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Tommy is used to his mum being gone for a while. It was a familiar routine now; his mum would find a spot of the pebbled beach for Tommy to nestle into, kiss the top of his head, and he would spend the next few days collecting shiny rocks or playing with the seabirds that liked to tease him. She would come home with fresh fish for the both of them to share, and in a few days the cycle would repeat again.
Sometimes, Tommy would slip out of his skin and use his legs to run in the cold surf, or make bracelets of shells and seaweed to proudly show his mum once she got back. When she got back, they would leave their skins together under a pile of smooth pebbles and walk in the moonlight, and Tommy would smile at her with his sharp little teeth and she would respond with a laugh that sounded like bells.
His mum has never been gone for this long though. Usually when he’s alone, he’s alone, and the only time he sees anyone else is if another mum leaves her pup on the same shore as Tommy. But this time is different. Barely any time passes before he starts to hear strange noises echoing off the rocks of the cove, like metal hitting stone, and voices that are harsh and loud. His mum had always warned him that if he ever saw or heard something strange and she wasn’t there, he should hide, but where? The beach has no tall grass or fallen logs to hide beneath, and he’d have to use his two feet to climb into the holes that dot the walls sheltering the cove. Maybe if he sits very still, they won’t see him and his mum will come back and use her big scary voice to scare away the predators.
As the sounds grow closer, Tommy does his best impression of a pile of pebbles. He does a very good job, laying still as if he was trying to take a nap but keeping his eyes open. There are people walking on two legs, but they aren’t like him or his mum. Instead of wrapping themselves in their silky pelts, they wear strange bright colors from head to toe. How have they not been eaten yet, prancing around so loud and bright? They walk weirdly too, using wobbly steps like when Tommy was still learning to slip out of his skin.
What if they’re pups like him? Maybe they don’'t have a mum to keep them safe, or show them how to walk with feet, or show them how to be small and quiet so that nothing eats them. Even worse, what if they attract something to Tommy’s beach and it eats all of them? Such big pups would make good meals for the bigger birds that fly overhead sometimes-- or what if they go in the water? They could attract an orca, or a shark!
Maybe it will be okay if Tommy shows them how to hide. If he uses his feet like them, would they understand? It’s better than letting them make all this noise.
With practiced care, Tommy slips out of his skin and ties the shiny pelt around his waist, making sure it’s secure before crawling up the hill of damp pebbles to look at the strange pups. There’s five of them, enough to make a pod, all sitting in a circle around a pile of sticks. Are they trying to nest? Big sticks like that can’t be nice to lay on. Good thing Tommy decided to help them!
Tommy walks a little closer before letting out a gentle chirp, trying to get the pups’ attention. Only one of them notices, cutting off a bark of laughter to wave its hand at the others. They fall quiet, staring at Tommy with wide eyes full of surprise. He lets out another curious chirp, dipping his head in greeting.
One of them makes a low noise, somewhere between a hush and a hiss, but none of them move towards him. Maybe they think he is the predator here? Just in case, Tommy lets out a few small huffs, the kind he would use to tell his mum he was okay.
“It’s a fuckin’ kid, ” one of them huffs, and the tone makes Tommy take a couple steps back. “How did a kid get down here?”
“Look at his little wrap thing. It’s one of those-- what are they called?”
Tommy’s never heard words like these before; he doesn’t know half of what they’re saying.
“It’s the seal people. Silkies?” The pup closest to him stands up too fast for Tommy’s liking and he skitters back across the pebbles to keep the distance. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. “C’mere kid, you a baby silky thing?”
One of the pups with long hair like his mum stands up too. “It’s selkie you dumbass, and they’re endangered, so don’t touch it. Let’s just leave guys. Come on.”
The one moving towards him ignores the other, taking little steps towards Tommy and making weird pspspspsps noises. Tommy lets out a warning huff, trying to look bigger than he feels.
“Come on little guy, where’s your mummy?” it asks before turning to the others. “He can’t be older than five you guys, we can’t leave him like this!” It stumbles a little as it turns and Tommy takes a few more steps back. The ocean froths just a few feet behind him, its soft waters welcoming compared to the strange and scary creatures in front of him. The creatures are babbling loudly at each other with words Tommy can’t understand, inching toward him as they argue. Should Tommy hide in the water? Would it be safer than hoping the loud pups go away?
“-- look, it’s fine, watch--” is the only thing Tommy hears before two large arms curl around him, lifting him into the air and pressing him into the colorful pelts of the creature. Tommy freezes with fear; his heart nearly stops in his chest before panic kicks in. He lets out a distressed cry, punching out in any direction that he can reach. When he feels his fists connect with something solid, he switches to clawing with his nails, biting down on whatever he can until finally the arms release him and he tumbles to the ground.
As he falls, he hears a bone-chilling rip that sends a painful jolt through his heart. Tears come to his eyes immediately, a hiccuping sob shaking his body as he frantically searches his pelt for damage. There, on the edge where he’d knotted the two ends around his waist. It’s a small tear, but big enough to feel utterly devastating. Tommy barely notices the creatures are gone until he looks up and finds the beach in the still peace it was not too long ago.
Tommy doesn’t know how long he sits in the small divot of pebbles made by his fall, calling mournfully for his mum. Only she can fix this-- use gentle hands to mend the rip in Tommy’s soul and kiss away the tears that keep rolling down his cheeks. It’s long enough that the moon rises and falls again, again, again, until Tommy’s stomach aches with hunger. He tries to slip his skin back on to blend in again, but it refuses to fall into place, bringing on a new round of tears. All he can do is sit on the beach and wait, calling for his mum and hoping she’ll finally hear him.
One morning, just as the sun peeks over the far away horizon, Tommy hears more sounds echoing around the rocky cliffs. They’re quieter this time, like how his mum talks when he falls asleep-- almost unnoticeable under the crash of the waves. As soon as he hears the voices, Tommy is up and running behind a log that had washed up on shore a few nights ago. It’s just large enough he can hide behind the still-attached roots, peering between the gaps to watch whoever is intruding now.
They look similar to the creatures from before, walking on two legs and wearing strange pelts that cover most of their bodies. This time, though, their pelts are almost the right colors, shiny blue and gray just like the waves that break the shore. Only two of them stand at the edge of his beach this time, looking over the rocks as if they were trying to find something. One has odd pink hair woven into a rope along its back, holding what looks like a rock with a round piece of glass on the front. The other is shorter, wearing something floppy over its head. If that weren’t strange enough, there are two long rocks held to its eyes.
At least these ones aren’t loud and scary so far. Tommy has learned his lesson though, and he won’t be moving from his hiding place until they leave .
As they move down the beach, Tommy hears snatches of their conversation on the wind.
“-- anonymous tip said--”
“-- be surprised if the mother came back--”
“-- might be injured, couldn’t have gone far--”
“-- poor little guy, hope we got here in time--”
The smaller one keeps looking through those weird rocks, scanning up and down the beach like an osprey. The other points the rock-glass-thing at stuff with a click-whir sound. They seem awfully interested in the marks left in the pebbles by Tommy’s feet, or the fish bones left from his mum’s last visit. Oh, how he wishes she would come back and scare away the creatures, scooping Tommy up and chirping that it would be okay.
The two beings stilld and with a start Tommy realizes the creatures are looking in his direction. They can’tsee him from so far away, right? The smaller one hands over the two rocks, and the pink one lifts them up to its eyes before nodding. Then, horror of all horrors, they start to walk towards him.
It’s different than last time, though. Instead of wobbly footsteps and loud voices, they walk slowly; once they get close enough to Tommy, they chirp!
It’s almost enough to make Tommy come out of hiding, but he stays tucked behind the tree roots. They keep making soft, clumsy chirping sounds as they get closer until they are stood a few arms’ lengths away from Tommy.
“Hey there, mate. What’re you doing back there?” the smaller one asks. His floppy head-covering falls over his eyes a little, but they still shine kind and blue, almost the same as Tommy’s mum. “My name is Phil, and this is my friend Techno. What’s your name?”
Should he answer? What if these creatures are like the others, trying to trick him and get close enough to grab him? What if his pelt rips again?
Phil doesn’t get loud or come closer, though. In fact, he takes a seat in the damp gravel, and the other one—Techno—follows suit. “You’re probably scared. Don’t worry, I understand. Is it okay if I try to help you feel less scared by explaining why we’re here?”
Tommy nods.
“Good!” Phil smiles. “Tell ya what, I’ve got some dried fish here too. Want some while I talk?”
To that, Tommy nods enthusiastically and grabs the handful of fish that Phil tosses to him. It’s a bit tough and dry, but it soothes the ache in his stomach.
“Good job, buddy. You’re doing so good,” Phil praises, and Tommy preens a bit at the kind words. “Alright, my friend and I are here because someone told us something scary might have happened to you a couple days ago. Our job is to help when something scary like that happens, so we can make sure that everything is okay afterwards. Does that make sense? You can keep nodding yes or no if you want.”
Tommy is glad that Phil isn’t like the other creatures. He talks nice, and when Tommy nods that he can keep going, he just smiles.
“We’re gonna ask a couple questions now, just yes or no. When the scary thing happened, did something pick you up?”
Nod yes.
“Did you take any food from it?”
Nod no.
“Did they come back after leaving?”
No.
“Are you hurt?”
Yes.
“Are you hungry?”
Yes.
“Has your mother come back since then?”
Tommy doesn’t like these questions anymore. He hides his face before another teardrop can escape, hoping Phil can’t see how his breath stutters.
“Hey, it’s okay little one. You must have felt pretty scared, huh?” Phil continues, still sitting in the same spot. “We’re going to help so that you don’t have to feel scared anymore. Techno and I have a place where we can give you food and help make sure you aren’t hurt again. Once you feel better, we can come right back here, I promise.”
What should he do? The last time he’d stopped hiding had been so awful ; how can he be sure Phil won’t gobble him up? But he’s also so tired, and so hungry, and he can’t fix his pelt on his own…
As slow as possible, Tommy creeps from behind the cover of the log. He waits for something to lunge, for a trap to be sprung, yet there’s nothing but an encouraging look from the two. They sit patiently as he creeps forward, sniffing at the air, chirping at the two. Finally, he gets close enough to touch and Phil’s face breaks out into a huge smile.
“Good job, mate. Thank you for trusting us. Do you think you could tell us your name, so we know what to call you?” Phil asks him.
“Tommy,” he answers in a whisper. Somehow, Phil’s smile grows even bigger.
“Hello, Tommy. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
Phil explains what’s going to happen next— how they have to leave the beach to go somewhere safe. He promises lots of food and space to play, and even some others like him to help with his pelt. When Tommy agrees, Phil wraps him up in a soft swath of fabric, softer than his own fluff. Phil’s friend doesn’t say much, mostly taking the pouches from Phil so he can pick Tommy up and carry him up the jagged path. They ride inside something called a “van” , where Tommy gets to make a little nest on the floor in the soft fabric. The van makes noises, but not in a scary way; it almost sounds like the wind during a storm, a low rumble that has Tommy relaxing into a much needed sleep.
Hours later, Tommy shifts awake as a pair of arms lift him up to cradle him against a warm chest. With a sleepy squeak, he rubs the sleep out of his eyes, peering around his new location.
The first thing he sees is the ocean shining in the midday sun a few hundred feet away. It looks so welcoming that, for a second, Tommy thinks about wriggling away and splashing in the comfort of the waves until he remembers how he got here. Looking up, it’s not Phil holding him but Techno, the pink of his long hair tickling against Tommy’s nose. Techno had been quiet down at the beach, but not a scary quiet. More like the same kind of quiet he finds sitting in the middle of a kelp forest—peaceful and calm.
“You awake, lil’ guy?” Techno asks, and Tommy responds with a soft chuff. For the first time, Tommy watches a smile peek through his face, as if some invisible string has been cut. “Good. Just in time to check out the building. Phil is inside doing paperwork but we’ve got some pretty great fish tanks to check out while we wait.”
He’s right; the “fish tank” things are incredible. Some sort of invisible rock keeps a whole school of colorful fish kept in a square of water, and they whirl together in a storm of silver scales. It’s mesmerizing. Tommy loses track of how much time he sits in Techno’s arms just watching the little fish swim past.
Eventually, Phil comes back looking even more cheery. Techno sets Tommy down in a chair and turns to talk to Phil. The two seem happy about whatever it is. Tommy just keeps watching the fish, giggling as he pokes the weird invisible rock between him and the fish.
“Hey, Tommy.” Phil turns to him, leaning down to eye level. “We’re gonna take you to a nice room with lots of food and toys, and we’re going to have someone come see if anywhere on your body is hurt. But first, we want to introduce you to a friend of ours. He’s like you, so he’ll be able to help us take care of you and make sure everything is okay. Does that sound alright with you?”
“Like me?” Tommy asks softly. He isn’t used to talking with words; his mum had taught him how to talk like this, with words instead of chirps and chuffs, but they’d never actually spoken to each other that way. Mum had said it was “just in case”, and that he wouldn’t have to worry about it. It’s helped him understand Phil and Techno, so Tommy’s grateful for that.
Phil thinks for a second before he continues speaking. “You have your pelt, and you can take it on and off as you choose. Techno and I can’t do that. Our friend, he has two forms like you do you do, so he knows a bit about what you’re experiencing.”
“Pup?” Tommy questions.
“Well, he was my pup for a while, but after he grew up he started helping me with my work.”
That makes sense to him, so he reaches his arms up and lets Techno scoop him up once again. As they walk, he fiddles with the long rope of pink hair that swishes behind Techno, rubbing the strands between his fingers. They pass through long stretches surrounded by walls on all sides, turning so many times that Tommy loses count, until finally Phil pushes open a large slat of wood and they walk through the opening.
A blast of wonderfully cool air hits as they enter. The space is large, covered on three sides by solid white walls. The fourth is more of the clear rock, like what kept the fishes in as they swirled around, but instead of water on the other side there’s a long stretch of rock broken by a pool of water. The water flows under the clear wall, into a connecting pool that takes up the middle of the room. Under the surface long strands of kelp sway, reflecting the midday sun.
Techno lowers him to the ground, which has a funny texture against his bare feet. It smells like saltwater and fish, with something sour and sharp layered over top; it makes his nose wrinkle a bit.
While Phil walks over to the pool of water, Techno goes down on one knee, face to face with Tommy. “Are you feeling okay?” he asks, looking very serious. “If you feel scared or nervous, we can help no matter what it is.”
Tommy’s not scared! Okay, maybe just a little, tiny bit nervous… but despite that, he still feels safe. So he nods to Techno, which seems to satisfy him, and together they walk over to where Phil stands.
Phil gives him a big smile and gestures to the water. “He would be here any second, see if you can spot him.”
Tommy peers into the shifting water, watching for any movement in the darkness. After a second—there! A flash of silver flickers in a patch of sun, and in a blink the flash pops up to the surface, revealing two round eyes and a whiskered face.
“Tommy, meet Wilbur,” Phil says.
Wilbur bobs up and down for a second, but before Tommy can open his mouth to say hello, he’s diving back down again, out of sight in the darkness. Seconds later he resurfaces— but this time, he no longer has the form of a seal. This time, there’s two arms, a neck, and a face smiling up at Tommy.
Like me, Tommy thinks, a little starstruck. He’d only ever met other mums and other pups, this was… new!
Wilbur chirps at him from the pool, a soft greeting that Tommy gladly echoes. With a splash, Wilbur is pulling himself up onto the rocky floor, perched on the edge of the water with his legs still dangling in the waves. His silky pelt is draped across one shoulder and down his waist, shimmering with beads of water that reflect the deep brown of his coat.
“Hello there, pup.” Wilbur speaks softly, his warm, amber eyes meeting Tommy’s sky blue. “I've heard you had a rough couple days, is that right?”
Tommy chirps a response, and Wilbur nods with understanding. Together they have a back and forth conversation, a mixture of chirps and words that finally allows Tommy to finally communicate. He tells Wilbur about the creatures that intruded on his beach and lets Wilbur trace a finger along the tear in his pelt. Wilbur croons sadly at the damage, and Tommy continues on about how his mother hadn’t returned for so long that his stomach had hurt with hunger, and how Phil and Techno had been a little scary at first but very nice.
Wilbur looks across the room at the other two, who had long since left them to their conversation. A chuff of pod-family-safe comes from Wilbur’s chest and Phil chirps in response.
“I’ve been teaching them how to talk like us,” Wilbur remarks softly. “They can’t quite make all the right noises, but it’s nice to hear.”
The sky outside has grown dark, and Tommy swallows back yawns as he listens to Wilbur speak. His eyes start to flutter shut, and he slowly leans into the other man, rubbing a cheek against the soft brown fur cloaking his shoulders.
“You can rest now,” Wilbur whispers, running a hand through Tommy’s hair. “You’re safe here little one, I’ll make sure of it. Tomorrow we can sort the rest of this out, but for now you deserve to sleep.
With that, Tommy lets his eyes close.
The next few days are a whirl of excitement, with barely a moment spent standing still. First thing in the morning, Wilbur guides him into the pool of seawater and helps Tommy mend his pelt, running his hands along the damaged area while holding it under the surf. It knits itself together slowly and with each tiny bit of progress, he feels the ache in his muscle fade away, dissolving like sea foam. As soon as he can slip back into his skin, he does, diving in and out of the water with a symphony of joyful chirps. Wilbur joins him and together they dart around the pool, swimming in circles and darting through the bubbles they make with each splash.
With that problem solved comes a parade of new people—those wearing similar blue and silver pelts (or “clothes” as Wilbur tells him) as Phil and techno do. Techno introduces him to Niki, who brings him plates of different fish, some cut into pieces and some whole. She asks Tommy which ones he prefers and writes down his answers on a pad of paper, humming and nodding and smiling as she does.
Ponk is a “doctor”, which means he likes to poke Tommy and look at his teeth and watch him shift in and out of his skin. Phil says that Doctor Ponk is making sure he’s healthy—and that there isn’t anything inside that might need fixing. They take lots of pictures of Tommy, even some that show his bones, crisp and white like a fish.
Then there’s Puffy, who greets him with a great big smile and shakes his hand, which makes Tommy giggle. Apparently she uses great big things called boats to explore the ocean, and even offers to take Tommy out to explore someday!
Every day is more fish, more tests, talking to different people about different things. Wilbur is there the whole time, making sure Tommy understands what’s happening and why. At night they play together until Tommy gets too tired to move, and then they sleep pressed into each other’s warmth.
The days turn into weeks, and the weeks turn into months. Wilbur, Phil, and Techno are a constant presence, walking him through every test or exercise that the day brings. Tommy hadn’t realized how his damaged pelt had affected him until he could swim longer and longer each day, getting tired less quickly. Wilbur tells him that even a small tear can affect someone as young as him, making it harder to do things like eat and move.
A few weeks in, Wilbur explains that his mum isn’t coming back. When the humans had messed with him on the beach, it stopped being safe, and when it stopped being safe…
He cries a little as Wilbur explains, and Wilbur holds him through it all. It’s a natural instinct, which doesn’to mean it’s okay, but none of it was Tommy’s fault. That’s what he focuses on; it wasn’t his fault.
One day, while they rest in the pool with their pelts tied around their waists, Wilbur asks him if he wants to be part of his pod.
“You don’t have to stay,” he says, “But it might be a while until you reach the age where you can go out on your own. If you want to live with me, we could go out together, and always have a home to come back to with Phil and Techno. And if you ever decide to leave—”
Tommy lunges towards him before he can speak, wrapping him in a hug. It takes Wilbur a second to hug back, but when he does, it’s strong and solid.
“I want it, I want to stay,” Tommy whispers. He can feel Wilbur’s warm cheek against the top of his head, pressing closer. “I want to be your pod, and see Phil and Techno every day, and go on adventures with Puffy, and make food with Niki, and learn more from Doctor Ponk, and, and… you! I want to do everything with you.”
“I want to do everything with you , Tommy,” Wilbur says softly.