Aquata Cove Ch. 65

"By the Sea Mother...!" Ebba gasps as the three Tritons pull Merrick from the ashes. His eyes closed and otherwise dormant, his head slowly bows down, his arms hang on either side with his left arm issuing a dark red mist from a deep puncture wound, his tail drifts away from the hole of flake and ice.

Bertone looks into the cavern, and gasps as he sees the small otter merman. He reaches in, and picks up the small, fuzzy boy, shivering in the sheer cold.

"He is..." They inspect him, from head to tailfin. No spikes, no wings, no grotesque anomaly of any sort. Faint red marks are over his body, including a few shriveled spots on his fins. They hold him in their arms as he remains comatose in dreamless sleep, before Ebba comes to them, and places a hand firmly onto his chest, and then over to his gills.

"He is not breathing," Ebba says, "We must get him to the Noita!"

"Let us hurry! We can still save him!" Olaroc and Samudra take Merrick by each arm over their necks, and swim swiftly away.

"Amnien Triton," Ebba says as she turned around, "You-" She stopped before she could say anything. She lowers her hand as she looks upon the other two Amniens.

Triton Bertone weeps as he holds the meryin in his huge arms, burying the boy within the confines of his very thick white fur. Holding Arnaav this close, he can feel every shake the little one makes. He pushes his face onto Arnaav's head, snuggling close.

"I thought I would never see you again..." Bertone whimpered as he holds him close, "I thought I had lost you to the sea..." He sobs as he holds his son as tight as he could without crushing him.

"Wait, then he is..." Ebba asked lowly. Bertone, having heard her through his sniffling, nods as he holds Arnaav closer, "But he never said he was... He only said-"

"He was far... Far too young to know... He did not understand anything..." Bertone sobbed, "He did not listen when he was given the chance..."

~~~

Complete darkness is only visible. Black and silence.

A faint humming can be heard from outside. Lines and specs of light flow through unseen openings and holds, littering onto a few shiny surfaces. The humming gets louder as the small lights shine brighter and brighter.

The light in the dead center of the dark wall cracks a centimeter larger, before a horizontal light draws all around the dark space. The line widens and opens up by the pearly white hands of a beautiful white mermaid.

The sphere of light around the chest dissipates as the caster accesses the old treasure chest. Savarna pushes the two corners of the chest's lid upward, until it is fully opened, and the many ancient riches revealed in their musty residence.

"Very well then," Adra Savarna mumbles, "Which shall I talk with me to the..." She ponders as her eyes looks here and around the pile of gold and jewels, until she spots something completely different from the hoard of treasure: a very small scallop shell with a black symbol upon it -- what looks like letter that looks like 7-pointed star drawn of 4 lines and 2 dashes.

She gives a light gasp as she instantly sees the aura of her own brother imbedded to the shell, inside and out. The black kanji symbol wisps of a human aura, but it's more or less overpowered by that of the energy of her kin.

"What..." Her dainty hand picks up the small shell, and she holds it delicately with both hands.

Her mouth eventually turns into a weak smile, before her fingers softly close around the shell, and she brings it to her chest.

"He is alive..." A gentle sense of joy starts to pleasantly flow into her as she takes this small moment to at least relish this unexpected sentiment, "You are alive..." Savarna mumbles, "Brother... I hope you are... Please be safe..."

~~~

"Nnnnhh... Hhhh..." Merrick groans as his eyes peer open, very slightly. Every part of him aches, he can feel himself shaking, trembling everywhere on his body. His vision blurs as he can eventually make out his own hand, down to this blue fingertips. He bids his fingers to move, and they give an obligated twitch.

As Merrick's webbed fingers curl into his palm, he can soon determine that his body is pressing down upon the cool sand of the ocean, while also feeling a dying sting receding within his other arm. He winces as his body tenses in an attempt to move, but finds that he's too weak for even a shift.

"They really were just minor fire marks," Says a familiar female voice, "They erase almost as instantly as I heal them. Same as his tailfin."

"Is there nothing we can do to cleanse them of the Sazae toxins?" Asked a familiar deep voice.

"No, we are not in the area for any animal or plant that may perish the poison. Merrick and Arnaav will have to let their bodies filter themselves."

Merrick clenches his eyes as he gives a harsh groan.

"Oh, he is awake!"

"Merrick, you mean?"

"Unnhh..." Merrick groans again as he tries to manage a few deep breathes. His insides feel so painful and solid, which is why he's determined that he shouldn't even move right now.

"Merrick, are you here?" Comes a voice, "Are you awake? Do you understand me??"

"Where..." Merrick moans, "Where am I... I feel so cold and... My stomach feels almost sharp..."

"You are recovering from a vicious sleep," He soon remembers the face of Vanora as he hears it overhead, "As I can see, you have not sustained anything that I cannot heal."

"What... I do not understand..."

"You and Arnaav were trapped on the top of a Sazae Graveyard. Did you not know?"

"What..." Merrick feels so dizzy and confused, "What is a Sazae... And what graveyard... I was not in any..."

"I thought so," She continued, "You do not know of Sazaes... We will tell you later," She said.

"Arnaav..."

"Yes," Vanora said, "You were-"

"Arnaav," Merrick grunts and whines as he tries to push himself up, "Where is Arnaav... I need to find him... I tried to protect him, where is Arnaav-"

"Stop, keep calm!" Vanora pushes Merrick down, making him struggle, "He is well! I assure you!" Merrick settles down reluctantly, still hurting badly in the inside as he can feel the healing energies still trying to thaw his body, "He was protected. You were able to cover him. He is well, but he is dormant."

Merrick's eyes feebly open as he endeavors to force himself aware. Slowly, his blurry vision allows him to make out a rather large, white mass that is adorned with various gear of shells and kelp.

"Nnhh... Tr... Triton..."

"That is Triton Bertone." Vanora said, "While you above the surface, I along with Daughter, and Noita Shazde and Adra Bauru tried to raise the tide. Soon, Noita Rayette and her daughter came to assist. We soon found you, with Arnaav hidden inside a shell."

"The..." Merrick mumbles, "Black Sun... I was... So cold..."

"You had undergone... Transformation..." Vanora said, "And yet, you are you right now."

"I... I duh..."

"Just rest." Vanora said. "Be still. You have done enough."

Triton Bertone turns, and swims to Merrick, swooping slowly down to be level with him, "Is he?"

"Yes." Vanora nods, "He is awake, but very weak." Merrick whines as moving his hand is still the best he can manage.

"Hah... You have grown so much, Merrick." Bertone smiles, "You were half your size the last time I saw you; when you blinded that Alpha Niseag in both eyes at your Father's behest."

"I... Remember..." Merrick groans. He looks up with weary eyes, "Is... Arnaav safe... Where is he..."

"He is here," Bertone gently moves, and places the small otter child onto Merrick's side. Merrick groans as he moves his arm over, and gently touches the sleeping boy on the cheek.

"Arnaav..." Merrick's eyes feel misty as he sees the small, fuzzy chest inflate, and lower in his sleep, "You are alive... You are still here..." He smiles as his cold chest begins to feel a warm flood of emotion.

"I can go home..." Merrick smiles as tears shimmer from his eyes, coming to the realization that as far as he can tell, he's as normal as he's always been. "I can see Adam..." His chest quivers as he cried silently, "I can go home... Adam... I can see him again..."

Bertone left the boy to sleep by Merrick, and swim up to the others.

"Thank you for your assistance, Brother, Noita Shazde and Adra Bauru," Samudra turned his gaze upon the otter Noita, "And to you, Noita Rayette, and Adra Aricio." He nodded to them, "As we Coshitons, you could have turned away and left us behind, but I am very grateful to be in your debt on this sun."

"We thank you for taking in and protecting our precious..." Rayette sighs as she shakes her head. Technically, she is no longer supposed to call Arnaav by who he is to her, "We thank you, for protecting him."

"I suppose you will..." Samudra looks, and is curious to see his brother holds his own trident in one hand, with his other hand onto the shaft of his trident, and holding it out. After a moment, Samudra gives an emotional smile as he took his trident, and held it in the same fashion and touched the tridents in an X fashion.

"I, Triton Olaroc of the Holsien merfolk, greet you peacefully, in the name of Guardian Kraken." He said.

"And I, Triton Samudra, of the Kenovani pod, greet you peacefully, in the name of the Sea Guardians." He turns to Triton Bertone as he holds up his own weapon.

"As well as I, Triton Bertone, of the Amnien merfolk, greet you peacefully, in the name of Guardian Charybdis. So let it be."

~~~

On that night, all three pods are on the surface, in reverence of the full moon illuminating the sky. Upon the stony tops of the Tower Trenches, every mermaid in attendance sings beautifully into the clear sky. The females lend their melodies all around in an oceanic chorus to the full white circle up on high, and also for a more melancholy reason.

"On the sun of this very moment of life, we have lost five of our brothers and sisters, in our small pod of outcasts and loners." Samudra said to everyone in a ceremonial circle. The other leaders of the pod are here as well to pay their respects for the fallen merfolk.

"Karkos, of the Cage-Heart Crab merfolk, now passed; we will be at a loss without his inventive mind. Ehecatl, of the Dugong merfolk, now passed. As caring as she was hurt, her service to our younger members will always be remembered."

Merrick and sits with his head bowed as the names of the deceased are announced in a small eulogy "Myles of the Sting Fang Lizard merfolk, now passed," Vanora says next, "He fought bravely in our struggles -- I will never again meet as tough and ready a merman as he. Inciro of the Dusk Fish merfolk, now passed. I am sorry that his dream of battling his rivals in combat will never come to fruition."

"And Taci, of the Meko Shark merfolk, now changed," Ebba finishes, "Though he sought to change the course of his life, to redeem the sins of his past, the Land Father's dreams has thus evolved him to an unknown form. Where ever he may be, may we pray that he finds the redemption that he seeks in his new life."

"And let us thank the Sea Mother," Vanora says, "For seeing our survival through. For giving each and everyone of us new chances and new paths in this life from the very grace of Her life and light. And know that our fallen companions now dwell in the Shores of Light, to forever watch over their loved ones in the gracious winds and waters of fate and reality."

Every mermaid in the pods sing their hearts and souls into the air, to the full moon, to give thanks to the Shining Sea Mother Atargatis, to give mourn to those the Kenovani has lost.