Triton's Destiny

Part Six

Swimming up next to one of the large rocks near the perimeter of the cave, Maki poked his head just far enough out of the water to make sure the cavern was empty, scanning every shadowed crevice for intruders. He found no one, but he couldn't be too careful when it came to his safety. Despite his idealistic beliefs about humans, he knew people could do irrational things when they felt threatened and seeing a creature crawling out of the water that humans believed to be a myth could certainly be considered a threat.

Still, Maki had chosen this cave carefully. It flooded completely at high tide, was easily accessible from the sea, and the passage out to the nearby beach was narrow and well hidden. Someone could find it if they cared to squeeze through the rocks, but they'd soon discover that they couldn't stay long unless they breathed water. Maki had yet to find anyone in the cave when he arrived, but he always checked before emerging, just in case.

He braced his hands on the rocky ledge of the cavern floor and hauled his body out of the water, his tail slapping wetly against the stone. Dragging himself away from the water, he spread his arms and tail on the floor so he could dry out. He had a large sheet in the waterproof chest where he kept his human clothing, but he preferred to air dry and allow his body to gradually shift rather than force it. Shifting too quickly was a shock to his system and left him disoriented, so he let his triton form slowly fade to his human one. It felt more natural that way.

Lacing his fingers over his chest and closing his eyes, he listened to the gentle sounds of the water as it ebbed and flowed and filled the cave with soothing familiarity. It was so peaceful that it lulled him into a light slumber. When he woke suddenly with a start, he was instantly afraid that he'd wasted his day and cursed himself for getting too comfortable. He pushed himself up and peered out the cave entrance to look at the position of the daylight. Then he sighed in relief. He hadn't napped that long at all. There was still plenty of time to explore.

Looking down at his body, he saw pink skin where his mottled grey usually was, and a complete absence of fins and scales. He smiled at his feet and wiggled his toes. It never ceased to give him a happy thrill every time he shifted into his human disguise. When he walked on land and wore human clothing, he could pretend he was one of them. No one gave him a second thought when he looked like them.

He rose on his hands and knees and looked at his reflection in the rippling water. The sight immediately brought a scowl to his face and he wrinkled his nose as he tugged at his hair. That was the only part of him that didn't change. No matter how many times he shifted, his hair remained a shocking blue on top and black underneath. He kept hoping that one of these times it would come out completely black, since humans didn't wear their hair in unnatural colors, but it never did. The blue was natural for Maki, but it made him stand out among the humans. It made him different and attracted attention, which was exactly what he was trying to avoid. He stuck out his tongue at his reflection and scrubbed his fingers through his uncooperative hair, mussing it in frustration. Then he sighed and tucked the tousled clumps back behind his small, round human ears. There was nothing he could do but cover it. That's why he had a hat.

Getting to his feet and padding to the back of the cave, he retrieved the storage chest from its hiding place and pulled out his clothes. It was all stuff he'd salvaged from ships that wrecked on the reefs, and none of it was elegant, but at least it fit him and the pieces went together. He'd even managed to find a pair of boots that fit his human feet, which had been an odyssey in and of itself. Countless pairs of footwear had made their way to this cave, where Maki waited impatiently to dry out and shift so he could try them on and then lament the fact that none of them fit. He'd finally had to settle for something much too large, bring some of the human money he'd found into town, and buy a pair of boots he knew right away were the right size. The process was so annoying to him that he protected his boots like a priceless treasure. He didn't want to go through that again.