled widely, seeing him waiting for him.

He dropped the rabbits he caught and galloped towards the ice- but Zane just wasn't allowed to have good things while Mariah was around, was he?

"Oh? That's your name?" Mariah asked, intercepting his path to him. "I'm sorry. I should have asked earlier. I must seem so insensitive now." She apologized as Zane's happiness faded.

"It's fine. I just have to-"

"So rabbits co-" Mariah had cut Cole off, only to he cut off herself once she ends up tripping on something partially buried in the sand, leaving her to yelp and fall against Cole, both of them ending up on the ground, Mariah half across Cole. "I'm sorry! I'm so clumsy! Are you ok?!" She asked him, sitting in her haunches as Cole sat up, trying not to let his irritation show.

"I'm fine." Cole says quietly.

He looked at the ice once he heard a silent splash, only to find both Zane and the hole gone, as if they never were. Cole didn't like that. It didn't sit well with him how he just took off. He stood then paused once he realised something. Another breath out turned to fog as the temperature plummets further.

"W-w-wow. It g-g-got so c-c-cold all of a sudden." Mariah stuttered, getting to her hooves as she rubbed her bare arms. "It's snowing…" She whispered and Cole looked up seeing the snow drifting down from the pale blue sky.

This was… Abnormal. Cole looked to the frozen solid lake. Was this… Was this Zane's doing?

"Mariah. Head inside the cave." Cole told her and she looked at him wide eyed.

"B-b-"

"Would you rather freeze to death before you ever see your herd again?" Cole asked her, clipped and blunt, unphased as more tears filled her eyes.

"N-no…" She says, looking down then fiddling with her hands.. "It's just…"

Cole straightened, hearing something from the lake, calling him, beaconing him to come. No doubt it was Zane.

"Wait!" Mariah says, grabbing his arm and Cole turned around to finally snap at her, only to find her lips pressed against his.

Meanwhile, it was all Zane could do to control himself. His mind was filled with dark, gruesome things, claws ready to inflict critical damage, teeth itching to sink and rip into flesh. He tried breathing in slowly through his gills, trying to calm his rushing pulse, trying to grasp at control that was slipping through his webbed hands like sand. Logic knows what's best bit instincts are so much stronger, so much harder to fight. He knew if he let it take over, he would take a life. He didn't want to be that kind of mer, didn't want to prove the stereotypes of his kind right. He clenched his fists tightly, trying to prevent his body from preparing to fight, to maim. His mind was a mess. Emotions, logic and instincts all clashing, overlapping. He needed to calm down, needed to escape the source of his dilemma but he couldn't. He refused. He wouldn't leave Cole alone with her . He didn't trust her. Wouldn't trust her. Not with his mate.

He needed, he needed… He lowered his hands from his face, ignoring the blackness of his claws that now extended past his wrist, ignoring the blue of his fins filled with so much of his blue blood, they looked black ignoring the light blue specks of his body that also took on that same colour. He needed his mate. He needed Cole.

A reverberating croon left him as he called for his mate, calling him to come to him. He's the only one that can quiet the storm in his mind right now. It only occurred to him after a moment that it would be hard to hear under thick ice. He swam up then used his tail to break a large portion of the ice before pushing himself up, ready to restart his calls- only to see Mariah with her lips on his mate's.

That was the last straw. Emotions and mainly instincts won, the whites of Zane's eyes turning dark as he gave a hiss of outrage. They turned towards him but Zane was cutting through the ice like it wasn't there, eyes screaming murder as he locked onto the one who dare challenged him.

"Zane?" Cole whispered, stepping back without realising, getting whiplash from the constant flow of shock.

This Zane looks so different. So much wilder… Deadlier…

"Woah! Shit!" Mariah yelled once Zane ricocheted out of the water, coming directly at her.

She then did something that startled Cole: she teleported out of Zane's line of attack.

"That was close." She sighed once Zane collided with the beach but he still looked fearsome and clearly wasn't about to back down anytime soon.

"... How did you do that?" Cole asked quietly, eyes narrowed in suspicion and Mariah looked at him surprised, realising that she blew her cover before she huffed.

"Damn. Ah well. This was boring anyway." Mariah says and Cole's eyes widened as her centaur form faded away to a completely humane one.

But that along with her teleportation was a clear sign she wasn't a regular human. She was most likely a witch whom were worse than hunters. They hunted just like the humans did but they keep their catch for their essence, adding it to their spells and potions. Essence is the very source of what made a creature who the are and they use the essence from parts of whatever unfortunate creature they manage to capture until they have no more left, until they're nowhere close to the creature they used to be. Essence is strongest with intense feelings as well... Like pain. Death in the end is the only mercy they receive from their capture.

Considering this witch was able to shapeshift and teleport, it was unfortunate that Wu and Garmadon are asleep. Considering the fact that they are asleep and vulnerable, they had to protect them. But Nya and Skylor are too vulnerable to the cold. Kai and Jay are gone too. Zane is… Cole looked past her at his seething black and blue eyed mate. Zane… He spotted a flash of light then jumped back out of the way, Mariah holding a cruel smile on her face.

"Eyed on me loverboy. No more daydreaming." She smirked as her hands glowed. "And to think such a rare sight like you would be more than interested in a fair centaur maiden, just before breeding season, hmm? Though it's peculiar. My love spell hasn't been working at all, no matter how many times I've casted it though touch. I've even gone as far to actually kiss you. My spells always work. Explain this, creature." She sneered, raising a hand towards him threateningly.

"Love spell?" Cole whispered, eyes wide.

It must be because he's already in love with Zane! No time for that. He needed to get rid of her before she does something terrible. But how? His earth powers can only do so much!

"Nevertheless, Kelpie are a truly rare and powerful source of both spiritual and water essence and I plan on taking you with me." She grinned then yelled as she shot a beam of her magic at him and Cole three his hands up to block- but it never landed.

Cole blinked then looked over his arms, eyes wide to see a wall of ice it seems before him. But this ice was different, darker.

"You pesky fish!" Mariah yelled and Cole's eyes widened.

Zane!

Cole was quick to round the ice, seeing Mariah distracted with attacking Zane, his ice blocking her attacks.

"I'll slit your neck and bleed you dry when I'm done with you!" She yelled at him and Cole narrowed his eyes.

He turned around then put his weight on his front hooves and used his back legs to slam into her back, leaving her to tell as the momentum flung her onto the iced over lake, the impact of her landing cracking the ice. Zane moved like a viper in the grass, sliding back into the water quickly, the small hole in the ice freezing over instantly. Cole watched Mariah from the shore as she slowly got up with a groan, bracing himself for what was to come next. Then it happened. Mariah screamed as she found herself high in the air, ice, water and Zane trailing after her mid air from his jump. Cole didn't flinch seeing Zane's sharp teeth sink into her exposed neck, his claws digging into her flesh as he dropped back into the water with her, disappearing under the surface, ice immediately reforming afterwards.

Zane spun as he dragged her deeper into the water, then pulled away with the chunk of her neck he had bitten into. She immediately brought her hands to her heavily bleeding throat as she began to both drown and bleed to death but Zane wasn't done yet. Not even close. He hissed as he swam in, clamping on her arm, shaking her violently until it ripped off. He immediately closed his strong jaw around the other, digging his claws into her flesh to keep her steady as he ripped it off as well. He hissed at her pale, lifeless face then unhinged his jaw for the final blow. He closed his teeth around the entirety of her neck then ripped it free from her body, spitting it out in disgust then sneered at her remains.

On shore, Cole saw nothing for a few seconds after Zane disappeared below but then the ice under the water began to turn red. He stood there as it sunk in.

Zane just killed someone.

Cole pressed his lips together before they stretched in a smile. He was oddly proud. He had concerns if Zane had enough of a heart to do it if his life was at risk. He forgot that Zane was perhaps the most deadly of them all. It made him even more proud to call Zane his mate.

"Cole!" The centaur looked up once Jay's voice caught his ears, sewing him a moment after flying quickly towards him.

He landed before him, sending icy sand kicking up in the air.

"Mariah is-"

"A witch?" Cole says, cutting him off and confusing Jay.

"Yeah! But how'd you know?" Jay asked, confused.

"She gave herself away. But we don't have to worry about her ever again." Cole says, smiling as he looked out to the lake.

"How come? Hey why is the lake re-" Jay cut himself off when everything pieced together.

"Holy shit." Kai says, arriving then as well. "I mean, I should have known with Zane being a cold water mer but damn." He says, landing next to them, holding a large gold circlet in hand.

Cole looked at it confused.

"Hey, where'd you find that?" Cole asked him and Kai looked at the solid gold band in hand.

"Oh this? It's actually yours." Kai says, tossing it to him. "Zane asked me to make it for you. It's a permanent accessory so whenever you're ready, I'll melt the gold shut for good." He says with a smirk as Cole looked over the details in the circlet in awe.

That was clearly them along the middle. Zane on one side and him on the other, their tails laced together on the back and them sharing a kiss on the front. Cole's heart warmed as he smiled at it. It was gorgeous.

"Oh. We've brought company by the way." Kai added and Cole glanced over his shoulder, eyes widening to see two familiar figures.

"Where's the witch?" Ronin asked, glancing up at them from under his conical hat as he walked on shore.

"By now? The Departed Realm." Jay says, gesturing to the lake.

"Woah. Zane did that?" Dareth asked surprised, his head cocked to the side. "Jeeze. I didn't think he had it in him." He says with a grimace.

A section of the ice on the lake collapsed suddenly and the group blinked once a darker blue tail tossed out two arms, a torso and a head, all covered in frost. Kai whistled low.

"Remind me not to piss Zane off." Jay says with a grimace.

Cole was more focused on Zane, watching the mer watch him with only his hair and eyes visible. The cold water mer gave a beaconing croon and Cole gave the circlet back to Kai.

"Hold onto this for me." He humbled then walked towards the water, his eyes focused on his mate.

He didn't care about the lingering blood that gave the water a pink tinge. He only cared about Zane. Cole stood there, face to face with Zane, noticing that he still looked so wild, so dangerous with his gorgeous blues replaced with deadly blacks, his glowing eyes standing our even more when framed by black… But he didn't mind at all. He reached out and cupped Zane's cheek gently, stroking his thumb against his skin. Zane purred, leaning into his touch with closed eyes as Cole smiled softly. They both moved, their lips pressing together as they clutched at each other, missing this, missing each other. With a flick of Cole's tail, they both disappeared below the water.

"Awww. A happy ending." Jay cooed next to Kai as Ronin inspected the remains next to them.

"She mostly bled out but there should still be enough for a decent meal." He murmured to himself, ignoring the arms and head, going straight for the body.

"Are you gonna finish that?" Dareth asked eagerly as he watched his partner bare his fangs.

Ronin paused, glancing over at the half werewolf with wide brown eyes, watching his ears perk up as his tail wagged eagerly. Ronin only huffed and tossed him the closest arm, Dareth catching it in his mouth.

"Wouldn't want you to go hungry. You're annoying when you get all whiny." Ronin huffed with a small smirk, his red eyes glinting.

"While you guys do your thing, I'm gonna check up on Nya." Kai says, walking away.

"I'll come with!" Jay chirps, following after him.

The mercenary and his pet partner watched them go before returning their attention to the all expenses paid meal left for them.

"Well. Bon appétit." The vampire murmured then sank his fangs into the shoulder of the corpse, draining her until the raw wounds she had turned pink, unphased by the audible cracking of bone next to him.

Since they ran into them while tracking down that witch, he'll stick around… If only until after the full moon...

_____________

(Hey! Here we are! Zane is soft boi so it was time to shake things up a bit. Also! Next H&F piece will focus on Cole's powers! Because he does have them. It might take a few other elemental visitors for him to see it though. Who knows! CI is up next so see you when that's done!)

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