Deeper Waters [Leviathantale]

Ch4 - Reaper

Reapers POV

As a leviathan, Reaper was fiercely protective of what he owned, and had intended to act accordingly upon whoever had dared trespass onto his territory. He was a creature to be feared, his power rivalling even the other leviathans of the ocean, and only those with a death wish would dare to cross him.

But when he spotted the frightened little mer, he felt himself falter in his goal. They were a mere child! Reaper could feel their very soul pulse with distress, a silent plead for help. It tugged on his own soul, unburying maternal instincts he never knew he had. Any anger he had melted away.

Why was the little mer all alone? Where were their parents? The ocean was not a safe place for any creature to be alone, not unless they were powerful like Reaper. Even mersharks had their own shivers to help keep them safe. This wasn't just a regular mer child... they were a leviathan. He could sense it the moment he laid eyes on them.

This was something so incredibly rare in the ocean, that he immediately knew he could not just leave them here. Leviathans were a dying race, and he had no intention to contribute to that, even if he had no knowledge on looking after children.

The little one didn't notice him in their distress, so he shifted into his smaller form, deciding he did not want to frighten them further. They seemed frightened at first, but made no attempt to run away, which he was thankful for.

The longer he interacted with the little one, the more he begun to realise that something was not right. What ocean dweller did not know what coral was called? What did they mean by never seeing moving fish before? Why did they think numbers and letters were their name? Slowly, the answer he sought dawned upon him.

The little mer had clearly been captured at one point - the chains on their wrists, neck and tail were quite obviously human made contraptions. They chaffed uncomfortably, wearing down the bone, a clear sign they had been there for a long time. Had this been their first taste of freedom? Did... they even know anything about the ocean, or was everything new?

When the little one pulled his hands to their face, nuzzling them, his soul warmed. Just a small act of affection and he was already becoming increasingly attached to the child. And stars, those little chirps, they were so precious. Whilst the name 'Cookie' wouldn't be something he would have chosen, it was clear it made the little one happy, and he would not be the one to take that joy away from them.

He just hoped that his beloved Geno would approve of his decision to take the little Leviathan in. Neither were experienced with children, but that didn't mean they couldn't learn together with little Cookie in their care.

It didn't take long until Reaper reached his nest. The little one was cuddled adorably in his arms, having fallen asleep at some point in the journey. Maybe that was a good thing - he could tend to the wounds whilst they slept instead of putting him through that pain whilst they were awake.

"Reaper! Is everything okay?" Geno let out as he peered from their little cave. His gaze quickly shifted to the little one in his arms, shock filling him. "Where... did you get a baby mer!?"

"Leviathan," he corrected, planting a gentle kiss upon his lover's forehead. "Their name is Cookie. They don't... have anyone. From what I can tell, they were raised in a lab by landwalkers. I don't think they even know how to hunt..."

Geno's expression shifted to empathy. "And you want to take them in?" he inquired, though he already knew the answer to it. With a mere nod of confirmation, he sighed. "I think we both know that we don't know how to look after a babybones. Is this really such a good idea?"

"We can't just leave them," Reaper insisted as he placed the babybones into their shared nest, beginning to pull out the shards of glass and wrap the wounds with seaweed so they could heal. Cookie stirred a little but remained asleep. Reaper knew that the poor thing must have been exhausted to sleep through it, especially with how bad the glass had cut their tail up.

"Of course not. But... maybe one of the other Leviathans would be better suited to it?" Reaper frowned at the suggestion, causing Geno to chuckle. "You're already attached, aren't you?"

Reaper sighed, looking conflicted. "I... might be," he admitted.

"Well, regardless, I'll support you. I love you, Reaper. And if you want little, uh, Cookie, was it? If you want Cookie to be part of our family, then I'll gladly accept them."

Cookie stirred a little in their sleep, seemingly uncomfortable with the seaweed bandages. Taking over from Reaper, Geno carried them into his arms, humming gently in hopes it might calm them in their sleep. It seemed to have worked.

"You're a natural," Reaper teased with a smirk.

"Oh, shush, you," Geno playfully retorted. "Maybe you should go hunting. The little one will probably want to eat when they awaken," he let out thoughtfully. It wouldn't be hard for them to hunt enough for the new family member, at least, not whilst they were still so small. "With the state of their bones, I doubted they've had a proper, full meal on their lifetime... poor thing."

Reaper nodded. "Be patient when they awake. Cookie seems quite shy and fearful, but they just need patience."

It was Geno's turn to nod. "We'll be fine. I'll rest with the little one for now."

Reaper gave a final look to the two of them, then finally moved away from the cave and back into the endless expanse of waters. He was a predator of the sea, an excellent hunter, and would be sure to bring back nothing but the best for his family.