Black Hearted

Part 23

Mark finished with the translator. It had cost him more money than he had planned for this trip, but he'd bargained well enough. Turning around, he cursed. Sean was gone. Exactly what he didn't want to happen. Most of the crew were busy with the ship, or going farther into port to seek out some Greek company. So, he was sure that no one had chased him off. Moving to where he last saw Sean, he followed the footprints in the sand. In the woods, Mark lost his trail. The grass was too thick and nothing stood out to him. Kneeling where the trail ended, Mark thought hard about where Sean might go. In the distance, he faintly heard the rush of water and wondered if Sean had headed to another water source.  Drawing his sword, he crept through the brush. If Sean had been chased off by something, than he was going to be ready. As the large pool came into view, Mark stopped within the wood line. 

He could hear Sean humming a light song that was almost haunting. Standing in the shadow of a large tree, he decided to watch Sean for a minute. Sean was sitting on a large rock under the waterfall. The sunlight glinting off his scales, sending sparkles across the water and grey rocky walls of the mountain. The water ran down Sean's pale shoulders, showing how flawless it looked.  His back was free of all scars, making him look soft to the touch. The sparkly tiny scales along his cheekbones were back, making his bright blue eyes stand out. Mark couldn't look away from him. He was the most beautiful creature that he had ever seen. Mark smirked seeing Sean's long fin like ears fold down and spring up with his moods. Even his long red tail stroked the water serenely. Sean was happy. Sean raised his hands to brush his long wet green bangs out of his eyes, causing Mark to unconsciously try and move a little closer.

Mark's boot kicked a rock causing a 'Thud' to alert Sean. Mark stepped back behind the tree. He thought that Sean would continue doing whatever this was. Sadly, instinct told Sean to hide. Cloaking himself, he vanished on the rock, but the running water from the falls framed his body. Soon his frame vanished, followed by a soft splash on the other side of the falls. Mark cursed to himself and trudged out from his hiding spot, bellowing out. "Sean? It's me. Get your scaly ass out here." Mark moved to the shoreline, kneeling down by Sean's discarded clothes. Scanning the water, he tried to see if he could spot any movement beneath the surface. The water looked so calm, except for the area around the small waterfall. Mark even listened closely, but couldn't hear anything over the rush of water. He was starting to get worried that Sean had taken off, when the water burst up in front of him.

Falling back on his ass, Mark grabbed his racing heart. Sean braced his hands on the shore, chuckling out innocently. "Mark! You found me!" Mark let out a loud exhale, grumbling out. "Don't do that!" Sean's perked up fin ears, folded down as he guiltily mumbled out. "Sorry... I forgot. You're jumpy." Mark sat up, crossing his legs as he asked more casually. "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you not to go too far?" Sean sank in the water, crossing his hands on the shore to rest his chin on, answering playfully. "I wanted to go for a swim." Mark gave Sean a stern look, scolding him lightly. "You shouldn't wonder off without someone with you. You don't know anything about this island, or the people that live here. What if you had gotten hurt? What if someone had seen you on that rock?" Mark bit his tongue. He hadn't meant for the last part to slip out. Sean's eyes narrowed on him, asking with a slight blush. "You were watching me?"

Mark turned away to hide his blush, mumbling out. "You were out there for everyone to see." Sean lifted his head off his arms, his fin ears perking up as he told Mark. "You didn't have to hide. If I had known it was you, I would have let you watch." Mark turned to look at Sean again, telling him seriously. "Why is that?" Sean shrugged, honestly replying. "I'm not ashamed of my body. I understand that you're curious about it. I've been told that a lot of humans are." Mark rolled his eyes in response. He had expected him to say something else. Shaking his head, Mark retorted defensively. "I'm not ashamed of my body either... We wear clothes to... To look civilized." Sean tilted his head confused. Mark let out a small sigh, trying to clear it up a bit more. "We wear clothes because some people believe their gods will get angry if they are... tempted by primal urges."