He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. The first thing he felt was the warm, dry sand beneath him, and he had to close his eyes again to savour the experience.

And then he remembered.

He sat up, his body shaking in anticipation, and looked down at his legs. His legs. No tail, no scales.

Still trembling, he slowly got up, using the rock beside him to support himself. Careful, aware that he wasn't used to walking and that rushing would merely end up with him sprawled on the floor, he took a step forwards. And then another, and another, until he didn't need the rock anymore, though he still proceeded at a slow pace.

It was then that he realized that he hadn't only gained legs after his transformation. He reckoned he couldn't just walk around with his genitals exposed, so he looked around him for something to cover himself up. He spotted part of a sail down the shore, which probably ended up there after the storm. It would do.

He had finished wrapping it around his waist when he heard a shout, not too far away from him.

"Hey!"

Startled, he quickly turned around, the movement catching him off ward and sending him tumbling to his knees.

"Are you all right?"

He looked up and felt his breath catch in his throat. It was him, the man.

He felt a small glimmer of hope. He had been slightly worried that he wouldn't be able to find him. While he had read about the human world, he had never been in it, so he knew nothing about how large it truly was or where to find the human.

Now more focused, he paid closer attention to the man's face and noticed how worried he looked. He opened his mouth to tell him he was all right- but nothing came out.

Oh. Of course.

"What's wrong? Are you hurt?"

He shook his head no, and the man's shoulders sagged in relief.

"Are you... Can't you talk?"

He shook his head again. This was going to get very tedious, very quickly. He would have to think about another alternative for communication.

"Don't worry; you'll be fine." The man smiled. "I'm John, by the way. John Watson. Now, can you stand up?"

John

Nodding, he slowly got to his feet, and John caught him by the waist, helping him maintain his balance.

"It's all right, I've got you. Let's go."

Once at the palace, John provided some clothes for him, and left him on one of the spare rooms so he could change.

He had read about clothes on the books he had found, and he'd seen a fair amount of people wearing them from when he had come up to the surface. Still, that didn't make the process any less confusing.

He was trying to figure out how the buttons worked when he heard a knock on the door.

"May I come in?"

He tried to answer but realized, once again, that he couldn't. He opened the door, instead.

"Oh, you're-" John came to a halt, noticing his unbuttoned shirt. "Do you need help?"

He nodded, gratefully.

Once John was done he asked him if he wanted something to eat, but before he could reply an idea came to him.

He raised his left hand, palm up, and used his right index finger to brush against it, from left to right.

John stared at him in confusion for a second, but then his eyes widened. "Oh, of course. Pen and paper. Give me a second."

Perfect. Now, what would be the best way to go about this?

Author's notes:

I know this chapter is quite short, sorry about that. Future chapters will be longer, I promise. I'll post the next chapter tomorrow or on Wednesday, at most :)
Please, let me know if you see any mistakes, and constructive criticism is more than welcomed, as always.
Enjoy x