The water rushed through her hair, a smile on the blonde's face as she headed off once again. Each day she left her new family in search of adventure, despite the constant looks she received each night because of those adventures. It wasn't exactly as if she belonged, though, seeing as her true family had been captured and killed by fishers when she was little. She had even drifted apart from her close friend Ariel in the past year, her trips extending from dawn until long past dusk now.
However, things were boring. She hadn't exactly had a good exploration in a while, and it seemed as if ships were coming closer to where she would travel. She had done her best to avoid those ships, and so far she was doing extremely well. She hadn't been caught, and she hadn't found the need to sing her song. That didn't mean she was giving up, though. She had heard of a new spot to explore, known only to a few. It was nearby, too.
Ducking beneath the rocks and through the tunnels, Coral swam as fast as she could through the murky waters. There weren't a lot of creatures near here, and that worried her slightly. If there wasn't life around, who was to say the area she was headed to could even /support/ life? It would be a waste if there was nothing to see, and although she could afford to waste a day, she didn't necessarily want to.
The water suddenly changed from dark and murky, to a light blue, the water clear as could be. She couldn't help the smile that spread on her lips as she moved, pausing to glance up. She could see the spot where the sun laid in the sky above, and the hint of green just over the edge of the water only meant one thing: Life. Quickly as she could, she swam forward, breaking the surface once the water was merely 10 feet deep. Her tail was almost touching the ground when she rested in the middle of the water, and it was time to see where she was, anyways. The second she broke the surface, though, she instantly regretted it.
Before her were three men: Two on the shore and one in the water.
Quickly she ducked behind a rock, closing her eyes to swear in her mind for a moment. They seemed to be harmless, but then again, no man was harmless. They were one of the most cruel creatures on the planet. Still, rather than think negative, she tried to think of how she could change this situation. There /was/ one in the water, and she /did/ want to see this area and claim it for herself and her family. If she could scare them off, the territory would be theirs. Coral pulled her hair so the front sections were in front of her before slowly, she began to peak out from behind the rock, only to see them looking right at her. She had been seen, and long before she could make any decisions on what her next move should be. One from the land waved for her to go over, and raising an eyebrow, Coral decided to play along and swam over, keeping her tail hidden for the moment. Once close enough, she spoke up.
"...Yes?"
She could instantly tell that her voice was already trapping them under her spell, a smirk spreading on her lips. Men were such fools, so easily corrupted, and that made her job that much easier. The one from the water leaned on a rock from the drop, the two above them moving to sit down on the tiny cliff. The one who had gestured for her was the one to speak.
"I do hope you know that it's dangerous for a woman as beautiful as yourself to be out here. How did you get past us lot?"
There was confusion in the end of his voice, his friend next to him nodding in agreement. The one in the water, though, Coral's target, was just staring at her, and she could feel it. The mermaid's blue eyes flickered over to him, and swimming backwards, she lifted her tail into the air. There was a sudden shift in the air around them as the men laid eyes on her tail. However, it wasn't a good shift. Before she knew it, the two above were snickering, grinning down at her. The one in the water merely smiled a crooked grin at her. Suddenly Coral wasn't smirking anymore. She was /proud/ of what she was. Why were they laughing? Unfortunately, she got her answer shortly after.
"Oi! Look what we've got here! A real mermaid. What's wrong, sweetie? Can't get your footing on this whole three-men-one-mermaid thing?"
"Don't forget to duck underwater? You might forget how'ta breathe!"
They were drunk. The two up top were nearly toppling over as they continued shooting insults at her, and she could feel her blood starting to boil. Still, it wasn't until the one in the water with her spoke that she reached her final nerve.
"Tell me. What's it like to never know what a /real/ man is like?"
Instantly her eyes shot from the two laughing over to the grinning man. However, rather than glare at him, her expression was soft. That was just the line that she could use against him, and she hadn't even had to fuel it with her own voice. She knew very well what a 'real' man was like, and they were the murderers. Slowly, she began to swim over to him, his grin only widening as he saw her hair move aside. Once Coral was close enough, or rather too close, she grabbed onto his shirt with both hands, slowly starting to pull him out towards the sea. Her voice was soft, barely loud enough for the other two to hear her.
"If you wanted to swim with me, you could have just asked. Better hold your breath..."
Without warning, she pulled him underwater, her grip on his clothing changing to his arms. He tried to escape, but she didn't let him, her eyes glowing brightly under the water as she hissed at him. He screamed underwater the second he saw her fangs, all of his air escaping him. That was just what she had been hoping for. Swimming off as fast as she could, she dragged him down into the murky depths where she had just returned from. Her eyes kept flickering to him, though, watching every last bit of life escape him as his lungs filled with the water around them. Once he stopped struggling, though, she stared at him, his body limp and heavy. He was dead. That didn't stop Coral, though. Swimming back to the area she had just dragged him from, she threw his lifeless body onto the laps of his friends. They screamed, and trying to revive him, their drunken bodies began to shake. One even got sick into the water, Coral turning away in disgust. Without a word, the two dragged his body away, hurrying out of there as fast as they could. The area was hers.
But where even /was/ the area?
Finally, Coral could look. Turning her eyes to the shore, she smiled as she saw hundreds of flowers spotting the cliff slide. There was a small section of sand along the edge further down, too, where a small bush laid. In the water, rocks laid out, perfect for sunbathing with her family, something she knew Ariel would love to see. Backing out slowly, Coral took a deep breath. This area was /hers/ to share with who /she/ wanted, and that would be Ariel alone. She deserved to see his little paradise, anyways. Coral glanced up to the sky, grinning as big as she could before letting out a giggle and diving back into the water, swimming home as fast as she could.
