{"sf1_id":956467,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aquata Cove - Chapter 64","author":"Mirron Tenshi","words":5204,"posted_at":"2016-01-20T08:05:00.000Z","tags":["Mermaid","Otter","Polar Bear","Turtle","fish","merman"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/956467-aquata-cove-chapter-64","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/956467","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=956467\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\nAquata Cove\nChapter 64: Lost In Shadow\n \n \n \n\"No... No...!\" Merrick gasps slight in fear as his squinted eyes\ncan see a part of the sun disappearing into the blue sky, \"It can't be... The\nLand Father's slumber. That's today??\" Merrick clenches his eyes shut as he\npushes his legs to stand, \"Agghhhh,\" He grunts deeply as he barely made it to\nhis feet. \n\"What...\" Every muscle in his body is so very weak, he feels like a bag full of\nlazy sea slugs. \"What's going on...?\" He groans, \"What's happening to me?\" His\nbrain is so very hazy, he can barely even think, like when Yuri comes home\nsometimes from the hospital, and she passes out on the couch when she's not\nambitious enough for her room.\n\n\"Is the Black Sun already changing me??\" Merrick asked with a spark of panic in\nhis voice, but takes a second to look forward, \"No... No, I don't believe that.\nIt has to be in the shadow of the Land Father. This is something else. Maybe...\"\nHe huffs, and succumbs to a yawn, \"Ugh, maybe it has something to do with this\nweird smell in the air...\" \n \nMerrick groans as he pushes through, and goes to Arnaav. He\ndrops to his knees and puts his hands on the boy's soft arms, \"Arnaav!\" He\ncan't even gather the strength to raise is voice, \"Arnaav, wake up, now.\" He\npushes and shoves him back and forth, \"We need to get into the sea. Now.\"\n \n\"Nnngghhh,\" Arnaav rolls onto\nhis back, still dozing soundly in the hot light.\n \n\"Dammit, where's all the energy kids are supposed to have?\"\nMerrick winced. He reluctantly slapped Arnaav's face, \"Arnaav! Wake up!\"\n \n\"Rrrhhhh!\" Arnaav growled in anger before turning to his\nside, and quickly calming right back down in his sleep.\n \n\"For fuck's sake, no...\" Merrick cursed. He grunts as he\npushes himself up, and quickly walks off.\n \nHe hisses as his feet feel the burning bite of the hot\nshells. From what he can imagine, he suspects that he and Arnaav are on top of pile\nof dead Shens - giant clams - or even the discarded homes of rare Goliath\nHermits. Either way, he needs to find a way out of this mountain, and fast!\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nWith Ebba at the very front of the pod, instead of her usual\nposition in the center, the pod follows her lead in a faster pace than usual.\nNoita Vanora can feel the Land Father fading quickly into sleep, and as proof,\nthe pod is already under the vast shadow, still safe within the sea. \n \n\"Mother, is there no way to conjure clouds from the sky?\"\nAdra Nerissa asked, \"If we can bring rain, the sun's shadow will be covered.\"\n \n\"If I knew how to summon a storm, I would have done so long\nago,\" Vanora says, \"I have a distinct inkling on how to call for a storm, but\nto figure it out, I would need time to feel and see the sky, especially during\na storm itself, but during a Black Sun is far too much of a risk. Especially\nnow, when I am not at my most powerful.\" \n \n\"Hmmnnn...\" Samudra leers forward. He really doesn't like this\nfeeling he has, \"Do you still feel them, Razirah Ebba?\"\n \n\"Yes... And I am beginning to dread the possible destination.\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Hennhh, dammit...\" Merrick groans as he trots sloppily along\nthe shell. He coughs slightly from the very strange stench in the air. It's so\nthick, like an invisible fog, it's like he's walking through foam that he can't\nsee. \n \nHe stumbles onward, and plants his hands onto a large,\ncurved shell. He squints his eyes as he looks up, and realizes that it's no\nwhere near big enough for him to soundly climb on. \n \n\"Fuck...\" He mumbles as he strides sideways, and jumps up to\nattempt toe climb over the slant of the shell, \"AHH! OwwfffUCK!\" He yells as\nthe shell burns his pecs and abs. Merrick hisses harshly as he holds himself\nfor several seconds, before pushing himself back up. \n \n \n~~~\n \n \nThe three leaders of the pod make haste in the sea, swimming\nas fast as they can to rescue the two missing boys.\n \n\"HALT!\" Samudra calls out. The pod immediate complies, and\nstops their movement. \n \n\"No... It is just as we feared...\" Ebba said.\n \nThey look upon the vast mountain of giant shells. The Sazae\nGraveyard. \n \nSazae, enormous sea snails that are large enough to be their\nown island if they were able to float to the surface. Though extremely sloth\nand docile, they are also extremely poisonous, though not in the conventional\nsense. While their poison will never kill anything, getting too close to one\nwill induce a comatose state, or at the very least a deep sleep, if one were so\nlucky. Sazaes are attracted to the smell of their own kind, and often are seen\nwith couplings of two or three. When they reach a great age - typically around\n50-60 years, or in rare cases over 100 years - they become even more allured\nand keen to the scent of dead Sazaes, and eventually die just when they come to\na collection of Sazae shells. While not as lethal as when they were alive,\ntheir carcasses still dissolve after death, and stain their shells and the\nsurroundings with a sleep-inducing substance. Only merfolk with a strong\nconstitution and metabolism, or else Tritons, Noitas, Adras, and Razirahs, can\nlast longer than most other merfolk.\n \n\"They are here.\" Razirah Ebba stated.\n \n\"Alright. Hurry and locate them. It is not safe for the pod\neven at this distance.\"\n \n\"Yes.\" Ebba closes her eyes, and focuses her mental ties to\nthe others that are not within the current company of the pod.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMerrick pants as he tries to maintain is dying focus. The\nwhole world looks so blurry in his exasperated eyes. His eyes are so sore, he\njust wants to close them so they would stop itching, but Arnaav is depending on\nhim!\n \nHis head turns, and he lets out a shriek as he fall\nbackwards, scooting hastily away. He was JUST an inch away from touching the\nenormous shadow!\n \n\"No, come one...\" His voice shakes as he whimpers, \"No, please\nno.\" He pleaded with his wavering voice. The humanized Piscien pushes his legs\nso hard to get himself up. With strained effort, he runs as best as he can on\nthe hot shell trap that he is surrounded. From what very little he can see,\nit's like they're fenced in by huge white objects. \n \n\"Ah! Enngghh!\" He trips over a hard protrusion on his foot.\nHe whines in pain as he grabs and presses his foot, clenching his eyes shut to-\n \n\"NO!\" Merrick rushes back up and tries with all his might to\nkeep going. \"Eyes open! Fucking... Eyes open!\" \n \nHe continues to push himself forward, desperate to find a\nway off of this damned fortress.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nNerissa holds onto a human-made spear. Half of it is a thin\nbut strong and smooth wooden shaft, and the other half made of polished metal.\n \n\"This is Merrick's weapon. It was found over by there,\" She\nturns and points to the shapeless mass over a large tail.\n \n\"Father,\" Adra Hecalt tugged on Samudra's arm, \"What is\nthat?\"\n \n\"What is left of a Sazae and a Scylla.\" He answered, \"It\nseems like the Scylla had somehow clashed with the Graveyard, and a dying Sazae\njust swallowed it down... Mostly.\"\n \n\"That explains where it went. It must have chased Merrick\nand Arnaav to the Graveyard.\"\n \n\"Then why would he not diverge elsewhere?\" Samudra pondered,\n\"Does he not know the dangers of the Sazae?\"\n \n\"Perhaps he truly was never informed of it.\" Vanora said, \"After\nall, I was not aware of the Black Sun until one or two years before I met you.\"\n\n \n\"Agghh,\" Samudra frets as he turns to the Amnien Razirah,\n\"Please, Ebba, could they not be anywhere else??\"\n \n\"...\" Ebba's brow remains furrowed, \"No. I feel their links\nelevated above. They are either caged within the middle of the shells, or they\nsomehow navigated above the surface.\"\n \n\"By the depths...\" Samudra groans.\n \n\"I might be able to rise the tide in order to engulf the\nwhole Graveyard,\" Vanora says, \"But I will need you help, Daughter.\"\n \n\"My help? But why?\" Nerissa inquired, \"Surely you are\npowerful enough for this, Mother.\"\n \n\"Ordinarily, yes. But the darkness from the Black Sun\ninterferes with the abilities of Noita and Triton of any pod.\"\n \n\"What?\" Samudra turned his head, \"How does that work?\"\n \n\"I do not know. But I did mention that I am not at my most\npowerful at this moment.\"\n \n\"I thought that was because you overused your healing\nabilities.\"\n \n\"No. Noitas should be able to give more power.\" Vanora\nstated, \"But the Black Sun suppresses merfolk as a whole.\"\n \n\"Right then. Let us begin.\" Nerissa comes up, ready to act.\n \n\"Agreed. We are rising the tide.\"\n \nThe two mermaids swim up higher than the pod, and stop when\nthey were above the median spot between the top and bottom. Closing their eyes,\nthey summon hither the imbued blessing of the Sea Mother to bid the waters around\nthem.\n \nTheir power feels grainy, distorted by a sense of black and yellow;\nsuch is the effects of the Black Sun imposing itself on their power. It's\naggravatingly elusive to grasp at the proper amount of energy to spread control\nover their own surrounds.\n \nWith both of the mermaids' hands glowing a finicky aura,\nthey raise their arms up, and the surrounding ocean pulls from its vast form,\nand gives a minor fraction of itself to rise the tide.\n \n\n~~~\n \n \nMerrick whines and huffs deeply as he can barely keep on his\nfeet anymore. He has looked over onto every part of this God-forsaken island of\nblazing bleach white, but everywhere he goes shows that there is no promising\nlead to freedom. He doesn't have enough strength to possibly climb over any of\nthe burning shells, let alone having to carry Arnaav away from this place.\n \nHis hands slap onto a shadow of another shell. He can barely\nkeep himself up... Red blotches and scraps litter his feet, legs, and hands. This\nis just like when he was locked up in the Agency. He grits his teeth as he is\nreminded how he had to endure that, and God knows just how long this is going\nto last.\n \nAs Merrick tries with little success to gather any more\npromise of strength, he is far too away to hear the distant hissing of\noven-roasting shells being covered by cold seawater.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nVanora and Nerissa grunt as they gracefully move their arms\nin Tai-Chi like movements, bidding and willing the sea to rise further up and\nup, but with little success. They're only able to lift the surface by about 7\nft deep put together. \n \nThey stop their enchantment as they realize their limit,\nunable to give any viable reach to the mountain above. \"It is no use. The Black\nSun is severely limiting our power.\" The two of them turn back and swim down to\nthe pod. Triton Samudra coughs as he pounds his heavy fist to his chest,\nclenching his eyes as he tries to manhandle his neck in a way to perhaps\nstraighten his throat, \"Samudra. Can you recall Guardian Kraken from the\ndepths? Perhaps it can shift some of the shells.\"\n \n\"I have been trying, but I cannot seem to muster the inner\nresonance inside me to prepare the call. Neither can Son.\" He mentioned while\nAdra Hecalt pouts.\n \n\"Perhaps he is too young and you have already used up your\nstrength for it?\"\n \n\"No Triton is too young to call the Guardians, and I should\nnot be having this much trouble to call the Guardian. It appears the Black Sun\nreally is straining us.\"\n \n\"What are we going to do?!\" Nerissa panics, \"We have lost\ntoo many on this sun!\"\n \n\"Then I shall go.\" Samudra said, \"If Merrick has not managed\nto venture the both of them off of the Graveyard, then I shall retrieve them.\"\n \n\"Samudra, no!\" Vanora puts a harsh hand onto her lover's\narm, \"The sun is almost completely bathed in darkness! If you go now, you will\nforever change! As tragic as it has been, we cannot lose you too!\"\n \n\"I am a Triton!\" He scowled, \"I am aged and stronger, and I\ncan move swiftly to find them!\"\n \n\"Not when you are still recovering!\" Vanora argued, \"We will\nfind another way!\"\n \n\"There are no more paths!\" Samudra bellowed back, \"You know\nbetter than I that there is no time left! It is either I, or two innocents who\nhave yet to live their lives!\"\n \n\"There is always another way!\" Vanora shouted. The pod\nwatches as their two great leaders fight, like a clan of children watching\ntheir parents have a row, \"And I told you NEVER to sound your voice to me like\nthat!\"\n \n\"You are not making this easier, Vanora!\" The Triton\nsnarled, \"This is wasting time, I am going!\"\n \n\"I will sooner see you-\"\n \n\"RRRRAAAAGGGGHHHHH!!\" \n \nEveryone flinches as a shrill cry roars around them. They\ncringe and writhe for a very brief moment, before the chilling shrieking\nstopped, all of them soon realizing that the sudden, ear-ripping alarm is\ncoming from little Hecalt.\n\nThe tiny Adra Triton looks at them with his harmless eyes, before swimming\nupward onto his sibling's head, putting his chin on top, \"Sister wants to\nspeak.\" His meek, playful voice answers the stunned silence, as if he did not\njust make everyone's heads ring like a dozen inner bells, with the Adra Noita\nlooking content with the medium to bring about silence.\n \n\"If I may interject,\" Nerissa said, \"Another pod is right\nbehind us.\" \n \nThey all turned right around, and gap as they did indeed see\na new, bigger gathering of merfolk before them. Leading the pod is a sunset\norange, slim-built octopus mermaid adorned with glimmering oyster shells tied\naround her arms, and a tiara of bulky sea glass around her head, along with a large,\nblack and white sea turtle merman, with four old gashes on his shell, a shock\nof spiral shells along both wrists and ankles. Beside either of them is a\nbright yellow sea turtle merman, and a mid-night colored octopus mermaid, both\nlooking like young adults beside their parents. It's a pod mostly composed of\nsea turtle merfolk, with a few variations of other Holsiens.\n \nStrangely enough, this pod is approaching the Kenovani, even\nthough one could spot a black symbol on any area of the rogues. Samudra swims\nup just as the other merfolk come.\n \n\"You...\" The black and white Triton spoke, with stunned\namazement, \"You are alive. Brother...\"\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMerrick and feels tears dripping from his eyes, dotting the shell\nhe is crawling upon, and soon evaporating away. He sees the small tan boy that\nhe arrived with, still sleeping in the blazing heat.\n \nThere is no way out. He and Arnaav are stuck here... He\ncouldn't protect Arnaav... Now he will never return to Adam... \n \nThe Black Sun is going to be upon them at literally any\nminute. He doesn't even have to turn his head to realize that the shadow is\njust a couple of feet away from him.\n \nFFFFFFFVVVVVVVVVVVFFFFFFFVVVVVV\n \nMerrick grunts as he looks up after hearing a weird buzzing\nsound. \"AAHHH! Hoh, haahhhh!\" He yelps and stumbles as he sees a huge insect\nflying near him. Its wings are a pair of blurs as it looks at him with huge\nrubies for eyes. The grotesque bug doesn't come near Merrick, or go away.\nMerrick doesn't even notice the string of small coral twigs being worn around\nthe insect's shiny purple body.\n \nWith what little strength he can muster, Merrick pushes\nhimself over to Arnaav, and tucks his arm under the sleeping kid, and\npositioned his body protectively over the otter-boy. He can't imagine he's\nputting a very intimidating display, but nevertheless, Merrick leers at the\nbug, prepared to give himself rather than let this overgrown gnat attack them.\n \nVVVVVVRRRRrrrrrrrrrr\n \nThe large, jewel-like wasp bug whips around, and flies away\nin a straight line away from them. Merrick sighs in relief, before taking a few\ndeep breaths, and tucks his arm more collectively under Arnaav.\n \nHis best guess, maybe if he and Arnaav can find a big enough\nshadow, maybe that can shield them from the Black Sun. It's a long shot, but he\nhas to try.\n \nExcept the map in his head keeps erasing, preventing him\nfrom remembering just how much of this tiny desert he has explored.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \n\"Brother?\" Nerissa pondered as she watched her father and\nthe new merman stare at each other.\n \n\"What, Sister?\" Hecalt asked as he looked down from being\nperched on Nerissa's head.\n \n\"I- No, not you. That merman just called Father his\n'Brother'.\"\n \n\"By the Waves of Fate... I suppose it is true then.\" Vanora\nsaid. Nerissa turns her head to her parent.\n \n\"I do not understand at all. What is happening?\"\n \n\"You know that merfolk find it difficult to breed, right,\nDaughter?\"\n \n\"Yes.\"\n \n\"Though two births are always a life-bound promise for\nNoitas and Tritons. However, your Father's case is very rare.\"\n \n\"Rare?\"\n \n\"When Samudra was born, he was accompanied by another. That\nTriton talking to him is called Olaroc, and he is Samudra's twin brother.\"\n \n\"What?! But that is impossible!\" Nerissa proclaimed, \"How\ncan a Noita and a Triton have THREE children?\"\n \n\"To be completely honest,\" Vanora crosses her arms, \"I have never\nbelieved Samudra had a brother myself. I thought he was either half crazy with\nloneliness or just trying to follow through with a pointless joke... Until now,\nthat is. It seems that this Olaroc is indeed real.\"\n \n\"Then how did succession happen?\" Nerissa asked, \"If there\nare two Adra Tritons in a pod, how did they decide?\"\n \n\"Samudra was the first born, so his parents gave him the\nrights of leadership - Olaroc was trained beside his brother out of formality,\nbut they never intended that he would assume leadership over their pod. Samudra\nsaid his brother found his mate a long time before he was banished.\"\n \n\"Then does that mean Olaroc's mate became a Noita, even if\nFather was supposed to succeed the pod?\"\n \n\"Yes. That made their relationship difficult to cope with -\nmostly because Samudra felt jealous and guilt for not finding his mate before\nhe was exiled.\"\n \n \n\"The pod looks well...\" Samudra said, \"So Father and Mother\nare...\"\n \n\"Yes...\" Olaroc nods, \"They are no longer of this life, and\nare now in the Shores of Light.\"\n \n\"I see...\"\n \n\"How are you alive, after all of this time?\" Olaroc says\nwith a gleeful smile, \"I thought you have-\"\n \n\"We must talk later,\" Samudra cut him off, \"I need your\nhelp, Brother.\" Olaroc blinks with curiosity.\n \n\"My help?\"\n \n\"Allow me to explain, and please comply with me - we do not\nhave any time.\" He brought his arm out to gesture to the Kenovani, \"As you can\nsee, I have my own pod.\" He turns back to look at him, \"They are all Coshitons\n- we are a pod who does not exist. But we still live, and we thrive together.\n \n\"A Black Sun is upon us.\" Samudra continued, \"Two of our own\nare trapped above the surface, on the top of this Sazae Graveyard. We are\ntrying to raise the tide so that we may swim to them, and get them back.\"\n \n\"...\" Noita Shazde peers her eyes on the surface. She can feel\nan aura that is very familiar. Her glance goes to her son, Adra Komeko, and\nthen she gasps, her mind almost instantly making a connection.\n \n\"The Black Sun is interfering with my mate's power, even\nwith my Daughter amplifying with her, we cannot bring the tide high enough-\"\n \n\"One of these merfolk,\" Noita Shazde interrupted, before\nturning her gaze to Samudra, \"It does not happen to be a Navyn Tail merman\nnamed Merrick, would it?\" \n \nSamudra's eyes widened with astonishment, \"Y-Yes. How did\nyou know?\"\n \n\"Wait, Merrick?\" Adra Komeko spoke up, \"He is here??\"\n \n\"Adra Merrick and my Son were friends.\" Olaroc stated.\n \n\"ARE,\" Samudra corrected, \"Friends. He is still alive...\"\nSamudra gives his brother a pleading look, \"I beg you, Brother...\" His heart\ntightens with suspence and grief, \"Merrick has suffered far more than you can\nimagine - while on land, he has endured much anguish. And a meryin is with him\n- they are stranded together, an infant that still has yet to live his own\nlife.\"\n \n\"Brother...\" Olaroc said, \"You know you are Coshiton... Your\nexistence is forfeit. You do not even have the right to speak with me...\" He\nsaid.\n \n\"Brother!\" Samudra feels a wave of anger hit him, \"I\ncannot-\"\n \n\"But we have EVERY right,\" Olaroc interrupted, \"To acknowledge\nand speak with you.\" He chuckles as he sees he has successfully confused his\nsibling, \"Besides, while you were making a case that you did not need,\" He\nturns to the right, and so does Samudra, to see Noita Shazde, and Adra Bauru\nfocusing their powers into their arms and hands, far away from Noita Vanora and\nAdra Nerissa as they performed the very same technique, to feel and push the\nwaters of the sea upward.\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nMerrick shakes with fatigue as he carries Arnaav in his\narms. He is so, very, extremely, drop-dead tired. It's only by sheer willpower\nthat he's been able to last this long, though he knows the clock is ticking. \n \nHe can only see with his eyes barely keeping open just\nenough to see where his feet is going, unable to focus ahead to look for\nshades.\n \nIn the air, comes buzzing the same giant insect as before.\nFollowing him is a strange formation of pelicans, at least ten large birds,\neach with their bills bulging and swaying, almost too heavy to keep themselves\nflying.\n \nA very low frequency of noises were being emitted from the\ninsect, before it and the birds flew down. The pelicans perch onto the hot\nshells as the buzzing creature dived and zoomed around. \n \nMerrick groans as he falls to his knees, hearing the strange\nbug buzz sharply around him again. He holds onto Arnaav tightly, until he hears\nthe flapping of pelican wings. Merrick opens his eyes to see a flurry of white\nfeathers, and also hearing the sound of pouring water. \n \nHe grunts and grimaces as he moves himself up, and sees a\nsmall, cavernous entrance inside one of many spiral shells. The large birds\naround him seem to somehow pour water into the small space.\n \nPanting with exhaustion, Merrick quickly explores the half\nfull space. It's very, very cramped...\n \n \n~~~\n \n \nThe two Noitas and Adras continue to charm and bid the\nwaters to rise. All of the mermaids from both pods are singing as well to give\nsupport with their own minor influences of the tide.\n \nThe mermen look with anxious anticipation as they watch the\nsurface, going up to swallow the shells inch by inch, at an agonizingly slow\nrate. \n \nThe Noitas strain as they conjure as best as they can,\ngrunting as they intill their very will into the water to bring the tide up.\nThis would be a LOT easier under the moon, let alone without a Black Sun.\n \nSamudra's insides tinge with fear and suspence as he sees\nthe progress of the water come to a stop. After a moment of waiting, he can see\nthat the elevation has stopped again, short of encasing the entire mound of\nshells.\n \n\"No...\" He shakes his head, \"That cannot be it...\" His fists\nclenched, \"We must... We have to-\"\n \nBefore he can finish his sentence, the sea level jumbled\nback up. His eyes beam as he sees the surface rise higher at a more reassuring\nrate.\n \n\"It is working,\" Olaroc said, \"The tide is rising!\"\n \n\"How? And why??\"\n \n \nOn the complete other side of the Sazae Graveyard, out of\nplain sight, an otter Noita slowly waves her hands up, around, and gracefully\ndown. By her side is a thick, bear-like mermaid mimics her exact movements.\nBelow them is a pod of half-mixed merfolk, mostly comprised of otter merfolk,\nwith a few different Amniens. The Triton of the pod, a mighty polar bear-type\nof merman holds his trident as he watches the two mermaids raise the tide. \n \n \n~~~\n \n \nIt's not big enough. \n \nThis small carven is not nearly roomy enough for almost\nanyone. \n \nMerrick's stomach sinks as tears roll down his cheeks. He\ncan't sense any more light around him, and he is out of time, after what feels\nlike weeks of wandering in circles in a searing maze. It's just not fair... The\nWaves of Fate have been cruel on this day. First three Scyllas appear, and\ndevour some of his new friends. Then he gets stranded on an enormous frying pan\nout in the middle of the sea, all the while tripping and burning himself trying\nto find a way to escape. And now, as things stand, he will never see his only\nreal reason for living again... The love of his life is forever out of his reach...\n \nBut none of that matters now. Just one thing matters at this\nmoment.\n \nSniffling and sobbing, he closes his devastated eyes, and\nmoves the boy in his arms forward. He carefully places Arnaav into the\npartially full space of water, and safely tucks the otter merman into the tiny\npool.\n \nArnaav is completely submerged, if just barely. Arnaav is\nsafe...\n \nMerrick bows his head down. He sobs silently as he can feel\na false night all around him, save for the last ounce of light left before the\nsun is completely eclipsed. He shakes his head as he reflects over and over\nagain how his life has might as well have come to an end. Once he's some\ngrotesque freak, he can never feel Adam's touch again. That scruffy, charming\nhuman that only needs to smile to send Merrick into bliss. \n \n\"Mnn... Merrick?\" Merrick huffed and collected himself as he\ntrembles in order to hold himself up, \"Where are we...?\" Arnaav asked very\ndrearily.\n \n\"We're... We're safe, Arnaav.\" Merrick holds back his immense\nsadness for the sake of the young one, \"I found us some safety...\"\n \n\"Can we go back to the pod though?\" The otter asked, his\neyes still closed as he rocks a little.\n \n\"I-It's ok, Arnaav... Y-You need your rest... The pod will come\nto us...\" He chokes a little in his throat, more tears rolling down his face.\n \n\"But... But what if the monster comes back?\" Arnaav groaned.\n \n\"Th-That's what I'm here for, Arnaav.\" Merrick whined as he\nclenches his eyes, \"I keep watch... You just curl up, o-ok buddy?\"\n \n\"Wh-What about you, Merrick?\" Merrick sobbed as he pressed a\nhand over his hot, wet eyes, \"Are you not tired? You can sleep too...\"\n \n\"N-No, Arnaav, I'll be fine.\" Merrick thickens as he wept,\n\"Y-You need to sleep... I need to show you a complicated hunting move later, but\nyou need to rest, ok?\"\n \n\"But I'm...\" Arnaav gives a long yawn, as Merrick reaches in\nand cradled his head, \"I'm terrible at it... I just wanna...\"\n \n\"It's ok, I'll take care of you.\" Merrick cried, \"I'll take\ngood care of you, just sleep for me, please. Can you do that for me?\"\n \n\"Mmmnnnn... Okeh...\" Arnaav succumbs again, and his head lowers\nback into the water. He curls up tightly as he snuggles within the snug\nconfines of the full chamber.\n \nMerrick whines and grunts as he pushes himself to roll over\non his back, so he can feel his body covering the cracked opening. He can't\nmove another inch anymore. Lying on the warm shell, he lets the tears drip and\nrun on either side of his head, sobbing freely but quietly as he can see only\ndarkness. His eyes open as he can see the black circle in the sky, glowing with\na white aura from behind. \n \nThe never-ending shadow gradually creeps over Merrick,\nslowly engulfing the humanized Piscien under the line of shade. Merrick can\nalready feel a shift of his being starting to tinge at his very body.\n \n\"... Dammit... Dammit... Adam... I love you... Please don't forget me...\"\nMerrick wept as his lips trembled, \"I love you... I'm sorry... I tried... I tried to\ncome back... I loved you so much...\"\n \nWith a shaking hand, Merrick reaches into his stiff fishnet\nhandbag, and pulled out a small pouch. His fingers insert into the tight hole\nof the tiny bag, and pushed it open. He grunts as he moves his two-ton arm over\nhis body, and turned the pouch upside down.\n \n\"Please...\"\n \nMany blue and silver discs cascade onto his abs and\nshark-tooth crossbelt. Fumbling his fingers, he finds the one with a chain\nthrough it, and brings it up to his neck, \"Please...\" He puts the chained scale\nup to his neck, and leaves it there so his arm can rest down.\n \n\"Please... Land Father... Spare me...\"\n \nAs he breathes, a white fog puffs from his lips. He can feel\nhimself tremble from head to foot. He shudders terribly as he feels a harsh\nspell of cold surround him.\n \n\"Cold... I shouldn't be cold...\" He mumbles weakly, \"Cold... So\ncold...\"\n \nKKkkkklllll\n \nHe can hear a keen cracking sound as he starts to freeze.\nRabid rolls of white smoke curl from his mouth as he shivers. His toes and\nfingers become numb as they tingle, before losing all feeling, as well as\nhardening and becoming so stiff. He finds himself paralyzed as with chill as he\nhuffs and whimpers. His body twitches in a small, seizure-lie fashion for a few\nmoments before he stopped.\n \nCuukkkkk\n \nHis eyes look up into the sky with his mouth ajar, as if\nstaring at a hypnotic swirl, as he sees nothing but abstract time and memories.\n","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/954905-aquata-cove-chapter-63.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/959646-aquata-cove-chapter-65.json"}