MERMAIDS OF THE LONELY COAST 2 (THE NEW MOON)

CHAPTER ONE

Yura gathered the shells into a larger shell that served as a bowl, she only picked the best underwater shells and returned back to her cave, this side she stayed in used to be filled with merfolk with soft light blue tail, now she was the last surviving one, ever since Ruth came into their lives they've been different, they cared about their living places looking nice and about accessories , Yura herself had decorated her sliver white hair with stones from the bottom of the sea. Her cave looked amazing. Its been two years since Ruth joined them, she'd spent months in the human world and a year in the water, she's managed to balance both life, though its been a while since Yura saw her, through Ruth and Carmen's intercession, they had placed in her care two new born, both Carmen's and Ruth's tribe sacrificed a baby from their clan to her, so that as they grew she would train them as her own, as her tribe, a small tribe of three, a male and two females. although they were born with different tale colours, she had the pleasure of watching them shed skin, now their tails matched hers. It was a process that was only known to their kind, if another tribe adopts a Mer-baby and feeds them their own milk, the baby will shed off its old skin and change to it's new family, she choose to be their mother because when the tides changed and time came for child birth she wouldn't have a male from her tribe to mate with. She named them Ayla and Ky, nothing would have happened without Ruth. Her children grew fast, they didn't take time like humans, in six months they were already big and could sing and she taught them English, if they were ever to encounter humans and needed to blend in. Ayla had black hair and ky was blond, she was super proud to be their mother, and finally a year passed, it's been so blissful.
Yura heard someone coming towards her home, she had the sharpest hearing, eyesight and was the fastest mermaid in lonely coast, she swam out of her cave to find out who it was, from far she could see Carmen swimming towards her home, she smiled and waited for her, she was suddenly very protective and territorial.
Carmen knew that Yura has already seen her, she swam faster towards her, motherhood has made Yura protective and aggressive to a point. Carmen was grateful to Ruth for pleading with both Tribes to make such a huge sacrifice, especially since the mother's never had the opportunity to hold or know their young ones, so the bond was broken before it could get stronger. She remembered how Yura's face lighted up and tears rolled down her cheeks and the ocean took them away, her first tears, it was beautiful.
"Yura"
"Carmen"
Carmen hugged her and bumped head with her.
"How are you? How long has it been?"
"Not long enough, am glad you came"
"How are my two little sea shells?"
"Not so little anymore"
Ayla and Ky swam out from behind a rock and threw themselves at Carmen.
"Well, Well, will you look at you two"
She bumped forehead with each of them. 
"Welcome Carmen, what took you so long to come visit?"
"I was busy my little ones, run along on, but not too far okay?"
"Okay"
Ky turned and chased Ayla
"You must be so happy and proud"
"I am, the proudest mother in the world"
"You know they are old enough for you to start living them alone now, they can hunt for themselves, defend themselves and swim fast"
"I know Carmen"
"Good because am taking them fishing"
"But..."
"We don't protect our young for too long... Remember they are the only chance you will get at having children and saving your tribe... We make them strong, tomorrow they will follow me to the abandoned ship wreck"
"What?!"
Yura looked frightened, she wanted to protest, but she knew it was no good, if people of other tribes found out she was over protecting her young, and making them weak, they will have an advantage over them, and in fights to come they will win.
"Alright, do what you must"
"Its going to be okay Yura"
We said and tap her shoulder. Carmen called out to them in a soft Dolphin like sound and in seconds they were beside her, they all left and didn't say goodbye, they never say goodbye in the water, they go and if everything went well they returned, they did Everything to survive besides there were bigger predictors in the water that feed on their kind.
***
Ayla was a little playful than her brother, Carmen had to admit that Yura was spoiling them and she didn't want to see them get hurt. They carried short sea shell spears, in the sizes of human knife. They used it for fishing and defence.  When they reached the abandoned ship, they were many fishes swimming around they all got alert when they approach with their spares.
"Now, the technique is too blend in"
"Carmen watch this"
Both each placed two fingers by the side of their head, close to their ear, and stretch one hand towards the ship, they closed their eyes and hummed so quietly it took a really good ear to hear them. To Carmen's surprise the fishes started swimming towards them, they were controlling them, she was so surprised, the ocean has blessed Yura indeed, two borns from different tribes, shed their tail and became one of another tribe and they were blessed with the same ability.
"How long have you been a able to do this?"
They concentration broke and the fishes swam back.
"A few days"
"Does your mama know?"
"No we haven't shown her yet"
"I see... Well that's not why we are here, no using of abilities during this hunt, stay focused, stay strong, your enemies will not give you another chances to strike."
Carmen watched them as they swam towards the fishes, they took hold of the small ones but strapped the ones that were bigger and too hard to catch, Carmen smiled, they reminded her of when she was growing up and when they were teaching her and the other young ones how to hunt, she had killed a shack on her first day, it was amazing. After Hours of training and hunting they headed back home with lots of food and bruised palms. Yura was really happy to see them, she was grateful to Carmen for training them.

Ruth opened the door and came out, it was a beautiful weather, too beautiful to be indoors, this summer was going to be the hottest and the ocean was going to be warm, she missed the water, but she still had some things to round off here before heading to Lonely coast. She walked towards the beach, just because she can't go into the water or let it touch her doesn't mean she can't take walks, she looked at the vast blue sea. Some where out there was someone like her.
She stroke her arms, and took deep breaths, one of the benefits of being a deep sea aquatic creature is that her skin was most of the times always moist and she barely had skin burn, unless when she'd stayed out of the water for too long, and her skin started cracking. She didn't walk too close to the water, she didn't want to change in front of anyone. She saw lots of people at the beach today, men in uniform, they were talking and in their mist was a woman, she looked slightly shaken. This was not normal, something was wrong and if it was about the water she wanted to know, the woman left the experts to do their job while she walked towards Ruth, she was about the pass Ruth.
"Excuse me!!"
She looked at Ruth with haunted eyes, like someone who has just passed through something frightening
"Yes"
"Sorry if I may ask what's going on?"
She looked at Ruth surprise, she push back long black hair and sigh
"Well, I was attacked by a Shack Yesterday Afternoon, I was this close to losing my life, but thankful the Shark was distracted by something else and it left me... Another fish I think"
"That's impossible"
Ruth said, somewhere at the extreme end was an electrical iron net that kept dangerous aquatic creatures, and other species away from this beach, even she couldn't pass, and defiantly no shack could pass, but this woman was telling the truth
"That's what I thought too, the Police and Bay watch are on it, the net is about to be inspected"
"Am sorry you had to go through that... It must have been so  frightening"
"It was and it still is, well... Good bye to the best summer of my life... Do you live close by?"
"As a matter of fact I do, not too far from the beach"
"That's my house close to the beach.. Am Dorothy Jenner"
"Ruth Hale... Wait Dorothy Jenner, you're that famous painter that lives around here, I watch you win the minor Surfer's cup.. You're amazing"
Dorothy smiled, but her eyes didn't light up
"Thanks... Wanna come over for a cup of tea or soda, if you're free?"
"Of course, I'll drop by this evening"
"Nice to meet you Ruth.. Have a nice afternoon"
"You too Dorothy, I recommend a lot of rest, it'll do you good"
"Thanks"
Ruth watch her walk away, she was worried, if shacks were coming to the surface people's lives were in danger and something was driving them here, she needed to find out what, and what was the fish that distracted the shack? She needed to know, something was going on.

Dorothy washed her face, sleeping had been the right thing to do, she looked at herself in the mirror and sigh, she felt way better now, it was an experience she could not forget, but she survived and she was grateful for life, she was grateful for the chance to start her life all over again and she shouldn't let this bring her down, she was still going to have the best summer of her life, probably away from the water. She head a knock and quickly fixed her hair and applied cream on her face, she looked better now. She ran down stairs and opened the door, Ruth Hale was standing there with a basket covered with a red paper cloth.
"Hi"
"Hey Ruth, come on in"
Ruth smiled and walked in, she handed her the basket, Dorothy led her to the sitting room and offered her a sit then she went to the kitchen and dropped the basket.
"Thanks for coming Ruth, I really appreciate, I need the company"
"Me too, how are you, how are you feeling?"
"Am fine, and the rest did help, how are you?"
"Am good"
"What can I offer you?"
"Anything will be fine"
"Alright give me a moment"