Leviathantale Mermay 2022 - Pearl Edition

Day 5: Scars (NFSW)

Knife tried to ignore his still aching body as he tried to move out of the nest. His partners have given him a strict ban on swimming without either of them if his prosthesis starts to cause problems and the pain becomes too much. But he just couldn't stay here any longer. He carefully wriggled out of the nest, he just needed some time to himself. He wouldn't swim far. So Knife made it out of the nest without waking anyone and swam to the cave entrance.

"Where are you going, Coral?" A deep, calm voice sounds quietly behind him.

Flinching at being spotted so early, Knife turned cautiously to the voice. He looked at the taller mer with an embarrassed smile. The brief hot pain from flinching was ignored. "I just wanted to get out a bit. Seeing the same four walls every day is a bit boring, you know?”

Horror noticed Knife's embarrassment waver his smile, presumably pain from flinching. He narrows his eyesight but doesn't comment further. He understood Knife's need to move. "Come with you. You shall not swim alone.”

"I'm not a little pup. I'm perfectly capable of swimming on my own." But while he was so clearly against it, Knife didn't stop Horror from following. He knew it was pointless to discuss the matter.

"Never said that Coral." He swims to Knife's side, letting their pectoral fins touch.

Knife looked over at Horror. He cautiously swam closer to the great white shark, using him as a small support. The swim was somehow so much more strenuous than he knew it to be, his body seemed like it had weights tied to it.

Purring, Horror swam on. Knife would hate to bring it up. Instead, he is grateful that he sought his own help and is happy to help the bull shark swim. “Cross is back at his post. Shall we check?”

Knife nodded slightly, a small grin on his face. "For sure. It's surprising that Crissy would dare to do that anyway. He'd been terribly clingy."

"Boss scolded him." Horror grinned back. "Didn't take care of himself anymore. Needed his routine back.", he laughs deeply. "Or he would have become your 'remora' like Dust's fish."

"He's taking on too much blame." Knife sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not his fault what happened that day."

"No one has." Horror nodded and gently took Knife's hand. "He doesn't want to hear it from us. You have to show him.”

Knife looked resolutely at Horror. "If I have to, I'll pound it in his stubborn head if he doesn't want to accept it."

"Haha!" Horror's laughter rumbles through his chest. "I hope he learns before then."

Purring softly, Knife bumped his nose against Horror's. "Come on Big Guy, let's go to Crossy."

"Right next to you, Coral," he purred back, gently buffing back.

Knife looked around briefly before spotting Cross on his rock. With an effort he swam towards him at a slightly faster pace, a small smile on his face. "Crissy, hey!"

Horror watched as Knife swam towards Cross and literally threw him off the rock as he swam into him. He could see that Knife was still struggling but he improved. Horror, who never missed an opportunity to cuddle with his partner, joined the shark ball and hugged them both purring.

Knife gladly followed Horror's example and snuggled up to Cross, purring. And when he had the thresher shark's attention? He gave the other a little kiss.

However, Cross looked worried at Knife and moved away from him. "Are you alright? Can you move that much already? Does something hurt?”

Closing the gap again, Knife snuggled up to Cross, his purr slowly fading away. "I may have become an ugly cripple, but I'm not stupid. I know how much I can put on my body."