The human ship was sunk, the vermin inside drowned or torn apart as the pod looked for their pups. A rattle echoing throughout the water as the caregiver swam through the wreckage and blood, swatting away pieces of meat as the golden mer approached his mate, his protector and the leader of their pod. "They're not here Lucifer." The mer says in anger, his fins flaring as circles his mate before looking out at the carnage. "We'll keep looking then Angelo, I promise you our pups are fine." Lucifer explains softly as he brushed his hand along his mate's sail, easing it to relax. "They better be." The blond mer hisses as he swam off, deciding to try and get the scent of his pups from around the area. The humans had said that their nets had something big on the end of it, before the net had been cut and their catch had been loss. Assuming that his pups had been caught in the net, they wouldn't wait out in open ocean. He had taught them better than that, they're are to many predators- he had to stop himself from thinking at that point. He was letting out trills and calls, swimming around the rocks and looking around before spotting a reef in the distance.
Lucifer heard a call come-protector-here-here, he let out a responding call letting his mate know that he was coming as he swam over to Angelo, urgently checking over the blond and their surroundings before spotting the reef. "They're there." Angelo stated as he gestured to the reef, looking at Lucifer with possessive eyes as he held his hand. "You will stay behind me. Understand?" Lucifer instructed to him as he begun their journey to the reef, unable to shake the familiarity with the place. "Understood perfectly." The blond replied obediently, both of them understanding that he would not listen to Lucifer but deciding not to argue about it.
The shift in atmosphere was noticeable to the mer as he torn up pieces of meat for the pups, letting out soft trills and pleased noises when they ate. "I believe your pod is here." Chris says softly as he ushered his pups to the den, giving his pups the fish carcass to pick at while he took the other mer pups to their pod. "Stay." He instructed before turning tail and gently guiding the other two towards the area he had found them. A calling trill was heard a bit away, causing both the pups to perk up and let out excited and calling chirps of their own. Chris stopped as two mers came into view, letting the two mer pups swim over to their pod members. "Jamey, Jerry! My pups!" The blond mer crooned as he pressed his heads to theirs in welcoming, "Are you two alright? What happened?" Angelo demanded as he checked the pups over, losing all interest in the other mer as he fussed over his pups. Lucifer stared at the other mer with a tilt of his head, "Wilde." He nodded his head, taking a once over of his pups and mate before looking back over at the mer. "You look well. The last time I had come here was after you attacked one of my pod members." Lucifer teased as he swam closer to the other mer, who only rolled his eyes at the statement. "They shouldn't have been in my territory. I have my own pups to take care of and can't have your pod stealing my resources." Chris hissed before his eyes drifted to the two pups talking to the blond mer, "With exceptions of course." He says fondly before looking at Lucifer again, eyeing the mer with a defensive look. "Of course." Lucifer replied as he looked around the reef, before bowing his head respectfully. "Thank you for taking care of them." Before the protector turned to swim to his pod, giving a pleased trill at the pups as they curled up under Angelo's underbelly with their little hands holding onto his fins. "Thank you." Angelo says with a nod of his head as he smiles softly at Chris before swimming off towards their home with Lucifer trailing behind him.
"They were so dark and pretty and shiny!" The pup gossiped as he swam into the den, a bright smile on his face as he curled up to his brothers in the den. "Really?" Faz says excitedly as he leans into Alex, watching Max with wide eyes as he tells them what the other pod looked like. "I hope you know I'm telling dad you left." Alex hisses unhappily as he pressed himself over the two pups protectively, flicking his fins with an annoyed hiss to get the two pups to be quiet with their whispering. After a while the two drifted off to sleep while Alex waited for their protector to come back, content on guarding the nursery while waiting. A greeting trill was heard as Chris made his way into the den, making his way to the nursery where chirps and calls were coming from. "Dad!" Faz cheered as he squirmed out from under Alex, letting out a pleased chirp when he was tucked into his father's neck resting there easily as the two twin mers also came to greet their father. "Max snuck out." Alex says as he hides himself in his father's flowing fins, feeling himself relax as he held onto them securely. Max let out a hiss at his twin, before trying to hide from his father with an apologetic chirp. An unhappily click left Chris as he grabbed the back of pup's neck gently, before pulling the misbehaving pup into the other side of his neck and letting him curl there as the pup let out another apologetic chirp. "What if that pod saw you Max? Hm? And they challenged me for you?" Chris asks as he swims into the nursery, curling into the spot with his pups close and warm. "They can do that?" Max whispered as he tucked himself closer, his claws latching onto the older mer with a little bit of anxiety. "Yes. Which is why pups should stay in the den. Mers and pods can challenge each other for many things territory, pups, members of pods." Chris explains as he gives a comforting croon as the pups leaned into him. "But I would not let you be taken without a fight. You're mine." The mer says possessively, making a rumbling as the pups finally started to drift off on full bellies and feeling protected.
