Chapter 9: A Mermaid, a Wolf, and a Swan

Present day: Storybrooke

"This is a bad idea."

Hook huffed out his sentiment between rowing the boat and steering further and further out into the sea. From where they were, Storybrooke Harbor now appeared to be nothing more than a miniature coast town in the distance, the Jolly Roger a small toy boat, and the safety of the docks long gone.

Rayne grunted as if in disagreement and continued to lean over the side of the boat, her white guard hairs up to their max and dotted with sea spray as she scanned the water's surface.

Snow reached over and stroked her furry head. "Calm down, we'll find her," she said gently, "and remember you're the only one who can talk to her. Convince her to help."

"Talk to whom exactly?" Hook paused in his rowing to catch a breath. "Look I trust my mother—" Snow gave him a raised eyebrow and he quickly corrected himself "—in-law with my life but you're going to have to give me more than we are looking for a mermaid. Which, by the way, I still think is a very bad idea." Despite his obvious doubts, he shook his head and resumed his rowing with vigor.

Snow looked intently at her son-in-law. "That sorcerer said that in order to lift Odette's curse we need those who had seen her before the night Derek made his vow to the wrong woman, who knew her before she became fully-cursed to live her life as a swan. And the only ones that fit that description are either in this boat, or—" she gestured to the wide expanse of the ocean "—out here somewhere." She stroked Rayne's wet ears again. "This is the only chance we have of saving Odette and lifting her curse forever. We need to find Waverly."

Hook nodded his head in acknowledgement and continued to row. "Right…a mermaid that you have not seen in over thirty years—" he grunted as the oars went down "—who does not have a voice—" he gasped as the oars went up "—and who might not be willing to help at all."

At his last statement, Rayne turned her head, laid down her ears, and snarled straight at the pirate. She had a long history with mermaids and easily took offense when something ill was said of them.

"Apologies love," Hook quickly said, "I meant no offense to your…scaly friend." He laid down the oars, panting for breath. Rowing with only one hand and a hook was no easy task. "This should be far enough."

Snow glanced around; the rowboat bobbed up and down in a restless sea that seemed no different than any other portion of the ocean front that was off the coast of Storybrooke. Are you sure this is a good spot? She was about to voice her doubts but then saw that Hook was already reaching for the conch shell he had under his jacket. He had opted for his old Enchanted Forest attire of long, leather pirate jacket and thick boots for this occasion because, according to him, the weather on the open sea was fickle and changed easily. Snow shivered in her thin white sweater and realized he was right; it had been warmer when they left the shoreline and now she was ill-prepared for the cold sea breeze that was enveloping the entire boat.

Her son-in-law noticed her distress and quickly set down the shell as he unwound his thick coat off. "Here," he held it out to Snow.

Snow was taken aback by this very gentlemanly gesture. "Really?"

"Of course. What would I tell Emma if she knew her mother was freezing out here?" He did his signature pirate smirk and wink as Snow smiled gratefully at him, wrapping the heavy black article around herself. It was miles too big for her but it was certainly warm. Her son-in-law was always doing and saying things like that, Snow was sure of it. One of the many reasons my daughter loves him, she thought with a smile.

Hook took a deep breath, let it out at a steady pace, and then placed the conch to his lips and gave a mighty blow, puffing his cheeks up to their maximum. A melodic resonance spread from their tiny rowboat across the sea, causing an eruption of ripples on its surface and echoing loud and clear as it called to a specific species.

They waited a few minutes; nothing. The sea remained as calm and steady as it was before, the rowboat dipping up and down gently, and its passengers gazing about expectedly.

"Are you sure that thing works?" Snow could not help but ask.

Hook gave her a look. "I've been sailing the seas for hundreds of years, I know my mermaid magic."

The wolf snorted as if expressing doubts at this statement and raised herself up so as to peer over the sides of the boat, her golden eyes narrowed and her black snout quivering as she took in the scents of the sea. At the sight of a large mass of multi-colored scaley bodies underneath the boat, her hackles stiffened and she stepped backwards into the boat, growling loudly. Despite her long history of interacting with mermaids she knew the dangers of meeting strange ones in their territory and was instantly on her guard.

"What is it?" Snow asked her, briefly forgetting the wolf now lacked the magic to speak.

It was Hook that answered. "They're here."

Snow glanced around and was shocked to her core; the rowboat was surrounded by a floating multitude of mermaids, their animalistic yellow eyes glowing with a feral look and their wet hair cascading down their bare backs into the sea. Despite coming from the Enchanted Forest and being friends with Ariel, Snow had never seen so many mermaids all at once. Even that time that she, Emma, Charming, Hook and Regina were on the Jolly Roger sailing to Neverland she had not seen the mermaids quite like she could see them now. There were at least fifty of them and it unnerved her to the core; she knew what they were capable of if angered or hungry. Worse, she did not see a single familiar face amongst the mermaids surrounding the boat. It was a floating mass of strangers and apex predators.

Ever the princess diplomat, she tried to speak with a clear voice. "Hello there. We are looking for a mermaid friend of ours, name of Waverly." She glanced around the boat, hoping for a response. "We were hoping you could help?"

Instead of answering, the fish-women surrounding the boat simply smirked.

Hook tried as well. "Ladies, rest assured the only reason we would call you directly to us is not to be invited to dinner, but rather a life hangs on the balance. A woman in a half-state of existence, similar to yours. She will surely perish if we do not help her and we need one of your sisters desperately to save her life. "

"Well isn't that a lovely story," came an eely voice.

A blonde mermaid had swum forward, using the sides of the boat to raise herself up to Hook and Snow's eye level. The vessel rocked precariously, adding more edginess to the already tense situation. She leaned forward and Snow saw the gills on the sides of her neck seal, while her mouth opened and took in air to speak. She was not surprised; Ariel had explained to her how mermaids had the ability to breathe both air and water, but it seemed creepy in this situation. The strange mermaid spoke again, "A heartbreak indeed, and it is not one I have heard before, so I give you tasty morsels credit for that."

Snow gulped, this was getting out of hand. Things were fast going from bad to worse for them. "We need your help. Please, this woman could die unless we find Waverly."

The pod's alpha female giggled in a cruel, high-noted pitch. "You stupid humans think mermaids are helpful? That we are friendly, fat creatures of the sea like dolphins or porpoises or seals? " The entire assemblage of mermaids surrounding them either hissed or giggled in agreement; they were edging closer and they clearly were not happy. The blonde raised herself up even further, leveling her head above Hook's. "Don't you think I know who you are…Captain Hook? I have heard so much about you from others." She began to finger the collar of his undershirt, a soft sensual movement that caused Hook to lean back and stiffen with a frown. "A captain off of his ship is a rare occurrence so I will not deny my pod such a treat, especially when it wanders so willingly into our territory and has the impudence to call us using our own magic."

She was about to bear down on Hook when Rayne raised herself to the fullest, snarling and snapping her teeth. The wolf shoved her furry head into the alpha female's face; the mermaid shrieked and skidded off the side of the boat while the rest of the pod gave various noises of surprise. The wolf continued to roar at the mermaids, even as the entire pod retreated and eyed the furry creature with contempt.

"What in the name of Ursula is that!" shrieked another mermaid as spines rose on her back. The spines of a mermaid, ordinarily hidden in the smooth skin of her back, only rose for two reasons: fear or anger.

Rayne's golden eyes narrowed and she gave a few guttural whines that caused the alpha female to back off even further. "What did you just say?" she snapped at the wolf. "How do you know such things?"

The wolf responded with a high-pitched snarl which caused the mermaid to frown; clearly the two creatures were having a conversation but Hook and Snow were completely in the dark about what was being said. Snow could only hope that Rayne did not give into her tendency to be brutally honest and somewhat undiplomatic. The wolf was edging closer and closer to the brink of the rowboat so Snow reached over and gently tried to pull her back.

The wolf shook off her attempts and leaned over the boat further still, placing her muzzle just in front of the mermaid's face and showing her teeth. There was a tense moment as both creatures eyed each other up and down before the mermaid finally looked away. "As a matter of fact…yes!" Without another word, the fish-woman ducked her head and dove out of sight into the darkened sea. The rest of the pod followed suit, some of them scowling and hissing heavily as they left. They clearly did not agree with whatever decision their leader had just been made.

Snow and Hook were utterly at a lost for what just happened; how on earth had the wolf managed to convince the mermaids to help? "What is going on Rayne?" Snow asked. She knew she should not expect an answer, but it was somehow helpful to voice her confusion aloud. Snow glanced over at her son-in-law but he gave her a helpless shrug; he was as much in the dark as her.

The wolf ignored both of them and continued to gaze out to the sea as if searching for something. Or someone.

Snow saw the familiar face rise to surface first. "Waverly!"

Rayne's old friend and the only other soul who had seen Odette in her cursed state now bobbed next to the stern of the boat, her golden eyes sparkling and her smile as radiant as ever. Snow would recognize that beam anywhere. She remembered, long ago that night she had snuck into the ball with Odette, those gilded eyes and thankful grin staring up at her in wonder as she defended the mermaid from the palace guards.

If she was glad to see the mermaid, Rayne was ecstatic. The wolf leaped right out of the boat, straight towards her old friend so that the two of them splashed underwater and disappeared into the sea for a second until they bobbed up again, the wolf licking the mermaid's face in earnest with her paws wrapped around the shoulders of the woman as if they were her arms. The mermaid giggled and accepted the dog-like smothering with amusement.

Hook chuckled lightly, "Well there is something you do not see every day." Snow had to agree with him on that, a mermaid and wolf greeting each other as such friends.

Once Rayne had finished her greetings Snow leaned over and held out her hand just above the water's surface. "It's good to see you again Waverly."

The mermaid smiled her dazzling white teeth as she took the princess' outstretched hand and squeezed it lightly. Though she could not speak in a human voice her sparkling eyes said as clearly as if she had spoken out loud, And you as well, Princess Snow White.

Snow sighed in relief at the touch and the glorious way the mermaid had greeted her. It had been such a long shot fraught with so many uncertainties finding the Golden Mermaid. As her son-in-law had said, quiet annoyingly at that, she had not seen Wave in years and they were only briefly acquainted through Rayne, a wolf that could no longer speak in a human voice.

The thought of the reason for this mission brought a sobering frown on Snow's face. Still holding Wave's hand she enclosed it with her other hand in a pleading gesture. "Waverly," she started. "A long time ago you helped my friend Odette and I when she needed it the most." The mermaid nodded, her light golden eyes intense as she remembered their last mission. Snow smiled sadly, "Now she needs your help again."

The mermaid frowned as if confused, then nodded. She would help them. The four were so intent on each other no one noticed the sun starting to fade as the small but powerful moon slid in front of it…

Back at the Storybrooke Animal Shelter Derek kept stroking the long feathered neck of the injured swan. The good veterinarian had set up Odette as comfortably as he could, restraining her so that the arrow did not move and cause further pain and also giving her some anesthesia. She was sleeping now, peacefully breathing in and out of an oxygen mask and hooked up to a life monitor. It killed Derek to see her like this. So helpless, so hurt…and all because of him. He had seen the path of that arrow and knew she took a shot that was meant for him, that she had deliberately flied in front of its path to save him.

"Even after all these years, even after I betrayed you that night and made a vow to someone else…you still would die for me," Derek whispered to the swan. The unconscious creature did not give an indication that she had heard him and the prince kept on stroking her gently.

Meanwhile Dr. Ameyew returned from making his rounds at the dog pens. The animal doctor understood that there was more to this bird and this man than meets the eye, Snow had pulled him aside and explained the unusual magical situation to him, but he could not abandon his patient even under such circumstances.

"I'm sorry Your Highness," he said softly to Derek. "I really need to ask you to step away."

"I understand," Derek nodded, his eyes brimming with tears. "Can I…ask that you give us a last moment of privacy before I make things right? Please?"

"Of course," Dr. Ameyew replied. "I will be in my office." He touched Derek's shoulder in a comforting kind of way before departing quietly to his back office, closing the door softly behind him.

Derek glanced up, making sure he was truly alone then took a deep breath. He was fully resolved on what he had to do next; he was certain he was going to his death, which is why he needed to be alone with her now.

He knelt next to the clinic stand where his beloved was lying. "I am sorry Odette. I never told you how much I loved you. Your bravery, your selflessness, your heroism—when we first met you I was foolish enough only to see your outward beauty and not your brave, kind heart," he said slowly to the dying swan. "I know now what I should have known then; l love you more than I can say and can ever show you. I love your courage, your kindness, and your never ending strength." He heaved a sigh, the tears in his eyes finally falling. Then his face hardened, "And now—I am going to do what I should have done years ago." He stood, wiping his chin furiously and strapping his sword tighter around his belt. "I am going to kill that evil, black-hearted sorcerer and his devil spawn who did this to you. If it is the last thing I do."

He forced himself away from the table, quietly stepping into the back hallway that led to the exit. On the table, the swan who had heard every word that was said slowly opened its eyes. Had her vision been more of the human variation she would have noticed the shimmer of magic that enveloped her feathers. As it was, she only noticed a tear falling down her beak.

After what seemed like an eternity out at sea, the odd quartet hit the beach. Hook scrambled out of the boat and began to try and pull it backwards onto the sand. It was a rough haul, especially with only one hand, so Snow leaped out as well and lent her strength. Together, they pulled the boat backward up onto the Storybrooke beach.

Hook smiled. "Now that we made it, shall we get on with it?"

"Yes," Snow answered. "And quickly!"

Hook held his hand out to the boat. "Come along lovely lady, we have a swan to save."

Waverly looked apprehensively at the sandy beach underneath the boat, but eventually took Hook's offered hand and stepped onto it with her bare feet. Thanks to the magic of an enchanted bracelet on loan from Regina, the mermaid could now walk on two legs for the first time in many years. Similar to Ariel's transformation, her long golden tail had been converted into a ragged-looking skirt with the same scaly hue as her tail complete with a fine pair of legs; her upper half was wrapped in Hook's pirate coat for warmth. She took a tentative step forward and then beamed up at Hook.

Look! I can walk! Her eyes spoke her delight out loud.

"Indeed lass," he answered, his voice light. "You look a regular human maiden."

The white wolf leapt out of the beached boat, obviously very happy to be back on shore then situated herself at the heels of her mermaid. She seemed to agree with Hook's statement, her golden eyes merry as she bumped her head into the mermaid's left leg in a reassuring kind of way. The young woman giggled and pet the wolf lightly on the back.

"Alright, we have to go to the lake now," Snow said.

Hook glanced up. "Shouldn't we call Emma on one of those 'talking-phone' devices and let her know we have arrived?"

"We'll do it on the way to the lake," Snow answered. "We should get there as soon as we can."

Even though the sorcerer Rothbart had departed half an hour ago the tense situation in the Storybrooke Animal Shelter had not dissipated. Emma and David paced the floors, each checking their cell phones maybe a dozen times per minute, waiting to hear news from Snow or Hook to see if they had found the only other person required for Rothbart to break the spell on Odette. Outside, the sun was now almost full covered by the moon and the surreal shadows of the eclipse were lengthening but the Savior and her father did not pay any attention.

Finally, Emma could stand it no more. "I should have gone with them, I should be out there searching for this, um, mermaid." Damn, why was it still weird to say things like that, she thought. Even after living in Storybrooke for years now?

David placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We need to stay put and make sure Odile does not try to come after Odette again. We need to protect her."

Emma sighed. "I know, I know…I just, feel so worthless here." She glanced in the direction of the back of the shelter. "She should be safe, no one knows she is here but us and that sorcerer fellow. And he wants to help her."

"Well that evil witch somehow found Odette while she was at the station so she might try coming after her again," he answered as he cast a worried look at the exit. "Especially if her father tipped her off with what we are trying to do."

"You don't trust him?"

David shrugged. "I think we should exercise caution." He sighed. "He may claim to want to break the curse on Odette to save her life but we all know love can make people to crazy things."

"Yeah, like turn an innocent woman into a bird for thirty years." Emma did not try to hide the bitterness in her voice. "When this is all over I am still locking him up or sending him over the town line for that. No matter what he is doing now to help us, he is too dangerous to be allowed loose in Storybrooke."

David nodded and then turned his head. Dr. Ameyew had stepped back into the lobby from the back of the Animal Shelter. He paused and seemed to be about to say something when a puzzled look came over his face at the sight of the two sheriffs. "My apologies for the interruption but I came to give an update on the bird's status. Where is the prince? He should be here to hear this."

Confused, Emma turned to her father. Did he mean her Dad?

"No, I mean the young man who is in love with…the swan," the doctor corrected her.

"He's not back there?" David asked.

Dr. Ameyew shook his head.

"What?!" Emma practically yelled. "Then where is he?"

Dr. Ameyew looked genuinely surprised. "He said he was going to make things right. I assumed he was going to talk to you two about that."

"What the hell does that mean?" Emma said, not really expecting an answer but it felt right to say it out loud. She turned to her father. "You don't think he would do anything stupid like go after Rothbart all by himself do you?"

David was about to answer when a strangled cry resounded from the back of the animal shelter. Emma and her father both jumped and then turned in unison, shocked to the core because it had not sounded like the cry of an animal but rather a human. They both raced for the entrance to the back treatment rooms, rounding the corner quickly. Emma was slightly ahead of her father and what she saw jarred her so much she stopped midstride and he almost collided into her.

Where the white swan had been now lay an injured woman, a woman with long blonde hair and haunted grey-blue eyes.

"O…Odette?" Emma barely managed to stammer out. She was having a hard time believing what she was seeing.

The injured woman could only whimper a small, weak confirmation moan. She shivered and tried to gather the blue hospital coverings around her body to hide her nakedness, jarring the arrow that stuck out of her right shoulder. Even that small movement caused her to cry out in pain.

"Oh my gods no," Emma said as she came closer while her father hung back, trying to avert his gaze out of respect for the injured princess. As a swan, Odette had been settled comfortably on the mediuam-size animal examination table, but as a human she barely fit on it. Emma stripped off her red leather jacket and placed it as gently as she could around Odette's torso, avoiding the arrow as much as possible. Odette shivered and tried to curl up tighter underneath the jacket; Emma caught her hands and started to rub them, trying to get some warmth into her.

"Dr. Ameyew!" David called out. "We need you in here now!"

As the veterinarian rounded the corner into the medical bay, Emma held onto Odette's hand tightly and she was relieved when she felt the princess weakly squeeze her fingers back.

"Help her!" she demanded, rather harshly to the veterinarian over her shoulder. "You have to help her!"

Dr. Ameyew was already setting up. "I will do the best I can," he replied as he gently readjusted the breathing mask back over Odette's face. The princess gasped a few times then resumed a normal breathing pace, her hand still clutched by Emma. "Please we need to move her," he glanced over at David. "Can you help me?"

David nodded and came over quickly. Dr. Ameyew started to lay out blankets and sterile coverings on one of the larger animal examination tables, moving as quickly as he could.

As the vet worked, Emma could only stare. How could this have happened? Odette's curse was to remain a swan during the day and only transform at night when the moonlight—the moonlight!

"The eclipse!"

David glanced at Emma. "What was that?"

"The eclipse that is happening today. It must be why she can—look!" Emma gestured towards the open window and, sure enough, they could both clearly see the diminishing light outside. It was not a full eclipse but it was enough to diminish the light of day noticeably. "Maybe that's why her transformation is different." She glanced back at her friend. "Regina once said magic does not always work the way it should in Storybrooke and maybe she has been able to transform outside of the lake and that's why we could never find her."

"Please!" Dr. Ameyew spoke up. "This woman needs a hospital, not an animal clinic. Someone should call an ambulance and you sir—" he spoke directly to David as he gently removed the breathing mask from over Odette's face "—I need you to move her over onto another table. We need to get that arrow out of her."

"Right, of course," David quickly answered as he placed himself next to Odette at the table. She glanced up at him, her eyes full of dread. She knew that what he was about to do was going to hurt her, a lot.

He knew it as well. "I am so sorry," he whispered to the swan princess. As gently as humanly possible, he slid his hands underneath Odette's shoulders and knees, cradling her into his arms as if she weighed nothing. The princess whimpered at his touch but did not cry out loud as she reached her other arm over and clung to David's broad shoulders while he carried her, Emma right next to him.

"You're going to be okay Odette," she kept saying to her injured friend. "You're going to be alright."

Ever so gently, David set the woman down on the examination table Dr. Ameyew had set up. Odette let go of his shoulder and carefully placed her arm down, trying to shield herself from sight as best she could. Modesty was the last thing anyone was thinking about but she still felt the need to cover herself as much as possible until Dr. Ameyew gently placed a heated blanket and more hospital coverings over her. He then applied a local anesthetic and slipped on some hospital gloves.

"You two should probably leave," he said as he prepared further. "This is not going to be pleasant."

"Hell no, I am not leaving her," Emma said firmly. She had taken Odette hand in her own again and was relieved to feel a slight pressure in it, indicating that the swan princess had heard her words. But she seemed to be struggling with saying something. Gasping a bit, she struggled to drawn in a full breath through the pain.

"Derek…he is…gone," Odette managed to get out.

"We know," Emma replied. "We are working on getting your curse lifted long enough for him to give you True Love's Kiss so we need to know where he has gone."

Odette whimpered. "He is going after Rothbart, alone. He means to kill him and his daughter."

"Shit!" Emma rounded onto her father. "We have to stop him! He could get killed…or kill Rothbart…then we can never break her curse."

"How could he even know where the sorcerer is?" David asked.

"He must have overheard us talking about meeting him at the lake," Emma said. "If he kills that sorcerer, Odette does not stand a chance. Even if Mom and Killian get back with the mermaid and the wolf, Odette will stay a swan forever."

"Please", Odette spoke up from the hospital table. "Please find him. Rothbart will kill him in an instant. You have to save him."

Emma grasped her friend's hand again. "What about you? You're still in danger here. Odile could come after you again."

Odette shook her head. "I'll be alright. Please go!"

"Emma," David had come closer and gently touched her arm. "We should go."

Emma was torn between wanting to stay and protect her friend to needing to perform her duties as sheriff. In the end it was Odette's pleading eyes that made her move. "We'll find him, I promise," she whispered.

Odette nodded then closed her eyes as the aesthetic and painkillers began to work its way further into her system. Emma could only squeeze her hand one more time before turning and following her father out of the Animal Shelter.

"Where do we start?" he asked immediately.

Emma knew the answer. "Let's get to the lake—"Swan Lake, I guess we should call it, she thought "— Rothbart told Mom and Killian to meet him there as soon as they find the mermaid. If Derek overheard his instructions and knows that the sorcerer will be there then I think we can bet he is going to be there too."

Down the wire! Review please!