The Unwanted Wendigo [ManxMan]

Chapter One: I've Got My Eye on You

~Chapter One: I've Got My Eye on You~

The beach is packed full of people despite the chilly weather. The sun is shining, though, and that seems to be all that any of the humans – and other creatures – seem to care about, as there is no lack of activity. However, it is not the humans I am here for, as in the shadows of the Santa Monica pier, there is a waiting Mer.

Despite the fact that he has probably been waiting about an hour for me to arrive, I take my time reaching him, as he has not noticed me yet, and I do not feel like rushing. Out of the two of us, he looks more like he belongs, as he is wearing a pair of swim shorts, a loose wetsuit shirt, and a brown wristband. I, however, am drawing a lot of attention - which makes me wonder how he has not noticed me - as I have no intention of taking off my mask, and the only clothes I own are what I am currently wearing, which are made of fur and worn linen. They are clean, though. I have long since learned how to keep the blood off of my clothes, and in the event that food gets in the fabric, I know how to remove stains.

The noise of the pier's amusement park games and rides gets louder as I near the Mer, and I glance up at the boardwalk out of curiosity. Though I was here just a month ago and also ten days ago – I could not remember if he said the first or the tenth; they both have ones – it is still fascinating to watch the more excitable humans in their natural habitats. They act like the most terrifying thing on the entire beach is the threat of rigged games and a particularly steep incline on a rollercoaster.

There's a monster less than fifty feet away, and they're eating caramel apples.

Sunlight catches on a flash of light hair near the railing of the pier, and I pause mid-step. The crowd on the boardwalk is thick, though, and it takes me a moment to spot the owner of the hair – a sun-bleached blonde. Frowning, I watch the crowd for another moment, but the girl is the only one in my line of sight with hair that light aside from a very old, wrinkled man with a cane being circled by two children, who are likely his grandchildren.

Or great grandchildren; he's old.

Dismissing it, I start walking towards the Mer again. And though he is in a pretty secluded part of the beach, as the area around the pier is apparently not a common place to set up camp, I wait until I am practically standing right next to the Mer to address him, as the chance of him hearing me over the rides and crowds above is low. "You my escort?"

"I am," he replies politely, and I kind of want to scare him to see if I can make him not polite. However, considering the fact that this Mer will be the one taking me on a trip under an ocean, it is probably not a good idea to do that. Yet. "I was warned that you might not know how to swim. Is that correct?"

Hiding a grimace with a grin, I clasp my hands behind my back and lean forward. "It is," I admit neutrally. "That going to be a problem?"

"Not at all," the Mer assures me, and then plucks what I had originally mistaken for a wristband – it looks more like a bronze cuff now that I am closer – and holds it out towards me. "This will allow you to breathe underwater."

I eye the metal for a moment before looking at the Mer in disbelief. "You're joking, right?"

- - - - - - -

Arriving in the Mer palace is a fanfare-less event. I see plenty of Mer along the way to the palace, as there is an entire city of them that we have to pass through to reach the entrance, but they are all much too busy to care about the wendigo being dragged along by a guard in their midst. A few young Mer did glance our way a few times, but they were either used to seeing a wendigo that cannot swim or they cared more about their games, as their interest waned fast.