Not Alone

Chapter 16: Making Friends and Breaking Bones

Well, the trip went a lot smoother, and drier, than I thought it would have.

After Silan transformed, he stuck close enough to the rocks that I was able to, literally, hop onto his broad back and cling onto his dorsal fin to avoid slipping off. For the entire 2 hour trip, Silan was careful not to dip his back under the water, which must have made swimming a hell of a lot slower for him, but the result meant that it was only my feet that got occasionally splashed.

I sigh in relief as Silan slowly turns to face the edge of the coastline, the steep cliffs having slowly molded down into a rocky beach over the course of the past hour. I stand up on his back, wrapping my arms around the tall dorsal fin to remain stable as Silan practically beaches himself, getting close enough that I can jump from his back and onto the beach.

Shifting into his human form, he quickly wraps the toga around his hips and walks out of the water. Silan points and says "That way. Not too far"

Reaching out, I grab his hand and intertwine my fingers with his "Alright then big guy, lead the way"

He stares down at our intertwined hands for a brief moment before nodding and slowly beginning to walk in the direction he pointed.

As we walk, I observe our surroundings, making sure to create landmarks for myself. The trees are a bit smaller here, more like a typical forest with dense undergrowth. Looking around, I spot several small squirrels and birds in the trees, all of them quickly fleeing at the sound of our approach.

I look over at Silan, his eyes darting around the forest, alert for anything that might approach. I squeeze his hand a little, gaining his attention as his head turns to face me "Have you been on land a lot? You mentioned something earlier about looking at land females?"

Silan strokes my hand with his thumb softly, his deep voice rasping "Sometimes. Close to the water. Fewer males on the land than in the sea," he pauses, clearing his throat before speaking again, his voice a little less of a rasp "A few villages. One city. Many feral beastmen in-between"

He visibly hesitates before cautiously asking "You? Do you like the sea?"

I smile reassuringly at him "Yea, I like the ocean. I grew up next to the coast, I would go swimming in the summers," Silan's face relaxes, the corners of his eyes crinkling a little in a small smile "What's your favorite kind of food from the ocean? Some friends of my family had their own fishing traps, so every so often we would get fresh lobster"

Silan brushes aside a branch, his eyebrows furrowing "Lobster?"

"Reddish-black, tons of spindly legs, thick tail, covered in armor, and two big claws"

He nods in recognition "I know those. I can find them for you," He glances down at our intertwined hands "Squid. Large fish"

I nod "I haven't had squid before, but I've heard it tastes good cooked"

The village slowly comes into view through the gaps in the trees, the low chatter of Beastmen filtering through the thick brush. Silan squeezes my hand ever so gently as he speaks "Stay close. Please"

I squeeze his hand back in silent agreement. Look, I might have forgotten about the Mermen, but I'm not dumb enough to wander off from my only source of protection in a pit of testosterone.

Walking into the village is just as much a culture shock as it was the first time around. Beastmen are everywhere, going about their daily business as the merchants display their wares in a large clearing.

Silan sticks to my side like glue as we look at the different options.

I crouch down to the ground where a seller has a bunch of different pelts laid out. I run my hand over a thick pelt, feeling the plush fur under my skin. I stand back up and turn towards Silan "How many would one crystal buy? Asper is still hunting and creating furs for us, but these are thicker than the animals in our area can produce" Damn my not understanding the value of crystals here.