His eyes narrowed; his tail kicked once more, missing by inches the orca, who again tried to hide a laugh behind a failed serious face.

Alon concealed his amused grin behind a fist, coughing awkwardly.

“It’s…” His silver eyes met hazel ones, which glared upside down. “Surely something.”

Matthew let out another growl, trying to show clearly that he was not as amused. His auburn tail flailed again, which only made him sink more. No matter how he tried, he could not manage to float upright, much less swim.

He had fallen into the water this morning as he woke up, for two reasons. One, he noticed the hold Alon had on him. Two, he also forgot for a moment that he was a merman.

So he fell into the water indeed, with a startled move that would have helped him sit up if he still had legs. Alon dived after him soon enough, always worrying; but he was relieved to see that the only thing that afflicted him was a deep blush across his face. He was floating frozen, fins puffed; that awkwardness seemed to make him ignore he was breathing water.

Matthew’s mind had seemed to understand the change in his lungs, finally; his fins, however, not so much.

After the fall, Alon had helped him surface. Only for Matthew to complain grumpily and assure he did not need to be held so much.

He could be as stubborn as her. But not as successful, it seemed. Matthew had been kicking his fins and tail for hours, obstinately. He swatted at Alon every time he showed any hints of wanting to help. The brunet was tired of being unable to move by himself.

But Alon was now tired of seeing him try in vain. So he neared slowly once more, with small sways of tail, Matthew again letting out a puff of water in annoyance. He did not like to hear his echoes.

“Matthew, you won’t manage like that.”

The two silvery fins at his sides jolted again, contradicting the clumsy moves of his arm and tail. Matthew was giving him a thoughtful look, eyes narrowed in focus, still unable to hear clearly. But he did catch most of his words. Each time he understood more the echoes in the water.

Alon watched while the other kept on swaying and leaning to a side, trying to get upright.

“We’re only losing time.”

Uncompressible grumbles were his answer. So it was clear what he had to do. Before he taught Matthew to swim, he should show him how to speak. He could not recall his two siblings being this clueless; it would be a challenge, but he was ready for it.

Matthew yelped, or more like gurgled, because Alon grabbed his sides and turned him upright in just a second. The angelfish began to drift a little dizzily, the orca taking the chance to pull him up towards the surface.

Water was huffed out, Alon already knowing that instincts were settling in Matthew. He expelled it before he tried to breathe air, preventing any painful feeling in his lungs. That did not mean he would not complain grumpily; he shook his head, glaring at his silver eyes.

“A-Alon…! I was managing to-“

“At that rate, you were going to reach the bottom. And hit your head.”

“No, I was not! Let me learn, I-“

“Learn…” Matthew yelped, because Alon let go of him. “Right, like how you were learning, all by yourself, to breathe.”

Matthew was now splashing his arm wildly, tumbling a little into the water, leaning slightly onto his right side, which weighted more. The gentle waves that were hitting him did not help him float.

“Alon!” His hand moved in reflex, reaching back for him, his eyes wide in alarm. “I’m sinking, please-!”

He gasped, panic fading; his tail still trembled below him, but stopped thrashing. Because Alon had neared again, holding him up.

Matthew shied with embarrassment while Alon laughed sadly, his voice kind but firm.

“Do you want my help or not?”

The former human kept his gaze down, frowning. It took him a while to admit his attempts were useless.

“I do.”

The killer whale sighed, smiling.

“I know you feel hopeless, Matthew.” Hazel eyes looked up nervously, silver ones staring down with confidence. “But you can’t just try like that. You’ve never had these fins, as you said. Now, I know you really want to swim on your own. Even if it’s vital we find her as soon as possible, there’s another thing you must learn first before we move on.”

Matthew leaned his head, raising an eyebrow.

“What can be more important than swimming towards her?”

Alon opened his mouth, fangs showing. Matthew leaned slightly away, staring poker-faced as a small raspy sound left his throat.

“What the fuck…” Alon rolled his eyes, because Matthew pointed at him with a finger. “Did some of the fish you ate get stuck? I swear, don’t you dare have a stroke right now! Not while you hold me! At least leave me on some rocks before you-“

“Matthew.” His black tail splashed some water, cutting his rambles. “I am NOT having a stroke. I’m making my vocal cords vibrate.”

Those words did not make Matthew’s apprehensive stare fade.

“You two are exceptionally capable of freaking me out.” Matthew waved his hand as he snorted, his tone sarcastic. “You are not going to tell me that-“

“That you must make your voice vibrate underwater, for it to make any sense. You should be able to do it now.”

Matthew blinked, slowly.

“So you are saying, that-“

“That’s what you’ll learn today.”

Alon let go again, almost teasingly. Matthew gasped as he felt himself sink.

He thrashed about, his eyes wide as he flailed his tail to try to keep himself over the waves. Those moves only made him sink his head. His hand tried to get a hold of Alon in a surprised reflex, which said orca dodged.

Matthew let out an angry puff of air, growling as he exhaled all the air out of his lungs. He was again submerged, water inhaled. His hand clenched in exasperation, seeing Alon circle him as if nothing; he was eyeing him as if he was amused, again.

The orca was not impressed to see the angelfish manage to float upside down, again. His moves were always erratic and fast, too spread in the water, his tail moving side to side in long sways.

“Stop moving.”

Matthew sent him a swat with one of his fins. Again, it was dodged, even if he was huge. The echoes were not easy to pick up, but he could hear them; because Alon was speaking slowly, never stopping circling him, eyes watching intently, serious.

“If you want me to help you learn to swim, you will have to listen to me and try to speak back. If you at least try, I promise I will bring you back to the beach.”

That took the human’s attention. Alon smiled, seeing him stop moving, his two slender silvery fins twitching while he floated limply. His hazel eyes were following his moves, and his breathing was calming down as well.

He knew that Matthew longed to lie down on land, ever since he changed, still unused to water. And he knew that it would be more or less safe, for he had not seen humans roam again, for now. It would be a good place to help him learn to swim, because the sand could give him support.

First things first, however, he couldn’t teach him if there was no communication. So he raised his hands, halting himself in front of him, fingers raised.

“Alright, Matthew, listen up. One blink means yes. Two blinks, no. Got it?”

There was a minute of doubt. His hazel eyes narrowed with thought. But soon enough, there was a slow blink.

“You can hear me, right? Even if kind of… muffled?”

Again, Matthew blinked once, strongly, giving an exasperated nod for good measure. So Alon gave him an assuring smile, leaning closer.

“Good. Now, I know your throat might not like making sound while, well, taking water… But it’s important you try.”

Alon pointed at his own strong neck, eyes looking up as he tried to explain.

“Your vocal cords should have changed.” He sure hoped they did, considering his teeth had not sharpened as much as theirs, for example. “They should be able to vibrate, letting sound pierce the water. Sound waves, if you want a more terminological word. Trail and drag each tone in every syllable, in each word. If you really are part dolphin, you may feel an echo.”

It always sounded a little raspy, strange, and different to human speech. It was not easy to describe, it was natural to them.

Alon looked back to him, hearing a gurgle. Matthew was looking down, or up, at his own hand, which was lying on his neck. His face had a deep frown. Another gurgle was let out, teeth showing as he tried again. Both mermen listened intently. One felt sorrow, the other frustration, because more growls echoed out and none managed to form a coherent meaning.

Matthew let out a long puff of water, hunching in anger, seeing Alon shake his head.

“Keep trying. We have… enough time.”

“Fhr-ghk.”

That was a curse for sure.

———-

 

“A-lh…n…”

Silver eyes glinted. Alon turned from the rocks he was facing, looking again to the bottom. Matthew was laying on the sand below, resting slightly while he kept on trying to form words.

Alon dropped the conches he had been holding, a bunch of clam meat being prepared for the night. The brunet blinked, hearing a current above him; he raised his gaze and saw him near, having left the food behind. The next words were curious, caring.

“…Go again?”

Matthew blushed, curling more against the sand. Alon frowned, seeing him avert his gaze. His tail was swaying nervously, fins puffed again. He had been trying to speak for hours, without much result.

Alon could swear that Matthew had managed to say more or less his name. Still, he would have left him alone, seeing that he was cagey, brushing his lower fin against the white sand below him. Obviously, he did not like all the attention he was getting, having let out the word in an impulsive attempt. So he slowly turned again, in order to near the sunken rocks where he had been wrapping food. He got ready to swim up… but he halted.

“A-loh-n.”

Matthew frowned, sitting up slightly onto his tail; his hand was on his throat, still not looking up at the other. But he did look over his shoulder when Alon’s voice echoed behind him, offering quietly.

“Don’t try to force it as you would yell.” Matthew’s eyes filled with wonder, because Alon sat at his side, his hands rising to his own mouth. He explained shyly. “Let out the word like… Like a whisper. Just let the water brush, don’t struggle to drive it through. Feel how it gives a tone to each echo. Don’t try to change it.”

Matthew finally met his silver eyes, which filled with hope when his did with determination. His lips parted again, slowly, taking time.

“…A-alon.”

The last part of his name sounded dragged and almost choked. But the name had been spoken. And Matthew looked away, shy, because Alon was looking at him with a bright smile. Like if he had tasted a strawberry drink again.

The big merman only stopped staring like a proud mother when the other gave him a slight nudge of tail to shoo him away, not liking being stared at.

Alon laughed a little, swaying away to let him be. He swam up to make sure the food he was making would be perfect, feeling contented.

He came back to Matthew in five minutes. His hazel eyes glinted when he saw him holding their dinner, obviously much more appealing than the fish they ate, because he spent more time on it. He let the food down in front of him, whispering.

“Again, It’s not cooked, but-“

There was a quick dismissive wave of hand. There were not only clams in the bundle. Alon watched baffled as Matthew snatched the shrimp he had brought, moving them closer to himself with his tail, leaving most of the mussels for him.

Another gurgle escaped Matthew as he went ahead and began devouring the unfortunate prawns. He did not seem to care that they were raw, there was a small smile; he surely appreciated the fact that they did not have shells and were wrapped in tasty seaweed.

Alon just shrugged and sat at his side, grabbing some clams for himself. Even if he could not stop worrying for Iara, he was at least glad that Matthew was doing better. Now he could breathe, stay underwater, and more or less communicate. He was not in danger, progressing.

They would soon be able to find her.