Chapter Text
Prowl stirred and jolted awake. He rubbed his eyes and glanced around in confusion. The last thing he remembered was finishing his conversation with Ratchet and then closing his eyes. And... maybe dozing off. It took a few seconds for the police officer to realize he had been leaning against something warm. The Mers.
He slowly shifted around and faced the pile. Several yawns seeped out all at once, with arms shooting in the air as well. The Mers stretched out and shoved each other lightly. Prowl heard a few raspy hisses and watched as one of them slapped their tail on the ground. It seemed humans weren't the only ones who could wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Well. Rock in this case.
The first to emerge from the mass was the Mer that had taken his token. He slithered away and looked up at Prowl, blinking sleepily. Saying nothing, the Mer pulled himself towards Prowl and cautiously settled down directly beside him. Prowl, unsure of what to make of it, tensed up and watched. He couldn't help himself from stealing a few glances at the Mer and his tail. It was amazing how the Mer physiology differed from his own. He almost wanted to reach down and brush his hand against the scaled appendage on a whim, but the idea of Ratchet having another reason to gut him alive caused him to hesitate.
Prowl shifted his stare from the Mer beside him to the others and observed as one after another lazily slipped into the water. The four Mers simply floated in the water for the time being. Prowl could almost laugh at how silly they seemed: almost mythical-status creatures behaving with human-like routines. However, one of the Mers quickly spotted a group of fish swimming below and flipped over. In an instant, he dove down underwater and darted after the fish. Effortlessly, he snatched one by its tail and chomped down on its head. Seconds later, the fish was immediately devoured.
The injured Mer remained close to the rock. He yawned again but continued clinging to the jagged surface.
Water suddenly splashed up against Prowl. He jerked in surprise and looked over his shoulder. The Mer beside him growled. Prowl heard a loud snicker and spotted a green blur diving away; he watched in surprise as the Mer lounging on the rock snarled and crawled forward. The Mer disappeared into the water with a snapping motion and swam after the mischievous one.
For several minutes, it was a game of cat and mouse. One pursuing, the other fleeing.
Prowl continued watching in amusement. But the longer he oversaw the shenanigans, the more an odd sensation overcame him. Guilt? Weariness, perhaps.
He should've known better. Prowl wasn't a tourist or one of the local fanatics. He had a job to do.
After Prowl stood up, he cleared his throat and glanced around. The Mers dropped whatever tasks they were doing and quickly turned their attention towards him—even the two swimming had eventually paused their game and poked their heads back above water.
“I need to go,” Prowl explained and sent a short glance to each Mer.
“Back?” one of them pipped up.
He nodded and crossed his arms together. “My friend is still waiting for me.”
The Mer quickly swam towards each other, huddling around and conversing in short hisses. They all exchanged glances before turning back towards Prowl.
“Leaving...?” one of the quieter Mers asked. Prowl recognized him as the other Mer that had grabbed his arm earlier that morning, as well as the one that had just splashed him.
“No. I'm not leaving. My friend is just worried,” Prowl replied. “But, I don't know the way out of here.”
He swallowed nervously and slowly inched closer to the water. He slowly sat down on the rock, legs lowering down into the water. Serviceable backstrokes weren't going to help him this time. The Mers seemed to perk up at his actions and swam closer.
“I can't breathe underwater,” Prowl reminded them. He wasn't sure how much Mers knew about human anatomy.
The Mers blinked, but to Prowl's surprise, they grinned as well.
“Help!” one said with an excited tone.
Prowl frowned. He wasn't sure what that meant exactly.
With Ratchet's words hanging over his head, Prowl gave in and dropped carefully into the water. He warned Prowl not to get back in with the Mers, but he didn't have a choice. He couldn't stay trapped with the Mers. Even if they seemed friendly.
He pushed away from the rock and swam towards the group, kicking the water awkwardly to propel himself forward.
In an instant, two of the Mer were at his side.
Prowl held up his arm. “When I need air, you have to take me up to breathe.”
The Mers hissed at one another again, but they eventually nodded. It oddly struck Prowl at how quickly they complied.
He flexed his hands nervously. Was he really going through with this? Prowl took the biggest gulp of air, cheeks puffing out, and latched onto the closest Mer's arm. Quickly, they dived underwater together. The other Mers followed.
The seawater stung his eyes.
He squinted and blinked several times, trying to adjust his sight. But, no matter how much he attempted, he couldn't make out anything more than a few feet away. At least the Mers were brightly colored and stood out in the water. So, Prowl just had to stay close to the giant green blobs.
Two of the Mers swam ahead and dived even further.
Prowl's vision was fuzzy, but it looked like they were approaching an underwater tunnel. A school of fish suddenly darted up in front of Prowl. He flinched back in surprise and accidentally swallowed. Prowl panicked, slapping one hand against his mouth, and tugging on the hand of the Mer guiding him. A light-headed sensation overcame him. Prowl flapped his arm wildly, gesturing to the water's surface as one of the Mers turned back and swam closer.
He couldn't make out which one, but a Mer floated directly in front of him. He reached forward gently tipped Prowl's chin up. Prowl froze when he felt lips brush against his own and stared. He nearly shoved the Mer away, but paused. The Mer was...blowing into his mouth?
Prowl greedily swallowed and gazed at the Mer with a stunned expression. He was even too distracted to register when the Mer gave him a nudge and moved ahead. He fidgeted for a few seconds but relented and resumed his kicking. He refused to acknowledge that a Mer had just kissed him. No. It wasn't even a kiss. He had simply given oxygen for Prowl to breathe...through his mouth.
In hopes to ignore his growing embarrassment, Prowl scanned the system of tunnels they led him through. There were several openings in the rock wall, branching off above, below, and at all sides. It was like maze! How did the Mer navigate through such an intricate path? It was incredulous, but he was really there with a group of Mer in the underwater cave system.
Prowl lost track of how many turns their group had taken—and how many not-kisses he received from the Mers to keep him breathing—but they finally swam out into larger opening. Prowl nearly gaped. It was a large spread of coral reefs; it had to be at least a couple miles long. So many schools of fish hovered back and forth near the coral. It was a breathtaking sight. The colors were beautiful. The sun was high in the air now and it shined down in the waters, amplifying the mystical appearance of the reefs.
For a moment, Prowl could understand why people were so entranced with the Mers. They lived in an alien world: one a normal person would never get to experience. And yet, here Prowl was. Swimming with a whole pod.
Prowl quickly glanced up when he heard the muffled sound of an engine. Not too close, not too far off. He saw a boat in the near distance. The colors look distinctly familiar, and though he couldn't see every detail, it looked an awfully like one of the rehabilitation center's boats used for rescues. He waved to the Mers, in hopes of catching their attention and pointed up. They all paused swimming and stared at Prowl. They then began to hiss at one another. Prowl was intrigued with how different Mer tongue sounded underwater. It was less...scratchy and intimidating. To Prowl, it almost sounded like they were singing.
He rolled his head up and pointed up again. The Mer were hesitating.
Perhaps it was the boat itself that was scaring them. Or whatever happened to 'Scrapper'.
Prowl frowned and gently released the Mer's arm he had been holding. He gave them all a final glance before turning away and beginning to paddle awkwardly up to the surface. One of the Mers grabbed his arm unexpectedly after a few strokes. Prowl looked back. The Mer all wore sad expressions. He was tugged back.
The boat was getting closer and closer.
Prowl shook his head desperately and pointed to the boat again. The Mers all produced sounds similar t o whines, but Prowl's arm was reluctantly released. He immediately began to swim up towards the surface. Another dizzy spell was setting in.
It felt like an eternity as he ascended through the water. His heart was pounding against his chest. It was growing harder to keep his focus.
The boat was overhead. Mere feet, then inches. Prowl gave a final burst of energy and pushed up. He was splashed in the face by smaller waves after he broke through the surface. Prowl took many large and deep breaths of air as he steadied himself — to the point where his throat grew sore.
He looked up when he heard the boat's engine cut off; he listened as footsteps overheard moved towards the side closest to him. And Prowl smiled in relief when he saw their owner.
The next few minutes happened in a blur. Prowl found the strength to pull himself onto the boat while Ratchet helped haul him up. A towel was draped over his shoulders while Ratchet gave him a bottled water to drink. To help stay hydrated, he explained. Prowl didn't need to be told twice and chugged a third of it down.
He wiped his face with the towel and tilted his head back, staring up at the sky.
“I suppose I owe you that explanation,” Prowl murmured.
Ratchet narrowed his eyes and snorted.
So, Prowl did just that.
He began to recall the events of the past couple hours: everything from how the Mer acted as he freed it from the fishing line, what happened when he awoke in the hidden cave to the point of his last phone call to Ratchet, and finally how the Mers helped him swim back. He tried his best to include every detail, no matter how small it might have seemed. Ratchet, to his credit, did not interrupt Prowl—he only scratched his chin while considering the police officer's words.
“They're still here,” Ratchet muttered and eyed the water.
Prowl slowly stood up and braced against the side of the boat. Five green figures were watching the boat, as Ratchet said. But, Prowl noticed that they appeared to be even closer to the boat now.
“What do you think?” he asked, genuinely curious as to what Ratchet would do.
“You ever watch one of those animal documentaries, with a newborn baby losing its parent?”
That...wasn't what he expected to hear.
“A lion or leopard kills a gazelle and it has a baby. The baby is too young to know that they should be scared. And, instead of running, the baby imprints on the predator.”
Prowl's mouth gaped in confusion.
“This is a very difficult situation,” Ratchet grumbled. “From what you told me, sounds like that the Mer who died was the pod alpha. Remember how I mentioned they have a pecking order?”
“Yes,” Prowl replied softly. He looked from the Mers in the water, to Ratchet, and then to the Mers again.
“My guess is that this Mer died really recently. Days maybe at the most.” Ratchet leaned against the ship as he peered out. “They should have formed a new pecking order, but grieving Mers aren't exactly predictable.”
“But...why not just lash out at me? It would seem more logical,” Prowl replied and frowned again.
“I'm thinkin' it's because you saved one of 'em.”
“So, what can be done?” Prowl asked and lowered his gaze.
“Don't feel guilty, kid. I'm not happy with them latching onto a human, but I'd rather it be someone trustworthy like you instead of a poacher.”
That seemed like the only positive.
“But now, there's the question of what to do with them. There's just not enough room for that many all at once at the center. We could make room for that one,” Ratchet explained, while pointing out the Mer still wrapped in seaweed, “but that's morally questionable. I don't think this pod could endure with having another member taken away. Even if it's just a short period. Too stressful, I'd imagine.”
“I see. That's understandable,” Prowl murmured.
Ratchet pinched at the bridge between his nose and eyebrows. “I guess we can only set up a patrol in this area to make sure they're safe from poachers. He's with a pod at least. That's a better chance then he has on his own.”
“What...should I do?” Prowl asked.
Ratchet didn't reply at first. When he did turn to face Prowl, his expression was unusually grim. “You can't spend every second with them. All you can really do is give them some of your time. Maybe visit a couple hours a day?”
“Is there a chance they will find a new Mer and adopt it into their group?”
“Doubtful,” Ratchet mused. “Pods are more complicated than a typical human relationship. Most bond as they grow from a fry. And besides, I haven't seen any stray Mers that aren't already in a pod.”
Prowl sighed and nodded silently.
The Mers were swimming up to the surface and approaching the boat apprehensively. Prowl glanced to Ratchet, but to his surprise, Ratchet took a few steps away and gestured for the police officer to move. Prowl gave in and stepped closer to the boat's open doorway. He sat down, allowing his legs to submerge into the ocean.
One by one, the Mers popped their heads up and stared at Prowl.
“It's alright,” he said.
“Leaving?” the same Mer asked again.
“Yes, but I promise it won't be for long.”
The Mers weren't happy with his answer and began to hiss to one another in distress.
Prowl shook his head and pointed up at the sun. “I can come see you when the sun begins rising and when it sets. I'm sorry it can't be more, but I'll work on a better schedule.” He held out his hand. “I promise I'm not abandoning you.”
The Mer huddled around in a circle, making hushed noises at each other. Finally, the Mer that had retrieved the seaweed inched closer to the boat and grabbed Prowl's hand.
“Hook,” the Mer said.
Prowl tilted his head and blinked.
“Hook!” he repeated with an annoyed tone and lightly beat a hand against his chest.
“O-oh. I see,” Prowl said, tone growing with understanding. “Prowl.” He mimicked the Mer's gesture.
'Hook' seemed satisfied and quickly dove back under the water.
The next Mer to swim up the boat was the one who had taken his token...which he never got back. “Scavenger!” he blurted out and followed after Hook.
The prankster Mer finally got the courage to swim up. “Mix...Mixster?”
Prowl wasn't entirely sure that's what the Mer's name was—he didn't sound sure either—but it was an attempt.
The last Mer besides the injured one held another fish in his hands and quickly finished it in single bite. “Bone...crunch. Bonecrush.” But instead of swimming after the others, he waited for the other Mer.
Prowl expected the injured Mer to say something as well, but he didn't. The Mer regarded Prowl with a single snort before clinging to Bonecrush—Prowl assumed—and diving underwater with him. He watched as the group of Mers disappeared in the distance, swimming back the way they brought him.
“Interesting pack of strays you've found,” Ratchet teased and walked back to the boat's steering wheel.
Prowl sighed, but he couldn't help but to nod in agreement.
“Nobody said it was an easy job, Prowl.”
It was the last thing he heard before Ratchet turned the keys. The engine roared to life.
The boat shot forward. The several mile journey back to shore was a quiet one.
Barely days later, Prowl got a strange call from Ratchet at the rehabilitation center. He wasn't given any details, but Ratchet's tone had implied urgency. Even though Prowl had just visited them earlier in the morning, he feared that the injured Mer had to be brought in or that another of the pod had been hurt. Or worse. Anything could happen in a matter of hours.
So when Prowl rushed into the center, he was greeted by Ratchet and led directly to the medic's office in silence.
To his surprise, there was an unfamiliar teen sitting down, back faced to the door. He looked no older than a highschooler. His hair and eyes were the same shade of brown. He wore a khaki shirt and scuffed blue jeans, with an old pair of tennis shoes.
“Alright, kid,” Ratchet announced as he made his way to his chair. He sat down and eyed the teenager sitting before him. Prowl was taken back with how quickly Ratchet's demeanor changed. “Repeat everything you just told me. Now.”
The kid shuffled in his seat and stared down at the floor. His mouth pulled back into a growing frown as he wrapped his arms together tightly. He swallowed nervously.
“Yeah...Ok,” he muttered softly. “My name is Spike Witwicky.”