Chapter Text
Traveling alone through the vast, blue, endless ocean was very dangerous. Usually mer-folk swim together in groups they called pods or packs, but Jaiden was left to fend for herself after being captured by humans. Once a mer is caught by their nets, they’re sure to die a painful death. Every sea creature had heard of how humans treated nature and it’s gifts. They had no respect for life and killed without mercy. The humans had not roamed the earth as long as mer-folk had, and still those monsters had consumed more than they could ever hope to imagine.
Jaiden managed to escape the ship somehow, horribly scarred of course. She was held in a small tank being poked with weird metal instruments and knives. On her way off the deck, one of the sailors dumped oil on her and lit a match to it. The flames stuck to her skin, even after jumping in the water. It took a lot of struggling to make it stop, and unfortunately it cost her a little less than half her skin and scales. Because of that, other mer tended to avoid her. They didn’t want an injured and ugly burden with them. Or,, that’s the conclusion she came to anyways. She didn’t really know, since no one would talk to her.
Exploring used to be one of Jaiden’s favorite activities. She was one of her pack’s strongest and fastest hunters along with ten others. Her pack was big, so big that you could see their colorful tails through the thick blue waters a mile away. It was probably what drew the humans to them. She tried so hard to protect everyone else, she forgot to watch her own back. No one made an effort to save her. They all swam away as fast as they could. For one, she was glad they were safe, but she never saw them again.
A year had gone by since the incident. Jaiden tried to avoid shallow waters and coral reefs as much as possible, but without a pack, it was hard for her to get food anywhere else. So she developed a strategy that would help her survive. She would rotate her living grounds every season, one in the reef and one deeper out in the ocean. She even started incorporating seaweed and other plants into her diet. If she was lucky, a coconut or two would be swept towards her by the current. She later figured she could use the coconut shells as a sort of traveling compartment, like a purse. They were filled with snacks for the long swims between her territories. It wasn’t exactly enough to maintain her form, but it was enough to live.
Of course, humans and food weren’t her only problems. Her right eye was severely damaged when she was burned. As a result, she now only has half the vision she did before. She didn’t mind much at first, but it became more difficult as time went on. Because she was on her own, she was an easy target for predators. And with one bad eye, she would often realize very late whenever she was being stalked.
Shark-mer were the biggest danger. Most of them were solitary creatures, but there were ocasional packs that traveled together as a hunting group. Many would pass by and try to bully or eat her. She’d use her knives and show them that she wouldn’t be so easy to pick on. One pack more recently came to hunt on a the small coral territory Jaiden called home. She had successfully talked herself out of becoming a meal by gifting them three coconuts full of fish, but she didn’t completely feel safe. Her back up plan consisted of various human lost-things she’d find along the bottom of the ocean. Two small knives, a hammer, a harpoon, and some rope. She had the knives on her at all times, but in case of emergencies, she could go back to her cave and get the heavier supplies easily. Usually mers had no need for weapons, but from a lack of nutrients, her nails weren’t strong enough to cut skin. She did have her teeth, but those were also a last resort.
The shark-mer she talked to was nice, and he immediately apologized for invading her space. It was very different from any other shark encounter she ever had. His name was Foolish, and it seemed he lead a very happy pack. As they turned to swim away from her, she questioned whether she should have asked to go along. It was a ridiculous thought, since she would definitely be eaten.. right? Yeah. There was no way they would keep someone like her. Even when she had a pack, she was somewhat of an outcast. She had everyone’s respect, because she provided food and protection, but she never made any strong connections. Before she was avoided for her scars, she was not very popular for being mixed species.
Her and her pack were all Japanese Koi mer. This kind of mer evolved to live in oceans only a few centuries ago, leaving behind their freshwater ancestors. They were a very intelligent, reserved, and gentle species. But Jaiden’s other half was unknown. On the outside, she looked just like everyone else,, except bigger and with scales beyond her tail. Her look was a bit sharper, with slightly pointier fins and teeth. She tried to be gentle and elegant like the others, but she was clumsy and loud. And during their hunts, she would sometimes look too proud. A lot of the elders would shame her, call her violent. It made her feel bad, but she didn’t know how to change.
As she continued to think about it, it seemed possible to fit in with a bunch of sharks. Surely it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe there was a chance they’d come back through the same path. They would meet again, and she’d have a chance to belong. But for now, she must rest. It had been a long day of scavenging and pondering around the reef. She swam back exhausted, almost just crawling to her cave. There she used the rope to tie a few lines across the entrance and then to her wrist. If any big fish tried to enter, she would feel it tugging. She laid beside her harpoon, tucked tightly into herself for warmth. Until the next morning.