Sink or Swimchesters
by Wolfie180g
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Chapter one:
Casting out from the Pod
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The ocean is a hell of a place to grow up in. The currents are the only fairly predictable thing down here. Everything changes daily and nothing is ever permanent. Especially not for those of us who live longer than most under the waves.
Our species had called this place home for a millennia. At least, that's the general knowledge we have to go by. In reality, we don't know how long we've been here. It's not exactly like we have easily accessible records we can go through. And what size would those messages be? Our kind get pretty big down in the deeps so the older and wiser ones would need half the ocean to write it all down if they even knew how to write in the first place. That's more a human thing I've come to realize and accept.
Besides that, our history has been passed down more reliable methods than marking things down in stone. Stone isn't all that either when it's underwater and battling currents. Nothing and I mean nothing is permanent down here. The oceanscape changes often and we tend not to stick around one area for too long. We have to move with the food and to keep away from the humans if we want to survive. Anyway, what I was saying is that with no other option to pass on our history lessons, we have to rely on what I later learned was, Genetic Memory.
At least, that's the working theory I came up with. My bro doesn't know enough of the human concepts to argue it with me or set me straight. Big guy just knows what he KNOWS and that's that. I don't exactly know if genetic memory is accurate, but I think it's pretty close. It's been awhile since I've been linked up directly to the Merp history myself. It's all a bit fuzzy around the edges since I've been away from it for a hot minute.
Oh, by the way, don't let them know that Merp is my nickname for them... us... whatever. Merpeople is just a mouthful if you ask me. Sounds too much like a politically correct fairy tale if you ask me. Merpeople. Ugh. Maybe there was a proper name but it's been lost to time since we're basically going extinct. So I guess it doesn't matter what anyone calls us. Course, I hate being considered as a Mermaid since I'm obviously a dude. I'm jumping ahead, sorry. Just uh, don't get too caught up in what Mermaids traditionally look like, ok? Open mind.
Where was I?
Right. I wasn't born yet, but I do know that we'd migrated here when the waters started to desalinate in our previous territory. Making it unpleasant to live in. Our kind evolved for the deeps, where food is abundant but just as deadly as we are. Our kind never really stop growing, and even though I guess we start off at a mere two feet long as eggs, the elders have measured upwards of three humpback whales long head to tail fin. Fucking huge. I'm glad they generally turn herbivore when meat gets scarce. We aren't immortal, we just live a long ass time and if we survive our preteen years, there's not much that can take one of us down. Growing up fast is an understatement. We do like most underwater mammals and pack on the pounds those first few years of growing. It doesn't look like it though. The weight being distributed evenly and turning to muscle when we're three years old and about the same size as an average bottle nosed dolphin. I hate to say it, but, most humans are the size equivalent to a two year old. No wonder my brother still treats me like a fragile kid even though I'm in my twenties. But I'm jumping ahead. You need to know our history. We are counting on you. Our lives depend on you. Heh, no pressure.
So uh, yeah, we grow fast and then it slows way down in our preteen years. Once we hit the double digits for length we can slow down the feeding frenzy. I mean, I guess we could theoretically keep eating like there's no tomorrow, but, we would outgrow our environment and die much earlier than everyone else.
My brother says that finding mates had become harder and harder for them, pollutants in the water drove their food sources away but by then, they'd already settled into the new territory and decided that their small group would stick it out there. Tired of migrating and running away from their problems. My brother never really got the chance to try and find a mate. Long story. He'll get to it later.
Eventually, nature filtered the waters of the pollution and the place was comfortable again. Neither my bro or I know what that pollution was exactly, just that it took awhile for it to go away many hundreds of years ago.
The cause of the disturbance in the environment was discovered by a handsome couple of Merpeople that were only seven decades old at the time. Fairly young by Merp standards and still adventurous. The two had known each other for most of their lives and formed a strong bond with each other. They were both unique in that they were very close in size and age compared to the rest of the Pod. The few others that were born at about the same time had died from fin rot at a young age. Cast out from the Pod at the first sign of fin rot to keep it from spreading to the others. Sounds heartless, but, there was no cure for fin rot and it would sweep through the Pod, killing the weaker members slowly. It was entirely possible that they could have healed themselves of it, but, once cast out of a Pod, they don't let anyone back in. The worry that the fin rot would return was too great and even if they stayed and luckily healed themselves, they'd be treated poorly by the others for the rest of their days. Seen as weak and diseased. Never allowed to mate or even sleep near the others. It's anyone's guess which fate would be better or worse. Glad I don't have to really worry about that. I've had my shots.
Sorry I keep getting side tracked, I promise I'll stop interrupting so much with my shitty commentary. It would be easier if my brother was here to help me out, but you got me instead. He told me all this before so if there's like, glaring errors, it's all his fault.
So these two lovers knew that they were destined to be together and wanted to have many kids of their own. At the time, they had been practically forced into perpetual babysitting the spoiled offspring of the elders since the elders were nearly too large to interact with their own kids. It's not like there were dozens, but still, Pod politics dictates that the eldest had priority over the younger ones since they had more knowledge to pass on. They were granted more offspring than the others and that's just bs if you ask me.
The young couple were unwilling to wait for approval from the rest of the Pod to have their own family unit. Told to wait many decades for the hatchlings to grow up to an 'appropriate' size. Determined by the elders of course. Everyone knew that the elders would have the couple raise them till the oceans ran dry just so that they don't have to lift a fin to help. Having all the fun of making offspring with none of the work to raise them afterwards. At least they kept their numbers to reasonable numbers, but really, who needs 12+ kids if they weren't planning on raising them themselves?
The couple didn't resent the kids of course. It's not their fault they had shitty gigantic parents. So they put up with it until the kids were old enough to take care of themselves. Most insisted on it anyway which helped a lot. They had formed their own miniPod within the bigger one and it was rumored that they would all run away together and start their own group somewhere. At least they weren't all related... I don't know the morals of Pod culture myself, since I was kinda out of the loop having not been born yet. I'll have to ask around. Getting back to the story...
The couple knew they had the practice and knowledge they needed to raise their own family and didn't want to wait and see what the general consensus was between the elders and the rest of the Pod. Unless you were an elder, you had to wait for someone to die to have a kid. Established compatible couples would need permission to bear offspring, due to the longevity of their lives, they found it necessary to keep their numbers small or else they'd consume the food sources faster than they'd replenish. Most of the time, the answer was 'no'. It was rare to have more than one offspring, but they wanted more.
Away from their Pod if necessary.
The couple..., you know what? I'm just going to go ahead and name them after my parents. My brother forgot what their names were so I'm just gonna take the lead on this. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.
So, Mary and John were impatient, and they knew they'd have to leave and start their own Pod elsewhere so that no one found out. It was dangerous to go against the elders. One of their children might even be killed for the infraction to their laws and tradition and they couldn't bear the thought. It was a risk they were willing to take because they could see that their Pod was damaged and unwilling to listen to reason. I'm sure they didn't realize it at the time but I think they knew instinctively that they needed to diversify the gene pool for the species to grow instead of stagnate. Just the fact that they'd rather treat their fin rot survivors as second class citizens is really telling how backwards their thinking is. I mean, I'd WANT my people to be immune to that horrible disease. To strengthen the gene pool with survivors. Right? John and Mary had it right and I'd have been right there cheering them on.
Mary especially wanted at least two children close in age because in her experience, young ones survive and thrive better when they're equal sized and aged kids. If a predator was to hunt one of them down into a tight cave, neither giant parent would be able to fit inside to rescue them. However a similar sized sibling would have better luck at going in after them and help drive the predator back out where the parents could take care of it.
But besides all that, she found that her life with John was far more fulfilling because there was no difference in size between them. They were equally matched and could explore and hunt more efficiently together. She was older than John by only a few years so her overall size was just a scale longer than him, but he didn't care. Nearly everyone else in their Pod were so large that they constantly felt like hatchlings despite being in their seventies and nearly halfway as large as their kind generally gets.
John didn't need much convincing to leave their home Pod and their outdated traditions. He was in his prime and ready to show the oceans his strength and prowess. They'd hold to some traditions of course. After all, there were a few tried and true guidelines to living in the deeps. However, most of those laws were meant for large Pods. Once he and his mate found their own corner of the world, they could make up their own rules and start new, fun and exciting, traditions.
Mary had talked a long time with the elder's offspring, and got their blessing for their secret departure. They would be the ones most effected by their absence and Mary especially needed for them to know that it wasn't anything that they did wrong. That the kids weren't the ones to drive them out. This was voluntary and mutually beneficial. All of the kids were supportive of their decision for several reasons, the main one being that with their 'sitters' gone, they could finally show their parents what their capable of and take their rightful place in the Pod instead of just seen as perpetual children. Eager to prove their maturity and worth. Mary made sure they knew enough to stay with the Pod until they were also big enough to move out on their own if they so choose. That would be a few more decades at least.
John and Mary gathered up their few belongings, things collected from the ocean floor that were useful and shiny that drifted down from the surface time to time. A few of the things were sharp curved metal with barbs at the end like a stingray's tail. It fit in her palm well enough and she kept it sharp by rubbing it along smooth stones on the ocean floor. They were perfect for defense against sharks and killer whales. She wasn't delusional enough to think that it would all be smooth currents and kitten-fish for her own offspring. A shark or killer whale would be no problem for her or John to deal with but they might not always be around to save their kids from every single predator in the ocean. They'd need to learn how to hunt on their own at an earlier age and how to defend themselves against things bigger than them. Those hooks would be invaluable so she managed to tie some strong kelp braids around them and placed them into one of the woven kelp bags she had made when she was bored as a kid. The bag went around her waist so that she doesn't have to carry her things in her hands and it wouldn't bog her down or slip off if she'd tried carrying it over her shoulder, constantly billowing open and slowing her swim. Fun fact, Mary had invented the first fanny pack centuries before humans did.
She gathered a few trinkets to remember her family by, and knew that she'd likely never see them again. Abandoning your Pod was seen as betrayal and they rarely forgave it. John had been orphaned a few decades back and really had no one besides Mary. He spent far less time preparing to leave than she did. Ready, willing, and waiting to get out of this place. The day before, he'd given away his shiny stones to the kids to remember the two of them by. Tonight, he nearly caved in his determination when he saw that the kids snuck out of their beds to deliver a parting gift. They had made him a length of strong kelp rope. Thick enough for him to handle it without breaking it. It must have taken the little ones days to make it big enough for them to use. The kids were only as long as his forearm, from wrist to elbow, so it would have likely taken all of them working together to make it. He could only imagine. John wondered if the kids somehow knew what they were planning awhile back or if the kelp rope was last minute snitched from their elder parents stash. Either way, he felt loved, and hugged them all. Mary joining in the somber farewell.
Mary's mother woke to the scent of sadness in the water She chirped a few soft calls and found the shapes of two Merpeople that could only be John and Mary at that size surrounded by smaller ones of the adolescents. She carefully got up from the pile of massive sleeping bodies and swam over to the small gathering. The kids all bolted back to their holes and nests, but she paid them no mind. Eyes only for her daughter and her mate. John straightened up and Mary was quick to follow, showing that she's by his side and wont back down. Mary's mother wasn't quite old enough to be an elder, but she was close. She saw in her young ones eyes the determination and regret that by leaving, she was leaving her family behind.
Mary saw her mother's face crumple in sadness and let her massive form sink down to the ocean floor to be able to face her little girl as equals. Mary swam forward and stretched her arms out wide but still barely managed to reach her mothers shoulders with her fingertips. She then felt those wide comforting arms wrap around her for the last time. Gentle and forgiving, the huge hands came up to carefully card through her blond hair.
Mary wiggled out of the grip and swam up to her mother's face and ducked her forehead to hers. Closing her eyes and putting this whole night, this tender moment to deep memory. The soft touch was one of respect and farewell. Mary's mother, Deanna closed her eyes and inhaled her daughter's scent deeply before looking back into her little one's face. Barely longer than her arm, but determined to set out on their own. Deanna peered over Mary's head at John who was swimming in wide circles, looking all around at the sleeping titans to make sure no one else woke.
A few of the new infant hatchlings swam up towards him and he chuckled sadly at them. He and Mary were the only ones in the Pod that were able to play middle ground between the elders and the hatchlings. He was confident that the older kids would take the lead now. He wasn't much older than them when he was trained in how to survive on his own. They all would still have a stable and sound Pod to look after them. They still would have to become more independent in a hurry and he hoped that their leaving didn't hurt the babies too badly. Theoretically, the newborns should be able to fend for themselves, but in practice, no one wanted to find out for sure. They relied on the larger adults to scare off sharks but some of the sharks were too persistent or too stupid to know any better.
John hugged the extra small ones and told them to go back to their nest and their older cousins and wait till morning. He swore to himself that he and Mary would have at least two children the minute that they find a new home. He didn't want to grow too large to be able to interact with his own kids. He wanted them to know what a proper hug feels like. Seeing his beloved Mary up against her mother... it never felt right. That his mate was so strong and independent and fierce but looked so small against someone older... John clenched his fist. He will not let the age and size gap become too great in his family. He wanted what he had with Mary for his kids. Someone of equal size and age to grow up with. Such an odd concept for their kind, but, he wanted this. He knew Mary wanted this.
Mary had bid her mother farewell and swam after her mate as he made another quiet loop around. She jolted him out of his thoughts and back to the task at hand. They will have to swim through the night to get enough space between them and the Pod before they could rest and continue on. They simply couldn't cover as much ground as an elder, and were constantly looking over their fins to see if they were being followed. Chirping out their calls and listening for the echos. John led Mary up a little higher in the waters. Closer to the surface to help see better without relying on their echo location as much. The pressure from the water lessening and making them both a little light headed. The waters were warmer too and felt so nice that they drifted for a little ways, soaking it all in. Maybe the higher altitude would be better to live in. The Pod wouldn't think of looking for them up here.
Mary blinked at the gradual rising light above the waters as they ascended. Stopping to watch as the area continued to get brighter and brighter even though they weren't moving closer to the surface. They had been warned against the surface their whole lives. Stories from the elders of predators that stayed above and snatched up any young Merperson that dared to go up and take a look.
Mary shivered in the warm waters and John pulled her back a few extra tail lengths. They watched as this bright shell kept on rising until it was nearly overhead and then it seemed to actually drift down in that same unwavering path on the other side. By now they were both starving hungry and decided to stop speculating on what it is and just find something to eat. They had to dip down to the deeps again and ate their fill of the new plant life. It didn't taste like anything they had before but their stomachs didn't seem to care much and rumbled happily at the full feeling.
Mary was eager to get back to the warm bright waters before continuing on. The bright shell was going down again when they saw a shadowy shape actually move along on the surface. She nudged John's side and pointed it out. It was similar to the wrecks they'd explored in their youth, but this one was skimming along on the surface. There was a clanking sound and then something was dropped from the side of the strange long oval shape. It had a hook on each side and swayed from a long vine. Muffled calls were heard and drove their curiosity upwards.
John poked at the hook and it spun in place. He cautiously pinched it between his fingers, finding it half as wide as his palm. Mary came up alongside the floating thing to better hear the muffled calls. A few long sticks were plunged into the water and had those same strings attached. After they drifted for a second, they were hauled back up top only to be thrown again. This time closer to her shoulder. She gave the floating thing a bit more space and lifted her head above the waterline to see what was going on.
The strangest sight greeted her there. Her eyes went wide with disbelief. Her tail stopped moving underneath her, and that immediately alerted John to her distress. She started sinking back under again when she made a sharp cry of alarm. John was at her side in an instant, forgetting that he still had the hook in hand. It cut a gash along his palm and then the line went taught and yanked at the floating thing. It wavered dangerously in place before settling again at an awkward angle. Waves crashing around it and more and more of those sharp needle sticks were being thrown at both of them.
John pulled out the stick from her shoulder and turned hate filled eyes to the thing that dared hurt his mate. He took and held a breath of water and breached the surface to better see what he was up against. The floating thing wasn't as large as them, but, that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous. He nearly spat out all of his liquid breath at the sight of hundreds of tiny hatchlings on the top of the thing. All scurrying around on two tails, covered in a strange materials. His first thoughts were that someone had cut their tails in half, removing every fin and bending what was left into those frightful shapes but saw that every single one of the small hatchlings looked like that. It was terribly unnatural to look at and he felt his stomach churn at the sight. Abhorrent. Abominations.
Their shrieks of terror hurt his hears and he shoved the floating thing away from himself. Many of the small beasts were still throwing sharp sticks at him and landing a few into his thick skin. His tail bent upwards beyond the other side of the thing, curled around it and swept down in a rush with a mighty wave that threatened to flip the floating thing onto its side. All of the little beasts were thrown to the floor of it and a few went into the water.
Mary tugged him back underwater before he could do worse. Her eyes traced the path of the ones that went into the water and saw that they were being hauled back up top by super thin lines. They probably couldn't even breath water. Splashing and panicking, John turned to watch them in interest. Mary forced his head back to her own. Foreheads touching and breaths racing.
"It's ok, John. I'm not that hurt. Let's just leave them alone."
"Those little monsters hurt you!" he spun around in her grip to glare up as the last one got back onto the floating thing.
"They're just frightened. It's fine, let's just go." she pleaded, giving him a comforting hug.
John growled under his breath at the thing but could see how distressed Mary was. He'll have to find it again when Mary wasn't looking and take care of this threat. He scowled at the hook still in his hand and he yanked it out of his hand. He tried breaking the thread but it was too strong. He would have yanked it right off of the floating thing but that would make it sink to the bottom and he and Mary would have a whole school of monsters swimming around them. If they wanted to stay above the water, all the better.
Blood clouded the water from their wounds. He chirped out a few times to see if the blood would draw in any sharks so that they could do his job for him. A few changed course and headed for the floating thing and he smirked at that. Nature will take care of these unnatural things.
He turned and nodded at his mate and swam back to the surface. He was an arm's length distance away from it. Too far for their little hooked sticks to reach him but not too far for him to toss the hook back at them. The hook was much heavier out of the water than in it and it smashed a chunk of the structure that was located towards the rear of floating thing. His blood dripped from it and towards the floor. He glared down every one of the small creatures. Daring them to try another attack before he felt Mary tug at his wing fins. He couldn't stop himself from reaching forward and flicking his clawed fingers at the front. That little move managed to break through the side of it and saw water gush up into the thing. So fragile of a structure. How those creatures were able to get anywhere was a mystery to him.
He smirked at the renewed cries of alarm that were annoyingly high pitched out of the water. He was satisfied that he'd apparently disabled it, because as the pair started to swim away, he saw the thing leaning heaving to that side. Half of it was sinking into the water. Panicking cries muffled overhead as he went below, signaling that he made his point clear enough. Even if he didn't find it again, those hundred or so small two tail monsters wouldn't easily forget their enemy.
He let Mary drag him further along, thinking back to all those wrecks they'd explored in their youth and knew now that they were once things that floated on the surface too. Long long ago.
Mary was on the same wavelength. Shuddering at the fact that those floating things had managed to make their way all over the ocean's surface. The tools they had used seemed more advanced than she'd seen before. Worried that it was only a matter of time before those creatures multiplied and invaded more of their waters. "John, we have to find a place safe from those things."
John hummed in agreement. They found the much larger destroyed oval things only in the deeps, so, logically, they should go to more shallow waters. This way, they'd be able to see them coming a long ways off and prepare for the attack. They didn't have a Pod anymore to watch their backs so any advantage was necessary.
They headed for the warmer currents and marveled at the diversity of new sea-life. Colors of all kinds flit by in schools of fish that they'd never seen before. All shapes and sizes. Sure the food was smaller here closer to the surface and warmer waters, but, that just means that it would be easier for their offspring to find their own meals. The deep sea giants were always tricky to hunt down for even skilled hunters, so there was no way a kid would be able to take even a baby one out. But these tiny fish would be literal child's play. Of course, they'll have to test out the different species first for themselves to make sure that they are safe for eating. A lot of the tests would be observing other animals eating habits. If one kind of fish is eaten by many, then it's safe to assume it's safe to consume. If it's avoided, then it is probably poisonous or not worth the trouble. For now, they decided to remain on a kelp and seaweed diet until they get settled in. They still needed shelter of some sort and set about hunting one down that would be perfect for their tiny babies.
It would be a few decades before they'd have to move back to the deep to feed the family's growing appetite. For now, they'd settle somewhere close. With the ocean floor deep enough to get comfortably dark, but not too deep to no longer feel the surface's warmth. Clear view of the surface to make sure nothing is going to sneak up on them from above.
They found the perfect place, right next to a very steep rocky cliff. The rock face was nearly solid and withstood their punches into it's side. They had to make sure there wouldn't be an accidental rock slide if one of them bumped into it.
John and Mary took turns digging out a little alcove for their young. The hard rock chipping and wearing away at their claws until they were nearly blunt nubs. It would take years for them to grow back, but that's alright. It just means that they don't have to worry about handling their newborns as much. They piled up the removed rocks and busted coral for their own bed directly underneath the nest. Keeping close to help protect the babies.
John and Mary christened the nest after only being there for a few days, anxious to get their family started.
Their first egg was laid and endlessly fussed over. Making sure that the kelp lining the nest was soft and entwined around it in case it suddenly decided to roll around on its own. Mary would prop herself up against the cliff so that the nest alcove was level with her shoulder so any move. Any twitch at all wouldn't go unnoticed. John insisted that his mate go and take a break to eat something substantial. But she wouldn't budge until he promised that he'd take her place standing guard. He thought it was at first boring but eventually found himself humming to the egg some songs that he'd made for the other kids back at the Pod. Nonsense songs that carried in the waves and drew in a few curious dolphins that had been wandering not far off.
He was reminded of the young kids back home due to the similar size and playfulness they showed.
John smiled at the funny group and allowed them to get close over the course of the day. Knowing that dolphins were very intelligent and protective of other smart young things he wondered if his offspring would get along with them alright. He toyed around with a couple of brave ones and knew that he'd just made good friends with the neighbors in the meantime. No telling how they'll react to his overprotective mate or even the baby when it's hatched. As it was, they swam off in a hurry at the sight and sound of another massive being coming in fast. Mary barely slowed down enough to keep herself from hitting the cliff in her haste to get back. He assured her that all was well and left the space so that she could resume her vigil. He couldn't blame her for her nerves. These were new and exciting times for them. No one to tell them what to do, how to do it. Every decision had to be theirs and they would soon have a tiny fragile life depending on them to do the right thing every day.
Mary nudged the egg around to make sure that it wasn't laying on one side for too long and finally sighed with relief that everything was alright. John would have taken offense to that but in all honesty, he was also relieved that he didn't screw it up before the baby was even hatched.
Now that a week had passed, Mary let herself relax a bit in her self imposed duties and noticed the group of dolphins that John had talked about. Guessing that their relaxed attitude had everything to do with her newly relaxed attitude. They came close again at John's urging and Mary giggled at the sight of the little dolphins checking out the egg with reverence. Chirping and swimming in happy loops. At least they had nothing to fear from the neighbors.
The egg was always a hint at what the offspring will come to look like when they are finally hatched. This was to help the parents get used to the colors and traits of their babies so that they are not going to be mistaken for another's. The babies in Merpeople's Pods were usually raised together till they reach a certain age and size for them to move out of the hatchery and into the main living areas of the Pod. It was always a good idea to know who belonged to whom. There was no chance of baby-swapping in their society. Many new parents would save the eggs as mementos, along with their first shed scales.
This egg started to form its colors on the surface after the second week. A little late start which worried them for a few days but John assured her it was likely from the stresses of laying the egg right after moving and settling in a new area. So long as the baby was born healthy with ten clawed fingers and ten tail fins he was ok with a little late coloring.
Tiny, near invisible dappled brown spots appeared scattered all over the shell turning into larger splashes of medium brown colors spread all over the top areas. The brown marks and spots faded into a sandy color for the underside of the shell. This is perfect coloring for them as it means that the baby will blend in seamlessly with their new surroundings of rocks and sand.
One long ridge formed along the top of the egg to make way for the one very flexible back fin. This little one is going to take after their mother. John was beaming at that. He loved seeing how agile she could get while swimming. Always beating him in races despite the fact that he had two fins to her single one, on his back that were similar to a manta-ray's wings but angled up from his back instead of off to the sides. He would gently stroke the long ridge with the tip of his index finger, imagining how fast his little nimble one will be.
Just when they couldn't take the waiting any longer, the dappled brown egg hatched after only a few months. A squirming little boy emerged from the shell, flicking his cute pudgy little tail around until he figured out how to right himself. Mary extended her gentle fingers towards him and he latched on and blearily looked up into the wide grinning face. His plump lips started to wibble before crying and she held him close to her cheek and hummed a soft lullaby to calm him down. He sniffled a few times before settling down and letting his tight tail grip loosen around her fingers. His tail drooping down and if she wasn't holding on, he would have sunk to the ocean floor with as relaxed as he was.
It was always hilarious to John that a hatchlings tail would be far more coordinated than their arms and fins. And he couldn't wait to see the flailing hands waving about while their own tails tried to course correct the erratic movements. He made a mental note to add a LOT more padding to the nest for the future head bonks. The soft sandy colored hair stuck up at all angles from the little one's head. True to form, he had one long fin on his back and the colors matched the egg. Tiny little brown dots were speckled all over the baby with darker brown patches all over the top side, that faded into a light sandy colored underneath. His boy could lay down in the sand any way he wanted and still be camouflaged. He sighed in relief at that. At least one of the kids will have a fin up in surviving out here. At least until they are old enough to not have to worry about great white sharks and the deep sea squids. Only 20 years till they're big enough to rival their biggest predators. Smooth swimming after that.
John had no idea what to name the baby so he let Mary name him. She missed her family more than John missed their Pod so she named him Dean after her mother, Deanna. The only other older Merperson that he deeply respected from their old Pod besides his Mate.
John's eyes were full of pride and he hardly left the cliff-side for days after Dean was hatched. Barely longer than his finger, John was careful as he taught Dean how to swim. How to use his speckled skin to hide in the sandy ground below. Encouraging him to wiggle his fins enough to dislodge the plume of sand, and to wait patiently for it to settle over top of him. Mary stifled a laugh at how only Dean's head ended up being covered since the rest of him vibrated with enthusiastic energy. Eager to please his father. Dean popped back up after only a few minutes to swim circles around John's arms and head. Joyfully calling out that he was 'the best hider ever!' Startling several schools of fish nearby into swimming for the hills.
Mary taught Dean how to hunt his own food, which fish to pursue, which to avoid. Dean loved the red fish the best, insisting the meat is sweeter than the grays. John took over training in the afternoon, showing his new son how to defend himself against larger animals. Dean beamed at his parents, knowing nearly nothing else in the world besides them. However, sometimes he'd have an instinctual feeling that there was supposed to be more than just the three of them. That they were somehow vulnerable here. But that was impossible, his mom and dad were the biggest things in the ocean! He had nothing to fear with them around so he let those uneasy thoughts slide away. The dolphins left soon after, their migration urging them south. Mary and John got the impression that they had promised to return when the currents warm up again.
A year passed and Dean was now as big as the dolphins that returned. He'd play with them sometimes when they ran across each other. Making friends easily with the members of the dolphin Pod that remembered the young infant from before. His parents were worried when Dean got a little rough with the tough male dolphins, insisted that they were not to be attacked or eaten. That they were just as intelligent as they were and to be left alone if they wanted it. If the young males needed disciplining, it was up to their own parents to do it. Regardless, Dean felt the need to keep order to the other Pod and would swim in if their parents didn't catch what happened. Acting as if the youngsters were his own kind. A balance was eventually met and Dean was accepted into the dolphin Pod as a kind of older brother babysitter. Seeing as how he was so adamant about defending the youngsters from every conceivable threat. Which, usually, ended up being lobsters and prickly crabs and the occasional arm long shark. All making pretty good meals for the 'monster' hunter.
Mary didn't want to annoy the dolphins into leaving since her boy seemed to care for them so deeply. So she limited his play time with them to just half of each day. The rest of the time was spent with either her or his father in lessons. Dean would pout and sneak off to hunt alongside them after bedtime. Swimming with their group and having the time of his life around others his own size.
His parents weren't oblivious to the reasons why their little one spent so much time trying to befriend the neighbors. And figured that it was about time to try for their second child. Hoping for a girl this time. If they came across more of their kind, it would be easier to find a mate for at least one of their children to help build up their small Pod. They tried every day for an egg to take but it was starting to look like Dean would be an only child for a while. Mary struggled to remember the old Mermaids tales about getting female offspring instead of male, eating kelp under a full moon. Combinations of fish or mineral rich rocks. Even going deep into her genetic memory in her dreams where their connections to their own kind were growing more and more dim with every generation. And they still came up empty.
A last resort they both had was to call on the ancient memories buried deep within themselves of the time back when their kind were still connected to the Great Trench Spirits. The place where all Merfolk were born and evolved from the monsters that never saw light. When their ancestors were torn apart by wars and the loosing side had to retreat to the surface while the winners claimed the deeps. Evolving along two different lines until there was little more than a passing familiarity between them. Their kind and the other, separated by hundreds of millenia of evolution.
No Merperson really knows what happened to the ones that were banished to the surface. But there were rumors that they'd evolved to live on the ground that actually rose up out of the waters. Different Pods had different stories. Some said that a few of their children would venture up to the islands and see what was there, and reported back the strange sights they found. Caves made out of wood. Creatures on four stiff tails and tube like fins with round claws that scuttled around on wide plains of short plant blades. Bleating and yowling above the water. One brave Merchild stayed when the other's had fled back to the safe deeps, and swore that they saw it. A Merchild that was wrinkled as if old, but the same size as a himself. It resembled a Merperson but it had no gills, no fins, no variation of colors at all in it's hide. All one uniform sandy color. It wore strange coverings around its waist and below that, the most disturbing aspect, the Merchild reported seeing a set of longer thicker arms protruding from underneath the coverings to the ground below. The elbows bent the wrong way and it ambled along as if it wasn't an abomination of nature.
The creature shouted something unintelligible at the child when it turned and spotted him, and started to run at him, waving a crooked stick at him in a threatening manner. Even though it had no fangs or claws to speak of, the child was terrified of it. It was a monster, plain and simple.
The child naturally fled from the sight and was questioned endlessly about what the creature was. If the child hadn't belonged to the elder leader of that Pod, they would have likely been ostracized for being crazy. Worried that the sickness would spread to the rest of the Pod. It was anyone's guess if the child returned, and what happened afterwards, but, the fact was is that after returning to his Pod, he disappeared again after the name-calling and jeers started. His friends claimed that he went back to the land above water but no one was brave enough to follow. The whole Pod moved soon after and never returned. The warning stories spread and with each telling, became more garbled and mistaken.
John delved into the memories from his parents, and likewise, Mary to her own. Back and back from grandparents to greats and then to the large Greats. Each muttered what they saw in the genetic memories out loud for the other, and together they tried narrowing down their findings. Struggling to keep the stories of monsters and old warnings to the background while searching for their desired goal. Finding out if there was a way to hasten the laying of a fertile Egg.
However, their fears kept rearing their ugly heads and both kept on reliving the traumas of the long past. Being separated from their old Pod for over a year was starting to wear on them and their sanity. John worried that they'd go mad. Dean didn't seem to mind being with just his parents but then again, he never knew a life other than this. One's ability to delve into ancient memories wasn't an instinctual trait. It had to be learned when the Merkids became of age. Many years of meditating and communing with their Pod helps strengthen the bonds between the living and long dead memories of the whole. Simply put, each Merperson needs the community to share memories otherwise they stay hidden and buried in their subconscious. The bigger the Pod, the more memories can be shared, the longer they live in the minds of the living members to be passed down to future generations.
Trying to force memories to come up can put too big of a strain on one mind, and the usual result of it is madness. One gets lost in the past and stays there.
John was starting to get scared for he and his mate's sanity. There was a real possibility that they'd go mad and then Dean would be left alone to fend for himself. But, this was the only way they could think of to get Dean a brother or sister. Someone to stick by his side so that their odds of survival increase. They never heard of a three person Pod before, and needed more of their kind to make it work. The risk was worth it to them.
They had to put aside the incident that happened to a few of the insane ones in their old Pod. A Merperson would spend too much time alone without another living soul to converse and bond with, and start hearing voices of long dead relatives. Driven crazy by the silence and loneliness until they either killed themselves or others and had to be put out of their misery. Most of the time, by then, the Merperson would have grown too large for just one other to take them down, and it became a Pod effort to rid the ocean of the crazed menace.
Assuming of course that they could get to them before they destroyed too much of the local ecosystem. If the crazed Merperson wasn't contained, and wasn't suicidal, they'd keep on killing until their food source died off, and then they'd starve to death.
Thankfully, madness was a rare thing in their society. They had laws and traditions put in place to keep Pods together, healthy, and growing. Growing slowly, of course, to ensure that their food sources wouldn't be depleted.
Lone Merpeople were almost always assimilated into a passing Pod to reduce the risk of madness. Regardless what that Merperson had done or looked like. They'd be watched after and cared for and hopefully brought back from the brink of madness in time. Or else, be mercifully put down. John and Mary knew the risks of separating off by themselves, and thought that the risk was worth the reward. But at the end of the day, if one of them died, it was a death sentence to the surviving one as well. Might be centuries or mere decades but every Merperson goes mad if they're all alone.
After their 20th failed attempt at having a second child, the two stole some private time alone from Dean to discuss what should happen if one or both of them were dying and Dean was left alone. Swearing to return right back to the Pod immediately, regardless how they'd be accepted. It wasn't worth risking Dean's life. They planned on teaching Dean how to return to the Pod when he was old enough for a massive trip like that. For now, Dean wasn't big enough to move further than a few miles from the nest. A trip like that alone would kill him. Mary insisted that since Dean was already friends with the dolphins, that they could look after him long enough for a passing Pod to find him and take him in. Or, that the dolphins themselves could seek out more of their kind. They wished they could communicate with them, but, that was for another time. At least they seemed to care for Dean as much as he cared for them. It made it easier to relax and sleep at night.
The two were exhausted and went back to the cliff to hunt for some supper and sleep. They told each other to stop worrying so much about what they can't control, and that it might be good for Dean to have a couple years on his younger sibling. A few years wasn't that big of a deal to their kind afterall. John was younger than Mary and they made it work. If nothing else, John thought about how nice it would be to only have one hatchling to train and teach than if he had to round up two little bundles of energy. Mary agreed and they would try again for a baby next year.
Mary woke in the night to a new warmth in her body, and nearly cried for joy at the knowledge that their fears were unfounded. She was pregnant again. After all those discussions and sleepless nights and worrying about what would happen to Dean if he were alone, she didn't even care if it was going to be a girl or boy. So long as Dean wouldn't be alone one or both of them died.
Things were looking up for the growing family.
