What The Tides Bring

Preview

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What The Tides Bring
Part One
A Pirates Life Story

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"There once was a ship that put to sea
The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
Oh blow, my bully boys, blow (huh)"
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"When I get my hands on you, you're going to regret it."

As a hand clamped down over their mouth, trying to prevent the small air bubbles that threatened to expose their brilliant hiding spot. Bright blue eyes were as wide as saucers and the moon itself. Shaking as they had pressed back down into the coral reef below, wiggling between the rocks and plants as best they could, trying to camouflage themselves as best they could, at first it was funny, the little game they had started to play trying to enjoy the change in the waters as they had started to come out of the cold season months.

The water had been fridged as of late, the way the top of the water had iced over, and barely any ships had dared to cross through not wanting to risk becoming stuck and freezing to death. Even the ones down below had migrated to warmer weather, it was just better off than the depths of the cold bringing about the darkness of the midnight zone.

What also wasn't a joy to have what lurked down below in the frigid waters start to become restless, surfacing upwards into their territory, becoming more aggressive with their wants and needs of food that had to come this way. Their treaties were in place to keep them at bay and yet they had seemed to test the patience and orders of what they had been able to get away with. Good thing for border patrols. It was for situations like this that he had vigorous training, squishing into small spaces and seeing where he could hide and for so long, he was small, could easily wiggle his way in and out, if he didn't have to fight, he wouldn't.

The plan was always to make sure he had gotten away safely and look for help. That was if he was able to get out without being found, like now. His eyes trained to the rock to keep himself from shaking, the way he had squished back, deeper into the corals and rocks, his lungs flushed water in and out gently, trying to calm his raging heart that pounded into his chest.

It was when the shadow cast over the rocks, he had been sure this was a safe place, he had raced here, swam as fast as he could. Maybe he should have tucked himself into the part of the sunken sailboat that had been here for so long. There was enough space for him to wiggle into but if he was honest, he didn't want a repeat of weeks ago to where he had done that and had almost become a giant shark's lunch. He had not been on the menu and wasn't planning to be for a long time, as long as he wasn't mistaken for being someone's lunch that is.

Tucking himself deeper into the tiny alcove he had felt wedged back. Looking back at his self in a very dramatic fashion, seeing his fins caught. He had sworn softly, only to clamp his hand back down over his lips, using his hand to tug himself free to no avail. He was an idiot, sorta, not really. Using both hands he had tugged again trying to get free and still not be seen as a small little clownfish had passed by his face as if to tease him. Eyes narrowing at the waving of the little fins he grumbled in his head.

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It was then two hands slammed down in front of him, pushing the sand up off the floor of the ocean, stirring up the sleeping creatures around that he had oh so carefully tried to avoid waking. A scream had left his lips and a yank of his tail had turned into a Yelp. Before him, a ring of laughter that sounded like bells had rang free. Blue eyes stared back at him as blonde hair had swirled around her head, the shell necklace that he had made her ages ago was hung carefully around it.

The feeling of safety flooded him once again. His face turned to relief but also slight annoyance as he moaned and groaned out aloud of his displeasure of the situation. His fins still stuck while her hands reached towards him, pushing his curly hair up and out of his face, a flat spiked shell had taken hold of them, pushing them out of his face so she could see him better. 

" I told you, you were going to regret it."

" This isn't fair, you cheated!"

" I did not cheat-"

" Yes you did!"

" How so?"

" I- You- This still isn't fair."

" Mhm, sure it isn't."

She had laughed softly, her hands squeezing his gently for him to know she had meant no harm. Shaking her head she had moved about, reaching her hand in the alcove towards the back of it to free his fins.

"I told you, you had to be more careful with hiding like this. You can get hurt."

" I was "In Hiding""

"You're stuck but your sarcasm isn't I see."

" You're stuck with me like this forever."

" Lucky me."

His snicker and the roll of her eyes had made her laugh again, his eyes focusing on anything else other than the twinge of pain that had hurt as she continued to dislodge him. From the way, her gills on her stomach had flexed keeping the ocean water out, to the way her tail had moved gently with the bottom of the ocean current. Though as he felt another tug and his face squished in pain, he had felt something crawling along with his head, the movement only caught his attention for a split second that he had jumped, his tail dislodging and the tiny creature falling off his head, rolling in circles as if it were somersaulting over and over again coming to a stop as it bumped off of Kari's bottom. A guilty look on Maddox's face as he had reached out quickly catching the small green speck, falling onto Kari as well as the three laid in a semi pile.

"Sorry Gill!"

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The small green sea turtle had stared back with wide eyes that the young boy swore it was seeing floating seashells. Next thing he knew he was scooped up into the older woman's arms. Holding him tight as she checked his fins. Making sure no permanent damage was being done, he had wiggled a bit, trying to get away from her grasp but at the same time not fighting too much, loving the affection of her mothering nature. Her hands came to a satisfying halt, moving the boy back a bit to give him a little space. Her lips turned into a soft smile.

"Seeing as you're okay, want to go for a swim, we can discuss what you did right and wrong this time."

" Do I have a choice?"

" No."

" Then lead the way, mom."

Shaking her head again at him, seeing Gill placed on his head once more, happy to have him in a safe spot and happy he wasn't an urchin. Both creatures started to swim off into the distance, scaled tails behind them that changed with the color of the ocean tides and floors, neither had seemed to notice while passing a school of fish, a dark shadow from way above had started to creep about.