Music From The Deep

Attacker

Trigger Warning: scenes of intense bl*od and v*olence

Consciousness came slowly to Sedrick, awakened by something hard digging into his spine. Eyes still closed, he grunted and shifted his weight, annoyed that somehow he had managed to fall out of his hammock again. And what, had he lain on someone's boot? As he did, something shifted on his chest, curling toward him.

His eyes snapped open in an instant. Above him was a close stone ceiling, the room very dark but there was enough light for him to see by, even though he couldn't see any light source. Had they gone to shore last night? He didn't remember docking, but that could be explained if he had been drinking.

The only problem was that he felt fully sober. There was no hint of a hangover. And why was he in some sort of stone chamber? Did they get arrested? Where had they even docked? And what was on his chest?

Taking a deep breath, Sedrick raised his head to see what was laying across his chest.

It was a pale young woman, eyes closed and breathing soft as she snuggled against Sedrick. Her head resting against his shoulder and hair drifting around her face. Had one of his mates convinced him to talk to a girl in some tavern?

Wait, drifting?

Memories of the day before flooded back to him, and he suddenly remembered where he was and the circumstances surrounding what happened. A small sigh escaped past Sedrick's lips as his body relaxed. Or, relaxed as much as he could while she was lying on his chest.

Mare seemed to be in a very deep sleep, breathing long and even while Sedrick could no longer breathe properly. Above him, the eels were still swimming drowsily. The siren's tail curled around his own as he lay motionless, his heart in his throat.

He lay this way for a long time, before Mare started to stir. Sedrick hurriedly closed his eyes and acted like he was still sleeping as she lifted her head from his chest. He had to fight to keep in a sigh as she swam off, only to hitch again as he felt one of her fins brush against his cheek.

Once he no longer felt her stirring the water, he opened his eyes again, finding that not only was Mare gone, but so were all the eels. Cautiously, he swam to the opening of the cave, peeking out of it. He could see the steady flashing of Mare's lights down a little ways in the trench.

Very carefully, he eased himself out of the cave, making sure to slip over the jagged opening in the rocks. Once he was free, he floated just outside the cave for a few moments, considering whether or not he should seek out Mare. She was likely hunting, he was starting to learn the pattern of her flashing lights. The way she was lighting up now was intended to lure.

Perhaps he should try his hand at hunting.

He decided to swim upward, he could not lure prey like Mare could. His best bet was to hunt in sunlit waters. He would not stray far, just enough so that he might come across a school of fish.

As he rose through the dark water, it grew steadily warmer. Sedrick flared his pelvic fins as he enjoyed the warmth, taking the edge of the chill he had not noticed before. It made him feel quicker, as though his blood were flowing a bit more hotly, energizing him.

Feeling good, he shot through the sunlit waters, cutting through it like a knife. He broke through the water and felt the sun kiss his face again. This time as he started to fall back to the water, he raised his arms above him in a dive. There was no pain from hitting the water wrong now, and a grin spread across his face as he spiraled back down into the water.