Not Alone

Chapter 14: Meeting at Last

Dias' thick black fur bristles slightly as the Orca surfaces, a massive gust of air forced through his blowhole. Asper stands to my left, in his half-shifted form as usual, but his large black hood flared wide, silver markings silently screaming his venomous nature. Dias stands to my right, his body language mostly relaxed, but ready to fly us away should anything go wrong. No more stupid mistakes when it comes to the ocean and it's beastmen.

The Orca floats on the surface of the water, quietly clicking. Waiting.

I take a bracing breath of sea air before speaking "We want to talk with you. Properly"

I blink as the Orca submerges under the water, disappearing from sight. A brief glance of confused silence is exchanged between the three of us but is quickly disrupted by a figure emerging from the surface of the waves.

Strong arms swiftly lift a large figure out of the water and onto the surface of the stone. Standing before us is a fucking tank of a man, towering over Dias and Asper at a minimum of 6'5 and having at least a solid 40lbs of muscle on Dias, who was already bulkier than the leaner form of Asper. Dark grey, almost black, eyes dart between the three of us as he pushes back his short white hair out of his eyes, the black tips dripping with saltwater. His forearms fade from tanned skin into an inky black that spreads all the way to his fingertips. Two copper-green stripes decorate the middle of his right thigh, but his left thigh is clear of any matching marks.

Goddamn, that's a bigass dude. I would've thought he was a 3 or 4 stripe with how he was mowing down the Mermen earlier, but I'm gonna take a wild guess and say even with only 2 stripes, he was still hitting far above their weight class.

Asper is the quickest to acclimate to the new presence, his voice unhostile but demanding "Introduce yourself and speak your intentions"

My face twists into utter surprise as the big man drops onto his knees before us, his dark grey eyes filled with almost desperate intent as his voice rumbles, rough from disuse "My name is Silan. I want to be one of your males. Were the gifts satisfactory?"

My thoughts stutter a bit, I knew that he was really trying to court me, but I wasn't exactly expecting him to literally fall to his knees "They were. I liked your gifts a lot"

His shoulders seem to relax just a fraction until Asper curiously asks "Surely there are Orca females out there, those who are used to or prefer to live where your kind thrives. Why not choose one of them?"

Silan glances at Asper before looking back at me "That would be a long story. Would you be satisfied in knowing that there is no other fa- female I would possibly choose but you?"

I sit down on the damp rock in front of Silan. A quiet chirp emerges from Dias as he leans over to press his warm black fur against my side "We have time" I need to know why he is so invested in staying with me, and if Asper asked, then there is something he is searching for in his answer.

Silan nods jerkily, his hair still dripping with water as he explains "From what I've seen, most of you Land beasts are solitary, only really living together in order to breed and protect your females. Orca Beastmen are not like Land Beastmen. Most sons will live in our mother's Pod for life, hunting, playing, training, and protecting each other. Only ever leaving if we have an opportunity to find a mate in another Pod," Silan swallows, having a bit of trouble forcing out the next part "My mother's Pod was wiped out. Diseased meat. I had been late to the hunt, so I got only the scraps after everyone else"

Silan grits his teeth shut. We let him take a few moments to himself before he continued, his words coming out a bit smoother as he looks down at his hands"Orca beastmen are not meant to be alone. I tried to find other Pods, but the very few I could find were not accepting more males. Too many mouths to feed. Ocean females of other tribes are extremely guarded by their males, or are terrified of Orca beastmen," His eyes meet mine "I searched along the coasts. The few females and their families I saw were not like Orca pods at all. Their males tolerated each other at best, and the females encouraged the competition for attention"

His eyebrows furrow "I was originally just passing by. I was not expecting anything when I saw you. I was ready to keep moving on," his face smooths out, taking on a calmer expression "You gave me food. Without even knowing I was a Beastman, you offered me kindness. Your mates did the same. So I stayed, and I watched"

He rests his hands on his knees as he glances between all three of us, his voice almost pleading "I'll do anything you want to prove my worth. All I need is a chance and I promise I will succeed in whatever it is," His eyes take on an odd fervor "I'll drown this ocean in blood if that's what you want. Pearls, the finest of food from the sea, anything"

... Well... Fuck. Slightly intimidating, but the fact that his efforts are focused on pleasing me softens the slightly disturbing offer of mass murder.

Letting out a breath, I ask "What kind of relationship would you want with Dias and Asper?"

"Companionship. One of family"

 Alright. Platonic and friendly. We can work with that.

"And you want only to be my mate?"

He answers immediately, the words rushing from him "Yes. I want to be a part of your Pod. Even if it was just to be a guardian. Anything you allow, I will gladly accept"

I look over to Asper. He is leaning back slightly, his arms crossed with a pensive look on his face. His silver eyes slide over to meet mine. I tilt my head a little in silent question. Asper looks at Silan for a few moments, watching the man sit quietly, before looking back to me and nodding.

I feel a huff of breath from Dias beside me, the dull part of his finger-claw nudges me forward slightly.

Looking back towards Silan, I reach out to cover one of his large, pitch-black hands with my own "You can stay with us. I can't promise that we will mate, and my culture typically demands a courting period, but I can promise that as long as you have a place with us for as long as you want"

His breath stutters a little, the stress along his frame slowly ebbing away as he answers "Thank you. I promise I will not disappoint"

We need the extra protection. He needs a family. With all that he has done for us, I think letting him stay is the least we could do. And judging from the gentle rumbling coming from Dias' furred chest, I would say he agrees.

AN: Welcome to Silan. This man? a social creature who has been left alone WAY too long. Like an extrovert trapped alone in a house. They start to go a little insane after a while. Also, I added pictures of Xena (end of Chapter 2), Dias (end of Chapter 3), and Asper (end of Chapter 5)