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Kyrie blinked as the world returned to normal. The strange dark shadows were gone. The lights he’d been seeking out vanished. He was alone in the open water with a lot of fish around him. He hated times like this. Ever since he grew he had periods where the world went dark and he couldn’t stop himself from seeking out all the lights. He wasn’t sure what the lights even were. Some were mers, but not all of them.
He stretched, flicking his tail a few times. The fish around him swam off and he sighed. It wasn’t like that would help much if he was about to start hunting. He grabbed some of the slower fish in a fist before figuring out his way home. At least he could claim that he’d left for a reason instead of losing himself to those strange instincts.
Kyrie took off towards the den he shared with Byssal and Pelago. They were probably worried about him. It made sense, these weird instinct driven times kept happening. So far he hadn’t gone towards Melody, but he didn’t know how long that would last. Eventually he might scare her and have to start all over with her… again. A whine escaped him at the thought.
“Kyrie!?” Pel’s worried voice shocked him. The small mermaid swam up to him, crashing right into his nose. He brought a hand up and cupped it around her. Carefully, he wrapped two of his fingers around her tail and pulled her away so he could see her. Her face was full of worry. “Where were you!? Byss and I woke up and you were gone. He went to check with Melody and Caprice to see if you’d gone there.”
“I woke up early and went hunting,” he chirped. Pel tried to squirm out of his hold, he didn’t stop her. She swam down to his other hand and let out a shocked chirp. He grimaced and let out a sad chirp of his own. “I got too much again, didn’t I?”
Pel swam up and settled herself on his head. She didn’t like to admit that his size had caused more changes than any of them expected. He wasn’t supposed to get this big. She just chirped a bit trying to reassure him, but there wasn’t much she could say to help. He swam forward, slower than before now that he had a passenger. She was cleaning out his hair, he missed the days her hands were massive compared to him.
As soon as he reached the cave a deep growl came from inside. Byssal swam out and barreled into his chest. He caught the smaller man with his free hand, ignoring the growls and struggles to get free. Kyrie let him go once he’d moved most of the way into the cave. He’d dug into the ground to make more space for them after he grew, the others used magic to fix the opening’s size. The parts he changed looked natural, it felt like his claws were built to make changes like them.
Byssal swam up to his face with a terrifying glare the second he was free. Kyrie had to force himself to stay still. His head was too high right now, Pel could get hurt. He carefully swam around the older mer and let himself float to the floor. It was always better like this. He tried to curl in on himself a little. As always he ended up with his tail fin hovering in the water across from his face.
“Where were you?” Byss growled. Kyrie brought his hand with the fish forward, opening it to reveal the catch he’d made.
“I went hunting,” he whispered. Pel always trusted him, Byssal didn’t. The green mer stared at him for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh. He grabbed one of the fish Kyrie brought. At least they weren’t Pel’s size this time.
“It happened again didn’t it?” Kyrie looked away. The quick movement knocked Pelago free of his hair. The mermaid floated down, settling on Kyrie’s open palm. She let out worried chirps, but he was tempted to lie. The looks of concern stopped him. All he did was nod.
“Oh guppy, you can tell us,” Pelago said. She swam up to his head again and started petting his nose. He was tempted to leave, but the two had settled in a way he’d have to use force to get around them. “We just want to help you.”
“Where did you wake up?” Byss sounded angry, of course he was angry. Kyrie had these… he didn’t know what to call them. The world turned almost completely dark, all he could see were shadows and lights. He swam around aimlessly sometimes with a goal of finding a specific light. He barely remembered what he did during those times.
“A few reefs out. It wasn’t as bad this time.” The mers that raised him gave him duplicate looks of doubt.
“Guppy, you were gone since the moon was high, it was just as bad as the others.” He shook his head, Pel swam back before it bothered her too much.
“No, I just took a while to get back. The sun hadn’t come up yet.” It was the first time he lied to them. He didn’t want them to keep worrying. Every morning they hounded him, worried he’d disappeared and done something he would hate himself for. They had to stop sleeping on his chest after the first few times. They’d just be woken up and left behind. At least he never hurt them. The relief on their faces told him the lie was the right idea.
“Maybe it is getting better. We should try and get Harmony to talk with us again. She might have an idea of what’s happening.” Byss chirped in approval at Pel’s idea.
Kyrie nodded along as the two settled near his hand. They’d eat what they wanted and he’d eat the rest. The issue of grabbing too much on a hunt was easy enough to solve at least. Although he hadn’t actually been hungry since he grew. Almost like he didn’t need to eat. Caprice had been curious about how Harmony eats trapped in the siren’s nest. Maybe she and Kyrie just don’t. Something else to make what they were different from others. The thought almost pulled another whine from his throat, but he held it back.
He shook off the thoughts and tried to focus on the conversation Byss and Pel were having. It was hard, he was tired. If he wanted them to believe it hadn’t lasted all night he couldn’t sleep. No matter how much his eyes burned as he stayed awake. It was the fourth time this week, he had to be able to sleep soon. All he got was that they thought things could start to go back to normal.
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Kyrie’s eyes snapped open to a world of shadows. Two dim lights were on top of him, carefully he moved them to a spot out of the way. Then he left. There were dim lights all across his territory, but one was brighter than the others. The most important one needed him. He had to go to them. He swam low to the sea floor, running his hands along it. Just in case.
As he moved he noticed a group of lights. One was too dim. He swam up at full speed. The small group of lights were huddled together among shadows. He tried to grab the dimmest one, but it was hard. Shadows were in the way, they were solid. They were too important to break through. He had to squeeze his fingers into an opening. Finally he managed to get a part of the light between his claws pulling the light out.
“Let me go!” the light shouted. He brought them close, smelling them carefully. Definitely a light, but the smell made him sad. It also smelled of blood. He opened his mouth wide, he’d need to heal them. They had to stay safe. “Don’t eat me!”
He huffed, it pushed the light away a little. He didn’t eat the lights. He protected the lights. That’s what he was here for. He set the light on his tongue, careful of his teeth. He closed his mouth, seeking out the taste of blood on it. He tasted tears, he hated that taste. Soon enough he found the injury on the small light. They were squirming, making it hard to take care of it. He carefully put them between his teeth, finally making them still.
Kyrie licked the wound a few times before releasing the light. He pinched them between his claws again. He set them back with the group of lights he pulled them from before turning away. The brightest light still needed him. With a flick of his tail he was moving again, the lights he left were all the same level of dim. A safe dim.
Sand was kicked up by his claws as he swam. The brightest light was higher, but he wouldn’t go up until he had to. Other lights stayed low, he’d help on his way. He bumped his head on something ahead of him. Another shadow he couldn’t make out. The light he cared about was close, just above him. He dug his claws into the sand and started to drag himself up. He had to reach the light.
Once his head cleared the water his vision turned worse. The shadows were harder to tell apart. His light was glimmering. Another light was with her, a little dimmer. More like the ones he’d left when the brightest one needed him. He continued climbing up. Pausing to feel ahead of him. Making sure none of the shadows would be hurt by him. He couldn’t mindlessly break them, the lights needed them and sometimes they hid in them.
“Mel, are you sure you’re alright?” Kyrie rushed when he heard the dimmer light speak. He had to help.
“I… I’ll be fine. It was just another nightmare. Go back to bed,” the bright light spoke this time. He had to reach her. He kept his movements slow. Feeling the shadow he knew kept these lights hidden. He had to be extra careful of this shadow. The brightest light needed it.
“Mel, what happened? Talking about it used to help right?”
“I… I was back in that place. All the horrible voices and faces. I couldn’t move or think… I could swear it was real. I… Cap, what if I do go back there?”
“You won’t we took care of that, remember? The songs you wrote don’t have that weird magic tied to them. And I’ll shatter them again if I have to.”
“You don’t know that would work!” Kyrie pulled himself around the shadow closer to his lights. He heard noises that left him more concerned. He had to make sure they weren’t hurt. Heal anything that happened. “K-Kyrie?!”
“What do you want?” The dimmer light was mad. It didn’t matter. He just had to reach them. He ran his fingers over the shadow near them, it was empty. He could reach in. He squeezed two fingers inside hoping to reach the lights.
“Stop!” He froze. He couldn’t ignore this light’s demands. This light was special, different.
“Hurt?” he asked. The light used different words, it was hard to match them. He had to in order to protect them.
“She’s fine, go away.” Kyrie growled a little, he couldn’t help it. They were in danger and wanted him to leave. The glow of the lights weren’t injured, but the brightest one needed him. He was here for her.
“Protect you.”
Kyrie curled his tail around the shadow the lights were in. He rested his head on the ground, he could still see the lights. They were talking, soft noises he couldn’t hear well. The dimmer light left, it bothered him. The shadows would hide the light. Another growl escaped him.
“C-Cap is just going to his room. We’re safe,” his brightest light said. He didn’t believe her, but he wouldn’t break these shadows. These lights were special and these shadows too. He wouldn’t be forceful around them. He curled up around the shadow as tightly as he could. They’d be safe while he was here.
“Sleep. Safe,” he said. He could see the light moving around. She was doing something, it didn’t make sense. She should curl up. The light stopped and Kyrie chirped lightly. A small reminder of his promise to keep her safe. The dimmer light too, even if the dim light treated him like a monster.
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Kyrie felt rested. It was the first time in a while he felt like he’d actually gotten to sleep. His skin was dry, there was air around him. It made him groan. He tried to pull his tail closer.
“Kyrie stop!” Melody shouted. Kyrie froze. She shouldn’t be around him, that wasn’t where he was supposed to be. Slowly he opened his eyes and met the small siren staring at him with wide eyes. “Please stop.”
“...Melody,” he croaked. His throat was dry. How long had he been on land? It took him far too long to realize he was surrounding her den. He pushed himself away, his back landing in the shallows near Melody’s beach. His tail hung off the small cliff.
“Kyrie!” Her shout spurred him to move. He rolled to the side. The splash of his tail hitting the water was big enough to hit his back. He pulled himself into the deeper water with all his strength. He couldn’t stay here. “Wait!”
For the first time since he’d heard her song he ignored her call. Even before she sang he was always interested in her voice. Each word made him curious. He wanted to know what they meant. He shook off the thoughts and swam, he had to get away. He remembered seeking out the lights. She must have been the one he was after this time.
It was hard to stay where he wanted as he swam. It was around the time other mers were out. He saw them and tried to avoid bothering them, but when he moved his tail it caused currents. The best way to avoid problems was to keep moving. As long as he kept his tail moving they wouldn’t be dragged out to the deep waters with him.
Kyrie knew he couldn’t leave things as they were. He needed help. The only person who could help him was the same one he never wanted to see again. Harmony. The massive mermaid made him angry. He didn’t trust her, even if the others said she was fine. She was the only mer with colors like him. The only one who could tell him why sometimes he could only see lights and shadows. Why some part of him needed to patrol the lights. And she was the one who wanted to kill his Melody.
“Guppy!” Pel called to him. He sped up. They weren’t coming to Harmony with him. He’d go alone… If he couldn’t control whatever was going on he wasn’t coming back. He’d find a way to trap himself somewhere that he wouldn’t trouble them anymore.
“Kyrie!” Byssal sounded angry. He’d probably thrown Pel as he swam past. It didn’t matter they’d find out what happened soon enough. They’d figure out where he was going. He flicked his tail hoping the new current would make sure both the older mers were gone.
The trip was faster on his own too. As soon as he cleared his own den he could stop holding back. The speed he could reach without anyone to worry about was a bit shocking. He’d never admit he liked the freedom in the open waters. Although it left him no time to think before he reached the entrance to the siren nest.
The entrance felt smaller than the last time. It hadn’t changed and neither had he. The place felt like it wanted to keep him. That he’d never be allowed to leave if he made the wrong choice. Melody’s face flashed in his mind. He had to do this. He needed answers so he would face the only other creature in the seas like him.
It was a tight fit at first in the entrance. He might have changed, Melody said his arms felt softer the other day. It was fine, he just had to use his claws to pull forward. Soon enough the cave opened and he barely fit himself into the spot with the false roof. He rushed to open it. Using his tail he pushed with all his strength into the hidden tunnel.
The tunnel itself made him feel sick. It was made of scales like his own. The last time he was here he’d only noticed the bones guarding the nest from above as they left. The place was surrounded by dead and each had his scales. He wasn’t sure there was a way out that didn’t use Harmony with his size. She had to lift him over the wall in the air. She’d grabbed him in a tight fist last time.
“I wasn’t expecting you to come back yet,” her voice echoed in the tunnel. As soon as he was in the open water her shadow hid all the light. Staring up he got scared. What if he got that big? Melody was so small next to Harmony. He didn’t want to be big like that. He would rather get smaller, his old size. That size could protect them all and he could hold Melody safely.
“I need answers,” he said. She let out some chirps that made him shake. He didn’t like her chirps, they felt foreign. Byss said she’d been abandoned for her colors too. There was time for her to learn chirps before those showed up.
“Why should I give you them?” The shadow above him disappeared. A strong current started to tug against him. He gave into it. Letting himself be pulled as the mermaid moved her hand to drag him close. He never wanted to act like this. He wouldn’t control people with currents he made. Not on purpose at least.
“Why wouldn’t you?” The current stopped. It left him floating above her.
“There’s not much you should need to know until you come here.” He didn’t like how she spoke either. He couldn’t explain it, nothing was wrong. Just some things sounded odd.
“I am here.”
“When you’re here to replace me, little one.” He frowned, she definitely knew his name. It was like she didn’t want to use it.
“I’m not going to replace you.” He growled at the idea. He wouldn’t leave himself trapped in the siren’s nest so this mermaid could go free.
“You will. You’re next in line. Like I was. I’ve already decided where my scales will join in protecting the nest.” He floated down, a bit closer to her face.
“What… what does that mean?”
“That’s for later. If you want to ask questions, ask me. If I feel like answering I shall.” Kyrie whined. If he could get the answer to the shadows and lights then he’d worry about the scales protecting this place later.
“I… I keep waking up with the world dark. All I see are lights that I have to go protect. It was once a week at first, but it’s getting worse.” Kyrie swam to the side of her face letting himself float to the stones near her. He didn’t want to admit what sent him here. “I don’t remember exactly what happens. I wake up somewhere else. I know I was going towards one of the lights. Sometimes I know I did something to some while swimming around. I hear voices in the back of my mind when I wake up, ones begging to be let go…”
”It seems you’re drawn as I was. Those protective instincts of ours are strong. You should have control after a decade or two…” Kyrie flattened his fins against his head. Melody told him that word once. It meant ten seasons? No… it meant more than that. A lot more than that. Byss and Pel said something about years… each was four seasons. He shook his head. That didn’t matter; it was too long either way.
“That’s too long! I need control now!” He brought himself closer to her eyes. It was the first time he noticed the clouded portions looked almost bleached. Like the shells Pell would leave out in the sun too long. He floated away, nearer to her gills as he tried to understand her eyes.
“Then control it.” She blew out a sigh. The water from her gills pushed him away from her. Harmony flattened her ear fins blocking him from returning to the spot he’d been in… Unless he chose to sit on her fins at least. “Controlling it isn’t always the same, I can’t tell you the steps to take.”
Kyrie let out a whine mixed with a growl. He needed to control this. He had to do better before he scared Melody more. He couldn’t risk her hating him. Harmony twitched her fins. Another sigh sent more water towards him, but he kept his place. He’d get answers. He’d keep Melody, Caprice, Pelago, and Byssal safe.
“I had to accept that I couldn’t always hold what I would protect. My predecessor kept me still until I’d learned to control myself.”
“Predecessor…” Kyrie hadn’t heard that word before. The way Harmony spoke sounded mixed with human languages as she said it. Kyrie yelped as her shadow engulfed him. Impossible fingers wrapped around him and pulled him to her face.
“The one before me would hold me like this as I struggled to reach my charge. Or place me under the weight of his tail. At times he held my tail with his teeth right at the fin.” Kyrie shivered, imagining her teeth on his tail fin made him nervous. She kept her hold on him as she moved.
“I don’t want that!” His complaints were ignored. She let out a whine that made him freeze.
“Neither did I. He took the measures to stop me once my eyes were injured. He told me the lights had burned my eyes from being too close. I was much smaller than you and my charges were much larger. The light was too bright. Those spots show complete darkness, more complete than I thought there could be.”
Kyrie couldn’t think of anything to say. She didn’t sound disinterested or bored this time. There wasn’t confidence in her words, just some kind of pain. She let him go, the water blew past him again. He swam up to her face, but she didn’t look upset. More… resigned.
“You may need to accept you’ll fail before you’ll learn control. That you won’t be able to protect all that have fallen into your charge under the siren,” Harmony said. Kyrie shuddered. She reached up and touched the remains that rested the closest to the surface. “One of the ones before had that same issue. They never learned true control.”
“I won’t fail. I’ll keep my pod safe,” he growled. He wouldn’t let the others be hurt, or stay hurt. He’d learn control, he was strong enough to stop this.
“You will.” Harmony sat up, covering him in darkness again. “Just as you fail to register what draws you to the siren. You say she’s your destined, one of those who raised you have said it. Siren’s don’t sing for their own mates. Their voices will never draw you in for themselves. That's why they always traveled in pairs.”
Kyrie growled. Harmony was lying. Melody was meant to be with him. Her voice made him positive. He’d already been curious and drawn to her before she sang. It wouldn’t change now and he knew what sirens did.
“Doubt me all you want, but I’m speaking the truth. You were drawn to her before you heard her song, correct?” Kyrie let out an affirmative chirp. It just proved that his love for her was strong. “That was because you’d found your charge. Had you never met her you would have been drawn here instead.”
“You’re lying! I love her!” He growled and flexed his fingers. He expected the massive mer to grab him and punish him. Instead she just blew water towards him. It made him spiral down into the nest. From there he was faced with how small he was next to the only mer he had ever met with his scales.
“You may love her, but there’s no promise you belong together. Question me, doubt me, even attack me if you like. It doesn’t change the truth. You exist to guard merfolk with one as your main charge. That one happens to be this siren, otherwise you’d be here. You two aren’t destined.”
Harmony didn’t move her hand towards him. Kyrie saw tears of his own traveling up towards the massive mer. She spoke weirdly again, but that wasn’t what mattered. She had to be lying. If she wasn’t… Melody might leave him. She might hate him and never give him another chance. He might scare her for good. He didn’t want this mer’s help anymore he just… he had to see Melody. First he just had to leave.
Harmony felt as Kyrie swam back into the tunnel he’d entered from. She waved her hand towards the tunnel hoping it would show him the path out. She returned to where she always rested and closed her eyes. I’m sorry little one , she thought, it’s best to move on now. Before you’re trapped alone in your grief as I was . Tears slipped from the massive mermaid’s eyes as she allowed memories she buried to surface once more. Memories from when she’d just become big enough to hear the ocean’s voice.
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Kyrie swam blindly once he’d managed to escape the siren’s nest. He couldn’t return to his den, the others would ask questions. He couldn’t go to Melody, he’d scared her again. He had to get somewhere far from everyone until he’d learned to control himself. Then… then he could go home. If Harmony was right it was better he stopped seeing Melody. He was just keeping her from finding her real destined.
A prick on his tail fin made him shudder. He stopped and pulled his tail forward, shocked to find small pale hands with white claws holding on. He held back a whimper as he stopped moving his tail. The mer tightened their hold as they were thrown up. Kyrie’s eyes widened when pale skin and a long white tail floated above his fin.
“Caprice?” he whispered. The human eyed mer stared at him before releasing his hold and pointing to the surface. Kyrie grimaced, but listened. He grabbed Caprice in one hand gently before bringing them both above the deep waters. The glare from the smaller man had his heart racing. Melody probably never wanted to see him again.
“Finally found you!” Caprice shouted. Kyrie wilted under his gaze. “I’ve spent all day looking for you.”
Kyrie just whimpered which received a burning glare.
“I went all over to find you. I even went to Harmony and she said you’d just left.” Caprice let out a sigh, Kyrie was tempted to run. The smaller mer’s face softened before he continued. “Melody started crying the second you left this morning! She’s convinced you hate her. You have to go talk to her. She's been sitting on the beach waiting.”
“...I…,” he tried. He didn’t know what to say. That he’d put her through so much only for her not to belong with him. That he wasn’t destined to be with her after all. He let his head sink into the water. Caprice swam closer and planted his hands on Kyrie’s nose.
“Did she scare you?” Kyrie jumped, the look was different than he expected. It was hard to make out so close, but… concern was all he could see. He offered a negative chirp. “Then go talk to her.”
Kyrie nodded, slipping under the surface again. He hesitated when he caught the scent of blood. He took a closer look at the human turned mer. The white tail was covered in small scratches with hints of red. The pale skin of his human half was peppered with marks of blood. One set of marks he could see was clearly the bite of a large fish or mer.
“You’re hurt,” he whispered. He felt a tug in the back of his mind. He pushed it away, focusing on the man in front of him. Caprice shrugged. A clear attempt to brush off his injuries. Kyrie cupped his hands around the smaller mer.
“There are bigger fish than I learned about out here. I’m fine,” Caprice said. His voice was garbled in the water. Kyrie let out a small chirp of worry. Caprice started to fidget in his cupped hands.
“...Can I fix it?” Caprice stiffened, but gave a slow nod.
“Might as well…”
Kyrie swallowed before opening his mouth wide. He grabbed Caprice in one hand, guiding his tail into his mouth. Caprice curled up until Kyrie was able to trap him behind his teeth. A warm feeling spread in Kyrie’s chest as he started to swim towards Melody. The rumbling sound he made around her sometimes started up from his core.
Caprice said something, but the noise from his chest blocked the other out. Kyrie just focused on a stable swim as he coated the other’s wounds. He half expected another taste along with the blood, one he hated. He tried to shake off the feeling by focusing on the human half once the tail was done. By the time he was near his den the wounds the partial human suffered were well taken care of.
Once he opened his mouth Caprice swam out and faced him. That pull in his mind died out once he saw all the marks of red gone from the pale skin and white tail. Kyrie chirped happily as he reached towards the smaller man. Caprice dodged his hand and swam towards. Kyrie started to follow, but the partial human pointed in the direction of Melody. With a single nod Kyrie left.
He swam high, near the surface, as he traveled. It was past noon, the smaller mers were hidden near the sands. A part of him wanted to swim low and run his hand through the sand. It felt familiar too. He closed his eyes, the night before flashing in his mind. Lights all around while he swam near the sands until finally he reached the beach he knew well. He opened his eyes just before he hit his head on the land he had to climb up.
Kyrie stared up towards the surface. Caprice said she was hurt, but maybe she was just scared. He pushed the thoughts away. At the very least he had to tell her that… that he might have been wrong. That he loved her, but someone better for her was probably out there. That she might have a human she belongs with…
With a heavy heart he pushed himself to the surface. As soon as he met the air he found his siren. She was hugging one of her knees to her chest with her head buried in her arms. His shadow covered her quickly. He didn’t know what to say. How to apologize for scaring her. How to explain what Harmony said about his instincts and her voice. How to tell her… to tell her he might have been wrong.
“Go away,” she said. He jumped, barely holding in a whimper. She did hate him. Caprice was wrong; she was crying because of her fear. “I don’t need one of you to tell me he hates me. Just go away, either he tells me himself or I’m not moving.”
He moved closer, trying to see something to tell what she meant.
“Of course he hates me now. I did something to make him show up here in the middle of the night. He should hate me and never want to-” He chirped in worry, bringing his hands around her before she could finish. Her head snapped up so fast he thought it could hurt her. The brown eyes he loved were glassy, slowly filling with life as they stared at each other.
“You didn’t call me,” he whispered. She climbed to her feet and buried her small fingers in his skin. Sometimes he wondered if she’d hurt him doing that if she had claws. He wouldn’t care if she did. “I have instincts… make me want to protect. This time it was you… I just had to protect you.”
“I… I didn’t call you? I didn’t do some weird siren thing again?” She sounded excited. He let out a small whimper before nodding. Now she could be scared. Instead she tried to wrap her arms around his finger. He chirped curiously. “I thought I made your eyes look like that again. Protective instincts I can work with.”
“You’re not mad?” He didn’t remember much of how he acted. Most times he didn’t, but this time it involved Melody. He must have done something cruel again. She pressed her face into his finger and shook her head no. He chirped a few times trying to understand. “Wasn’t it like the beach?”
“Sort of…” He whined, but she tightened her hold on his finger. Kyrie leaned down and pressed his nose into her side. He didn’t expect how quickly she moved to hug his nose instead. He loved her, he didn’t want to lose her. “Your eyes were empty again. You tried to grab me, maybe Cap too. This time you listened. I told you to stop and you talked to me. If you’re like that I can handle you showing up when I have nightmares.”
“Nightmares?” He nuzzled his nose into her. That was a word she told him once, but he couldn’t remember what it meant.
“It was a bad dream… I wasn’t me again, someone else was controlling me. I was singing, Cap said I woke up screaming. Then you showed up and your eyes looked so empty I thought… I thought I…”
Kyrie pushed Melody with his nose knocking her off her feet. She grunted, but he moved to flatten her against the ground. His cheek covered her, but he made sure to keep her face clear. He chirped a few calming sounds to make the tears he knew were starting disappear. He would keep her from the nightmares too.
“Melody is Melody and safe. I’ll keep you safe,” he mumbled. She laughed, making his cheeks grow warm. “I’ll keep nightmares away.”
“I think you will,” she whispered. “I felt safer after you showed up, although I felt guilty too.”
She pulled her hands free, using her small fingers to draw on his skin. It made him shudder. He loved his tiny mate… He had to tell her they weren’t destined, that she might belong with someone her size. Someone who doesn’t scare her. He let a bit of time pass before picking himself up. He folded his arms in front of himself then hid his mouth behind them. He stared down at Melody, dreading her reaction.
“What… what if I was wrong?” he asked. She tilted her head. It was hard to admit it. “About being destined. What if… we aren’t?”
“Destined?” she said. He chirped to confirm, but she kept a confused look for a little bit of time. Her eyes widened and her small lips formed an ‘O’ before she spoke. “Oh right, the merfolk form of soul mates… I mean does it matter if we aren’t? Honestly I’ve always believed in love at first sight, but I think you choose your soul mate, or I guess destined. Maybe no cosmic being says we’re good for each other, but what do you think?”
“...I love you and want to be with you and near you.” The smile on her face made the rumbling sound in his chest start up. He kept forgetting to ask Byss about that. It didn’t matter. Melody smiled wider every time it started.
“I love you too… and I want that too. Isn’t that enough?” He nodded. Melody walked over and slid down to sit next to his arm. “By the way, the cops finally finished with that guy you saved us from. Apparently he kept a copy of the song I recorded before everything… Do you want to hear it?”
Kyrie gave an affirmative chirp. The way Melody dropped things always made him feel better. He knew she would still think about it and they’d talk about it, but for now he could just smile with her near him. He’d accept if she found her real destined someday. If it made him lose himself he’d get Harmony to stop him. However she had to.
Melody played for a bit on her tiny box that she called a phone. After a bit the speakers Caprice set up for times like this started to make music. It was more like what Melody played when she was working and all he could do was watch. He jumped when he heard her voice. It sounded different. It caused a foreign, but warm feeling to bloom in his heart.
“Apparently any version of my singing had to be wiped. The closer to when I turned twenty the stronger the songs were…” she said, her voice was shockingly quiet. “I used to hate what happened, but I don’t anymore… I like that I can sing just for someone so important to me.” She ran a hand over his skin. “That I met you, Byssal, and Pel. Besides… I think we are soul mates, destined, whatever you want to call it.”
Melody stood up and walked away to face him. That warm feeling in his heart turned into a fire. He couldn’t stop himself from chirping, the calls he knew should call his mate. She stared at him and he could feel how much she loved him. This wasn’t like the other times she would sing around him. It was softer, warmer, kinder, and amazing. The other times it was all consuming and demanding, this time it just made his love stronger and made her shine.
“I think you’re right,” he whispered. He lifted his head up intending to kiss her. He loved feeling her body against his lips. His own smile was wide as he brought his lips near her.
“Wait, Kyrie, show me your teeth,” she said. He whined, but did as she asked. He could feel her tiny hands on his lips as she walked towards his left side. A shiver ran through him when she touched the gums near his teeth. “Hold still.”
Kyrie whined, but did as she instructed. Rather he tried to. The second she climbed onto his lips he shivered again. Melody grumbled, the song from the speakers petered into silence. It took her a few tries, but eventually her touch disappeared. Kyrie pulled back before she said to, hoping to know what happened.
Melody was holding a scale bigger than her head. The color was a vibrant shade of violet. His head filled with pain as part of his actions came back. A smaller mer that he grabbed and stuffed in his mouth. Healed, but terrified. He leaned forward to get the scent. An explanation or apology had to happen. The scent struck his heart with fear.
Without a thought he tried to hide himself in the sand. He didn’t want to see that color, smell that mer. He couldn’t see them again. Never again. Melody’s hands on his arms kept him from running and hiding completely.
“Kyrie, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?” she cried. He shook his head. He couldn’t speak, all that would come out were whimpers. He felt her small body pressed against his arm. He cupped a hand around her, hiding her from anyone who could arrive. He didn’t want those mers near her. They might hurt her… they might think she was dangerous too. “Whatever it is, I’m here for you. I don’t know if I can help, but I’ll try.”
After a few more whimpers he whined out, “That scale is from a mer in my first pod.” Melody tensed against him before burying her face in his skin. Kyrie pressed his fingers against her back, adding as much pressure as he could. She was safe and they couldn’t leave him to die again. He’d make sure it stayed that way.