LUKAS' POV

I don't know how Feli felt, but I was rather glad when it was just me and him alone. Denmark and Iceland had begun to wear on me. I lead the merman into the forest by the hand, until he told me to stop. "I've never really gone that deep into the forest" he admitted. I understood that he was probably nervous. Mermen aren't the type of people to come out and say "Hey, lets go take a walk in the forest!" no. They liked it in their ocean home where they were safe and at the top of the food chain. That's right. They're even higher than sharks.

"We don't have to go deeper. Unless you want to" I assured him. He paused for a moment then shook his head. "We can go deep as you want. I'm just glad I can spend time with you without those two headaches" Is what he said. I assumed that by 'headaches' he was referring to Dan and Ice. Turned out I was exactly right. I don't blame him for calling them headaches either; I think the same.

I nodded my head and we kept walking further in. I explained to him about my love for the forests and how I found comfort even in their deepest, darkest parts. I also told him a bit about the forests back home. They weren't jungle-like forests as the one on this island; but rather they were cool, breezy woodlands. I suppose he'd never seen a forest like that, because he began to ask me questions of it.

He wanted to know how it was like back at my home. I explained that it was a lot like this island, just a lot less sand and not quite so tropical. He couldn't really wrap his mind around that, and that was alright. It's like explaining the ocean to someone who has lived in the desert all their life. They simply have to see it to believe it. Hopefully, if luck was good, I would be able to actually take Feli to my home. I think he would like that, but I never mentioned it.

After a while, we settled down. "I think humans are interesting. Stupid, but interesting" He said to me. All I could respond with was an awkward smile. "But not you. You're one of the smart ones" He added with a grin. I then told him that everyone could be smart; if they tried, that is. "Then I guess no one tries" He sighed, "Humans really make me mad sometimes. They overfish, pollute, and do other things that I hate"

We then entered a conversation about the matter, starting with me:

"But that's not all of them"

"I know, although it is a majority"

"mm...some do it by accident. Polluting and overfishing I mean"

"Then those are the stupid ones"

"Some of them aren't informed."

"Then that's stupid. Like I said, a lot of you are stupid"

"Theres a lot of smart ones too"

"Not the ones I've met"

"Then you must not have had a good sampling"

Then we paused and thought. That conversation had ended, and the silence was practically begging for another one to start. I took the liberty of beginning another conversation:

"Humans are funny though"

"Sometimes they are amusing. Like you"

"I'm amusing?"

"Well...first human to keep me interested"

"Really now? Wonder why"

"A normal person wouldn't last long with me. That in itself makes you special"

"Not much more special than anyone else"

Then another long pause of silence occurred. We were both pondering on what to say at the same time we waited in anticipation for the other to speak. He then leaned close to me. "Yes you are" He spoke with care, "You stole my hearts. You have to be special"

I was dumbfounded for a moment. I had recalled many people stating that I had a way with supernatural beings, but I never realized that my draw was that strong "Well..." I stuttered, "Everyone's special in their own way. I guess my specialty is with mystic creatures" Feli looked a bit confused, as if that was something he'd never heard before. "Wh-What are you saying exactly?"

"Mystic beings. Anything you usually don't naturally see" I replied. He started to get a bit of a mean look, but quickly calmed himself. "Are you saying that I only like you because you have a tendency to attract mystical beings?" He asked in a bit of an angered tone. Oh...Thor...what am I going to say that is the truth but have him still understand? I explained that my gift with abnormal beings wasn't the only reason, but it probably had a big part to play. I mean...come on. It saved my butt from a huldra and a wendigo once.

He growled lowly at me, and I was beginning to wish I had worded things differently. "Why are you growling?" I managed to say without projecting fear in my tone. He stood up and I swear that I saw his eyes flash red for a second. "Because I love you, and you're treating it like it doesn't matter! It's not just me being a mermaid. Even if I was a human, I'd still like you!" He shouted. "Really?" I asked shakily. His volume had given me an adrenaline rush.

He nodded and put his hands on his hips. There was a moment of silence as he thought things over. "GAH! WHY DO I LIKE YOU!?" he asked aloud out of the blue. I shrugged and he sighed. He then sat back down beside me. In a matter of seconds, he had his hand on my cheek and was caressing it lovingly. "And your face..." he quietly muttered. I waited for him to continue..."It's...cute and irresistible" I smiled and held his hand.

He blushed a bit. "You're the cutest little..." He muttered again, but this time didn't finish his sentence aloud. I giggled, and he blushed even more. "Cod dang it, stop!" he said, seeming quite serious. "Why should I?" I asked. He put his hand down and looked rather upset. "B-Because I can't kiss you, and you're making it very hard not to!" He complained.

So he really wanted to kiss me? Well...hmm...I might be able to fix that. "You can kiss me" I said softly. Feli looked like he was in utter shock. "S-Seriously!? But! But you said that you have a fiancé. You said you only liked me as a friend! Friends don't kiss each other!" He said, almost not believing I said he could kiss me. That let me know that he really didn't understand what true friendly love was. I supposed that now was as good a time as ever to teach him though.

FELI'S POV

Lukas never ceased to boggle my brain, and now he was doing it again! Friends kissing? Maybe I had this friend thing totally wrong! I was thoroughly convinced that by him saying we could only be friends, that I was limited greatly on what we could do. Turned out I was totally and utterly wrong! I listened carefully as he explained how friendship love worked amongst humans. As he spoke, I was only now comprehending just how much I didn't have right.

He said that friends kiss, but never on the lips, neck, chest, or 'lower area'. They do however kiss each other on the cheeks, and that was enough for me! I gave him a nice kiss on the cheek, and it seemed that both of us enjoyed it. "Again?" He asked. Did he really...want...another kiss? "Wait, I can do it again?" I asked in disbelief. He nodded. "Cheeks, forehead, noses...those are acceptable places" He explained. Maybe being a friend wasn't as bad as I made It out to be!

"Friendship is amazing!" I shouted joyously. He chuckled softly. "Sometimes they kiss each other on the arms and hands too" He added. S-Seriously!? That's totally cool! He then told me that some friends even make a game out of kissing. I wanted to play, so we started right away. He simply kissed my cheek as a start. "That's the game?" I asked. "Yeah! You keep kissing each other until one gives up" He explained. That was weird, but fun!

For a while—it seemed like an hour, though I doubt it was any longer than ten minutes—we played the kissing game. When we finished, both of our cheeks, foreheads, arms, hands, and noses were lathered in kisses. "So what else would you like to play?" He asked me. I thought for a moment.

There was a game I played with other mermen called Tag. I'd never played it on the land before, and I really wanted to try it. "Tag!" I said brightly, "Let's play tag!" Lukas seemed to know exactly what I wanted to play, because he started just as I had when I played in the ocean. "So who should be 'it' first?" He asked.

We both stood up and I thought about it briefly. Before I could say anything, he tapped my shoulder. "Tag!" He called, then began running. "Aww, you naughty human!" I shouted playfully. I began to run after him quickly, though he seemed to be faster. That probably was only because he was used to having legs and I was not. So at the same time I was having fun, I was getting training too! How awesome is that?

I kept chasing him until I became tired and had to rest. That's when a very unexpected thing happened...

Sorry for the cliffhanger. Nope. I'm not sorry.