The sun loomed. A figure battled against the currents, a long black fin striking the waves with raw strength.

His eyes narrowed with worry, fixing ahead. Now he was able to see the beautiful cay in the distance, its shores not so far now. Yet still to be reached.

Alon growled loudly, pushing himself forward, dodging every reef and uneven terrain in front of him. His moves were fast and determined; his long black tail would come out of water, only to sink in a calculated but fierce dash. That motion let him near the bottom, only for his torso to rise upwards, push for the surface. The waves that sought the beach helped him take speed, sinking and surfacing, time and time again.

He panted, because he had swum for hours, barely taking any breaths. His heart was beating fast, full of hope, dread and care.

He was not there last night, but he had seen the eclipse. It could be too late, morning already; or maybe not. She may have not dared yet, but the chance had been there. It was an uncertainty that killed him inside.

He finally reached the shores. He halted himself near them, his big fangs showing as he called loudly.

“Iara!”

His voice echoed between the waves, piercing them.

Alon floated there, his eyes narrowing. For he could feel something; something was nearby. And it could not be uneven rocks in the bottom. He felt his echo collide with something in the shallow water. Outlines that were shuddering, west, too defined, too shaky to be something without life. Yet it was sunk on the sand, far, just lying, swaying.

Alon turned to face that direction, glaring at the distance. It was like the figure of a…

Merfolk.

It took him a full minute to move. His heart sunk on itself, a sudden fear gripping him. He slowly moved towards it, eyes filling with contradicting emotions. His face wore a grimace, for it could be Iara what he felt, lying on the bottom at the shore.

But the figure had strange hues, not her beautiful colour; he could see that now. And it was too limp, it was almost… No, that was no sleep, not a peaceful one at least.

A wheeze escaped the killer whale. The merman finally drifted close enough to gaze at the figure lying on the sand. It was curled on itself.

Alon cried as he saw Matthew, not how he remembered him. Gone were the limbs that defined humans. He could see a fairly long stripped auburn tail, glinting with bronze and dark hues; from its end swayed a crescent-shaped black fin. Another one like it came out of his back, right under his spine. Lastly, two slightly translucent fins hanged limp at the sides of his waist, thin and long, twitching from time to time and making the water glint with their greyish tonality.

Silver eyes stared with horror, seeing him like this. But the sight could have been much, much worse. There were perfect articulations, no bleeding; it was a flawless change. He had transformed all too much. It seemed that he had been there for hours. And he could only thank god that Matthew seemed to be able to breathe underwater.

Matthew’s eyes were open, but lidded and dazed, fixed on the sand under him. His mouth was half-open as well; Alon shivered as he saw him tremble with every reflex breath he tried to take. Pain seemed to embrace him with each intake, his body jolting subtly, not really understanding why he was alive. He was out of it, his only hand clutching tightly the bottom.

“M-Matthew?”

Hazel eyes opened more, faintly, his vision foggy. But he slowly discerned that something was approaching him. A figure was nearing, looming. Slowly sinking closer, two hands raised towards him. There was a long big tail, bright eyes.

Sharp eyes.

Alon gasped when Matthew suddenly jerked back, in fear. The taller merman flinched, the other cowering wildly, only managing to brush his new tail and fins against the sand, getting a few scratches. His hazel eyes were looking up at him without recognition, lost, full of alarm and deadly fear. His chest was rising and falling fast, his expression more pained as more water was taken.

Matthew whimpered in an aggrieved choke, feeling hands lay on him while his lungs begged for air. His eyes widened, crying, for he saw the killer whale looking down at him, holding him closer. Those sharp teeth showed as the merman said something that he did not understand underwater.

Alon winced, his heart aching, because Matthew shook his head and struggled in his hold strongly, trying to get out his grasp, teeth clenched with his eyes shut. He was bracing himself, not seeing that he had only called and reached for him in worry.

The killer whale did not understand why he looked at him so fearfully… But one thing he understood. The former human was panicking, hurting himself while he struggled to breathe. He was only swallowing water, which caused him to jolt and writhe.

He had to get out, even if he could breathe in water. He had not understood the change, at all.

Matthew wheezed when Alon raised him over the surface; his head bowed down, shaking and slumping as he spat out all the water in his lungs with a few heaves. Alon held him in place, knowing he did not know how to swim. It was clear by how he had found him, sprawled on the bottom.

This time Matthew heard what Alon said, the merman speaking again.

“Matthew…”

That caring whisper was not understood, it was only feared. Matthew trembled, leaning away as much as he could while his tail slumped, his fins seeming to puff out, showcasing his fright. He could not escape his hold, so he stopped trying. Alon’s eyes opened wide, the brunet gasping out words that made him hurt more than ever.

“P-plea-“ There was another gagged wheeze, Matthew crying as he tried to speak. “D-don… k-kill m…”

Alon stared at him in shock, his hold loosening slightly, in bafflement. He now realized that the fear he was seeing was for him.

“Why would I-“ Alon frowned, his next words nervous and unsteady. “Matthew, open your eyes, please…”

“N-no-“

“You are not drowning. I’m not going to harm you. I would never do that. N-now please… look.”

There was no malice in his voice, and he was floating gently in his hold. He was feeling air, he could breathe.

Alon let out a shaky sigh, one hazel eye daring to open. It fixed on him, nervously. He felt him slouch more, surely dawning on his concerned stare; perhaps also the fact that he was not letting him sink or tearing him apart.

There was another thing he needed Matthew to realize, something that shock had prevented him from doing.

Matthew flinched when Alon moved a little, because he was still dazed. But he soon realized that the move he saw was only a calm nod downwards. Those silver eyes were anxious, although caring. And so, he slowly followed his nod.

Alon tensed, as so did Matthew. His hazel eyes widened slowly, finally noticing what swayed below him. He couldn’t feel his legs or his feet. But he definitely could feel another thing, something he couldn’t quite process in his head. Things that quivered, much like his upper half, prey of the same shock. There was a tail, there were fins. They glinted in the water; he could feel the sand they brushed.

“I-“ His voice broke, finally dawning on the fact that those things were his. It was his body. “I- I’m-!”

He would have screamed. He really would have, still remembering the excruciating pain that he felt while the moon loomed. As well, the red eyes that pierced him a year ago, and the azure ones that stared coldly just last night. Now he was like them. He could remember her words, and how she let him down to feel all that, alone. The sun now shined above; he sunk in the water for far too long, feeling like drowning.

He would have cried out in alarm, his heart and mind needing answers, afraid, confused. But both mermen gasped instead, a loud voice echoing from the road at the beach.

“Matthew?!”

There were loud barks too. So Matthew huffed, looking over his shoulder with dazed eyes, his voice tangling with doubt.

“Ethan…”

Alon stared at the road, then at the water, clearly hearing a human running in the distance. In a matter of seconds, the shore would come into view, and so, them. They were lying on the waves, tails leaning.

The taller merman would have doubted to submerge, not wanting to drag the other in after what he went through. But he could only reconsider and ponder, seeing Matthew stare at his own body, gaze filling with dismay, looking back and forth between the road and himself.

“I- I can’t let him see-“

That was all it took for Alon to make a choice. His hazel eyes showed dread while those strong steps echoed closer.

Matthew did yelp in fright when Alon pulled. He drew him into the water again, wordlessly; he silenced him, holding him and dragging him a little deeper. They sunk just in time, a figure bolting onto the beach right then, dashing downstairs, missing their sight by a second.

“Matthew…?!”

Ethan growled, looking around him. His eyes widened when he saw something on the sand near the waves. Luckily, it was not the merman quivering underwater not too far away, but a jacket lying on the sand ahead, far from them.

Alon let out a long exhale, seeing the human run away along the shore, ignoring a dog that was trying to point him towards where they hid.

They were not seen. But that did not mean they could surface. Shamira was trying to pick Ethan’s attention. She was not managing, however; because the huge man was now kneeling, shocked to see clothes and a phone lying by the water. He reached for it all with shaky hands, a sudden thought sinking in him. After such a long time, he finally seemed to show clear emotions again; ones that tore him inside out.

Matthew could not think about Ethan’s horror though. His whole frame was shaking, his mouth open; he was feeling again his lungs fill with water, a sensation that still made him quiver and shudder.

Yet he could only open his eyes again, less fearful. Because he felt a hand gently lay on his cheek, leaning him up. He tried to stay awake and focused, not panic while Alon looked straight into his eyes. His hand let go of his face to raise two fingers, which pointed at his own silver eyes, then his. It was a signal for him to keep his gaze on him.

Alon felt relief, because Matthew seemed to try to pay attention. He was not as glad when he spoke and the former human frowned, not understanding.

“Keep. Looking. At. Me… Breathe.”

Matthew seemed to blink at the last word, still hearing it all muffled, unused to the echo in the waters. He tried to understand Alon’s signals; he was moving his hand up and down along his own chest while opening and closing his mouth. It was enough to make him stop trying to move away blindly. After a while, he understood; he gave a shaky nod and leaned against him, struggling to breathe, even if it hurt mentally.

Alon had not dared make any sudden moves, deadly afraid of hurting Matthew. But once he saw him trust his hold, more or less, he pulled and moved his tail again. He dragged him deeper, mindful of his troubled breaths.

Matthew would have worried, if not for the fact that Alon was heading east, not south and away from the cay. They soon reached the side of the coast with tall flat rocks, where he had first found himself acknowledging her presence.

Once Alon was sure they could not be seen behind the tall ridges, he surfaced. Matthew wheezed again, his eyes wide as he breathed in. The switch between air and water sent a million alarms into his brain, again. He panted and retched, huffing as Alon gently but quickly pushed him onto a rock, which stood slightly over the water level.

Matthew tried to curl on himself, keyword tried, because only his tail followed that instinctive move, the fins outstretching with it, jolting. He stayed silent for a while, trying to wake up. This felt like a nightmare.

Yet it was not. It felt too real, just like that one night.

Alon watched calmly while Matthew heaved out what little water remained in him, coughing loudly. He pushed himself up slightly with his arm, unable to sit up with his new limbs. He just rested there, shuddering every time waves brushed his long tail when they hit the rock. All he could do was keep his gaze low, remembering every second since he saw that moon. Piece by piece, his brain slowly assembled everything.

He only felt hurt when Alon decided they could not wait anymore.

“Matthew…” The brunet raised his head shakily, meeting his eyes reluctantly. “Where’s Iara?”

Alon feared, because Matthew did not answer right away. He grimaced first, to then shed more tears as he answered. Or more like asked back.

“W-why… Why did she leave?”

Alon leaned onto the rock and looked up at him; Matthew did not cower, because his eyes unfocused as he questioned blindly.

“S-she just… left me. I trusted her, and she- She just…! She g-gave me that fl… flower…”

Alon growled, immediately knowing that she had tried to invoke that spell. And something had gone horribly wrong. She would never leave like that, yet she was not here. She would have stayed to help Matthew.

She would… Right?

Matthew raised a shaky eyebrow, because Alon flickered again into his vision, all blurry around him.

“Matthew, I need you to tell me what happened. I swear… this must be a mix-up. What did she do?”

Alon waited patiently. Matthew huffed multiple times, hugging himself with his arm, his eyes still looked from time to time to his new form, apprehensive.

He had only wanted to be with them, both; but she was gone. And he did not know why.

“T-there was this-“ Matthew rose his hand slightly, like if trying to see himself holding something. “T-this weird eclipse; it was the per… perfect moment for her to… Change me, s-she said! There was a flower, it was red. All was red. It looked so alive; it fucking pulsed! B-but I trusted! I drank… and b-burned inside.”

Matthew was not himself right now. His eyes were looking at his own hand as if it was not there. So Alon fidgeted there, not knowing what to do. He floated nervously, while Matthew just kept on whispering. Tears were falling down, his face lacking any emotion, shell-shocked.

“S-she left, let me sink. She just watched me drown…”

Alon wanted to bolt, find her, understand what had happened. Matthew could not give much information, because he did not have it and because he struggled to speak. He knew this was a bad idea from the start. But he could not bring himself to move, not while he stared at Matthew. Sobs were escaping him, his teeth clenched while he laid his head on the rocks, his eyes shut to try to ignore his shaky exhales.

“You-” Alon bowed his head, making up his mind. “Take deep breaths, Matthew. You are not going to drown. I’m not leaving you alone, I promise.”

He couldn’t leave him lost, broken and afraid; because, even like this, he could hear Ethan’s frantic calls. His screams echoed to them, making him feel guilty, selfish. He had not weighted all the implications before diving into this. He had just… believed, hoped. He had only wanted to be free. Not this.

The huge man stood now by the waves, his eyes crying angrily, a long time since he did. His hand clenched around the phone he found. The screen almost bent in his grip while he glared at the water, going into it as he called again.

“Matthew!”

The words on the screen were goodbye. It was written all too calmly. Like if it was alright, assuring. All was left on the shore. There was no signs of his relative.

Shamira whined in worry, staring at Ethan, who was oblivious of the two hiding. He was unaware of the fact that Matthew had not pushed himself into the water to vanish as he assumed. It was for another reason other than despair. He had just ended up lost while reaching for someone.

The dog growled and grabbed Ethan’s leg once more, pulling. But the man only growled back, not wanting to believe that his only relative could have drowned. Because the words in the text assured that he had just left, alive. And he knew Matthew would never bring himself to death. Not now… Not when he seemed to be healing. He had seen him, he was better. It made no sense.

The human glared down at the whining dog, who was looking up at him insistently.

Shamira had run to his house, barked at his door wildly. Kalani had begun to chirp loudly too. Both animals just went crazy. He worried, because she was panicking; she never left Matthew’s side. She led him here, to find this.

“What do you want to tell me, dog?”

Shamira let go, moving to face the far flat rocks ahead. Ethan slowly stood tall, eyes narrowing. He finally followed her. But by the time she took him where she wanted… A merman had known they approached and that Matthew would hate to be seen like this.

She could only howl, exasperated. Ethan did not notice the black fin sinking away, an auburn glint beside it.

His family hid from him, taken away.