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Scott knew it was a bad decision.
But how else was he supposed to get on land? Xor said no, that humans were dangerous and would snatch him right up. Scott loved his brother with all his heart, but they were a smotherer. He could barely breathe without a wellness check!
Even with the constant warnings, Scott still couldn’t stop himself from wishing, yearning to go to the surface. He wanted to see the sunset, buy jewelry in a marketplace, ride a horse and eat fruit right off a tree. There was so much he needed to do, and he felt so stifled in his ocean home.
The sea witch had offered him a way up. Scott had his misgivings, of course. They may have been charismatic, their green patchwork scales and magic unique, but there was a reason nobody made deals with her. But he had been left with no other options. Scott had taken the deal. He felt his fins rend themselves in two, his scales retreating into his new, raw skin as he rose to the surface.
Scott laid on the beach for a while, hacking and spluttering. He wasn’t used to water being dangerous, something that could snatch the breath from his lungs.
Slowly, he wobbled his way further on shore. He had legs. He had legs! Though, the more he tottered about, the more he realized walking wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. But maybe running or jumping would be better. Yes, that was it.
Scott tried to flex his legs, crouch like he had seen other humans do before leaping. But all he succeeded in doing was falling flat on his face. He tried again. Still, nothing.
“Woah, woah, woah!”
Scott whipped around to see a man running towards him. He had a pirate hat over his blond hair, and looked rather concerned.
“Are you alright!?” The human called.
Scott opens his mouth to respond, forgetting his side of the deal. The witch was holding his voice as collateral. Instead, he gestured to his throat.
“You can’t speak?” The man asked, and Scott nodded frantically. “That’s okay! Let’s get you some clothes, though, yeah?”
Scott nodded, and the man ushered him forward. He stumbled along, looking much like a newborn deer. “We’ll be taking a brief stop at my boat so I can get you something to wear. I hope you like skulls and crossbones. What’s your name?”
Scott gave him a look. “You don’t speak sign either?” Martyn asked. “Eh we can still charade it. I’m Captain Littlewood, by the way, but you can call me Martyn.”
Scott couldn’t stop himself from jolting in recognition. This was the pirate he was supposed to find!
Cleo— the sea witch— had one condition to his deal. He would throw Cleo’s amulet that Captain Littlewood stole back into the ocean, or he would be forced to return to the water and never use his voice again. He sort of needed it for concerts, so failure wasn’t an option.
It was a good thing he had found Martyn so fast. All he would have to do was play nice and dumb, and he would get to see all the sights the land had to offer.
Martyn smiled as he saw Scott smile. “Glad you’re excited! We’re gonna have fun, promise!”
Yeah, Scott thought. They were going to have fun alright.