#merprowl

[anon-e-miss]

Whenever I pass your username on my dashboard I immediately go to your blog to look at carrying merProwl because he is just so cute!!! I'm sorry if it sounds weird but he's just so chubby and look at him floating!! I wanna squeal!!

He reminds me of a beached whale in the best way.

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Chapter 19: Welllp...

Summary:Things aren't going well...

Notes:Warning here. This is bad.

Barricade was less like himself. Sure he’d growl and he’d threaten anyone who came by, but it was done in such an odd mix of exasperation and a tired fashion that it was a cause for concern. He tore at the bandages and everything, but it was with less drive. It was more out of stubbornness and habit than anything that he kept doing it. He seemed far too tired to try much harder. He spent a lot of time on the sandy bottom and barely moved. He even just let Prowl rewrap the bandages without a fight. To make things more worrisome than they already were Prowl had taken to laying with him rather than within his nest.

Barricade glared at me as per usual when I walked up to the tank. I chewed on my lip as I watched him back. His eyes didn’t have as much fire in them as per usual. I touched the tank and he just narrowed his eyes. No growling. No lunging. He did not look well. Thankfully he had another appointment today. I leaned on the tank with a sigh.

“Just what have ya gone and done to yourself this time? All ya do is cause trouble. Can’t ya just… I don’t know, not? I mean look at yourself. You’re not doing that well the way you’re going it. Prowl’s worried. Aid’s worried. Arcee and Blurr are worried. Everyone’s worried about ya here. I mean this is starting to bother me. Sure I’m more worried about Prowl if ya kick it, but I don’t want ya to just die either.”

He hadn’t moved through my little one way chat. He just watched me. Prowl had draped himself over Barricade long ago and had refused to move. He would occasionally pull out a loose scale. Barricade normally didn’t like it when he tried to groom him and would make little grumbling noises until he was done, but he was silent this time around. Just letting him check and recheck without so much as a twitch. That had been a big red flag. Then of course there was the fact that their neighbors had been looking over at them more and more often. Now it was near constant watch. Prowl didn’t pay them any mind. He had been ripping apart the fish and bringing the scrapes to Barricade for a while before he even stopped doing that.

“Ya know maybe if ya actually tried to heal you’d be fine right now. I don’t know what possessed ya to go and do this, but you’ve really got yourself in a bad situation now. I can see the signs here. You’re really not yourself and add that to the guys next door watching ya and being more passive toward ya and I’d say with confidence that ya ain’t doing so well. I really hope ya didn’t do any permanent damage here. That’ll be another reason for Ratch to curse ya. Ya know you’re his worst patient he’s ever had. He keeps cursing ya and swearing that you’re Trying to kill yourself. All he does now days is complain about ya. That just means he cares though, but then again once ya get better he’s gonna hit ya so hard you’ll forget what ya did. I mean your ass is grass. No joke.” I chuckled to myself as I let my gaze linger on the door. “Ya had better pull through though. I mean think about it. Ya can possibly have another go with Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Then of course ya could see the sea again. Just Think about it. Traveling the ocean with a complete pod again. Hunting and finding a new spot for a nest. There’s a lot of things ya will be missing out on if ya kick it now.”

He didn’t so much as twitch. That halfhearted glare had fallen like he was far too tired to keep it up. He just stared back at me with a dull and near lifeless expression. He really needed some help and hopefully he’d let them help him this time. Barricade didn’t even move to fight us. Prowl on the other hand had. Though it wasn’t aggressive and he didn’t do any damage physically. He whined and pleaded and followed us up to the top. He gave a heartbreaking cry when we took him. The other mers watched silently and it was a relief to finally shut the door.

44444444444444444 The Fours Are Gaining More Numbers! Fight Back! Take Back The Writing Government!4444444444444

Prowl paced and whined, looking at anyone who came in for answers that we didn’t have. Nothing that was good anyway. Barricade had opened and reopened his wounds so much that he had left himself open to illness and infection from what normally wouldn’t have done any damage. Pair that with the blood loss and how he refused to eat and was forced on a regular basis and he was in worse shape than any of us had thought. His wounds leaked a sour smelling pus and he whined when they were cleaned. His wing fin had a deep infection due to the damage. It was easier the prevent infection than to get rid of it, even I knew that.

He didn’t fight them and Ratchet was unnaturally quiet as Aid rambled on and on to himself under his breath. That was enough for us and we didn’t know what to tell Prowl. But Prowl had caught on and made it clear that he didn’t want to wait. His neighbors that had recently lost a pod member watched him intently as he leapt from the water onto the feeding stand and pulled himself down the steps and to the door. He had apparently been watching us and had figured out the doors because he pulled down on the handle as he leaned on the door as we rushed toward him. He dropped when he got it open a crack and pushed it open the rest of the way. He shoved at us with hisses as we dragged him back to the tank. He had done that on more than one occasion and now we had to have someone there at all times to watch him when the doors weren’t locked.

Barricade on the other hand was quiet and none of us were even mildly surprised when he passed. When we brought the corpse to Prowl he didn’t move for a while. When he moved to look over his pod member he froze halfway there. Then he did something that none of us expected. He jumped up onto the ledge with us and shoved himself into me with a broken cry. Clinging to me when I moved with another broken sound. Begging me not to leave him... So I held him.

Notes:I spent two days going over pros and cons. Even though he was an asshole it kind of hurt to kill him off... But if he stayed then Prowl wouldn't have been able to get close to Jazz again even if he did forgive him.

Then one day I went to my doctor for anxiety and work and then another day I spent eating pie and watching netflix. So... That's why I'm late. And it's not over yet so relax.

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Chapter 14: Three In A ROW! Whoop!

Summary:Prowl does a disappearing act.

Prowl was calm in most situations. He was wary of everyone else on some level yet. He had warmed up to Cliff rather quickly once he started bringing in plants from his trips underwater. I didn’t understand his fascination with underwater plants, but it got Prowl to start seeing him as a friend rather than a stranger or a threat. Prowl even perked up when he came in that point. Barricade was as stubborn as ever, but even he was eyeing him with less malice. He still didn’t like him near Prowl, but he tolerated him enough to not try and bite his hand off or snap at him when he set the plants in the water. Sometimes they were underwater flowers and other times they just looked like useless green leaves or vines. I had no clue what they were, but I’m sure if I asked Blaster he’d know what they were. I suppose it was nice to have something in the empty tanks with them and it only helped that it was something familiar. They had to be fished out every once in awhile, but they weren’t as disturbed by it anymore since something new was brought in within a few days.

Prowl was cleared a week later and the act of moving them to a new tank was easy enough. Of course Barricade needed to be watched more closely within the new area, but hopefully the medication would prevent infection from anything that was in the main tanks. They made quick work in exploring the new area. Curiously circling around the structures that had allowed and encouraged the coral to grow on them. Examining the sand and plants that grew unhindered. Blaster and I found some amusement in that.

“That better? I figured you’d be sick of the quarantine tank by now.”

They seemed to settle in fine. Moving them into a tank that mimicked the ocean life on some level always lowered the stress from being in quarantine from what Aid had explained at some point. Prowl had circled the main coral and rock structure several times now. Barricade had settled between some of the rocks and plants and was watching me like he was a lion hiding in the tall grass to stalk its prey. Still ignoring Blaster as per usual. Prowl had glanced around at the other tanks and the doors. I wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he seemed pretty focused. Then he circled around a few more times.

“What is he doing?”

“Uh… It looks like he’s checking the area for danger.” Blaster answered, but he didn’t seem so sure.

With another glance around he seemed satisfied and sunk down into the flora along with Barricade. That had been the only time he had ever done that. However one morning we came in to find Barricade alone in the tank several days later. Barricade had been calm as ever as he lay curled up on the sand in front of the coral as he watched us freak out. Sure Prowl was smart, but he wouldn’t just leave his pod member and there was no way he had gotten out without alerting the facility. Then of course Barricade would be pacing again, but he hadn’t moved an inch yet.

“Shit. Prowl? Please tell me he didn’t jump ship again.”

“Blurr, go tell Randy to check the cameras.” Arcee ordered as she looked through the glass at the tank.

“How come I have to deal with Red?”

“Go.”

I searched the flora with her as Barricade watched us. He had a pretty smug look on his face. I really wish I could hit him. I mean he was at that point where Ratchet had given the ok for force feeding now so you’d think he would be less chipper. Especially with his pod mate missing. But no he was just laying there and watching us. No hissing or growling even. This was not normal.

“What the hell…” Arcee breathed in irritation. “He’s Black and White it’s not like he can blend in.”

It was true. None of this made any sense. Mers don’t just disappear and where could he have possibly gone if he did decide to escape? The front doors were locked so it wasn’t like he could just leave and slip into the ocean and even then he would have taken Barricade with him, wouldn’t he? I glared at the mer in question. He still hadn’t made a move. He was just watching us lazily with a triumphant air about him. No matter how long I glared at him I knew I wouldn’t figure out his game so I went back to scanning the tank.

“Ok so we need to tell Ratchet. Drug up Barricade. We need to search the tank. There’s no way he could have just vanished.” Arcee decided after another minute only to stop at the buzzing of her phone. “Tell me you have an answer to our vanishing mer?”

With that we were heading to the security office. Arcee practically threw open the door. Blurr was laughing and that didn’t do anything good for her mood. However if he was laughing then things were fine. Prowl hadn’t just up and vanished.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. They made a little hidey hole is all.” Blurr waved off Arcee’s questions as he passed.

We got our answer when we made the attempt to feed Barricade again. Barricade didn’t move, but Prowl had slipped out from behind Barricade and through the seagrass. That was one heart attack causing mystery solved. That smug bastard was still giving me that look. Barricade one. Jazz one. That blasted fish.

When Barricade was taken out for treatment Mirage had investigated to find that they had dug a hole in the sand under the coral and made a well hidden nest. It was small, but Prowl fit fine and Barricade seemed content guarding the entrance. Apparently they had been digging at night when the other mers had settled and no one was around. That was new...

Notes:Take a bow Prowl. Wonderful magic trick.

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Chapter 23: And So It Begins!

Summary: Prowls first puzzle... Aw...

I walked in that morning with a large smile. I really wanted to see what Prowl would think of puzzles. I didn’t doubt it would take some time for him to figure it out, but he was smart. If he could figure out doors then he could figure out this. It was just a picture that had been cut into pieces. Putting them back together was a pretty simple concept. He’d get it eventually.

“Hey, Prowl.” I called as I approached the tank. “I got something for ya.”

He slipped out of his nest and followed me along like he always did now. Just the glass wall between us. Still silent and pressing as close to the glass as he could. Rising with me as I climbed, puzzles and his breakfast in hand. Then he jumped up onto the stand when I came up the last few steps. I set the boxes behind me as I sat down. Prowl settled across my lap.

“Alright first of all ya need breakfast. Then I’ve got something I want to show ya.”

Prowl never moved from my lap, but he ate absentmindedly when I shoved the fish in front of him. It was like he had no interest in eating anymore, and only did so for Blaster and I. If anyone else tried to feed him he’d just ignore it. I guess it was kind of the same thing that happened with Barricade. Prowl was worried and tried to get him to eat and so now he didn’t want us to feel how he felt or something. It wasn’t exactly a comforting thought, but at least he was eating. I would hate to see him being force fed like Barricade had. He’d probably find a way to escape or even hurt himself with it eventually if he really wanted to give up.

I sighed when he poked at the bones. I tossed them each over my shoulder and onto the floor below. I’d pick it up later. Right now Prowl was far more important than the floor and if some fish bones were going to be a distraction then they needed to go.

“Ok you’re done. Now then This is what I wanted to show ya.”

He barely glanced at the box. He had no interest in it at all, but hopefully that would change. I carefully opened the box and poured the contents where we could both reached it. It was a small one, but starting with the simple 75 and 100 piece ones was better than giving him a hard one and expecting him to get it. It would be like giving a fourth grader trig problems and expecting them to understand it. If you don’t have any prior knowledge on a subject then you can’t just jump right in. This puzzle was of a grassy meadow with flowers and a kitten in the center.

“And this right here is a puzzle. Ya remember what I was talking about yesterday, right? Of course ya do. I talked about puzzles until ya were probably thinking of shoving me into your tank to get me to shut up.”

Prowl just watched me flip over the pieces until they were face up. Still no interest. At least he was watching. That was something.

“So the point of this is to put all the pieces together and make the picture that appears on the cover of the box. See? That right there is what we’re going to make with all of these. It’s time consuming to find what pieces fit, but it’s fun. Ok so I’ll start and ya can just join in whenever.”

I doubted he’d get it from just the explanation anyway. So I started fitting some of the pieces together. Prowl didn’t even seem the slightest bit interested until the picture started coming together. I had a bit of a ‘U’ shape going on by this point and Prowl lifted his head up a little.

“See?” I pointed to the picture on the box and then the scattered puzzle. “Ya get it now? It’s neat, right? I figured ya would like something like this.”

I ended up finishing that puzzle on my own. At least he seemed a little curious now. So I slid that one back into the box, kind of folding it in half so it would fit. I’d take it apart later. I pulled over another one and dumped that one out and started on it. This one was a little Disney movie puzzle. It was the desert in Aladdin with one of the cave of wonders scenes. I started putting it together. Nearly all the pieces looked the same. Just a golden color of the sand. I had a few pieces together when Prowl moved. My face split with a grin when he picked up one of the pieces to look at it before setting it back down. He looked over the mess of pieces, his eyes darting about like he was looking for something. Then he started sliding some of the pieces over to one side and I didn’t care for the reason too much. He was doing something and this was a big step. I didn’t say anything though as I didn’t want to spoil it. It took me a while to realize that he was separating and putting together the edge and corner pieces. He had the frame done rather quickly that way. Yep. Smart. He already had a strategy down. Then we started filling it in. I felt a spark of pride at our first finished puzzle.

“Well I think we’ll get this one framed for ya. A little line on the bottom saying Prowls first puzzle. What do ya think?”

As expected he didn’t really give me a response to my joke though I didn’t care. Nothing could ruin my mood right now. Prowl was doing something. So I folded that one and returned it to the box before bringing out the next.

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The Fourth Chapter of My Idea From 3am

Summary:Blaster and Jazz debate Prowl.

“That’s- He’s amazing. But… what happened to him?”

“I have no clue. He just showed up one day bleeding and what not. So are ya going to feed him today?” I asked as our mer friend took cover around the rocks like he had with me, the sand rising to make the water look even more murky around him.

“Yes.” He answered immediately.

We waited as Blaster held the fish in the water. The mer didn’t so much as twitch.

“I don’t think he trusts me like he does you.”

“Hm… I have an idea.”

I grinned and dug into my bag as I cast a glance at the mer.

“A… bag of m&ms?”

“Yep. This is your key to friendship right here.”

“You gave him Candy?”

“Of course not. He went snooping through my bag when I wasn’t lookin’ and well now he likes chocolate. He hasn’t gotten sick yet so what’s the harm of a little more?”

“If you say so, but if he gets sick or something I’m calling the MWPA and blaming you.”

“That’s fair. Now feed him.” I shook the bag, making sure our mer friend could see it.

Tearing the bag we approached the water. The colors swirled when his hand hit the water. At the sight his ear fins twitched.

“Come on it’s fine. I told ya plenty about Blaster and now he’s giving ya chocolate when I said no. Ya should love him.”

Ever so slowly he slipped out from his cover in the rocks. He stayed close to the sandy floor as we waited. Blaster was holding his breath as I grinned down at him. His sapphire eyes darted between the two of us. Then he slowly rose up. Blaster slanted his hand so the candy slipped and drifted down to the waiting mer who eagerly ate the treat.

“He Does like chocolate.”

“I told ya. We’re gonna have to be careful about carrying candy from now on. Can’t have him snatching it.” I answered as I gave my friend another palmful.

“No kidding… So how exactly have you kept this a secret all this time?”

“Well I haven’t really kept it a secret. I just haven’t said anything about it.”

“Ok how has no one seen him and called the MWPA?”

“He has a little home he showed me that he goes to during the day. I’ve been feeding him there, but I figured I’d break his trust if I took ya there. I didn’t want him to start shunning me or something. So you’re starting where I started and he’ll show ya when he trusts ya. Then we can go back to that.” I shrugged as my friend held the yellowtail sashimi in the water for the mer.

Unfortunately an entire bag of m&ms wasn’t enough to gain his trust. He waited until we left before he moved. This process continued for many more days and one kitkat. We’d sit and talk as the mer watched us from the safety of the water. We debated on various things from the calls he made at night to what was going to open up where that construction site was on the east side of town. Then after breakfast a couple of weeks later he started to leave. I jumped up.

“Yes! Come on, Blaster! Lets go!”

I was off with Blaster at my heels. Our mer friend glanced at us and I swear he rolled his eyes when we stumbled when we jump off the pier and onto the sand.

“There it is.” I pointed out to the hole in the cliffside. “We need to crawl through that to get in, but there’s an underwater path he gets through.”

When we got in our mer friend was waiting for us on his little perch. His gaze neutral as per usual. Well except when I angered him or when he was eating chocolate. Blaster was looking around the small cove with a grin.

“This is neat. It’s a clever little spot.”

“And now ya know. This is his temporary home. Where I feed him and talk his ear off And where he stole my m&ms. He digs through my bag every chance he gets I swear.”

“Well quit carrying things in it that you don’t want him to get a hold of.”

I just frowned at my friend. We sat on the edge. My friend was examining the mer more carefully now that he could see him clearly.

“Jazz, he didn’t get those from another animal. I’ve seen plenty of bites and wounds on animals when I go out with Gaven and That right there on his cheek is from a blade.”

“So ya think someone did this to him on purpose?” I asked, giving my fish friend another look over.

“Looks like it. Either that or his pod alpha or leader or whatever decided to attack some people over territory and the others followed.”

“And… do you think that they’re… ya know... “

“It’s a possibility. If they haven’t come to get him yet it’s likely they’re dead.” Blaster chewed on his lip as he watched the mer.

“So he’s out there calling for them every night and… aw shit. What happens to mers whose either pod has died?”

I felt a pang in my chest for the mer in front of us. He was hurt and alone and still hoping that they were still out there and searching for him. No doubt he had been terrified to find he was alone and unable to hunt. I probably nearly gave him a heart attack when I started poking at him. Well at least now he has us.

“I assume they’d die.”

“Great…”

So after all of this he’d go out and die?

“I mean they herd prey with the help of their pod and certain mer types are very territorial and attack outsiders.”

“GREAT. What happens if he decides to leave when he’s healed? Should we call the MWPA then? I really don’t want to just do that to him.”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to see how things go for now. Maybe his pod is out there and are just as hurt as he is. That’s all we can hope for, for now.”

I sighed and lowered my head into my hands. We just watched the mer as he had been doing with us. Then I whistled a verse from ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’ and the mer perked up, his head turning to the side like a confused dog as he gained a matching expression. Blaster chuckled as I continued with it and the mer watched me with obvious confusion as he twisted his head from one side to the other.

“You do realize that for all you know you’re just saying random words in his ‘language’ right? You’re just sitting there going Wall! Current! Pufferfish for alpha! Seaweed! And he’s over there thinking you’re an idiot.”

At that we started laughing.

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Chapter 2: A Cleaner Chapter

Summary: Jazz feeds it and argues with it. Pretty much it.

“Ya know I hope ya appreciate what I’m doing. Ya have no idea how much I hate being wet and after ya pulled me into the ocean the other night I’m a little irritated with You as well. I have some fresh sushi this time. It’s not as cheap so ya had better eat this. I don’t want to be wasting my money.”

I stared into the inky water for any sign of movement as I tossed in one of the pieces. This was twenty bucks worth I had and if it stuck its nose up at this I was going to be pissed.

“I know you’re there. I’m not going to hurt ya. I can barely swim and the worst thing I could do from here is litter.”

Still nothing. Well I could wait. I was not going to let this fish get one over me.

“That one's tuna ya brat. It’s good. I’ve had it.”

The water was still. Maybe it had left the area after this morning? Or maybe it just didn’t like tuna?

“Fine. This one's salmon, but I didn’t nor will I ever have much of this because it’s so expensive it’s a rip off. It’s not even that good.” I tossed another piece into the water. It floated along the surface next to the other in silence. “I have a younger sister. I can wait all night to get my way.”

I watched the water, lounging on my stomach lazily. Maybe I should call Blaster? Na. He was mer crazy. He’d scare it away. Maybe when it wasn’t so wary and injured. Blaster would go out on fishing trips with his stepfather all the time. He wanted to be a marine biologist. He thought the mysteries of the sea were amazing while I didn’t care to guess what was hiding below the surface. Who knew what horrors were waiting down there? I was torn out of my thoughts by one of the pieces disappearing.

“Finally.”

And of course it took the bloody salmon. Spoiled brat.

“I hope ya know that if ya don’t eat all of this I’m not going to feed ya anymore and I’ll let the fishermen try and shoo ya away. And the way they’ll do it I have no doubt that it’ll involve some painful traps. They don’t like it when things mess with their catches.” I spoke to the mer under the water. Though I couldn’t see it the water churned giving me a decent idea of where it was before it settled again. From what I could tell it was right under where I was throwing the fish. “Come on. Eat the tuna or I’m not giving ya anymore.”

Nothing. So I pulled out the other piece of salmon and dipped it into the water before pulling it back out.

“See? Ya want it ya need to eat everything else.”

For some reason I got the impression that I was being judged.

“Tuna is cheap and has a lot of protein from what I know so quit pouting and eat it.”

I sent the water an unamused stare, trying to send my message since I couldn’t tell if it could understand what I was saying. I doubted it, but that never stopped me from talking before. Then I smiled as the tuna vanished.

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” I tossed another piece into the water. “But you’re not getting the salmon until you eat everything else. I’m not even sure what that one is, but it’s apparently popular.”

Nothing happened until the piece stilled in the water and I got the glimpse of black claws. The process was slow and continued on until I was out of sashimi. I watched the water.

“Well I have nothing more to give ya. This box here is for tomorrow. I’ll be back in the morning to feed ya.”

The water churned as it moved under the black water.

“Don’t steal from the traps anymore. If ya do than sure you’re gonna get hurt, but it makes Blaster’s stepdad unhappy and if he’s unhappy he doesn’t bring Blaster on his fishing trips and if he doesn’t bring Blaster then Blasters unhappy. If Blasters unhappy it’s your fault and I won’t feed ya anymore. Got it?”

No response. Not like I was expecting one anyway. I stood.

“I’ll know if ya start stealing. Don’t think I won’t.”

Then I turned and headed home.

444444444444444 Fooooouuuurrrrsssss!44444444444444

Happy Saturday. I was getting up with the freaking sun for this fish. So out I went. Its breakfast in hand. And low and behold there it was. Curling around and between the rocks. None of the traps appeared to be bothered. Maybe it did understand. Either that or it was content with what I was giving it. I lounged back on the pier as I set the box next to me. Popping the lid I watched it.

“Morning. Ya know I’m surprised no ones seen ya yet. You don’t really blend in well.”

It didn’t move. However when I tossed in a piece its gaze turned to the floating fish. It glanced at me a few times before it stiffly moved forward. It favored its left arm as it slipped along the bottom slowly. It settled below the dead meat. I watched with mild interest as it rose up on its tail and reached up. It stopped. Nothing happened for an extended amount of time before its claws dug into it and drug it under. It watched its ‘prey’ a moment before swiftly eating it. Well no wonder it took so long for me to feed it if it did That every time. It moved its gaze back to me and it moved back until it was once again flat against the sand. I tossed another piece in and it watched that one until it settled.

“Quit stalking the sushi. It’s dead. It’s not going to swim away.”

I nearly laughed when it glared at me before going back to watching its new prey. It slowly reached up and stopped again.

“Oh for the love of- grab it! Hey! Don’t growl at me. I’m feeding ya.” I scolded it, but it cautiously reached up again like it hadn’t heard me. Then it snatched it and watched it. “I know you’re not deaf. Eat it. Do something. If you were actually prowling after something that was alive this would be much more interesting, but no. It’s dead. It’s been dead for awhile.”

Great. I was arguing with a fish now. I sighed as it sent me another glare. I fell back on the pier with a huff. I stared up at the dull looking gray that was the sky at the moment. Then I pulled myself back up. I jumped and yanked my legs back up and away from the waters below. I stared down at the mer that appeared below me.

“Ya know that’s Really creepy. Nothing’s supposed to move that quietly in the water.” Silence. “It doesn’t help that ya don’t move or blink.”

It twitched an ear fin, but that was the only response I got. I sighed again before grabbing another piece. It dangled in my grasp and I contemplated a moment. Then I was slowly lowering it to touch the water. Hopefully feeding time would go by quicker if I could get it to take it from my hand.

“I really want to get back to bed. This is Saturday. Saturday. And here I am arguing with You. A fish. I hope ya know I have plans today involving sleep, video games, and pizza with my friends.”

It was still besides its expression settling in a glare.

“Fine. I guess ya don’t want this.”

I made to pull it back and it growled softly.

“Make up your mind. Take it or I’m leaving.”

It took it several minutes to decide to slowly reach up. Its gaze shifting from me to the sorry excuse for a fish in my hand. Then in snatched it before retreating.

“Ya could really act more grateful. I don’t have to do this.” I muttered before doing the same with the next piece I pulled out.

This process of handing it each piece slowly made things quicker with feeding it as it grew used to it over the course of the week. As the days passed I could tell it was healing slowly, but surely. It didn’t move as stiffly and it distributed more weight onto its right arm when it crawled along the sandy bottom. Many of the wounds were slowly shifting into pale scars along its body. It was more noticeable on the black scales. I found myself hanging around even after I was done feeding it. I just talked and it watched me until I left. However one morning it broke the cycle.

“So Blaster and I- hey where are ya going? I was talking.”

I jumped up as it slowly swam the length of the pier. It glanced at me as I followed it every once in awhile.

“I know you’re a mer, but ya should know that it’s rude to just leave when someone is talking. Hey. Are ya listening?”

I jumped down off the pier and onto the sand. It followed the shallows edge. Moving slow enough for me to keep up.

“Where are ya even going? There’s nothing but rocks out in that direction.”

I was trying to argue with a fish. Blaster was going to have a good laugh when I finally told him about my little secret. I hesitated at the hollow in the cliffs edge. The mer stalled before it kept going, following the shallow path of water.

“Hey! Come on! Wait up!”

I followed after it. Running along the slippery edge. If I fell in it wasn’t that deep anyway. The area inside was a small little cove. It pulled itself up on the center rock, its tail curling around it. I looked around the area as it watched me.

“So this is where you’ve been hiding out, huh?”

I sat on the rim and watched as its tail fin opened and closed lazily. It had some healing cuts in the pure white and red edged fin as well.

“So I assume there’s a reason ya brought me home? I could only guess this means ya trust me. Either that or you’re planning to kill me. I really hope it’s the former.”

The mer blinked its sapphire eyes slowly as it let its arms dangle over the side of the rock.

“Ya Do blink. Well that makes ya a little less creepy.” I grinned at it and it tilted its head to the side to rest on one of its arms.

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Chapter 11: Welp I'm Late! Again!

Summary:Prowl escapes the tank.

Notes: This is more about mers and basic information and a heads up on the situation.

Prowl was shunning me. He did however shift over to the side of tank when Blaster came by. Then when I came by he’d turn around. This was not how I wanted things to go when I saw him again. I suppose I did get him locked up in a confined tank. At least he didn’t straight up jet to the other side and eye me warily like he did with everyone else.

The water was filled with dissolved supplements and medication to boost his immune system and help him to heal. Everything that went in was checked and double checked including food much like for the other one in the next room. However at least Prowl ate and rested. The other would pace despite his wounds and refused to eat anything we offered him. Fish was a no. Shellfish didn’t even result in any investigation. Cleaning out the decaying fish was troublesome with how aggressive he acted. He snapped at anything that entered to try and clean the tank. Lunged at the sides when anyone got too close. Ratchet was pissed that we had to drug him each time we had to clean the tank almost as much as the fact that he kept reopening his wounds. Aid was worrying over the possibility of infection and starvation.

I was sure Ratchet was getting close to the point of suggesting we tie him down and shove the fish down his throat. After a time Arcee suggested that we just don’t even offer food for a few days if he was just going to refuse it and boost his probability of infection. That was a straight up no and a lecture from here to hell and back. Then Eric, a.k.a. Mirage suggested live ‘prey’ to add some familiarity to the ocean. However that was ejected over the fact that there was no way he was going to be able to catch anything in his state even if it was a confine space. It was a good idea, but encouraging him to move was not. We were officially running out of options and force feeding was quickly climbing up the list.

Prowl was healing fine, but he wouldn’t be returning to the ocean anytime soon. Even if the other started cooperating and healed they wouldn’t be able to survive long out there. Then there was the fact that they would no doubt return to the bridge to cause trouble. It was where their nest had been and they all seemed pretty convinced that they were trying to take back the area. They did have nowhere else to go and it was hard to find a safe place to build a nest as it was and to find another when they only had one other pod member was suicide. They were stuck by the shore. The only other option was to try and merge one broken pod with another.

However that was harder than it sounded. A broken pod was wary and adding just one member was difficult as it was. Putting two different pods together was much harder. Sometimes it worked and other times, which tended it be more often, it did not and ended in a fierce fight if there wasn’t enough space. That was the reason there was one main tank that was nearly three times as large as a standard tank in the back that was commonly called the merger. Well Blurr called it the bloodbath behind Ratchets back. It usually kept them from fighting over territory in a new space. If they separated themselves from each other for longer than a two week period without any sign of curiosity of the other or others or showed too much aggression in that time it was a pretty clear indication that they weren’t willing to merge.

So far it was clear Geminus Avium or the dual winged mers that formed trines would not join a pod. They flat out refused to and only merged with others of its kind. Magis Avium or the winged would merge with practically any pod if accepted from both sides from what they had seen over the years. Very few pods that held a winged mer would rarely have more than one. Magis Parvus or the minis as they were dubbed would either be in a pod of just minis or they would seek out larger mer pods. Fractura Videte on the other hand were even smaller and they had a different relationship and were much easier. They would hatch together and stick together and find a larger mer in another pod and would obey only that mer from the pod. Latching on until ordered to assist in some way such as herding prey out of small areas and would be given a portion of the meal. There were other types like the practically mythical titans that had barely been seen in even passing and accidents. However the other types were pretty easy going and were willing to mix and match most of the time.

Nothing was going to happen, no merging, if Prowls pod mate over in the next room kept acting the way he was. Then things just got worse. He had just froze for a second, ear fins twitching, before he started whistling and howling loudly. Then Prowl had gotten active. Testing the tank and swimming up to the top and peeking out before going back under before whistling back in a more subdued manner. The constant noise from the larger one was giving everyone a headache and was just an annoyance for a time. It wouldn’t do to put them together in such a cramped area and we couldn’t just double the dosage in the tank. It would be too much for one of them, most likely Prowl, and getting them high and causing damage was not the goal. We could handle the sounds and deal with the situation until we could put them together. That is before Prowl had decided to leap up onto the feeding stand and drag himself down the steps and to the door that led to the next room where he clawed at it in frustration until someone came.

We had put them together after some debate. After treating Prowl from new scrapes from the stairs of course. Neither one would get enough from a single dose, but Ratchet had just sighed and said he’d work something out with Aid. No point in keeping them separated if Prowl was just going to escape the tank and the other was just going to ram the tank and howl. One of these days Prowl would probably figure out how to open a door and make it to the other tank on his own anyway.

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Chapter 12: Not Late! Sing Praise of... My Being On Time!

Summary:Jazz gains an archenemy.

“And how are ya today, Prowl? How long are ya planning on shunning me?”

Prowl shifted around slightly to peer at me over his pod mates tail at me. His pod mate was growling lowly at me like he did everyone, but I swore he liked me the least. He really had an attitude that was for sure. He got on my nerves, but at least he wasn’t throwing anymore tantrums. It was actually kind of funny when we fed them. He had hissed at Prowl when he had started stalking the dead fish as per usual. Prowl however had simply ignored him and ate much to the others annoyance. At least we didn’t have to clean the wasted fish anymore as Prowl would eat it when he felt like it.

“Well I hope ya can get your friend there to eat something. He ain’t doing so well as it is and not eating is just making it worse. I know you’re mad at me, but I’ll tell ya what. If ya can get him to eat something I’ll slip ya some m&ms when Ratch ain’t paying attention. Well when ya feel better. Can’t contaminate the tank when you’re doing so well.”

I suppose the glances were better than nothing, but he didn’t seem like he was planning on forgiving me for his situation just yet. Maybe it was being stuck here or maybe it was over how he had to fight with his last remaining pod member. Maybe it was over Blaster and I bringing the MWPA to his door so long ago. It was hard to tell, but I did owe him an apology three times over. The only problem was ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t cut it. It wasn’t like we could have a conversation or anything. So m&ms later and letting him come to me was the best option. The only problem with that was his pod mate was a capital A Asshole. I didn’t doubt he’d rip my hand off if I tried to give Prowl some m&ms.

“Ya know I really am sorry. But it’s kinda hard to have a conversation or let ya know when your pod mate over there is ruining the forgiving mood with his attitude. I don’t appreciate him growling at me.”

Prowl was pillowing his head on the others tail now, but he had decided to to watch the birds that were roosting on the dome. Ignoring me again. I sighed and my eyes locked with the other. His more aggressive pod member was curling more protectively around Prowl with another growl. I knew mers would get more aggressive and protective of their pod members after losing a member, but even with the situation this was a little extreme. Maybe he was just naturally aggressive and now that they were the only two left it was just worse.

Then again maybe he would be in a better mood if he actually ate something. He was starving himself out of pure stubbornness now. I mean he knew it wasn’t poisoned. Prowl was eating it. Prowl was getting better and here he was refusing to eat. At least he wasn’t pacing around as much with Prowl there. If only he would quit blocking him from my view all the freaking time. If anyone came in he’d rush to Prowls side and was always between them and Prowl even though there was a thick wall of glass in the way. Prowl didn’t seem to care too much, but it was just another reason for me to hate him.

“Jazz, quit glaring at him. You’re making it worse.”

“I am not. He has had it out for me since we met, Blaster.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“What do ya mean?”

I refused to look away from the mer and Blaster sighed. He had barely spared a glance at Blaster even as Prowl stirred to look up at him. Blaster waved at Prowl and got short sound in response before he went back to ignoring me.

“See? He’s targeting me. He barely looked at ya. I bet it’s his fault Prowls ignoring me.”

Blaster rolled his eyes and leaned on the nearby wall. “Or Prowls mad that you dragged him here and his pod member doesn’t like you because you’re antagonizing him.”

“And just How am I antagonizing him?” I demanded.

“Well you’re having a glaring contest for one.”

“We are not having a glaring contest. This is just him being an asshole and me refusing to take it.”

“Deny it all you want, but you did technically try and harm his last pod member, cause them to fight, and then drag them here.”

“I did not try and hurt Prowl. We were talking and reconnecting and then he tried to rip my guts out.”

“Well if you had only one other in the entire ocean that you could count on left and someone from the exact same species that exterminated your home and the rest of your family reached out to that last family member would you be thrilled with that? I don’t think so. You’d probably attack first and ask questions later too… Would you quit glaring at him. Maybe you can get on his good side if you would quit glaring and arguing with him.”

“I don’t think he has a good side.”

“You’ll never know if you keep this up.”

I took a moment and Blaster snorted. He hadn’t even made a move to suggest that he was paying any attention to Blaster at all while we were talking.

“I think I have an archenemy now.”

“Oh for the love of…” Blaster breathed. “I’ll see you and your archenemy later then. Bye, Prowl.”

Blaster turned on his heel and started out. I could hear the soft ‘good grief’ as he left the area. I pointed at him through the glass.

“I’m watching ya, ya fish.”

My archenemy lunged and rammed against the tank making me jerk back instinctively. I swore he was smirking as stiffly circled back around. Oh it was on.

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Chapter 1: Three am idea I had to write down

Jazz lived like he would live forever. Like nothing bad could ever happen to him. He had no problem with bending and breaking rules. No real reason to worry about anything. A prank here and there was no problem. Homework not done? As long as he was passing it didn't matter too much to him. He did fine on the tests anyway. Speeding ticket? Well they'd have to catch him first and he knew from experience that if he kept driving and got home, so long as his parents weren't there, he could could get away with it by just not answering the door and making sure the car was locked up in the garage. They couldn't snoop and they'd get bored of knocking eventually. It was pretty easy to ignore them with music blaring in the background while he played video games. Arrive late to work? The managers and other employees liked him and with a smile and an apology and he usually got off. If he did get fired well it was a part time job and people were always coming and going in those places. He could always get another. Yes things were lined up just fine as far as he was concerned. The pestering about what he was going to do after high school was always a pressure he had no issue ignoring. It didn't really matter yet. He had a little over another year to go to figure that out.

His walk along the pier on his way home had been rather typical besides the threat of rain and wind. He had his collar raised up to his nose as the wind batted at him. Bringing droplets of seawater hitting him from his right. He hadn't heard a thing over the wind and music pounding out of his headphones, but the splash of color that didn't belong out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He glanced at it then did a double take. Out in the water on one of the rocks was a figure. Water crashed against the rock and washed over the figure. He paused and squinted. Black and white with a few splashes of red. It didn't appear to be moving. It took him several minutes to realize that it was a mer. Grabbing his phone from his pocket he pulled up his camera to zoom in and get a better look.

Walked back the way he came to see around the high edges of the creatures resting spot he struggled to get a good view. It was blurry, but from what he could tell it appeared to be hurt. Great. Now he had to call the rangers. The MWPA or Marine Wildlife Protection Agency. Were a great group and all, but damn did the rangers get touchy. You'd think they were cops from the way they interrogated and lectured people. Then again he could always call the cops and let Them deal with the rangers. With a sigh he paced back and forth as he cast glances at the mer as he waited for them to pick up. It still hadn't moved. No sign of any others in the area either. No other mers circling and guarding from what he could see.

"Hello? West end police department, is this an emergency?"

"Uh, yeah. There's this mer down here by the pier. I think it's hurt."

Dealing with the cops and all of their questions was never that fun either. The rangers at least just asked for a location and came. No twenty questions, but the lectures on marine life when they got there were just as bad. Jazz decided to hang up after they asked about it's condition and if it was acting aggressive. They were just wasting everyone's time. He watched the still mer for another few minutes before the tell tale sirens in the distance told him they decided to act. So he left things how they were. It wasn't like he could do anything for it.

It was a couple of days later before he even thought about the mer again. The complaints of fishermens traps being raided and the gossip that followed was what got him heading down to the pier again. The mer wasn't there. Not that he had expected it to be on the rock again. He snooped around where he knew the traps for fish and crabs were laid. Surely Danny or Blaster as he was called by his friends was the stepson of one of the fishermen. He was a nice guy, but had spats with MWPA every once in awhile, but he doubted he'd care if Jazz pestered his traps. The traps were being raided and the only evidence that there had been anything there was the scratch marks on the traps and a few scraps. So he watched and waited. Walking and occasionally checking the traps. There was nothing for several hours. Then as the sun sank one of the ropes holding the traps moved. Just a twitch. Then it shifted more. Jazz, not wanting to waste the opportunity peered into the inky water. He couldn't see a thing so he tugged on it not expecting to get a forceful tug back.

It was cold and dark. Water rushing around him. He pushed off the bottom, the water tugging at him, and something brushing against him he broke the surface. Wasting no time he clawed at the side. Water beating against him and making it difficult to pull himself out. He rolled onto the dock with his heart pounding. Well now he knew it was there and they hadn't caught it.

444444444444444444 cause why not fours for a line break?444444444444444444

Jazz fell onto his bed heavily. Steam raising from his skin after the burning shower he'd used to warm back up. During said shower he had come to the conclusion that the mer was stealing from the traps. It was hurt and the cops had either decided not to call the rangers and lost it or it had avoided the rangers and they had assumed it left the area. So now the things was taking from the traps since it couldn't hunt due to its injuries. A quick search told him mers usually ate early in the morning and late at night like a lot of marine life. So the next morning with some day old sushi that his sister had gotten and never finished he went back to the pier.

The water was much clearer with the sun. It didn't take long for him to spot it. It didn't blend at all against the the rocks and warm looking sand. The light blue the water gave off didn't help much either. Not with the natural red edge at the end of its tail. It was still. Not a fin twitching. The wing fins were held stiffly against its back. It simply was watching him with a careful and even mildly irritated stare. Like it was trying to determine what Jazz's intentions were. It's body was lined with cuts and wounds. One of its wing fins were torn and the long fin that traced down to its tail appeared to be broken judging by the way it was bent. Still no sign of a pod.

"What happened to ya? Looks like you picked a fight with something ya shouldn't have." Jazz settled on his stomach as he leaned over the side. The mer didn't even twitch. "I guess you can't hunt like that, but ya can't keep stealing. You're really starting to piss some people off and they might just start trying to hurt ya despite the MWPA. So I guess since they're too incompetent to catch ya I'll have to feed ya until you can leave. I don't have much, but I'll start getting more."

Jazz opened the box and threw one of the pieces toward it. It didn't move.

"Oh come on. I know it's not great, but it's something. Look. There's hardly anything in the trap today anyway. What even is that? It's Tiny."

Not even a twitch.

"Fine. Spoiled brat. But don't come crying saying you're hungry later." Dumping the boxes contents into the water he stood. "I'll see ya tonight."

With that he left.

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Chapter 22: Oh No! More Family Life!

Summary:Jazz goes digging in his parents attic.

Thursday night I went digging in the attic of my parents mansion. Ripping through boxes and fighting off spider webs that seemed to appear out of nowhere. My sister’s ridiculously expensive car wasn’t in the garage so that meant that she was out with her ‘friends’ and who knew what they were doing. My bet was on buying out some store of it’s clothes and making them very happy or out at some party looking for another boyfriend. I hadn’t bothered ringing the bell and had just came in. Just said hi to Nancy on the way up the stairs. Despite the number of cars in the garage our parents weren’t here either. They were off in Peru for who knew what this time. Probably trying to get their hands on more property or something so they can get even richer. Thankfully I was out of this place. With the cash I had saved up for once when I decided to follow Blaster to the MWPA really helped before I finally landed that full time job. Then of course Blaster helped pay as well as he wanted to help at least a little. I had money to spare for both of us from my weekly allowances so a small apartment close to the facility was easy enough to get and I had to say we lived rather comfortably in the space.

I was cut off when they realized that I moved out and since I had rarely saw them when they were at the house it took them a while to realize it. I was sure it was some game they were trying to play. Cut me off and I come running back or something. But I wasn’t like Nat and her ‘friends’ who would buy everything in sight. I didn’t want to play their little games and I had cash to spare and then some so if they wanted to control me they’d have to try much harder. No one had bothered to tell them when I left so I got a pretty good head start with moving the cash into an account that I had full control over. Plus they couldn’t blame me or anyone else for not saying anything. You didn’t call mom and dad when they were away. It was rule number one. They didn’t care if the house was burning down. You did Not call them under any condition. If the house was on fire call the cops and get out. They could always get a new one built and we could just head to the emergency house that sat across the new bridge until the repairs were done. We had the cash to get a bloody limo ride and more there. If the house was being robbed well there was always money to get the items replaced and if you got shot well you should have just done as they asked.

I gave a short noise of triumph when I found some of the puzzles Nat and I would make, tear apart, and remake when we were kids. Some were larger than others, and I knew there were more hiding in the other boxes somewhere, but the five of them would do for now. I cast a final glance to the dusty carpet and beanbag chairs in the far corner before I pulled the string to the light and headed back down the stairs. Everything up there seemed faded. The colors muted and looked to be fading away with our childhood. Here I was leaving it behind. I groaned at the number of stairs that lay between me and the front door. It had been harder on the way up, but that still didn’t make the way down fun.

“Bye, Nancy. Tell Liza I said bye for me.”

“I will. Have a good night, Jazz.” The old maid responded as I continued down.

She and Liza were nice. Always had been when we were growing up, but sometimes I wondered how they saw us. Always having to watch us and put up with our tantrums. Discipline us. Make sure we were fed and got our homework done. Made sure were clean and took care of us when we were sick. I couldn’t count the number of times we had woken them up in the middle of the night because we had a nightmare or were afraid of the thunderstorms. Baking cookies on Saturday mornings and watching cartoons. They put up with a lot from us. Entertaining us and humoring us. They were more like our family than our parents had ever been. Nancy and Liza were kind of like caring grandmothers. More so than our actual grandparents were. And that was what made me stop on the way down.

“Nancy?”

“Yes?”

And there was the kind smile I would never forget. The one that filled my childhood and rarely ever fell except when she was being serious or disappointed. And oh did I hate it when she gave me that look. The first time I got it was when I colored on the wall on the day my parents were scheduled to return. I had only wanted them to pay me some attention. After she had put me in a corner and got the mess cleaned up she had asked me about it and long story short I spent half an hour crying into her chest as she comforted me. Telling me that they did love me and they were just busy. I gave her my best smile back.

“I appreciate ya and Liza putting up with Nat and I when we were kids. I know we were difficult until the end here, but thanks. I love ya, Nancy. Don’t ya ever forget that.”

“Oh we love both of you kids too. Take care of yourself, Jazz.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

And then I was gone. Yeah I would miss Nancy and Liza. Maybe they would miss me too.

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Chapter 21: Kick It Harder And Maybe It'll Get Somewhere!

Summary:Jazz thinks up ways to cheer Prowl up.

“You’re really strong, Prowls. I know it doesn’t really seem like it, but you’ve endured a lot since the destruction of your nest.”

It was a warm Thursday afternoon. The early morning chill had long since passed and my main jobs seemed to be with the mers so far as it was better for me to be in the area to support Prowl. It had been brought up by Ratchet and supported by Aid. Since Blaster had his own goals I was the only other option. So I had little lessons on mers to look forward to every once in awhile when they had time and how they behaved and reacted to various marine life in depth. Ranging from pod members themselves to how they acted and reacted to different mer pods of various species to the plants they were familiar with.

“You’ve really had a rough go of things since birth really. Splitting off on your own to find another pod to merge with. Must’ve been difficult to find a pod to merge with that had two spots open. And you’ve lost a lot since then. But things will get better. Just hang on a little longer.”

I looked up to look at the mers that were watching as per usual. Quiet and dare I say curious? Their behaviour was something else. A complete 180 since Barricade had fallen ill and was taken away to the medbay. I took a second to place a name to them. Magis Accuratius. They were a type that were built for strength rather than speed or stealth as several others, but they were a peculiar type. It was actually kind of amazing how they worked. They built their nests with anything they could. They were known to make little fortresses for protection out of sunken ships and anything else that they could get their hands on. They caused trouble sometimes by taking apart structures underwater that were still in use, but most of the time they stayed away from the shore and people. Unfortunately they came into contact with people who went to scavenge the sunken materials and they were aggressive and protective of their nests like any mers. They had plenty of materials in their tank to build what they’d like, but so far it was untouched. What they had started had been abandoned with the death of their pod mate.

Prowl didn’t pay them any attention. He never spared a glance their way anymore. I knew he was aware that they were watching him, but I suppose it didn’t really matter when he was hurting like this. He was suffering so what did they matter? I shifted to slide him off of my lap and lay next to him. He reburied himself into me. Effectively hiding in my chest. I pet his ear fins.

“I promise ya that things will be ok. We just need to take this one day at a time. Keep looking too far ahead and it’ll seem impossible. Ya can’t see the end from here and it makes it seem hopeless. Trust me, Prowl, I know. I’ve had my own struggles. Different, but it’s the same concept. Ya can survive this and one day ya can look back and you’ll realize how far you’ve come.”

He was quiet, but his ear fins twitched. He was listening at least. He had been silent ever since that day and I wanted him to say something even if no one could understand. He had no one to talk to now, but that didn’t stop me from hoping. He had made sounds back at the cove and had greeted Blaster back when he had first gotten here with Barricade. Maybe he’d be able to talk with the others. They weren’t threatening him anymore so maybe they’d start talking one of these days. I know Prowl could use someone to talk to. Hell I wouldn’t mind him talking to me. Even if I couldn’t understand I’d still listen and he’d get it out. Damn language barriers.

“Ya know if ya want to talk I’ll listen… I know it seems really stupid as I can’t understand and I have no clue whether or not ya can actually understand me, but I think it’ll be good for ya. Ya can talk whenever ya feel like it and ya can take all the time you need. Otherwise I can just talk your ear off. I can be a pretty good distraction I think. It’s better than just sitting in silence and thinking about what happened. It’s kinda why I turned to music so long ago. It fills the silence and chases away the demons. Do ya have music down there? I know your language kinda sounds like you’re all singing, but that’s different.”

I paused as he shifted and curled further into me. I had hoped he was going to do something, but no. At least he had moved. I slid my hand down to his restless wing fin. It ceased its twitching when I pet it.

“Ya can just hit me or something if ya want me to shut up. I can’t tell what ya want, but I’m sure ya can get whatever ya want across. You’re smart. Look at ya opening doors and escaping traps and what not. Ya really are the sharpest they’ve come across so far from what they’re saying. Honestly you’re probably more clever than a lot of people in the world come to think of it. Oh I know maybe I can bring in some puzzles or something and we can work on those together. It’ll give ya something to do and it’s much better than just sitting here all day.”

This was actually a good idea. Prowl needed something and a change could help. Maybe we couldn’t speak, but we could make this work. We could work together on something. I could get some puzzles and buy a can of that ‘Never wet’ spray stuff and some puzzle glue so they wouldn’t fall apart.

“I bet ya could figure out puzzles if ya could figure out doors. It’s kinda the same thing.”

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Chapter 20: Hang On! Here Comes Another One!

Summary: With Barricade gone Prowl struggles and Jazz talks to Prowl about his family

Prowl had taken to searching for comfort from Blaster and I. We tried to be there as much as possible, but we had to leave at some point and there were times when we couldn’t be there during the day. Blaster had his own goals and I was pulled away on a patrol or rescue. Or of course there was the forced family gathering for us richys for show. My sister just ate it up. Holidays were tense and they were pushing me to get a ‘real’ job and of course father hinted at pulling strings to get me into a good college. Besides that and heading home I was with Prowl. Prowl spent the rest of that time in his nest. Hiding from the staff and his neighbors who tended to watch him more intently since his escapes. He only ate at night now or when Blaster and I came. He only took what we gave him during the day. At night he’d take it into his nest and the only evidence we had that he was actually eating at all was the fact that he was throwing the bones out of the tank and onto the floor in front of the tank. He had made it easier for us previously by moving the bones off to the corner far off corner of the tank as he preferred things clean, but this was new.

We had to go down into the tank to check the nest previously as he had been just bringing the fish into his nest and leaving the bones in there and we had no clue whether or not he was eating at all, but after the second time that happened he had started tossing it out and onto the floor. It was a pretty straight forward sign that he wanted to be alone and didn’t appreciate anyone snooping around his nest. He never acted out violently or really glared at anyone, but he got his points across just fine without any real aggression or threats.

I sighed as I sat on the feeding platform with Prowl laying with his head in my lap. This had been a norm since his stubborn asshole of a pod mate got himself killed. We would just sit there until I had to leave. He didn’t move or make a sound. Sometimes I would talk and other times I had carefully placed music playing. Then there were times where we would just sit in silence. Sometimes Blaster would join us and other times he didn’t. There were times I’d come to find that Blaster had beaten me to it. We’d pull out the loose and dying scales since he hadn’t been doing it himself lately. This was much worse than back in the cove.

“I know you’re hurting and all, but this whole hiding all day isn’t good for ya either. I kinda get where you’re coming from if ya believe it or not. Sure no one in my family has gone and died besides a great grandfather that I never knew, but I do in a way.” I spoke absentmindedly that morning. “I know that despite how my sister acts I’d do whatever I could for her. It’s a very complex feeling really. I mean I know that if I told her not to do something that she’d go and do it anyway and when she realized that I was right she’d never bring it up. We don’t and probably never will have a relationship that’s even close to half of what ya had with Barricade and the rest of your pod as we have been practically ignoring each other for since we hit our teen years, but I’ve done some things for her. I’ve pranked every ex boyfriend that she’s ever had just because she is family.”

I sighed again as the cool sunlight fell on us through the dome above. Prowls newfound little fan club was watching us. It was a usual things now, but I had to wonder what was up with them. They had threatened and went out of their way to either ignore Prowl and Barricade or try to aggravate them, but now they just watched quietly. I pulled out a few loose scales that just barely hung on to his side. It was quiet.

“It’s kind of sad. We used to be so much closer. Maybe I do it for what we used to be. We, as richys, tend to have our friends picked out for us. We bonded on hating our forced friends. Hiding from them and doing whatever we could to ditch them so we could do what we wanted to do. I remember we hid in the attic in the far corner behind all these boxes for hours. Back then she wasn’t afraid of the spiders and their webs so it was fine. We sneezed from the dust and giggled as we talked about what they were doing downstairs as we played board games we had stored up there. We were home schooled back then and were stuck with private tutors and we were all we had.” I paused to take a breath as I lost myself in the memory of what we lost. “We did everything together back then. We had to literally beg and pester our parents every chance we had to get to go to an actual school with other kids. That wasn’t often as our parents just left us with the two maids. They were more than enough for us from the way they think. Less money and having one each following us and cleaning up our messes and feeding us and it was fine in their book. They really only had us because it was expected of them as people in high society I think.”

I was probably an embarrassment. I hummed to myself a second. I already knew they didn’t like my working here. They were either pissed or thinking about disowning me. They never threatened it before, but from how they were never around I wouldn’t put it passed them. They had no doubt forgot about us when they were on business. We didn’t exist really unless it was for some gathering the way I saw it.

“When we finally got into a real school, of course that was after the argument that we didn’t want to go to a high quality school with our forced friends, that was when we were forced apart. For the first time we were separated and we had to socialize with others. It took some time, but we made our own friends and… Well we drifted apart. It was subtle at first and before we knew it there was this… Rift between us. It was like there was this wall and any attempt to break it down was awkward and we just quit trying. Her friends fed off her high status and money while mine couldn’t care less. Nat... She started playing dress up for mommy and daddy and followed their little plans and I… Well I’m here.”

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Chapter 24: AND There’s Names!

Summary: Names for the five mers!

When I wasn’t there on those rare occasions Blaster would be. He had taken to reading books out loud despite not knowing whether or not he could understand. Blaster had reasoned that he might as well read aloud instead of just sitting in silence when I asked him about it. It was kind of funny to see Prowl draped across his lap like an oversized cat while he read. I couldn’t tell if he was listening or napping, but he seemed content and with our efforts Prowl seemed just a little bit better over the last couple of weeks. He still wasn’t grooming himself or coming out during the day for others, but he seemed just a little less sullen. Maybe it was just me, but I thought that the puzzles and his little story times with Blaster were helping.

Then of course to add to the list of positives it seemed the five mers were trying to get Prowls attention now from what I was hearing. Aid was rather excited about it. If Prowl merged with them then there would be a complete pod that could be released back into the water. No doubt it would make all of their healing go much quicker and they’d let go. I doubted Prowl was the one who decided to start skulking around the bridge and attack people anyway. He wouldn’t go back to the bridge. As for the others Prowl could add some reason to their group. He’d definitely stick out among the black and greens, but they could protect him from predators and other mers. If things went bad then Prowl would think something up and escape.

However Prowl ignored their calls. He wouldn’t even look at them. Whether it was out of spite and some form of payback due to how they had been treating him and Barricade before or if he really just wasn’t interested we weren’t sure. They were much more active now. They called to him regularly. Watching and waiting for when he would emerge. It was something else to see them follow Prowl about to the best of their abilities with the glass and space between them. A couple of them were almost always pressed against the glass when Prowl was out of his little hidden nest. However they didn’t seem bothered in the slightest as they seemed to mildly fight for who was up against the glass anyway.

They kind of reminded me of children in a way. They were practically fighting for the attention that Prowl wasn’t even giving in the first place. It never came to blows or bites, but they did hiss and push each other occasionally. When Prowl eventually did look over it was to glare at them, but they responded like he had offered them the damn world instead of threaten them. The happy little noises and excited chatter was pretty funny though Prowl just did a sort of huff and turned away again.

Ratchet and Aid were paying attention to this much like everyone else. Aid was more obvious about it. Ratchet would just come in and watch for a few moments from the wall before leaving again. Aid was bouncing happily and even talked to the mers as much as he did everyone else. He really wanted this to work out.

I wasn’t bothered with it one way or the other. If he decided he wanted to give it a shot then he could give it a shot. If Prowl didn’t want to bother with them then he shouldn’t have to. Magis Accuratius were aggressive and strong and if he wasn’t comfortable with it then I would back him up. It would be the same if it they wanted to push him merging with the mini and the two Ante Secutors. The pair were battle types, made to fight and protect the pod, with strong scales for protection. They however hadn’t been brought up again since the five started whistling and tapping on the glass to try and get Prowl to acknowledge them.

They had started on a nest finally. They tore apart when they had started when they first got here to start anew. Chromia and Elita had gone and named the green black mers during their newest efforts to build a nest. There was Hook and his name came from the accident that brought them in. He had dozens of hooks in stuck in him back then. Bone Crusher got his name from the accident also for obvious reasons. Then there was Scavenger, who would search the sand and rocks and coral intently for anything and everything it seemed. Long Haul was easily bringing over the materials to their chosen site as Bone Crusher broke them off. Finally there was Mix Master. He made a substance with what he had that glued the pieces of their nest together. They cut pieces that seemed to fit together perfectly and it was amazing to watch. It was soon difficult to tell where they even broke apart and fitted them together with the way they were filling in cracks and smoothing things over. There was no wonder why they were called the builders of the sea now. If people could communicate with mers then these guys could really help with underwater construction. Mers in general could help save people and salvage things below the water that people couldn’t.

They worked on it silently and communicated rarely to each other as they focused on their designated jobs. The large nest they made was rather impressive and when they were satisfied they were back to trying to get Prowls attention. I wasn’t sure when they said exactly, but eventually Prowl actually left his nest with a growl. The others however whistled happily. Scavenger circled the nest with a noise that wavered between two notes and easily showed his joy. Prowl glared daggers as they howled and whistled to him. Then they stopped and seemed to be waiting for some sort of response. A couple of seconds later and Prowl just returned to his nest. They deflated and just stayed put for a time before they started to tear apart their well built nest. It was a shame really, but the next day they were building another. This one different from the other. Different design. More of this less of that kind of thing. They tried again the next morning. The excited sounds when Prowl finally emerged came Again and of course they waited Again. Prowl returned to his nest and they took their nest apart once Again to do it all over Again the next morning. Again. Again. Again. It was just a seemingly endless cycle.

However one morning they started to add little things in between their nest building. Scavenger popped up above the water and threw a shell of some sort over into Prowls tank. The noise made Prowl jet out of his nest to investigate whatever had invaded his space. He quickly noticed the pink and red shell as it sunk down slowly. He caught it and looked it over before directing his attention to the green and black mers. Scavenger made a soft sound as the others fought each other for the space against the glass that was closest to Prowl. Prowl crushed the shell in his hands and let it drop as he returned to his nest. They deflated and went back to work.

The next day they saved and threw over some of their own breakfast as some sort of offering in the afternoon. Prowl didn’t touch it until Blaster came in with dinner. Prowl just dropped it out of the tank and crawled into his lap to eat what Blaster gave him as he glared at his now overly friendly neighbors. They looked like he had struck them at that. The looks on their faces were comical with how fast they went from excited to disbelief and upset. For some reason they appeared to be mildly confused on some level that Prowl would willingly jump up to meet us and lay in our laps. To build things with us and let us touch him. It made sense since they had a bit of a throw down with humans and lost one of their own, but they had stopped biting and growling at us after a while when we started feeding them and giving them their materials to build with.

On another morning they made some sort of necklace out of some underwater flowers and threw it over with a shell attached to it. Prowl looked them dead in the eye as he snapped the seaweed string and shredded the flowers. They looked heartbroken as he returned to his nest. I was starting to wonder if they were going to give up after that one. Prowl obviously wanted nothing to do with them. But the next day they had made some type of art out of some of the coral. They made smooth little round or oval like shapes from it and carved in little designs with their claws and threw them over for Prowl to inspect. Prowl had took one look at them and returned to his nest with a rather irritated expression. Whether this was putting him in a bad mood or not he was coming out his nest during the day even if it was only for a few seconds. Maybe this was good for him.

Arcee and plenty of others had wanted to look at the art including Percy and Jack. It was something that would no doubt want to be studied along with this behaviour. But when Arcee entered Prowls tank the five stopped working on their newest nest to look at her. Their scales rose slowly when Prowl came out to investigate. She wasn’t even slightly bothered by Prowl as she went down to the bottom to gather and look at the scattered art stones as she was calling them. That was when they started hissing and growling. They were throwing a fit in their own tank when she started to pick them up. Prowl just followed her around and watched her curiously like he did whenever anyone entered his tank to clean it or for any other purpose.

Arcee ignored them, pet Prowl, and then pushed off the bottom to surface with the items. Prowl watched her another moment before returning to his nest despite how his neighbors were acting mere feet away. Each one had something different on them. One had what looked like a snake curling all around the coral stone, its jaws open to show fangs and a large and dangerous looking fin on its back. Another had what looked to be some sort of large underwater flower with a large amount of petals and a strange stem that split off toward the bottom. The next had a swirl of fish around it in several neat rings. Then there was one that had a forest of seagrass or some other plant with little fish and other creatures hiding within. Finally there was one that held a ship wreckage that probably was their home before they came into contact with humans. Each one was surprisingly neat and detailed. If they could make things like this then there were a lot of things that could be explained and it really opened some new doors. Did they have their own art? Could they write? Did they have their own real written language? Could people learn it? Could they learn ours?

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Chapter 10 My Disaster Spread To Another Part So I Can Explore

We were on the ledge under the bridge. Going by boat was too much of a risk from what had been going on at the moment. So here we were just scouting the area out. The water crashed and churned weakly around the support structures making it all the more difficult to see what lay below the surface. Everything was far too quiet considering what had been going on. Blurr was pacing the other side with Arcee while Mirage and I went at a much more casual pace. Just searching for any sign of the mers causing the chaos. Then I caught a glimpse of something. Just a flash of muted white and soft black. My heart nearly leaped from my chest.

“Prowl?” My voice was soft as I kneeled near the edge.

I was caught between my amazement that he was alive and came back and how he could possibly be the cause of such destruction. Damn. If only I had some m&ms. I took a moment before I whistled a quiet tune. Cautiously I dipped my fingers in the water to snap a few times before drawing them back out. It wouldn’t do for me to be wrong and losing my hand in the process. There was cautious movement below the surface and I instinctively drew back a little. Reports suggested more that one. Even if Prowl was back that meant that there was one or more that didn’t know me and would probably act aggressively to my entering their space.

“Prowl? Ya down there, Prowler?”

There was nothing for a time and I had began to lose hope when a dual colored mer settled just under the surface. Still and cautious. The much more noticeable red that lined his tail fin came into view for a second and I found my hope replenished. I couldn’t keep myself from grinning.

“Prowl. Hey there pal.” I greeted as I touched the top of the water with my fingertips.

He glided around my hand and to the ledge where he popped up cautiously. I could see Blurr and Arcee stop to watch us on the other side and the way he glanced to my right every so often I knew Mirage was as well.

“So you’ve been causing trouble lately, huh?” I setted more casually on the edge. “I really thought ya weren’t going to come back. I’m happy and all that ya did, but attacking people is just going to make things worse for ya. Keep this up and you’ll end up hurt again.”

I could hear Mirage talking to someone quietly via phone or walkie talkie. Prowl glanced around every once in awhile. I couldn’t tell if he was just wary of the others or if he was searching for Blaster. He didn’t look as bad off as I thought he would. Most definitely underfed, but he looked ok. It felt good to know he was ok and be able to talk to him again.

“Blaster’s not here. He’s doing whatever it is Blaster’s do. He’s still on that path to marine biologist though. So anyway ya don’t look like you’re starving to death yet. A little thinner maybe, but it looks like you’ve been managing.”

I ghosted my fingers along an earfin to test the waters. He didn’t flinch away or try and swipe at me so I closed the rest of the distance. Things were just as they were supposed to be for about two seconds before the water broke and I was throwing myself back and out of the way of a large black and white mer. He had way more black and was far more aggressive. This one was, I had no doubt trying to rip my head off. Mirage was at my side in a second and Prowl with a hiss lunged at the other mer. My heart was pounding and the water gave nothing away as to what was happening below it. The sounds however did. Distorted growls and yelps just reached the surface. Then the water was slowly giving off shades of red. The water thrashed and then it just stopped.

4444444444444444444444 The Fours Are Infiltrating The Government!444444444444

I was struggling with the question of whether or not I had killed my friend as we pulled an angry mer out of the water to be loaded onto the truck and taken to the facility. It was covered in slashes and bite marks and I had to guess that Prowl was in a similar condition. However the sneaky and clever mer he was, he was gone. No clue as to where he went, but thankfully Blaster had a brain that wasn’t riddled with worry and guilt and had pointed us in the direction of the cove. And low and behold he was curled up on the perch. He had his own gashes and the most we got were some low growls and whimpers. It had been much easier to catch him than last time. Ratchet had about beat my head in and screamed my ear off for being stupid after he and Aid went to work in taking care of the two winged mers. However I didn’t mind too much. I didn’t care so long as Prowl would be alright.

I sighed as I touched my forehead to the glass. “I really hope I didn’t get ya killed.”

Prowl was in one of the quarantine tanks and the other mer was in another in the next room. He hadn’t given even the slightest hint of waking since he was moved in.

“He’s not as bad as the other one. I think he’ll be fine.” Blaster added his own sigh to the silence. “So what did you do that made them fight?”

“I don’t know. One minute I was talking to Prowl and the next that other one was trying to rip out my intestines.”

“Well you must’ve done something. From what I understand so far they’re thinking their siblings. It makes sense that they’d fight prior to this when trying to decide an alpha after mourning, but This was not about dominance nor are fights for the new alpha position this bloody or damaging. So again… What did you do?”

“I was just talking to him. Petting his ear fin. Ya know the usual.”

“Yeah… You fucked up.”

“What? How?”

“You don’t just go and touch a mer. You know this. It was probably just trying protect him you idiot.”

“Well thanks. That means a lot. You’re such a Great friend.”

“I know.”

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Chapter 18: Next Up!

Summary:Barricade is still an asshole.

It was safe to say that we weren’t going to do that again. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were brought back to their tank a day later and seemed to be healing well enough to be left to their own devices. They were acting much more lethargic for obvious reasons and Bee had been bringing their share of the food to them instead of them getting it themselves. Prowl on the other hand was pacing about the tank. Barricade had been practically torn apart and was making things difficult in the med bay for Ratchet and Aid. He had to be sedated nearly all the time because he’d struggle and snap at them. Hissing and glaring whenever they even looked at him. His wing fin had to be rewrapped several times and bled plenty each time he tore it back open. He’d howl and screech each time he ripped it back open and that would set Prowl off. He’d whistle and pop his head out of the water and on occasion he’d even look at me for an answer. Blaster and I had tried to reassure him, but that only went so far.

I didn’t understand why he didn’t just stop. I mean he was only hurting himself. It wasn’t like Ratchet and Aid were doing anything to hurt him. Aid especially was much more caring and easy when it came to taking care of him. But still he threatened Aid all the same. Maybe they couldn’t speak the way we did and maybe they had no clue what we said, but they weren’t stupid. He wasn’t stupid. He knew what he was doing. He knew that they weren’t going to hurt him. He knew and yet out of pure stubbornness he fought them. He clawed at his bandages. Wiped off the medication whenever he got the chance. Tore off the splint that held his wing fin in place.

“What is your Problem?” I snapped at the mer one morning.

He was glaring at me as per usual, but it had a little less bite than normal. He had lost plenty of blood this morning. Again. I didn’t even want to think of what he was costing the facility with his attitude.

“Just what are ya trying to do? What is the point of this?”

My gesturing at him had earned a growl, but I could not care less than I already did. The only reason I was here was for Prowl. Not him. Prowl was upset and if getting him to knock it off would help then I was going to damn well try. As much as I hated it, if Barricade got himself killed just because he was being difficult then Prowl was going to suffer for it.

“This isn’t helping anyone and certainly not ya. What exactly are ya hoping to accomplish? All you’re doing is hurting yourself and Prowl. I bet ya didn’t think about that. Whatever ya do affects Prowl too.”

He didn’t even look slightly bothered by what I was saying. Even if he had no clue what I was saying he knew what Prowl was at least. Prowl had been trying to reach him and since Prowl could hear him from the tank I had no doubt he could hear Prowl too.

“Then there was the thing with the tank. What were ya thinking? Things seemed to be going pretty well from where I was standing. It was your fault that ya got hurt. It is Your fault that you’re in here. Prowl was doing fine with Bee. And ya know what? The other two weren’t even bothered by Prowl. Their only problem was ya and how ya wouldn’t back down. Can’t ya just Not be yourself for five minutes? Things would have gone fine if ya hadn’t of done anything. Ya might even have a bigger pod and be back in the ocean if ya had just left them alone. But no.”

I stopped a moment to glare back at him with a huff. He was not looking good, but he still had to go and growl and glare at everyone. Didn’t he get sick of it? Didn’t it get tiring to keep this up?

“I don’t like ya. I mean I Really don’t like ya. I wouldn’t care too much if ya kicked it, but Prowl needs ya. So ya really need to get over yourself and start being a little friendlier or you’re never going to get out of here. Just quit being an asshole for a while, huh? If not for yourself then do it for Prowl.” With that I turned around and left.

444444444444 Nooooo! The Fours Have Returned!4444444444444

It was hoped that if he was returned to the tank that he would quit ripping off his bandages. Or at least Prowl could convince him to knock it off. But that hope was in vain. He tore at them and on more than one occasion he got around to ripping off the splint that kept his wing fin in place. Prowl had been trying to clean his wounds and even hissed at him for touching the bandages. It seemed that on more than one occasion they were arguing, but since it never turned physical no one tried to stop them. Barricade had made several half hearted swipes at Prowl whenever he had tried to clean or check his wounds, but he always ended up letting Prowl fuss over him. He just lay there and pouted when Prowl rewrapped the wounds.

It was a cycle I’m sure Prowl was getting sick of even with his seemingly unlimited patience. Barricade would rip off the bandages and tear open his wounds again in the process and then Prowl would argue with him and rewrap them, putting pressure on the wounds until the bleeding stopped. Then it would happen again. My little lecture hadn’t done a damn thing and no matter what anyone did or said he refused to stop. Refused to even try to be semi passive. Always growling and hissing and snapping. He was going to kill himself if this kept up. Then Prowl was really going to be alone. Why couldn’t he just stop?

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Chapter 9: Chapter 9! Yes! The Chapter of Destiny!

Summary:Prowl comes face to face with the MWPA.

Notes:I apologize for the delay. My anxiety has been getting the best of me lately. So without any further delay here it is!

I had desperately wanted this place to be horrible. To just give me a reason, just one reason to deny that they were fit to take care of him. Something that shouted they weren’t as professional as they claimed. Yet the back of the facility was way better than the front. There was a fully stocked and organized medical room. A practically glimmering kitchen and cooler/ freezer. There were several rooms for extreme cases and quarantined mers. The main areas where the tanks sat the sunlight shone down through a large glass dome. Each one except a select few fixed with plants and rocks from the ocean to add a more homey feeling. The place was perfect. The staff knew exactly what they were doing and the mers present were totally at ease with the staff. I wanted to curse. I never promised anything though. I never said that I’d tell them where he was. I was tempted to just turn around and never come back, but… I couldn’t be selfish. Prowl needed them. Without help he wouldn’t last.

“Do ya think we could come visit him?”

“Normally I’d say no, but in this case I suppose I could make an exception. But not without someone watching you until further notice.”

I huffed. I suppose that was the best I was going to get. I was doing this for Prowl. I yielded.

“Fine. We’ll show you.”

On the way there I had to keep reminding myself that this was for Prowl. I couldn’t be selfish. We’d still get to see him. He was going to be fine with them. The free ride to the beach was quiet. This was for Prowl. We weren’t betraying or abandoning him. This was for Prowl. He needed them. We couldn’t help him. This was the only thing that we could do for him. We were close. I drew in a breath and let it out.

“Stop here. The cove is hidden there.”

We led them down to the cove where Blaster explained the underwater path that he slipped through.

“Just the one, huh?”

“Yep. It’s just Prowl. We haven’t seen another in the entire time we’ve been taking care of him.”

“Alright lets set up the net barriers. Cliff, Eric, lets go. Do it quickly and quietly. Gale I swear if you rush him I will beat you upside the head.”

“I got it. I got it. Arcee gives me enough of an earful every time she’s on rescue. If you want quiet and careful then you might want Mirage over there to do it. They don’t call me Blurr for no reason.”

Eric let out a soft sigh as he continued to assist in setting up the nets. The orange buoys drifted in a semi circle around the cove. The net rose above the water high enough to prevent jumping over due to the support beams attached to the buoys. However Ratchet didn’t bother answering him.

“Be gentle and careful. We need him out here, but I swear if you put any unnecessary stress on him not only will you get it from me, but I’ll let Arcee and Chromia know as well.”

“Ouch. I get it. I’ll be careful.”

With that Gale disappeared into the cove. Blaster and I stood in a tense silence as we watched them work. It was far too quiet as everyone waited. Eric and Cliff waited on both ends of the trap. There was nothing besides the soft crashing of the waves. The two with the protective armor in the water were watching carefully. Was Prowl really that bad off that he didn’t care or have the will to deal with someone unknown entering his home? That thought was thrown out as without warning Prowl shot from the cove like a bullet. He stopped just in time to not run into the net, water churning and twisting around him. Turning fast he made to duck back into the safety of the cove only to find that Cliff and Eric had swiftly brought the two ends together and with an audible click they let it go. He darted about in the trap in search of an escape he wouldn’t find as Gale left the cove with a grin.

“Well look at that.” Ratchet breathed.

“What? What is it? Is he ok?” Blaster glanced between our pacing mer friend and Ratchet.

“You really don’t know what you’ve found, do you?” Gale asked.

“Uh? A mer?”

“Yes, but what he means is that your mer is a part of a dying breed. Magis Avium if you want to fall on scientific terms. Winged mers are endangered. Since there is never enough of them to form a pod they’ve been joining with other pods with insufficient numbers. Geminus Avium or the double winged mers have it almost as rough, but they’ve survived in groups of three due to their speed. We haven’t seen one of his kind in years. We were starting to wonder if they were all gone.” Ratchet explained.

Blaster looked ready to ask another question when the water started to splash violently. Prowl was darting back and forth in an aggressive line and using all of his fins to make the water rock. The buoys and net tipped back and forth as they struggled to steady it. As soon as it tipped low enough he cleared the trap with a timed jump and I nearly laughed at the looks on their faces.

“Shit!” Eric hissed.

Prowl popped back up further away. For some reason I felt of a spark of pride. No wonder they haven’t been able to catch him. He was careful in staying out of sight and only appearing at hours where people were scarce and now he was apparently clever enough to escape their traps. He scanned the area before disappearing into the deep water. Prowl never came back.

444444444444 The Fours Are Planning to Overthrow the Writing Government!444444444

Needless to say I desperately missed my mer friend and for a while I’d visit the cove from time to time only to find it empty. No bones from the stray fish that got sucked into the current. No shed scales that glimmered under the water. Blaster moved on and eventually I did too. He started volunteering at the MWPA and I followed after a while not wanting to be left alone. I had nowhere to really go. Nothing that caught my eye. No goal to reach. Blaster started working under Percy, the resident zoologist and occasionally Jack. However Jack had a bad habit with things shorting, sparking and lighting fires, and exploding. More or less it was thankful he worked around water. I on the underhand starting working with Eric, Cliff, and Blurr. Eric had the nickname Mirage for basically being as silent as night. Disappearing and reappearing without you really noticing. Cliff adored the underwater plant life and would collect samples for Percy and Ratchet to store or refine to turn into medicine or supplements. Gale was Blurr. Just Blurr and he was a ranger. Patrol the area and be a general look out. First one on the scene with Arcee and Chromia. Ella or Elita as she was called sometimes worked the front desk most of the time, but was more than happy to do field work. Then there was Ethan or Aid. He was one of the main rehabilitators. Assisting Ratchet in treating and working with the mers in the facility.

What started as volunteer work turned into a part time job as I got out of highschool and then a full time job. I just went where life took me. Took the classes and training I needed. I was still as directionless as I’d always been. I was in the middle of once again wondering if this was what I wanted once again when the reports of the boats around the bridge being attacked came in.

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