Blackfish [ Habit / Audacity ]

[Habit]

The years have passed from our time, and in this passage, new discoveries have been uncovered. This includes the revolutionary scientific breakthrough of the finding of merfolk in the oceans of earth. Merfolk have been alive for centuries hiding just below our range of understanding and keeping underneath our natural-born senses of skepticism. They were only recently discovered when a diver came across one of these merfolk and managed to capture authenticated photos of it. Eventually, that led to hunting, more and more sightings popped up, until someone finally captured a live one, and the secret was out.


The merfolk are different from what we first expected them to be. Although there are the normal sized merfolk, mermaids and mermen with normal fish lower halves, there were also other types of merfolk - including whale mermerfolk. These merfolk were special in the fact that their sizes and ratios of length and width depended on their bottom halves, meaning that merfolk who had bottom halves such as minke whale halves were very large compared to humans. This was the main reason that the humans have kept their greed at bay and left the merfolk to be free, since they were very powerful creatures who could easily harm the humans if attempted to be captured.
​

In the midst of all of this, we focus in on a young woman whose life hasn't been the most ideal. Hardships have been present that have bogged her down, made her lose a good majority of her hope in a better future, and have just simply depressed her once happier and more care-free life. She worries, she saddens - she's been through it all, and has been affected greatly with both stress and anxiety from the events she has suffered with.


There is a particular day where she finally can't take the stress and decides she needs some time to unwind and relax. She had always had a particular love for the ocean, since her father would often take her on a personally owned speedboat at times to explore when she was younger, and decides to brush off the dust from the old boat sitting in her garage to take it out to the ocean and relax there for a little while. The next day, she sets the boat up - filling it with the gas it needs, loading it up onto an old hook-on carrier to her car, and taking it out to the docks to set it down on the ocean.


She drives the boat out onto the calmer parts of the sea and shuts off her boat once the noise of the city is drowned by the silence and the ambiance of the ocean, relaxing herself. For a while, the small trip is quite peaceful, and she reminisces about her childhood and lets her worries roam away for the time being. But what she doesn't know is that there is something that has spotted her boat from underneath the surface of the cool blue water.


But little did she know that something under the surface had spotted her - a huge, dangerous something - and was swimming up to greet her, in curiosity of the foreign object that was her boat floating on the waters.
​

There was such beauty in the sea.


Above was a seemingly endless, glassy surface, which reflected all that rested above it, occasionally interrupted with a ripple of a wave. The sun had passed over it's middle point and was beginning it's descent, slowly, but surely, to it's rest underneath the horizon. The colors would soon begin to melt into an array of oranges, pinks, and yellows, with a navy blue eager to turn into a deep black chasing after the warm sunset.


Below, was a blue and lively paradise. If you were to swim farther below the surface, and farther again, you would eventually come to meet the beauty awaiting underneath the calm waters above. Aquatic plant life bloomed; fish of different sizes, shapes, and colors swam together or alone; the only sound was the gentle swishing of tail fins, or the sudden undersea woosh of a fish gathering speed. It was very serene. It was a place most would give a lot of themselves to live among forever.


But this peace was about to be interrupted.


With a flurry of bubbles and a disturbance of the still water, something huge swam by at impressive speed. Fish scurried away to hide or avoid it. And it was probably for the best, considering who it was.


Meet Styrken.


The enormous merman was swimming at a refreshing, exhilarating speed for no other reason than his own enjoyment. Every so often, he would break the surface to get another breath of air that would last for another long while, and then plunge back down to continue his fun. He had a grin on his face, and his gold eyes were bright with the energy that coursed through him, the push to continue that the feeling of the water surging past him offered. It was a wonderful feeling, and his swimming was fast, despite his imposing size.


Eventually, he slowed down his speed, calming from the surging high of the swim, and went up to grab one last, deep breath of air before dipping back down. He allowed his movement to remain slow and steady, and he continued going forward, except now not with such vigor. He allowed himself a small sigh with a little trail of bubbles, and his gaze wandered around his surroundings.


These waters were newer to him; warmer, definitely unique in appearance. He was a traveling sort, who was seeking the ideal location to settle down for a long while. He knew that with the rise of Luna, he'd have to find a spot on the surface to sleep, but he didn't need to worry over that until he spotted her pearly light rising into the sky.


So, for several more minutes, he swam, allowing the now serene space around him to leech out the pulsing energy and put him to a more restful state. Even as he swam with apparent hurry, he was in no rush to anything; the speed was only to feel the energy for himself. He didn't have anyone to worry over anyways, not then and there. He was alone as a traveler, and let me tell you - he loved it.


After this period of tranquility, something caught the eye of this sharp-sensed merman. He had to retrace his gaze back to where it flashed on his vision, and he, surprisingly, had seen correctly. There was a shadow on the water that he didn't quite recognize as normal to see. Immediately, intrigue sprouted in his thoughts. What could that be? He blinked, considering that it might be some kind of fish that would swim away if he approached. He was doubtful about it, since it looked as thought it was sitting above the surface instead of just near it, but it was an option.


Although, this consideration didn't stop him from starting a slow ascent towards it. He had no fears of the unknown, only curiosity for it. It's what pulled him away from his pod to these foreign waters in the first place, and it sure as hell wouldn't disappear at the sight of some strange object on the water.


So, with a new interest protruding through the calm in his heart, he approached it from below slowly, unsure if it would scurry away from his presence when he got close.

 

[Audacity]

"Ah, shit."


A frown drew both corners of her lips into a downward curve as she reached futilely for the sunglasses that were now, after slipping off her nose, beginning a long descent into the water's depths. On her knees and leaning over the side of the boat, she made noises of effort as she attempted (in vain) to make her arms stretch further (which only resulted in more excessive grunts). She muttered something under her breath about ‘the stupid ocean swallowing up her possessions’ and pushed vexedly at the damp hair that had matted itself to the sides of her face. Her eyes narrowed in childish annoyance as she watched the vague shape of her shades dissapear from view.


Pulling her torso back inside the vehicle in a huff, Lolly sat crosslegged and raised her arm to her forehead to block the sun from her eyes; it didn't do much, considering she still had to squint, but she couldn't exactly put on her glasses now because they were, currently, on a lovely trip to the water's bottom without her. She heard herself subconsciously sigh, and she shifted positions in order to put her sandals on one of the seats so she wouldn't lose those as well.


It was nice to get away for a while; to feel free and without worries is not something she experienced often. Out here, with the lull of the surf and the smell of salt, she had nothing to worry about. She could focus on things other than her troubles for once; her anxiety and depression found other things to do besides swamp her. Standing up, she balanced on the tip of the boat and let the breeze blow her hair back behind her. The waves rocked it as if it were a baby's crib, with gentle up and down motions in a rhythmic yet monotonous pattern. Lightly pulling at the cuff of her jean shorts, the thought that she should have probably brought an extra set of clothes sprang to mind. Her assymetrical smile replaced the neutral expression as she shrugged the idea away, positioned herself, and dove into the water.


It was cool against her skin as she remained submerged, and she allowed herself to stay beneath the surface for a while, eyes closed. Despite the burning sensation she knew would follow, Lolly opened her eyes for no reason other than that she wanted to see where she was going. She thought she saw something in her peripheral vision, but the salt was stinging so her sight wasn't clear. She shrugged it off as nothing. Going up for air, Lolly rubbed her eyes, treading water for a minute or two before going back underwater.


She saw a large, dark figure appear from what seemed like no where, and she began choking on water, bubbles pouring from her mouth as she swam back to the surface. Rubbing her eyes, coughing, and trying to swim back to the boat at the same time, one word repeated itself in her head: Shark. Shark. Shark. Shark. Finally grabbing the edge of the boat and hoisting herself up, she sat haphazardly, hacking up water. Her throat burned like crazy as she got to her feet, hugging her arms to her chest. She watched warily (and panicked) to see if the shape would reappear.

​

 

[Habit]

As he swam, he noticed a small ripple near the object, a very tiny ripple. He paused for a moment, confused. He squinted and focused his vision on a very, very small something that was floating gently towards him. It's not living, he ruled, or it would be moving around more. He allowed his tail to do a wave as he swam upward to meet it halfway, since it looked as though it wouldn't be going anywhere very quickly. One of his hands came out and when he gingerly closed it over the object, he was shocked. It was among the smallest things he had ever touched; his hand practically swallowed it. He brought it back to his face and opened it, and blinked in bewilderment.


He had never seen something like it. It was two discs, of sorts, of dark material, framed closely in a colored material that had spokes of the same material protruding straight back on each side. How odd. Did that come from the thing on the surface? He looked back up, feeling the urge to reveal this weird shape deepen.


His ascent began once more. Although, not several seconds after he started, something larger {but not by much} than the tiny object now clutched carefully in his hand broke the surface, creating much more noticeable ripples. He stopped abruptly, his gaze immediately locking onto it, his upper lip curling slightly for a snarl in case it was a threat. He scrutinized the figure and ruled that it was a living thing, since it was moving, but something about the silhouette struck ... familiarity in his thoughts. He didn't really understand it, either. It tugged at him to approach. He kept himself cautious as he kept his pace upwards sluggish, eyes narrowed. There was an odd blue surrounding the top of the figure, waving around in the water. The texture and the way it was moving looked very similar to hair; it reminded him of hair that he once found on some exotic mermaids in his traveling, it's blue was so clear and bright.


However, despite his slow approach, this figure seemed to see him. There was a small flurry of bubbles and a surprised pick-up of movement as the figure began a wild scramble of a swim back to the object. He watched it surface, and it's body pulled up out of the water until it was no longer visible.


It can't be a sea animal, he thought, one eyebrow rising. The bubbles were a clear sign that it breathed air rather than water. But that blue ... maybe it was something like a mermaid? He decided then and there that he should no longer stall with guesses and just go up to find out himself. Scolding himself in his thoughts for getting sidetracked, he swam upwards at a quicker pace, and reached the silhouetted object quickly.


It was larger than the other figure that had swam from the sight of him. The silhouette turned into a very odd shape, almost like a rectangle, except one that came to a triangular point at one of the ends, and it was colored an off-white. It also looked like it curved somewhat. He stared intently at it for a full several seconds before his free hand came up and he, very gently, touched his fingertips to it. It felt smooth. cool, and very inanimate - non-living. Then what of the seas could it be? Styrken was intrigued, beyond any doubt, and now, it was time to reveal the mystery.


One hand stretched up and around the object. He searched the slippery side of it for an edge, and found one after a few seconds. His fingers curled over it, and he held it with a firm grip. He tensed and rose up, taking in a deep breath of the open air above the surface.


He rose to about where his orca half met with his human half, and opened his eyes. His assumptions were correct; it was supposed to hold something, and at that moment, it was holding something very small within. His eyes narrowed again, examining it. It must've been that figure, except it looked like it had curled into a little ball. But as he looked down at it with bright gold eyes, he realized why it struck such familiarity. It looked just like a mermaid, except with no lower fish half; it instead had two separate limbs that were about the same color as it's top half.


Wait a minute.


He had heard of these. Somewhere along the way, he had overheard talk of creatures like this. He had not once seen them in the flesh before, but he thought that he had caught their name - humans. Land-dwelling creatures nearly identical to merfolk, excepting their lack of a tail and instead two limbs for walking on land instead of swimming. This had to be a human. Assuming from the hair and it's upper body form, it was a female human. Although, he was mostly surprised at such a small size. He would have expected humans to be larger than what he was practically looming over at that moment.


And boy, did she look terrified.