{"sf1_id":687413,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 10","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":5579,"posted_at":"2014-04-01T19:06:00.000Z","tags":["Gay","Human","Love","Lunar Eclipse","M/M","Mermaid","Nymph","Undine","merman"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/687413-aquata-cove-chapter-10","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/687413","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=687413\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Aquata CoveChapter 10: At First Sight   \"Ah... It shall soon be upon us...\" Triton Kaiken said softly as\nhe looked onto the mass of merfolk. Several pods of different Piscien merfolk conversed amongst\neach other, their own respective species gathered together, excitedly chatting\nwith one another in anticipation of this mystical night.  \"Father,\" Adra Savarna asked as she beamed around the new\nand unusual merfolk, \"Who ARE these merpeople? Why are they here?\" Triton\nsmiled as he stroked his daughter. \"Tonight is a rare and special moon; when the shining Sea\nMother Atargatis, illuminates the moon itself with her heart.\" \"What does that mean, Father?\" She asked. Noita Umiato\nsmiled as she loomed in front of the small mermaid. \"Once every few years, the Sea Mother Atargatis shines\ntouches the moon with her emotions, and so the moon turns red to symbolize her\nlove for all merfolk. And it is then, and now, that eligible merfolk gather\ntogether, and find the love within each other.\" \"Does this mean I will find my true love???\" Savarna asked,\nbeaming even more at this new prospect. \"Hahaha,\" Kaiken laughed softly, \"Not yet, my Daughter. You\nare yet a young meryin. When you grow up, however, you shall find love, no\ndoubt.\" Savarna smiled happily, and then looked around, turning her head over\nto her own pod. \"... Where is Brother? I do not see him.\" Kaiken's smiled\nfaded, if only a little. \"He is... On the surface...\" \"Why is he there, Father?\" \"He is... A little fearful tonight...\" \"Why not? He is going to find his love tonight!\" Savarna\nstated with excitement. \"If the Undines favor him, my Daughter...\" He replied, rather\nhesitantly.  \"Huh? I do not understand...\" Savarna pondered. Umiato rubber\nthe mermaid's arm, and nudged her.\"Look there, Daughter...\" She said, \"There are other meryin,\"\nUmiato then directed her to the other small, young children of the Piscien\nmerfolk; they have no part to play in this, \"Why not go and play with them?\" \"Yes, Mother!\" Savarna said as she hugged her mother, and\nswam swiftly to the other young ones. Umiato giggled as she drifted over to\nKaiken, holding onto his thick, strong arm. She looked up at him, seeing a look\nof concern on his face. \"You seem troubled, my love...\" Umiato said, knowing the\nreason before it has been said. \"It is my Son who is troubled...\" Kaiken said as he gazed onto\nthe swimming mass of fish-like merfolk. \"For a few years now, our Son has been...\nAnxious... Do not deny that you sense this too...\" \"He IS our Son, love,\" Umiato said as she brought her hand\nto his cheek, and turned his head to look her, \"Our Son is the Adra Triton of\nour pod. He has a lot of responsibilities to uphold and live up to for the sake\nof our pod.\" \"It is more than that though...\" He turned his back towards\nthe many merfolk, \"This night marks the 7th red moon of his life,\nand he is yet to find his love. With each unsuccessful moon, I can surmise that\nhis sense of self-worth washes away...\" He said with a sad sigh, \"I am beginning\nto think the Undines play him of trickery.\" \"Kaiken,\" Umiato said, \"Speak no ill of the Undines, for\nthey know no mischief.\" \"Do they not?\" Kaiken replied, \"My Son is what every Adra\nTriton should aspire to be; he is swift, skillful, intuitive,\" He looked to his\nmate, and stroked her pearly cheek, \"Kind and compassionate,\" Umiato smiled at\nhim, \"And as far as appearances go, he is of fine make,\" Umiato giggled as she\nheld to her Triton, \"I do not understand how he has not found his love yet.\nAfter all,\" He then turned to her again, and delivered a soft kiss to Umiato's\nmouth, \"I found you on my first red moon.\" Umiato smiled and as she kissed\nback. \"Yes you have... Love knows not time or convenience, my love,\"\nShe said. Kaiken sighed again, looking up to where his son may supposedly be. \"The Undines are what deliver the wonder of Mother\nAtargatis's love. So why do they toy with my Son?\" \"They toy with no one, love,\" Umiato said as she swam in\nfront of Kaiken, \"He will find his love eventually.\" Kaiken then looked back\nonto the mass of merfolk. \"... Do you think tonight will be the night?\" Umiato smiled\nsoftly as she kissed him again. \"If the Undines favor him, my love...\" \"MOTHER! FATHER!\" Exclaimed their young daughter. The young\nmermaid swam up to them, looking upset. \"What ails you, Daughter?\" \"Wh-What if Brother finds his love tonight? If he finds\nlove, does that mean he will leave us? Will he be start with his own Pod?!\" She\nsaid, looking like she is about to weep. The Triton and Noita smiled softly at\nher. \"Hahaha, no, Daughter,\" Umiato said to the meryin, \"He is\nfar to young to have a pod of his own. When he does find love, he and the\nmermaid forms the bond to each other, and reunite when they come of age to\neither succeed our pod, or start his own.\" \"Alright...\" Savarna said, \"... I hope he NEVER leaves...\" Kaiken\nsmiled as he turned her around for her to play with the other meryin again. \"I'm sure he will not, Daughter,\" Savarna smiled happily\nbefore she swam back to the other young ones. ~~~ The fifth white moon is almost past. Merrick sighed as he\nheld onto the rock, one hand on his arm, and the other holding his trident,\nlooking at the white orb radiating in the sky. Having been up on the surface\nfor about an hour or so, his upper body is completely dry, while his frilly\nblue tail swerved and waved slowly in the water, stirring along the sleepy\ncurrent of the ocean.  The red moon is tonight. The night when mermen and mermaids\nall over the world, gather, and find love. He sighed as he rested his chin down\non his arms as the wind played across his flawless complexion, ruffling his\nblonde hair a bit.  Tonight is supposed to be an exciting and magical night, yet\nhe's distressed. He used to get this deep, sick feeling in the pit of his\nstomach every time the red moon appears, but being older, he's gotten over it.\nHe already knows what the outcome of the night is going to be- \"Oh?\" He felt a vibration on his chest. He looked to see the\nshell slice glow and blur beneath him. Denizyr is calling the pod together. He\nlooked back up to the moon, and saw a sliver of glowing crimson peering on the\nside of the bright whiteness. \"Right... Lets get this over with...\" He muttered as\nhe slipped himself from the rock, and into the water, where his skin riddled\nwith translucent scales, his fingers connected in webs, his hair stiffened into\nsharp fins, and his ears flatten into gills.  He swam down into the water, following the many voices\nresonating in through the sea; it's not just the Piscien merpeople who have\ngathered tonight; somewhere else, any where else, out there in the entire\nocean, Piscien, Amnien, and Holsien merfolk are taking part in this sacred,\nancient ritual.  Looking to the side, he can see his mother hugging another\nmermaid, one with more veil fins around her body than herself, along with a pod\nfull of pearly white merfolk with long, flowing fins. Merrick had a harder time distinguishing his own pod among\nthe field of other signals and speeches, so had to find his pod by sight. Off\nthe corner of his eye, he spotted a purple flicker. A small smile found itself\non his face as swam to his pod. He undulated his tail up and down until he\narrived to the sand, about 20ft below the rest of the merfolk. He then took his\ntrident, and planted it right next to the mighty trident of his father, along\nwith a whole slew of spears and bows planted into the sand; weapons are not\nneeded during the red moon. He then swam up and swirled his fishy tail to catch up to\nhis pod. The Adra Triton moved to align to his usual spot at the front of his\npod, next to his father, overlooking the mermaids and mermen of his own school.\nKaiken looked down onto his son, taking a deep breath, hoping that this 7th\nred moon of Merrick's will be the last that fails the young Triton. Umiato then loomed up next to her mate, with Savarna\nmissing, but is excused from her spot, as she is playing with other meryin. Kaiken raised his arms up, and sang out to his pod in a\nlong, deep call.  A large, manta ray Triton called out to his pod, in a long,\nechoic exclamation. As did a Triton of a pod of seahorse merfolk. Along with a\nTriton of a school of great white shark merfolk. Each and every Triton in every\nPiscien pod that has arrived on this spot, all manner of weapon planted down\nbelow then in peace, call out to their own kin. \"Tonight, my pod,\" Kaiken began. The meryin nearby stopped\nplaying, and looked in curiosity as their leaders spoke up at their respective\npods, with their own speeches prepared, \"Is the night, where the Shining Sea\nMother, Atargatis, illuminates the night sky, and thus the ocean itself, with\nher very heart! \"We, but a small gathering of the Piscien merfolk, are the\nremnants, the very essence of memories of the great kingdom of Atlantis! In Her\nbenevolence, Sea Mother Atargatis gives us the very honor, the very chance, to\nfind our true, and only love!\" As the Tritons spoke, there rang a few traces of\neerie, yet playful sounds that came from a glimpse of shimmering violet here\nand there. \"Tonight, all eligible, young merfolk who hath no mate shall\nloom and dance under the shine of the red moon, fly with the Undines, and find\nthe one, the only half that shall make up your own union!\" As he spoke, the\nwhite moon light filtering through surface began to gain a pink tint, \"The\nwaves of fate decides whom you fall in love with! The Undines - small, yet\njoyful - are the gleeful spawn of magic from the red moon, a gift! From the Sea\nMother Herself, to allow us to find our mate! \"Though you, or those who fall in love with you, may be too\nyoung to leave your pod, know that the bond will never break, through time nor\ndistance, your love for one another shall NEVER die! That is the light of the\nUndines! That is the gift of the heart of the Sea Mother. In time, when either\nof you come of age, one or the other can leave their pod to join the other for\nthe rest of time!\" The fluttering pink light soon possessed a red hue. As the\nlight danced through the seawater, glimmers of purple swam about, mewing\nstrange echoes as they loomed and looped about. Small, violet-colored fish,\ntheir way illuminated with glowing little lights at the top of their heads,\nglowing with magenta lines along their pigmy bodies, flashing and glowing as\nthey zoomed around, with translucent blue fins on their backs. These creatures\nare in the image of tiny mermaids. They swim through the water with their wing-like\nfins. \"My pod... Go forth...\" Kaiken announced, \"And find your love!\"\nThe merfolk then rose up, and swam into the open area. Each Piscien mermaid and\nmerman swam in random directions. \"Merrick,\" Came a familiar voice. The Adra turned to see his\nfriend, Brishen putting a hand onto his shoulder, \"... Good luck, this time.\"\nBrishen said. Merrick smiled and nodded. This would be Brishen's 5th\nred moon, and like Merrick, has not found a mermaid to be his mate.  They both swam into the swirling mass of Piscien merfolk.\nKaiken looked to his mermaid, Umiato. She smiled as her dainty hand held onto\nhis thick hand. Together, they loomed and joined into the massive storm of\nrejoicing merfolk. Flashes of violet and red Undines skim playfully about. They\nfly around in the dizzying fray of love-seeking merpeople - that is only for\nthe merfolk who are single and eligible. Merfolk who already have found their\nmate happily dance to the song of excitement, the cries of joy that emanate\nfrom the tiny sea nymphs, the rapid stirring of the water. A stout, lobster-like mermaid scuttled her way through the\nwild fray of merfolk. Looking this way and left searching for someone. She\nswears, she's already found him last time, he should be here-Then the lobster mermaid felt herself get coiled around by a\nlong, smooth tail, with a long-reaching tailfin on the top and bottom of his\nelongated tail, ending at the tip of his tail. The mermaid smiled happily as\nher eel-like merman wrapped himself around her, embracing her lovingly. Reunited,\nthe lobster and eel danced, hand in claw, in the moment of love. Merrick twirled himself as he swam through the mermaids\naround him, turning his head, and looking in every direction as he spiraled.\nHis vivid blue tail with the white frilly membranes catches the eyes of a few\nmermaids as they swim about, examining him for no more than seven seconds\nbefore diverting their attention to other merman about. Once again, he dances\nand flurries in the mass of eager, single merfolk. An emerald green leafy sea dragon mermaid withered her way\naround, slithering through the water. She looked with awe at the cyclone of\nPiscien mermen and merfolk. She held still in one place, a little intimidated\nto move too much. A stingray merman floated up above, inspecting the swirling\nsea life, before he glides down, and dove down. As he moved, he saw a sailfish\nmermaid, with a very sharp nose, and swam in to get in a closer look. A purple fish mermaid, one from Merrick's pod, swam, looking\nthis way and that for whatever merman will have her. She dove in a loop, when\nan Undine appeared swimming right beside her. It looked at her with its bright,\nyellow eyes, and giggled before is swerved away, disappearing in the water. She\nhuffed in a desperate look as she followed the direction of which the Undine\ndisappeared, but it has vanished. The mermaid turned around, and looked, just\nas a golden sea horse merman moved up. His dark blue, orb-like eyes looked into\nhers. The mermaid felt a twinge play across her face. The scales on the mermaid's\nlavender scales shimmered in a magenta glow that flashed along her tail, the\nscales along her chest and face, and the fins on her arms as well as her\nfinger-webs. A magenta light refracted along the merman's skin pattern along\nhis back, arms, and spirally tail. Their hands touched together as a smile was\nshared between them as they interlaced their fingers and began to swim, hand in\nhand. And just like that, it's that simple. Kaiken and Umiato held each other's hands, swimming in a\ngraceful dance. Umiato let go, and spiraled around the large merman, his thick,\nmuscular tail waving back and forth as Umiato's long, veil-like cloakings\ndraped around him in a beautiful, gleaming spiral around his firm form. Her\nhands moved and rubbed daintily long his scaled torso, which does sport a few\nold scars from times gone by.  The swarm of pseudo fish creatures stormed and jumbled\nabout. Within an hour, a lot of the merpeople are holding hands, a mermaid and\na merman, coiled together, having found each other. Merrick looped, and swam,\nsensing the red moon dance is coming to an end. He sailed and loomed, turning\naround to see the new and current couples. However, he's not alone in being\nalone. There are almost just as many merpeople floating in mid-water, not having\nfound their mate this night. He looked to the side, and smirked in content as\nhe saw Brishen, holding an aqua-transparent mermaid, her lower half veil-like,\nwith a few long, stringy tentacles and three long, lavender, leaf-like stingers\n- her and Brishen's scales/skin glimmered with a magenta light. Well, at least\nhis best friend has found his love. The Undines appeared less and less frequently, disappearing\nand blinking out slowly, one by one. The filtered light from the surface, gone\nfrom white, to blue, to pink, magenta, to red, and reverted back to white. It's passed. The red moon has left. It's over for another\nfew or so years. As Merrick floated, he would feel a strong hand, place onto\nhis back, as a large figure swam next to him. He doesn't feel saddened, but he\ndid look disappointed, after yet the 7th red moon of his life failed\nto grant him a mermaid. \"I am sorry, my Son...\" Kaiken said, \"Perhaps the next one...\" \"I...\" Merrick said, \"I... I need a moment...\" Without waiting for\nan answer, Merrick drifted away, looking gloomy about the outcome as always.  ---5 Years Ago---  \"I am sorry, my Son,\" Triton Kaiken said, placing his large\nhand onto the back of his young offspring.  Adra Merrick looked on, whimpering, near tears. Tonight is\nhis 3rd red moon. The dance is ending, and he still hasn't found his\nmermaid! He feels so rejected and unwanted. Merrick swore he saw a few mermaids\ntake a glance at him, so why didn't they go to him? He tried! He really tried!\nFor the third time, no one was interested in him. The young merman held his mouth with both hands as he tried\nto stifle his weeping. Kaiken sighed as his son's emotions ran so close to the\nsurface. \"I-I, I need to be alone... !\" Merrick said as he then swam\naway, pushing his tail forcefully so he would speed off, feeling humiliated by\nthe very idea of him, the Adra Triton of his own pod not finding a mermaid on\nthe 3rd red moon of his life.   \"Of course-\" Kaiken said, looking sadly at his poor son.\nKaiken felt those pearly white arms drape around his chest. He looked down as\nhe felt his mate hold onto him, \"I hope the next red moon...\" \"Yes...\" Noita Umiato said, \"I too hope for our Son, my love...\"\nIt is very hard for a merman that young to not meet a mate during a red moon,\nespecially for an Adra.  Having swam far away from the pods, Merrick curled up,\nweeping on a nearby reef. He doesn't understand... He swam with the mermaids,\nflashing his tail and swimming style, just like his father told him, but still,\nno one took an interest.  To be honest, he felt like he didn't belong swimming around,\ntrying to attract mermaids. Strangely enough, more often than not, he found\nhimself glancing at the mermen more than the females. Come to think of it,\nthat's what he's mostly been doing on the other two times during a red monn...\nWas that it? Is THAT the problem??? Was he swimming for the mermen this whole\ntime without knowing it? Oh no, if THAT'S true, he must've looked so foolish!  \"I'm... Argghh, I'm... I failed... I failed myself...\" Merrick\ncringed and whimpered as his swirl of thoughts made him more and more upset, \"...\nWhat AM I?? What is wrong with me???\" He HAS to be attracted to mermaids! He HAS to! A merman\nmating with another merman?! That's utter nonsense! But at the same time,\nMerrick can't see himself with a mermaid. For a moment, he pictured himself,\ntwirling and swimming with a merman. The very idea of it... It's strangely\nappealing but... It's not supposed to happen! Merrick gasped as he felt a sudden presence right next to\nhim. He looked, and saw one of those small fairies during the dance... An Undine.\nBut... It's over, isn't it? The ritual is over, these nymphs, these Undines,\nshouldn't they be gone?  Merrick looked up to the surface. The light filtering from\nabove still retains a red-pink tint. He looked back at the little fairy. It\nstared at him through its bright, golden eyes. On top of it's head fin, and its\ntwo, black antennae, there are three, tiny specs of light, glowing above\nitself. On either side of its head, there are small, spiky fins, similar to\ngills. Its body is small, smooth with a three-pronged tail fin at the end, and\ntwo long pectoral fins. On its back, there are thin, blue, fin-like wings that\nflapped slowly, keeping it afloat in front of Merrick. All along its body,\nthere are elaborate, almost tribal markings glowing in a magenta luminescence.\nAt the middle of its chest, there is a heart shape, around a heart-shaped\ndesign. Among the red symbols on its body, the heart-shape is glowing\nbrightest, and in a rhythm that resonated with the glowing current of its body.\nIt really does look like a tiny mermaid. A small, strange entity that looks\nupon this young merman with utmost curiosity, and the merman looking right\nback. He... He wants to... Reason with it... If Undines are the love\nmessengers of the Sea Mother Atargatis, then maybe this nymph would be willing\nto help. Merrick held his hand out, reaching it slowly to the mystical being.\nThe Undine tilted its head as Merrick reached for it.  The water fairy floated closer to him, very curious of this\nsad merman. It's seen many merfolk at this time in few years, and they usually\nlook content if not brimming with joy, but this one looks... Aggrieved. The\nUndine skimmered to him, right before Merrick's middle finger touched the\nheart-shape of the Undine. The fairy flashed itself and cringed, its pectoral fins\nwrapping around itself. Merrick gasped and flinched, looking like he caused the\nUndine pain.  But as he looked, the writhing water nymph seemed to be...\nGiggling... It shook as it held itself, the three lights on its head flittering,\nits heart blinking under its fins, its wings fluttering as it 'laughed', its\nyellow eyes clenching as it tried to contain itself. Merrick then traced a\nfinger along its tail, making the Undine giggle more at him. Merrick felt himself\nsmile a little as he tickled the Undine, next petting its head with the tip of\nhis finger. The fairy laughed, and swam in loop-dee-loop with joy. The little\nnymph then darted to Merrick's face, and skimmed at his cheek before swimming\noff, its giggling becoming mystical echoes before it dissolved in the water,\nvanishing like any other Undine would. \"W-Wait...\" Merrick said, reaching out. Surely, an encounter\nwith an Undine like that has given him the opportunity for love, but... It's not\nreally clear. It seemed happy, it didn't feel like he did anything wrong. Are\nmerpeople even allowed to touch an Undine?  Merrick swam up from his spot, looking around, trying to\nspot the Undine. Alas, it seems to have disappeared. He looked around, spun on\nthe spot, but he can't sense it. It just disappeared... Then, the merman felt a weird sensation in his mind, the\nsame sensation he feels when an animal is approaching. Something is nearby. \"...... Callllliiiiinnnngg......\" Merrick looked around, hearing an\nunfamiliar voice. Listening carefully, he began to trace the voice... Above him,\n\"...... You heeaar the caaaaalliiiiinnnng......\" The Adra ascended up, listening for\nthe new voice, swimming closer and closer to the surface. \"Calliiiiinnnnnngg......\nYou hear the caaalllliiiinnnngg......\" The voice spoke again, dragging on as\nMerrick swam. The merman carefully rose his head out of the water, closing\nhis gills to allow him to breathe the air.  \"~~Let me go, gravity, what's on my shoouulllder~~\" Came the\nvoice. Merrick whirled around, and swam to the rocks, holding onto them. He\nlooked, and spotted a human, \"~~Little by little, I feel a bit bet-ter~~\"  A human. A man? He seems to be chanting words. What sort of\nthings is he speaking of? He can't be singing, no male can sing. Only females\ncan sing, so it's got to be chanting, but what for? Is he praying to the human\ngod or something? \"~~Let me know, Set me free, Feel a bit ol-der~~\" This man...\nThis human... His chanting... It fascinates Merrick... The human seems to be wrapped\nin some sails as cloth is hanging from his upper and lower body. \"~~Just once more to the breach, Dear friend, Once more~~\"\nOn his head, there is a short patch of blackness, similar to that of a whale's\nbaleen. His skin is tan-ish color. Where his gills ought to be, there are\nstrange, round appendages on either side of his head which held strange objects\nattached to these thin, string-like lines that lead to a fold in the cloth,\n\"~~Wake up! Leave your hesita-tion! Wake up! Time of US to realize! Wake up!\nShow apprecia-tion!~~\" Merrick carefully moved sideways, following the chanting\nhuman. He can't feel the sadness that purged his insides a few moments ago, but\nnow filled with a very strange fascination. He can't take his eyes away from\nhim. \"~~Wake up, Time for us to reeeeaaalliiiiiiizzze~~\" The\nhuman is moving in a strange way as he moved. Upon observation, Merrick also\nsees the two long, think appendages under the human. Those are called legs, he\nbelieves. According to Denizyr, that's how humans move about, instead of having\ntails, like merfolk. Merrick crept along, keeping himself hidden from the line of\nsight from the human, while still looking at him with estrange wonder. Protocol\nsays that when a merperson sees any human they are move away immediately, but\nthat thought is nowhere near his mind right now. This human... This man... How can\nsomething so alien and dangerous be so... Enticing??  ~~~  Adam sang along with the music in his ears, enjoying the\npop-music rhythm in his head as he strolled along the sandy turf. He keeps\nlooking at the moon, taking a moment to admire the last of the red highlight on\nthe side \"It's always weird how creepy and cool a Lunar Eclipse is...\" The\nteenager said with a smile.  He took a few steps forward, before he blinked. \"Umm... Wha??\"\nSuddenly, a feeling came over him. He can feel himself... Blushing... His face\nfeels light and hot, like he just kissed a really hot guy for the first time,\nas well as getting seduced. His chest starts pounding, and this feeling of\napprehension and good humor washes over him.  \"What the... What's going on with me...\" Then, Adam felt himself\ngiggle, out of... Nothing... Why does he feel so happy and so anxious at the same\ntime? \"... Ahhh.\" He put a hand to his head, feeling a minor headache come on.\nUnbeknownst to him, his brown eyes gleamed with a faint, magenta shimmer, as\nwell as a few ripples of magenta refractions along his black hair, and the\nhairs around his body, along with a subtle, dull sheen off his finger and\ntoenails. \"This is so... Weird...\" He mumbled, \"Why am I feeling like... I\ncan't even...\" Adam plucked the headphones out of his ears, needing a moment of\nsilence from this sudden rush of sensation. He took a few deep breaths, before\nhe saw something. In front of him is the sea. He looked around, just realizing\nhow far away he walked from his grandparent's beach house. Adam looked back\nonto the water, and spotted half a face, hiding behind the rock.  \"Oh hey!\" He said, stepping his sandaled-foot into the\nicy-cold shore as it drove up the sand and over his feet, \"Nice night, huh?\"\nWith the subtle magenta sheen playing across his form, completely unnoticed, he\napproached the rock, \"It's a little late for swimming though, isn't it? Then\nagain, I'm not from around here. I'm from Washington State; are you a local or\nsomething?\" He said to the person. There came no response. \"Oook?\" He took\nanother step into the water, \"My name's Adam, and you- AHH!\" There came a large\nsplash from the sea. He jumbled and backed away, one barefoot pressing into the\nsand, and realized that his right sandal has left his foot. \"Hey! Dang it!\" He\nsaid, one sandal now lost, he just kicks off one, and leaves it to the side.  Adam peered over, and he saw the tail of a rather large\nfish, followed by a big, white fin flopping, and slipping into the water.\n\"W-Whoa!\" He said, looking in awe of the large fish, its blue and white form\ndarkening into the sea, \"That was HUGE!\" He said, \"Damn, I wish had my fishing\nrod-\" \"ADAAAAAM!!!\" Came an old female call, \"Where ARE YOOUU??\"\nThe teenager then turned around, and trotted up away from the shore.  \"I-I'M OVER AT THE BEACH, GRAMMA!!\" He called back. \"WELL, COME BACK OVER HERE! WE NEED TO DISCUSS SOMETHING\nWITH YOU!!\" \"OK! I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!!\" He yelled back. Adam looked over\nhis shoulder. He REALLY wants to check out the area for that fish, but he needs\nto get back to his grandparents. \"I wonder what they need to talk about? I hope\nthey'll let me stay with them until I can find a place live...\" With that, he\nturned around, and jogged away.  ~~~  He SAW him! That human saw him! He found him, but he didn't\ntry to kill him! He looked right into his eyes! It's ok though, as long as he\ndidn't associate with the human, he should be fine! Merrick clung to the reef as he kept under the water, his\nmind racing as he thought about this very close encounter with the human. He\nSPOKE to him! The human spoke to him! He wasn't carrying any weapons at all, is\nthat normal for a human???  After a few moments, Merrick started to notice something...\nThat human... The baleen on his head, and his eyes... They were shimmering with the\nmagenta tint... Merrick looked down at his tail, and gasped as he saw a\nmagenta sheen dance along the scales and the frills of his tail and fin. He\nlooked at his arms, and saw the same run of magenta glow play along his scaled\napparatus.  This glow... This magenta sheen... This is the light that\nappears when a merperson has found their love. It's the blessed aura of\nAtargatis's heart. The divine shine of the Sea Mother and the red moon. It's\ngleaming on his body, and it was radiating from that human male as well... Merrick's insides purged with terror, wonder, bewilderment,\njoy, confusion, and yearning. He's... He's in love... It's his 3rd red\nmoon, and he's fallen in love! ... With... He's fallen in love with a human...  \"But...\" The magenta aura slowly faded away, with the intense\nemotions still whirling inside of him. The merman looked up at the wavering\nimage of a large, white light in the sky with a sliver of red on it, before it\ndissipated, reverting to its original silver light. \"But... No... I CANNOT fall for\na human...\" Merrick said, feeling both terrified and rejoice at the same time,\n\"Not just a human... Tha-That was male human- A-A man!\" He hushed himself,\ngrabbing his mouth.  This isn't supposed to be right! This is wrong, this is all wrong!\nPreferring mermen to mermaids is bad enough, but not a HUMAN! And to top it\noff, it's a MAN, of all things!! How can this be?! Did that Undine MEAN for\nthis to happen?! Does it even know what it has done to him?! Merrick turned around, looking back up at the washing shore,\nup at the reef. He feels so anxious... He wants to see that human again. All he\ncan think of is that split second when their eyes met. Oh, his heart is pulling\nin his chest, commanding him to seek this human out. To meet him, talk to him,\ntouch him... He... He needs to go back... The red moon is gone, and he needs\nhis trident back. Merrick then turned around, and swam off, back towards the\npods of Piscien merfolk, his mind still on the image of the teenage male.  ~~~  Adam then came up to his grandparents' house, just as the\nmagenta aura faded away from his eyes and hair. \"There you are Adam,\" The old\nwoman said. She looked him up and down, \"What were you doing out there, boy?\nYou're soaking wet! And where are your thongs, boy?\" She queried, noticing\nAdam's bare, sand-covered feet. \"I was walking by the beach, and a wave got me. It must've\npulled my sandals right off.\" Adam replied. \"Well, go on, wash your feet off with the hose.\"  \"Yes, gramma.\" He replied as his grandma went back into the\nhouse. He went around, and rinsed off his legs with the cold water of the hose.\nHe recently made the decision of moving from Washington to Hawaii; he just\narrived on the plane a couple of hours ago, in fact. When he was finished, Adam came around, where his\ngrandmother was waiting for him with a towel. He dried his chilled legs off,\nand stepped into the house. \"So Adam,\" The elderly woman said, \"I understand you need a\nplace to stay, now that you've moved here?\"  \"Yeah. Is it ok if I stay here for a while until I can find\nan apartment? Mom and Dad gave me some money to pay for rent until I get a\njob.\" \"Yes yes, of course you can stay, but we need to talk. You,\nme, and your crusty urchin of a granddad-\" \"I HEARD THAT!\" Came an elderly man's voice.  \"Yeeah, you were supposed to!\" Retorted grandma. Adam\nlaughed as he walked in with his grandmother. \"So, what's this about?\" He asked. \"Well, you know how granddad and I keep talking about\nretiring in Germany... ?\"   TO BE CONTINUED . . .","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/687164-aquata-cove-chapter-9.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/688397-aquata-cove-chapter-11.json"}