The Tail Of Taekook

20 - Forget Me Not

We get to our destination maybe an hour later, mainly due to the fact that we're going so slowly. The dolphins seem nervous, as if they're waiting for something. And that doesn't bode well in my mind. Why should they be nervous? What are they leading us towards?

What is all this about?

Sensing my curiosity and confusion, Jungkook glances over at me and squeezes my hand reassuringly. "If it comes to it, we can use your skill to get out of there," he suggests quietly, and I shrug.
"We don't even know if it's a real skill. It could just be me wishing I was that powerful," I remind him, and he smiles ruefully, pressing his lips against my cheek for a moment.

"No, I think you genuinely do have some sort of power," he insists, before looking up at the pod as three dolphins start clicking and whirring at once. He frowns, speeding up slightly as they do, causing the rest of us to do the same.

"Kook, what's going on?" Namjoon asks, and my mate turns his attention to us.
"It's weird," he says simply, "they aren't talking to me. I think they're talking to the individual that sent them, and they're telling them that they've done as requested. They've found us. They say that they follow the instructions to work out which group is the right one, as well." Jungkook's eyes darken somewhat, and his expression becomes serious. "A group of eight mer, in the sea without any other mer joining them, in which there is a pair with golden and purple tails."

The sea seems to almost tremble around us, which is an odd thing to feel, as this isn't exactly a normal occurrence. Usually, the sea doesn't shake. It has waves, currents. That sort of thing. But it never just trembles and oscillates in place. That doesn't make sense.

Something is going to happen. I just don't know what yet.

"Tae, baby, stick with me," Jungkook says out of nowhere, "I don't trust this at all. I'm a little concerned that I'll lose you if we don't cling together. I think all pairs need to keep together as much as possible. If it comes to it, we can all meet up when this is over. Stay with your mates."

Namjoon nods, taking Jin's hand without any sort of argument, as every single pair does the exact same as us. We know that whatever today holds, it's not the normal day of adventure. Something is in the water, an atmosphere of strangely meaningful events happening. The sea is full of annual events that are vital to every living thing. But this feels different.

And then there's a rumble, and the dolphins click and whir again, as if in reply. Jungkook's eyes widen, and he flicks his tail powerfully, keeping up with yet another change in pace, pulling me along with him and gesturing to the rest of us to speed up as well. "They're impatient, whoever it is," he mutters, "it's got the pod nervous. It's almost like it's controlling them. Anyone got any myths that could link to this? Literally anything?"

"Sorry, Kook, I'm drawing a blank here," Namjoon says apologetically, and Sapphire and Jimin look at each other and shake their heads. Yoongi and Hoseok have similar expressions on their faces, and I shake my own head.
"I would help if I could," I put in, and my mate smiles fondly at me.

"You entered the sea two weeks ago. That's not enough time to catch up with every myth and legend of the mer," he tells me quietly, and I smile back, squeezing his hand, as the dolphins lead us through a barely visible crack in the rocks below us, into a part of the ocean that I don't think anybody has ever seen before.

It's almost disquieting, the change in the water, and my heart begins to race. Jungkook looks over at me, sensing my nervousness, and feeling it as well. He doesn't like this either. It just seems wrong, and I don't know why. There's an atmosphere of heaviness in the water, of pain, and Jimin especially seems to sense it. Which makes sense, given his particular skill.