Seafood Adventures

Foodchain

Dust had no idea where he was. It had been two weeks now, that he had been wandering the ocean alone.

Stupid storm.

At first he had tried to follow the storm, that'd swept his pod away, in an attempt to find them. But the storm dissolved and Dust had no idea where to look for the others.

Begrudgingly he had to accept that he was on his own now. At least until he could join another pod.

He was a fast swimmer and quite fearless. He had never had any problems to be accepted by other mer, since he could provide protection. He never hesitated to distract or even fight predators to give the pod the chance to escape.

Sometimes he didn't manage to rejoin his pod and would wander alone for a while until he eventually met other mer.

But he had never been alone for this long. A few days, yeah, but two weeks? If it came simply to survival Dust would've been fine. But there was the mating season every year. He never found interest in someone so far, but his instincts still dragged him to the breeding grounds to at least seek out the company of potential mates.

Dust sighed and looked around. Apparently he had wandered into shallower waters. The ground rose up and the sand was soon replaced by rocks and cliffs, littered with crevices and nooks where smaller fish and crustaceans might find shelter.

In hope of finding a good hunting spot and a cave or crevice big enough for him to rest he swam alongside the cliff. He caught some crabs and small fry to snack on until he smelled blood in the water.

Blood and Magic.

There was an injured mer nearby!

Dust kept closer to the cliffs so any predators wouldn't be able to sneak up on him at least from one side.

A bullshark - an actual one, not a mer - passed by, obviously following the smell of blood. Dust gulped and moved even more carefully. He could fight, yes, but a bunch of bullsharks in a feeding frenzy would mean suicide.

He rounded a corner where the stench of blood and Magic became overwhelming and needed a moment to get a grip on himself.

When he looked closer he saw something hanging from the cliffside, entangled in the corals and some sharp rocks. It looked like a fishing net, seemed like some unlucky fishermen lost their catch and the sharks were now feasting on it. But that wouldn't explain the Magic in the water.

A fresh cloud erupted from the bundle of crazed sharks and one of the predators abruptly retreated from its place, giving way to the view of another mer trapped in the net.

Dust caught a glimpse of sharp teeth and red Eye Lights. The other merskeleton was a predator themself.

Dust's rational thought told him to leave and not challenge the sharks, the other mer would most likely do the same.

But.

They were another mer. And Dust had spent most of his adult life so far with the duty to protect others.

What should he do? If hesitated any longer the other mer would die.

Dust took a deep breath, focused on his Magic and summoned his pilot fish. He sent them to distract and provoke the sharks which snapped at the small nuisances and eventually, one by one, then more and more, left their meal be to charge at the pilot fish. During the scramble between the sharks and the pilot fish made of Magic one of the predators hit the mer with its tail on the skull, smashing it into the rocky surface and breaking the skull open.

Dust made sure the sharks were gone for good before he neared the other mer.

They were breathing heavily and their Eye Lights were dim. Dust saw several horribly deep gashes along the other's body. He could only tell the other was a shark mer, but not what kind of shark, the red magic flesh showed no pattern and the fins were reduced to their bases and some strands of bloody flesh and fiber. There were also several harpoons from a spearfishing weapon stuck in their tail, shoulder and back. And the head wound looked horrible from closer up.