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Elliott always knew he’d die doing something stupid. He had only himself to blame. His fellow merfolk always told him not to go near the boats; that he’d get harpooned or scooped up to be sold off as a pet or chopped up and made into human food.
He’d been far too curious for his own good, ignoring all common sense as he swam closer. The net had caught his tail and thrashing only served to bind him even further. He was at the mercy of the human that sat above the surface.
“Your brothers...” His mother was never able to speak of them for too long. “They didn’t listen. I beg of you, Elliott, don’t make the same mistakes they did. Promise me you won’t go there.”
He had told her he would never be so silly, that he would be careful, that no human could ever trick him.
He only wished he could apologise to his mama for breaking his promise.
There was a jolt and the water rushed out from under him. The sudden air made him gasp as his body struggled to switch breathing method. He flailed uselessly, but the net wouldn’t give. It was dark above the surface, rain was pouring in sheets. The net swayed several feet above the water. Maybe if he turned over-
A bird cawed, different to the usual gulls he had seen on the cliffs. It was settled on the edge of the boat, ruffling up its black feathers as it sized him up.
A human stood on deck, hands over the controls. At least, he thought it was a human. Was that thing even human? Their face was covered by a bizarre sheet of animal hide and metal. It had a human shape, so he would just assume they were until he saw otherwise.
The net was lowered to the deck and the human approached. Elliott threw himself against the bulwark, claws ready, ignoring the red that pooled below him. Surely, he wasn’t scraped up that badly from some silly human invention.
“Stay away!” He hissed. The human only seemed momentarily taken aback.
“Keep still, I will not hurt you,” the human said, their voice oddly distorted by the mask covering their face.
Elliott pushed back, as if he could merge with the wall. His tail caught on a rough edge and he whimpered. The human had not moved since they had last spoke. It wasn’t like he had any other options here…
He, begrudgingly, did as he was told. The human lowered into a crouch, slowly, holding their hands out. They shuffled closer, surveying the damage.
“I will have to cut you loose,” they said, taking a huge blade from their belt.
Some part of him hoped that if he could just make himself small enough, they might leave him be. If only.
“Please don’t hurt me.”
“I swear upon the Allfather, no harm will come to you.”
Elliott didn’t know what this ‘Allfather’ was, but the human said it with such conviction that he believed them.
The human worked efficiently, sawing their way through each cord until he could stretch out his tail again.
“Watch yourself, your wounds are deep,” the human scolded. Their gloves were gentle on his scales, their movements were slow, predictable.
The net was discarded piece by piece, leaving him limp across the deck. He suddenly became aware of just how blood was on the deck and groaned. He flexed his fins as if it would make much difference, but they only agitated them further.
He looked up to the human.
“Are you gonna eat me?”
They tilted their head to one side. Without a face, they were near impossible to read. “Don’t be foolish. Why would I have spent so much time cutting you free if I planned on eating you?”
“Oh, I getcha, you wanna sell me in one piece.”
“I have no intention of doing such a thing. The Allfather would not look kindly upon me making waste in such a manner.”
Elliott grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “Are you saying I’m pretty?”
He expected them to suddenly turn their knife on him, but instead they just stood there, cogs furiously turning in their head. The silence went on for a moment too long.
“Urh, hey, you good?”
The human coughed behind their mask.
“What do you have on your face?”
“It’s called a mask.”
“Yeah I know but why are you wearing it?”
“You ask a lot of questions.”
Elliott pouted, faltering slightly. “Sorry, I’ve never been able to get this close to a human before.”
“That... is fair...” The human glanced to the black bird, still perched in her spot. “Felagi, come inside.”
The bird cawed like a child at bedtime, but obeyed and flew into the safety of the cabin.
“I cannot heal you properly here, I must take you to my home,” they said as they followed.
Elliott dragged himself across the deck, ignoring the pain that throbbed across his entire body. “Whoa, no way, I didn’t agree to this!”
The human turned on him. “If I release you back into the water, you will surely die.”
“And how is taking me to dry land gonna help?”
“I have supplies on land, I can help you.”
“My mama ain’t gonna be happy ‘bout me going home with a stranger.”
Elliott couldn’t tell if his jokes were having any effect. The human shook slightly, but had no other response.
“You are welcome to come into the cabin if you wish to warm yourself,” they said.
“Urh... I will if you can give me a hand.”
“Oh,” the human said simply.
They took special care not to jostle him too violently as they lifted him into their arms. Save for a slight bump on the edge of the doorframe, the journey from deck to the hammock in the cabin was steady. The bird, Felagi, had her own little perch, and didn’t seem fond of the weird creature that was suddenly in her space.
The human had turned to the wheel when Elliott spoke again.
“Hey, what can I call you?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m Elliott.”
The human rubbed the back of their neck, as if they had forgotten how to respond. “I am Blóðhundur,” they said, “but you can call me Bloodhound.”
Elliott must have drifted off at some point because when he awoke, he no longer felt the sway of the ocean. Instead, he was eerily still, confined into a cramped space. He opened his eyes and panicked for a moment before memories flooded back.
He was sat in a white tub, water filled to the rim. It prickled his scales in an odd way. The water sloshed over the side as he rolled over to check his injuries. Each was clean, staring to heal. He would live. Whatever Bloodhound had done while he was zonked out was enough to keep him breathing at least.
Oh yeah, he was only here because of that human.
“Bloodhound?” He called out, but all he got back was the sound of rain outside and the steady drip, drip, drip of the tap.
He slumped into the tub, tail flipping over the lip. Another load of water spilt onto the tile. He was desperate to stretch his fins, but he lowered his head into the water until only his eyes lingered above the surface, watching the door.
Don’t worry mama, I’m not dead, I’m just in a human den and I don’t know what’s gonna happen but for now I’m still alive.
The rain only got worse as the hours ticked by. Fretting over the safety of a human was all he could do to pass the time. Until, finally, he could hear the thuds of doors slamming and heavy plods of footfalls.
“Bloodhound!”
The movements stilled, then grew closer until the door clicked open and there they stood, a cardboard box in their arms. Still wearing the mask.
“Urh, hey.”
“You’re awake,” they said simply.
“Yeah, I kinda made a mess, sorry,” he said, resting his folded arms on the edge of the tub.
Bloodhound nodded, though it either didn’t process or they didn’t care. They stepped through the puddles and crouched at his side. “How do you feel?”
“Kinda, urh, foggy? Best word I got, sorry.”
They glanced to a particularly nasty wound that had sliced clean through the flowing fin along his forearm. They didn’t seem bothered by his claws as they took his wrist to inspect the damage. They opened the box and took out a handful of green flakes.
“This will help,” they said, unceremoniously dumping several scoops into the water, “just try not to thrash around too much.”
“Dunno if I have the space to do that,” Elliott grumbled.
“This was the only space I had, I’m afraid.”
They looked to his dorsal fin, folded halfway down, colours dull.
“I’m sorry for this.”
Elliott flicked his tail back and forth like a cat. “You didn’t mean to and you’re trying to fix me up so I can’t be mad or anything.”
They hummed. Maybe if he squinted, he could see their eyes behind the glass lenses. Were they even human? He would guess so, but he’d heard so many stories of odd land creatures that he wasn’t sure.
When Bloodhound’s fingers traced over his gills, he nearly jumped out of the tub.
“Ah, my apologies.”
“No problem, just warn me next time!” Elliott rubbed the spot they’d touched and gave a strained laugh.
“How do those work?”
“Huh? Oh, urh, well, they kinda close up when I go above the water and I breathe like humans for a while.”
Bloodhound moved their hand towards his neck once more, tracing the lines of his gills and the frilled fins above. Their fingers moved up, slowly, appreciating that which was before them with wonder. Elliott’s scales gave way to something more human around his jaw, but sharp fangs and the third eyelids shattered the illusion. Even his hair, though convincing, was not quite human. Not that it bothered Bloodhound; they were so deep in their study that Elliott had to bonk them on the head with his tail to wake them up.
“Hello?” he asked, drawing out the ‘o.’
“Sorry,” they muttered, but seemed distracted by something new to look at, brushing a hand across his tail. He shuddered and flicked his fins.
“I’m kinda hungry,” he said, pulling himself up. He tried to ignore the water that sloshed onto the floor. Bloodhound didn’t comment on it.
“Ah, how hungry?”
“I feel like I could eat a whale.”
Bloodhound stood. “You can have half of what I caught today. I will prepare something for myself and be right back.”
They left the door open as they passed through. Elliott couldn’t see much from his angle, but he spotted Felagi nestled on a perch and waved. The bird huffed and looked away. Guess he wasn’t making any friends there...
The rest of the house seemed to be a single room. He could spy plush bed in one corner, a bookshelf stacked high with clutter, a table with a single chair, and he assumed Bloodhound was in his blind spot behind the door.
He could hear sizzling and wondrous smell drifting through. Oh yeah, humans didn’t like raw food. They warmed it up to make it smell better and make the texture super weird in the process.
“Whatcha makin’?” he yelled.
Bloodhound poked their head back through. “Bacon, sausage, and eggs.”
“What species did you steal the eggs from?”
“Ducks.”
“The freshwater birds? With the hard shells?”
They nodded.
Elliott wrung his hands together. “Can I have some? I’ve never had duck eggs.”
Bloodhound glanced over their shoulder, towards their food, then back. “Raw?”
He nodded eagerly. Bloodhound made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a huff, and returned to their food. They came back to his side after another few minutes and handed him a plate, two eggs wobbling precariously and a stack of fish. He flipped onto his back so he could hold it over his stomach. They dragged the chair from the other room and balanced their own plate in their lap.
“If you’re still hungry after that, I have more fish-”
“Can I try some of yours?”
Bloodhound shook their head. “You said you wanted yours raw.”
Elliott pouted. “But I wanna try human food.”
They sighed and, after a moment of debate, handed him a rash of bacon.
“Thank- Ah! Ow!” He dropped it to his plate, rubbing his hand.
“You knew it would be hot.”
“Yeah, but not that hot!”
It was only then that Elliott considered how the hell Bloodhound was gonna eat without taking their mask off. When he looked up to ask, he saw them pull the mask up about an inch and slip their food through the gap.
“How can you eat like that?”
“I… usually don’t have company when I eat.”
“Why don’t you take it off to eat?”
Bloodhound looked away. Oh shit, wait-
“I mean, it’s not a problem, I’ll just look at my food, I promise I won’t peek.”
Bloodhound watched his eyes, hoping to understand his true intentions. Elliott sized up the duck egg, then shoved the entire thing in his mouth, shell and all.
“I like that one,” he said, wiping away the yolk that escaped from the corner of his mouth. Bloodhound hummed, but he didn’t glance their way, even if he really wanted to.
They ate in relative silence. Elliott piped up with a quip every so often, but kept his eyes firmly on his food until Bloodhound gave him the clear.
“Thanks,” he said.
They only hummed in response, clearing away the plates and heading back into the main room.
“Hey, urh-” He faltered when they looked to him. “Can I have something to pass the time?”
Bloodhound nodded and disappeared from view. They returned with a strange, multi-coloured cube and handed it to Elliott.
“What-”
“You twist each side until they all match as the same colour.” Bloodhound turned the top layer until it clicked into place as an example.
“Okay, I think I can do that,” Elliott said, sticking his tongue out as he gave an experimental twist.
“I am going to clean up and go to bed, do you want me to leave the light on?”
“I can see pretty well in the dark.”
“Good to know,” Bloodhound said, flicking the light off, “if you need me-”
“I’ll yell, don’t worry.”
“See you tomorrow, Elliott.”
The door clicked shut and left him in darkness, but Elliott didn’t mind. Now if only he could get that white square on the other side...
Time passed and the two settled into a routine. Bloodhound would wake early, change his water, add another few scoops of those green flakes, and feed him… anything really. They could offer anything, so long as it was meat, fish, or more eggs. They didn’t seem too bothered at how he tore apart his food, simply scolded him if he wasted any.
Bloodhound would disappear for several hours a day. When Elliott asked where they went, they told him they were hunting, either in the surrounding forests or heading out in their boat.
“How do humans hunt?” he asked.
Bloodhound looked up from their coat repairs. “I use traps and knives mostly, if I’m not fishing.”
“Why do you catch so much if you live alone?”
“I sell the rest.”
Elliott frowned. “Don’t other humans hunt?”
“Some do, most just go to the market. I prefer to hunt since I’m very good at it. And I can keep this place in good condition rather than moving into town.”
“Isn’t it safer in a colony?”
Bloodhound glanced to Felagi, who was cleaning herself in the sink. “Yes, but I’d rather stay here. I have Felagi.”
“Isn’t it lonely?”
Bloodhound shook their head. “I am comfortable. Most other humans don’t… respect me.”
“Why not? You’re a strong hunter! Isn’t that enough?”
He could almost see the tired smile behind their mask. “I wish it were that simple... But it is not meant to be. The Allfather sent me to be a strong hunter, and nothing more.”
“Well, whoever this Allfather is, I’m sure they’d want you to live your own life.”
Bloodhound was quiet for a long while before they responded with a hushed, “maybe so.”
Felagi grew to tolerate him. She often went out with Bloodhound, but occasionally she stayed behind, an open window always available to her. He was trying to train her to bring food to him, but wasn’t succeeding so far.
One cooler afternoon a week or so after he arrived, a pretty sound and a woman’s voice drifted from the main room. Elliott dropped the cube puzzle he was still struggling with and pulled himself up.
“Bloodhound?”
The sound stopped abruptly and Bloodhound poked their head through.
“You didn’t have to stop it. Can you put it back on? Make the... urh... thing…” Elliott flicked his tail. “Those nice sounds.”
“Ah, music?”
“Yeah, put on the music again.”
Bloodhound chuckled. “I never thought a merman would enjoy Madeleine Peyroux quite so much.”
“I don’t know what that is.”
“It is the name of the woman singing.”
“Oh! We do a load of singing back home. My friend Lily is really good at it, she lures in sailors and eats them.”
Bloodhound tilted their head to one side. “Is that what you plan on doing to me?”
Elliott almost shot out of the bath. “No! No way, I would never-”
“I know, I’m only teasing, do not fret. I am certain I would not be very nutritious anyway.”
The music resumed and Bloodhound dragged their chair into the bathroom. They settled down and returned to their book. Elliott’s head drifted as the woman’s voice returned. Her singing wasn’t quite like Lily’s, but he let himself be taken away by it.
J'avoue j'en ai bavé pas vous
Mon amour
Avant d'avoir eu vent de vous
Mon amour
Ne vous déplaise
En dansant la Javanaise
“What is she saying?”
Bloodhound looked up. “I’m not certain. She’s singing in French.”
“Whatever she’s saying is super pretty...”
Bloodhound hummed. “Yes, I would say so.”
Save for the occasional comment from Elliott, the two were happy to let the music fill the silence. Elliott watched Bloodhound as they read. He never really got books. They didn’t work underwater so maybe he was biased, but humans seemed obsessed with the things.
“Can you read to me?”
“I’m not sure if you’ll find it very interesting.”
“I know, I just wanna hear your voice.”
Bloodhound jolted at that. They watched his face for any sign of dishonesty, and when they saw none, they looked back to the pages and began to read aloud.
It had been several weeks since he’d been caught up in their net, but Elliott considered it to be one of his finest mistakes.
He was tearing into a hefty slab of beef when Bloodhound caught his attention with a little wave.
“I was thinking, perhaps we should test your swimming ability now that you’ve in better shape.”
Elliott deflated slightly at that. Oh yeah, he’d have to leave soon. His mama was probably worried sick about him. You forgot? How could you be so selfish?
“Yeah, but how are we gonna do that?”
“I do have an idea.”
The next day, bright and early, Bloodhound woke him and carried him into the back of an old green pickup truck. They had set up a wheelbarrow with as much water as they could fit and, while not optimal, Elliott appreciated the effort. They threw a blanket over his tail, in part to not draw too much attention, and in part to protect him from the worst of the cold morning winds.
The truck rattled over every bump and pothole, but Elliott was happy for the fresh air and passing scenery. The oranges and browns of the leaves were so unlike anything he’d been underwater. He wondered how long they would last if he took one home for his mother.
They took him to a secluded beach, down a beaten path that only few even knew was there. The sand was soft and the water was clear, sheer cliffs like castle walls on either side.
Bloodhound removed their gloves, boots, and socks as they touched the sand, rolling up their trousers and sleeves. They carried Elliott to the water effortlessly. Or at least, it felt pretty effortless. Maybe they were just good at hiding it.
“Don’t swim too far,” they said as they neared the shore.
“Just a test run, I know, yeah.”
The moment his scales touched the water, a spark shot through his entire being. He leapt from Bloodhound’s arms and disappeared beneath the waves, darting across the bed. After being in that cramped bath for so long, his muscles sang and the colours in his scales shimmered with a brilliance they hadn’t shown in weeks.
When he finally resurfaced, Bloodhound was sat crossed legged a few metres from the water. Their head jerked towards him and obvious relief flooded their frame. Did they really think he would just leave?
“Hey Hound!” The nickname slipped naturally. “You wanna come join me?”
“I have nothing to wear for such activities.”
“I’m swimming about al natural, you can do the same!”
Hound pulled their legs up to their chest and hugged them. “I am not comfortable showing myself bare.”
Elliott faltered, but if he kept bugging them it would only push them away. He swam back to shore, dragging himself up on the sand until he lay beside them. Hound glanced to him and sighed.
“I am sorry, Elliott.”
“Hey no worries. Can I ask why not? Like, is it a nervous thing or...?”
Hound was quiet for a long time before they finally spoke. “The shape I was given by the Allfather does not reflect who I am.”
“Hey, we’re the same! When I was a pup, everyone thought I was a girl but it felt... wrong ya know? I wasn’t supposed to be all dainty and pretty, I wanted to be big and tough like my brothers.”
He went quiet when he mentioned them, dropping his chin to the sand and folding in his fins. Hound brushed his shoulder with a careful hand.
“Elliott?”
“They got caught by nets... kinda like I did.” Elliott traced patterns into the sand. “I know they’re gone but... I just kinda hope they met someone like you.”
He really wished he could’ve seen their face for that one. They slipped their fingers under his, holding his hand firmly, but with enough give that he could pull away at any time. They couldn’t link fingers fully due to his webbed hands, but they were content like this. Their hand was rough with callouses after a life of manual labour, but they felt right against his scales.
Elliott looked up to their mask and spread the frills on his neck wide, showing off his colours as if attracting a mate-
Oh, whoa, whoa, hold up there! They aren’t even the same species as you, slow down-
“You are beautiful,” they said breathlessly, then, as if realising what had slipped out, yanked their hand back and curled inwards, dropping their head into their knees. “Oh, I’m sorry, I overstepped.”
“It’s okay! Thank you, I’m proud of my colours,” he said, curling a hand over their arm and butting his forehead into their side. The sound that came from his throat would be described as a trill by humans.
Hound slowly, oh so slowly, unfurled, laying down beside him. He pressed close, moving steadily as he wrapped his arms around their waist and nuzzled into their neck. They would be washing sand and the scent of sea water from their clothes for days but they didn’t care as they ran their hands up and down his torso, growing giddy as the colours shifted and almost glowed at the attention.
“What colour is your mane?”
Hound jolted from their daze. “Excuse me?”
“Your urh, oh it’s not mane, urh… Hair! That’s it! What colour is your hair?”
They brushed back some stray strands from his face. “Black.”
“How long is it?”
“Long enough to tie back.”
“I bet it’s soft,” Elliott said, a dreamy look crossing his eyes.
They laid together until the sun began to dip beyond the horizon.
It was naive to believe Elliott could stay with them forever, but when the day finally came that he was ready to return to the sea, they felt no relief, only a bitter taste that lingered in the back of their throat.
Hound was quieter than usual as they took him to the beach. They decided on a longer path this time, down an old fishing pier that creaked and complained with every step. They lowered him to the edge and he dragged himself in the rest of the way. Rain clouds gathered overhead, painting the scene in a dreary grey. Poetically fitting.
“Will I ever see you again?” Hound’s voice sounded so alien without their usual confidence.
Elliott pulled himself out of the water, propping himself on the dock and grinning up at them.
“I’ll be around here again in a few days,” he said, “keep an eye out for me.”
Hound did not seem convinced, but nodded anyway.
“Hey, urh, you know that thing humans do when they like each other?”
“You mean... kiss?”
“Yeah, that!” Elliott’s fins folded down shyly. “I really wanna do that right now.”
Hound stared at him for a long moment before they sat back on their calves. Elliott was about to apologise when they reached up and, after a few seconds of fussing, removed the mask that had been firmly in place since the moment he’d met them.
Their hair was longer than he expected, black as the night sky, braided like the human warriors in the Northern seas. Scars were carved into every inch of their face, won in fights against the prey they fought on land. Their eyes were grey and shone like the moonstones his mother collected. They watched his face for a moment, gauging his reaction. Elliott thought they were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Hound shifted to lie on their stomach. They took Elliott’s chin and kissed him firmly. It was brief, but Elliott’s heart sang to the high heavens, up to wherever Hound’s Allfather lived and thanked him a thousand times.
When Hound pulled away, their ears were pink, eyes hazy. His frills perked up, spread fully, colours bright. Hound actually giggled and Elliott felt so blessed that he was certain he was dreaming.
“I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
“I await your return, my beloved.”
He couldn’t stall for any longer. With one last stolen peck, he dove into the water. He didn’t look back, for if he did, he knew he would never want to leave.