Aquata Cove Ch. 90

"Aheheh, it doesn't quite work that way, Sister. It's ok though, I understand."

"No, it's not..." She turns her hand in the air, "I recognize the energy that lingers partially here. I know it's his aura. And there is no such malice or hatred or evil in it that I was trying to extinguish... And even sampling into your memories." She says as she looks at her sibling, "I can see he was so much more than the monster who took my Brother away... I am able to see that he was a protector, loved by so many, a gentle being... I still can't understand what he could have done to deserve what you have told me that happened..."

"Yeah... Humans... They're both advanced, and savage..." Merrick takes a breath, and huffs it out, "I can wait though... He doesn't know me anymore, but when we were young, he waited 6 moons apart just for me each and every time the pod came to these waters..."

"So you will wait for him to love you again this time."

"Yeah." Merrick nods as he smiles sadly, " I can wait... I can wait..." He sniffs as he wipes his tears, and gets up, "Come on, I'll make us some food."

"Food? Hunting?"

"Humans don't hunt for food," Merrick says, "They-" The door suddenly opens, and Jamal walks in with his golden retriever. "Wha- Jamal!"

"HHH!" Savarna gasps as she quickly hides into the room.

"Merrick? What you up to, man?" He says with a smile, "Though you was hangin at the sea."

"I-I came back, I just felt like it." Merrick said awkwardly, idling casually, and letting a pause go by.

"You uh... In the middle of something?" He asked.

"No, no, just... Walking around the house." Merrick said.

"Psshh, aight," Jamal hangs up the leash and crosses his arms, "Even I ain't that stupid. You hiding something."

"No, I'm not, Jamal, I just, I don't feel really social right now."

"Aight, what is it, what'yu hiding?" Jamal walks past him.

"JAMAL, WAIT!" He grabs him, and yanks him back.

"OW! Man, what the fuck??" Jamal tumbles backward, yanking Merrick down with him.

"Ah- Jamal, ack!" Merrick grunts as he falls.

"Ruff! ARooroorooroo!" Sally barks and jumps around excitedly around them.

"Brother!" Both of them feel a panicked wind of ice race along them.

"Whoa- shit, wha-"

"Wait, stop!" Merrick springs back up, and shots forward. Jamal scurries backward on the floor as he looks at Merrick quickly taking the hands of a young, pale-blonde girl, which is sparkling with bits of cold around.

"Who the, what???"

"Br-Brother, they were attacking you, he-"

"Just get back in the room, now!" He says as he rushed her in. Merrick turns to see Jamal getting up, rubbing a thin layer of frost from his head.

"Aight. You wanna tell me why I just got slushied??"

"Ahhhh... Ok, Jamal, you got me." He said, "That girl there? Is my Sister."

Jamal's brows raised up, "Fo real?"

"Yes, Jamal, I thought the house would be empty, what the heck are you doing here??"

"I don't go to work fo another hour, I was just taking Sally out fo a walk."

Savarna hides behind the doorframe, looking past the frame to see the large, dark-skinned human. His aura flares with a bold presence that rushes from and around his body like a wide stream.

"I can... I guess I'll chill someplace else if ya wanna hang with her,"

"I don't think we should, actually. She's probably already overwhelmed as it is." Merrick says.

"Up to you, man."

"It's fine. I uh..." Merrick blushed as Jamal's figure and masculinity brings a familiar flash into his face and elsewhere... "She can't stay out of the sea for too long, I need to bring her back."

"Aight then. Just... See ya, I guess."

"Cool." Jamal then turned and go to the kitchen. Merrick went into the room, and offered his hand, "Come on, Sister, let's go, he won't follow us."

"A-Alright..." She said, shaking from head to foot, holding Merrick's hand tightly as they walk. She peers at the man again, and trots quickly with her brother.

"Shyit. Make me feel like a creep, why don'tcha?"

Walking out, Savarna looks over again at the house, and then sees another human on the property - a female. One with very light skin, curved eyes, and long black hair. This woman's aura is a cool, silken, and calm breeze around her.

"That's Yuri. She's the human healer I mentioned before." Merrick tells her. Savarna looks up at him, "And that human that came into the house just now? His name is Jamal."

"I don't know how you can ever do this, Brother..." She says, "Living amongst humans... Let alone living with so many in one place. I'm still so scared... Just this alone has me overwhelmed."

"Hahahah, it's not as terrifying as you'd think." Merrick says with a chuckle, "Don't get me wrong, the world is full of bad humans, but there are just as many good ones, like all of the humans that I've come to know. I owe them everything..."

"What do you mean?"

"Those humans, in that house, right now," Merrick says as Savarna sees the bursting, virile energy, and the slow-whirling wind of the other within the dwelling, "Both of those humans saved my mate's life when he was viciously attacked... Jamal struck down the monsters who nearly killed him, and Yuri nursed him back to health."

"Where were you when all of this happened, Brother?" Savarna asked, "Wouldn't you have protected him?"

"I... Yeah... It was when I came to the pod, and asked to see Mother... When you, I, and Brishen went to guide those Abyssal Turtles..." He sighs as he shakes his head.

"Ohh..."

"I was only gone for a few suns... I wanted to give him something special... The one time I left for a short time, and he was broken when I couldn't save him..."

"Brother..."

~~~

"Alright... Alright... Yuri said... Give them a gift. A gift, a gift..." Arnaav says as he paces around in the water. It's been about one sun since Arnaav spoke to Yuri, and the Kenovani has already moved on. Arnaav had to persuade Samudra and Vanora to go on ahead, he'll just call for a Capricorn when he wants to catch up

"What do humans like? Maybe... A shell??" He picks one up, and lets it drift down, "No, no no no, that won't do. Maybe... Ooh!" He spots his own headband made of smaller scallop shells, "Maybe she will like this?"

Just as he turns it, the band breaks at an end, making it more like a 10-inch belt. "Noooo!" He growls. "Well... From what I've seen, this would make a passable trinket... Alright."

"Alright, Arnaav..." He tells himself, "Act appeased... Show no trickery... Act appeased... Ok."

Holding the link of shells, he flops his tail and hind legs up, and swims to the surface. His head pops out, and he looks around. "Huh?" His eyes spot several hanging paper tags posted on thin metal rods around the basin. The charms twirl in the breeze, clinking the bells attached to them, each paper inscribed with anti-spirit kanji.

"Hm..."

"Mizuuu!"

Arnaav immediately turns around, and gasps as he sees Fumiko standing at the rocks, a little closer than yesterday. He paddles right on over, squeaking with joy as he comes. Arnaav climbs the few rocks out of the water, just as Fumiko pets him and scratches his back.

"[Good Mizu, good boy!]" She praised. Arnaav's nose moves and sniffs as her hand then dips into a bucket. His eyes brighten as she picks up a pink shrimp, which is soon moved near his mouth. She's actually feeding him?! Arnaav's little jaws snap at the shrimp, his paws tending to his maw as he ate.

"[Wait right here, I want my friends to see you.]" She says before she stands and goes.

"No, wait! Don't go!" Arnaav says as he takes her ankle. Fumiko turns back around, hearing the otter bark and rattle his voice at her. She and coos at him before she squats down.

"[Ohhh, it's ok, Mizu, I'll be back. Don't worry.]" She gently removes his paw, showing him hand gestures for him to stay put, and then trots off, setting the bucket aside on one of the higher rocks.

Arnaav waited anxiously for Fumiko's return, waiting for a little over 10 minutes before his ears perk up when he hears her voice. He turns around and squeaks with joy as she comes into view... With two other young teenage girls, wearing the same uniform as Fumiko, even her same age. He quivers and lowers as they come closer to him.

"[Oh my gosh, is that your otter?!]" One of them asked, a girl with a bit more weight on her than the other two.

"[He's cuuuuuuuute!]" The other one cooed, this one is a little taller. Arnaav notices a few things they're holding, like a couple of other buckets, other trinkets and other items Arnaav is not familiar with.

"[I haven't seen him for years, and he just came back out of nowhere just yesterday!]" Fumiko says, "[Here, watch this. Mizu!]" Arnaav looks to her as Fumiko takes out another shrimp, "[Catch!]" She tosses it up in the air. The otter gasps as he reaches up, and catches it! The girls coo as they watch Arnaav munch and devour the shrimp.

"Omnhnhnnhn... Hhh!" Arnaav flinches as the second girl, one with blue and yellow colored streaks in her hair comes near him. His eyes and nose lock onto a shrimp held by a pair of thin wooden sticks.

"[It's ok, Mizu...]" She says carefully, "[Go ahead... It's ok...]" Arnaav hesitantly nears his face to her hand, before his paws gently take hers, and he bites at the shrimp.

"[Good boy~!]" Fumiko encourages as she is suddenly behind Arnaav, petting him, "[How about a nice bath now?]"

"Hm?" Arnaav looks curiously at the brush strapped to Fumiko's hand - it's covered in a white, bubbly substance. He lets her brush into his back. "Ohhhh, that feels good..." He purred as he arches his back.

"[Oh my gosh, he is so adorable!]" One of the girls squeals as she rubs and scratches under Arnaav's neck. Arnaav shudders as he leans his head back to allow more petting. He smiles as he sees a rush of water pour down his back to rinse off the sea-mammal soap from his fur.

"[I can't wait to see how handsome he'll look with these bands." The other girl says as she adjusts the trinket-like headband and other wares they brought for him, all of them adorned with kanji and Hirogana lettering spelling out 'Mizu', including a shiny collar.

"Ohhhrrrroohhhrrr," Arnaav murrs as his fur is washed with the clean-tingling soap, almost just like how Yuri bathes him, "Mmmyes, yes, this pleases me." He flexes his stomach to let them pet and scrub him, "This pleases the otter spirit. Mrrrrr~"

~~~

Night falls over the island, and the full moon bares a bright red blare in the night sky. It gives the land a vast, intense glare of crimson to the private picnic on the sand Adam sits on.

He looks at the ominous rose-red orb in the sky... Something about the red moon gives him a sense of dark foreboding, and... Comforting nostalgia that he can't quite place.

"I don't like this." Jessica says, "The eclipse is really not making me feel comfortable tonight, Adam."

"I think we're ok." Adam replies, "Yeah, it's... Kinda creepy, but it'll pass eventually."

"I still don't like this, I think we should go ahead and just call it a night." Jessica dismisses as she started to pack up the food.

"Wha- Wait, it's not that bad, Jessica." Adam says as he gets up, "The lunar eclipse is a rare event, isn't it? Lets just stay here and look at it."

"It's not romantic, Adam. It's satanic." Jessica says sternly, "I'd really not discuss this any further."

"I-, hahhh... Alright, fine. Lets go."

"Alright, fold up the blanket, and lets get going."

"Ok..." Adam says as he does as he's told. Jessica is a little on the demanding side, isn't she? Was she always like this before the incident?"

~~~

Else where, perched on a rock in the middle of the splashing ocean, Merrick gazes up in the partical, heart-filled light of the red moon. His dry, human hands rest on his gleaming tail, his upper half smooth and dry by the wind, while his lower body still wet and fish-like.

He takes a deep breath, and lets out a sad sigh as he looks down at the wavering surface. This red moon has almost passed... He and Adam are supposed to be together, to both glimmer in the love of the Sea Mother... Would Adam even have the light in his hair and his eyes like he is supposed to?

"I've missed it again..." He muttered in wry sadness.

"There will be other Red Moons, Son." Comes the deep voice of Kaiken from behind. His hand holds onto the rock Merrick is sitting on, his shoulders above the surface as his powerful tail keeps him afloat.

"... I know..." Merrick replied, "It's still unfair..."

"The Waves of Fate favor no one."

"Has... Has sister found her mate tonight?" Merrick asked.

"No. This was only her second Red Moon." He says, "But the gathering is still young." He noted, seeing the moon half white and half red.

"Yes..." Merrick nodded, "After all, I was bonded when the moon had just a sliver of red left upon it..."

"Yes..." Kaiken says as he looks up to the moon. "There is always a chance in one form of another... Is there not..."

~~~

Arnaav purrs and runs his back under Fumiko's hand, under the night sky. His throat rattles with delight as he nuzzles the top of his head into her palm.

"Hahaha, [Grandma and Grandpa were so wrong about you.]" She says as she pets Arnaav. Fumiko's friends stayed for a few hours to play with Arnaav before they went home. Fumiko has spent most of the evening playing with her otter.

"Ohh!" Arnaav moves his paw up and down, before he turns around to dive into the water.

"Huh?" Fumiko stands up, and watches. Seconds later, Arnaav resurfaces, holding a link of small shells, tied by seaweed tethers with a few pearls embedded into it, with a shell slice tied on either end - Arnaav had time to decorate and add to it.

"[Oh you made this? Is it for me??" Fumiko says with a smile as she takes it. Arnaav puffs his chest with happiness as she looks at her gift. "[It's beautiful]" She says as she pets Arnaav some more. "[Grandma will know you favor us now.]" She chuckled.

Arnaav smiles more as Fumiko strokes him, under the light of the red moon. "[I am glad you're here again, Mizu... I thought you disappeared a long time ago...]" She scratches at his ears, "[It's good to see you've made it back.]"

At that moment, their eyes meet. Arnaav's wet fur starts to radiate a wavering, water-refracting light around and on his body. Though she doesn't really notice, Fumiko rubs her forehead into Arnaav's cheek as her own black hair refracts the same magenta glow, as does her own eyes.

"[I think you really DO bring good luck...]" Fumiko muttered as she feels a rush of deep, flourishing emotions.

"I still can't understand a word you're saying." Arnaav says, sounding only like a cute array of calm and affectionate squeaks. His chest floods with new and enhanced feelings as he hugs what he can with his short arms.