The Little Merman

Chapter Eleven: "Fish Out Of Water"

Nate tried to swim on his own, but without his tail he had no idea how. Mark rushed over to him, giving Ursel a glare before grabbing Nate to take him back out of the Serpentine's mouth. Nate could hear Ursel and the moray eels laughing hysterically as he gripped his throat tightly. His lungs were burning and every fiber of his being wanted to breathe. Nate had never seen Mark swim harder or faster in his life. Even for not being able to swim well, Mark was pushing himself to his limits for him. Outside the Serpentine's mouth, Mark started pushing harder to swim straight up. Nate tried to help, but it was weird to move two legs when there used to be just one tail. He saw dark spots lining the sides of his vision and they hadn't even reached the sandy fog above yet. By the time they broke through the fog to the colder waters, Nate was feeling weak and couldn't keep his eyes open. Mark was exhausted, but he stopped to cup Nate's face and kissed him. Nate felt like it was to be his last kiss before he died, until air filled his lungs. Mark was converting the water into air.

The air felt amazing in his lungs, but his lungs refused to hold it for long. Either Mark was too winded to give him the amount his body needed, or the spell was draining it because it wasn't fresh air. Nate weakly grabbed Mark's shoulders, trying to tell him to keep swimming for the surface. Instead, Mark continued to feed him bursts of air. While in the times he stopped to take deep breaths, he started making distressed whistling calls. Nate grew so weak that he couldn't move and just wanted to sleep. Mark held Nate in his arms, when in the distance a large form drew closer. The creature let out familiar excited whinnies and Nate smiled. A hippocampus was coming. Mark was a genius. The large black and blue sea horse with long from legs that unfurled into vibrant blue fins galloped through the water. Mark draped Nate over the back of the Hippocampus and shoved it toward the surface. Straddling the Hippocampus, Nate hung on with as much strength as he had left as the Horse of the sea shot off toward the surface.

Nate started to jerk as his body started to protest the lack of air. Just as his lungs were going to force him to breathe, the Hippocampus burst up through the surface. Nate gasped loudly as his lungs took in the fresh salty sea air. He'd never treasured air so much in his life. Falling limply across the back of the Hippocampus, he continued to gasp for air until his body was happy. The Hippocampus floated on the surface, snorting its lungs full of water in order to breathe the air. After a few minutes, Mark finally broke the surface and panted out in a panic. "Nate?! Are you alright?!" Nate waved to him, causing Mark to relax and swim over to them more calmly. Reaching the Hippocampus, Mark wrapped his arms around the sea horse's long narrow nose, panting to it sweetly. "Extra shrimp for you tonight, my friend." The Hippocampus whinnied happily, snuggling against Mark who hugged his neck. Sitting up slowly on the horse, Nate looked around to get his bearings. Patting his leg, Mark told him seriously. "We can't stay here. And we can't go to mermaid island... So, let's go find your prince. My mother used to tell stories of a castle in that direction. Maybe your prince is there."

Nate nodded happily, steering the Hippocampus in that direction by stroking its neck on the side he wanted it to turn. Mark pulled himself up onto the hippocampus to sit sideways behind him. As they traveled, Mark grumbled out behind him. "I can't believe this. Look at you. Look what he's done to you." Nate shifted to sit sideways on the sea horse. The water ran over his legs and up to his knees as the hippocampus swam calmly through the bright morning waves. Lifting his legs, he splashed his feet in the water to try and get the hang of how they worked. Beside him, Mark put a hand on Nate's leg to stop him, asking him in a concerned voice. "Why did you do it? I told you that Ursel was a liar! You didn't even try to bargain with him! You can't make the prince fall in love with you in three days. Especially, without your voice. Even Ursel knows that!" Nate raised his hands and started to do hand gestures that was universal to all the tribes. Since most picked up different languages from around the world, it was hard to understand those that no longer spoke or wrote things in Seaspeak. So, Seaspeak signing was taught universally to help keep everyone together.