Land and Sea

Chapter Three

He stopped a little while later. I was awestruck, this is his home.

It was a city, it's made out of coral and sea plants. He and I swam foward, I looked up at him. He smiled at me "this way." he led me down to a trench and I held on to him as we swam. We stopped in the middle and he pushed a rock in then another a few feet above. A door opened and he took my hand in his. We swam through the entrance it was so cool. The walls were actually clear thin crystal slabs that were jellyfish paths. The jellyfish swam through the wall and used it as a highway. We stopped at a seaweed and coral door. He pushed it open and led me inside. He closed the door and we continued swimming down another hallway. We swam to another door like the other one and stopped. He opened it and guided me in. He closed the door, I was awestruck. It was like a simple shop but it had seashell bras, dresses, and jewelry. He led me to the back of the shop "stay here for a second." he swam behind a seaweed curtain. I heard him talking to someone. I saw him swim out a second later with a girl who looked sort of like her. She swam up to me and hugged me. She swam back and apologized. She squealed "I am so glad to meet you! My brother told me that your a mermaid who lived on land your entire life. You here about them but I have never met one before! I am Mazursky (pronounced May-Zer-skii) but you can call me May. I am glad my brother found his mate! Let's get you in proper clothes. Come on! I made all of these and I own this shop so you dont have to worry." I looked at her then at him shocked. He swam up to me and held my hand as she went to grab somethings. He kissed my cheek "I know she is energetic and all over the place. I am sorry I told her to start off slow instead of talking your ear off. " I held his hand in mine "it's fine. She is excited to meet someone.  Is she the only girl besides your mom in your family?" he nodded. She swam in a second later "I have clothes for you to try on! Come on I will show you where the changing rooms are!" she grabbed my arm and pulled me to a room. He mouthed 'sorry' we stopped just outside a seaweed curtain. She put a mound of items in my arms "this is the changing room. Go try on these!" I swam into the changing room. I tried on a seashell bra, it was a size to small, I tried on another a size to big. I tried on a light blue one it fit perfectly. The straps were some type of string with a pearl on each place where it connect to the bra. I held the straps that go around my neck in my hand and the one that goes around my upper torso in the other. I swam out "can you please help me tie the straps?" I looked up. I was expecting her to be there but he was. I turned beat red "of course. My sister went to help someone." he swam up to me. I turned around and his hands replaced my hand as he started tying the strap around my neck. I held the bra up with my arm as I held the second strap. He moved my hair off my neck and started tying. He paused "too loose or is it good?" I was nervous "it's to loose." he tightened it. He tied it "what about now?" I nodded "it's good. " he touched my upper back. I let go of the strings as I put my hands down. I quickly held the bra as it started to float up. I turned beet red as he started tying. He paused "uh i-is it good?" he stuttered I nodded. I put my hands down and turned around. He looked at me "what do you think?" he looked at my torso for a second "if it fits and you like it then it's good. " I went back in the changing room. I swam back out with another top that wasnt a seashell bra. I held it against my chest "this one is less revealing." he looked at the top "yeah. Whatever you want to do you should do. Typically mermaids where seashell bras, dont ask me though because I have no clue why, but you can go with whatever you want. " I went back in the changing room and grabbed the clothes. I swam back out "maybe because it's easier to take on and off or because it isnt as constricting as a shirt." he shrugged "maybe." I looked up at him. He held out his hands "let me carry those so you dont have to and let's go find my sister. " I nodded as I handed him the clothes "thank you. For everything." he held the clothes "no problem. You are my mate I would do anything for you." we swam to the front of the store. She walked out of a room with a customer as they were talking. The customer left after paying and she swam over. Zale handed her the clothes "that one suits you! I am so glad it fits! I am going to put these back, one second!" she swam to the back. I looked up at Zale "you are going to have to teach me how things are ran around here." he nodded "yeah before you accidentally break a rule." he looked serious. He started laughing " I am kidding there arent that many rules. Do not murder, harm, steal, destroy things on purpose or attempt to do any of those things and you will be good." I nodded "I wouldnt even think about doing any of those. Honestly I am still a little nervous about certain things even when I'm with you. I also dont know anything about the ocean except that its salt water, there are seashells, sand, creatures, plants, and rocks." he laughed "I have so much to teach you. " I nodded sheepishly. She returned "you have to meet our mother! She will love you!" I looked at her then at Zale "I am sure she will love her but I need to show her some thing about the ocean. She is an inlander." she nodded "okay! You two have fun!" he nodded in agreement. I looked at her "thank you. It was nice meeting you, now I know a little more about Zale." she laughed "of course! I have some embarrassing stories of Zale. Like how one time" Zale immediately swam over to her as she spoke "he was little he-" her voice became muffled as he covered her mouth with his hand "that's enough talking sis. " she stopped talking and he removed his hand. He swam back over "bye, Mazursky." she waved as I waved back we left. We swam through the walls again and left the place. We swam up the trench and swam towards coral.  He took my hand in his as we swam to a huge area filled with marine life. I gasped in shock he led to a different trench and we swam down. As we swam further down it got darker and I held onto him. He stopped and guided me through an arch way made out of rock. I gasped as I saw an underground volcano. He led me to a rock with a small trench beneath it. He sat on the rock and pulled me onto his lap. He pointed at the volcano "watch the volcano and be very still." I nodded. I sat like a statue as I watched the volcano. I saw sharks circling it then swimming towards us. I panicked and started to get up when he put his hands on my hips. He pulled me back down "its okay. They wont hurt us, relax I am here. If they try anything I will stop them. Normally they are peaceful predators." one swam close by us. I held my breath as it passed and exhaled when it left. A group of sharks swam by us, I was awestruck. You hear about them attacking but they didnt. He lifted me up as he got up "I have a few other things to show you." we started swimming. We swam around the volcano and swam through a bunch off seaweed. The rock ended at the edge of the seaweed. It seemed to be a never ending abyss below us. I looked ahead of us, all open water. He swam on his back. I swam closer and laid on his chest as I wrapped my arms around his neck. We swam in sync, staring into eachothers' eyes. I heard a loud noise and I looked ahead of us. He swam ahead and took my hand in his. We started swimming towards the noise. He looked at me "it's right around the time they pass through here, look ahead of us. " I gasped real whales. I looked at him it's like he could tell I was excited and happy. He laughed for a second and we swam closer. The whale stopped as we got closer it was so big. I felt like an insect compared to it. I stared at it Zale touched the whale. He looked at me "come here." I swam closer and Zale took my hand in his. He put our hands on the whale I smiled as I looked up at him. The whale left and a few seconds another followed it but it was slightly smaller. Zale pointed at it "look you see how her belly is distended she is pregnant. She will probably have a calf sometime next summer. " I looked at him in shock "next year ?" he nodded. He looked at me "whales are pregnant for a whole year." I stared at him. He laughed "you look shocked. " I nodded "that's because I am shocked." he took my hand. We swam accross the ocean he looked at me as we swam up. He stopped "we normally use whales as cover but you have never jumped out of the water before." we started swimming really fast. He let go of my hand and put his hands in front of him. He looked at me "copy me." I nodded as I copied him. Before I knew it we were already jumping out of the water. We fell back into the water and I giggled. We continued swimming jumping out of the water every now and then. He showed me a lot of marine life. We were near the shore where we met. He looked at me "your parents are probably worried sick about you." I looked down "not my parents at least not biologically." he nodded "that may be true but they still love you. Come on let me show you something. " I looked at him. He led me to a cave the cave i first spent the night in. We swam in and he stopped. I looked at me then at the water "I cant go out of the water not until I get training and the spell that enables me to change whenever I want to." he lifted me out of the water. I looked at him "can you help me figure out how to change back?" I watched as he climbed out of the water using his upper body strength. The water shone on his skin as he sat on the sand. He looked at me "I cant be out for very long or my tail will dry out and I wont be able to swim ever again." I kissed him "go back in then. You can probably just verbally instruct me." he shrugged his shoulders. He looked at me "scales naturally dry out on hot sand easily." he scooted towards the water and picked up my tail. I almost fell back as he put my tail over his head and onto the sand. He dove back into the water and resurfaced a second later. He lifted his torso onto land. He grabbed sand and threw it on my tail "put the warm sand on your tail that should dry it out. When your tail is dry you should shift back. By then I will be gone so I wont see you umm you know in human form without clothes. " I nodded. He got back on land leaving the lower part of his tail in the water. We talked as we threw sand on my tail. My tail was coated in sand a few minuetes later "what will I do with the seashell bra? " he rubbed the back of his neck "umm I dont know." I looked at him "what if I give it to you so you can take it back home until I return? " he looked at the sand. He dove back into the water and reappeared. He looked at me "how ?" I laughed "I will shift into a wolf. How else without you seeing me?"he shrugged his shoulders "okay. Let me know when you feel like your tail is dry and I will swim off. When your ready bark or something." I laughed "wolves dont bark they howl." he sighed. He threw another handful of sand on my tail " I know nothing about land. I have been in the ocean my entire life. I have never even stepped foot on land." I took his hand in mine "you will be in for a surprise then when you get the spell." he nodded. I kissed him "I think my tail is dry. Goodbye. I love you." he hugged me "I love you too. Goodbye, my Iara." he dove under water sinking down before swimming off. My tail transformed into legs as I gripped the sand. I looked at my legs just as they once had been. I took off the seashell bra and shifted into a wolf. I laid down facing the water and howled lowly. He appeared a second later. I stood up as he pulled half of his body onto land. He grabbed sand on his hands and rubbed the sand on his hands. He dusted off the excess sand. He looked at me "can I? Can I touch your fur?" I nodded and walked closer to him. I laid down as he cautiously touched my ear. He smiled as he stroked my fur. I looked up at him he looked at me "is this how a wolf might typically look?" I nodded. He touched my snout and grabbed my paw. He looked at me "you will have to tell me what you might call a wolf's hand and other terms. I nodded I sat up and put my paw against his chest. He looked at me "heart?" I nodded he smiled. I licked his face he laughed "why did you lick me?" I nudged him. He looked at me confused I picked up the seashell bra and handed it to him. He held it in his hand and I nudged him. He sank back into the water and looked at me. I trotted around the water and out of the cave. I waited at the entrance and looked back at him. He swam over to me and I went further, leading him to the rocks where I stored my clothes. He stopped swimming a few feet from the rocks. I looked at him "I cant go any further its rocky over there I could get hurt." I nodded. I ran to the rocks and grabbed my clothes before running back. I wagged my tail and he stared at me. I ran behind a group of rocks and shifted back. I got dressed and ran to him. He stared at me "your as gorgeous if not then more gorgeous as you are when your a mermaid." I blushed. I sat on the sand "if I get wet will I transform?" he looked down "yes." I thought for a second. I looked up at him "oh what the hell you have already seen me in soemthing alike a bra." he stared at me as I removed my shirt. He turned beet red "I-iara umm." I shushed him. I knew i was blushing but I didnt care he was already on the most shallow end of the ocean beach. I used my shirt wipe his face off and I kissed him. As the kiss broke he stared at me "I-iara." I looked at him "yeah?" he avoided looking down. I looked at him "oh gosh I didnt realise.  " I got up and stepped back. He moved so he would be sitting on his butt. I walked back up to him and sat down. I dried his hands off and held his hands. I kissed him "that's better now we can hold hands." he nodded "yeah and now we can look face to face. Instead of when I look straight ahead look directly at your chest." I blushed. I didnt know that was what happened. I kissed him again and hugged him. He touched my cheek " Meet me in the cave when we meet next. I love you." I nodded "I will. I love you." I kissed him "Goodbye, Zale." he kissed my forehead "goodbye, Iara." he crawled back to sea before vanishing into the water. I shook out my shirt, I walked through the woods and undressed before shifting back. I ran back to the other pack with my clothes in my mouth. I couldnt beleive what I had seen today. It's already about dinner time. I reached the other pack's house and stopped. I saw the alpha and the poeple I thought were my parents talking about me. They looked worried and the other alpha mention something about a great neice. Am I related to him? Is he my great uncle?