Chapter 4

Acceptance

Everyone froze as the dark mer came to life. No one dared move less the creature turned to lash out at them. Sam stared on in horror, dreading that the next moment would be her last. Why had she been so stupid to just run up to the mer like it was her best friend? This was a foreign unknown species to them, a creature of myth that no one knew anything about, and she'd just waltzed right up to the beast's unconscious form.

Now she was stuck with the predicament of getting herself out of this situation. The mer's gaze was fixated directly on her. If she moved even slightly wrong it could be the end of her. The beast could leap of the table and savagely tear her apart. They didn't even know what he ate, there was a strong chance he probably would consider them prey. At least the old myths told of them luring men from their boats and devouring them. She wondered just how much of it was true…

Knowing she had to get out of the situation one way or another, she made to hesitantly remove her hands from the animal. The farther she was from strike range the better off she was. As it was fearfully expected, the moment she let her hand pass by his head, he'd immediately fixated on it. The sudden motion caused Sam to spook and jerk away and it was then that the mer lunged.

She screamed, tumbling back onto the floor. The others quickly came to her aid, pulling her away from the mer; her uncle being the first to check for injuries. Overall she was fine, just spooked, though her wrist did show the signs of teeth, it was thankfully not deep.

Sam hadn't even noticed her uncle or the other's move to try and save her. Her gaze had fixated on the animal in front of her. The mer lay upon the table, his form twisted from how he had arched upwards at her, his head hanging over the edge of the slab. But that wasn't the mer himself that had her true attention, it was the bracelet clamped in the creature's jaws. She heard the resounding snap of the shell between its teeth, before the mer dropped the trinket with a look of disappointment; tongue hanging out of his mouth hungrily.

She continued to stare on in silence, ignoring the cries of the men around her, before the observation clicked with her mind. She rose abruptly, startling the others as she made a beeline out of the room and down the hall her mind set on its goal. Nate followed after her, continuing to call her name, but she ignored him. It wasn't until he'd grabbed her by the arm that she whirled on him.

"Sam, wait. You were bit and it needs to be treated immediately!" He attempted to calm her, hoping that he could get some sense into what he thought was panic. But the look she gave him quickly had him unhanding her.

"I'm fine, it's only a scratch," She turned and continued to wander down the hall.

"Sam, wait! Where are you going?!"

He called after her as she continued to strode down the halls, poking her head into different rooms looking for something. By the third door, she finally acknowledged him once more.

"Where's the kitchen in this place?"

Nate blinked, seeming taken aback by the sudden question. She'd been attacked only a minute ago and she was suddenly interested in food. He couldn't fathom what had gotten into her, "Sam.. Why are you…"

He was cut off by the slam of a door as the young woman continued off down another corridor. A sigh graced his lips before he trailed on after her. She hadn't shown signs of going into shock, but he still had to ensure that she was going to be alright. Upon finding her again, she'd successfully made her way into the cafeteria kitchens and was scouring the shelves, much to the displeasure of the cooks.

"Sam, will you please explain to me what is going on?"

"Didn't you see what was in his mouth?" She answered with a question of her own, her focus still on running through the shelves. Her uncle, however just gave her an exasperated look, which was enough of an answer for her to continue, "I bought one of those gift shop bracelets. He was trying to eat the shell. I think you've been trying to feed him the wrong thing."

The young scientist blinked before the thought clicked in his mind. He couldn't help but shake his head in slight amusement. She truly was a scientist at heart, even whilst bitten by the animal, she was still only thinking of what it needed. He then turned to look over the shelves himself after dismissing the distraught kitchen crew, looking over the jars and cans, figuring out what she was looking for.

"So you think our mer is a shellfish fiend?" He mused, picking up a jar of clam juice from the top shelf.

"I can only hope so…" Taking the jar from him, she set about finding the minced clams amongst other related seafood and mixing them into a small pot upon the stove.

"I'm not sure he likes his food cooked…"

She simply frowned at him and turned back towards prepping the food, "I'm not cooking… I'm mixing."

Sighing Nate managed to nudge her away from the pot, "You can't prepare food the same way we do. It requires a different touch. I'll show you."

He smiled, giving the spoon a casual twirl before setting about preparing the concoction; explaining the different nutritional needs of different creatures that he knew of and how to prepare certain meals. He'd also taken out a few tablets, vitamins of a sort, to which he offered her to break up into the mixture. With their resident mer as sick as he was, they needed to bring him back to health any way they could. Once the mixture of shellfish had boiled down into a heavy 'soup' they set it aside to cool, knowing it was probably more appealing to the mer's pallet at a normal temperature.

From there they carted the meal back to the room only to find, to their dismay that the mer was in the middle of a glaring match with the two other men. During their absence, the animal had stirred, and despite being exhausted, was no longer putting up with them being anywhere nears him. From flared fins and bared fangs, he was an overall force to be reckoned with, and the screeches and squawks had been heard from all the way down the hall.

Sam frowned, yanking the bowl from the redheaded scientists grasp, and wandering further into the room. A gruff, "Move", was their only warning as she pushed past the men so that she was the only thing in front of the agitated creature.

The scent of food reached its nostrils, and the mer was instantly looking her way. However the moment he caught sight of her with the tempting scent, he growled, form slumping against the table. He refused to take food from them; he as too proud, and yet he was also so tired.

It was only after the mer had stopped his offended screeching and dropped down in exhaustion that Sam moved closer. His eyes on her with every step, and she did the same. Nate had taken to the sidelines, wary that too many approaching figures would result in frenzied panic. It didn't help that Sam had been so stubborn. This was unfamiliar territory and he was the animal handler, if she ended up hurt as a result, the blame would fall on him, and likely the life of such a rare entity.

"Do you think it's wise to let her do that?" Vlad looked on warily from the young scientist's side. This would only end badly in every scenario his mind played out. The mer was wild and unfriendly, and didn't show any signs of accepting any sort of interaction.

"No, but my gut feeling tells me to trust her," Nate bit his thumb nervously, not giving the man a second glance. His attention was completely focused on the situation before them, frightened for her safety.

Surprisingly, Sam had managed to pull up a chair next to the table. The mer was still holding a low hiss in his threat, but had yet to make any attempts to attack her. She took this as a good sign; letting herself sit down right next to him.

He eyed her warily as she stirred the concoction of clams and mussels; the scent rising up and taunting his senses. But this temptation was in the hands of a human, and therefore he refused to take it, settling for baring his teeth ad hissing when she drew the long silver stick towards him, teasing him further with the nibblet of food on the end of it.

A frown of frustration creased her lips as she pulled the spoon back. It was obvious the mer was starving, but openly refused to take from her. The second time she'd offered, he'd snapped at it, and not in a friendly sort of way. She refused to give up just yet. On the third attempt, she dumped the spoonful of meat onto the table, tapping the spoon upon the stainless steel.

He'd continued to bare his teeth at the offending object, but found himself utterly confused when she dropped the morsel in front of him, rather than aiming the spoon at his face. He glowered at it, offended by it. He would not take something from the creatures that imprisoned him here, even this unusual female. But his stomach was twisting itself in knots. It was torturing him, having that bite of food directly in front of him. Every part of his mind was screaming at him not to take it, and yet wanting it at the same time.

The mer eventually yielded. Its body lurching as he scarfed up the small teasing of food. A sense of shame swelled in him along with the furious hunger at the taste of such sweet meat. He continued to fight with himself as she set down a second bite, a growl in his throat at the action, but with each tap of the spoon upon the table, he relented, devouring each morsel set down in front of him.

The three onlookers could only stare on in perplexed fascination as she continued to feed the once mythical animal. Out of everything they had tried, she was the only one to succeed on even getting near the creature while it was fully conscious. Perhaps she would be the one to tame this retched beast.

Sam could only smile as she continued to place one bite down at a time. The gentle rat-tat-tat of the spoon against the metal surface slowly acclimated the creature to realizing the sound meant food.

After a number of bites, it was apparent that the mer was growing frustrated. He was snatching them up as fast as she was putting them out, and then looking up expectantly as she scooped up more. He'd given up his pride at this point, instinct driven hunger leading him onto an almost obedient cycle of repetition; his only goal being the sustenance his body was screaming for.

Sam had to relent at some point in the exchange; setting the bowl of steamed clam meat in front of him instead of a morsel and watching as he dove in without a second's hesitation; snarfing down every scrap, every shred of food, even licking the bowl clean. Yet he wasn't satisfied and turned his gaze back towards the young woman who had the courage to feed him. She only smiled softly in response, "It's all gone. Sorry."

He didn't understand a single word she had said, and overall ignored it, more concerned with food at that moment. He wasn't done, if anything that had only been enough of a snack to get his appetite going with a fierce drive to feed.

Sam gave a startled squeak as the mer started snuffing her, before sliding off the table and sniffing about the floor for any scraps. Its nose leading it over to the cooler full of fish Nate had brought in earlier in hopes to get the beast to eat. Watching in shock, the mer figured out how to pry open the lid to the container and begin chowing down all of its contents.

It wasn't that the creature didn't eat such foods, but in his stress and distrust, he refused anything they offered to him to the point of becoming ravenous and sick. It also seemed he had a far larger appetite than expected. Watching in fascination as he swallowed each fish whole much like a number of the aquatic residents did; and yet with such a human physique, it hadn't been expected. Within minutes he'd emptied the container, licking over his fangs before sniffing about in search of any scraps. He was still hungry.

It was after a few minutes of his fruitless searching till he noticed the spectators. A deep, snarling hiss in his throat as his fins flared in a defensive display. They now hat a mer running loose in the back room and looking threateningly at them. Vlad shuffled back, grabbing a nearby broom in defense. However the action only agitated the beast further as it screeched and mock lunged at them. At this rate it would charge them, on land or otherwise, it was still dangerous. The vet looked like he was ready to bolt, and Nate was half tempted to grab the net on the neighboring counter, but feared the action would cause the creature to act, and the older man was the intended target.

Sam bit her lip before walking forward, putting herself between the men and the mer; earning a snarl as she crouched down before the dark mer. The creature continued to hiss at her until she came down to eye level. Recognizing her as a source of food, he grew curious, sniffing at her until he realized she had nothing to offer, he backed off with a short grumble.

It had been enough of a distraction for Nate to edge towards his intended goal. However he was stopped short at the look the girl gave him. She shook her head; using the net now would only break what little trust they had built with the animal.

"Get another bucket of fish," was her only request. They would have to distract and lure the mer back into the water. The only question was, how?

Keeping the animal occupied had been surprisingly easy, as the mer had taken to licking off the clam juice that had dried to her fingers. Apparently feeding him and keeping him fed was going to be a large and expensive expedition. But at least they knew he had an appetite.

By the time Nate returned with the fish, the mer was quickly growing disinterested in the girl's fingers. Instead it turned its fiery gaze on the sudden movement, a growing hiss in its throat. Sam just ignored the sound as she reached back, taking one of the fish; the sight of the fresh meat perking the mer's interest. But as it moved towards the food, she moved it back. By the time the creature grew frustrated, she'd give him the fish, and then another would take its place, the process repeating itself over and over.

One by one they managed to lure him through the door and onto the patio that hosted the entrance to the tank. The mer's focus on the fish was to the point where he ignored anything else, including the small crowd of scientists that followed her.

Upon picking up the last fish, they found themselves at the water's edge. Thus Sam had to find another means of getting the creature back into the water. The mer was absolutely transfixed upon the meat to the point where he followed it about with his eyes and his nose. It almost reminded her of how some dogs acted in the presence of chasing a ball…. Perhaps she could get him to chase it?

Deciding the put the thought into action, she began to swing the fish slowly back and forth. And as predicted, the mer swayed along with it, tempted to snatch it from her hands. Right before he had the chance however, she flung the dead trout into the waters, the mer not giving it a second thought as he leapt in after it. Thus they had succeeded in safely returning the creature to its keep.

The next few days had been relatively quiet. Aside from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the aquarium, there was no sound from the closed off section. In fact, the mer hadn't made a sound, having done nothing but sleep for the next three days. It was a much needed rest. From the observations Nate had gathered, the animal had refused to eat or sleep to the point where it could no longer function.

Watching the creature now, it finally seemed that it was adjusting to its time in captivity. The mer was comforting enough to rest now, which was a sign of improvement. But as far as feeding times went, he still lashed out at them and soon it became clear that Sam was still the only one who could feed him. Thus, after her classes each day, she would come down to the center to feed the rowdy creature.

It was a pleasant routine, and the mer quickly picked up on it, causing a ruckus around the time she was expected to come through the doors. The sounds had even carried through the soundproof walls meant to hide him, and people were starting to question what it was. The only answer Nate could give them was that it was one of the animals in rehabilitation, and it wasn't suited to seeing people. It was enough to satiate most curiosity and they were able to continue on at a usual pace.

Passing by the patio on one occasion, he found Sam sitting along the water's edge, just reading through one of her English assignments. It had been questionable at first, for there was the concern of the animal attacking her, but it quickly turned out to not be the case. In fact, watching the scene from below the patio, in the exhibits hall, the mer showed more curiosity than aggression. It would poke its head up at the surface to look at her then dive back down. Just by being there, without really interacting, was enough to get the creature used to being around them. Well at least around her. The mer still didn't like him very much and was antsy and uneasy in his presence; Vlad couldn't even be in the same room. Nate could never really figure that one out; why the jet black mer hated his colleague so. But then again, most animals didn't like the man. It was just how he seemed to be.

The mer's behavior continued over the next few months. From screeching around feeding time to swimming around curiously whenever Sam sat and studied by the pool. To where, one day he even found the mer, up out of the water, sitting beside her, looking over the book in her lap as she read aloud. He doubted the creature understood a thing she said, but it was nice to see things looking up.

Sam had taken a liking to reading by the waters. The turbines that created the artificial current caused the water the swash about like the waves, and she was overall left alone. The college life was tedious, and her studies took up a good portion of her time. Her roommate was overall decent, spending most of her time out and about, but Sam found that staying in her room invited unwanted guests to knock on her door. It wasn't like she was antisocial; she simply didn't like to partake in hanging around partygoers in their bright outfits with cans of cheap booze. Thus she'd found sanctuary within the aquarium in which she worked.

Over the last few months, she'd become more and more attached to working there, and grown acquainted with the resident mer. Considering that she was the only one he'd accept food from, it had almost been fated that she would get more involved and become familiar with such a mysterious animal. She'd taken to studying by the pool, and found the mer would take interest in her when ignored. It was funny at first, watching as he'd dip below the waters whenever she looked up and caught him staring. It had almost turned into a sort of game, until he'd started growing bolder. Till one day the jet black mer pulled himself up out of the waters and sat next to her.

He sat awkwardly, his tail curling around him, and his arms splayed in front holding him up. His head was tilted to one side, making him look so much like a curious child, his gaze looking down at the book in her lap. Considering this was one of hers, Sam decided to see what he would do with it; holding the object out in front of the mer. If he ripped it, she would just have to get another one…it was a used book as it was.

Blinking his big green eyes, he sniffed at it, uncertain of what exactly it was. It smelled odd to him, but it also held her scent on it, so it obviously was claimed by her. He found it incredibly odd that she would be so free with her things.

Sam just found the whole thing amusing as she pulled the book back, grateful that he'd decided it wasn't a chew toy. Setting the book back down into her lap, she opened it to the last page she had read. The mer was staring on intently, absolutely fascinated by the unfamiliar object in her hands. She couldn't help but smile.

"Shall I read some for you?" She chuckled, knowing that he most likely didn't understand a thing she said. As it was, he'd shown no signs of being able to speak with them, aside from the usual sounds of hissing and screeching. So she started to read aloud from where she left off, knowing that though he may not understand her, it was still nice to know that someone was trying to accept you.

The jet black mer continued to watch her turn through the pages, her voice reciting over what he assumed was a written form of their language. He remembered that his people once had words to use, but they were carved into the stone and not the unfamiliar material in her hands; let alone that the language had died over the ages, lost after wars and calamities that separated them out into small clusters, nothing more than animals in the sea. He wished he could understand what she was saying, to know the story she told, and perhaps more. Since his time in captivity, she was the first one to treat him as a person, rather than an animal, to accept him as a friend, no matter how much he'd lashed out in retaliation. He wanted to know more, but in the meantime he would have to accept the way things were and simply doze off to the gentle sound of her voice.