Archive of Our Own

“Are you excited?” Foam asked. He had a vibrant red tail with eyes the same shade. His claws were dull, a benefit as he wiped away sand seeking out a white fin. The little mer in the sand tried to bury himself deeper. Foam forced out a chuckle before grabbing the end of the hidden tail.

The young mer was pulled into the open. It was clear the white tailed mer had dug it for himself as sand fell from his hands. His white eyes were shining. His hair was odd, a dark black that made the white of his fins look wrong. The face of the now revealed child had a smile, but fear hid behind it.

“Come on runt,” Foam said. “What has you hiding this time? Your scales will change during the night and by morning you’ll finally look like one of us.”

“What if I don’t?” the small white mer asked. Tears floated up from his eyes. Foam offered a tight smile before letting the white mer go.

“That won’t happen. You’ll get your colors and your name tomorrow.” Foam curled his tail into a coil, resting next to a spot of sea moss. He tilted his head and the white mer dashed into the moss bed. It was almost the same as when he’d buried himself in the sand. The kelp and moss hid the white of every fin and scale. Even his ear fins were well hidden.

“What if they don’t have a name for me?” The white mer’s fins folded against his head. He’d heard his parents talk about him. They hated him. Blamed him for the siblings who didn’t hatch. Sometimes they said it was his fault that the entire season had ended with just him being born.

“Of course they do, something like Tide or Wave. Better than Foam,” Foam kept his tight smile. The white mer had a bit of light enter his pure white eyes.

“I like your name though. I want to know what it means!” Foam ran his hand through his hair and bit back a tired sigh. This was taking forever.

“It’s a part of the water near the surface. Kelpie is named after kelp because of her green tail, and Anem because of those weird little fish things that are purple like her tail.” Foam pushed away, a darker look flashing on his face for a few seconds before his smile returned. “You should go to sleep, we’ll even take you hunting tomorrow too.”

The white mer nodded, but didn’t close his eyes. After a few seconds Foam’s fins drooped. He was sick of this. Just because he was the youngest the others left him taking care of the runt. He was probably going to be such a bright color that the runt grew backwards. Getting smaller until he fit in the coral humans liked. That would be a relief. None of this weird pup’s actions would be there to disturb the pod, his family.

“I hope I’m red like you, or pink like mom and dad,” the nameless mer said. Foam offered another tight smile to reassure the runt. Finally the white eyes closed and Foam swam out. He rushed to the others, grumbling about his current job taking care of the runt.

“The runt’s finally asleep?” Kelpie asked. Her tail was a deep green, as were her eyes. Her hair was a lighter shade of green, they all knew it would change in a few years. It didn’t stop her from being almost three times Foam’s size.

“So if he gets smaller we’re just sending him to live with those small mers right?” Anem said. Her violet tail was draped lazily over a stone. Her eyes were hidden from view by the sea blue hair floating around her head. “I hope he’s small like you or mom and dad if he doesn’t start growing smaller. I don’t want the runt following me around.”

“Took forever. He hid in the sand again. It’s annoying. I hope he’s one of those tiny mers. I don’t want him to be my problem anymore,” Foam hissed. His parents had forced the runt on him. Claiming it was better he learned since he’s small. He’d be back with his sister’s children in the future too. Easier for the larger mers to hunt when the young hid. He didn’t mind having that role, but he hated this runt. His parents were going to be smaller than him eventually, it should be their job. Plus it’s their kid.

“Aww Foam, it’s not so bad right?” Kelpie brought her hand near, but her brother slapped it with his tail. She couldn’t hold back her grin, he hated the runt more than any of them. The kid followed him like a lost shark for months. Foam actually growled at her, it just made her laugh. Anem laughed a bit too.

“We should go to bed. Tomorrow’s the first time mom and dad will actually take care of him. If we’re lucky he’s out of all our hair soon. If not it won’t be hard to lose him in a tide… Unless he’s useful.”

The white mer used his hands to keep his tears from floating up. He’d gotten scared, he wanted his brother. Foam hated him just like his sisters… just like his parents. The nameless mer rushed back to his bed of sea moss, opting to dig into the sand nearby instead. He always felt better when it came to hiding in the soft sand. Everywhere else felt too open. His eyes drifted close, his last thought a plea that he’d be a color they all like. That his family could finally love him.

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Two mers with tails a deep pink like coral approached the spot the nameless mer slept. They had a mixture of worry and annoyance plastered on their faces. They’d let the child pick his name and send him off. He would be a runt, not just a runt, one of the mers even smaller than a human hand. Any mer in their right mind hated caring for those ones. Too easy to hurt, too easy to leave behind, too much of a burden. 

The mermaid hung back as the merman swam into the small hollow. Only the two of them and their son Foam could fit. The merman bit back a growl seeing the nameless child had once again hidden in the sand. He carefully dusted at the lump near the bed they had supplied. A hiss mixed with a whimper slipped from the merman’s throat. His mate swam forward releasing a choked sound at the sight herself.

The nameless child’s scales had changed. They weren’t the color of a mer smaller than a human’s hand. Nor the color of his parents. His siblings, all unique in their pod, remained that way. The scales revealed a shade of deep blue. One that promised a mer that belonged in the trenches of the ocean. One that had been rumored to devour its pod in frenzies…

The two rushed to their other children. Something had to be done. They couldn’t send him to the smaller mers. No pod in their right mind would take in a trench mer. At least not around here. They couldn’t keep him, it would mean death for themselves and the three children they’d raised. No… They knew an option. It was an awful one, but it would save their lives and remove the soon to be impossible to ignore burden.

* * *

The nameless mer woke up with a shiver. His tail was open to the cool water, but he knew he’d hidden in the sand. Eyes shooting open the little mer realized his scales must have changed. Foam would have checked on him. He freed himself from the sand and stared at his tail. A brilliant blue that the mer was sure had to be like Anem or Foam’s size. He’d fit in with his family now. He’d be useful too.

The boy shot out of the den he had. The open area his family spent time in was empty. He swam forward hoping for some idea of what was happening. He should be getting his name right? His parents and his siblings should be happy with him. He could be useful… couldn’t he?

“The runt’s a deep sea mer!?” Foam shouted. The nameless mer hid, his scales helped him hide now. He didn’t know what deep sea meant. Could he be bigger than Kelpie? That would be great. He could make her feel safe like the time she growled and scared the shark away. 

“I’m not staying if you keep that monster,” Kelpie growled. The young guppy shied away. Kelpie got angry at him a lot, but he wasn’t a problem right?

“Can’t we just drop him with those things and run?” Anem said. He hadn’t heard from his parents yet. Maybe… maybe it was just his brother and sisters.

“I’ve seen those things An, there’s no way we do that and don’t become a meal ourselves.” Kelpie sounded angry. “Maybe… maybe we just handle the runt ourselves. He’s still small enough.”

“No,” it was his dad speaking up. Maybe the little mer could understand now. “We’ll be outcast if we do anything to the only survivor of that season. We need to do something else. There’s that bigger mer who has hunting grounds near here…”

“We could cover his tail to look like the fish in the area, then leave him there. If we use the fish themselves the scent shouldn’t throw off that mer. They’ll eat him,” his mother said.

The nameless mer swam away, burying himself in the sand again. Kelpie would always growl when he got too close, but chased off the sharks that saw him. Anem yelled at him for staring at her tail, but still used her scales to reflect the sun on the roof of his part of the den sometimes. Foam helped him sleep and told him stories. His parents made him his bed and hunted the fish that was best for him to eat. Even if his sisters hunted bigger fish for the others. All he wanted was to be someone his family could want around. If… if his existence was too much for them then he’d do what they wanted.

Eventually the little mer’s parents came to get him. He’d been waiting, but stayed hidden until one of them dusted the sand off his back. He tried to bury his tail deeper, like it would fix him. They grabbed his hand, the nameless child didn’t ask a single question. His parents never liked him talking around them anyway. He jumped when Kelpie’s hands wrapped around him and his parents.

* * *

Kelpie swam fast, her hold firm. She was worried about hurting her parents, not so much the runt. She’d keep her family fed if they lost their place. It didn’t matter to her. The swim at least was short with her guiding it. She let her parents and the runt float in front of her. She paused for a second before dashing forward and clamping her hand shut. She pulled it back, finding enough of the fish that swam around the grounds to camouflage the runt.

“Stay still now,” her mother said. Kelpie watched as her mother and father hid the deep sea blue from sight. They stuck some of the pieces of fish in the runt’s hair too. A part of her felt sorry for him, but not enough to risk her own life. Not enough to risk her pod and her family. Although she winced when her father caked the fish on the runt’s fins. She could just imagine the discomfort.

“Now be good and wait here, we’ll come get you soon. Once we come get you we’ll have your name for you,” her father said. The runt swam off. It was almost like he knew. Once he was far enough away she cupped her parents in her hands and swam off. They’d never deal with the runt again, the last five years will become a bad memory.

* * *

The nameless mer swam out into the open water. He’d wait for the big mer to show up. As he floated there, swarms of fish surrounded him. Their fins tickled his skin. It made him smile, he should be happy today. It was the fifth anniversary of when he hatched. He should have a name and be learning what his role in the pod would be. He should be happy.

The boy cried hidden in the school of fish. He was small enough they managed to pull him along as they swam. He was small. The mers hatched after him were all bigger. Now he was alone, now some giant mer would come along and eat him. At least the fish hid his tears.

The mer had no idea how long he’d been floating. The fish on his scales and fins made them itchy. The fish around him started to swim in all directions. Darkness surrounded him and the fish as they swam. His eyes went wide as he found the massive teeth surrounding the school he was hidden in. They snapped shut with blood floating past the nameless mer and down the giant one’s throat.  He tried not to scream as the mer started to chew. He was going to die…

* * *

Byssal froze as something strange touched his tongue. It was coupled with the fish he was currently eating. Something that didn’t belong. He chirped curiously. In the silence of the ocean the smallest sniffle reached his ears. He chirped again, this time a muffled shout came from his closed mouth.

Panic set into his heart. Had he hurt a mer? They had to be small, maybe young. Using his tongue Byssal managed to isolate the strange taste. He pressed the tiny form to the roof of his mouth, swallowing the fish he’d been eating. With his tongue pressed firmly he started on his way home. It was too dangerous for him to attempt to free the mer he’d nearly eaten.

As he swam Byssal kept up soft chirps to try and stem the tears hitting his tongue. It was a futile attempt. When his den came into view Byssal put his all into reaching the entrance. Chirps begging for the one he lived with to come to his aid. Pelago rushed to his face in worry.

“Byssal?” she chirped. He whined, it would be hard to talk. Byssal tried his best to maneuver the mer to a safer spot. “What’s wrong?”

“Small mer,” he mumbled around them. It wasn’t exactly clear, but the look on her face told him enough. She understood. “Pel, will you-”

“Open up!”

* * *

The nameless mer had tried to stay silent, the chirps were too loud for him. When the mer finally opened his jaws the young guppy was terrified. He saw his future already, the way the massive being swallowed fish bigger than him whole. He’d be dead soon enough. The rocking voice around him was too much. He couldn’t make out the words.

Soon a mer with stark white fins appeared at the mouth’s entrance. Her face was covered in pale scares. They stood out on her dark skin along with the bright white of her eyes. He’d heard about mers like her, his family didn’t like them. She swam right into the massive one’s mouth, right up to him.

“Hush guppy, it’s alright,” she whispered. Her voice was so kind. It was different from how his family had always spoken. She wrapped her arms around him and made a face when her hand touched the fish stuck to his tail. “Guess my Byssal is a messy eater? Let’s get out of here.”

The white mer held him close to her chest as she swam out of the massive mouth. The massive teeth snapped shut. The nameless mer shivered from the sound. The one holding him offered kind chirps. It made him chirp back. Immediately he forced the noise to stop, he didn’t want to be yelled at before they killed him. The massive one, Byssal, backed away. The boy looked up seeing a terrifying gaze staring down at him.

“What were you doing out there on your own?” Byssal asked. The boy just offered a chirp. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t exactly want to ask if they would eat him or just kill him. He started to cry again.

“Byss back off you’re scaring him,” the one holding him said. She hugged him tighter, his family never did this. “Guppy, can you tell us your name? We’ll help you get back home.”

The boy chirped. He didn’t have a name. She tightened her hold again, she was a little bigger than his parents. Her hands were as long as him.

“Well you can call me Pelago, or Pel. The grumpfish is Byssal he didn’t mean to scare you,” her voice was soft. He liked it, his family was always harsh when they spoke to him. Even Foam.

The nameless boy whined when the big one came close. He could feel the water pulling him free from the kind arms. He didn’t want to go back to the mouth yet. He wasn’t ready to die. The pull was gone and Byssal let out a small chirp.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to find the kid’s pod. Don’t go too far while I’m gone this time Pel,” Byssal’s voice sounded sort of soft too. The nameless mer forced himself to look into the eyes of the one expected to eat him. The merman looked kind… He sort of hoped they’d just send him off on his own. These two almost made him feel like he belonged.

“Oh please, you’ll worry your tail fin off at this rate Byssal. I am perfectly capable of defending myself, besides last time was just-”

“ Just the net of a human boat that almost pulled you on board. Be safe, especially for the kid.”

* * *

Pelago watched as Byssal swam off. The grumpfish was too worried, but he did save her from a lot of close calls. She pulled the guppy tighter against her. He wasn’t talking and he was so small. The little mer must be one of the higher coral ones. She waited a few minutes just holding the little guppy. Tears started to float by her eyes.

“Guppy, it’s ok. Byss will find your pod,” she whispered. The little guppy shook his head.

“They don’t want me,” he said. His voice cracked as he spoke. It was so quiet. She chirped at him. Just something to reassure the little mer. He couldn’t be more than a foot long so far. The poor thing. Mers grew more than this by the time they got their scales… usually.

Pelago moved one of her hands. The slick of dead fish made her grimace. There was a cleaning spot nearby, it wasn’t too far. The poor thing was coated in sour smelling fish, not the ones Byss usually ate. It had her worried. What had he been through? Especially if he thought his family didn’t want him. She looked into his eyes.

“Why don’t we get all that fish off you?” she asked. The young mer paled, but he didn’t object. She held him close to her heart as she started to swim. Once he was cleaned all of this would be clear. Byss could take care of finding the pod he belonged with. Poor thing probably ran off… She hoped he just ran off.

* * *

Byssal swam as fast as he could to reach his hunting ground. The mer was young enough his scent was a mix of his pod. It should be easy enough to find them. They should be relieved to hear the guppy was safe and could come home. He chose to ignore that the coating on the guppy had been dead for a long time.

In his hunting grounds a multitude of scents intermingled. It wasn’t easy to isolate just one. He hoped he’d find something by starting where the guppy was floating. The scent on the mer mixed with long dead fish left him struggling. Byssal froze as he caught a few unusual scents. At least three more mers that were close to what he was looking for. He followed the trail.

Byssal forced himself to swim slowly, he needed time. The words to discuss the guppy were failing him. His thoughts turned dark as the distance from his grounds grew and grew. There was no way for the tiny pup to get to his grounds accidentally. A growl was building in his chest. The true reason a pup coated in dead fish was hidden in his territory started to become clear.

“So are you going to see if the runt’s still alive?” someone said. Byssal narrowed his eyes and his fins folded back against his head. A sneer planted itself on his face as he found a group of mers, all much smaller than him.

“No way,” a green mer said. She was a different shade from himself, she’d never reach his size. The growl in his chest wanted to push itself out. “Mom and dad coated the runt in fish he’ll definitely be eaten. If not by the mer by a shark or something.”

“Stop talking about the runt, he’s not our problem anymore,” a pink merman said. Byssal approached at a slow float. The small group had yet to notice him. He could see the red, violet, and pink tails behind the green one. 

“So you left a pup out for me to do your dirty work?” Byssal growled. 

The green mer swam in front of the others. It didn’t make a difference, she wasn’t big enough to be a threat. A threatening growl escaped him. He almost swore he could smell the fear on the small pod. The pink mermaid swam up and tried to glare at him. Her shaking fins revealed her fear.

“We don’t know what you’re-” Byssal growled to cut her off the speaking mermaid.

“Why?” he said. She backed away, this time the second biggest mer came forward. Violet scales. The color was rare, but another one that wouldn’t be a threat. He glared down at the pod, they weren’t even worried. They wanted the pup gone.

“If you saw his scales you’d want the same thing!” she said. “Do what you want with the runt we never wanted him anyway. He doesn’t even have a name.”

His next growl was loud enough to echo around them. The violet mer swam back. She didn’t have any bravery behind her attempt. Even the green one’s fins were shaking. It was how she should be. Mers like this made Byssal sick. A part of him wanted to punish them, but he wouldn’t be like that when Pel was waiting… when there was an apparently abandoned guppy involved.

Byssal leaned closer, three of them were bite sized to him. He could easily scare them. Baring his fangs he let out another deep growl. The entire group floated back, but he just moved closer. He let them get a good look at how big he was, how big he would always be next to them. Byssal used his size advantage to grab the smallest one, the red one, and bring him close to his teeth.

“The pup is mine now,” he growled. The little merman had tears float from his eyes. “You go near him, call him a runt , or anything until he’s full grown and I’ll have a fun time seeing what a red or violet tail tastes like.”

Byssal let the red mer go and pulled away from the pod. 

“You’ll feel the same way once you see his tail!” the green mer shouted. Byssal glared at the small mers. Another growl followed by a snap of his teeth was his response. No color could make abandoning a guppy a good option. Let alone leaving him hidden so he’d be eaten. Byssal didn’t bother saying anything. He swam off, apparently he and Pel had a pup now.

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Pelago kept the guppy tucked close to her. He could be lost too easily. The cleaning station came into view and she smiled. A few chirps to let the guppy know it was soon. If she’d ever been coated like this she wouldn’t be able to sit still. The guppy barely moved even as she swam, it scared her. He was too calm, too quiet, for a young mer. She couldn’t wait to see the blue of his scales going by his eyes.

The fish in the station swam away as she approached. It wasn’t uncommon, all the mers scared the smaller fish. She settled down near one of the larger groups. She knew this guppy needed to have a good cleaning by these little helpers. She chirped before finally letting the guppy fall from her arms and land on her curled tail.

The guppy curled up more on her tail. Chirps weren’t enough to convince him to move. She sighed, most mers she met were older than him. Bigger than him. Her hand was as big as him. A sigh escaped her followed by bubbles. That caught the guppy’s attention. His eyes were shining as he watched the bubbles float in the air. It made her laugh.

“I’ll make more bubbles, if you stretch out your tail and fins ok?” she asked. The guppy kept his head down for a bit of time before he looked up with a nod. He stretched his tail out on top of hers, leaning his back against her stomach. Honestly she found the guppy adorable.

Pel did as she promised, blowing bubbles from her gills. The guppy looked happy enough he didn’t even notice the cleaner fish slipping out. He tried to grab the bubbles she made. It made her smile, he was so innocent. The poor thing all alone. Byssal needed to find his pod otherwise they were keeping him. While she blew bubbles she tried to clean his hair with her hands.

The chunks she found hurt her heart. They weren’t like the ones Byss had in his teeth sometimes. The little guppy chirped and leaned into her hands. His head was so small next to her fingers and he was so happy. She tried to ignore the sick feeling growing in her stomach as the long dead fish fell out of her claws. It couldn’t have come from when Byss fed.

She hoped the mer would grow to purr. It seemed to suit him. Slowly she stopped blowing bubbles as the last bits of fish fell from his hair. The guppy’s eyes drooped, he must be tired after today. She ran her fingers through the kelp like strands for a few minutes before reaching towards his fins. The second her claw touched one he folded them back against his head and looked into her eyes with fear.

“Guppy, we have to remove the fish from your fins, doesn’t it feel bad?” she whispered. He looked away from her, his tiny body shaking on her tail.

“You’ll hate me too if you see them,” he whispered. She chirped a few times as she tried to find something to say. How could his fins make her hate him?

“Guppy, why in all the seas would…” 

Pelago trailed off as she saw the shining scales where the cleaner fish had been at work. A deep blue she’d seen rarely when she was with her mother. The mer would be large enough to purr. He would wind up even bigger than Byssal. So much made sense as that brilliantly deep blue wormed into her mind. A child punished for stories caused by mistakes of the past… A child like her.

“Oh guppy,” she mumbled. She slid her hands under his arms and lifted him off her tail. He chirped, she could hear the fear in it. She tried to chirp and calm him. Pressing him tightly against her chest she started to pet his head. “You’re going to be amazing when you grow up. So big you can help so many mers. I love the color of your scales.”

“But… the others were mad. My scales-” the guppy started. Pelago pulled him away and held him above her. Tears floating from his eyes.

“Your scales mean you get to be one of the biggest creatures in the ocean. You can travel all the seas and see everything.” She floated up, spinning in a circle with him. “You’ll see wonderful sights and meet hundreds of mers. The others don’t see the beauty behind your scales, but you should. Your scales are a gift, a wonder, something truly amazing.”

The guppy continued to cry, but she could see a difference. The face behind those tears looked hopeful. She pulled him into another tight hug as she let herself fall back to the ground. Instead of putting the young mer down she angled his tail out in the open. The cleaner fish could continue that way. While he cried against her she pulled at the fish on his fins, cleaning off what was too well packed to be a mess from the close call with Byss. She wasn’t sending this guppy back to that pod.

* * *

Byssal swam back slowly. He knew Pel would have taken the young mer to get cleaned up. He couldn’t imagine any color worth torturing a guppy. Abandoning him in the hopes someone ate him. He still wanted to go back and teach them the pain they tried to inflict, but he wasn’t that type of mer. With a pup to raise he never could be. 

As their den came into view he caught sight of Pel ducking back in. He hovered outside for a bit. He wanted to give her and the guppy time to settle in. Byssal chirped as he swam close, letting her know it was him. Others still came by sometimes. Oceanid was one thing, but her mother caused the trouble that left Pel struggling. He knew she promised not to cause that pain for her own pups.

When he ducked his head into the den his heart froze. The guppy was curled up in Pelago’s hands. It was hard to believe how small he was. The sweet moment died as he noticed the deep blue tail. He thought the eyes were going to show a mer that would be barely visible when full grown, not a trenches mer. It made him angrier, a growl slipping out of his chest.

“Shush!” Pel whispered. He fought down the growl. She would know it wasn’t towards the kid… he hoped. “He only just fell asleep. Don’t wake him up by growling, he’d probably just cry again.”

“I met his pod Pel,” Byssal whispered. He had to hope his voice wouldn’t wake up the sleeping mer. “They brought him to my grounds after he got his colors.”

“No…”

Byssal nodded, there wasn’t a way to make it sound better. The poor pup’s family sent him to die and none of them felt an ounce of regret. There was more to say, but the tiny tears floating past Pel’s face distracted him. The pup had woken up.

* * *

The nameless mer tried not to cry when the massive mer came back. Hearing he met his family broke the little mer’s strength. Now they’d kill him. Either one could eat him. He was small enough. Although… Pelago said she liked his scales.

“Guppy, did we wake you,” Pelago whispered. He shook his head, but that made her laugh. “You shouldn’t answer if you want us to think you’re sleeping.”

Slowly he uncurled and swam off her hands. Byssal was so big. It would be easy to just disappear behind the giant teeth. The little mer tried to be strong as he stared into those massive green eyes. It would be fine. Whatever they decided he couldn’t get away anyway. Even if he did, no one would be there for him. 

The little mer yelped as a finger came up behind him. He was pulled closer to one of the massive green eyes. A claw was placed on his stomach. He couldn’t stop himself from squirming. A chirp echoed in his ears. 

“You’ll be bigger than me someday,” Byssal whispered. The little mer chirped in fear. His fins pressed against his head.

“S-so y-you’re g-gonna eat me… right?” he whispered. The hands as big as him surrounded him and Byssal growled. It scared him, he saw his tears start floating in front of him.

“No.” The hands his size pulled him from the finger and claw. He felt safer in her hands.

“Guppy, of course that’s not happening. Even if he wanted to, I’d never let Byssal hurt you.” 

Pelago pulled him against her chest again. She was chirping, his family never did this. He screamed as she was pulled by the giant hand. She held him out so Byssal could see him. That face just kept coming closer. The tip of a nose came to rest against him. Just barely avoiding his head.

“You’re in our pod now,” Byssal’s chirps rumbled through the little mer’s scales. “We’re keeping you safe and happy. We’ll give you a name too.”

Pelago squirmed until she freed them both. He felt better when the other one wasn’t so close.

“Guppy!” she shouted. It made him flinch. Kelpie and Anem always shouted at him for annoying them. “You weren’t even given a name?” He shook his head. “Then we need to do that right now… I know the perfect one. Kyrie!”

“Kee ray?” the mer tried to mimic. Byssal huffed, the water flew past them.

“Really Pel? One of the names you heard the humans using?” the little mer actually smiled. The deep voice sounded kind of happy.

“Of course! The human was kind and patient. The perfect thing for a guppy who’s going to grow big enough to make me look like a human!” She pulled the mer from her chest and held him in front of her. She spun in the water so he could see the massive mer behind her. Byssal was starting to look less scary. “Well, what do you think? It’s your name. Do you like Kyrie? Of course we’ll help you learn to say it right guppy. You don’t have to use it either, whatever name you like best.”

The mer stared at them both with wide eyes. He was given a choice. They picked a name just for him, for how they wanted him to be. More tears floated from his eyes as he nodded. He liked his name, he liked having a name. He liked that they wanted to give him one and keep him and just have him there.

“Kyrie it is,” Byssal smiled at him. The little mer… Kyrie… Kyrie felt warm seeing it. “You’re one of us now so you can call me Byss like Pel does.”

Pelago… Pel pulled Kyrie close to her face. “He likes to act like a grumpfish. You’ll learn to read him soon I promise. Welcome home, Kyrie.”

—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kyrie had some trouble adjusting over the next few months. He didn’t grow much and the different food made him curious. It was fish like his parents and siblings ate, not ones that were small and shaped with pointy limbs. These fish tasted better, but his parents always said the others were better for him until he was bigger. Plus Byssal never ate when Kyrie and Pelago did. Kyrie was convinced Byssal was waiting for the two to be alone.

Knowing that, Kyrie followed Pelago everywhere. Just like he had with Foam. At night he slept curled up in her arms. She never acted upset by it either. He got to go swimming around with her and learning about magic. She said he wasn’t going to be able to use it, but she’d always help him with hers.

Pel even played with him. Out in the open. He would swim away and hide while she searched for him. At times she’d chirp to find him and he’d chirped back. He loved it, his family never let him play like this. Thinking about them made him cry, but that was happening less often. 

One of the times they were playing he learned what others that knew his family thought of him.

“Is that the runt?” a voice said. It felt like the water dropped to freezing once he heard that. They knew Foam and they never liked Kyrie. He hugged his tail as shadows surrounded him. “You ran off as soon as you got your colors huh?”

Kyrie looked up at the mers around him. He was still so small next to them. Kyrie’s fins pressed painfully against his head as the three mers blocked his escapes. Three shades of red in all directions, but up.

“Think you’re better than them now that you’ll be big?” one of them sneered. Kyrie curled in on himself. He didn’t like this. A hand grabbed his arm and forced him to stare up at the three faces glaring down at them.

“Foam’s been getting the blame because of you. All of us are being forced to take care of the new mers so they don’t run off too. We should take you back, show them you ran off all on your own.”

“N-No,” Kyrie whimpered. 

The other mers kept talking but he couldn’t understand anymore. He didn’t want to go back. His family would make him leave again, but they wouldn’t send him back here. They didn’t want him to live. The hand on his arm grew tighter. A tail fin smacked against his back making him yelp. Claws dug into his shoulders.

A strange feeling coursed through him. Sort of like when the lights hit the water during a storm. The other mers screamed, but his body was let go. He darted out, terrified of what would happen next. Gentle hands grabbed him. Ones a little smaller than him now, that held him warmly at night. He buried his face in the chest he was held to as a growl came from the mermaid.

“Touch my pup again and you’ll pay,” Pelago growled. Kyrie didn’t bother trying to see how the other three reacted. Pel started to pet his head and he let that take his attention. “It’s ok guppy, they can’t hurt you. Not while I’m here.”

Kyrie chirped. Pelago chirped in response. Confirmation and promises with no words. He felt safe, Foam always let them do whatever they wanted. Pelago held him close, he didn’t even have to ask her to. She didn’t let Byssal come close that night either. Kyrie fell asleep in her arms much earlier than normal, but he preferred it. He liked feeling safe.

That wasn’t the only time the mers from his past arrived. Kyrie was pretty sure Pel never told Byssal. If she did the mers probably would have been eaten, that’s what big mers did. At least that’s what his family acted like they did. That weird feeling came every time she scared them off. They terrified him, but she held him close for the whole day each time. 

“Kyrie,” Pelago whispered one morning. He chirped back at her, groaning when she let him fall from her arms. “Stay here, Byss will be back soon. I need to go close to humans for something today. I’ll be back as soon as I can. We can play then.”

Kyrie nodded before burying himself in the sand. The den Byssal and Pelago used had nicer sand than his old one. He smiled to himself, slowly starting to sleep again. As soon as he realized what Pel said he shot up from his cover. He was being left alone… with Byssal. Kyrie darted out. He would catch up to her, it would be fine.

It wasn’t long before he realized she might have been gone longer than a few seconds. He wasn’t sure how to find her… or get home. A tail suddenly slammed into him. He was thrown into another mer who dug his claws into Kyrie’s arms. The three who had been after him were back.

“Hey runt, don’t have your guardian today, do you?” one of them said. Kyrie tried to push himself away, but the hands grabbing him locked his arms to his side. These hands were smaller than Pelago’s, but still most of his size.

“Knew she’d get sick of you eventually. You were always annoying when you followed Foam around,” one of the others said. Kyrie folded his fins against his head. He wanted to get away. The mer holding him pushed him into one of the others.

“You know there were a few places sharks hang around.” Kyrie stared up at the one talking. Sharks were terrifying, they’d eat him in one bite. It was the only idea they had Foam ever stopped. Bringing him to a shark ground… bringing him where he’d die. Pelago wasn’t there, Foam wouldn’t care if he knew… Then Byssal… Byssal would probably eat all of them in one go.

“Go on runt,” The one closest to him pushed him forward. One of the others swam ahead, but he was left with two blocking him in. “Let’s have some fun. See if the sharks care about a mer who’ll hunt them later.”

Kyrie didn’t have a choice, his heart was pounding. No one would save him. 

A deep growl that Kyrie swore echoed over the whole ocean came from behind them. He spun around unsure how to feel when he found Byssal floating behind him. Staring down with two red tails poking out of his mouth. The one ahead of him whined, Kyrie had to assume that mer looked back too. 

Byssal’s hand moved. Kyrie’s fins folded in on themselves. He wanted this to be over. The hand surrounded him, locking him in a fist. Chirps and tears escaped as he was moved by the massive mer. He was barely even a fingertip. He never would be now that Byssal found him. The next growl let out nearly deafened him.

“Next time you hurt my pod, you’ll get more than a few marks,” Byssal growled. Kyrie curled in on himself in the water of the fist. He heard three sets of terrified chirps. So Byssal didn’t eat them… There was no telling if that was a good or a bad thing.

Byssal chirped as he swam. Kyrie didn’t know what the chirps meant. He wanted to run away, he wanted to feel safe. He wanted Pelago to be home so she could make sure Byssal didn’t eat him. Tears started to float from his eyes, but he failed to catch them. The chirps grew faster and louder. That just made Kyrie more afraid.

Eventually the hand opened. Kyrie expected to see the sharp teeth and hear them snap behind him. That he’d finally be ended because he was alone. Instead he was in the cave the two stayed in. The place they let him stay in. After gathering his courage he looked up at the massive face above him, only seeing worry.

“It’s ok pup, you’re safe now,” Byssal said. Kyrie chirped, the tears were still floating from his eyes. A claw came near him and ran down his back. It made him shudder. “Still scared of me?”

Kyrie barely managed a nod. He was scared. Lying about it didn’t matter.

“I’m not going to hurt you. You’re in our pod. I’ll keep you safe, just like I try to do for Pel.” 

Kyrie bit his lip, it hurt. His teeth had gotten sharper recently. It pushed him to stare up at Byssal. The mer looked sad. He didn’t look angry or like he was bothered. It wasn’t how his family looked at him all the time. It felt more like Pelago’s stares.

“...you were gonna eat them,” Kyrie whispered. Byssal sighed, it blew Kyrie back into the fingers cupped around him. He hadn’t even realized the fingers were there.

“No, I scared them. In this pod we don’t eat other mers,” Byssal’s voice was quiet. It was stern, but it made Kyrie believe him. There was no way the words could be a lie. “I’d only do that if the mer left me no choice. It’s what I want you to do too.”

Kyrie nodded. Byssal smiled. It was the first time he felt safe staring up at the other mer. It left him with the confidence to ask another question that had been on his mind.

“...B-Byssal,” he stuttered. Byssal just chirped, a proof that he was focused on Kyrie. “W-why do you get the fish like you and Pelago eat for me? M-my parents said I should eat the ones that have all the pointy edges and stay on the ground. Th-that it was-”

Byssal’s growl cut him off. Kyrie’s fins folded in again. The mer was mad, he was wrong. Now he’d get eaten or killed. Maybe they’d just send him out on his own. That would be worse, the other mers would try to bring him to sharks again. 

“Those fish are called starfish by humans,” Byssal said. The growl caked the words. It left Kyrie shaking. “They’re not good for you, might be why you’re still so small. I’ll make sure you’re getting everything you need Kyrie. Even when you’re bigger than me.”

Kyrie let the words sink into his mind. Byssal wanted to take care of him. As long as he was here the mer wanted him safe. It didn’t sound real. The way the mer stared at him before, the careful fingertip on his back, and the soft chirps now made it easier to believe. Kyrie wanted to believe it, he wanted Byssal to like him. He wanted Pelago to like him. He wanted… he wanted to be safe. So… he’d believe them. Even if it meant something bad.

Kyrie slowly met the massive eyes. Byssal didn’t look scary anymore. He looked safe. Kyrie darted up and buried himself in the mer’s hair. Byssal chuckled, chirps mixing with the noise. Kyrie wasn’t forced to leave, he wasn’t yelled at either. Just like how Pelago laughs when he’s buried in the sand. He was… he was accepted.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 After a year with Pelago and Byssal, Kyrie was happy. Byssal was closer to him now, they played too. The massive mer would chase him and try to grab him. If Byssal caught him Kyrie would have the giant mer’s nose pressed into his chest followed by echoing chirps. It made him laugh, he liked it. Pelago would join in and distract Byssal with spells. Sometimes he caught them both, but that was usually when it was time to go back to the den.

Sleeping at night changed too. Kyrie stayed in Pel’s arms despite being four times the size of when they found him. She didn’t mind. Byssal curled up around them, blocking out the world. It felt like when Kyrie hid in the sand, even better than that. Other times Byssal would hold Pelago and Kyrie on his chest. The chirps while the mer slept mixed with his heartbeat were calming. Foam used to yell at him for trying to sleep close like that. He had to stay in his den.

They told him stories too. Ones about mers with voices that helped others find their perfect partners. He would fall asleep dreaming of the songs leading him to someone who loved him. Promising Byssal and Pelago would stay together too. He wanted a pod that cared about each other forever. He wanted this part of his pod forever.

All of that was probably changing. Byssal and Pelago told him the three had to go see one of their friends. At first Kyrie was excited. Foam, Kelpie, and Anem hated letting their friends see him. It morphed to fear as Byssal grabbed them both to swim faster. He grew terrified as they entered waters so deep he couldn’t see the sand. He wanted to see the sand. They stopped over a crevice that went on forever.

“Marina!” Pelago called out. Kyrie was let free. He was floating, still close to the other two. He yelped as the deep blue beneath them moved. Hair as dark as the water parted to reveal ebony skin and eyes an even darker blue than the hair. He ducked behind Byssal, he’d keep them safe.

“Pel, Byssal? You two are lucky I got your message,” the mer said. Their voice was melodic, but terrifying. Kyrie poked his head out to see her, but hid once her eyes widened. “You two had a pup?!”

“Not exactly,” Byssal laughed. Kyrie whined a bit. Sometimes he forgot he wasn’t their blood. He wanted to be. He wished they were his parents from the start. “We need you to take a look at him.”

“Oh?” The mer was even bigger than Byssal. Not enough that they were dangerous to the massive mer. They brought their face close and Byssal moved. Kyrie was left in the open, tears slipped from his eyes. “Hey guppy, I’m not gonna hurt ya. Pretty small aren’t ya?”

“Marina,” Pelago said. Kyrie whined, but Pelago’s hands grabbing his shoulders helped to calm him. She guided him closer to the massive mer, close enough Kyrie could touch their eye. “Were these your scale colors?”

The massive mer’s eye blinked a few times. Kyrie tried to stay still, but he was fidgeting. They finally pulled away to look down. The huffed growl that left them made Kyrie shake.

“Hmm. It’s close, not quite there though. Anyone would probably think that you’ll be like me,” they grinned at him. “Maybe you’ll be just a bit smaller. Ha!” The shout made him shiver. “I knew that would make ya smile.”

“So he’s not a trench mer?” Kyrie swam closer to Byssal as he spoke. He wouldn’t mind staying smaller than the green mer. Although the words sounded almost sad. Kyrie knew he had to be wrong. “Do you have any idea what type he is? Who’d be able to estimate his size?”

“Nah. The kid’s close enough in colors to one of us it’s hard to tell. Anyone would tell ya he’d be like me. I don’t know anyone who ever had scales that shade. I’d guess he’ll be bigger than most of the other mers. Maybe like me, maybe smaller, but probably bigger than the green grumpfish we have here.”

Their massive hand ruffled Byssal’s hair. Kyrie stared in awe, bigger than Byssal might be ok. Then he could save them too. He could protect them like they protect him. He started chirping and that made Pelago pull him into a hug. Plus if he was just like Marina he wouldn’t be a bad big.

“If ya get worried when ya get bigger guppy come find me, there’s plenty of room in the trench,” Marina smiled. Kyrie nodded at them, but he wouldn’t go there. He didn’t want to leave Byssal and Pelago. He wanted to stay where he felt safe. Where the mers around him always offered warm smiles.

Pelago clapped her hands and smiled at Kyrie, “Go home with Byss for now, ok? I need to talk with Marina a bit longer!”

Kyrie nodded, but Byssal chirped. It was clear the bigger mer didn’t like leaving. A few moments of silence passed as Pelago and Byssal stared at each other. Byssal huffed, but held his hand out for Kyrie to swim closer. The young mer did as expected and swam into the palm offered. The massive fingers curled around him before Byssal swam off.

All he could think about was what would happen next. If being different than they thought would make him be sent away. A few tears and fearful chirps escaped. He didn’t think Byssal would notice, but the hand holding him moved. He was pressed over the heart of the mer a few chirps of reassurance followed the movement. Kyrie pushed into the chest in front of him, desperate for this to last.

“It’s fine, Kyrie,” Byssal whispered. The voice made Kyrie’s body shiver. “Big or small you’ll have us behind you.”

* * *

Pelago watched as her pod left. She had questions that needed answers. Things that Byss would be too defensive to let her ask. She swam up to Marina’s face, their eyes were narrowed. They knew she was going to be asking something that needed the others gone. She folded her arms and stared into the massive eyes.

“Are there bigger mers? Deeper in the water?” she asked. Marina narrowed their eyes. They always said they were the biggest. That they were the biggest any mer could be. Pel was the one who healed them, she knew the truth. A bigger mer’s teeth had been the injury that sent Marina from trenches in search of help.

“Pel, just hope I’m right. Don’t ya want to feel calm?” they asked. It settled the matter for her. This was something they were hiding.

“I’ll feel calm knowing what to expect.” Marina sighed, the bubbles from their sigh hid their face. Pel yelped as their fingers wrapped around her. She was pulled close as the trench mer started swimming.

“I’ll take ya, but don’t hurt that pup. I know ya aren’t the type, but that other one…”

“Byss is more protective than I am of him. We named him Kyrie. I have to know what’s coming. I have to make sure he’s safe.”

“If he goes on a frenzy what will ya do?”

“Stop him without killing him and get what he needs. He may not have started as my guppy, but he’s mine now. Byss thinks the same.”

“All you small mers talk like that, ya don’t know what-”

“We already accepted he might kill us Marina. Byss knows it might be me who dies first if we aren’t prepared. Even if it happens Kyrie will have a home. If we learn now, we can be ready. We can make sure nothing happens.”

“Well… just don’t forget ya can send him to me if he’s too much. Even the ones bigger aren’t that much, maybe a few of you longer than me. They’re not as friendly either.”

“Then it’s good I have you to help me talk to them for my pup.”

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Years went by and Kyrie grew. Soon enough he was Pel’s size. It made him sad, he missed the days she could hide him from everything. Byssal still dwarfed him, but there was no promise how long that would last. He snuck out more often too. Looking for ways to be useful. To ensure the fact the two took him in was worthwhile. Usually he was told not to do it again, but it didn’t stop him.

Lately his scales itched and his body ached. He’d been hungrier too. He didn’t mention any of it to anyone. He was grateful for what Byssal and Pel gave him. A bit of hunger and some discomfort was easy to handle. Easy enough until the aches started making it hard to swim.

One of the days he couldn’t force himself from the sands of their den Pel got worried. She was swimming all over, but Kyrie just wanted her to stop. He was hungry too, Byssal was probably hunting. His vision was blurry but he managed to follow Pel as she swam.

“Mmm,” he groaned. Words weren’t working. They were hard, but he wanted Pel to come closer. She did, right after he made noise. He was so hungry.

“Oh Kyrie, it’s ok we’ll take care of this,” she soothed. 

Her hand on his head was nice, she was colder than him. Instincts were winning against him and he pulled her close, holding her in a tight hug. He just wanted her to be safe when he couldn’t do anything. He wanted Byssal safe too, but he’s too big for now. Pel squirmed, but he tightened the hug he held her in. 

“Mine,” he growled. She was his to protect. So was Byssal. Both had to be safe as long as he was alive. Pel froze in his arms, but that wasn’t important. She was safe. His stomach growled, he was so hungry. He’d need Pel to go with him if he wanted food.

“Kyrie, you need to let go,” Pel’s voice wavered. He couldn’t, if he let her go she might get hurt. He needed Byssal, they had to be here. They had to be safe. If Byssal wasn’t back soon he’d take Pel along for something to eat. Another growl from his stomach was followed by a piercing pain. He squeezed Pel, she must have this pain too. “Kyrie!”

“Pel!?” Byssal shouted as he swam in. Kyrie could barely make out where the massive mer ended and the cave began. His vision was so strange, kind of dark. Byssal and Pelago were sort of… glowing? Yeah glowing, like the fish in the darker waters. “Pel are you-”

“He’s just hugging me.” Pel sounded strange. Kyrie chirped in worry. He folded his fins back, she must be in pain. “A bit too tightly to be honest.”

The weird blur that was Byssal came closer. A hand was coming near him. Panic set in his heart, Pel was his. He would keep her safe. Just like Byssal, Byssal was his too. His job, his charges, they were his . He grabbed the claw of the hand as it grew close, a growl slipping out. 

“Mine,” his voice sounded strange to him. The scent of the claw reached him, it was his. The one he held and the claw were his, he’d keep them safe. “Both mine. Safe.”

His stomach growled again, but he could ignore that. His lights needed him to keep them safe. This was the best for him to do. He’d survive until the danger passed whether or not he ate. He’d keep them safe. Just like they kept him safe, it was his turn now. 

“It’s safe Kyrie,” Pel whispered. Her hand on his arm was nice, cold. The claw in his grip pulled away, but that wasn’t allowed. He tightened his hand. The claw sliced his skin, the scent of his blood blocking others in the water. It made him loosen his hold. Did he really have Byssal and Pel? Were they other mers? Not his?

* * *

Byssal pulled his claw away as Pel squirmed out of Kyrie’s grip. He never sounded like that before. He watched Pel dash around the cave, Kyrie looked empty. Curled up hugging his stomach. Byssal almost forgot the fish he’d gone out to get. He dropped it next to Kyrie, focusing on how the young mer moved. 

It wasn’t the frenzy they expected. It wasn’t the anger that Pel was warned could come during a growth. It looked careful, one clawed hand reaching out to pull a fish close. Careful check of its scent before taking a bite. The speed Kyrie devoured the fish was what they expected. It was his size and gone in a few minutes. Byssal narrowed his eyes when the young mer reached for more.

Pelago took the distraction as a chance to use a spell to seal the cuts on Kyrie’s hand. It was strange that he’d be so focused that he let himself get hurt. As though there was no instinct to defend himself from danger. Byssal decided to curl up around the young mer and rest a hand over him. Kyrie wrapped himself around one of Byssal’s fingers instead of eating.

“Mine. Safe,” Kyrie growled. Byssal shook his head.

“I’m safe,” he whispered. Kyrie’s grip loosened. When the young mer looked up, Byssal saw empty eyes. He’d never seen a mer like that. Pel swam close just in time to see them.

“Byss,” she said. He chirped as she slowly swam closer to the pup they’ve been raising. “It’s not like Marina or the others said. This is different… I’m worried.”

Kyrie perked up at her voice and tried to reach her. Byssal curled his fingers around the smaller mer. Luckily he was still the biggest of the three of them. It didn’t stop Kyrie from trying to escape, with a strength that didn’t match his size. Pel swam down to him and placed a hand on his face.

“I’m here, I’m safe,” she said. Kyrie relaxed again. He held his arm around her, but it was gentle this time.

“Safe, kept safe. Always safe,” he said. The empty look disappeared as Kyrie closed his eyes. Nothing would ease the concern that settled on Byssal. If Kyrie got bigger, how far would he go to protect them?

* * *

The next time Kyrie was fully aware of anything he was on Byssal’s chest. The older mer had both arms pinning him. Kyrie started to squirm, normally he wouldn’t mind, but he had to move. Byssal tightened his hold.

“We’re safe, we’re here,” Byssal mumbled. Kyrie chirped back. Of course they were here and safe. He could see Pel’s tail. “She’ll be back soon, just rest.”

“What do you mean?” Kyrie asked. Byssal sat up fast enough Kyrie was thrown forward. It should have been a lot worse, but he finally noticed what happened. He was bigger, a lot bigger. Still smaller than Byssal, but at least four times Pel’s size. He… did he do something bad?

“You’re awake!” Pel shouted as she crashed into his chest. He couldn’t make himself move, Byssal’s eyes were wide. “You grew so much! How are your scales? Does anything hurt? We’ll need you to take it easy for a while. Byss kept bumping into things when he’d first grown so much!”

“I-” Byssal cut him off by placing a hand on his head. It felt weird, Byssal should be so much bigger. Pel should be smaller. He didn’t want this, he didn’t want to be big. What if he hurt them? What if that frenzy he’d heard other mers talk about happened? What if-

“I’m glad you’re awake. In a few days I’ll show you where we usually hunt, we’ll go together now. You’re big enough I can’t hurt you.” There was so much warmth in the words Kyrie started crying. Byssal had always been this figure that could and would hurt him. That put up with him even when they played, even if he was nice. He never thought the reason he couldn’t follow was for his safety. If that was it then…

“Thank you… Byss.” His hair was ruffled again. He looked up and saw one of the smiles Byss always tried to hide. Maybe being big wouldn’t be so bad…

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Over the next few years Kyrie’s life did change. He’d go hunting with Byssal a lot. Sometimes on his own too, but Byss made him promise to tell them next time he was hungrier than normal. It took a while to figure out what was normal. Although that was the easy part of how his new size changed his life.

Mers were coming after them more often. Angry that Kyrie wasn’t in the trenches, angry that he was with Byssal and Pelago. He didn’t know what made the two of them specifically so bad, but he didn’t care. Sometimes mers bigger than him and Byssal would attack them. The only option was to kill, it hurt him more than he let Byss know. Pel seemed aware of it.

The days that a fight went bad she’d play with his hair. It reminded him of when they took him in. If it was to protect this life he’d fight and kill anyone he had to. As he started to get bigger there were more mers targeting him alone. Those times he’d say he was hunting when he got home to explain away his lack of hunger. He couldn’t let anyone know how often he’d had to take the life of another mer to protect himself. They might hate him for it.

He just had to rely on the mers focusing on him alone. Also that he wouldn’t be targeted when his limbs grew heavy and his scales itched. Unfortunately he wasn’t that lucky. 

A group of mers came after him when he left to hunt. A few were easy enough to scare away. One was bigger than Byssal, he needed his speed to survive. His tail felt like stone as he tried to swim. The massive mer managed to scrape his tail. His blood painted the water red and left him falling to the sand. He barely rolled out of the way before claws slammed into the sand where he’d just been.

“Do you get it now?!” the mer yelled. Kyrie growled. He didn’t get anything. They always tried to chase him to the trenches, he wouldn’t leave. Not when there were people who cared about him. “Leave. You don’t belong in these waters! If you don’t go now I’ll make sure you won’t ever reach your full length. Not with those two raising you.”

“Back off!” Kyrie shouted. The mer growled in response. Kyrie put all the strength he had into a last ditch push from his tail. He slammed into the other mer, biting deep into her side.

She screamed, barely managing to push him away. He fell to the sand again, more of his own blood painting the water. It mixed with hers creating an awful scent. His back hit the sand with enough force he thought something cracked. His vision started to darken. 

“Cursed tides!” she shouted. He growled, somehow he’d survive. Another growl from somewhere echoed his own. “I’ll kill you for this!”

He tried to swallow the chunk he’d bitten to make another attack. The taste alone made him sick. He never liked it, but this time it made him gag. As soon as he managed to fight it down, a green blur swam over him. The other mer screamed. Kyrie managed to push himself up just enough to see Byssal taking a chunk out of the mermaid. 

The fight was different from the ones he’d been in. Byssal was using strength to win despite his smaller size. He took chunks out of the mers tail, but the mer was scratching Byssal. She took a chunk out of his side, but Byssal used the chance to bite her neck. The dispersing blood turned the water a sickening pinkish red. Byss floated towards him, the older mer covered in blood.

“...Home. Now,” Byss growled. 

Kyrie nodded and used the little strength he had to push himself up again. Byss grabbed his arm and the two swam home. The blood left a sickening trail behind them. The heavy feeling in his limbs grew worse, but Byss wasn’t safe. They had to get to Pel so she could heal him. Kyrie forced his pain from his mind. He had to get Byss home. It was Kyrie’s job to protect Byssal. Not this, this shouldn’t have happened.

* * *

Byssal was tired and in a lot of pain. They just had to reach Pel. He’d seen her heal worse injuries, they’d both be fine. He wouldn’t let Kyrie go out hunting alone anymore. This whole time he thought this might be happening, but he had no idea it was this bad. His own vision was going dark as he tried to get them home. This wasn’t good.

Just as his speed started to fall Kyrie’s picked up. He looked back at the younger mer, the empty eyes were back. It had been years since he’d seen them. Kyrie’s speed was more than Byssal had ever seen. The younger mer acted like the injuries he had didn’t exist.

“Kyrie!” he shouted. The empty eyes just stared past him as the younger mer swam forward. It wasn’t long before he was dragging Byssal behind him. “You need to stop!”

“Safe!” Kyrie growled. It was that same odd tone of voice as all those years ago. Byssal accepted it, after last time he knew there was no stopping this.

Byssal started chirping as they neared their den. Pel needed warning, there had been danger. They were hurt. He wasn’t expecting Kyrie to nearly throw him into the den as the younger and still smaller mer sat at the entrance. Pelago’s scream kept him from trying to move towards the mer. 

“What happened?!” she whined. He watched the small woman flit around the cave. It was clear how anxious she was, ingredients thrown down constantly. “Byss I don’t know if I can fix this!”

“You’ve fixed worse,” he smiled. A large chunk of his side was gone, he was no fool. That mermaid was just as ready to die as he was. He protected his pup and that was the part he cared about. Pel floated just above him, tears floating from her eyes. “Do your best. I’ll pull through.”

 Pelago shook her head as the tears continued to float away. Byss grabbed her with his hand and held her to his chest. If she wouldn’t try he’d at least hold her. He was too afraid to admit how he felt because of something like this, because he could leave her. It didn’t mean he wouldn’t be selfish at the end.

“Take care of him,” he whispered. Pained chirps followed, but he couldn’t look at her anymore. He was distracted by the empty blue eyes staring down at him. Kyrie had left the entrance. “Take care of her, Kyrie. We’re yours right?”

“Mine,” Kyrie mumbled. Byssal’s eyes went wide when his pup went straight to the wound. After all this time did Kyrie finally hit a frenzy?!

“Kyrie don’t!” The kid could have him once he died. Not now, not when Pel would watch Kyrie kill him. The younger mer looked back with that cursed empty gaze. “Tides above listen for once!”

Byssal’s plea landed on deaf fins. If Kyrie was even awake he didn’t care. Byss did what he could to protect Pel from the worst of it. Pulling her from his chest and pushing her into the small hole she used to store rare ingredients. Her claws dug into his skin as she tried to make him let her out. She wasn’t watching him die because they failed to keep their pup fed.

Instead of the pain of teeth, he felt Kyrie taste him. His whole body shuddered at the sensation. This was the only time a mer treated him like this. Byss tried to push Kyrie off him, but the younger mer wouldn’t budge. He felt like he was pushing against a wall of stone. Pel hadn’t stopped trying to force his hand away to get free. Kyrie had to hurry up.

“Stop playing around,” Byss growled. Kyrie didn’t stop tasting him. More growls left his chest as the younger mer floated over him.

“Byss let me out!” Pel’s muffled voice hurt his heart. Kyrie had to make the kill already. It would hurt her, but they knew this could happen. 

As time passed Byssal started to feel less pain. The sting of the saltwater on his side faded. He had to be dying, close to the end of his life. Feeling should fade when that happened. Although he felt stronger than before. It wasn’t hard to keep Pel trapped and his breathing grew easier. It was strange.

“Safe,” Kyrie murmured. The younger mer met his eyes, the empty eyes had a look of relief mixed in. Kyrie returned to the entrance and Byss sat up, finally letting Pel out.

“You eel!” she shouted. “I can’t believe you would waste the time we have-”

Her words died, Byss had nothing to say either. His side was back to normal, like the fight never happened. Pel swam to it and ran her hands over the spot that had been missing. New tears floated from her as she inspected what should have been a deadly wound. Byssal stared at Kyrie, something was different with the guppy. Something that no one could help them understand.

“You… Kyrie had been… how?” Pelago whispered. Byss shook his head.

“I have no idea,” he said.

* * *

Kyrie opened his eyes to the cave he’d known for so long. He expected pain, anger, shouts, but that wasn’t happening. There was no pain in his body this time, but there was a weight on his stomach. He sat up a bit, finding Byssal and Pelago curled up on top of him. Pel looked so small and Byss was smaller than him. He grew again, he grew and now he was a monster. With all the care he could manage he slipped the mers who took him in off his stomach.

They barely moved as he did. It made him nervous. If their tails weren’t twitching he’d worry something else happened. Kyrie carefully left their den to swim. He had to think. For once he took the direction Byss and Pel always told him to avoid. It was better if he didn’t go where they could find him. It might be better if he doesn’t ever go back. Byss could have died, he didn’t even know how Pel healed him.

For all he knew they had to stop him from doing something awful. He couldn’t remember anything after Byss started dragging him towards home. Maybe he was too dangerous to live in the shallow waters. It would be better not to put the two in danger anymore. He didn’t want to leave though. Now he was big enough he could probably protect them and himself. He could be helpful, but he had one more time he’d grow. He could- 

Kyrie banged his head on a hill of sand in front of him, knocking him from his thoughts. He looked up, freezing when he saw a human face staring down at him. The human girl had brown hair and eyes. It looked like she’d been crying, something in him was desperate to comfort her. He never felt that way before.

“Don’t sing in the water,” she whispered. He didn’t know what she said, Pel used those words sometimes. Maybe she’d help him understand. “Be wary of the monsters in the sea. Except go live in a house on a cliff near the fucking ocean. That makes fucking sense.”

Kyrie forced down chirps of comfort. Humans weren’t supposed to know about him. She looked so alone. There was so much pain in her voice. She was like him. He didn’t know how to explain it, but he knew. He knew she was like him. He wanted to know more about her.

A prick of pain on his tail fin distracted him. He hadn’t noticed his arm starting to reach towards the human girl. Another tug on his tail and he found an angry Byss staring at him. Kyrie didn’t exactly want to leave the human, but he had to. It took a bit of squirming to turn around without disturbing the surface of the water, but once he did, Byss grabbed a strand of his hair and started swimming away. Kyrie followed.

“What in all the seas were you doing!?” Byss growled when they reached their den.

“I-” Kyrie tried. Pel slammed into his cheek making him stop.

“Oh guppy, I thought something happened when we woke up and you were gone!” she said. He didn’t understand.

“He was near that human beach when I found him.” Pel’s dull claws dug into his skin, they didn’t break it. They used to be able to break his skin. Somehow he knew that wouldn’t happen anymore.

“What? Why were you there?” Pel swam back enough he could see her.

“I… I went for a swim and got distracted,” he said. It was mostly the truth. 

“Why were you reaching for them?” The growl scared him. Now Byss and Pel would abandon him. They’d send him away like his first pod. 

“I wasn’t thinking.” It felt like he was that tiny guppy again. Byss swam closer. Kyrie could see now the older mer was half his size. “I-”

“Be careful next time, humans will have a much easier time hurting you than another mer.”

The care wasn’t what he expected. He’d done something wrong that could have put them all in a lot of trouble. If Byssal hadn’t shown up he might have revealed himself. He knew better. They’d taught him better. Pelago pulled him from his thoughts. Her now miniscule hands wiping at tears he hadn’t noticed started.

“Guppy, what’s wrong?” she whispered. Even now she called him guppy. He was a dozen times bigger than her, twice as big as Byssal. He wasn’t a guppy anymore, he probably…

“I’m too big,” he whispered. His tears went faster, he’d be a danger for them. 

“Kyrie,” Byssal said, his voice stern. He’d never heard the older mer sound like that. “I’ve thought the same thing in the past. If you try to leave we’ll go after you. You’re part of our pod, you aren’t too big.”

“But-” A slap from Pel’s tail stopped him.

“Do you want to live in the trenches?” He shook his head, but he was supposed to. Byssal was hurt so badly because of him. He would hurt them someday. “Then don’t worry about how big you are. You have a long time before you’ll grow again. We can find a new den before that. We’re a pod, a family, you didn’t do anything wrong guppy.”

Kyrie cried. Pel and Byss were always there for him. They found him and never once saw a monster. Never once treated him like a burden. If they’d let him he’d stay with them forever. He didn’t want to leave.

“Don’t worry so much,” Byssal’s small hand ruffled his hair. “You’re fine here.”

Kyrie nodded. As long as they’d let him stay he would. They were his family now. He was scared to say it out loud, but that was the truth. His family was this pod and hearing Pel say it, hearing Byssal tell him he could stay… He wanted this to last.

In the following years Kyrie grew more confident. He would go hunting with Byss and spell ingredient searching with Pel. Sometimes he went out alone. When he did he found himself near the human he had seen. He would listen to her talking, at least he thought it was talking. Someday he wanted to understand her, to meet her, but he would never risk Byss and Pel on a human. Not without a good reason… Not unless a siren gave him reason to act on this strange feeling in his heart.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Kyrie!” Byss groaned. “You’ve been hiding in the sand for three days. You need to leave at some point.”

“No,” he said. It had been a few days since Melody found the scale in his teeth. He wanted to be near her, but if he went close they would probably find her. They might hurt her. He was safe, but Melody would have to sing to make them go away. He didn’t want her to have to sing because of him.

“Guppy,” Pelago landed on him. The sand he’d buried himself in was too thick for her to disturb it much. His claws since he finished growing were better about digging through the ground. He could hide in the sand again and leave the cave looking like he’d never been there once he left. “Melody told me she was worried about you. What happened? She just had a violet scale…”

“Wait, violet? Where did she-”

“Hey!” A voice cut Byssal off. Kyrie knew the voice, one he hadn’t heard in a long time. One that terrified him. “Is… Is this where the uh gigantic mer lives?”

Byssal started growling, but Pel swam forward. Kyrie shifted, but stayed hidden under the sand.

“Why are you looking for him?” she asked. Kyrie fought back the chirps of his fear. 

“I… look, is he here?” Byssal growled again, but Kyrie moved. It had been enough time… he could face them again… He could see his brother again. The sand cascaded down as he moved. He could see the bright red tail as the clouds of sand dispersed.

“I’m here,” he said. It was hard to talk to them. To say anything when those memories had never left him. Foam swam back, fear in his eyes. Kyrie expected pain from seeing his older brother, but it was… neutral.

“Oh, uh, just I… Th-thanks for uh… healing my sister, she would be dead if you hadn’t, so uh yeah thanks!”

Foam swam off and Kyrie was left behind watching him go. He lowered himself, finding his brother swimming into his sister… Into Kelpie. The two swam off and Kyrie wasn’t hurt. It was fine. Byssal swam up to his face placing a hand on his cheek.

“Are you ok?” he asked. Kyrie nodded. Pel chirped as she swam closer. “You should go see Melody.”

Kyrie agreed and swam off. He… he wanted to tell her it wasn’t bad. That it didn’t hurt. He wanted to hold her close, remind himself that he got everything he wanted. People who loved him and someone he loved.

* * *

“There was no way that monster was the runt!” Anem shouted. Foam swam after her, Kelpie close behind. “You saw how big he was. There’s nothing bigger in the water!”

“It was him, go see for yourself. That mer that threatened us back then was even there!” Kelpie said. Foam didn’t know what to think. The runt was that monster and let them go.

“We should-” Foam was cut off as the massive blue tail passed overhead. He and his siblings stared after the tail. He was the first to follow. Kelpie grabbed him while Anem swam next to her. “Believe us now, An?”

“Where is he going?” 

“We’re finding out.”

They swam in silence. It was unbelievable. Kelpie was only half the size of the mer who threatened them. He was half her size, then Anem was only a little smaller than her. How did the runt become… that?! The chirp from in front of them echoed, it had to come from the runt. They found his tail resting on the sand, but his upper body was above the water.

“The surface?” he whispered. 

Foam swam ahead of his sisters. He was the bravest of the three despite being the smallest. He poked above the water at the edge of a beach. Splashes sounded behind him as his sisters surfaced too.

Ahead of him the runt had his nose pressed against a heavy set human. Brown hair and eyes, but she wasn’t screaming. There was no fear of the monster against her. How could a human act like that?

“Kyrie, stop,” she laughed. 

Foam chirped, Kelpie chirped too. Anem was silent. That wasn’t normal. He turned around finding Anem staring at a mer Kelpie’s size with stark white fins. He had human eyes and hair… It made no sense. He was dangerous, an oceanid that looked human. The mer swam closer glaring down at them.

“Touch her and I’ll be the one you deal with,” he said. His words were human, but somehow they understood. 

“W-we were just curious about th-the massive mer,” Foam said. The oceanid nodded, swimming past them and climbing onto the beach. 

“Kyrie, give me a lift!” the mer shouted. One of the runt’s impossible hands came close, lifting the white mer without even looking. The mer was placed next to the human who gave him a hug. “Told you he was fine, dork.”

“Cap, don’t be rude! You were worried too. You’d gone looking for-”

“Safe,” the runt said. He nudged both the human and white mer with his nose.

“Let’s leave before he finds us here,” Anem said. Foam didn’t know what to think.

“Yeah… let’s go,” Kelpie said. 

His sisters dove under the water. He stayed behind to watch the runt with the other two a bit longer. As he watched, the white mer slowly changed into a human. The runt might have helped, but sending him away was better. If they stayed with someone like him all of them would have lost the lives they had. A part of him was glad the runt had survived and found his own pod. He dove in the water, hopefully he never had to see the runt again.