icy ocean | j.frost [gender-neutral ver]

【ｐｒｏｌｏｇｕｅ】

It was a beautiful midsummer night. The moon was shining brightly above my head, more beautiful than I had ever seen it before. I ran along the sandy shore of the village river, the wind blowing through my dark hair. The sand was smooth and cool beneath my bare feet as I sprinted towards the shimmering water of the river. The sounds of the night filled my head as I dived right into crystal clear liquid.

The water was just as comforting as I had imagined, calm and cool against my skin. As I sank to the bottom of the creek, holding my breath and looking upwards, ripples spread outwards from where I landed in the water. The tunic I wore floundered about in the water as I lay there. The familiar feeling of my tail forming soon swept through my body and when I looked down again, the silvery iridescent scales of my tail were staring right back at me.

Irresponsibility was my downfall. I had forgotten to check whether anyone had followed me. So when I launched myself up from the bottom of the river, bursting through the surface of the water, I didn't notice the silent watchers on the riverbank. After doing a few spins and splashing around a bit, I stopped, turning around and floating on my back looking up to the moon.

Raising my hands out of the water to play with some of the clear liquid I was surrounded in, I lifted a couple of droplets from the larger body and kept them floating in midair while looking and sighing in happiness. The peace was broken by a small cough from the direction of the shore. Instantly, the water drops fell back into the water with a splash and I whipped around to look at the culprit. My heart skipped a beat when I saw his face.

It was Jack. Just my luck. Jackson Overland, the sweet boy who always cared about everyone, who always brought his little sister out to play, who always kept an open mind and a smile on his face. My favorite person in the whole village, my only friend, and the only one who made my heart race. I had hoped previously that his warm brown eyes might land on me someday and fill up with admiration and wonder, but certainly not like this.

I didn't want him to notice me for my tail, my fantasy features, my storybook appearance. He wasn't supposed to see me like this; No one was supposed to see me like this. I suppose I hadn't worried too much about it though and had innocently gone about my days thinking that no one would ever find me out. And well, I was paying the price.

"[Name]?" His voice shocked me back into the present. "Is that really you"

I froze. He recognized me. I instantly berated myself for that stupid. The moon was brighter than ever and we could both see each other clearly. He could easily see the moonlight reflecting off my silver scales and I could easily see the shock plastered onto his face. Half of me begged to stay and confess to him what I was, what I did, and how I felt, and the other half wanted to run. It wanted to run far, far away, to a place where I could start over without anyone knowing what I really was.

And as much as I had wanted to choose the first option, I knew it would be for the best to just get away.

I swam backwards, using little flicks of my tail to propel me while keeping my eyes on him and inched my way out of the water on the other side of the river. As soon as I was out of the main body of water, my tail shimmered away and my legs came back. The two of us held eye contact the whole time. Neither of us wanted to break the connection in that moment.

And then the crystalline silence shattered. I turned heel and sprinted as fast as I could away from him, sounds of the leaves, branches and grass beneath my feet deafeningly loud as I ran. I could hear him behind me, splashing through the creek and calling out for me while he did. I squeezed my eyes shut as I ran, trying to keep the tears from spilling out. I'd spent far too long building relationships in this village for all of it to go to waste now.

All of a sudden, since I wasn't watching where I was going, I slipped on something strangely solid. I fell backwards, landing on the weirdly soggy ground. I could hear him behind me, crashing through the same path I did, getting closer and closer by the second. I didn't have the time to get away. I tried to scramble away to the safety of the shadows but I didn't make it in time. Through my tear-blurred sight, I could see him approaching, his hand outstretched gently towards me.

"[Name], I'm not going to hurt you." He came closer. I tensed up. He backed away. I relaxed.

"How can I be sure?" My voice was breathy and shaky. "How do I know that Jack?"

"You don't. But I'm asking you to please trust me." His voice was smooth, soft, and quiet, carrying the tone of someone trying to appease a wild animal.

He slowly started inching forwards again, and this time, I held my ground. After what felt like an eternity, he finally got close enough to pull me into a hug. It was warm and comforting. His dark brown hair shone in a shimmery silver color in the moonlight. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted that same moonlight reflecting off of something that looked like ice. Right before my eyes, I watched the small patch of frozen water melt into the ground and the previously wet ground solidify and become dry again.

Could that be what caused me to slip? I thought in my head before remembering the time of the year. It was summer. There was no way ice could form in this weather. A chuckle sounded from above, but Jack didn't seem to notice it, so I figured it was a figment of my imagination. I dug my face into his chest, allowing him to pull me closer into him.

"Look at me [Name]," he cupped my face in his hands and tilted it up so I could meet his eyes. Chocolate brown hues meet my sea green ones in a tender moment. "I'm never going to hurt you. Trust me, please."

And I did. I sank deeper into his arms and he held me until the sun rose. The moon watched from above, smiling down on the two of us. It felt like home.