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Ipkiln could feel his heart in his gills, as he raced through the waterways surrounding his little town. Thoughts raced almost as quickly, as he dove in and out of seaweed and kelp beds and reefs. Thoughts like "Who am I?" and "How could they do this to me?" and "Why didn't they tell me?"
Of course, these were the panicked thoughts of a young fishman who could only imagine what sorts of horrifying secrets his parents were keeping from him. Secrets like the fact his mother was a demon, and the fact he himself was, likely, also a demon. It made sense to him, now, why so many of his peers thought him so brave - of course they were afraid of things he laughed at. Of course they'd be afraid of injury, of death. Ipkiln simply lacked this fear.
As he raced out into the ocean, away from home, he found himself...lost. The ocean was so expansive and vast, to him, and yet it seemed so foreign. So...impossible to navigate, to find his way around in. Staring down at the inky, black depths of the abyss below...
He laughed. Abyss, indeed. That was the word his mother had used to describe the "home" she originated from, that Ipkiln himself originated from, that all of their "family" originated from. He wasn't certain how much of that he trusted, but at least it was something he could reflect on.
The Abyss. What kind of place was it, to gain such a name? Was it a name the demons gave it, or was it a name granted to it by the Overworlders, by the mortal men and women of the ocean and the land. People like Ipkiln's father, who had seemingly also known about his heritage, and said nothing.
His father, who seemed content to live with and love a monster. Who woke every morning, early as he could, to tidy the house and prepare breakfast and kiss his wife on the cheek as she made her way down. His father, who knew the monster in his bed for what she was, and seemed entirely indifferent.
"Maybe she cursed him?" Ipkiln mused to himself, as he settled onto the sand. He hadn't fully realized he'd been speaking out loud until a voice answered back to him.
"Who cursed who?" the voice asked, curious and entirely too close for comfort.
"Who's there?!" Ipkiln shouted, jumping up from the spot he'd sat down on.
There, in the darkness below, he could see the faint shape of something beneath him. The figure swayed back and forth in the water, as though it weren't tethered to anything, as though it were perfectly content to float freely on the current.
"Oh, only me. My name is Oliven." the voice called. It sounded casual, almost friendly, and that put Ipkiln at ease.
"...Oliven? What kind of name is Oliven?" he asked, and the boy below him tilted his head.
"I...I'm not sure. I guess it's my kind of name?" he answered.
Ipkiln supposed that was as good an excuse as any. He sat back down in the sand, and patted the spot next to him.
"Come here, it's hard to hear you way down there." he said, and the little figure shook it's head.
"No, no." he said. "Too dangerous up there. Sharks, land people, jellyfish..."
Ipkiln tilted his head at that, and squinted his eyes. There weren't any of those things up here. In fact, there was nothing up here but open water.
"No it's not!" he said. "There's nothing up here but me!"
"Do you promise?" the boy below him asked.
"Yes, I promise." Ipkiln said, in his most assuring voice. Granted, everyone said it sounded more condescending than comforting...but same thing, right?
Oliven thought for a moment, but eventually made his way up to Ipkiln. And as he did, Ipkiln saw more and more of him.
He was long, and scaleless, and there were two sails running down his back. His limbs were stubby and awkward, and he was very, very pale, with a long snout. On top of all that, this strange boy didn't have any eyes!
Ipkiln felt himself recoil a little, as he tried to imagine what kind of fishfolk this odd boy might be. As he did, Oliven looked a little sad.
"Wh...what's wrong, Oliven?" Ipkiln asked.
"You're afraid of me, too, aren't you?" Oliven asked in return, his face pointed down at the sand beneath them.
Ipkiln shook his head.
"No, not...afraid. Just...uh..."
He searched for a way to say it politely. His father cared so much for politeness.
"Just?" Oliven asked.
"You don't have eyes...or scales, or a tail..."
"I have a tail." Oliven asked, and spun around to show him.
Sure enough, he had one. It was maybe a quarter the length of his body, and it ended in a little fin point.
"Oh." was all Ipkiln could think to say.
He rubbed his neck, and stared upwards towards the surface, lost in thought. What a strange boy he'd met, out here. Was this just what some fishfolk looked like, beyond his little town? Fishfolk all changed to better suit their environments, didn't they? So maybe Oliven was just suited to...somewhere differnet?
"What are you doing out here?" Oliven asked, finally, breaking the silence. Ipkiln looked towards him.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean...not many people come out here. They say it's cursed. They say there are monsters, here." Oliven responded. Ipkiln laughed.
"Oh, right. I'd forgotten...haven't heard those stories since I was a baby. I'm not really scared of monsters, or the deep ocean, or...anything, really." he admitted. "I guess I just...ended up here while trying to think about stuff."
"What kind of stuff?" Oliven asked, and Ipkiln looked him over.
"What's it to you?" he asked, and Oliven tilted his head. It was almost cute, the way his whole body emoted in place of his eyes.
"I'm just curious." Oliven answered, simply, before turning to "look" at the sand under him. "I'm here looking for sea shells."
"Sea shells?" Ipkiln asked. "In a place like this?"
The ocean was...empty, especially right here. No place for molluscs of any kind to hide or feed. Why would they find shells here?
"Is it strange?" Oliven asked. "I found some here before. I thought that, maybe..."
Ipkiln laughed again.
"No, no, it's fine. Come on, I'll help you look." he offered, hopping up from his spot and offering Oliven his hand.
"Really?" Oliven asked, as he swam up to rest beside the boy.
"Really." Ipkiln answered, and led the boy around the deep ocean floor.
Maybe being a monster wasn't such a bad thing, Ipkiln thought to himself. Maybe he could be a little more like Oliven - or maybe it'd be enough to help the boy. Either way, he was sure he'd make his way home eventually. For now, there were shells to find.