Icy Grave

'Scary! … Mommy, I am scared! … Hurts… can't breathe…'

'…ma-ma? … MAMAAA!'

'AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!'

Palina woke up with a loud gasp and a jolt of panic, tears streamed down her face. She hiccupped and tried to wipe the still leaking tears.

"Ruuu…?" – Growlithe stirred.

It got up and approached her, sniffing at her face and a sad look in its currently visible eye.

"S-sorry. Did- did I wake you?"

Palina shifted in the shallow pool of water she was sleeping in, she pushed herself to the shore, where Growlithe was pacing in worry. She was a mess- red puffy eyes, hair let down, wet and messed up from the fitful sleep, dark circles around her eyes and pale face.

It wanted to go and comfort her but it was still afraid to go into the water. Finally, after she reached the shore, it jumped in her arms and started licking her cheek, whining softly. She hugged him tightly as she tried to calm down from the nightmare.

=== Next morning, the coast ===

Iscan was panting, slumped over a rock on the sand.

"I… am dying… have mercy, oh great Sinnoh!"

*Splaaash~*

Suddenly water was thrown over him, making the merman jump in the air in fright and fall off the rock. In panic he jumped a few more times, flopping on the sand and making a great impression of a carp on the shore.

"Wha-! Gha… P-Palina?!" finally he noticed the Pearl clan Warden "D-don't scare me like that! I thought some of the ghostly apparitions had come to finish the job!" – Iscan looked around nervously, his fins quivering.

"Come on, Iscan, there are no ghosts here to get you." – Palina smiles a bit at the other mer's antics.

"I swear there are! I heard them last night while looking for ingredients for Lord Basculegion's favorite snack! I was making my way through the cliffside rocks when I saw an eerie glow in the distance and heard snickering! There were ghosts!"

"Yeah, yeah, I believe you." She moved closer and pushed him towards the sea "Now go in and have a good soak, you've dried yourself quite a bit from falling asleep on this rock last night. It was quite hot after all."

Iscan propped himself up and reluctantly headed towards the gently splashing waves. Just as his fingers touched the cool, soothing water, he stopped and looked back at his fellow Warden.

He had known Palina for the past 6 years, them becoming Wardens in the same year, something that happened quite rare. His father had stepped down, Iscan taking the position and Palina was chosen by Lord Arcanine when his previous warden got too old to keep up with the energetic fire wolf. At first the situations were tense- two new wardens, one of them scared of the dark and the other unprepared for the position. They were cautious, a bit mistrustful due to their clans' bad history but soon they started knowing each other. A greeting here, a shy wave there, sometimes they'd rest in the shallow bay, laying underneath the waves as the hot summer sun was not kind to a fish and a seal.

She learned of his phobia of the dark, ghosts and anything that looked remotely scary, she found it ironic because Basculegion was a ghostly fish that could fly a short distance. Of his passion for cooking and knowledge of medicinal plants from the southern waters.

He learned of her fear of the ice, of the deep, cold waters and the ocean depths. It baffled him- how could a mer ever fear the place that gave it life, sustained it?! Seeing the hurt in her eyes, he decided not to push her for answers. He also learned about a lot of the plants that lived up north and her hobby of stargazing and singing.

They would sometimes even exchange medicine, raw ingredients or even trade rations and materials the other lacked. He promised her to show her the star cave one day…

Now, though… After the accident, it all came spiraling down. Palina looked almost unrecognizable. She barely made the effort to make her hair, didn't take care of herself as much, she was paling, losing bits of fur, she never left the coast, too afraid to leave Growlithe alone for too long, she barely even made effort to contact the clan and if Irida didn't come personally, he knew she'd lose all contact with her clan. She was wasting away, he was losing her right in front of his eyes, slowly but surely. A mer needed a lot of social interaction to be healthy and strong, without it they would waste away and die. He tried, he stayed close, he talked to her, he tended to her injuries, he made her eat enough to not starve to death but it was all he could do, there was only one of him after all and she needed more, he wanted to give her more! He was at the end of his rope, how could he help her when she has almost hived up, how could he pull her out of the darkness that was over her when she would pull away?

He couldn't ask the Diamond clan- that would be treason to the elders, he's sure they'd force Adaman to do something he doesn't want to, and he doubted they'd care for someone of the Pearl clan, even if they are a Warden.

He couldn't go to the Pearl clan- he didn't know how to contact them and approaching them without permission might spark another conflict, not to mention he was not used to the cold waters of their territory.

Iscan needed help, the problem was he didn't know where to get it.

With a tired sigh he slipped under the waves and soon disappeared from sight.

What he didn't see was Palina's hand, weakly stretching towards him, her fingers trembling before she quickly retracted it to her chest. She clutched the trembling hand as if it had been burned.

=== 2 years earlier ===

Palina was playing with Lord Arcanine's pup, she named him Growlithe. Usually, the young of the nobles weren't named, only inheriting the name when they were chosen to be the next Lord but the tiny pup had been born special- even if it was a bit smaller than the others, it had his father's reddish coat and shaggy mane, looking a lot like a mini version of him but with lighter colors. She was sitting in the stream flowing in the sea, tossing a pinecone for the pup to play with as Arcanine slept under a tree's shade.

"Palina!" – Iscan called, approaching from the sea.

He had his clan tunic draped across his chest, a spear in one hand and a Seasnare net in the other, the net full of fish and a few crabs. Basculegion calmly swam after him, a few of his children splashing by his side.

"Hey, Iscan. A successful hunt, I see. I got a few herbs and clams from the tide pools. Maybe we can make something together tonight?" – Palina smiled and Arcanine's pup ran to greet the other mer.

"Definetely- I-I mean, sure, I guess…we could…" – Iscan blushed, his ear fins twitching in embarrassment.

Later that night…

Sea cabbage, fresh crab, fish with herbs and a clam soup – it was a nice, hearty meal the two Wardens enjoyed, sharing bits and pieces with their nobles. The two of them gazed at the quickly darkening sky and stars appearing. Iscan relaxed even more, the cool night air bringing moisture and cooling him down some more. For someone like him, the dry, sunny beach was not a place he'd spend much time on but for her… he'd do it many more times.

"…beautiful…" – Palina whispers as she looks at the starry sky.

"Yeah, you are." Iscan says without noticing "I- I mean you are right! Yes, that…" – his face burned.

Palina giggled a bit when she took a good look at him – he was such a dork sometimes and she loved the way his cheeks darkened, highlighting the scattered scales on them. To her, those silvery scales looked like the stars.

"Sometimes, I wish the night could continue forever. Us together, on the beach, gazing at the stars. No worries, no Warden duty, no squabble between the clans…" – she sighed.

"W-well… the night may not continue forever, BUT I know where we could watch the stars at any time. I found this cave just filled with pretty geodes and it looks just like the night sky when they glow."

"Really?! That does sound pretty. Where is it?"

"Not too far away. The entrance is just a few meters down the northern outcrop."

Palina's expression dropped suddenly, biting her lip. Iscan quickly slapped a hand on his mouth. He KNEW this was a sour topic for her.

"I-I'm sorry. I should have been more considerate. With your f-"

"No, no! It's fine! Really, just…" she shook her head and took a deep breath "Actually… I would really like to see it with you. Someday. It's just, I-I don't know if I'd be able to go there, so deep in the water."

"You don't need to worry! I will be with you and help you along the way. You are strong, Palina, I know you can conquer this fear of the deep!" – he looked at her, a fire of determination burning in his eyes.

"Yeah!" she smiled, her spirits lifted "With you by my side, we'll slap the fear's ugly face! We'll be able to go anywhere!"

They both laughed, Lord Arcanine watching them with an approving look from afar, his pup snoring away next to him.

Too bad the peace couldn't continue forever…

===A few weeks later===

Vicious winds howled, rain peltered the coast, thunder boomed and shook the earth. The storm had appeared out of nowhere, too strong, too sudden to be prepared.

Arcanine ran, desperately looking for his Warden and son. He had been patrolling the forest just beyond the beach when the storm came. He gripped the earth with his claws, struggling against the strong winds. At times he was almost toppled by its force, which worried him even more, how might his small pack be doing if even he, with his large and heavy body was having difficulties?

"HOWWWWWWWL!" – he called with all his might, hoping they'd hear him over the storm.

"-ORD!"

He heard someone calling. Palina was using a sharpened wooden branch and a heavy stone tied to her waist to keep herself from rolling off in the wind. He hurried to her side, scanning for his pup.

"Thank Sinnoh!" she was shouting but it could be barely heard "Plese, I can't find the young Lord anywhere! He ran off just before the storm!"

Arcanine's heart jumped in fright. He frantically looked around when he saw something – something orange in the water! He barked, running toward the raging sea, Palina letting go of the branch and clinging to his fur as he ran. He skid to a stop on the shore, the waves lashing at his paws – it was indeed his child, it had been probably blown by the wind and swept in by the sea.

Palina paled in horror and quickly headed to help the young pup. She swung her tail harder than ever, fighting with the waves to reach the pup. She was getting closer- almost there! Suddenly, a big wave hit her and pushed her underwater.

'Dark! Scary… MAMAAAAAAA~!'

She froze- the darkness spreading around her, the ice encroaching, squeezing her, it was cold… SHE COULDN'T BREATHE! She started slipping away, sinking, the cold depths waiting for her with their mouths open.

"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

With a howl and a mighty leap, Arcanine jumped into the sea. He dove under and quickly gathered her and young Growlithe. He breached the surface while holding them up using his mouth. He padded towards the beach but it was difficult – he was fire and stone, big-warm-heavy, the sea was cold-deep-vicious. His heavy body and waterlogged fur were pulling him down, the waves were pushing him further away from the shore. He was getting tired and losing to the storm, his eyes filled with fear and desperation – he might not be able to make it, he might not be able to save his son, Warden… his pack. His strength was leaving him, his powers useless with all the water around him.

Something suddenly burst out of the water! It was Basculegion and his Warden!

"Grah!" – he threw his head back.

Arcanine tossed Palina and his pup into the ghostly fish and Iscan's arms. The mer held them tightly, Basculegion's scales glowed with power as he launched himself towards the shore.

"Wait! Lord Arcanine is stil-" – Iscan began.

"Goooaaaah!" – Basculegion growled back, it was not the time to argue right now.

Arcanine saw them approach the shore, his Warden and pup were safe, they'd live – he was relieved. An even bigger wave hit the wolf, submerging him in water and knocking the air out of him. As he began to sink, one last thought passed through his mind.

'Please, Great One, let them live long and happy lives…'

==Time past==

The northern sea was always colder, especially in winter. Parts of it were covered by a sheet of ice for several months of the year, keeping ocean life away from the icy winds above. Many would call this place inhospitable but the Pearl clan not only willingly chose to live there but also thrived. Their bodies, like those of many marine mammals, had evolved to keep warm in the waters.

…

Palina was your regular, happy seal pup. Her papa and mama were taking her out to fish with them for the first time. She was so EXCITED!

…

They had been separated. Palina had chased some colorful fish and before she could notice it, she was lost and couldn't see her parents anywhere.

'I'm scared…' – she whimpered.

…

It was getting hard to hold it in, her lungs burned, screaming for fresh air and making her wish to let the air out, but if she did that now, she'd drown! Papa was trying to break a hole in the thick sheet of ice cutting them off from the surface. While searching for her, the air hole had frozen over. Her mother held her close and cooed at her softly, trying to calm her panicking and hurting child.

"Hold on a bit longer sweetie, mommy is here…"

…

Everything had gone dark. She wasn't feeling good, she just… wanted to… sleep…

Suddenly, some air got into her mouth, it was not the fresh air from surfacing but it stopped the burning in her chest. She opened her eyes to her mother's smiling face. Palina was confused, why weren't they out? Her mother hugged her tight as she heard her father furiously hitting the ice and cursing. Her mother held the hug until Palina felt her slip and sink.

"Mama? What's wrong? Mama?!"

Her mother wouldn't respond, not even if she shook her. Her father finally broke through and grabbed her, dragging the small girl to the surface.

"Ma-ma? … MAMAAA!" – she cried and screamed as she tried to reach her mother's sinking body but her father held her tight.

…

The cold wind beat on her small shivering form, she was crying her eyes out. All alone, ice surrounding her on all sides. Cold, ice tendrils wrapped around her, holding her in place, ice mountains loomed over her, as if they were giants leering at her misery as they watched from above. She struggled but couldn't move. Her mother, Growlithe, Arcanine, Iscan… everyone! The darkness of the depths peered from the huge hole in the ice as it swallowed everything dear to her, while she was forced to helplessly watch.

"It's all your fault!" – her father's voice screamed over the wind.

She looked up from the darkness and saw him scream in rage at her before he turned into ice and crumbled to pieces.

*CRACK!*

The hole started to close and she struggled even more, desperate to reach it and pull everyone out but her icy confines wouldn't let her go. The icy teeth were shutting close, Lord Arcanine's eyes burning holes into her, looking disappointed at her incompetence.

"I shouldn't have chosen you!"

Finally, the ice closed, leaving her separated from all she loved, just because she couldn't do anything, because she couldn't move! She screamed.

==End==

Palina woke up with a gasp, something wet surrounding her. She screamed and scrambled out of the shallow pool of water like her life depended on it. Then, thunder boomed and something small and furry bumped into her, whining. It was Growlithe – the small pup was shivering, scared and a bit hurt but alive and well. She hugged him, grounding herself in his warm fur.

Slowly, memories came to her… Her lord was not here, he was gone and it was all her fault. If she had been better, if the lord had chosen someone that wasn't broken like her- a merperson fearing going in deep waters, none of this would have happened.

She always messed up, her Lord was dead because of her, just how her mother died because of her. He probably laid in the dark, cold depths of the sea, just how her mother sank into her icy grave so many years ago…