✔THE STING (onc-19)

9. 'Seaweed-cranberry soup.'

Click. Click. Click.

Click. Click.

"These claws are at least useful as a drumbeat for the priestess's song. I am so bored," Kai yawned stretching his body, "we've got so much time on our hands to spend."

Click. Click.

"Yeah. I think I can sing too," saying that Zaren swam to the centre of the clearing on which they were acquainted. He hummed a whale song dancing to Kai's rhythmic clunking of claws.

Gabby and Sal sighed, their faces sick of boredom. "You know what? I'll go and explore the city. We need to make a living here." Sal wailed as he left the place, swimming with his eel fish tail which was unfortunately not that attractive as others'.

After a while, the dust from the sea bed was suddenly disturbed as it rose to blur their vision of the underwater city.

"Who's there?" Zaren stopped, taking his defensive position as if he was holding a dagger, despite not having it. Kai immediately backed him by offering help. "Reveal."

There was a soft, scared and feminine mumble, "it's just me."

As soon as the dust settled in, the bizarre silhouette took shape against the light. Zaren frowned, staring the girl up and down; her body was almost in the shape of a rhombus, because of triangular shaped fleshy flaps extending on either side of her torso. While her face was pretty normal for a teen girl that she appeared to be, her tail was pointy with a lethal stinger of some kind. "Who are you? I almost killed you."

"Sorry, but you sing so well, I was so drawn." She admired Zar with a pair of beady hazel eyes. "I...I am Ava Ray, by the way."

"Ray, as in 'Stingray'?" Zaren raised his brows to mask the red hue that was spreading on his pale cheeks.

"Yes, sort of." The new girl shrugged, "you must be the killer warrior that the people are talking about."

"Yeah. It's me." Zaren beamed with a widened chest, Kai rolled his eyes and sat back with others. Kids were hell bent on building a sand castle on the sea bed, even though tides crushed it several times. Sheila was already busy running errands for the high priestess to collect medicinal seaweeds and corals, she was already, somehow, convinced that she had to join the league of priestesses.

Ava giggled, "I knew it. That makes you an Orcan, what's your sweet name again?" Asking that, she flirtatiously kept batting her long eyelashes and played with a curl of her Auburn hair.

"It's Zaren, you can call me Zar." The blush didn't seem to fade away from his face, at all.

"Zar? That's so cool." Ava giggled again circling him around, as if she was desperate to feast her eyes with his muscular self.

"Avamelia!" A croaky male voice broke through the waves. "Go back to your house." Ava panicked and staggered before rushing and leaving the place.

Another Orcan male, much elder in appearance swam and stood in front of them. He was followed closely by his female companion. They both donned the same white and black pattern of killer whales. "You should not get distracted during this crucial time. Whole of the city is humming the war song. Come, it's time for some practice." The female one spoke in a stern tone.

"Practice what? Besides, I don't know you guys."

"My son, I am the head of Orcan community. She is the lieutenant in general of peace-keepers, and of course my beloved wife." The elderly merman introduced himself elegantly.

"Come with us, you need to learn so much about battle skills. And, you guys can join your respective community. You shall be fairly placed in the hierarchy." The orca-maid pointed at Gabby in particular.