Deeper Waters [Leviathantale]

Ch2 - Fear

Cookies pov

You didn’t know how long you had been asleep for, but when you finally awoke, the first thing you noticed was that you were able to move your body without restraint. The heavy chains still connected to your body made it a little difficult, but you were not crammed into a small tank like you had been once before.

It felt strange to be able to stretch out to your full length, to flick your tail and actually swim. You never had the chance to do that before! Excited, you instantly begun to swim around, only to let out a whine as a sharp pain suddenly enveloped your body. 

There were still chunks of glass embedded in your tail. Some were as large as your hands, dug in so deep that you wondered if it would cause long term damage. With trembling hands, you gripped one of the larger chunks, trying to pull it from the flesh of your tail. Blood spewed into the water and you let out a cry of pain, instantly abandoning the action. 

How did you even get glass in your- oh. You shuddered as you remembered the events leading to your release into the sea. Everything had happened so fast, and you didn’t really understand why it happened. Your captor had killed everybody because he thought you were a Leviathan? Then threw you into the sea? 

The word Leviathan was familiar, but you couldn’t figure out why. Whatever it was, you decided, must have been a bad thing. The reaction of the scientist made that clear to you. Were... were you really a leviathan? Did that make you bad? You didn’t want to be bad...

You looked around you. Every direction seemed to be endless water. There were no clouded glass tanks, no artificial lights, no humans to strap you down or prod you with tools... You were truly free. And that... frightened you.

You knew that being kept in a tank for experimentation was not at all natural, but it was all you had ever really known. You had fully expected to die in that lab, never having a taste of freedom, but now you were free,  you found yourself daunted at the possibilities of this place.

You knew nothing about how to be independent. Who would feed you? Would you have to hunt? What if you got hurt? Were there others like you? Would they be friendly? Or would they try to hurt you? Would they know you were.. bad?

You couldn’t remember a time you had ever been free. Some part of you knew the ocean was your true home, but even with that knowledge, you had no explicit memory of any time there before your capture. Had it just been so long that the memory had faded? Or were you only a young mer when you had been snatched from the seas?

Was... was it possible you had a family? Out here, somewhere? Would they even want you? Would they want somebody as weak and broken as you were? What if they let the researchers take you? Maybe they never wanted you to begin with!

You didn't want to be here anymore. At least in the tank, you knew what to expect. You knew the punishments for misbehaving. You knew after they hurt you, they made sure you wouldn't just die. But now you, didn't know anything. You weren't safe here! You weren't safe anywhere!

You were spiralling, and fast. You clawed at yourself in your increasing distress, barely causing damage. Using them like this just caused a terrible ache in each of your fingers. Those claws had once been sharp, and it was agonising to remember how you had been strapped down every few months to have them forcibly filed down.

Your eyes squeezed tightly shut as you curled in on yourself, sobbing. Everything was far too much, so you let it all out, a lifetime of torment and pain easily heard in your anguished wails. You were so afraid and miserable that you did not even recognise as something large came towards you.

“Hello little one...” a deep voice let out. You choked on your sob, instantly quieting down but not feeling any less terrified. You stared with wobbly eyelights at the larger entity, shrinking back under their piercing gaze.

Your bones rattled from your sheer terror at the stranger, the sound echoing in the water. What was the creature in front of you? Was it some kind of mer? He was so big! Was he going to hurt you? Eat you? You didn't want to die!

He wore deep black robes that ebbed and flowed gently in the water around him, causing him to look dark and ethereal. Though his face was obscured somewhat by the hood he adorned, you were close enough to him that you could see the skeletal features. His white eyelights glowed gently. Something about them seemed... soothing, despite the fear that you felt.

Your eyes trailed quickly passed his midsection, taking in the sight of his tail. It definitely didn’t look like yours. Yours was skinny and long, and whilst he was still definitely larger, his take was shorter in proportion to his body. His tail looked like... like it was from an orca?

The creature eyed you for a moment, seemingly taking in your fragile state. You weren’t a threat, of course you weren’t – not like this. His eyes seemed to become more gentle after looking you over. He raised his hands as though to say he meant no harm, moving back ever so slightly to give you space.

“I will not hurt you. Are you alone, little one?” The question made you cry harder. You didn't want to be alone, but now that you weren't, you didn't know what to do! You were so frightened, thrown into a world unfamiliar to you. He sighed as though he had expected the reaction. “Someone as young as you shouldn’t be alone. Where is your shiver?”

Shiver? You didn’t know what that word meant. Not knowing what he was asking fuelled your fear further. Would you get in trouble for not knowing? Would he punish you? “I-I don’t know what that is! I don’t, I don’t, I...” you sobbed out fearfully. Having never spoken much previously, your voice sounded awfully gravelly and broken, especially with how you sobbed and hiccupped.