Chapter 4.

The

Clashing

Of

Waves;

Act I,

Part III

"Feeling my way through the darkness,
Guided by a beating heart . . .
I can't tell where the journey will end,
But I know where to start . . .

They tell me I'm too young to understand,
They say I'm caught up in a dream . . .
Well, life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes
Well, that's fine by me . . .

So wake me up when it's all over,
When I'm wiser and I'm older,
All this time I was finding myself,
And I didn't know I was lost . . .

So wake me up when it's all over,
When I'm wiser and I'm older,
All this time I was finding myself,
And I didn't know I was lost . . ."

"Wake Me Up" - Avicii

~X~

Dr. Haddock Marlin hummed distantly to himself as he gathered his supplies together. Judging by the almost nonsensical tune he was humming out in his throat, he was in a well-to-do mood as he carefully examined each of his medical tools and set them carefully inside the satchel.

Today was a good day. His work went rather slowly and the only patients that did come in were only in need of a bandage or healing potion or two. All in all, a rather good day to be an old doctor such as himself.

Especially considering all those hideously grotesque deaths that had been occurring around the forest area lately . . .

He sighed lightly at that thought. Back in his youthful days, he never minded such a day when patients with broken bones, missing limbs, a life-threatening illness or a bleeding gash or two would've started coming in by droves to his door, asking for his natural expertise. Of course, the past was in the past; him being the old Were-mouse that he was now, his hands were still as steady and calm as need be but were now getting wrinkly and randomly blotchy with the regular aches and pains in the joints of his fingers and wrists that came with it. As expected they got cold or warm quick on the dependency of the weather and the claws were getting duller with each year that took its toll on him.

He shook his head. Life can be so unfair sometimes.

Oh well. No sense fussing over it now. The past is the past, you can't change that.

With that in mind, he went back to organizing. He had better hurry or he wouldn't be able to get back home before lunch.

Once the last roll of gauze was put inside, he closed the satchel and pulled it over his head. Hmm, maybe he could grab a big cup of noodles from the local stand. One with lots of chicken broth and lettuce . . . Mmm, his stomach was growling already. Smiling, he grabbed the hand-sized ball-topped cane he had set up against the table earlier, his ears flicking with each tap it made on the floor while making his way to and out the door.

He continued to hum aimlessly as he locked the door behind him, his tail swaying happily behind him. Yes, some noodles sound really spectacular right now –

"HEY!"

That voice came out of nowhere, almost having his heart jump ten paces off its original beat and him squeaking to true Mouse-like nature. He patted his chest right after to calm it down and let out a small breath of relief.

Turning his head, he felt his eyebrows go up at the sight of a tall, ragged-looking, red-haired man panting heavily behind him. His tank top looked as though it had been put on in haste; due to it being inside out and backwards with the tag sticking up and hitting the underside of his red-bearded jaw and his boots were splattered with large mounds of mud and grass, clearly showing signs of carelessly racing through the forest.

What stuck out to Dr. Marlin, however, were the man's two rows of usually sharp teeth. No doubt, given the man's human appearance, the child was a half-blood. Of what, at the moment, was debatable. The said half-blood took a moment to catch his breath, leaning heavily on his knees before snapping his head back up and looking at him with wild green eyes. "You're a doctor!"

Dr. Marlin blinked at the man's obvious statement. He glanced at his satchel, then at the nameplate at his door that bore the symbol of the Red Cross. "Umm . . . Thank you?" He looked back at the man, unsure of what else to say.

The man took two quick breaths of air before standing upright. "No, I mean, I need a doctor; are you busy?"

"Oh," Dr. Marlin started. "Uhm, no, Lad, I was just closing up for the morning to go get some lunch." He cast a look at him before adding, "Pardon me for saying so, but, you don't look like you're injured."

"Huh?" The man looked at him in confusion, before what he said settled in, to which he quickly responded, "Oh, no, no, no! Not me! This girl that my brother and I found injured by the cove." He stuck a thumb out towards the forest in emphasis. "She's in pretty bad shape and we can't manage it by ourselves."

"Oh, I see." Dr. Marlin crossed his arms. He couldn't help the slight doubt in his tone. Trying to keep his face neutral, he asked, "What exactly did you and your brother find?"

"A blue-skinned fish girl with a huge tail and a bleeding injury in her side the size of our heads." The man said with a straight face.

The man's ear twitched, his face falling into a cringe. ". . . Well, that's one I've never heard of before."

"I know, right?" The man smiled calmly, not disturbed by what he said at all before it quickly fell away with him saying, "Anyway, the girl's not doing too good; she's almost died already and is still just barely hanging on by a thread. My brother's back at our camp watching over her now but we could really use some help."

Dr. Marlin raised an eyebrow at this. "If that's the case, Lad, then why didn't you bring her here where I could've treated her?" He gestured to his tiny hospital in some sense of exasperation. "Surely, if the young lady's life is in such peril, you would've brought her here and everything would've been well taken care of."

At this, the man rubbed his neck sheepishly. "Well, don't get me wrong doc, we would've if we could've but, uh," He looked around nervously, like he was expecting someone to spontaneously jump out and attack him. Dr. Marlin frowned but didn't comment on it. The man then continued, "You see, my brother and I kind of got in some trouble with a few of the locals here over by the restaurant and we really didn't want to risk bumping into them again with the girl in tow; in fact, I'm kind of jumping the creek right now just coming back here by myself." Looking back down at him, he finished, "Besides, two strange shark-men suddenly coming out of the woods and bringing in an equally strange and injured girl wouldn't really look good, would it? Just gives them another reason to take all our teeth and make watch-dog charms out of our bones."

Dr. Marlin's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Oh, so, you're half shark?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," The Half-Shark rolled his eyes, his tone somewhat bored and sarcastic as sign of expectancy while droning, ""We're terrifying and we're out to eat your children." And anything else people can come up with." Planting his hands on his hips, he gave a reassuring and toothy grin. "But, don't worry; contrary to popular belief, Tuff and I are the good kind! Saving cute ladies in distress and looking for a quick lunch in any way possible." He then leaned in towards and quickly clarified in a casual whisper to the stunned doctor, "But not necessarily in that order." Before he smiled once again.

Dr. Marlin looked up at him, a little taken aback by the cheerful honesty of this young Half-blood. His nervous mousey instincts, after hearing him say the word "Shark" and casting another look at the two rows of incredibly sharp teeth set behind his wide mouth, were telling him to bop him upside the head and run like there was no tomorrow. It was a comical yet effective move as he had found out over the course of his years.

However . . . He creaked his head slightly in thought. There was something in him saying that he shouldn't be so quick to judge the Half-Shark asking for his help before him. After all, god knows how wild people could get about rumors surrounding were-beasts in the like. After all, weren't rodents such as himself once claimed to be the harbingers of death during the time of the Black Plague? He recalled the amount of arguments and scraps he had gotten into with paranoid and judgmental humans and others such as them years back. He had enough scars and bumps to prove it, too.

Besides, he was a doctor, sworn in to give medicine to the sick and lend a hand to the injured, despite the consequences, wasn't he? If what this man is saying is true, it might as well be worth some checking out.

An afterthought then sprung into his mind. Perhaps this girl might be somehow connected to those murders that the guards' and a good portion of the townspeople are fretting over . . .

He pushed that last thought out of his mind before tapping the butt of his cane against the ground in finality. The Half-Shark gave a short "Hmm?" at him before Dr. Marlin said, "Very well, lad, if you're being honest about this, I'll take a look at this lady friend of yours. Where are you and your brother camping?"

Riley grinned at him before pointing towards the forest. "Like, I said, we're camping on the shore along Tealside Cove."

Dr. Marlin's eyes widened in shock. "Tealside Cove?!" He repeated, earning a look from the Half-Shark. He spread his hands out at him and stated blatantly, "Lad, are you joking? That's on the other side of the island!"

"Yeah, I know!" The Half-Shark agreed calmly. "You would not believe how many miles I ran just to get here! I almost fell into the river separating both sides twice with all the mud's that's been piling up there!" He held up a mud-covered boot briefly before setting it back down again. "If that wasn't enough, I almost got bit by some wolf that came at me out of nowhere!"

"A wolf?" Dr. Marlin repeated, his voice turning eerie.

"Yep, looked really ticked off too about something. Can't imagine what, though . . ." The Half-Shark added.

Dr. Marlin frowned. A wolf. That did not sound good . . .

But he had to worry about that later. Right now, he had bigger fish to fry, sort to speak. Turning his attention back to the Half-blood, he asked, "What's your name, Lad?"

The Half-shark, not taking this as an odd question, replied simply, "Riley Luck."

"Well, then, "Riley"," Dr. Marlin started, turning the butt of his cane into the dirt at his feet. "How do you expect an old man such as me to make it to the other side of the island before sundown?"

Riley didn't respond right away; he hummed quietly to himself, looking over the elderly doctor from head to toe. A couple of moments of silence passed over them, that of which really did not help quiet down the skittering panic that Dr. Marlin's instincts were building up at the look Riley gave him when he leaned over and scanned his frail, hunching shoulders and rickety frame. He leaned back up and asked him with a serious utmost tone, "How much do you weigh?"

That earned him a bewildered look. "Beg pardon?"

~X~

Tuff sighed quietly. He dipped the rag in his hands into the small bowl filled with cool water sitting beside him, soaking it up before wringing it out, folding it up and carefully setting on the creased forehead of the girl. He really wished he knew her name. Calling her "The girl" was really starting to get annoying.

The girl, almost like he was hearing his thoughts, groaned softly as she shifted her head onto the pillow under her head. Her hands twitched against the surface of the blanket covering her from the collar down, leaving both her arms open and her shoulders bare. Tuff adjusted the cloth when it slid a little out of place and said gently, "Just hold on . . . . Hold on for a little longer. Riley will be back soon with some help . . . I hope." That last part he said more to himself than her. She simply remained silent.

Tuff looked up to see if the tarp he had put up earlier wasn't about to fall down. To his relief, it was still hung perfectly in place and successfully blocking out the hot rays of the sun. He was happy that the cloth from the tent hadn't been ripped when the girl – Argh, that was getting annoying! – had awoken and abruptly freaked out earlier, allowing him to make quick use of it and put it up to give her and him some cool shade. He had hoped it would help bring her fever down but sadly, her fever remained as constant as ever. So here he was, watching over her in a weak attempt at nursing just until Riley got back . . . Whenever that would be.

His mind, heavy with worry and boredom, brought back memories that had only occurred an hour ago; him trying to gather up the remnants of the fallen tent to no avail and much to his aggravation; Riley volunteering to run over to town and look for a doctor and promising to avoid anything, and he did mean, anything, that would get him into trouble again such as the waitress and her boyfriend from earlier that day or another cute girl; him yelling at Riley to put on a shirt before he went, drawing out the usual heated yet somewhat hilarious argument before his twin begrudgingly agreed; and him keeping his eye on the girl – Seriously, he really wished he knew her name . . . – while trying to get the tarp up and stable at the same time.

He sighed once again. He silently cursed his and his brother's tendency to get into situations like this and causing him to replay every single moment like a record in his head. Why couldn't he think about regular things, such as tools or hunting or hell, even young, cute girls like the one before him like every other regular man?

He looked down at the gir– at her sleeping face. He breathed out silently, with a curled hand propped up against his chin. . . . She was cute. More than that, she was beautiful. But not the regular kind like you would see in most women, more like . . . Like uniquely beautiful.

Her skin, still an uncomfortably pale shade, was the color of turquoise with a slight lightening across her nose, her cheeks and her lips, making her cheekbones softly pop. Her hair was a pale gold with her bangs just brushing the top of her eyebrows and cut so some thick strands were styled just over her ears. Her small ears were rounded out with a set of pale fin-like appendages that matched the one surrounding the long, skinny blue and navy blue striped tail which ended in a navy blue, spotted white stump; from where it slipped out of the blanket, he was amazed to watch the blood inside it twist and change from a slow, steady ripple to a thick, clouding river design back and forth repeatedly in a nearly confused fashion. He could make out her petite doll-like figure from the outline it made in the blanket; he briefly remembered how light she had felt when he had lifted her before. It was almost as though she ate the smallest of feathers for food. Given everything else, he wouldn't find it that too surprising.

Looking over, he winced at the sight of Riley's now cut-up heap of a shirt a few feet from him. He winced at the amount of dark blue that had been absorbed within its fabric. It was incredible that he and Riley hadn't gone berserk with that much blood within their reach. He had to remember to get rid of that before they went and did that again.

Turning his attention back to the small, blue girl, he frowned at her sympathetically. Her face grimaced occasionally before relaxing with her mouth whispering a little whimper or a moan of pain. Her fingers continued to shake as they did before, tightening every so often at whatever force she was fighting off behind her closed eyes. He then ultimately decided on hating his uselessness at not being able to help her any more then they already did.

Poor girl. Whatever happened to her must've been awful to get an injury like that and be thrown into the ocean like garbage. He could tell that all too easily by the look that she had in her eyes when she had first woken up. Bright orange eyes so full of fear and confusion . . . .

. . . . Then again, the confusion might've been their fault.

TROMP, TROMP, TROMP!

What the –?

"YEEEEECCCHH!"

"Hold on, doc, we're nearly there!"

"I hope so, lad, there's only so much more my old tail can take!"

Tuff spun his head around and immediately pulled a face at the sight rushing toward the camp.

Riley was stomping full force out of the thick forest trail in a sprint that even he had to admire, red in the face from exertion and no doubt sweating bullets; his arms were looped under a pair of bobbing, frail legs of which their Were-Mouse owner held onto Riley's shoulders with all the vigor he could with one hand as the other was occupied with a cane to keep himself from being thrown off by the constant jostling and bumping he experienced on his back.

Tuff blinked. Okay, that was probably the . . . . Fifth oddest thing that he had ever seen in his life.

Before he could contemplate more on that, Riley then made the last stretch of miles between them and the camp, screeching to a halt on the heels of his boots just inches away from Tuff, who reeled back cautiously. The old Were-Mouse slammed against Riley's shoulder blades, almost making him drop the cane and making him look even more disgruntled and disheveled than before. "Hey, Tuff, I'm back!" Riley grinned, indeed as red and sweaty as Tuff predicted but making no mind of it. "And I found us a doctor!"

Tuff looked at the old Were-Mouse who was looking back and forth between him and Riley. "Uhh, yeah, I can see that."

"So, you're Tuff." The Were-Mouse clarified, running a shaking hand through the small tuft of hair on his head and flattening his ears. "Do you mind telling your brother here," He bopped Riley on the top of his head with his cane in aggravation, earning an annoyed look in response. "That old people do not like to be charged through the island like it was some kind of rodeo!?"

Tuff stood up and helped Riley set the Were-Mouse back down on his feet with caution, given what he had just experienced. "Yeah, sure, sorry, Dr. –?"

"Dr. Marlin, thank you," The Were-Mouse finished while straightening out the cuffs on his coat and the belt of his pants which had shifted earlier. "Hadn't been that thrown around since Junkan Island eighteen years back when I had to ride a flea-bitten weasel!" Riley chuckled a little at that while fixing up his own shirt. Tuff didn't need a dictionary to tell him that Riley already liked him.

Dr. Marlin caught sight of the pale, shaking girl and instantly gestured at her. "I'd take that's the young lady that Riley mentioned to me?"

Tuff glanced at her and nodded. "Yeah, I've been keeping an eye on her but it looks like she's getting worse."

To this, Dr. Marlin stuck the butt of his cane in Tuff's face, catching him off guard and bumping his nose. "Lad, I'm the doctor here, I'll make the diagnosis. In the mean time, Riley," He swung his cane at Riley who gulped at the appearance of the butt just inches near his own nose. "Fix your shirt, you look ridiculous." Riley looked down and did a double-take at the lining showing on his side and the tag tapping his chin. He immediately begun to take off his shirt and rectify that. "And Tuff," He brought his cane back to Tuff in the exact same matter. "I'm going to need your help on this; like or not, I need you to hold the young lady down if that wound of hers is serious enough to require stitches to match the ones I got back when I was still a rookie and foolish enough to stick my hand inside a mad alligator's mouth." He brought his cane back down and walked over to the girl, adding ominously, "And believe me, lad; that was not fun for either me or the gator."

Tuff gave Dr. Marlin an odd if not spooked out look, "Uhm . . . Why would you stick your hand inside an alligator's mouth?"

"I made a bet with a friend of mine that I could touch the gator's uvula and make him throw up the arm of the original one who tried to do it." Dr. Marlin replied.

Tuff and Riley, now pulling his right-side-and-front-out shirt on, looked at each other bewildered. "Aaand, what happened?"

Dr. Marlin kneeled down and removed his satchel before saying with a little proud smile at them. "Well . . . I won!"

Tuff and Riley gave each other another look. This time, it was speechless.

And they thought that Pigeon man they once met was weird . . .

~X~

His comrade came in from the trees before him. The Master was relieved. He had been gone for too long. His jaws were clenched tightly for some reason. His other comrades watched him with intrigue.

His comrade stopped just a few feet before him. He saw something sticking out of his mouth. The Master kneeled and held out his hand. His comrade eagerly opened his mouth and allowed the something to fall into his hand.

The Master squinted his eyes. It was cloth. A purple cloth with something darker staining the corner of it. But whose was it?

He brought it to his nose and sniffed curiously. Sea water . . . Raw fish . . . . And blood.

The Master's eyes widened. He felt a smile growing on his face. His face stung once again from the width of the smile.

It was her. His game. This was her blood staining it.

She was close. And, judging the blood covering this cloth, she was weak. Perfect.

He looked down at his comrade. Smiling proudly, he patted him on the head, earning a pleased rumble. "Well done, comrade. Well done." His comrade barked.

He stood up and held the cloth up for the rest of his comrades to see. They begun growling and barking. They were getting excited. That was good for them. Good for the Master.

"Get ready, comrades . . ." He said, his hunger was clear in his voice. "The hunt has only begun!"

She would be his soon enough . . .

ME: Uh-oh! As if Cassie weren't in enough trouble! DX

I would like to consider this a sort of an early Mother's Day gift to all those moms out there on this website; YOU ALL ARE AWESOME!

'Till next time!