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Cool water. Salty brine. Wild waves. Home. That's what the ocean was to the majestic creature that roamed it. Most people considered his kind a myth, a fairytale for children. But they were all wrong. The creature in question had pulled himself up onto the rocky shore of a small, dark island. The moon glowed softly down on the water, and caused the male's sleek blue tail to shimmer in the light, water droplets rolling lazily off the flat rounded scales. From a distance, the island was nothing special, more like a reef that happened to break the surface of the water, but there was much more for the eye to see once it drew too close. Jagged rocks rose above black waves, washing and shifting the decorations in the eroded sand. Bones. Human bones were strewn around the little island, some buried in the sand, others laying to rest on the surface of rocks and in crevices. This was where the siren came to feed. Cobalt blue eyes scanned the waves searching for a ship that would hold the antidote for the clawing in his belly. Currents whispered sweet things and he knew that a vessel was close. After a few minutes gazing out from his perch, he found his prey and a smile full of sharp teeth appeared on the young, flawless face he wore. Carmel skin and blue scales slipped soundlessly into the water without so much of a ripple, circling around to the far side of the island so he could have better access to the ship. As the boat grew closer. The siren could take in the size and inventory of what it carried. From what he could tell, it was like a fishing boat, minus the fish and nets. What was a small boat like this doing so far out at sea? But there seemed to be only one human aboard the vessel. Wonderful, the less people there were, the less mess there was to worry about. However, his curiosity overshadowed his hunger, which was some could call his fatal flaw, and he wanted to know who would be so lost to come out here. Again the mer slipped into the water and drew closer to the stern of the ship, trying to get a better look. As the siren pondered what was happening, his presence was noticed by a pair of dusky, amethyst eyes. The young man had been watching off the side of the boat for such a creature as this. A small blade was clutched tightly in his hand, and his eyes narrowed. Slipping off his shoes and shirt, the young male crept to the railing of the now still boat. Then threw himself into the freezing water. As the mer admired the material of the white boat, a loud splash got his attention, the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the water. He dove under the water's surface to hide from view. That was strange...why had that happened? He hadn't sung to make whoever it was jump. Did the person fall? He glanced up to see a figure of a young man in the water, seeming to struggle with swimming to the surface.
He debated dragging the man down to drown, it made his life easier and he'd get to eat. However, as before, the curiosity he was cursed with bloomed in his mind once more. With a single, powerful flick of his tail. The mer darted through the water to the other man's side. The man's eyes were open and glared as they met the pair staring back. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced the siren's side, he twisted away from the human, teeth barred. He could smell the metal tang of blood and taste it in the water. This pathetic human had WOUNDED him. The mer growled and looked up, the human was swimming towards the rocks, he was almost there. Taking off after him, the siren shot to the surface as fast as the hole in his side would allow. He broke the surface and opened his mouth, letting his voice loose. But before the sound could reach his ears, the man took a breath and swam down once more, muffling the sound, then he doubled back for another attack. The siren stopped singing and stared at him. Was he insane? The creature had never had such a challenge like this before, it intrigued him to say the least. The mer slipped back under the water, watching quietly as the human came towards him. Now that the initial surprise was over, the creature had gained the upper hand once more. With a malevolent smirk, the siren treaded water and lazily drifted over to the hull of the ship. This human was different from the others, he was here for a reason.But that made no difference, the ruler of the ocean wouldn't be letting this trespasser leave his island. He would die here like all the ones before him, the siren just decided to have a little fun in the meantime. When the human male came up for air again, the chocolate-haired mer leaned against the cool metal of the ship then held his clawed hand against the hull. When he was sure the human could see him. He grinned the widest he could, his mouth stretching father than any human jaw should, and let every single razor sharp tooth glisten in the pale light. Then he raked his claws against the hull, ripping a gash in the boat. Then he did it again, and again."NO!" The young man shrieked as he saw his only means of escape being torn apart in front of him. The little vessel slowly started to lower in the water as it quickly filled with water. Satisfied with his work, the siren darted past the man and back towards the island. The creature pulled himself up onto the rocks to tend to his wound. It was superficial. Water made human movements slow when they were submerged, any damage the man could had done was significantly reduced.However, the nerves were of course aggravated, causing pain. The mer would be land bound for the time being. He glanced back over to the shore, where the human was crawling up onto the beach, head hung low and long ebony hair plastered to his face and neck. The young man collapsed onto the sand, unmoving. Though the glint of metal revealed that the knife was still clutched in his hand. The siren watched the still form on the small beach, gentle waves lapped at the man's pale body, almost as if they were trying to drag him back into the depths. The mer sat on his perch and stared for a good many minutes, waiting for the man to get up. But he never did. Feeling it was safe to assume the human was dead, the siren crawled down the rocks and towards the male. His tail worked overtime like the slithering of a snake in order to keep from gathering silt in the sliced flesh of his injury. Inching closer, he saw the man's back rise and fall as he laid on his side. Well, if he was breathing it meant he was alive, probably wore himself out with all that swimming. Humans were such weak creatures, barely able to stay in the water for a period of time before fatigue claimed them. He crept over and looked down at the human's body. All he had to do was sink his teeth into his neck and that would be it. But he didn't act on the thought, he was still curious about this human. Killing him now would plague him with questions for the rest of his life. Instead, the mer reached over and grabbed the blade, clutched so tightly in the ravenette's already pale hand his knuckles were pure white. He pried the man's short, webless fingers from the hilt then held the prize up to his face and grinned. His thoughts however, were interrupted as the young human groaned, starting to come to. The mer, startled, scrambled back with the knife in case the man jumped up swinging. That was not the case. Amethyst eyes opened and they looked up to meet sapphire. Then those eyes fell on the knife and they closed again. He knew he was trapped, defenseless....he was going to die and it was all for naught. "So?....what are you waiting for?" The man choked out, broken as he slowly got to his knees, his hands splayed out in the bone riddled sand, glaring up at the creature. "Just kill me already.. you don't have a problem with killing people, so why haven't you done it yet?..." The mer didn't answer, he just sat and watched the man, fiddling with his new possession. He was definitely keeping this blade. His actions seemed to anger the human further, liquid pooling in the young man's eyes."Well?!" He shrieked, tears clawing their way out to run down his cheeks "Come and kill me you monster, I'm right here! You've killed one already, why not the other?!" The siren was confused now, what was this man babbling about? His silence seemed to frustrate the human even more."You don't know what I'm talking about do you?" Sneering lips spat. "You probably never look at the people you tear apart...what?... too guilty?..." The siren coiled his tail around his torso, still waiting patiently, silently. He watched as the man furiously dug something out of his pocket and held it out. "Does he look familiar you , you mutant fish?!" The mer stared down at the sopping wet object, he slowly reached out and took the thing to inspect it closely. It was a glossy photo, highly water damaged, but he could still see the image it portrayed. It was the picture of a young man in uniform, short black hair, hazel eyes and a small smile, he looked rather similar to the disheveled and distraught human that kneeled in the sand. That man too was in the photo, clothed and dry, arms crossed, and a smirk on his face. Anyone could tell that these two were of the same blood. Despite what the man had accused, the siren did, in fact, remember the faces of his prey. No, he wasn't guilty, it was his food, a part of his survival, if he felt guilty he would starve to death. But he did respect the fallen, and he remembered the faces, that was his way of honoring the humans the ocean brought to him... But this face was unfamiliar. He gently turned the photograph around, feeling those dusky irises stare daggers at him. There was smudged writing on the back. The mer looked at the symbols, recognizing the shapes, but he could not interpret the meaning, for he could not read.He pointed at the back of the photo and handed it back, which the man immediately snatched. "What, you can't read or something?" The man shot back bitterly. "it's me and my brother Shiro, right before he went missing, this place was his last known coordinates and it's not the first time a ship went down here....Tell me, did you kill him? " The mer shook his head. He would say if he had, it was not in his nature to lie. But then he could see the conflicted face of the male before him. He could read the expression as if he had been told. The man had been so sure that whatever had been here had taken his brother. He had come out to kill it, and avenge the one he had lost. But he had been wrong, and now he was going to die on this island. The male stood up abruptly, his legs were unsteady and he stumbled,but he remained upright. "you know what?" He began, his voice wavering and cracking as he held back tears. "Fine! You could be lying, maybe one of your friends got him, I don't care. I refuse to believe that I dragged myself out here all the way to be killed by the likes of you!" The mer seemed to not care as the words were thrown at him. And the human let out a frustrated scream. "Why are you just sitting there?! I'm going to die anyway, why haven't you killed me?!" Seeing the shattered man before him, the siren took pity on the two legged creature. Never had he actually talked to his prey before, nor had he ever seen them in such pain. Somehow, he felt as if he killed this human, it would not be honoring the ocean's gift. It would make the waves cry. He glanced down at the blade in his hand, then tossed it into the sand at the man's feet. A peace offering. The human brushed his now damp bangs out of his face and hesitantly stooped down to retrieve it. "Oh what? You like hearing my sob story? You want to be FRIENDS?" He mocked. "Okay fine. I'm Keith, and I'm going to die of dehydration now that you sunk my boat. So thank you! I'm glad we're friends...." he growled and stalked away from the siren, climbing over rocks and bones to get away. He wasn't able to go very far, as the island was so small. But he climbed up onto a relatively flat stone and gazed out over the water. The moon had already reached its peak and was traveling towards the horizon. Not that it made any distance. Ships barely came out here and he would either die or go mad before he was found. He heard shuffling behind him and he groaned. "I know you're there...." At least trying to stab the thing did some good, it couldn't sneak up on him. In his peripheral vision, Keith saw the creature come and sit beside him, webbed hand plastered over the almost healed wound. Great, it could heal fast, probably was just waiting to heal before it ate him...He tried to ignore the siren, letting the gentle slapping of the waves against the rocks fill the tense silence. But slowly his resolve crumbled and he sighed, burying his face in his hands, only slightly annoyed by the sand and grit that stuck to his bare skin. Then he heard a sound that he never would have expected."Keith....." A high pitched, bark like sound came from the creature next to him. Startled, Keith quickly lifted his head to look at the mer. "You?.....You can talk?" The siren didn't answer. No, not really, he didn't use verbal language, nor was he called by anything, it wasn't necessary to his survival. But it sounded like the human, called Keith, liked to make the vocalizations. After they stared at each other for a few seconds, Keith turned back towards the water. "can you say anything else?..." He waited for an answer, though he expected silence once more. "Hungry...." Came the hesitant reply, it sounded like more of a whimper than human speech, but it was something. And it was very true. The siren was starving, but he had already made up his mind not to kill Keith. "Then why don't you eat me?" The young man asked softly, his anger drained. "I'm going to die anyway, you already know that....why are you drawing it out? To torture me? Because you think it's fun?...." The siren shook his head. He did not wish harm on this human. It was strange, he never felt this way before with any other humans that found themselves at his doorstep. Why did he want to grant Keith mercy?"Home..." He stated simply, flicking his tail a bit as it dangled down against the rock face. "Keith go home....""I can't..." The other male quipped as he pulled his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them. "How am I supposed to get home? You sunk my boat..." The siren nodded, it was true, he wasn't going to deny it. But there was another way, if he was willing to risk it. "Rest.." he replied, his throat making the sound a gentle whisper. "Help.." Keith rolled his eyes. He was getting tired of these one worded answers, but he sighed and nodded. "Yeah, alright...fine... I'll go sleep, and you do your 'help'....sound good?...er... whatever your name is..."The siren nodded, it did sound good to him, though he ignored the second part of the statement. His silence made Keith raise a brow. "you're not going to tell me your name?...." He trailed off and then narrowed his eyes. "Let me guess, you don't have one, do you?" The mer shook his head, though it didn't bother him in the slightest. However, it did make the human frustrated. Keith groaned and ran a hand over his face, knocking some of the stubborn sand off and letting it settle on his bare chest. "Okay, fine How about Lancelot or Neptune or something? Don't you have old Medieval names or like, Greek mythology?" The mer didn't really know what Keith was talking about, but he did like the sound of one of the names. "Lan....ce..." The siren answered slowly, unable to recite the entire word, he liked the shortened word anyway. Keith shrugged and stood up, heading further inland to find a place to sleep. "Okay, Lance it is then.." he mumbled, not even looking in the mer's direction. But for a moment he stopped and hesitated before adding. “And….thank you...for not hurting me..I'm sorry I stabbed you, it was a misunderstanding….” As he walked away, the mer, or Lance as he decided to be called now, noticed the man had left the knife next to his own cobalt hued tail. The way Keith had held on to the thing, it must have been deliberate. After the human walked off, Lance gazed into the water, holding the knife in his hand. He glanced down to check his injured side. The bleeding had long since stopped and the scar tissue was pale against his tanned skin. Lance smiled to himself. At least he would have a few things to remember Keith by; his name, along with the scar and the blade that had made it. He glanced over his shoulder to see the human had found a place to rest, he apparently was already fast asleep, as his breaths were deep and even.In the light of the moon, which was slowly dying as the sky crept into the early hours of the morning. Lance could clearly see the male's soft features, relaxed and peaceful as he slept. It was a striking contrast to how Keith looked awake, but it was comforting to see the human untroubled, even for just a moment. He deserved better than what the world had given him. Taking one last look at the human that had captivated him so immensely, and committing every facet of Keith to memory. Lance turned back to the water, and pushed himself off the rocky ledge into the water. He relished the feeling as the cool wetness of the ocean embraced him, rehydrating his dry scales and gills. He swam down a ways as not to let Keith hear him. The man had been lucky the first time. Lance's voice would have made him drown himself if he had listened. But now there was a barrier of water between the human and the siren, the former sound asleep as well. Feeling everything in order, Lance focused on any sea life in the area and reached out to them. Then he sang. The song had no words, but whoever listened would heed its call. Little fish that had been passing though swam circles around Lance's tail, enjoying the song of the sea. The siren's song was only deadly to those who lived without a connection to the ocean. And while humans would drown themselves in their lust for the song, the creatures of the ocean understood it, lived it, and loved it. Not long after he had started singing, he heard the sound he had been hoping for. Clicks and whistles from a pod of dolphins were heading straight towards the island. He swam out to greet them, his tail and body cutting seamlessly through the water. He continued to sing, letting his heart tell the story and instructions he desired. When he was finished, he sent the dolphins away to carry out his message. And only then did he finally silence his melodic voice. He had told the sea mammals to find the nearest vessel and get its attention, bring it to the island. He knew Keith would be safe then, and get to go home. Lance would not be able to return to the island however. Once humans found it, saw the bones, and lived to tell the tale, the siren risked being hunted. He would have to find a new place to feed. The mer was disheartened to leave the familiar space, but it was worth it. It was worth giving Keith a second chance at life. He hoped Keith found his brother. That his efforts would not be in vain. The human male was special to him and Lance wished him all the best the world had to offer.He wondered if they would ever meet again. If they would ever have the chance to be more than just a fleeting moment in each other's lives. Like ships in the night, aware of each other's presence only briefly, before going on with their lives separately. It was unlikely, they lived in two different worlds, but it wasn't impossible, and it gave Lance hope. With those final thoughts, the siren clasped the knife tightly in his hand, holding the precious item close to his heart, and disappeared into the depths of the place he called home...