Triton's Destiny

Part Four

He'd been watching the human since the exhausted man flopped onto the beach and didn't move anymore. He could see that he was breathing, but Maki was worried about him. He couldn't risk getting any closer to shore, though, lest he be seen. So he clung to the rock where he was hiding instead, his eyes fixed on the young man, his anxiety growing with every hour the human didn't stir. As the shadows lengthened and sunset drew near, Maki was on the verge of rushing to his hiding place in the sea cave so he could shift into his human form and check on the man he'd rescued. He was desperate to know that he was all right. He also felt horribly guilty, worrying the young man might still perish despite his efforts. And he'd just floated there and did nothing to stop it.

As the tide reached its lowest point and the sky took on the golden hues of the fading day, Maki had finally decided he didn't care about who saw him; he needed to intervene. Leaving the rock and swimming for his cave, he desperately hoped he wasn't too late. But then he heard the young man's pained groan carry over the water and he immediately ducked below the waves, peeking above the surface with his gaze fixed on the human. The man sat up and rubbed at his head and when his gaze swept toward the ocean, Maki dove and hid. When he poked his head back up, the human was staggering to his feet, trying to brush sand off his clothing and skin.

Oh, thank the gods. Maki was relieved to see the man up and moving, with no apparent injury. While he didn't envy him the thorough cleaning job it would take to rid himself of sand, he counted it a victory that the man had survived and had the motivation to trudge down the beach in his ruined boots.

Fascinated and not yet ready to leave, Maki stealthily slipped through the water as he followed the human, his movements slight enough to avoid splashing. He assumed the man must be going home, but he didn't expect him to head for the lighthouse on the point. Did he really live there? Maki found another rock to hide behind as he continued to watch the human while he lit the torches and then went inside. The flame in the tower roared to life a few minutes later and Maki gaped at it. The human was the lighthouse keeper. What an important job for someone so young. As darkness fell around him, he risked a closer look and swam all the way to the stone deck which looked over the sea. The light of the torches flickered over his grey skin as he propped his arms on the edge to watch the shadows shift behind the windows as the man moved around inside.

The movement stilled for a while but the upstairs lights were still lit and it made Maki wonder what was going on in there. He knew he should go, but for some reason, he couldn't tear himself away while the human was still awake and doing his fascinating human things. He only wished he could see what those things were. He wanted to know more about this man and his life. It had to be infinitely more interesting than anything Maki did.

He startled when the young man suddenly appeared at the open upstairs window and he ducked below the edge of the patio, hoping his surprised splash had been concealed in the lapping of water against the stone. Gazing upward, he saw the human rest his chin in his hand as he looked out to sea. It seemed like he was thinking hard about something, his expression thoughtful and his eyes full of curiosity. Maki loved those eyes. He'd been captivated by them the moment he'd seen them, so vibrantly green like the lushest sea grass. The human's brown hair looked soft as it fluttered in the breeze. Gods... He was beautiful.

A bird suddenly shrieked from somewhere overhead and the sound made Maki's heart pound. He slipped slowly into the water to conceal himself, retreating back to the rock to hide again. The noise apparently distracted the human too, as he pulled away from the window. The lights in his room went dark and then he appeared again, closing the window and setting the lock. Maki heaved a melancholy sigh. It seemed his expedition had reached its end. Casting one last look of longing toward the human's window, he pushed off the rock and leapt out of the water, diving back in with a splash and flexing his tail up and down in powerful strokes to swim rapidly back home.