My Song Of Pain

One Fear, One Promise

A young cuttlefish swam through the outskirts of the Coral Canyon, looking for her older brother. She'd looked everywhere. Unfortunately, no brother.

That is, until she heard a voice yell. "Shut up! Leave me alone!" That was her brother!

Was he in trouble? Were kids picking on him again? She swam faster, hoping to catch the offenders before they could cause anymore damage.

Once she was close enough, her instincts were on fire. Telling her to get away as fast as her tentacles could carry her. Danger was very close. So she used her camouflage to hide, still creeping closer.

She soon found out why. Two young moray's, one slightly smaller than the other,  seemed to have her brother trapped, unable to escape the octo-pot he'd hidden himself in. There was no way she could take them in a fight, let alone out swim them.

"Amazing. All these shells are covered in spells and curses. Shape-shifting, stealing someone's voice...," one of them said, impressed by what he'd seen. "Have you been using those eight legs to write all these this whole time?"

"Don't touch them! You wanna get inked?!" yelled the octopus. "I'm gonna keep studying  and become just as powerful as the Sea Witch herself! So don't get in my way! Just go away!"

The smaller moray laughed. "Jade, this octopus is pretty funny."

"Yes, Floyd," the bigger one agreed, "he is very interesting."

Going against her instincts, she quickly put herself between her brother and the two moray. "H-he said leave him alone! C-can't you two t-take a hint?!"

The three boys looked at her in surprise. To them, she'd came out of nowhere. They could tell she was scared, though. The sent of fear coming off of her in waves.

"Who are you?" asked the smaller moray ( Floyd?), a bored expression on his face.

"She's no one!" answered the octopus. "What are you doing? They're predators!"

Looking back at them, the cuttlefish could very easily see the claws on their hands, meant for ripping apart captured prey. Those powerful tails that could soar through the water as easily as a bird in the sky. Their razor-sharp teeth that could kill in an instant.

She gulped, her fear getting the better of her. "M-mama said it's t-time to come home. So let's go."

If her father taught her one thing in her small amount of years, it was to never turn your back to a predator. So, as scared as she was, she faced them. Trying (and failing) to look as if she wasn't intimated.

Jade gave a smile that sent a shiver up her spine. "My, you have quite the spirit. Don't you?"

A hiss was his answer.

"Oohh. Lil Cuttlet's feisty," snickered Floyd. "Can I squeeze her?"

"Who are you calling "little"? You're not that much bigger than me!"

All the fear and nervousness she'd had before completely disappeared. She'd always hated being called "small". Sure, cuttlefish weren't the biggest creatures in the sea, but that doesn't mean she had to like it.

Unfortunately, her comment didn't go over well with Floyd. He lunged at her, wrestling her to the sea floor and pinning her arms to her back. Leaning toward her ear he said, "I'm gonna get bigger. One day, I'll be the biggest, strongest mer in the Coral Sea."

"Yeah, right."

He growled. Clacking his teeth dangerously close to her neck. Trying to elicit the same fear he'd seen in her before. She flinched and he laughed, satisfied with her reaction.