The Meersong

The Meersong

"Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited."



Warnings: Content, mature, slash, Yaoi m/m pairing. Violence, etcetera.

Special note, I am native German, so please be kind.

Special note from me, please read! Non Beta

Suryallee =^^=

Surprises of the good and the bad kind…

Chapter 4 of 7

The next morning was greeting Tim with a beam of sunlight through the new window in the former ceiling of Sunan’s part-time home.  Outside, from what he could tell by listening alone, loitered at least twenty or more of the Merfolk around. He could hear them playing in the waves and chatting with each other. They sat on the rocks surrounding the home of their Merprince.

Where they all suddenly had come from, Tim couldn’t tell for the life of him.

His entire body felt sore, but pleasantly so. He didn’t mind the slight pangs that made themselves known to Tim when he did so much as moving from laying to sitting. Tim was very careful with sitting this morning after the first pang had warned him and grinned ruefully at the knowledge of why the pangs were there in the first place. Rubbing his blond mob of hair, the young man decided that he really needed a bath or at least, a good swim. He reeked! That moment was it that he spotted the first of his strange changes.

His hands somehow had over the last night, developed skin between the fingers that reached up to the first knuckle of each couple of his fingers. Good for swimming, the diver was certain. He could see why fish had such fin alike skin developed between their bones and from yesterday's looking’s Tim knew that Sunan had them too. Strangely enough, the sudden changes didn’t bother him too much; Tim had known that something like this would likely occur. When he and Sunan had shared minds, he had caught on some things from the knowledge of his strange new friend. Partner? Consort? Lover?

All of the words did now fit and not. Mate… the last word was the most befitting of his new situation the young diver guessed.

He did also know somehow that Sunan had too gained some changes, some gifts, so to speak, from his mating with Tim. What these would be, the future would show, but already the young man could tell the whereabouts of his mate through the newly developed mind link between the pair. Sunan wasn’t far from the rock. Fishing as it looked, with Selkas and he seemingly felt embarrassed…the last did and did not wonder Tim somehow.

The fisher folk of the islands around here had it right to call the Sealord a devil!

From what Tim had seen until now, the green Mer had a potty mouth to make any sailor blush and his catty grin from the night before had told the young diver volumes about his character. And that, without to even have to see him for more than a few moments. That one was a madcap, Tim could already tell and with a grin, he realized that he already began to like the brash Sealord.

Oh, Tim wasn’t a fool, he had already figured out that the other would embarrass the hell out of Tim in the future to come but he would also make life interesting, that much was certain. Right now, he was seemingly teasing the hell out of his poor mate, or so it felt to Tim right now. Why or how he knew, was beyond Tim to explain; a kinda new sense or a kind of telepathy bond? He wasn’t certain not even if it worked into both directions or if he was the only one that could do it. All Tim did know without a doubt was that Sunan wanted to strangle his Sealord right now but couldn’t, since the Selkas kept his sorry tail out of his reach!

Laughing softly, Tim went to the waterhole in the bottom of the cave that served as entrance to the chamber on unsteady legs.

The sickness from before had taken a toll on his body in more ways as Tim first had thought. More often than not, the youth nearly fell or stumbled over a stone or a rise in the stony bottom of the cave. Tim felt like a moron that had forgotten how to walk here. Moreover, the changed body of his wasn’t making it any easier for the young man to work and navigate with it now either. It felt to Tim as if his bones were constantly shifting in his body and more so, in his legs. The alien feeling perplexed and worried him a little at the same time. This was making Tim rethink his former thought to take a dive into the seawater for the moment, so unstable Tim was feeling.

Not certain if he could swim as he was used to under normal circumstances the young man refrained from it.

Sighing, Tim carefully lowered his body onto the rim of the hole until his legs were inside the water but the bottom not. That one was firmly planted onto the rim. The skin on the sides of his torso itched and he absentmindedly scratched it, but the itch went not away again. Looking down he contorted his upper body and his head slightly to take a look and was greeted with the sight of longish lines in a angry red color that run in parallel lines along his ribcage…now that was odd!

Where did they come from, had Sunan accidentally scratched him with his claws?

Shrugging it off Tim began the task to wash himself as best as he could. He hated it to feel sweaty and dirty. Suddenly, a green skinned hand shoot out of the water, took a firm grip at his ankle and practically hauled him from his seat right into the water with a resounding splash in the cave.

Sunan had felt it when Tim awoke from his sleep.

He had also joyously noted that he could feel his mate’s curiosity about their new mind link through it. What had irked him had been Tim’s amusement about Selkas teasing! The Sealord had done nothing else as mocking him the entire morning long and Sunan was short from it to strangle his favorite Sealord right now! It didn’t help the matter that Selkas was outwitting him all the time and managed it to stay out of reach all the time.

Shooing his Sealord off, Sunan had turned back to the cave to do something he of that Sunan just knew that Tim wouldn’t like him to do and neither take easy. However, it was necessary. Otherwise, the no longer fully human mate of him would need too long to wrap his mind around the facts and would most likely unwillingly but surely damage himself. His body was moving blur in the clear ocean water, so fast Sunan was moving now that he left a visible trail in the upper waves. When he reached the entrance tunnel to his former lair, he could already feel Tim sitting on the rim of the water hole inside the cave. Under him, sharks and other fish dived through the crystal clear water. A moraine looked out of her cave for a moment but seeing Sunan’s in coming, she fast darted back inside.

Gritting his teeth, Sunan fast got a hold on the right ankle of Tim and dragged him under water with a sharp tug.

There he watched fretfully over the sudden struggle of his mate until the Tim found his new gills to breathe. This way maybe wasn’t the most elegantly or psychologically right one (That word and its meaning he had taken out of Tim’s mind), but seeing it from Sunan’s side of the things; the fastest and most effective one available. Shortly a sudden cloud of blood obscured his view when the skin ripped open, and then Tim’s panic and short pain in his mind receded abruptly to make room after a moment of relief for astonishment and…anger!  Sunan had known that Tim would be mad at him. Therefore, he did the only thing that he could do and opened the mind-link fully.

Tim just coming out of his sudden shock of having gills and not to have to go down under to drown and the resulting rightful anger at Sunan to give him this shock without to tell him first, was drowned out from the flood of information’s that unexpectedly entered his brain. He grudgingly had to give his mate that he had had a point for doing it the abrupt way. In the past, many mates of the merfolk had found an unexpected death because they could not handle it fast enough after waking up after a mating to try it out and so, unwillingly had killed themselves by suffocation or drying out. A human simply wasn’t meant to breathe under water and their mind did know this too. To suddenly have gills and only a limited time to open them for the first time drove the most humans to not try it out fast enough. His body was no longer made to live entirely on land and to constantly breathe the air from above the waterline.

He still could breathe it, but not for a too long amount of time. The limit seems to be half a day and with time a full one, just as it was for the Merfolk too.

He would suffocate like a fish if he did try that. His lungs would glue themselves together after a while and his body and skin would dry out rapidly. Still, he would have liked to know that before hand, he wasn’t dumb and his seething anger now flowed freely through the link back to his mate who cringed in front of Tim inside the narrow water tunnel from the sheer force of his irritation.

And it wasn’t even fully over now!

Actually, the changes that went through Tim’s body while he had slept after their mating had been more thoroughly as the human could ever imagine. It wasn’t something the merfolk spoke about to outsiders. Only a handful of humans did know about some of them and even they didn’t have the full knowledge of what happened when one of the seas mated with one of the land.

Sunan, seeing the seething anger of his mate, chose wisely to carve in and tell Tim the rest too before it happened.

A new wave of information’s hit Tim. The context of it made him wince. Along with the info came the distinctively feeling that Sunan felt bad for keeping the information until now. Parts of his body would from now on change when his body hit water. For as long he did move in the water, his feet would grow together into a tail like Sunan’s people had them, outside, after drying off, they would change back. Nevertheless, that wasn’t what made Tim feel fearful, it was the pesky fact that it would hurt the first time this occurred. Why it was only the first time it did hurt like hell, no one did know but the merfolk did believe it was because the human lost a part of them in the process of gaining some other. Tim, now he had another thought about why it did hurt, but before he could think it over or could tell his musings to Sunan, the final change occurred.

It was heralded by ever so slowly growing pain shots through his legs from the feet upwards to his hips.

Hell! Even his groin began to hurt like a bitch!

In a flash, Sunan came over to Tim and took the youth into a strong embrace. It helped to be held by someone who cared at least psychologically, the rest, Tim had to ride out alone. What seem to take hours for the poor Tim actually was only a good half hour at best in reality. His bones seem to lengthen and then to split and change their form until the bones looked no longer like anything human.

His body seemed to grow until he could feel it stop. When the agony finally ended and faded, Tim’s body had changed form from the hip downward. Tim, he had nearly blacked out from the pains.

Instead of two separate legs, he now sported a fish tail much as the Mer had them. Only difference? Tim’s had a Yellow color near the one of his hair and that was that. No markings or changes in color as he had seen it on Sunan’s tail or even on that of Selkas. Even their fins on the ends of their tails changed color. Tim’s did not. His was just plain yellow albeit the fins a little lighter in the coloring as the tail itself. However, the young man wasn’t too sad about that, he rather liked the color and that the change was over, Tim did like the most!

*It will never happen to hurt like this again, I swear! I wish I could tell him this in words. I hate it that nearly no one can hear my thoughts clearly!*

In addition, with that a new change made itself known to Tim and Sunan. One, both actually equally liked right from the start.

*Did you…did you just talk clearly right to my mind? By the way, I heard you clear and all…*

A stunned look and Sunan caught on the thought. * You heard me?? I can’t believe it! That has never happened before like this. Never. Not even Selkas hears me, as you seem to do!* Tim gave his mate a stunned look. *Never? Not even he as your lord can hear you like this?* He watched Sunan shake his head. Stunned the young man now turned inside the protecting cycle of arms until he fully faced Sunan. *Any idea why that is so? Or is it a problem that only Merprince's have? I mean, I learned from your first message that your people usually talk with telepathy when under water.*

Sunan shook his head again.

*No, only my type of Mer people, the Merprince's, has these troubles with mind speak. I am not certain why that is so but trust me, it is just like that. The rest of our water kin has not such troubles with it. Our chosen lords usually learn fast to interpret what we mean and want but they also cannot talk to us as we do it now. Sometimes, this leads to real troubles and dangers even, for them as well as for our people. and us* He gave Tim an adoring look and then began to chew on his bottom lip, deeply immersed in his thoughts.

Tim left him to contemplate in peace. He wasn’t a person to butt into others minds errr, thoughts and had learned early in his life that it was sometimes better to let others end their contemplation's by themselves as to interrupt them too early. He had enough to think and mull over himself right now anyway.

Suddenly, Sunan stopped with his mulling and looked back into Tim’s eyes.

*I am sorry, Tim. I didn’t mean to withhold but I have really thought it would be best to let it happen this way. I have asked around when it was certain that you were changing. All of the asked ones told me to handle it this way. One of the older Mer in my territory even remembered to have seen such a couple as us before and he could tell me firsthand what all can go wrong if you would have waited too long. He saw it happen and his tale scared as your people do say it so aptly, the shit out of me! The human did nearly die back then and afterwards he was damaged for the rest of his life. I didn’t want that to happen to you…even if that did mean that you would be very mad with me…* he looked down.

Tim took his time to give Sunan an answer.

Sure, he was somewhat miffed but Sunan had not meant to bring him harm. The opposite of it was rather it. Still Tim found he should better set ground rules down for their strange new relationship…before such a thing repeat itself and so, would damage their beginning life together beyond repair.

*I cannot say that I am not angry, Sunan, because I am. However, in the future, please tell me everything? Even if it is bad news or embarrassing, never leave me in the dark again. If I cannot trust you, who else can I trust then?*

Unknowingly Tim adopted the same stance his grandfather always took when lecturing him or his siblings.  Hands hosted up at the sides of his waist and a scowl on the sideways tilted face. It gave Tim actually a serious look, one that together with the words made Sunan realize that his mate meant it. The Merprince nodded hurriedly, he understood perfectly.

*I am sorry! I shouldn’t have kept it from you, you’re right.*

He was looking down, so Sunan missed the change in Tim’s gaze. Two arms took a lovingly hold of the Merprince. *I know and I understand just don’t do it again and I believe we will be fine.* Tim couldn’t help it, he felt the sudden urge to snuggle into the body of his new mate…the entire prospect still irked him somewhat but the young man let it go. Behind them, Tim could hear others swim around in the water. Looking behind him Tim saw several other Mer who watched them both with thoughtful but happy looks. Suddenly he felt like blushing what he promptly did much to his humiliation.

Sensing Tim’s discomfort Sunan looked up and right into the eyes of one of the older Mer of his people. Saka was the oldest of them all in this areal and also he was the one who had told Sunan about the dangers after the change. The old one looked happy as one could be so Sunan figured that his school of Mer was feeling happy for him and his new mate. What in turn made the Merprince glad. Behind Saka, Selkas looked around the other corner of the entrance tunnel curiously at the pair.

He grinned like the most others.

Selkas was glad that the new couple seems to work out better as usually. Not all mating’s in this manner turned out good in the end. More often than not, the changed humans took it badly to have been taken from the land. They fought their mates most often for long times before the pairs found a harmony in their relationships. At least this human was not so single minded or was pushing the prince away. It rather looked cute the way he was holding Sunan…not that his prince was minding Tim as it looked. Rather the opposite Selkas decided.

Suddenly Tim looked directly at Sunan with an odd look before the Merprince kissed Tim quick onto the tempting lips.

Right the next second he was already darting through the water into the direction of his Sealord in a speed that astonished everyone who saw him move. Saka had barely time to get out of Sunan’s way. All Tim saw after that was Sunan’s fin vanish behind the tunnel entrance. Selkas had seen Sunan move and had darted after him in the same speed.

In his mind though, Tim could still hear his mate curse about Selkas and his trice be damned jokes!

Tim practically rolled inside the water from his mirth about Selkas witty answers and Sunan’s swearing that he could hear clearly in his mind. Seemingly, the Sealord wanted him to know what he told his prince or else Tim wouldn’t have heard a word. Their mind talk worked this way. One could tell another Mer what they wanted them to hear. Otherwise their private thoughts staid, well private. How exactly it worked, was beyond Tim, but work it did.

Watching the young human male laugh Saka decided that he liked the young one from the start. Silently wondering where his prince could have found such a beautiful human specimen. Even under the Merfolk, golden hair like the humans was very uncommon. In addition, the tail…single colored as all the tails of Merprince or other Merfolk mates it was but the color was rare too! How had Selkas told him before? The humans name was Tim or so? Saka tried it out.

*Master Tim? Do you hear me?* The human looked around. A little spooked he finally looked to Saka who begun to like the scared youth even more. He was obviously younger as he had first thought him to be.

*Who? Who was that please? I fear my skill in mind talking isn’t so good for the now.*

The elder complied and swam over into the front view of the befuddled looking changed human. *It was I, Saka the elder, mate of prince Sunan.* He told the bewildered youth and bowed inside the water gracefully at the waist. Tim looked uncomfortable with that and Saka figured fast out that the young man didn’t know his position under the Merfolk that he held now. With mating the Merprince, Tim had gained one of the highest statuses one could gain under Saka’s kin. That of a mate to a prince. No one, absolutely no one of the Merfolk, or the other races inside the deep oceans would lay a hand on the young one ever again. A truly mated pair was a rarity. More so if one of the deadly toxic Merprince’s found a mate that was immune to their poison.

Most of the Merprince’s lived their entire live alone, never finding their mate.

None of them would begrudge Sunan his new mate, right on the contrary; they would now even defeat Tim from danger if Sunan couldn’t do so but no longer would they try to get Tim from Saka’s Merprince Sunan. Not even the dangerous shark people would dare to lay a single claw on the human now. Tim’s obviously pleasant nature of character was only adding to his favor in Saka’s eyes.

When Saka had heard that the new mate was one of the otherworldler’s as the humans on the land called them he had feared it wouldn’t work or that the young man would be a hassle. Luckily Tim was everything else as a trouble maker as it looked. His prince truly was a lucky gitt, as Selkas had called Sunan yesterday… were that word exactly came from, was unclear. Saka mused that the new humans had introduced it to the people here and that Selkas had heard it one day.

*My apologies, Master Tim, I didn’t mean to confuse you. I was merely testing if you could already hear us too…I was told from prince Sunan that he can talk to you?* The prince had told him that before he had darted past Saka out of the cave. Saka was one of the few who could catch a little from Sunan’s thoughts clearly when near enough. It had stunned him how clearly he had heard his prince today!

Saka figured that it could be a pleasant side effect of Sunan’s recent mating with the youth in front of him.

At Tim’s nod the elder smiled. So it was true then, mates gained attributes or gifts from the mating. He had only seen one couple before and that one had ended badly. The human mate had killed himself in the end after a couple of years and the prince had followed his mate soon after in his pain of losing him. At least this couple seems to get along fine.

*Uhm…could you please leave that master thing out? I am just Tim Holden, there is no need to address me so formally…or is it?* The human scratched his head in his confusion. Saka smiled wider at that admission and helped the confused human out of the tunnel into the open ocean.

*Let me explain some things to you, M…, Tim. While we wait for my prince and Selkas to come back. He should have done that already. Since he didn’t allow me to tell you a little about my folk, yes?* At the relived look and eager nod of Tim the elder of Sunan’s tribe guided him over to the strand to sit and settled next to the boy to explain him some of the many rules his people lived by.

Far away from Sunan’s home, Norbert Holden, fifty-two years old, frantically searched after the whereabouts of his missing grandson. The fishermen of the island on that Tim had stayed on had told him that he was missing since fourteen days and the elderly man feared that the young man had trouble or that Tim had met a bad fate inside the ocean waters. After much asking around the man finally had a faint lead. One of the children had seen Selkas the Sealord of prince Sunan and the Merprince himself carry Tim away with the help of dolphins.

“So help me the God! If they have harmed or killed my Tim, I am going to bomb them out of the ocean and than I will make sushi out of them!” With that roar of utter anger, the man stalked away into the direction of his boat with an look of utter cold fury written over his normally kind features.

The islanders wisely scattered out of the man’s way when seeing that expression appear. Some even begun to feel pity towards the Merprince when this tsunami of a man swapped over the Mer in search of his missing child.

Suryallee.