Restless Waves

Chapter 9

The Thalassic Mortal swam away in a furious rage. He gave an exaggerated push of his tail as he moved deeper and deeper under the ocean. He kept swimming until he reached the ocean floor and followed it for a while. The Thalassic Mortal occasionally dragged his fingers through the sand or yanked out seagrass to throw at fish.

He wasn't as alert and focused because he couldn't stop thinking about the stupid land mortal who had ruined his life forever. The silence of the ocean didn't help to distract him.

"Kaerius," a voice said in the Sea Creatures tongue. The Thalassic Mortal stopped in the tall seagrass and waited for the sand to settle. Out of the rocks, his uncle swam with his long blonde hair waving against the current.

"Laiken," Kaerius replied in the same tongue, inspecting his uncle's tail. "Have you recovered?"

"From getting shot in the tail by that human? Yes, my tail has healed, but my father will never let me live it down. I'm glad you got a chance to end that human's life," Laiken said, circling Kaerius to show him his tail. His red scales reflected a beautiful shine from the sun that lit up the reef.

"I didn't kill him," Kaerius said, running a hand through his black hair when his uncle moved his tail in a way that pushed the water over him, and his hair went in his eyes.

"But I saw you pull him off the boat."

"I couldn't kill him."

Laiken stopped circling him and stared. "You couldn't kill the human who tried to kill me?" he asked, trying not to appear as insulted as he felt.

"It's complicated," Kaerius mumbled, eyeing a Codfish who manoeuvred through the seagrass. He had barely eaten in three days.

"Did he get away? Are you embarrassed about it? Some thought you were dead," Laiken said, slapping his tail against his nephew's tail to get his attention.

"Yes, he got away," Kaerius grumbled and slapped him back.

Laiken shook his head, and his blond hair floated back and forth. "I'm disappointed in you."

Kaerius's purple eyes darkened when his brows pushed into them. He moved closer to his uncle. "I don't care what you think of me. You're the one who got shot in the tail and screamed about it like a whale."

Laiken shoved him away, though he was used to Kaerius's insults. He looked him up and down like there was something different about him and he didn't quite know what it was. "Where did you go for three days?"

"For a swim, now leave me alone," Kaerius muttered and started moving along the sea floor, stalking anything that moved.

"You're a bad liar," Laiken said and followed him, also hungry.

"And you're a bad father replacement."

"Kaerius, you're twenty-years-old. You don't need a father figure anymore." Laiken grabbed his tail, and Kaerius spun like a shark ready to attack. "I only looked after you to keep you out of trouble, that is all."

"Well, Laiken, what in the seas are you still doing here? The group is moving west in a few days. Go without me if you don't care that much." Kaerius changed direction, but Laiken still followed him.

"Stop nephew, now!" Laiken demanded, and the fish Kaerius stalked swam away from the raised voices. "What do you mean 'go without you'? You're coming with us."

Kaerius clenched his jaw and gripped the sand. He didn't turn around. "I'm staying."

"You're what now!" Laiken yelled. "You're not staying! Your entire family is going!"