Chapter Text
It took meticulous planning, but in the end you were successful.
In the cover of night, you dashed between corals, hid your scent in the sands, and inched your way carefully over the cliff side. Your patterns were bright, but meshed well with the landscape, the low light only helping with your escape.
You didn't sense a single mer nearby, and if there were any, they surely didn't notice you. You're now free to explore to your heart's content.
All according to plan!
The depths called to you, being the only space for miles that you know of where you would be safe to roam around, unable to be caught due to the darker waters. No mer you know likes to get even near it.
Throwing yourself over, sinking deeper and deeper into the chilling waters, you try to explore, wiggling to any landmarks you pass and inspecting the odd fish that go by.
You skidded along ridges of the cliff, happy to explore the tiny holes dug into them, getting pinched or bitten by angry creatures when you get unlucky, and occasionally chewing on the random plants you find, just to give it a curious taste.
The increased pressure is noticeable, if slightly disorienting, but not enough to bother you.
If anything you just feel a little heavier the more you go down.
Soon enough you felt brave enough to swim away from the cliff side, hoping to find something new to see. Your fins wiggle in excitement, having seen and tried so many new things already.
Finally, you feel like a real Mer, not like some sort of caged guppy.
You mostly ignored the tiny fish as you went, not feeling up to a snack at the moment, but as your travels went on they became more scarce; you end up regretting passing the meal.
It's not as if there weren't big fish as you swam into the empty expanse, nor was it your overall inexperience in hunting that kept you from feasting, but rather the fact that each decent sized fish you'd find would have medium sized circular bite cutouts littered around their body, not even dead.
It disgusted your pallet to eat from an already chewed on fish, but more importantly, you worried if this was some sort of claim. You'd rather not get in a dispute with another mer over sloppy seconds. If there even were mer down here...
Even now, as your hunger gnaws on you from the inside out, you're still not desperate enough to even take a bite out of such tainted fish.
You swim further outwards and deeper, but wait, when should you return?
When would they notice you're gone?
Should you start going back towards the cliff?
Are you already?
What way are you facing?
The water pressure is pounding against your head and your sense of direction is faltering, everywhere feels like nowhere.
You could barely see a meter beyond your location, the world looking foggy, a dark, navy blue. You half crashed into a long spire of rocks, reacting to it late due to the dense darkness.
At least you were able to follow its structure downwards, hoping you'll find some sort of land to rest yourself on thanks to the pillar.
Your tail is unused to being constantly on the move…
You just need a moment of rest, maybe even a tiny nap. Your muscles weigh heavy on you, the pull downwards so intense that laying on even the sharpest of rocks sounds like such a reprieve.
So you clamber and sink…
Inching down slowly…
The pillar seemed to keep going on forever and the world started to become alarmingly black.
Perhaps exploring at night was a bad idea. An innate fear started to cling to you, so unused to perfect darkness.
Back home, you'd at least have the Moon's light, if not the glowing berries growing from your ceiling, keeping your space comfortably dim and safe from shadows.
You shook your head, determined to keep going. You're not a guppy. The dark should not scare you. This is what you wanted. You need this.
Your wandering eyes betray you, glancing up just for a shred of light.
The action doesn't bring you comfort however, as the moon's light barely filters down here. If you hadn't been grabbing at the structure the entire time, you'd have no clue as to which way was up or down.
As you continued downwards, your fingers ached, sharp nails were dulling, and your tail tried to coil around the pillar in some attempt of relief from its own weight.
But then you see something bright, near white, glowing in the expanse below you.
It was a round, almost soft looking platform, with colorful seaweed drifting out to the sides of it, glowing almost equally as bright.
You couldn't help but let out a soft trill of glee, pushing yourself off the pillar to gently drift down land on the angelic cushion. It's almost as if it was made for you, calling out to your poor, weary self in need of a good, comfortable rest.
The give to the platform was odd as you landed. It rippled beneath you, but somehow stayed sturdy, feeling most solid at its dark center.
You were so pleasantly surprised at its smooth texture that you failed to notice the glowing seaweed rise and quickly ensnare you.
You shrieked at the sudden sting, eyes bulging out of your head. Your limbs that made contact with the ribbons burned with an ache you never experienced.
Anemones’ shocks were only a warm, comfortable, and soothing tickle.
A sting ray’s wrath was a harsh slap of the wrist.
This shock?
This is what it meant to be electrified.
The thin layer of mucus on your body only saves you for a mere moment, becoming warm, to hot, uncomfortably dry, before frying alongside your blistering skin.
Just as fast as the ribbons captured you, they released you, not without pulling you off your haven first.
As you sank, you saw the rest of the platform– mer, that you landed on.
The appendages that stung you flared out to its original position, giving you a clear view of the creature beneath the cap. Red eyes gaze down at you sharply, an uneven frown creasing their features. Your hazy vision flutters as you take in the rest of them, barely catching the quiet sound of their voice.
“...Crazy thing, you likely scared away all the prey...”
Their hands crossed across their chest. Their main body didn't illuminate, but without the glow of its cap and horizontal frills that line their tail and neck, their main body would barely be visible. It blends well with the dark surroundings, almost transparent in nature, if a little cloudy.
“Next time, don't play around with mers you don't know... You could be mistaken for a meal… Or made into one…”
The enchantingly soft and slow masculine voice that came from the mer was not enough to veil over their implications.
They could have killed you. There are mers here that would kill you.
The jellyfish mer slowly drifted away, or, was it you? They made no movement to get closer, but you're not moving a muscle either.
“...Go home now…” They seemed to utter.
Why were they so quiet?
Sparks danced in your vision, making the dark seem to seep in more than ever, overlapping even the bright mer.
You felt as if the world was fading away, lulling your weary bones to succumb to its pull.
Perhaps its gravity would have taken you, if only your primal instincts weren't able to key in on the rapidly shifting water heading your way.
“Oh! OHoHOhOH!!! FRESH BITE!!!”
-Was the first thing you heard from the new voice, before suddenly snapping yourself straight with a loud yelp. The holes in your vision were replaced with adrenaline and another searing pain to go with your burns, this time located at the hip of your tail.
You yanked yourself away from the bite, grunting when you felt some scales rip off. You could feel a tear in your skin, the smell of blood now oozing out into the water.
Whipping your head towards the assailant, you were face to face with another mer, its form barely visible from the distant glow of the Jellyfish mer.
It seemed a muted yellow with a large patch of brown trailing up its entire tail and back, many dots littering the transition points. It's face is very sharply defined, as was its mouth full of rows of teeth – that's currently chewing on your lost scales – and it had many sharp but flimsy fins haloing it's head, save for one on the top of its head, mimicking a-
…
Mimicking a shark fin.
You glance at its tail with a gradual increase to your gill venting.
Those are definitely shark fins.
You finally made eye contact, stiffening at the sight of its wide expression. It's mouth crunches on your poor scales, splintering them as if it were nothing; the milky white eyes stare into your soul.
“Delicious..!!!” The beast unabashedly murmured, an unnerving open mouth grin forming in its wake.
Your heart plummeted into your chest as your instincts kicked in immediately.
You ignored your soreness and pains, whipping your body in the opposite direction and swimming as fast as you possibly could away from it.
“YUMMY?! WHEre do you thi.nk yo.u’re goi.n..g..?!?” It's suddenly high pitched voice angrily whined, fading away as you darted off.
Such a comfort didn't last long though, as that rapid rush of moving water was now chasing you. A ravenous sound following it.
“Th..a.t’s n.ot ho..w. thi.s works! Yummy, you’re supposed to come backkkKKKK!!!!”
The shark was gaining on you fast, and to your dismay you cannot see a thing, as both the Jellyfish mer and the spire have been lost thanks to your reckless fleeing.
You try to circle back to your landmark, your only guide, but you cannot tell what orientation you're even in anymore. For all you know you could be swimming further down into the darkness.
While you're not incapable, you know you can't fight a shark. You never trained for this!
You panic, trying to do all you can to escape it, but it swims faster, turns faster, and has even grabbed you once more.
Its claws dug painfully between your scales, restricting you from pulling away without tearing.
You flailed and struggled, and as it opened its terrifyingly large maw once again, your tail accidentally ended up smacking it stupid in your fear induced state; the surprise attack seemingly startling its claw grip, releasing you.
You took the opportunity and dashed away once more. As glad you are to have escaped once, you know that won't work twice.
Desperate, starving, and losing stamina fast, you finally resort to swallowing your pride, reveling in your regrets as you call for help.
“PLEASE! ANYONE?! HELP ME, PLEASE!!!”
You sobbed at the crippling fear and embarrassment, tears of inevitability shedding past your face.
“I DON'T WANT TO BE EATEN! I'M SORRY, I'LL BE GOOD! I'LL NEVER RETURN, PLEASE!!!”
Your words diminished to babbles of pleas, speaking out of how wrong you were, how selfish. You'll happily be locked away just to know you won't die a painful death.
Your pursuer stopped calling out, still following you from an alarming distance.
He could definitely catch you, but he likely notices how you're going to pewter out, not wasting stamina on such an easy catch. Those haunting white eyes peer through the darkness, burning its gaze into your skin.
With your sight constantly shifting to your assailant, you dumbly bumped into something rough, but it was thin enough that your arms instinctually wrapped around it.
You were too tired, too out of breath, too terrified to move a second longer, starting to accept your fate. You craved comfort, something to keep you steady, as if you were just a small guppy again clinging to your parents.
Your dread only deepened when your grounding started to move and talk.
It sighed heavily, faux irritation laced in its voice.
“Sun… What did we talk about chasing other mers?”
You felt the reverberations against your cheek as you were planted completely against the mer, barely taking in the actual words being said around you. You went to release your tight grip, but the mer’s arms quickly held you in place.
You followed the trail of their body and looked, or what you assume is, up. It seems like you grabbed onto the base of their tail. You could barely make out their all black silhouette, save for their sharp, glowing, orange eyes.
“B-but, Yummy was–!”
You lost focus on the Shark’s whining when you noticed a shake from the mer holding you.
Their dark scales suddenly seemed to change color, sifting through a variety until it landed on a steady azure-green. It's not as if the mer glows, but the shimmering across their extremely reflective scales makes them shine at the tiniest dash of light.
You felt shock and fascination ebb through your emotionally wrecked self. You've never seen a single tailed mer do something like that before. You can't even begin to identify what kind of mer this is.
“No buts! And ‘Yummy’? What, did you bite them too?” he jerked you to his eye level, but stuttered at the sound of your yelp.
You could only stare back at his gaze, it finally looking back at you instead of the shark, his eyes roaming across the marks that linger on your skin. His expression slowly rises to one of wide realization, then pity, and then anger.
You can't help but shrink into yourself, unsure if you should trust this mer or try to run while they’re both distracted.
You jolt at the mer pulling you against their chest, coddling you into a ball as he swims past the shark. The pains that stretch across your body did not like the sudden manhandling, but once the initial contact passed, irritated stings slightly dulling, your tired body leaned into his, almost completely slumping.
Finally, relief.
As you rested on the determined mer, you could faintly see the shark mer trailing behind.
How well do they know each other? The one holding you said a name, but you struggle to recall it.
You feel anxiety prickle at your mind seeing the monster, but the mer seems to listen to the green one, so you try not to worry about it. Though, it still looks way too jolly of the state you're in, even if those eyes are tweaked down some. That lingering gaze is far too intense.
You watch him from over the other mer’s shoulder, a calm washing over you noticing how small the shark actually is. It must be at least a head shorter than you.
You don’t get to hold that fact above many; a cathartic balm soothes your ego.
The rocking you experience from being held almost made you nap against the azure mer. The tendrils that expand from his face and hip tickle you gently, as the large one behind their head keeps you distracted with its rhythmic swaying.
It reminds you so much of your comfy room, your cozy anemone, and–
“MOON!”
You jump at the loud yell that was right next to your ear, knocking you out of your comfortable haze. You glared at your savior.
Wait… Moon? What-
“Mind explaining why you left this poor mer all covered in stings?”
You see the Jellyfish mer once again, their back facing the two of you as the azure mer swims closer.
“...They startled my hunt and I confused them for prey…” – the mer turned it's head towards you, face and eyes following as your ride moved around them. – “My stings aren't too difficult to handle… After their initial shock, they could have taken care of themselves…”
You're positioned in front of him, suddenly very uncomfortable with all the eyes on you. The shark peeks around the Jellyfish, who is also inspecting your beaten up form. The iridescent mer holding you glances down at you at every shift you make, holding you tightly to him as if you'd flee.
There's no sense to such thinking really, in this state you don't think you could last even a second on your own.
“They’re not from the depths, Moon. I believe they're a clownfish.”
You stiffen at the statement as Moon hums noncommittally.
“...You don't say..?”
He rubs the 4..? fingers of his left hand together absentmindedly before looking away.
“...Too bad…”
You can feel an irritated growl rumble against you.
“Does it really kill you that much to try to care?”
“...I just got comfortable too, then the thing had to go and land on me…"
The mer that saved you scoffed in-between his sentences.
"...2 cycles of hunting and now the prey have all likely gone away from their commotion…”
You glare at the glowing mer. He stares back at you, seemingly unaffected by how upset and wounded you are.
“...Besides…” He tacked on, “It's best if you take care of them anyway… You know more about... mmmehhd- medieee- mmmmedicine, than me anyway….”
You blinked at the word. How does he..?
You were quickly distracted by the wiggling tube-like appendages around your savior’s face and hips. His creased brow suddenly went into an ever pleasant expression.
“Welllll, if you're just going to say it…~” He mumbled and crinkled his eyes down at you. “Did you hear that? He's not wrong you know!”
Smug. That's the only way you could describe the tone of his voice at the moment.
“I'm objectively the best of the best around here actually! Lucky you!~ NotthatIcanwillinglygetmanytestimonials butttt, I bet I can get you feeling brighter than the stars sooner rather than later.~”
There it is again… something about their words prick at the back of your mind, unsettling you. Though, it's a bit difficult to sort out your thoughts when he scratches your scalp and dips his voice into a lower octave.
“Don't worry your pretty little head Stardust, I'll gladly take care of you.~”
“Stehhhr…dust?” The shark, Sun you think you minutely recall, which that realization alone made you freeze, piped up. It poked its head around Moon.
You earned a little bit of your personal space back at the strange mer's huff.
“C'mon, because I said they'll be like the stars! In the night sky? Right now, they're a broken pile of dust, needing to be built up and nurtured into a beautiful spark. And I'llllll be the one to get them there for sure!~”
The other two tilted their head at your still unnamed, eccentric mer. Sun seemed to repeat the words, trying to get a feel for them on his tongue, while Moon seemed to bristle his frills.
“...Whatever you say…” A tone of annoyance was layered between the murmur.
“Well, In that case!” your head is yanked away from watching the other two mers. “Stardust, I'll be your personal nurse! Call me Eclipse, well actually, call me whatever you'd like! Anything to help my little patient get comfortable!~”
Something about Eclipse unnerves you, and it's not just because of his overly warm welcome. Despite your scowl, he only giggled at you.
“Moon, since you hurt Stardust the most, you'll be on hunting duty for them. Make sure you get a good handful!~”
“...I did not agree to this-”
“PFT! Why send him when I can hunt for Yummy?! I'll even make sure to bring back the rarest, tastiest of fish!”
Eclipse pushed Sun by the snout away from the two of you, the shark having burst over Moon, face hovering over you with a toothy grin.
You think you might start crying if those teeth ever get that close to you again.
“Fu-fineee, Sun! I suppose you also need to make it up to Stardust anyways. Just help me escort them to the den before you head out.”
“Escort?” You piped up, still a little uncomfortable with the notion of being around a mer that quite literally wanted to eat you.
But Eclipse already started swimming away from Moon with you, who only huffed in response, and Sun followed Eclipse by his flank with a worrying amount of hummed enthusiasm.
...
Even now, your say has no meaning.