The Little Merman

Chapter Two: "Riptide"

Riptide's pale and fresh bright red scars stood out against his grey skin as he propelled himself through the water with his large tail. Just as he reached the window, his mouth opened to reveal his rows of large razor sharp white teeth. Nate didn't have time to think as Riptide came bursting through the window. Swimming hard to his left, Nate slammed into Mark to shove him away from the window. Riptide's head jerked to the left as Nate's tail smacked the underside of his jaws. However, a shark of Riptide's size just couldn't stop and turn easily in small spaces. Mark gripped Nate's arms, stammering out terrified. "OH SHIT!" Nate shoved Mark toward the hole in the floor, yelling out over him. "GO! NOW!" Mark's tail thrashed wildly to propel himself down into the hole as fast as he could. Nate went to the hole but waited to give Mark time to swim away with his injury. As the stronger swimmer, he felt responsible to make sure his friend got out alive. Just before hitting the wall, Riptide turned sharp to turn around. His large tail slamming into the wall as he course corrected to face him.

Nate rested his hands on the floor, his ear fins rising to shake as he hissed back at Riptide and showed him his sharp teeth. Without fear, Riptide rose to the challenge. Surging forward at full speed with his own teeth posed to bite him. Nate held his ground, then lashed his tail out to swat a broken piece of the vessel at Riptide. The floating piece of soft material hit Riptide's mouth and he chomped his jaws on it to splinter it more. While Riptide thrashed his head from side to side to try shredding the piece more, Nate quickly dived into the hole in the floor. Riptide soared over the hole and back out the window. Regurgitating the piece, Riptide circled back to head back into the ship to head for the hole. Nate stayed in Riptide's view, briefly glancing back to see the end of Mark's tail slipping out a hole in the lower half. When Riptide dived into the hole, Nate shot off for the small hole that he'd come in from. Riptide slammed his head against the wall to try to snap his jaws on the end of Nate's tail as he charged passed the hole. Nate yelped having felt Riptide's mouth briefly with the end of his fin before he yanked it through the hole.

Outside the vessel, Mark struggled to swim across the open water of the reef. Nate's entire body was on edge. Open water was the WORST place to be. While they could swim at a good forty feet in open water... Riptide outmatched them in his swimming speed of fifty feet! Riptide started slamming his face against the small hole of the vessel, causing the wall to vibrate and creak under the strain of his strength. Nate caught up to Mark, pointing to the next sunken vessel to state out frantically. "Inside, quickly! Our only hope is to outmaneuver him!" Taking his wrist, Nate helped him swim faster to the next vessel. They had only just reached it, when the wall of the other vessel burst apart, unleashing Riptide who came at them at full speed. He crossed the open water fast than they had. Nate shoved Mark into a hole on the vessel that led into another fancy room, before swimming toward one of the pillars on the vessel. His hope was to lure Riptide away from Mark but stay close enough that he could help him if he had too. Riptide took the bait, changing course quickly to follow him toward the pillar.

Waiting for Riptide to get closer, Nate swam around the pillar to force Riptide to circle around wide to follow him. Riptide's body was just not designed to cut turns like Merfolk could. Riptide couldn't swim backwards or stop moving. Nate grabbed the pillar, swimming around it to keep something between them. Frustrated, Riptide jerked away to slowly glide away from him. Nate stayed behind the pillar. He wasn't stupid. Riptide was giving him an opening on purpose to see if he'd swim away. Going only a few feet away, Riptide circled around to look at him. Nate held the pillar, hissing in warning back at Riptide. Riptide's mouth opened a little, swimming toward him casually. Then without warning, Riptide charged at him with his mouth wide to bite the pillar! Pushing off the pillar, Nate gasped. Riptide's jaws compressed on the pillar slowly, his large tail moving his body from side to side, causing the material to groan before it broke. The top of the pillar slowly fell to the sandy floor of the ocean, but Nate's eyes were on Riptide. Riptide thrashed his head to shake pieces of the material from his mouth before locking eyes with him as he glided forward slowly.