Kouga stirred with a grating groan. He felt awful. What the heck had happened to him? Where was he? Why did he feel so hot and dry and heavy? In a flash he remembered the events of the night before. An event the likes of which he'd never come across in all his one hundred and twenty-six years of life had swept through the region, a mighty hurricane. Most of his kind knew to take shelter in hidden coves, caves, and crevices when such weather was on the way, but it had just been his bad luck that he'd been caught out in open waters. Waves the size of mountains had carried him away from his shoal, and battered him until he'd lost consciousness.

He propped himself up on one arm, realising with growing dread that he'd washed up ON LAND. Luckily his variety were more amphibious than some, otherwise he would've suffocated within minutes, and never woken up at all. Still, the feeling of his torso's thick, rubbery skin, and his tail's scaly, membranous skin steadily drying out under the onslaught of the noon sun was far from pleasant. His long black hair was itchy with dried salt, and his two-and-a-half-meter black-striped navy-blue tail was starting to desiccate. He needed to get to water, fast! Besides, if he was caught by a human… That didn't even bare thinking about.

His kind knew well the importance of keeping their existence a secret from the humans. Over the centuries there'd been slip-ups, and they still featured in human folklore, but if a live specimen was ever obtained, it would spell disaster. Kouga would kill any human who came across him. He had no other choice, those were the rules. Unless it was a small child, whom nobody would believe, he wouldn't have any other options. He cringed. He'd never allowed himself to be put in a position where he might have to kill a human before, so for now his slightly webbed hands were bloodless, and he didn't relish the thought of that changing.

He looked around. He wasn't even on a beach, he'd been flung somewhere inland. It was a miracle he hadn't been smashed to pieces. As it was he felt battered and bruised, and he was covered in small scratches and wounds. He had at least five cracked ribs, and the cartilaginous vertebrae in his tail were throbbing with a dull pain. His wounds would heal quickly in the saltwater of his home, but he had to get there first. He couldn't see the ocean, but he could hear the sound of the waves breaking on the sand. It didn't sound too far away, but it was impossible to be sure. It would be torture, trying to drag his entire weight over the rough ground with just his arms, even as well muscled as they were.

He knew there was a way to change himself into a human, but he'd never tried it before, and it sounded tricky. It was also said to be exhausting, and dangerous to attempt when tired or injured like he was now. Besides, his new legs would be too weak to carry him far. He heaved a sigh, and got started on his journey. After an hour of dragging, and cursing in every fish language he knew, he took a break. He glanced back to see how far he'd gotten. He'd made considerable progress, but he was leaving a noticeable blood trail. He had to hurry before he was discovered.

He'd made it to the start of the sand dunes by sunset. He was exhausted, hungry, and thirsty beyond all belief, but he had to keep going. If he didn't make it to the water soon, he'd die from dehydration. Luckily the small gill slits at the sides of his throat automatically sealed themselves shut when exposed to air, so they weren't in any danger of drying out. Otherwise he'd be unable to breathe through them properly for several weeks when he returned to the water. Still, his fish half was NOT made for spending hours on end completely out of water. He wasn't a seal for crying out loud!

He had to keep going, but he just couldn't. He'd used up all his strength. There was nothing left in him. If a human found him now, he wouldn't even be able to do his duty to his people and kill them to keep their secret. He didn't want to die here, like this, in pain, alone, and out of water, but he couldn't move a single muscle. He felt himself slipping back into unconsciousness, but this time he knew he wouldn't wake up. The last thing he saw before his eyelids fluttered shut was the indistinct form of a human appearing from the dunes, and a young face hovering over his. It was all over, and he was in too much pain to care.

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Kouga woke up, to his great surprise, just as the sun began peering over the horizon. Foam rushed up and bubbled around his shoulders, before the tide slipped back out. He'd been brought to the shallows. He was just high enough that the tides wouldn't be able to carry him off, and his head wasn't at risk of being submerged. His skin still felt pleasantly damp though. He assessed his surroundings, and saw the human from before sitting next to his tail, splashing water over it. He no longer felt like he might die from thirst, his membranous skin had been soaking up water all night. The human had saved his life. He feebly flapped his caudal fin, making a quiet splash, and alerting the human. By law he should be tearing his throat out with his sharp teeth, or dragging him into the depths to drown, but he couldn't bring himself to do either. Not when he owed the youngster a life-debt.

The human startled when he heard the tail, and his gaze flew to the merman's open eyes. They were slightly larger than a human's, and a rich mahogany colour. Despite his age, he actually looked a little younger than the human. His kind aged at a seventh of the speed humans did. While he looked to be around eighteen by human standards, his young saviour seemed to be close to twenty-one. He was a handsome human, probably a surfer judging by the green swimming-shorts, muscles, and golden tan. He looked tall too, although it was tough to tell since he was sitting down. He had shaggy white-blonde hair, and the darkest gold eyes. Kouga had never seen eyes that colour before. He figured it must be a human thing. The human started talking to him slowly, in low tones, and he struggled to pay attention.

While it was impossible to talk in the human way whilst underwater, all young Mer were taught to understand and speak Human. From their two-hundred-and-tenth birthdays they were expected to take human form, spend a month on land every seven years, and report back to their shoals all they learned of the human world. The Mer believed that it was vital to their survival to keep up with the affairs of humans. With a bit of effort, the human's words came into focus. "Can you understand me? Are you alright?"

Kouga let out a squeaking moan, then coughed a bit, before he could reply. He spoke with an accent, but it wasn't too pronounced. "Yes, I can understand you. I've been better, but thanks to you I'll live."

The human smiled brightly at him. "Thank goodness! I was really worried there, I thought you might not make it. If I didn't have my surfboard to carry you on, I don't think I would've been able to bring you here. You're really long! Is there anything more I can do? Will you be okay now?"

Great, just what he needed… an excitable, talkative human. He was barely able to keep up with the rapid speech. "I feel much better now, but I'm too hurt and weak to make it safely back to my shoal by nightfall. I'm lost, and I might get attacked by a shark, bleeding like this. Are there any deep tidal pools around here, where I could recover?"

The young man shook his head. This wasn't that kind of beach. "My house isn't far from here, and our pool is full of saltwater from the storm. My family is on vacation all summer, so you wouldn't have to worry about being seen. I could bring you fish when you get hungry."

Kouga nodded weakly. "That sounds like a plan. How do we get there?"

The human stood, and walked up the beach, behind his head. He bent down and pulled him up the beach, until only half his tail was still in the water. He disappeared from sight for a few seconds, then he was back with his long surfboard.

He put it down next to the merman, and helped pull him onto it. Lastly he picked up both the board and the man, bridal-style. "It isn't far, and you don't weigh much. Try get some more sleep if you can. That storm really did a number on you. You were stranded all day, weren't you? I'm surprised you didn't suffocate or something."

The merman didn't bother to explain his dual breathing systems to the human. Saviour or not, the fewer secrets he gave away the better. He was violating enough Mer laws as it was just by allowing the human to live. By the time they arrived at the beach-side cottage twenty minutes later, he was fast asleep again.

He woke up briefly when he felt himself being slid into the still waters of the murky pool. His gills opened, and he took a tentative breath. The water was dirty, but with mud and silt rather than chemicals. It was clean enough to breath. He allowed himself to sink to the bottom of the deep end, and float motionlessly just inches from the floor. He drifted into a deep doze, his mouth opening and closing as if on autopilot to draw water in and over his gills. He woke up again just before noon, when his gills smelled fish in the water, and his fins felt the slight rippling motions of their swimming. There were three of them, a Snapper, a Yellowfin Tuna, and a young Dorado.

He remained motionless, and waited for one of them to get carelessly close. After a few minutes the fish settled in the new body of water, and began curiously exploring. The Snapper swam within inches of his left hand. He snatched at it, and caught it by the tail. It turned around to bite him, but he gripped hard and yanked his hand back. The force of the motion made it impossible for the fish to bend its body, and before it could make another attempt Kouga grabbed its belly with his right hand, brought the fish to his mouth, and bit down on its spine just behind the head, killing it instantly.

He pulled the fish apart with his clawed hands, and picked the desirable flesh off the bones. He ate the liver as well, but the rest he left to the tuna and Dorado. At sea he would've gulped down his food in a hurry, and abandoned the remains before they could attract sharks. Thankfully, in the isolated pool he didn't have to worry about such things. Finished with his meal, he surfaced. Those fish hadn't been in the pool when he'd first been put in the water, he would've noticed them immediately. No, they'd been introduced to the pool by someone, just half an hour ago.

The blonde human was sitting by the side of the pool, watching him. There was a big bucket of water next to him, which smelled like fish. "So, your kind are ambush hunters huh? I went to the market after I dropped you off. I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I got three different kinds. Was the Snapper good?"

Kouga thought carefully. After their conversation the night before, it was too late for him to pretend to be mute. Still, he couldn't give away too much information. He'd just have to be careful, and watch what he said.

"We use whatever hunting strategy best fits the circumstances. We're versatile. I'm too tired and hurt to do much active hunting right now. All three fish are fine for eating, but my favourite is the tuna. It has the lowest mercury-to-selenium ratio."

The human blinked at him, wide-eyed with surprise. "You guys know about stuff like that?"

The merman smiled mirthlessly. "Humans have been influencing the seas and oceans for centuries. We'd have to be idiots to pretend that your affairs have nothing to do with us. We keep our eyes and ears open, and make sure we know what you're up to. It could be fatal for us not to."

The human's expression darkened. "You're right, that's just being sensible. Sometimes I don't know what the hell people are thinking, the way they treat the water. As if it'll never change or degrade no matter what they do to it. Idiots. You'd think they would've learnt after the collapse of the Canadian Atlantic Cod population."

The merman turned away, looking out in the direction of the ocean. "One thing we Merpeople have come to accept over the centuries, is that humans will never learn. Not until they've destroyed everything beyond all recognition or hope of repair. That's just their nature."

The human grimaced at him. "That's a supremely depressing thought. Say, what's your name?" The merman looked at him, startled by the question. "My name? Well… You wouldn't be able to pronounce it. You can just call me 'Kouga'."

The human scowled at him. "I'm really good at whistling. Just try me."

Kouga huffed, but complied. He trilled high like a seagull, then dropped into a low, wavering whistle like the wind rushing through strange coastal rock formations. "Those were the first sounds I made after I was born, so that's the name my mother gave me. It sounds a little different underwater, but not much."

The human contemplated the sounds for a few seconds, replaying them in his mind and imagining how his mouth and throat would recreate them, before he made his first attempt. Kouga cringed at the sound. To a human it may sound similar, but to the merperson's discerning ears the young human sounded like a strangled albatross. The human refused to give up though, and kept practicing until he got it right. He still had a slight 'accent' as it were, but the sound was finally recognisable as Kouga's name. "Not bad for a human. Now that you know my name, do I get to find out yours?"

The blonde grinned brightly back at him. "Sure. My name is Inuyasha Taishou, but everyone who knows me just calls me Yasha. Only teachers and my parents call me Inuyasha."

The merman snorted. "If you're going to address me by my true name, then I think I shall do the same, Inuyasha."

The young blonde chuckled. "I guess you've got a point there, *trill-whistle*."

Inuyasha glanced at a particularly nasty scratch on Kouga's left pectoral. "Will your wounds be okay? I could try to treat them if you want, but I'm not sure if it would be safe to use antiseptics or mercurochrome on you… Maybe I could ask the vet about some fish medicine…"

Kouga just shook his head. "No thanks. The saltwater will work well enough without your chemicals. None of my injuries are serious enough to require your attention."

Inuyasha nodded his acknowledgement, then stood and headed inside the house. Kouga watched him leave with confusion. Was the human done interrogating him already? He'd only asked five questions, and that was including 'Was the Snapper good?'; 'What's your name?'; and 'Will your wounds be okay?'. Somehow, that didn't seem normal for a human. They hadn't even touched the subject of his strange anatomy, or how the mammal and fish sides of him were integrated.