Chapter 31: Without Him
The pod swims through the sea. More than half of the pod is in nervous anticipation; they are entering the very waters where they have lost their Adra Triton.
Brishen looks gloomily down onto the sandy bottom. Sending a signal, he can detect small prey hidden within the sand. He felt a tinge of sadness as he watched a crab creep along the floor, between the shells and over a few rocks.
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The small green meryin spied upon a cuttlefish hovering over the sand. He sneers down at the fluttering side fins of the strange, flashing animal.
Brishen's gills twitched as he heard a signal from across from him. He peered over, and spotted a blue and silver meryin with a scallop shell and kelp around his head. The blue meryin lightly traced his short, three-pronged spear onto the sand, signaling he is in the right position.
The green one then shot up, and rang out a small battle cry!
"Brishen! No!" Adra Merrick signaled. Regardless, the green meryin through his spear at the cuttlefish, rather poorly, however. The cuttlefish suddenly jet itself away from the incoming spear, though it was easy enough to dodge to begin with.
The blue and silver meryin growled as he flourished out from the rock, and signaled a fearsome snarl at the cuttlefish. The aquatic creature quivered, and sped off in another direction. Brishen ignored his spear, and when after the cuttlefish with his bare hands!
"Your weapon, Brishen! It's going to escape!" Adra Merrick said as they pursued the cuttlefish quickly. Merrick threw his trident at the cuttlefish, alas missed my mere inches -- though as young as his companion, his aim and tactics are stronger than any other meryin of their pod.
"Rrrrraaaa!" Brishen kicked forth, and sprang himself upon the cuttlefish! He gasped excitedly as the animal writhed under his hands, "I-I have done it! I caught my first catch!" He said while Merrick swam up to him with his spear, "Hold my spear for me while I take it to the others!" He said.
"Ok..." Merrick said as he watched his friend's webbed hands try to tuck under the cuttlefish, and lift it from the sand.
In that moment, the cuttlefish squirmed harshly, and latched itself onto Brishen's wrist!
"AAHHHHH!" He screamed as it bit down ferociously into his flesh. Adra Merrick unleashed a blood-curdling shriek, focused solely onto the cuttlefish. The cuttlefish shook violently as it immediately released Brishen's wrist, and shot away from them both.
"A-Adra Merrick..." Brishen whimpered as he held the wrist that issued blood.
"Quick! We must go back to my Mother! She will heal you!" Adra Merrick said as the two meryin quickly swam away.
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Brishen frowned as he saw a few cuttlefish swim along the sand, followed by a weak chuckle. Both of them got in trouble on that day - both of them having been too young to hunt, and resulted in him getting hurt.
He has no idea why he ignored Merrick's advice half the time -- the reason they became friends was so that he can get better at hunting. Hunting was always so fun though. Whether Brishen succeeded or screwed up, he loved every part of it. More often than not though, Merrick would always have to bail him out of a very tight spot.
And now that Merrick is gone, everyone in the pod has noticed Brishen's skill has elevated considerably. Now that he doesn't have a best friend anymore, the fun and the thrill of the hunt has disappeared.
Merrick has always been there for his friend. He was there to prevent a shark from devouring him. He was there to help find him a good courtship gift for his mate, Penina. He always vouched for him when he did make a successful kill. He always consoled him when he failed at a hunt, before he got better.
Brishen closed his eyes and bowed his head. Merrick was always there for him, yet he never thought to be as good a friend as he was, never knowing Merrick was holding such a secret, or having to carry that kind of a burden, and acting as if he was fine.
Soon, Triton Kaiken sensed another pod coming their way. A pod of Holsien merfolk -- beings of turtles, to be precise. When Adra Merrick was still in existence, he would have to quiz him as to what could be up ahead. Merrick would be correct for most of the time, but he always made it sound like a guess. That was a habit Kaiken tried to break Merrick out of doing -- a Triton must not only always be vigilant, but also must see any and everything that is ahead of the pod.
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"Son, signal ahead. What do you sense?" Triton Kaiken inquired. The young merman narrowed his eyes, and sent a wave of subtle sound forward. The signal traced back to him as a multiple of other merfolk. They sound firmer in form than that of the other merfolk in his pod. It's a familiar feeling, as they have encountered other merfolk of that kind.
"... I think it is a pod of Holsien merfolk?" Adra Merrick responded.
"Do you think? Or do you know?" Kaiken asked firmly, "You must know what is ahead of us at first sight."
"... Yes, Father," Merrick replied, still uncertain about who are what lay beyond them.
"You are correct, however," Kaiken said, "It is indeed a pod of Holsien merfolk. Now, will you tell me what type of Holsiens they are?"
"... I-" Merrick caught himself, "They are turtle shell merfolk."
"Correct. And we are now to approach them." Kaiken stated as he led his pod towards the pod of sea turtle merfolk. They appeared to be that of humanoid shape, with their torsos stout and formed with the shells on their backs, their arms and legs are flat for paddling in the water.
Kaiken signaled to the pod, prompting them to turn their attention to his pod. They moved in formation to greet the pod of Pisciens, before the two pods have met.
The Holsien Triton swam forth. A large, black and white sea turtle merman, with four old gashes on his shell, a shock of spiral shells along both wrists and ankles. While he holds his own trident in one thick flipper-like hand, he put his other hand onto the shaft of his trident, and held it out. Kaiken took his trident, and held it in the same fashion and touched the tridents in an X fashion.
"I, Triton Kaiken of the Piscien merfolk, greet you peacefully, in the name of Guardian Leviathan." He said.
"And I, Triton Olaroc of the Holsien merfolk, greet you peacefully, in the name of Guardian Kraken, so let it be," The Holsien Triton lowered his trident, "But must we be so formal, Kaiken? We have known each other since the days of youth." He asked.
"It is tradition, Olaroc, you know that." Kaiken retorted.
"And is this your Son? He has grown since I last saw him. I hardly recognized him."
"This is my Son, Adra Trition Merrick, yes." Kaiken said.
