{"sf1_id":913551,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 57","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":7927,"posted_at":"2015-09-22T19:16:00.000Z","tags":["Gay","Mermaid","Revelations","Romance","merman"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/913551-aquata-cove-chapter-57","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/913551","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=913551\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\nAquata Cove\nChapter 57: Gracious Fate\n\"Nnnhhh...\" Syrinx stirs weakly in the bed. She can feel a\nlukewarm press on her forehead. Her body is so weak and shaky, not to mention\nabnormally hot.\n\"God, finally...\" Came Kevin's voice. Syrinx opens her eyes\nand looked to the side to see her boyfriend by her side. \"You've been out for 3\nhours, I couldn't wake you up.\"\n\"I see...\" She muttered.\n\"You had me worried sick, baby...\" Kevin whined, \"I thought\nyou said you were fine.\"\n\"... I was wrong.\" Syrinx admitted, \"I'm not fine at all...\"\nThis would normally be the part where Kevin starts a parade\nover the very fact that Syrinx has confessed to being wrong about something she\nsaid, but now is not the time.\n\"I can see that.\" He said, \"You nearly gave me a heart\nattack when I saw you lying there.\" Kevin traced his fingers along her cheek.\n\"I thought I'd be ok for at least one more week,\" Syrinx\ncontinued, \"But my time is up...\" The mermaid said sadly, \"I'm at my limit...\"\n\"You mean...\" Kevin's insides sank as her unusually downed\ntone confirmed the worst part of their relationship. Syrinx's hazel eyes looked\nto the face of her very tall mate.\n\"It's time for me to go back...\" She told him with remorseful\neyes.\n~~~\n\"I have come,\" The sea-garmented man said, \"For the\nCoshiton.\"\n\"Hhh?!\"\n\"Hhh?!\"\nBoth men gasped quietly at him. Adam puts a hand near the\nsmall pouch of his motorbike that contained a tazer he once bought a long time\nago for self-defense. Merrick stood in shock and fear as he looked at the\nstrange merman before them. The man began to take a step toward them-\n\"Stop!\" Adam commanded. The man did so, his green eyes\nlooking to him, \"What do you want with him??\"\n\"That is none of your concern, Human.\" The merman stated,\n\"My business is with the Piscien standing by your side.\"\n\"What...\" Merrick took a small step back, \"How did...\" Every\nsingle merfolk instantly know a mermaid or merman when they see one, even in\nhuman form. However, it should be impossible to tell whether they're Piscien,\nAmnien, or Holsien without water.\n\"I assure you, I mean you no harm.\" The merman said calmly,\n\"I merely request a meeting with you, Coshiton.\"\n\"Why? Who are you?\" Merrick asked.\n\"My name is Samudra.\" The merman answered, \"I am a Triton of\nthe Holsien merfolk.\"\n\"What?\" Adam quirked his head as he looked curiously at him,\n\"Merrick, is he really?\" Adam asked.\n\"Very doubtful.\" Merrick said cynically, \"He is unarmed. A\ntrue Triton would rarely abandon his trident - it's their weapon as well as an\nextension of their identity. So tell me!\" Merrick spoke up, \"Who are you\nreally? And if you are a Triton, then where is your trident? And while you're\nat it, how are you even walking?\"\n\"I am indeed a Triton,\" Samudra said, \"It is true I should\nhave my trident in my hand. However, I chose to leave it with my pod as a\ngesture of humility and peace. As for my ability to walk: Unlike you and a few\nother merfolk I know dearly, I have taught myself to use my legs in human\nform.\" Samudra explains plainly, keeping himself steady, \"I am here now to\nspeak with you.\" \n\"Me...?\"\n\"Why?\" Adam opened the pouch. Samudra's eyes catch him\ntaking a device out of the pouch on his strange, large contraption, \"What do\nyou want with him?\"\n\"As I have said, that is none of your concern.\" Samudra\nrepeated sternly, \"What happens in our world is of little consequence to those\nwho cannot understand. Piscien.\" He turns to Merrick, and offered his hand, \"I\nhumbly request a private audience with you. I promise that you will not be\nharmed in any way. You have my word.\"\n\"...\" Merrick's sapphires locked onto Samudra's emeralds as a\npause stemmed by. After a moment, Merrick took a step back away from him.\n\"You refuse?\" Samudra asked.\n\n\"I can't trust someone I just met.\" Merrick leered at him, \"The last time I\nleft with someone I didn't know simply because they've asked...\" His fist\nclenched as anger started to flow in his blood, \"I nearly completely lost my\nsanity to endless pain and misery.\" Samudra's eyes widened with initial shock,\n\"My own mind turned me into a blind monster several times before I was freed a\nprison that I did not deserve!\"\n\"We don't know who you are,\" Adam stepped in front of\nMerrick protectively, \"Or what you want. But whatever you have to say to him,\nyou can be sure that you're not saying a word without me by his side.\" Adam\nmoved his free hand backward, and Merrick held it in turn.\nSamudra looked at the pair. The way this human has that\nsmall weapon in hand, and how he puts himself between him and the Coshiton... His\nsharp green eyes looks to Merrick's blonde hair, and sees a bead of sweat\nslowly slide down his head.\n\"...\" Samudra lowers his hand, \"I understand. I will not ask\nyou to speak with me alone. The reason I asked to meet face-to-face was a\nprecautionary measure against a human who knows nothing of merfolk to keep our\nworld safe. However, I assume that you may already have a firm grasp of\nmerfolk, correct?\"\n\n\"Yes. I know a lot about mermaids and mermen, and I know to keep it all a\nsecret.\"\n\n\"I see.\" Samudra nodded, \"However, I still request to speak with you - the both\nof you, as it seems.\" \n\"Why?\" Merrick asked, \"What business do you have with me?\"\nSamudra's mouth gave a very subtle smile.\n\"The same business I have with any other fellow Coshiton.\"\nAdam and Merrick gapped at the man from his statement.\nSamudra rose his other hand up, and held it up for them to see a symbol of a\ncrescent moon that has been halved with a line dash on each half.\n\"I AM you.\" He added.\nA pause whistles with the wind as they stood, starring at\nthe merman before he lowered his right hand.\n\"... Alright.\" Adam walked back to the side of his motorcycle,\nand put his tazer away, but still keeping a close eye on Samudra. \"We'll hear\nyou out, but lets meet somewhere more secluded.\"\n\"I agree.\" Samudra nodded.\n\"If you walk along the beach behind you for at least an hour\nor so, you'll find a house surrounded by a wall of driftwood. Er... A house is-\"\n\"I know what a human house is.\" Samudra said, \"And I am\nsomewhat familiar with human time as well.\"\n\"Ok then. When you get there, wait for us by a black pit\nwith burnt wood with some large rocks around it. We'll talk there.\"\n\"Very well.\" He simply said. Samudra turned around, and\nstarted walking. \nAdam turned and came to Merrick, who hugged him tightly.\n\"Adam...\" Merrick mumbled, his heart pounding from this whole\nordeal, \"... I'm scared... I don't thing I can go though this...\"\n\"I know. It's ok, sweetie...\" Adam muttered, \"I won't let him\nhurt you if he tries anything...\"\n~~~\nSyrinx and Kevin walk to a spot near the ocean - a private\nreef on the other side of the island. Instead of normal clothing, Syrinx now\nwears a rather strange, and quite revealing apparel: A few sashes of old\nfishnet in a sort of shawl-like fashion wrapped around her chest and hips, a\nbra of white scallop shells holding her breasts - an item of clothing inspired\nby Disney, no doubt. And she carries a short saber made of a spiral shell tied\nsecurely to a halved broomstick.\n\"Pleeeeaaase, Syriiinnx!\" Kevin whined as the sky slowly\nbecame darker, \"Please don't goooo. Can't you just drink more water instead of\ncoffee for a while? Maybe that'll make you stay longer!\"\n\"Oh, man up,\" Syrinx laughed, \"It's just a few moons, you\nbaby.\"\n\n\"But it always feel like centuries!\" Kevin complained.\n\"You'll live.\" She said as she came to the edge, \"Well, here\nwe go again. My boss has given the next few moons before I come back.\"\n\"Try to be back sooner this time.\" The tall man whimpered,\n\"It really does feel longer when you have to leave.\"\n\"Awww, baby gonna miss me~?\" Syrinx cooed. She chuckles as\nshe rubs his cheek, \"You'll be fine. I'll come back when my body is ready\nagain. I'll bring back a sea slug for you, kay?\"\n\"Oh, would you cut that out already??\" Kevin snapped weakly.\n\"With that reaction? Never~\" She grinned. The two shared one\nlast passionate kiss, holding onto each other endearingly for one more moment,\n\"... I love you, Beanstalk.\"\n\"I love you too, Sea Bitch.\" Kevin said with a wounded\nsnicker.\n\"Hey, lay off the bitch-stuff.\" She lightly slapped his\ncheek at the comment. \"Stay tall, Handsome.\" She kissed his lips again, before\nturning, and dove right into the ocean.\nHer body instantly transforms from her human form. Her long,\ndark red hair shortens to her shoulders. Her skin breaks out in a surface of\ntight rubber in a reddish color, with curled lines and designs along her body\nemphasized by a subtle magenta toned color and a thin layer of fuzz on the\ndesigns. He legs morphed together as her feet combined and flattened into a\ndolphin-like tail that appears as a feather-type shape, almost like that of a\nsea lion in a whale fashion. The fuzzy red-pink swirled designs appear on her\narms as well as her torso, and around her face before, just as her hands became\nwebbed paws. Upon her forehead painlessly grows a spiraling horn that\nlengthened to 5 inches long.\nThe Amnien mermaid of Narwhal/Sea Lion traits swims deep\ninto the water. As she waved her tail up and down, Syrinx began to sing. Her\nvoice bounces and echoes loudly within the water. \nSwimming in no direction in particular, Syrinx continues to\nplay her wordless melody, as if trying to allure the attention of any living\ncreature. She looks to the side while still vocalizing an eerie, almost\nmystical song. She smiles as she loops to the side, and began to aim for a\ndifferent destination. \nThrough her continuous singing, she can hear a subtle,\ndrawing bleating of a goat...\n~~~\nMerrick's stomach churns inside him as he looks out the\nwindow. It's almost completely dark outside, but he can still see the man from\nthe beach - Samudra the Triton. But he also claims to be a Coshiton, just like\nhim, and he has a symbol to prove it. Just seeing him... Watching him standing\noutside, looking up to the sky to gaze at the stars, it gives no end to\nMerrick's unease.\nAt the very least, Samudra now has his trident with him this\ntime - from the looks of it, a Noita must have worked her power into a branch\nin order to give it a specific 3-pronged shape, as opposed to Kaiken's trident,\nwhich was a long shaft with two anchor prongs tied to the top.\nAdam walks next to Merrick, holding a lighter and some fire\nfluid. He feels Merrick's shoulder, hugging him carefully, and feeling his mate\nshaking terribly.\n\"It's going to be alright, babe...\" Adam muttered, \"I'll stay\nright next to you... I won't let anything happen to you...\" Merrick takes a few\nshaky breaths as he nodded. \"Ok...\" Adam took Merrick's hand, and walked with him\noutside, \"Lets see what he wants...\"\nMoments later, the sky is completely dark and filled with\ntiny twinkling lights. A roaring fire crackled in the old circular brick-built\npit, biting and popping on the wood burning within. \n \nSamudra sits on one of the smooth rocks that are placed around fire pit, his\ntrident planed in the firm sand-covered grass right next to him, while Adam and\nMerrick sit side-by-side opposite of Samudra.\n\"So... Merrick, was it?\" He began, \"The Capricorns inform me\nthat you have been proving to be difficult to retrieve.\"\nMerrick's insides sank as his eyes widened, \"Capricorns??\"\nHe said as panic began to elevate inside of him, \"You... Are you the Capricorn's\nmaster??\"\n\"Hahahaha,\" Samudra chuckled lightly, \"No, I am not. The\nCapricorns have no master. Only wards of which they guide and protect.\"\n\"They?\" Adam asked, \"There's more than one?\"\n\"Yes. In Ancient Times, after the fall of the Kingdoms, the\nSea Mother sent the Capricorns as guides to the merfolk as they prepared for\ntheir new lives in the sea. Originally, they were their own species with no\naffiliation to any other creature.\" He explained, \"However, as time passed, as\ncenturies cycled and grew, the Capricorns, though few and long-living, breed\nand live on, and eventually assumed the traits and form of other creatures of\nthe ocean. And now there are four sorts of Capricorn - that of the three\nvariations of merfolk, and the ones who retain the original form of the first\nCapricorns.\"\n\"... But if you are a Coshiton, then how are you still alive?\"\nMerrick queried, \"As I understand, the Capricorns guide lost merfolk to safe\nhaven. But with Coshitons, they're said to guide them to a merciful death in\norder to spare them of the sea's many terrors.\"\nSamudra nods, \"Yes... That is indeed the common belief...\nHowever, the Capricorns are actually why I wish to talk to you...\" The merman\nlooked up at the two of them, \"Perhaps I shall tell you my past... I can see that\nyou do not know many truths.\"\n\"Your past?\" Adam asked, \"Does it tie in with why the\nCapricorns hunt Coshitons?\"\n\"Yes.\" He nodded, \"I will tell you the truth, and tell you\nall that you must know about the waves of your fate.\" Adam and Merrick sat\nthere, bracing themselves.\n\"Long ago,\" Samudra started, \"When I was the Adra Triton of\nmy pod - several years older than you are now.\" Merrick nodded as he kept his\neyes on the other merman, \"I once committed the violation of a Sacred Law.\"\n\"What did you do?\" Merrick asked.\n\"Hmph.\" Samudra closed his eyes, \"It was not what I did. It\nwas what I was unable to do.\" He reopened his eyes, \"My sin... Was failing to\nfind a mate by the 50th red moon of my life.\"\n\"What??\" Merrick looked at him with disbelief.\n\"Wait, back up,\" Adam said, \"You mean you were banished\nbecause you didn't find a mermaid to be your Noita in time?\"\n\"You are half correct - my crime was that I did not find a\nmate. Being an Adra had nothing to do with the Sacred Law.\"\n\"I've never heard of that sort of Sacred Law,\" Merrick\nstated, \"It sounds contradictory to the ideal of merfolk trying to survive and\nreproduce as best as we can.\"\n\"There are similar, same, and different Sacred Laws between\nthe three creeds of merfolk.\" Samudra answered. \"One Law from the Amniens rule\nthat they are not permitted to journey a trench alone. Another such Law of the\nPisciens forbids them from consuming any sort of food from the land. For\nHolsiens such as myself, one of the Sacred Laws states that a merfolk must find\na mate by the red moon of 50 nights, or they shall be banished for existing as\na unsupportive member of the pod.\"\n\"But... That's crazy!\" Adam said, \"They can't just kick you\nout just because you didn't meet the right mermaid yet!\"\n\"They have... Human?\"\n\"A-Adam.\" \n\"Adam.\" Samudra said. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the\nfire, \"My Mother was so bitter when I did not find a Noita to take her place...\nShe wanted me gone on that very night... However...\"\n\"As an Adra,\" Merrick said, \"You were entitled to a second\nchance. Just as the Triton and the Noita.\" Samudra closed his eyes and nodded.\n\"Yes. It was all for naught though... For the next red moon,\nthe 51st of my life, I did not find a mermaid to bond with me.\" He\nlooked back up, \"And so I was exiled from my pod.\"\n\"That's awful...\" Adam commented.\n\"Indeed...\" Samudra said, \"Isolated, alone, I swam in the open\nocean, with my Mother's power still burning in my hand from the mark she\nbranded on my flesh. I did not know where to go, who would have me, a rogue\namong merfolk...\" Samudra rubbed his left thumb around the halved moon image on\nhis palm.\n\"It was not long, however,\" Samudra looked up, \"Before a\nCapricorn found its way to me. Out from the endless abyss of the sea, came this\nstrange creature. When it came to me, it nuzzled my hand, the one that holds\nthe emblem of my sin.\" Samudra's fingers closed in on his hand, \"It knew I was\nalone, it felt my soul to be earnest and desperate to be protected in numbers...\"\nSamudra held at his wrist, \"No sooner did the Capricorn come to me, when a\nfully grown Nalcious Eel swam right beside me.\"\nMerrick gasped from that, while Adam wasn't so sure what he\nmeant, \"The Nalcious Eels are said to be the most sinister and malevolent of\ncreatures in the ocean... Even an infant would devour an adult merfolk without\nhesitation. And yet, it bypassed me and the Capricorn, as if we were a reef to\navoid.\"\nThe merman's green eyes looked up to the two males, \"The\nCapricorn did not come to guide me to my end. It saved me from a violent demise\njust by arriving.\n\"Though I had nothing to offer the Capricorn, no treasures\nor reward to give to it, no reason to tribute for it to have more to do with my\nforsaken existence, the Capricorn never left my side.\" Samudra continued with a\nstrong presence inside of him, \"The Capricorn never guided me anywhere -\ninstead, it followed me. It would not abandon a merman that was cast out by a\nridiculous law. A Capricorn never fears the ocean, for nothing can find one\nexcept for those it seeks.\n\"I once considered starting life anew on land - despite my\nloyal friend, I admit of being curious of how I would fair.\" He chuckled\nlightly, \"Needless to say my venture on dry ground was not as favorable as I\nmay have thought. Moving about was nearly impossible on it's own, let alone\ntrying to discern food from naught. Even then, it did not take long to realize\nthat I could not survive on the land...\" Samudra shook his head, \"After stranding\nmyself on land for 18 suns, I was near death...\" His eyes cast down before the\nfire, \"I have never felt so weak and alienated.\" He looked back up, \"So I\nreturned to the sea, where the Capricorn was waiting for me to return, looking\nas if it had won a wager.\n\"After a short time has passed, a red moon once again\nappeared in the sky - my 52nd red moon.\" He smirked weakly as he\ncontinued to look at the fire, \"You can imagine how I felt. I felt as if I was\nbeing forced to forgo what humans call a Holiday. Because of what happened, I\nfelt as if I was not meant to find love...\" He looked up at Merrick, \"That is\nuntil the waves of fate graced me with yet another blessing in my cursed\nbeginning.\n\"As you know, under a red moon, pods of merfolk gather, of\ntheir own respective creed. I happened upon a gathering of Piscien pods. I have\nnever seen so many Pisciens in one place. They looked so vibrant and wild, all\nof them in a dance of passion - exactly how I have danced for 51 red moons...\n\"As I watched, an amazing thing had happened to me...\" He\nlooked at both of his hands, \"Before I have even realized it, I was glowing\nwith the light of the Sea Mother's love. At the time, my eyes were looking upon\na Lionfish mermaid. Her body was shimmering with the same aura as mine, and her\neyes were looking directly into mine.\"\nSamudra continued on, \"I had finally found my mate. My one,\ntrue love. It did not matter that I was already banished, or the irony of\nfinding my mate after eight moons of being forsaken by my pod, not even the\nfact that she was a completely different race than me. The heart of the Sea\nMother gave me perfect clarity when I found my mate.\"\n\"So...\" Merrick said, \"Your love?\"\n\"Yes...\" Samudra nodded, \"She was a normal mermaid when we\nfell in love. However, as a Triton, my bond forever blessed her with the grace\nand power of the Sea Mother, and transcended her into a Noita.\"\n\"I imagine that must've complicated things a little...\" Adam\nsaid.\n\"I believe so,\" Samudra said, \"A Piscien and a Holsien - two\ndifferent kinds becoming mates is a Sacred Law that is shared by all three\nraces of merfolk. Once the red moon had ended, she declared to her entire pod\nthat she was leaving them.\" Adam and Merrick looked surprised, \"She had the\ncourage to denounce herself to the pod for being in love with a Holsien, that\nshe did not care about the consequences or judgments of her pod, but would not\nallow the Sacred Laws to keep herself from me...\n\"And so my mate, Vanora, was exiled from her pod - on the\nbasis of having broken two Sacred Laws, as a Noita.\"\n\"Wait, TWO laws?\" Adam asked.\n\"One,\" Samudra held up his index finger, \"For Forbidden\nLove. And Two,\" He extended his middle finger, \"For Abandoning One's Pod.\"\nSamudra put his arm back down, \"The Noita of her pod branded her with the\nsymbol of the latter, to her dismay, as she would rather be known for leaving\nher family for love.\"\n\"Despite everything I had felt, and how I was trying to\nendure my new change in life, I had my very own mate, who chose to brave the\nocean with me of her own free will, along with my ever loyal companion, the\nCapricorn. I felt that as long as I had those two with me, my existence was\nmore than bearable.\n\"Many moons later, me, Vanora, and the Capricorn found a\nlone Amnien mermaid, along with yet another Capricorn that featured mammal-type\nattributes. She was banished from her pod for the crime of hunting without\npermission for a total of 10 warnings. She too had nowhere to go.\" Samudra's\nvoice darkened, \"Shunned by her own kin over a trivial matter...\n\"I could not allow her to endure an undeserved fate, so I\nwelcomed her to come along with me and Vanora...\n\"Moons passed,\" He continued, \"One day, we found a young\nHolsien who was exiled for killing member of his own pod. We decided to give\nhim a second chance, and he too traveled with us. And then a fish-like\nCapricorn was found protecting an injured Piscien, whom we found out was also\nbanished from her pod for the crime of challenging the Triton of her pod.\n\"One after another over time, the rare Capricorns eventually\nstarted to come to our small group with a report on a Coshiton they have found.\nThey tell us of their crime, and usually we decide if we will take them in to\nour fold.\n\"From then on, Vanora made me a new trident with her own\npower, and I became the Triton of a pod of outcast merfolk - we have come to\ncall ourselves the Kenovani Pod.\"\n\"...\" Merrick looked to the side, away from Samudra.\n\"There is doubt in your eyes.\" He said to the blonde.\nMerrick felt his arm as complicated feelings whirled inside of him, \"I speak\nonly the truth.\"\n\"... I want to believe you... But there are several things that\ndon't make sense.\" Merrick said, \"Every time I go into the ocean, the Capricorn\nis there in moments, trying to take me away. I have signaled it on occasion to\nleave me be, but they still persisted. They didn't listen to me.\"\n\"That is because the Capricorns are not adept in\ncommunication.\" Samudra answered, \"To an extent, they can understand us, but\nthey can only understand the race of which it most resembles. A Capricorn with\nfish-like qualities can only comprehend the words of a Piscien, or one with\nmammal properties is only able to understand an Amnien's speech, and another\nwith traits of a mollusk or reptile is only responsive to the language of a\nHolsien.\"\n\"But could they not tell that I am a Piscien? So they would\ngo and find one that would understand me?\"\n\"Well to be fair,\" Samudra said with a raised brow, \"They\nARE getting on in years.\"\n\"Another thing is that there's another Coshiton on this\nisland,\" Merrick said, \"A Holsien mermaid. She said the Capricorn came to her\nonly once in her life, and never came back for her, even though she goes back\ninto the ocean as she pleases.\" \n\"Hmmm...\" Samudra squinted his eyes as he pondered, \"I\nconfess... I scarcely remember the Capricorn informing me of such a mermaid... I\nrecall many moons ago that a dark Coshiton may have been residing in these\nwaters - yes!\" He snapped his fingers, \"I remember now. The Capricorn informed\nme that this Coshiton was guilty of the sin of Blood Theft - a Latolcus.\"\n\n\"Yep.\" Merrick confirmed, \"That's her.\"\n\n\"I see. The reason why she is not in the Kenovani is because she does not\nbelong in the Kenovani.\" He said rather darkly.\n\"Wait,\" Adam said, feeling a little offended on Belinda's\nbehalf, \"I know what she did was terrible, but I can guarantee you that she is\na good mermaid. She saved my life as well as Merrick's several times, and she\nhappens to be a close personal friend of mine.\"\n\n\"I do not doubt that her intentions and nature is benevolent,\" Samudra said,\n\"However, I cannot risk the presence of a Latolcus in my Pod. Drinking the\nblood of another is the one and only unforgivable sin in the eyes of all\nmerfolk.\"\n\"Agh...\" Adam grumbled stubbornly.\n\"Merrick,\" Samudra said, \"If I am not mistaken, you were\nbanished for the crime of Forbidden Love, correct?\" \n\"Yes.\" Merrick nodded.\n \n\"I see. However, I cannot see your mark.\"\n\"It's on my back.\" Merrick said. He got up, and walked\nhalfway around the roaring fire pit. He turned his back to Samudra, and knelt\ndown to his knees.\n\"Ah yes, now I see.\" Samudra said as he looked at the\nelaborate heart design on the back of Merrick's neck, right at the base, on the\nborder of his shoulders.\n\"I was also banished for the crime of Human Association.\"\nMerrick added. Samudra raised his eyebrows.\n\"Oh really? You are also a Triton?\" Samudra asked as Merrick\nstood up, and sat back down in his place.\n\"I used to be...\" Merrick said sadly, \"Though that's not\nexactly true - I was an Adra when I was exiled.\"\n\"Adra or else, you are still a born Triton,\" Samudra said\nwith an encouraging smile, \"No one else in the Kenovani Pod is of noble blood.\"\nHe nodded to him, \"I am curious as to meet your mate. She may want to know of\nmy discussion with you.\"\n\"Actually...\" Adam said.\n\"Yes?\" Samudra looked at him.\n\"My love,\" Merrick said, \"Is more forbidden than you know,\nSamudra...\" Merrick put his arm under Adam's arm, and moved in closer to him.\nSamudra's face brightened with unexpected surprise.\n\"Oh? You mean you are actually mated to another male?\" He\nasked. Merrick nods as he rubs a hand along Adam's bicep, \"I must say, that is\nsurprising - I have never heard of merfolk being able to mate with the same\ngender. It is an intriguing concept to say the least. Forgive me, but when we\nfirst met today, I had assumed that you were only brotherly companions.\"\n\"In the human world,\" Adam said, \"A lot of people are...\nBanished for mating with the same gender a lot - we call it homosexuality. It's\nbeen a cause of violence and hatred for centuries. A lot of humans believe that\nbeing a homosexual is an abomination to God.\"\n\"That is very disheartening to hear.\" Samudra said with\nsympathy, \"I have heard tell that humans believe they know what the Land Father\nthinks and desires, and so have used His name to justify war and calamity.\" He\nsees Merrick's blue eyes look into the fire, half-lidded, \"I'm sure life must\nbe hard for you, Merrick. Considering that you have been on land far longer\nthan any merfolk should be, even for a human-mated one.\"\nMerrick looked up at Samudra, \"Wait... What do you mean?\"\nSamudra chuckled lightly.\n\n\"You do not know? How long have you lived on the land since you were banished?\"\n \n\"Almost three years now.\" Merrick answered.\n\"Three years?!\" Samudra exclaimed, \"And you are still\nwalking??\" After a pause, he nodded, \"Then again, you are a Triton; the life\nforce is strong in you. However, even with your bond with a human, I can see\nyou are in poor health.\"\n\"Wait, hang on,\" Merrick let go of Adam's arm, \"What are you\ntalking about?\"\n\"You really have not noticed...?\" Samudra asked. Adam and\nMerrick shook their heads, \"Very well... I will explain.\" He adjusted himself,\nand leaned forward, \"First, Merrick. When did Adam teach you to walk?\"\n\"He... Didn't, actually...\" Merrick said, \"I sort of taught\nmyself... In a day, really.\"\n\"No, you did not,\" Samudra chuckled, despite Merrick looking\na bit hurt, \"It took me all of five moons to teach myself to walk when I had\nthe chance on land. It is not simply learned within one sun...\" Samudra turned to\nthe human, \"Adam, do you hunt in or on the ocean? I believe the humans call it,\n'Fishing'?\"\n\"Yeah, I fish.\"\n\"Yes. I presume you are good at it?\"\n\"I don't like to brag, but yes, I always catch large fish, a\nray, octopus, and such. I just seem to have the best luck when it comes to\nfishing.\"\n\"As if you know where the best catch is going to be...\"\nSamudra said, leaving Adam with a somewhat confused look. He turned his\nattention back to Merrick, \"What about your skills of reading and writing? I\nhope they are going well?\"\n\"Sort of...\" Merrick said, \"I can understand words bits and\npieces, and I'm getting really good at writing by hand too.\"\n\"Adam must be an excellent teacher then.\" Samudra smiled.\n\"Actually...\" Merrick continued, while Adam awkwardly\nscratched the back of his head, \"Adam didn't teach me that either...\"\n\"I might have known.\" His green eyes looked back to Adam\nagain, \"And though you do not know it, Adam, but I can surmise that you can\nunderstand the signals and songs of merfolk underwater.\n\"I don't know, I've only heard merfolk speech a few times,\nand...\" Adam hesitated, \"... Now that you mention it... I kinda do remember what I\nheard...\"\n\"Yes... You do...\" Samudra nodded. He looked back to the blond\nmerman, \"And Merrick. When was the last time you swam in a river? And more\nimportantly, how much bullshark meat have you eaten so you CAN swim in\nfreshwater without it irritating your body?\"\n\"... I... Haven't eaten bullshark in so long...\" Merrick realized,\n\"I never needed to when I came to visit Adam...\"\n\"Yes. And Adam,\" He glanced back at the other man, \"I would\nwager that your eyes can see as clearly as a crystal underwater, without a\nprotective item placed upon your face. Am I wrong?\"\n\"No...\" Adam answered, \"I haven't had the need for goggles in\nages...\"\n\n\"What are you getting at, Samudra?\" Merrick asked.\n\"It is a secret of the Sea Mother's love - a very\nlittle-known fact about the bond between merfolk and their mates.\" Samudra\ngestured with his hands, \"When merfolk find their mates, they are bonded for\nlife. Besides that, something else happens between them: though they cannot\nfeel it, they share and exchange attributes with each other that neither of\nthem could have on their own.\"\nHe circled his hands a little, trying to find the best way\nto describe it, \"In a sense, they... Evolve together, as they stay mated over\ntime.\" He continued with a smile, \"And as I have come to realize a long time\nago, it is no different for when a human mates with a merfolk.\"\n\"It is common knowledge that a kiss from any merfolk to a\nhuman will protect that human from ever drowning in the ocean. In exchange,\nthat merfolk is able to freely enter river water or seawater without needing to\ntake measures to prepare their bodies. It is that moment of affection that\ngives a trade between a human and a merfolk, regardless if they are lovers or\nnot.\"\nSamudra turned his attention to the human, \"Adam, you are\nhighly skilled in 'Fishing' because you have absorbed the intuition of a Triton\n- you somehow know when and where a sizable prey is going to arrive. Your\nsenses are also opening up to the sounds and rhythms of other sea creatures so\nthat you can understand them, as well as being able to see perfectly in the\nwater.\"\nSamudra looked upon the awe-struck merman, \"Merrick, you\nwere able to figure out how to walk on your own within one sun because you have\nmated with a human who knows how to walk, it came very easy for you. As well,\nyou have a very firm understanding of the human language, you're able to\nrecognize and copy the letters and symbols - the very knowledge is born inside\nof your mind without even realizing it.\"\n\"It is also the reason why you are able to last so long on\ndry land without dying,\" Samudra explained more, \"By mating with a human for\nlong periods of time, the bond itself has allowed you to adapt in a way for you\nto sustain yourself longer than the normal limit of an average merfolk.\"\n\"... But...\" Merrick is really at a loss for words... So many\ninformation to take in, such huge revelations are surging in his mind as he\ntries to take it all in, \"I'm always so weak...\" Adam looks sadly to his\nboyfriend, \"I find myself fainting almost every sun, and...\"\n\"That is because you are far past your limit.\" Samudra said\nseriously, \"Though you are mated to a human, and thus strengthened your\nstamina, the sea still calls to you, and without it, you will only grow weaker\nby the sun...\" Samudra straightened up, \"That is why I am here... Talking to you...\"\nMerrick looked up at him.\n\"The Capricorns have been persistent in their pursuit of you\n- when a Coshiton runs from them, they eventually become more... Competitive -\nthey try to see which one of them will be able to bring in the next Coshiton\nbefore they can escape.\"\n\"So what,\" Adam said, \"It's just a game to them?\"\n\"No. Forgive me, I digress,\" Samudra apologized, \"Since you\nhave evaded them on numerous times, I took it upon myself to come to you\ninstead, and speak with you, to tell you that there is nothing to be afraid\nof...\"\n\"...\" Merrick keeps his eyes on Samudra.\n\"You may have already guessed what I am about to ask...\" He\ncleared his throat.\n\"Merrick, I ask that you join the Kenovani Pod. For your own\npreservation.\" There was a pause after the proposal. Neither Adam nor Merrick\nknow what to say - the statement just seems to hang in the air, both of them\nstunned for words, as if everything they've ever known has been rewritten.\n\"I know this may be a strange and abnormal thing to\nconsider, not to mention having to take in all that I have told you, but I\nhonestly want you to join my Pod. My heart feels your pain and the anguish you\nhave suffered as a Coshiton.\" \nMerrick still refused to answer as his whole being seems to\nshake, \"Merrick... How long has it been since the sea has embraced you?\" He\nasked, \"How many times have you lost energy in the middle of a sun? ... How much\nof your very strength left you in all the time you have lived on land?\" Samudra\nlooked sharply at the merman, \"... How much water has abandoned your body?\"\n\nMerrick gasped as he looked up, \"Yes.\" Samudra said, \"I know what it means to\n'sweat'. For humans, it is a normal function that comes from heat and exertion.\nBut for merfolk...\" He shook his head, \"It is a disease that reflects a state of\nsevere weakness.\"\n\n\"I...\" Merrick shook with terror - he can feel a drop start to roll from behind\nhis ear, \"I'm... Diseased?\" His voice trembles with immense fear.\n\n\"But you will be alright,\" Samudra said a little hastily, \"As long as you are\nalive, it is not too late. Fear not, young Triton.\"\n\"H-How can I not be afraid???\" Merrick began to panic,\n\"I-I'm falling apart! I-\"\n\"Merrick, calm yourself.\" Samudra said.\n\"Babe, it's ok, take it easy,\" Adam held Merrick as the\nmerman began to hyperventilate, \"Merrick! Merrick, easy! Sweetie, calm down!\" \nMerrick whimpered and shook as Adam tended to him. Just\nhearing the very statement that he is dying, and this 'sweat' is actually a\nsign of him being ill puts him in a very terrified situation. Adam rocked\nMerrick a little as he steadily eased his deep anxiety. As Samudra watched the\ntwo of them, he can easily see the bond this human has... Mating with the same\ngender is almost unheard of in the world of merfolk, but seeing this man cradle\nand support this merman in a moment of overwhelming shock... It just proves that\nit's as valid as any mated pair.\nSamudra patiently waiting until Merrick's breathing has\nsettled down before continuing further.\n\"Merrick... You need to know that you are not alone...\" Samudra\nsaid slowly, \"In the Kenovani Pod, there are two other merfolk who have been\nbanished for mating with a human, just like you...\" As Merrick took deep breaths,\nhe looked up at him.\n\"Though your heart and soul belongs to your mate, your body\nultimately belongs to the sea.\" The merman stated, \"The merfolk of Forbidden\nLove in my pod live with their human mates, they live their own lives on land.\nHowever, the time comes for when their time in land runs out, and they must\nreturn to the sea. As I said before, however, the longer you mate with your\nhuman, the longer you are able to stay on the land. However, you in particular,\nyou are far beyond your limit.\"\n\"Merrick,\" Samudra said, \"I implore you to come join the\nKenovani Pod. Just like with the other two merfolk in my pod, you may only stay\nfor as long as you need to - my mate, Noita Vanora, can tell when your body has\nfully recovered.\" He can see the gradual acceptance and desperation in\nMerrick's eyes, \"And when you are able to return to the land, one of the\nCapricorns can be summoned by your own signal, and it can take you back to this\nvery shore with no danger.\" He nods with assurance, \"It has become routine for\nthe other merfolk I mentioned.\"\nMerrick sniffles as he looks down, still shaking and edging\nwith emotion.\n\"... You still doubt me...\" Samudra despaired. \n\"I...\" Merrick whimpered as he struggled to contain his voice,\n\"I want to trust you... I want to believe you... I want so much for this to\nhappen...\" He whines as he wipes his eyes, \"But part of me wants to shut it out...\nPart of me is not completely able to accept all of this...\" His hands pressed to\nhis chest as he held back his tears, \"I-I know you're trying to help me...\"\n\"So let me.\" Samudra said.\n\"You... You don't understand.\" Adam said, \"Merrick and I...\nWe've been through so much... Merrick has had so much struggle with personal\nfeelings, along with a terrible event not too long ago that completely broke\nhim.\"\n\"I see.\" Samudra says, \"If Vanora can see you, her eyes\nwould see that your aura is tearing itself apart. There is pure agony where\ntrust should be.\" He looked upon Merrick with sad eyes, \"We can help you heal,\nyoung Triton.\" He winced as Merrick's hand clutched his own knee as he grunts\nlowly, \"Please, Merrick... What can I say or do that can persuade you to allow me\nto help you?\"\nMerrick continues to take very deep breathes in an attempt\nto steady himself, to digest everything he's heard. It's too much for him right\nnow... \"I... I can't... I don't know how...\" He choked. \nSamudra shook his head as he watched the poor merman before\nhim, 'What he must have been through...?' He thought. \n\"T-Triton Samudra?\" Came young voice. All three men look to\nthe side to see a young boy standing there. His body is mostly exposed except\nfor a few patches to cover his privates, and is also equipped with ropes of\nkelp around his body.\n\"Oh?\" Samudra turned to look at him, \"What are you doing out\nhere, little one?\"\n\"I-I was wanting to practice my walking...\" The child said. He\nholds a spear in his hands, a simple thin shaft with a stainless steel survival\nknife tied at the top end. He holds himself on it like a walking stick. \nMerrick gasps with total disbelief. He stands up from the\nstone he was sitting on. \"Nuh... No way...\" Merrick shakes to his core as he looks\nupon this young boy with tan skin, brown and beige hair.\n\"I-I don't know where I started...\" The boy whimpered as he\nheld his weapon, his eyes glistening, \"I think I'm lost...\"\n\"It is alright, child,\" Samudra said kindly, \"You have found\nm-\" Samudra stopped as he sees Merrick slowly walk to the small boy, \"Merrick?\"\n\"It... It can't be...\" Merrick looked down at the very young\nmerman, his legs shaking so badly, worse than the kid himself, \"You're... You're\nalive...\" Sparkling tears welled in Merrick's eyes before they rolled down his\ncheeks. \n\"Merrick?\" Adam stood up, but stopped when Samudra held up\nhis hand to signal him not to move. Samudra watches with wonder as Merrick went\nto the little boy. This child once spoke of a generous Adra that once save his\nlife. Could this really be the one?\nThe boy gasped as he looked up at him, \"You... I-I remember\nyou!\" The child's very voice overwhelms the Piscien to no end, \"I never forgot\nabout you!\"\nMerrick wept as his own legs gave in, and fell to his knees,\nhis hands clasping onto the boy's shoulders, sobbing uncontrollably as he can\nbarely move at all.\n\"Hhhgghhgghhg... \" Merrick cried as he looked into the child's\ninnocent eyes, \"... You're ali-i-ive... Arnaav... You're alive...\" Merrick wept as his\nhand placed onto the boy's left chest, over an intricate symbol, \"You're alive,\nArnaav... You survived... After all this time, you're alive...\" Tears continued to\nfall from his face as he squeezed the Amnien's shoulders.\n\"A-Adra Merrick...\" The boy whimpered as his eyes too began to\nshimmer with tears. Merrick dropped his head and pushed it onto Arnaav's chest\nbefore the otter merman dropped his spear and hugged Merrick. The Piscien cried\nas if... No, it really is an old friend appearing after thinking long ago that he\nhad perished. \n\"You're so young...\" Merrick cried, \"You're still so young...\nYou weren't meant to die... You weren't meant to die so young... You didn't die\nalone... You didn't die...\" Merrick huffed and seethed with overpowering emotion.\nEverything is boiling over inside of him, \"You're here... You made it... You're\nalive...\" He can't stop saying it. \nThe first and last time he met this little merman, he was on\nthe brink of death from starvation. Not a day ever went by where Merrick didn't\nthink back of when he fed this tiny otter, always thinking there could have\nbeen more he could've done for him, how he was barely any older than Savarna,\nand yet he was still cruelly banished simply for playing Fetch with a human\ngirl.\n\"I... I know how to forage for food now...\" Arnaav cooed.\nMerrick scoffed through his tears, sniffling and crying as he pushed his head\nup to look at him.\n\"Yah... You're so much bigger...\" Merrick sobbed, \"Yo-You've\ngrown so much... You got to live... You got to li-i-i-i-ve...\" He gasped and\nsputtered as he can barely breathe.\n\"I'm able to do a lot now...\" The child said softly, \"But I'm\nnot very good at hunting...\" \nMerrick coughed as more tears ran down his cheeks. This is\nalmost way too much, if at all to begin with.\n\"C-Can... Can you teach me to hunt?\" Arnaav asked.\n\"Hahhhghhghhhggh\" Merrick cried more as a huge wave of\nemotion crashes inside him, \"Yeeees!\" Merrick looked up with cascading eyes,\n\"Yes I can! Yehhhss I ca-a-an...\" \nSamudra smiled softly as he watches this tearful reunion.\nWhen the Capricorn delivered Arnaav to the Kenovani Pod, he was more skin and\nbones than anything. All he had to carry was a human-made knife, and a spool of\nline. He spoke of his crime, and a Triton who rage at him when he asked for\nhelp... And a kind, compassionate Adra Triton that came back all the way from his\nown pod just to feed and prepare him with a tool that he selflessly gave to a\nbanished meryin.\nMerrick cried for several minutes, while Arnaav continued to\nhug him through his breakdown. The fire has died down to only a few faint\nflames and glowing ember by the time Samudra stood up, and pulled his trident\nout of the ground. He walked to Merrick and Arnaav, and bent over as he gently\nplaced his thick, strong hand onto Merrick's shoulder.\n\"My pod will be in these waters for the next few suns. If\nyou do not decide to come with us by the time we leave, the Capricorn will come\nto you anytime you wish, and bring you to us for when you decide you are\nready.\" He spoke softly, knowing Merrick is still very delicate right now. The\nPiscien nods as he lets Arnaav go, his eyes sore and warm from all of the\ncrying. \n\nArnaav picked up his spear, feeling sad as to how much Merrick was so emotional\n- the innocent boy hardly knows why Merrick reacted as he did.\n\"Come.\" Samudra said as he offered his hand to the younger\nmerman. Arnaav took Samudra's hand, and walked with him to the rise and fall of\nthe tide, stepping into the water, and soon disappearing into the surface.\nAdam finally knelt down by his lover. He didn't say a word,\nonly put his arms around him. Merrick moved feebly onto Adam, and buried his\nface into Adam's covered chest, quietly weeping more as he feels one hand on his\nback, and the other on his head as he holds him protectively. His hand clutches\nonto Adam's shirt as his gasps and chokes are muffled.\nHe's not so sad anymore. But he just can't stop crying.\n"}