{"sf1_id":704244,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 22","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":7794,"posted_at":"2014-05-13T04:39:00.000Z","tags":["Fantasy","Friendship","Gay","Human","Mermaid","Swamp","bunyip","homoerotic","merman"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/704244-aquata-cove-chapter-22","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/704244","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=704244\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\nAquata Cove\nChapter 22: Good Medicine\n \n \n \n\"Ennnggghh...\" Merrick moaned as he lay on the rollaway cot,\nrealizing that he is now in Adam's bedroom. He can hear Adam's voice talking.\nHe peeked as he saw Adam standing at the doorway, his back facing him, and holding\nup a small object to his ear.\n \n\"... Yes, Captain? It's Adam... Yeah, I'm calling to ask if I\nmight have the next few days off? ... It's um...\" Adam sighed and paused, \"It's\nabout my... Best Catch... Yeah... No no, we're back together... Well, actually, that's\nnot the best way to put it... It's just... He's... He's on his deathbed, Captain...\"\nAdam said as his voice trembled, \"I need to be with him, please... All right,\nthank you... Ok, thanks, Captain, I really appreciate this... Goodbye...\"\n \nAdam brought the cellphone down, and leaned on the\ndoorframe. After taking a moment, he walked away, and into the kitchen. Minutes\nlater, he came back with glass and a purifying pitcher of water - the kind that\nfilters water. Adam put them on the nightstand, and gently caressed Merrick,\n\"How're you doing, sweetie?\"\n \n\"I... I feel heavy\" Merrick moaned feebly, \"And so hot...\" \n \n\"Really? Lemme check...\" Adam put his hand onto the blonde's\nforehead, \"... Oh my God!\" He put the back of his hand onto his forehead \"You're\nburning up!\" Adam got up, and ran back out, and came back with an ice pack\nwrapped in a cloth, \"Here, keep this on your head,\" He then poured some cold,\nfresh water into the glass. \n \n\"Wait, Adam,\" Merrick began coughing and moving off to the\nside of the bed. Adam hurriedly grabbed the bucket, and held it for the merman.\nMerrick grabbed onto it, tucked his head into it, and began to vomit a mess of\nblood and oil again. His eyes clenched and watered as his body forced out the\nmorbid contents of his insides. Adam gently rubbed Merrick's greasy back as he\nheard his lover suffer.\n \nAfter a couple of minutes of hurling into the bucket,\nMerrick shook as he lay back down. Adam wiped up his mouth. Merrick curled up\nand started to cry. Adam looked sadly onto his love, wanting nothing more than\nto curl up with him and hold him close.\n \n\"It's... It's just not fair...\" Merrick whimpered, \"I love you,\nAdam...\" The merman shuddered and sobbed \"I don't WANT to die...!\" Merrick cried\nprofusely as Adam rubbed his arm.\n \n\"Honey, I have an idea,\" He said hastily, \"You said merfolk\ndon't waste anything that they eat, right? What if you kept drinking water,\nhuh? Wouldn't it get the oil out of your body?\" Merrick sniffled and shook his\nhead, \"C'mon, sweetie, you say there's no cure, that not even a Noita can save\nyou, but lets at least try this, huh?\" Adam said as he offered the glass of\nwater. Merrick's reddened, blue eyes looked at the glass, \"Please...\" Adam said,\n\"I can't live without you...\"\n \nMerrick reached out his shaking hand, and gently pressed it\naround the glass. He attempted to take it, but it slipped from his oily hand.\nAdam caught it before it could spill, but then gently slipped his hand below\nMerrick's head. With his other hand, he gently held the glass of water to the\nmerman's lips, and let the water flow into his mouth. \n \n \n---\n \n \nThe day went on and on. Adam stayed at Merrick's side, not\neven leaving to get something to eat - the only reason he'd have leave was to\nget more water for Merrick. \n \nJamal put on his jacket, and glanced into Adam's room.\nMerrick coughed weakly as Adam gave him a very gentle sponge bath, having laid\na large beach towel over his bed and tending gently to Merrick, with various\nparts of Merrick's body blue and silver from the moisture of the sponge.\n \nHe sighed sadly as the blonde would start hacking and\ncoughing, before Adam would pick up the bucket, and gently rub him as he\nvomited into the pail.\n \n \n \nAdam groaned as he poured another glass of water, but it\nslipped from his oiled hands. \"Ah dammit,\" He swore as he picked up the glass.\nIt's getting harder to keep Merrick awake long enough to have him drink the\nwater. He fears his time is coming... \n \n\"Huh?\" Adam turned his head to see Yuri coming in with a\ncouple of PB\u0026J sandwiches and two glasses of milk.\n \n\"Here. You need to eat something,\" She said. Adam wiped his\neyes and accepted the plate and glasses.\n \n\"Thanks, Yuri...\" He mumbled as he took a bite; regardless of\na slight nagging of hunger in his gut, he felt extremely reluctant to eat from\nfeeling so much of this grief. She sat down at the end of the bed, moved her\nhand under the ice pack.\n \n\"... His fever hasn't gotten any lower.\" Adam sighed as he set\naside the food.\n \n\"I know...\"\n \n\"... I'll go get some saline and an I.V. for him\" She said as\nshe got up.\n \n\"Yuri, that's all the way at the hospital.\" He groaned in\nresponse, feeling exhausted as well.\n \n\"I know,\" She said as she turned to look at him from the\ndoorway, \"Oh, and for the record... I would've believed you.\" She said with a\nsoft smile. Adam nodded and looked to his merman again as Yuri went out, and\ndrove off.\n \n \n---\n \n \nAll day at this, and Merrick doesn't show any signs of\ngetting better. He's had to have had 50 glasses of water already, but he's\nstill perspiring grease, running a fever, and vomiting blood and oil\noccasionally. It's dusk now - it's dark outside as well.\n \nAdam's eyelids are growing extremely heavy as he rubbed the\nwet sponge onto Merrick's belly for his 7th sponge bath. He has not\nslept a wink since he brought Merrick here. His will power is dwindling as he\nbegan to see images, before his body finally gave in, and lowered down, asleep.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"AaaaaaaaAAAAAAAaaaaaaaooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhOOOOOOOOOOooooooonnnnnnnnnn~\"\n \n\"Mmmmgghhh...\" Adam slowly woke up, suddenly jolting up and\nrealizing how dark it is! He checked his cellphone. \n \n2:18 AM\n \nHe put his ear to Merrick's chest again. He sighed as he\nheard a weak heartbeat, still resonating in his chest.\n \n\"...\nSaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaa~\"\nHe blinked as he heard a woman singing. It reminds him of the siren's voice\nfrom 5 years ago, but this voice is on a slightly deeper pitch, like she could\nbe singing in an opera. He felt a cold wind blow through his open window as the\nvoice flowed through the breeze. He got up, but looked at Merrick. He wrapped\nthe towel around him, and kissed Merrick's cheek, before taking the back way\nout.\n \n \n\"Hooooooonnnnnoooooooooooooooorrrrrrruuuuuuuuuuusssssaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnn~~\"\nThe female voice sung out as Adam ran into the very windy night. He carefully\nlistened for the wondrous singing, and looked in several directions before\nwalked in one of them.\n \nThere, he spotted a grown woman, shined by the moonlight. As\nshe sang, the wind whirled around her long, flowing platinum blonde hair. She\nwalked slowly with her dainty feet, feeling the winds willow and blow around\nher long, flowing white dress - the fabric gleamed and shined in the moon's\nrays.\n \nAdam trotted up to her, and followed her to the small cliff\nover by the beach as she continued to sing, as if luring him to the ocean. She\nstopped at the cliff, singing a long, beautiful note as she sang to the ocean.\nHe waited until the last lyric finished, before saying something.\n \n\"E-Excuse me, Miss?\" He said. The woman gracefully turned\naround, looking at him with silvery eyes, as her hair and veil dress danced to\nthe flowing wind, \"Is there anything I can help you with? Are you lost?\" He\nasked.\n \nThe woman then started drop backward. Adam gasped as he\nsprinted up to her, \"Miss!\" He called out as he held out his hand, and missed\nher by inches as she fell off the cliff. \"Oh my God!!!\" The woman fell from the\ncliff, and splashed into the sea. Adam walked back, and ran back up to the\ncliff, and dove right in!\n \nAdam grunted internally as he felt the icy bite of the water\nnumb his body. He swam and looked around, looking for the woman. As dark as it\nis, and as clearly as Adam can see, he can't see anything white around! It's\nlike that woman dissolved into the water itself...\n \nHe moved his arms to push forward, until he felt his arms\nstop. He gasped as it felt like his arms are being... Squeezed. It's like the\nwater around his arms thickened to a point where it's like gravity and density\nintensified around him. He struggled, and felt a tinge of fear as he felt his\nlegs sealed and held in place, just like his arms! Then, his torso felt pressed\nupon, like the water is thickening everywhere on his body! He felt the cold\nforce push onto his neck, and push around his mouth.\n \n\"~Do not try to escape...~\" Came a gentle, stern tone, \"~I can\nend you at any moment...~\" A mystical voice that echoed around and inside his\nhead. Adam's eyes darted around, until he spotted a glamorous, pearly white\nmermaid with a veil-like body with long, white tendrils on her head. She wears\na band of seaweed wrapped around her head, under half of her head-fins, which\nbound several spiral shell slices, as well as various shell shards and slices\ndraped and adorned on her elegant form. On either side of her are thin,\nsemi-transparent, cloak-like membranes run from her wrist, and reached to her\nhips. Her long tail flows with a long, veil-like tail fin.\n \n\"~This shall not be long. I know humans cannot survive in\nthe sea~\" She loomed gracefully around Adam, her mouth not moving at all as she\nslowly circled him. She looks just like the mermaid on the beach the other day...\nExcept THIS one is much bigger and has more veils and frills around her body...\n \n\"~The one you keep in your land-ship...~\" Her voice rang in\nAdam's head, echoing and rippling in his inner ear as Adam's own house came\ninto his mind, \"~The one who is poisoned by the black blood of the earth...~\"\nImages of Merrick floating in the water with red coming from his mouth and\ngills, and resting, coughing in a bed.\n \n\"~His time in our worlds grow shorter and shorter as you\nkeep him in your dwelling~\" Adam couldn't help but tremble in fear - he can't\nmove, she has him just where she wants him, and who knows what this mermaid can\nand will do to him.\n \n\"~Your healers cannot help him~\" He watched as the mermaid's\nveiled body undulated very smoothly in front of him as she swam slowly around\nhim, \"~Nor can we of his pod can give him aid~\" She isn't talking at all... Or is\nshe? Is it telepathy? Merrick said only mermen can do that... What is she?\n \n\"~There is only one way to save him~\" The mystical mermaid\nthen turned herself as she drifted in front of Adam, her gleaming eyes looking\ninto his.\n \n\"~Seek out Atarah. The Forbidden Ancient~\" For the first\ntime, the mermaid's mouth moved, talking as her eyes flashed. Images of a swamp\nand a river with crystal clear waters flashed in Adam's mind, along with a\nmysterious figure, a female, and an image of Adam, holding Merrick in his arms,\n\"~For it is only she who knows the secret of purification~\"\n \nThe next thing Adam knew, the mermaid is swimming away from\nhim, her voice still echoing in his head. \"~He has but one sun left...~\" His eyes\ngrow heavy again, as if the water is lulling him to sleep \"~Do not allow him to\nperish, or I shall bring the wrath of the sea upon your door~\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"GUH-HHHHHHHHH!\" Adam gasped out as he sat right up! He\nshivers madly as he looked around, realizing that he has washed up on the beach\nnear his home. He jumbled as a wave washed up to him. Adam then looked up at\nthe faintly lit sky - it's early dawn.\n \nHis heart pounded as a single statement echoed in his head:\n \n\"~~~Seek out Atarah. The Forbidden Ancient~~~\" Those words\nin that mermaid's mystic voice bounced around in his mind as he looked at the\nwater. It seems to real to be a dream, but it seems too fanciful to be real.\n \nWho is Atarah? Where does he find them?\n \nRegardless, Adam turned around, and sprinted off.\n \n\n~~~\n \n \nVVVVRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR\n \nAdam rode his motorcycle as fast as he could towards the\npier, revving at full throttle as he took the bath to the pier's beach instead\nof the docks. He soon stopped his vehicle, and jumped off of it, toppling over,\nbefore throwing off his helmet. He dashed desperately to the beach, under the\nlarge docks.\n \n\"BELINDA!!!!\" He called out. Adam ran along the beach, and\ncupping his hands to his mouth, \"BELIIIINNNNDAAAAA!!!\" He yelled out, \"BELINDA,\nWHERE ARE YOU?!\" Adam ran back to under the dock, and yelled out again,\n\"BELINDAAA!!\"\n \n\"Ah-Adahm??\" He turned around, and saw the familiar Holsien\nclimbing out of a dark cavernous crack between the rocks, in her human form.\n \n\"Belinda!\" Adam dashed up to her, \"You got to help me!\"\nBelinda backed up as Adam ran up to her, \"Atarah, the Forbidden Ancient! Do you\nknow it??\"\n \n\"Ye-Yes, Adahm, I do know her?\" Belinda answered.\n \n\"Who is she?!\" Adam demanded.\n \n\"She is a hyuman. A hurmeet, she halped me at a time. She\nlibe ina swamp miles into deh island.\" \n \n\"Tell me where she is, please!\" Adam said. Belinda narrowed\nher eyes at him.\n \n\"Why? Last dime we meet, you say you is done wit me. Now you\nask forrr mee halp you?\"\n \n\"Yes, I know, but it's Merrick, he's sick!\"\n \n\"Deh fooleesh Adra who attack mee,\" Belinda said.\n \n\"Yes, HIM! Now listen carefully. He was poisoned by the\nblood of the earth, and he is dying! He only has one day left to live! I GOTTA\nknow where this Atarah is!\" \n \nBelinda shoved Adam back.\n \n\"No! I no halp you...\" She glared at him, \"He waz cruel to\nmee. He threat mee wit deh Piscien Guardian. I do not care if he leeve or die,\"\nShe said coldly, \"And yu. You turn our back to me, you judge mee unwell.\" She\nstepped towards her cave, \"Find 'er on your own-\"\n \nBelinda would then feel her wrist get yanked back. She was\npulled back, and slammed into the rock, with Adam pushing her down against it.\n \n\"YOU OWE ME, BELINDA!!!\" Adam bellowed. The tan, pink-haired\nfemale looked fearfully at him, for the first time, showing intimidation to a\nhuman.\n \n\"All those years ago, you tried to kill me! And then I\nhelped you and Herald get back together!\" He exclaimed, \"Who covered for you\nevery time you stole from the Fish House?! I DID! Who was the referee when you\nand Herald had a fight! ME! I was the one who gave him a viable story every\ntime you guys wouldn't speak to each other! I smoothed things out with you two\nmany times over!!\" Adam seethed as he glared at the Holsien, \"I KEPT your\nsecret hidden from EVERYONE! I helped you! I helped you stay a secret to\nhumans, Belinda!\" Adam began to feel his eyes water as he kept her pinned down.\n \n\"I love him, Belinda... Think about you and Herald...\" She\nblinked at him, her violet eyes looking into his brown ones, \"You and him... It\nhappened on the night of a red moon, didn't it?\" Belinda gasped at that, \"A\nLunar Eclipse. Herald was glowing pink and purple, wasn't he?? And you were\nglowing too!\" Belinda whimpered as she looked into Adam's eyes, \"He doesn't\neven know, does he? That you two are bonded forever. Or that he still doesn't\nknow you're a mermaid,\" Adam asked, \"No... Because I made sure he never found out\nabout you...\"\n \n\"That's what happened with me and Merrick. We're soul-mates,\nBelinda.\" He shook his head as tears rolled down his cheeks. Belinda's\nexpression became softer as Adam cried, \"Don't do it for Merrick, do it for\nme...\" His eyes glimmered with sorrow, \"I lost him once... He tried to leave me\nbehind because he feared he would get banished... It tore me apart when he did\nthat... Don't let me lose him again... I'm not strong enough to go through that\nagain...\"\n \n\"Adam???\" They turned to see Herald standing there, with a\nbouquet of Tiger-Lilies and Birds-of-Paradise, \"Adam, what the hell are you\ndoing to her?\"\n \n\"Herald,\" Belinda said as she stepped away from Adam, \"Is\nalright.\"\n\n\"Belinda,\" Herald said as he advanced forward, \"He had you pinned to the rock!\"\n \n\"Is ok, love,\" She said to him, \"Wai forrr me at deh dock. I\nwill come,\" Herald huffed and glared at Adam, but she turned his head to look\nat her, \"He need my halp... Is alright...\" Herald sighed as he patted her shoulder.\n \n\"Alright, hun... Don't take too long...\" He kissed her, and left\nup the rocks. Belinda turned around, and approached Adam.\n \n\"Adahm...\" She began, \"Do you truss me?\" \n \n\"... I have to...\" Adam said, \"Please... Tell me where she is...\nWhere is Atarah?\" \n \nBelinda raised her hands to his head, and he flinched back.\n\"Adahm!\" She hissed irritably. She stepped up again, \"You muss truss me...\" Adam\nreluctantly stayed still. Belinda then pressed her thumbs onto his forehead.\nAdam immediately felt himself paralyzed as a strange buzzing vibration entered\nhis head. Belinda hissed and exhaled as images raced into Adam's head!\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nAdam sighed as he held Merrick. The merman is wrapped up in\nthe beach towel, looking pale and darkened from the infection. His pulse is\ngrowing weaker by the minute. As he just lay there, bundled up. He won't wake\nanymore, he won't even stir. He's still alive, but just on the brink.\n \n\"Adam...\" Jamal said as he drove, \"You sure this is the right\nway? I never been here before.\" Adam is in the back seat with Merrick on him. \n \n\"Yeah, I can feel it, we're on the right track.\"\n \n\"Who told you bout this lady anyway?\"\n \n\"A tan girl with pink hair, Belinda. She's a friend of\nmine.\"\n \n\"Oh her? I know Belinda. She and her bo, Herald were at the\nclub one time. Had a good time at their place.\"\n \n\"Ah, figures,\" Adam said, \"She's a mermaid.\" Jamal jumbled\nas he looked at his rear-view mirror.\n \n\"Wh-Wut? You serious???\"\n \n\"Yeah. She's Holsien\"\n \n\"Holseewhat?\" Jamal asked.\n \n\"Turn right,\" Adam said. Jamal moved the car, and drove on,\n\"There are three kinds of merfolk: Pisciens, Amniens, and Holsiens. Pisciens\nare fish, Amniens are mammals, and Holsiens are reptiles and squids and such.\nMerrick is a Piscien merman.\"\n \n\"Whoa man...\" Jamal said, shaking his head chuckling, \"So\nBelinda's a octopus mermaid or sumthin?\"\n \n\"No, sea snake. She told me where to find this person. It's\nhard to explain how, just trust me on this.\"\n \n\"Aight...\" \n \nAfter a long pause of driving, with Adam giving him\ndirections here and there, Jamal spoke again,\n \n\"... Ah shyit,\" Jamal said as he came to a stop, \"Yo Adam, I\ncan't go any further.\" Jamal said. He looked up, and saw they are facing a bog.\n \n\"This is good,\" Adam said. Jamal turned off his car, and got\nout. He opened the door, and gently took Merrick off of Adam's lap. Adam\nclimbed out, and took his merman back, \"If it's gonna take a while, go ahead\nand head home, and I'll let you know-\"\n \n\"Nuh-uh.\" Jamal said as he closed his door, and locked up\nhis vehicle, \"I ain't missin this.\" Adam couldn't help but smile.\n \n\"Jamal... Thanks, buddy...\"\n \n\"Save that, AFTER yo Bo gits betta, eh homeboy?\" Jamal said\nwith a smile as Adam walked along the mushy path of the bog. \n \nAs they walked they began to sweat profusely from the\nimmense humidity. As they went, Jamal stepped on what looked like a large,\nthick leaf, before it yanked out from him. \"WHOA!!\" He yelped as a huge lump of\nmud rose up, and snarled at the two humans, \"The hell is that, man?!\"\n \n\"I don't know!\" Adam said as he looked at the muddy\ncreature. It looks like saber-toothed manate-walrus with clawed feet and a\nlong, thick tail with willowed fin-hairs at the end. It growled and opened its\nmouth, and let out a loud, blood-curdling roar.\n \n\"AHHH SHYIT!!!\" Jamal exclaimed as he clapped his ears shut.\nAdam cringed as he was forced to listen to it scream in the woods. The weird\ncreature stopped its noise, and snarled at them. It then proceeded to waddle\ninto a pond of muddy water, and swim into it.\n \n\"I think that was a Bunyip. I remember seeing it in my\nMonsterology book.\" \n \n\"A what now?\"\n \n\"Bunyip. Supposedly, it's a mythical beast that dwells in\nswamps. They're supposed to be extremely docile, but scream out loud when\nthey're scared or angry.\"\n \n\"Uh-huh...\" Jamal said before they proceeded on. They tread on\nlarge tree roots within the bog. The marsh got steadily less and less muddy and\nridden with root rot, and soon came to a body of clear water. Most of the trees\nare rooted from the pond-bottom. \n \n\"Hey, look!\" Jamal said as he pointed. Adam looked, and\nsmiled as he saw the bunyip swimming along the large roots. It sucked in a\nnearby fish and swallowed it whole. \n \nAdam and Jamal kept walking along the river, and spotted a\nlarge hut. It looks very shabby, the wooden planks look rotten and old, there\nweren't any windows, and there are various small objects tied up and dangling\nfrom the rafters like wind chimes. \n \nAt the dock of the hut, there is a woman there. She wears\nvarious dirty rags on her body to form a dress, and a wide turtle shell over\nher head like a sun-hat. Her skin is dark, or perhaps caked up with dirt. She\nis looked down and smiled as she crouching down when the bunyip's head came up\nfrom the surface. She rubs and pets the face of the bunyip like a pet dog.\n \n\"Um... *Ahem* Excuse me?\" She turned her head, and looked at\nAdam as she stood up. Strangely enough, she doesn't look ancient at all. She\nlooks like she could be in her 30's. Heck, she reminds him a lot of Tia Dalma\nfrom Pirates of the Caribbean - pretty much the only difference is the hair, as\nit is a tangled mess with dried out leaves and flowers instead of all\ndreads   \"Are you, Atarah?\"\n \n\"... Yees.\" She responded, \"Who ah you?\" \n \n\"M-My name's Adam. This is my friend, Jamal,\" Adam said as\nhe indicated his roommate.\n \n\"Sup?\" Jamal said.\n \n\"What buseeness to yo seek heer?\" She asked, \"To vencha so\nfah into teh woods to seek audience of me,\" She looked at the bundle in Adam's\narms, \"Do you weesh to bring tat one back from teh deat?\" She asked, \"You shood\nknow I do cannot walk te deat, and besides, tat is not deat... Yet.\" \n \n\"Y-Yeah, I know-\"\n \n\"Wait,\" Atarah said as she held her hand out. She walked to\nAdam, \"Someting feels... Familia...\" She approached him, and looked into the face\nof the blonde merman. She gasped as she looked at him, \"Merreek...\"\n \n\"Yo-You know him?! He's sick,\" Adam said, \"I found him in\nthe oil spill! Please, can you save him?\"\n \n\"Into teh shack! Quickly!\" She said as she turned around,\nand led Adam and Jamal over the plank-bridge, and into her overgrown hut. There\nare all kinds of objects and items, jars full of various animal parts, herbs,\nplants, fluids and other various contents that Adam would rather not know\nabout. \n \n\"Een heer, come!\" Atarah said as she escorted Adam into a\ncramped room.\n \n\"Here, take the towel,\" Adam said as he turned to Jamal.\n \n\"Aight,\" Jamal then unfurled the oily towel, and took it\nfrom Merrick's body, \"Go on, I'll wait here.\"\n \n\"Ok,\" Adam then carried Merrick into the room.\n \n\"Lay heem,\" She instructed as she knelt to the floor. Adam\ngently placed Merrick onto the wooden floor, and. She felt along Merrick's\nstomach, and then peeled back one of hid eyelids, seeing into the severely\nblood-shot and blue eyes. She opened his mouth, and wiped her finger across his\ntongue, before swiping it on her own tongue. Her dark eyes looked up at Adam\ninquisitively, \"You feed heem watrr?\"\n \n\"Yes... Why, was that wrong??\" He asked. She pointed a finger\nat him.\n \n\"Tat ees smart,\" She said as stood up and turned around,\n\"Teh process ees half complete forr tat...\" She reached up to the shelf of jars\nfull of various liquids, \"You say heem was swimming in teh oil?\"\n \n\"Yes, he was... He was alone when I found him. I don't know\nwhere his pod was.\"\n \n\"Hmmm...\" The woman hovered her finger around the jars, \"Teh\nShroud of Deat?\"\n \n\"Y-Yes. He also called it the Blood of the Earth.\"\n \n\"Ah!\" She grabbed one of the jars - filled with a jet-black\nliquid. She turned around and knelt back down. She dipped two fingers into the\njar, and put the black oil onto Merrick's belly button. She then drew a spiral\non his abdomen, which led to his chest, \"Why do you halp Merreek? I am...\nCurious,\" She asked as she continued to draw the oil in intricate lines and\ntribal symbols.\n \n\"Well... He's my boyfriend,\" Adam said. Atarah looked up, and\nshe slowly smiled as her eyes reflected glee.\n \n\"Ahhhhhh, Ah hear you. So you ees teh Adahm he talk of,\" She\nthen continued to dip her finger tips into the jar of oil, and draw along\nMerrick's body.\n \n\"How do YOU know him?\"\n \n\"When you do not come to meet heem, he come to veeset me. He\nbring me geefs of teh sea when he come,\" Atarah said as she marked along\nMerrick's face, \"He ees vedy kind boy, like hees Modder,\" She looked up at\nAdam.\n \n\"Go and wait wit yourr Jamal. Tis will take time.\"\n \n\"Oh... Ok...\" He looked with worry at his dormant lover, \"You...\nYou can save him, right?\"\n \n\"He is verry weaken... But yee. He well leve.\" Atarah told\nhim.\n \n\"Ok... Thank you... So much...\" Adam felt himself tear up again as\nhe walked out of the room, through the crowded shack, and outside, to find\nJamal sitting at the dock, dangling his feet over the water. The bunyip drifted\nidly around in the very clear water with a few other fish.\n \n\"She says he's gonna make it...\" Jamal looked at him, and\nsmiled wide.\n \n\"That's great, yo!\"\n \n\"Yeah...\" Adam replied. \n \n\"... Well try not to sound disappointed man.\"\n \n\"I know, I just... I'd rather get excited AFTER I see him\nwalking again...\" Adam said. Jamal nodded in agreement. Adam sighed as he sat\ndown, feeling his stomach churn with high anticipation.\n \n+++\n \n \nAtarah hit the wall with a thick branch, causing the blinds\nof the glassless window to fall, and block out the light. She held a steaming\npunk with an ember tip to a few cream candles. The yellow flame on each wick\nblinked into an aqua color. Once the candles around Merrick were all lit, the\nroom glowed with a green-blue color.\n \nShe picked up a very old teakettle, with various ingredients\nstashed into it. She gently held Merrick's head, and lift him up, just enough\nto carefully pry his mouth open, and tilt the kettle to slowly ease in the\nliquid into his mouth, and down his throat.\n \nAtarah then took a scallop shell, and trickled in some\ncollected rainwater from a leaf. She took a pinch of dried sea salt, and\nsprinkled it into the shell of water, before she carefully placed it onto\nMerrick's stomach.\n \nAtarah scooped up a dab of potion from the corner of\nMerrick's mouth before it could touch the oil mark on his cheek.\n \n~~~\n \n \nAfter a while, both males are sitting at the dock. \"So\nAdam...\" Jamal said as he stirred a stick in the water.\n \n\"Yeah?\"\n \n\"Are there any um... Side effects?\" Jamal asked.\n \n\"What do you mean?\"\n \n\"Ya know, with... Sexin a mermaid or merman? Am I gonna turn\nall fishy or sumthin?\" Adam chuckled and shook his head.\n\n\"No, not at all. I've been doing Merrick for a long time now. But there ARE\nsomethings that I get from mating with him.\n \n\"L-Like what?\" Jamal said, growing nervous, \"Adam, I was\nbarebackin wit you guys, tell me if you guys snatched me sumthin.\"\n \n\"Hahaha, relax, Jamal, nothing's wrong with you... But recall\nthat you kissed Merrick when we were getting into it, right? And did you kiss\nBelinda when you, her, and Herald were going at it?\"\n \n\"Y-Yeah?\"\n\n\"Well, there's an urban rumor - and it's true, it does work - that the kiss of\na merperson allows a human to stay underwater for as long as they need to\nwithout drowning.\" Jamal rose his eyebrows.\n \n\"Whoa, fo real?? I can breath undawater?\"\n \n\"No, you just won't drown. How did you think I stayed under\nthe sea for so long when I was looking for Merrick, without needing to go up\nfor air? One kiss, that's all it took, and I never have to worry about drowning\nagain.\"\n \n\"Whoa... So dat's why...\" He said as he tossed a pebble into the\nwater, \"Anything else?\"\n \n\"Well, my eyes got more accustomed to the water. Now I can\nsee clearly underwater as if I'm wearing goggles. I took the goggles with me\nthough, so I could protect my eyes from the oil.\"\n \n\"Ah, I see... Can I see underwater too?\"\n \n\"Maybe. It took some time for my eyes to become more accustomed to the water,\nbut I did notice a definite difference.\" \n \n\"Aight... That all?\" He asked.\n \n\"Among other things I'm curious about... I'll have to ask him\nwhen I get the chance... IF I get the chance...\" Adam said with a nervous sigh.\n \n\"Hey,\" Jamal said, \"He be aight...\"\n \n+++\n \n \nThe oil designs that were painted on Merrick's legs, thighs,\nand hands had disappeared, while the ornate markings on his arms, abs, chest,\nneck, and face remained. His skin hasn't gained back its bright color, but it\nhas improved in tone and has become significantly less greasy.\n \nThree of the candles in the small room were put out, leaving\nseven left still burning with blue flames. Atarah moved her index finger and\nthumb over to one of the candles, and pinched over it, ignoring the light\nhissing noise from the heat wisping away.\n \nShe hovered her face over Merrick's mouth, and slowly and\ndeeply inhaled. Merrick let out a raspy groan as his chest rose up, and his\nmouth opened. A black mist rose steadily out from the depths of his body, and\nthrough his open mouth. The dark fog rose from him, and entered into Atarah's\nmouth. As the blackness exited from the merman's lips, the oil markings on his\narms slowly evaporated from his skin. The oil on his arms withered into\nash-like flakes as it turned to dust, and disappeared into the aqua flames of\nthe candles.\n \nAtarah started shaking violently as the oil essence floated\nout of Merrick, and rolled into her open mouth. She grunted in the back of her\nthroat before she closed her mouth, having to painfully force down a storm of\ncoughing inside of her. Merrick's body lowered back down while she quaked and\nquivered, holding her shaky hand over the jar of oil. With her other hand, she\nheld her wrist still.\n \nLittle black droplets oozed from below her dark fingernails,\nand dribbled into the half-empty jar. Atarah wheezed and panted as she stayed\ncrouched, allowing her hand to drain the oil drops into the glass jar. After\nhaving her darkened fingers slip out the oil, she moved her shaky hand to the\nteakettle, and took off the lid to make sure there is enough potion left. \n \nClinking the lid to the kettle back on, she brought it back\nup, and gently propped the merman's head up for the second time, and put the\nspout to Merrick's mouth again, tilting it up in order to let the fluid slide\ninto his throat again.\n \nIf he had more time, she wouldn't have to rush through this\nstrenuous process.\n \n~~~\n \n \nAfter about an hour of waiting, Jamal sighed as he played\nhis 23rd game of Tetris on Adam's iPhone. Laid back, \"What chu think\nshe doin in there?\"\n \n\"Not a clue... I just hope Merrick's alright in there-\"\n \nHis ears picked up the sound of footsteps pressing on the\ncreaky wood planks of the shack. He whirled around and shot up. Jamal woke up\nand looked at Adam, before standing up too. \n \nAdam's eyes felt more tears as he saw his Merrick standing\nin the shack. The blonde stepped out of the shack, smiling happily at the\nhumans as the sunlight touched his bright, peach-colored body, his golden\nblonde hair, his dazzling blue eyes.\n \n\"... Merrick...\" Adam said as he slowly walked towards him.\n \n\"A-Adam...\" Merrick said, suppressing a laugh of joy, \"I'm-\"\nSuddenly, Merrick groaned, and toppled over. \n \n\"MERRICK!\" Adam exclaimed.\n \n\"Whoa!\" Jamal dashed up, and caught Merrick before he could\nfall, \"Gotchu, gotchu, gotchu!\" Merrick groaned as Adam knelt down to him,\nputting his arms around his lover.\n \n\"Merrick! Talk to me, baby, say something!\" Adam said.\n \n\"I'm... I'm alright, Adam...\" Merrick said.\n \n\"He need rest and heal,\" Atarah said as she came in, \"Teh\nShroud of Deat ees eh poison. Even when purged, damage ees left behind. Drink\nheem water, and he well be bettrr.\"\n \n\"Th-Then he'll be ok, right?\" Adam said as he picked up\nMerrick. Atarah smiled and nodded.\n \n\"Yees. He ees te 17th merperson eva to survive\nteh black blood.\" \n \n\"Atarah...\" Merrick said as he hung on to Adam, still feeling\nweak and tired, as if he has just woken up from a coma, \"How long... Did you know\nhow to heal?\" He asked, \"Of all the time I've known you, you never told me you\nknew tricks like that.\" Atarah just chuckled in her hoarse voice.\n \n\"You dinna ahsk me, Merreek,\" She replied.\n \n\"Atarah... Thank you...\" The merman said.\n \n\"Eef you become injured again,\" Atarah said, \"You know what\nI can do now,\" She said with a smile.\n \n\"We better head out, guys,\" Jamal said as he checked his\ncellphone, \"I ain't getting any reception here, and Yuri's prolly wonderin\nwhere we at.\"\n \n\"Ok,\" Adam said, \"And thanks again, Atarah, thank you so\nmuch.\"\n \n\"Eet was good to meet teh Adam,\" The ancient said.\n \n \n \nSoon, Jamal and Adam carrying Merrick are walking through\nthe swamp. Merrick looked, and smiled as he patted at Adam, \"H-Hey! It's\nOyana!\" \n \n\"Huh?\" Adam asked as he turned his head to the merman,\n\"What're you talking about?\"\n \n\"Atarah's bunyip!\" He said as he pointed. They turned to see\nthe large creature coming out of the murky water, away from the crystal clear\nriver by Atarah's shack, \"A bunyip is-\"\n \n\"Yeah, I know, I know.\" Adam said with chuckle.\n \n\"We found out when we got here.\" Jamal said.\n \n\"Bring me to her, I wanna say hello!\" Merrick said. Adam\nsmiled as he turned, and brought his blonde over to the water, and knelt down\nto allow Merrick to reach out, and pet the walrus-like animal. The bunyip\npurred a deep grumble as it nuzzled Merrick's hand, with the water on its head\nturning his palm silver.\n \nIt's all Adam can do to keep from bursting into tears of\nhappiness and spinning Merrick around.\n \nThe fact that he's alive to pet a bunyip.\n \n \n~~~\n \nMerrick wiggled comfortably in the freshly cleaned sheets,\nsmiling happily as he enjoyed the warmth from the dryer. Adam smiled as he\ncrawled into bed with him, making Merrick giggle as he kissed his neck, along\nhis cheek. He then smacked his lips rapidly on Merrick's ear. The merman\nsquealed as he felt Adam's lips and tongue tickled him, squirming wildly under Adam.\n \nAdam couldn't stop smiling as he tickled Merrick's smooth\nskin. He probably should be taking it easy with him to allow Merrick to\nrecover, but he can't help but play with him. He held himself up above the\nblonde, smiling happily - on the same stance he had with Nick. Adam doesn't\nfeel any guilt about it; why should he? Nothing happened, and he's glad that it\ndidn't. He's got his sea angel right here.\n \n\"How're you feeling, babe?\" He asked lowly. \n \n\"Bored~\" Merrick said with a grin as he felt along Adam's\nburly chest. Adam grinned as he flexed his pecs for his blonde cutie.\n \n\"Ooh~ Is that a challenge?\" Adam said right before putting\nhis mouth onto Merrick's neck.\n \n\"Nonon-HAHAHA!\" Merrick laughed even more as he struggled\nbelow Adam as he licked and nibbled on his neck.\n \n \n~~~\n \nYuri is sitting in the lounge chair with her cat on her lap,\nwhile brushing Roxas's fur, and Jamal is stabbing Clickers in The Last Of Us.\nThey rolled their eyes as they heard Merrick laughing out loud from Adam's\nroom.\n \n\"What is it you said they were supposed to be doing again?\"\nYuri asked as she scratched the cat's ears while the brush went through the\norange-blonde fur.\n \n\"Pssh. He's suppose to be restin.\" Jamal said before another\nClicker snuck up on him and took him out.\n \n\"Pff,\" Yuri scoffed as Roxas rolled onto his back, prompting\nYuri to stroke and rub around the cat's underbelly, \"THAT'S resting?\"\n \n\"Been drinkin water all day like that lady said. Couple\nhours later, like nuthin eva happened.\" He said. Yuri just shrugged as Merrick\nlaughed more from behind the closed door.\n \n\"Whatever floats their boat,\" She said as she rubbed the\nsides of Roxas's facial fur.\n \n\"Rrrrraaarrr~\"\n \n~~~\n \n \nAdam cuddled with Merrick lovingly as he felt his very soft\ncomplexion. Merrick blushed and flexed his tummy for Adam, but then cringed and\ngrunted, letting off a cough. \n \n\"Aww,\" Adam said as he rubbed Merrick's arm as he settled\nright next to him. Merrick reached for the water bottle, and suckled down some\nwater. After taking in a few gulps, Merrick sighed, turned and huddled up to\nAdam. He giggled as he felt Adam's strong arms wrap around him, feeling his\nlightly fuzzy, warm body.\n \nFrankly, Adam's too scared to ask if they're officially back\ntogether. He figures it's best to just leave well enough alone. After all, from\nwhat Merrick says, they're already boyfriends.\n \nHe just kissed Merrick's lips as he cuddled him, \"Good\nnight, Merrick~\" He whispered. Merrick kissed back nuzzled into Adam's manly\nchest.\n \n\"Good night, Adam~\" Nestled in each other's arms, they fell\nasleep.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Ennyyooooohhhooooorrrrraaaaaaaahhhhaaaaaaaaa~~\" \n \nAdam slowly blinked awake as he heard a familiar, beautiful\nsinging. He groaned as he carefully sat up, and opened his heavy eyes.\n \nHe gasped lightly as he saw a white, sheet-like dress flap\nand waver in the winds. He looked at his curled up lover, and slowly got out of\nbed, as to not disturb him in his sleep. He kissed his sleeping boyfriend, and\ntiptoed out of the dark, quiet house.\n \nThe porch light lit up as Adam carefully opened the door,\nexited, and closed it. It's another windy night. The clouds are moving swiftly\nthrough the sky, the wind is whistling through the nearby trees, as the waves\ncrashed upon the reef-rocks and washed upon the shore.\n \nAdam ran up to the small cliff by the beach, where the\nmysterious woman is waiting, facing the sea with her back towards the human.\nShe isn't singing like before, but just standing in silence. Adam huffed and\nkept his distance, in case this lady is planning on trying something on him.\n \n\"... He's fine now. Merrick's still alive. The oil left some\ninternal damage, but Atarah said he'll be alright with some rest and water...\"\nThe woman stayed silent, still not turning to him. Adam sighed as he rubbed the\nback of his neck, \"Look, I know even talking to me is off-limits, so... I just\nwanna say... Thank you...\"\n \nAfter a pause, the woman finally spoke, \"Do you know what he\nis? That he is not human? Or what he means to his kind?\" Her voice is strong,\nyet gentle and calm, with a slight eloquent accent.\n \n\"Yes. The Adra Triton, right?\" Adam asked.\n \n\"... A human who knows of our world...\" She said, \"You realize\nwhat sort of threat that presents to me. To my kind.\" She said.\n \nAdam felt a tinge of fear from her, \"Look, you don't have to\nworry about me; even if I did say anything to anyone, no one would believe me.\nTo humans, merfolk are myths.\"\n \nShe said nothing as he looked at her flowing, platinum hair,\n\"I know that merfolk believe horrible things about humans... And I'm ashamed to\nsay I don't have much to say to vouch for us... But I hope you believe me when I\nsay that not all humans monsters...\" \n \nThere came another pause.\n \n\"... As a matter of fact... I do believe you,\" She said, \"I know\nvery well humans do not have domain of the skies, or that they cannot command\nthe mountains. I also know that they invent their own chaos, and that they are\nguilty of immense foolishness...\"\n \n\"Hmph, you got that right...\" Adam stood in awkwardness,\n\"Listen, I appreciate you sticking your neck out, and telling me about Atarah,\nbut... Who are you? Even just being here is a huge risk for you, right? Who are\nyou to him that you would take a chance of being exiled?\"\n \nThe woman stayed silent for a moment, and then turned her\nhead for a moment, \"And who are you? To go to such lengths to save a creature\nwho is not even of your own species?\"\n \n\"Well...\" Adam blushed, \"He's my boyfriend... Or, lover, mate,\nwhatever merfolk call it.\"\n \nFor the second time, ever, the mysterious woman turned\naround to face him, her silver eyes looking at him with a look of surprise on her\nface, \"What? What did you say?\"\n \n\"Yeah...\" Adam said as he felt a hot tingle on his cheeks, \"He\nsaid something about a Lunar Eclipse,\" The woman gave a brief look of\nconfusion, \"Er, that's a red moon - humans call it a Lunar Eclipse. He said\nthat he fell in love with me on his 3rd red moon? And that I fell in\nlove with him without even knowing it...\"\n \n\"You are... His mate?\" The woman said.\n \n\"Yeah. For about 5 years now. He tried to break up with me\nabout 2 weeks ago... It broke my heart as well as his, but he says it's\ninevitable...\" Adam looked aside as he put his hand on his arm, \"It devastated me\nwhen he tried to end it with us, when he tried to leave me behind, but... I... I\nstill love him, after all that's happened... And he loves me too...\"\n \n\"... I see...\" The woman turned back around, and looked to the\nocean, \"... Now it is clear...\" She muttered, low enough so Adam didn't hear her.\n \n\"B-But listen! Please don't tell his pod he's with me -\nEspecially his mother and father. His pod is precious to him... It'll tear him\napart if he's banished. Just... Please tell them that he's safe and he's just\nrecovering with Atarah in her river, and that he'll be back soon... Please? I\ndon't want him to lose his pod so soon...\" He shook his head, \"I can't even stand\nthe thought of him crying again...\"\n \n\"... Very well. He will rest here, for the time being,\" The\nwoman said softly, \"I trust he is safe in your care...\"\n \n\"Yes, he is. He's always safe with me.\" The woman nodded,\nand took a step off the cliff \"Wait! You haven't told me who YOU are! And how\ndid you know about Atarah?\" The woman paused, and she chuckled with a smile.\n \n\"Amusing... Humans are so clueless, are they not?\"\n \n\"Huh? Hey! What's THAT supposed to mean??\" He said with an\nirk.\n \n\"To think I wove a beautiful shroud to wear for your sake,\nbut to no avail. Are humans not notorious for their physical modesty?\" \n \n\"Huh?\" Adam blinked and gave a weird look, \"What're you\ntalking about? What's that got to do with anything? Who ARE you?\" Laughing\nsoftly, the woman stepped off, and dove into the sea, \"HEY!\" He grumbled as he\nslouched, \"... AH?! Oh shit!\" He just realized that this entire time, he has been\ncompletely nude! He covered his crotch for a second, before realizing that he's\nalone right now. Grimacing, he quickly dashed back to the house, his face going\nred hot as the cold breeze played along his naked body.\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/702797-aquata-cove-chapter-21.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/707308-aquata-cove-chapter-23.json"}