#fefe writes

Countless eons ago, before there was anything, there were Gods. Beings of unimaginable scale and strenght, avatars of the forces that permeate this world. With infinite magnaminity they created the world around us. They pulled mountains from the earth, they painted the sky with stars and filled the oceans with water. They created humanity in their own image and watched over us trough the eons. With time, the Gods distanced themselves from their own creation, rarely appearing to the eyes of humans. Some say the gods have abandoned us, some even dare believe they never existed at all. Though beliefs wavers, true faith com-

"Sam, are you actually cleaning the shelves or am I gonna have to keep an eye on you?"

Sam immediately closed the book he was reading, looking over his shoulder as if he could see Lydia staring at him trough the bookshelves that separate them. With a stare as intense as hers, she may just be able to see trough walls...

"Sorry Lydia, I'm just organising the books over here! Some customer put them back in the wrong order."

Sam turned the book around so he could read the title, 'Folklore and Tales of old', he started looking trough the shelf, looking for the book's righteous place. Fl, Fm, Fn, Fo... why can't people just put things back on their own? Everything has a place, if people just cared to actually think about eachother then I wouldn't be in this situation, 'love thy neighbour' and all that. Why is there a book missing here? Did someone seriously steal from a public library?

His thoughts were interrupted by Lydia's voice. "Sam, it's almost closing time. I left your money on the table, you can go- uhm, you can leave, if you want."

Sam didn't miss the way Lydia stumbled over her words. Yeah, right. I can go home. Lydia was a lovely person, one of the nicest people Sam has ever met. Her large round glasses and oversized sweaters always made her look warm and friendly, which was only accentuated by her quiet and squeaky voice. She was also the only person nice enough to offer Sam a job, letting him help out at the library in exchange for some money or a place to stay the night. No one else was willing to offer a job to a 16 year old boy with no house or parents, especially after-

Nope, nop. I am not doing this, not while Lydia's around. She already has enough to deal with, she doesn't need a crying teenager blabbering about his emotional baggage while she needs to close up shop.

Sam muttered a quick thanks and goodbye as he grabbed the money on the counter and made his way outside, the ringing of the store front bell signaling his exit from the library.

Sam made his way trough the streets, the warm orange glow of the setting sun giving out the last vestiges of heat before nightfall. He tried to ignore the stares he got from people, the way old ladies would clutch their pearls as he passed by, the whispers of rumors about him mingling with the cold winter air. Don't look him in the eyes, it'll bring bad luck. Do you think he's also ill? I worry for the poor bookkeper...

The worst part of living in a small village is how fast rumors spread, and how easily everyone believes in them. When his parents died of a mysterious illness and he was left unscathed, people were already pointing fingers. Son of the devil, cursed at birth, the most superstitious said. After he went to live with his grandfather, and the poor man died only two years later, that was the final nail on the coffin. Now without a family or anyone to protect him, he became the scapegoat for any misfortune that happened in the village. Bad weather? Caught a cold? Your tulips withered? All his fault. Most people didn't dare speak to him directly, a lot of shops would refuse to sell him anything, or would accuse him of paying with stolen money.

Sam's mind returned to the book he found earlier. If gods did exist, would they stop this injustice? Or would they idly watch? Everything has a place. The gods are above, humans are below. Some humans are just... below others. God, it made him feel so... insignificant.

Warm orange lights shook Sam out of whatever trance he was in, a small bakery appearing as he rounded a corner. The bakery's owner, Julius, was a very large man. Imposing, shoulders broad as a wardrobe. He didn't talk much and he had a large scar over his left eye that nobody knew the origin of. Sam opened the door to the bakery, the warm smell of bread immediately reaching his nose. Despite looking rugged and intimidating, Sam knew Julius was a good man at heart. He knew how it felt to be unfairily judged, so they had an unspoken mutual respect for eachother. Sam quetly put what little money he had in his hands on the counter, and Julius reached under it to pull out a loaf of bread. Without saying a word, Sam nodded his head and made his way out of the building.

Julius wasn't a bad man once you got to know him, he was just... different. Sure, his accent was weird and there were rumors going around that he killed someone and moved here in the middle of nowhere to escape the cops, but who was Sam to judge another man for a past that may-or-may-not have happened?

Sam sat down on the edge of the sidewalk, starting to tear into the bread like he hadn't eaten since yesterday, which was not completely a lie... He basked in the warm light of the bakery, dreading the moment it would disappear as the last shop in town closed fot the night.

Sam hated the dark. After his mother died in her sleep, he wanted the day to last as long as possible because he was afraid he'd wake up and see his father had also died. When he went to live with his grandfather, his sleep was haunted by nightmares and every night he'd dread going to bed, shivering and trying to stay awake until he collapsed from exhaustion. After he became an orphan, he learned just how cold the streets would get at night, especially in the winter. Sometimes he'd wake up without any feeling in his fingers, sometimes he was afraid he would not wake up at all. Would anyone even care? Besides Lydia and a few more he doubted anyone would be all that moved by the disappearence of someone with his reputation.

His thoughts were interrupted by a shuffling coming from the halleyway on the side of the bakery. Is it a cat? Sometimes they rummage in the trash cans and end up falling inside... Sam quickly finishes his bread and gets up, cautiously moving towards the pitch black halley.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts, Kittens, you're helping a cat, it's worth the scare. There's nothing to be afraid of, unless the cat feels threatened- can stray cats have rabies? There probably isn't even a cat here, I don't hear any meowing, why did I even-

Sam's soul damn nearly left his body as something grabs his right arm, before he can scream he feels a hand Oh god it's a hand- press against his mouth, stopping any noises or please he could conjure. Another set of hands grab his arms, at this point Sam can't do anything but blindly struggle and kick in the dark. He can't see anything, he can barely breathe, what the fuck is happening-

A lantern lights up in front of him, the flame flickering for a second before retreating towards whoever is holding the light. Under the dim light Sam can almost make out the figure standing in front of him.

A hooded figure, wearing some kind of robe, holding the lantern in one hand and a book in the other. Sam couldn't see the person's face, but he could tell they were glaring down at him. The figure stood silent for a moment, before speaking.

"You got lucky, kid. You know that?"

The figure paused as if giving Sam time to answer, though with the hand pressing on his mouth he could only stay still and listen.

"Of all the people, fate has chosen you to serve a greater purpose. It must be by godly will, that a sinner like you would end up as a sacrifice."

Hold on- Sacrifice? Sam began struggling in his captors' hold, trying to get himself free from this group of psycopaths before he could get into actual danger.

"There is no use in struggling, child. We will send a living offering to the gods and-"

Sam gathered any courage he could muster and threw his head back, enough to distance his mouth for a second and bite at the hand clasping at his lips. His teeth sunk as deep as he could into the skin before the person holding him retracted enough for Sam to wriggle his left arm free.

"I am not a fucking CHILD!"

Sam exclaimed as he swung his arm with all his might towards the person holding his right arm. Due to the lack of light, he missed their face, hitting their shoulder instead. He barely had time to prepare another strike before something hard collided with the back of his head, sending searing pain trough his skull. That moment of stun was enough to let whoever was holding Sam get a hold of him again, painfully twisting his harm behind his back with one hand and pulling his hair so he couldn't move his head.

"I'll admit, your struggling is admirable, but... You can't escape. You'll die here, and when your body is found. no one will even bother burying you. They'll throw you in a hole in the ground and your flesh will slowly be eaten by maggots. It's only fair, you deserve to go to hell with the family you killed."

Warm tears pricked at Sam's eyes. His legs felt weak and his head hurt, both from the hit he just took and from the many, many thoughts running trough his brain.

I'm gonna die- Is this how I die? Killed by a cult of crazy religious nutjobs? I don't wanna die... They certainly want me to, everybody wants me to. They're not lying, everyone would be glad to hear I died. Even Lydia, deep down. She's nice to everyone, she likes me out of pity.

The hooded figure reached into their pocket pulling out a knife- Fuck it's a knife. They're gonna stab me to death, They're gonna watch me bleed and die and whatever the hell it is death cults do. I'm gonna die and then- And then what? Will it just be.. nothing? Will I see my parents again? My grandpa? Am I gonna end up in hell like everyone says, burning for eternity?

"Any last words, kid?"

For once, the hand sealing his mouth actually retreated. Yet Sam felt like he still could not breathe. He sobbed and hiccupped, trying to spew out something that'd save him before they cut him open like a watermelon.

"Wh- why? Why me?" The words were less of a question and more of a reflection about his entire life. The figure spoke.

"The gods are displeased with us. We show them no reverence, and in return they send emissaries like you. We will quell the god of darkness by offering them a live tribute, so we may enter his grace and be granted an eternal afterlife. As for why you... Fate seems to have chosen you. We set our trap and awaited for some lonely denizen to fall into it, you were the first person stupid enough to walk right up to us."

The knife glinted in the warm flickering light, as if the blade itself was on fire. it hovered dangerously close to Sam's heart as the people holding him tore his jacket open, exposing his chest.

"P- please don't do this-"

Sam felt the blade sink into his chest. And then everything went black.

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-Sees G/t fic -Looks inside -No G/t

Hello everyone, I promise that the next chapter will have some actual g/t interactions, and some fearplay too. This fic has been cooking up for a while, I mean it's only been 2 years since I've posted any writing and all. As I've said, I'm currently on a week long holiday and I hope to write as much as possible while I can. I managed to shoot this chapter out in a day, I hope to at least get one more chapter (either of this fic or hang in there) before my vacation ends.

Felix rested on his tiny bed made of scraps of fabric, enjoying what little peace he had before the store opened.

It's been two weeks since he was brought back here- or was it three? Time tends to blend together while you're sitting on a shelf all day. You just try not to think about it and wait for the shop to close for the night.

His last home was... normal. Nothing remarkable about it, but nothing great either. He was given as a gift to a young girl for her birthday. He hated kids, they'd always try to get their dirty, grubby little hands on him. Lifting him up, ruffling his hair, pulling on his tail.

On his third day, Felix couldn't take it anymore and decided to snap back. When the girl tried to reach for him, he scratched her hand. She immediately started crying and called out to her dad, who promptly slammed him back in his cage and brought him to the girl's mother. While the dad angrily screamed about how much of a waste of time and money Felix was, he simply looked down and tried to tune out the screaming, covering his sensitive ears.

The parents both decided to return him to the pet store.

He didn't know how to feel about it, he's been returned so many times that he should be used to it by now. Yet, every time he gets put back in his box on the store shelf, he feels...

Wrong. Bad. An ungrateful brat. Hopeless. A waste of time. Don't you know how lucky you are? How many like you live on the streets, wishing to have a home? Nobody wants a kitty that doesn't like being touched. Nobody will want to love you. You should just be put down.

Felix's ears twitched as he heard the bell chimes coming from the front door, meaning that Sandra was about to open the store.

Sandra was good, as good as a human working in a pet store could be anyway. She respected his personal space when she could, she listened to his needs, and she always looked heartbroken whenever he was returned.

Felix shielded his eyes as light streamed in from the windows, clearly annoyed by the sudden brightness. He turned around and buried himself in his makeshift blanket, not yet ready to face the day.

Soon, Felix heard the sound of fingers gently tapping against the front of his plastic enclosure, followed by a sigh and the sound of his water and food bowls getting refilled. He was grateful that he lived inside one of the more high end pet stores, which could afford to feed its pets clean water and pieces of fruit, instead of the usual hard, brown pieces of what could be barely classified as food.

After he heard the box close, he slowly got up from his bed. No point in delaying the inevitable, he knows that Sandra wants to talk to him every time he's sent back to the store.

Holding the oversized bell strapped to his neck as to not make any sound, he made his way over to his food, eating it as he looked outward towards the rest of the store. His box was placed on a higher shelf, so he had a good view of the various aisles. It was a pretty small store, so there wasn't much to see, really. There were some posters and advertisements on the opposite wall: One of them was listing some offers on animal centric products, another was promoting the adoption of pets, showing a happy kid holding an equally happy looking tiny with bright orange fur, a pair of tufty ears and a fluffy tail.

Felix let out a sigh. He knew that some pets just wanted to be adopted, he knew they would find a home and a family who loved them. He also knew that just wasn't gonna happen to him. The sheer amount of times he'd been rejected was enough proof of that.

But that poster wasn't what bothered him. No. The picture on the wall that he hated with every fiber of his being was the one right in front of his shelf. Perfectly framed by the edges of his prison, was a small image of a tiny holding onto a piece of string, with the words 'Hang in there' written above it.

Felix didn't know what was worse. That the tiny in the picture resembled him so much, short lavander-gray hair with matching ears and tail; or the phrasing above it. 'Hang in there', a phrase so innocent, yet such a mockery of his situation. It kept reminding him that whatever happens, no matter what he did, how many times he was returned, how many times he cried and screamed and begged, He was doomed to stay here.

He stopped trying about two years ago, after he finally understood that he wasn't worth the time. When he gave up on trying to please others just to be loved. He won't even touch the toys I bought for him, he's nothing but a waste of money.

Eventually, Felix heard footsteps approaching the shelf, so he knew his time was up. Sandra's face appeared in front of his box, a bit too low to be at eye level. She was pretty short for a human, though still a dozen times taller than him. The slight elevation always gave him a sense of reassurance, he hates having to look up to speak to a human.

"So... how was it?"

Felix put his food down, taking a deep breath before opening his mouth, "Really? Is this what you settled for?"

Sandra sighed, "Felix, I know you don't like to talk, I just wanna make sure you're alright."

The quicker you tell her what she wants, the sooner she'll leave. "It was a kid, really young. She kept touching me so I scratched her."

Sandra's calm smile faltered "Felix, I know-"

"You should've seen the dad, he looked just about ready to fling me off the table when she started crying."

"Felix-"

"And then he brought me to the kid's mom, and she said I should've been put down, and then-"

"Felix."

Felix stopped talking and turned towards Sandra. She was looking at him, her expression seemed angry, but her teary eyes said otherwise. "You know I don't like it when you talk like this."

"I'm just telling you what happened, you're the one who asked for it."

Sandra pinched her nose with a sigh. Good, now leave me be. We both have better things to do.

"I'm sure you noticed that while you were away, Oliver got adopted."

Oliver, right. The other tiny that lived in the box with him. Felix noticed he wasn't in the box last night, but he knew he'd get to know why the next morning.

Oliver was young, with large eyes, a stubby tail and bright orange fur. He was sweet, cuddly and joyful, everything a happy family would want to adopt. Felix was just waiting for him to be taken so he could be alone in the box again.

"Good for him, now I'll finally be able to sleep without hearing him snore. Can I be alone now? You're gonna attract the first customers of the day here and I do not want eyes on me first thing in the morning."

Sandra gave Felix a desperate look, "Come on, at least try to open up. I'm sure you'll eventually find someone you'll enjoy being with."

Felix just ignored her and turned back, wrapping himself in his makeshift bed. Sandra decided not to press him further and just left, ready to open the store for the day.

Felix was left alone with his thoughts, staying under the covers as to not draw any attenion to himself. That's how he spent most of his days, avoiding unwanted aknowledgement from customers. The last thing he wanted was humans seeing him and try to talk to him, much less touch him.

Sandra's words burned in his head like a forest fire. Try to open up, you'll find someone who will love you. She repeats that every time someone returns him, as if saying it the fiftieth time will finally make it happen. He hated being bought, he hated being returned. He hated being owned, being played with, being touched and prodded and thrown around. He hated being treated like a child, like he can't decide for himself, he hated Sandra, and everyone who bought him, and he knew that they all hated him. He hated this place, he'd rather just stay under these covers forever and die alone than being someone's plaything again-

There was a gentle knock on the front of his box.

Fuming, he tried to ignore it. He's not in the mood to talk with Sandra. He knows he'd say something he might regret.

Another knock, slightly stronger this time.

That's it. Felix threw the covers off himself and towards the front of the box. She had it coming. Felix stood up, moving towards the clear plastic wall that separated him from the human on the other side.

"Can't you leave me alone for one second?! Why is it that out of all the other tinies in this forsaken store you just have to come and annoy me?! The fact that you 'care for people like me' doesn't give you the right to-"

Felix stopped in his tracks. The human in front of him was, in fact, not Sandra. His brain short circuted, unsure of what to do. His mind screamed at him to hide back under the covers, but said covers were right in front of the human. To get them, he'd have to get closer to the front of his cage and, by extent, closer to the human.

Felix was frozen in place, feeling the unwanted gaze of the giant in front of him. He wanted to run, to hide, curl up and disappear. He gazed into those large blue eyes waiting for that door to open and for fingers to start grabbing him, because customers never read the lable saying to not touch the pets-

But then, the human left.

Felix's knees suddenly felt like jelly, and he fell to the ground with a distressed sigh. He carefully made his way over to the front and grabbed his blanket, when something caught his eye.

The human was at the counter, talking to Sandra. And Sandra was looking at him.

Oh, no. No no nonono. Not now, not so soon. I just came back-

Felix watched as Sandra started walking towards the shelf. His shelf.

Felix hurried quickly towards the darkest corner of his enclosure, burying himself in his own bed. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for what was about to happen.

Felix heard the door to his enclosure open. "Felix here has been with us for some time, he was brought here when he was a young kid."

There was a moment of silence, and Felix knew exactly what was expected of him. Like hell I'm going out there.

"Today he's a little grumpier than usual, you see. He was adopted last week but didn't realy fit in, so..."

Yes, I'm a lost cause. Don't bother with me and just take someone else, I'm sure there's plenty better choices.

"He really likes his personal space, he tends to get a bit overwhelmed by too much noise."

You're really outing me right away, huh? Felix didn't know if he should be mad or grateful for that.

"He's a bit of a handful... Are you sure you want him?"

No.

"Yes."

Fuck.

That voice sounded so calm, so sweet. Felix wanted to throw up.

Felix immediately felt the box being removed from the shelf, in a procedure that he's already been subjected to dozens of times over.

Sandra brought him to the back room, gently laying down the plastic enclosure on a table. After what felt like hours of silence, she finally spoke up.

"Felix, please come out."

Silence.

"Felix, you know you can't stay there. I don't wanna force you to come out."

No answer.

"Felix, how many times do we have to do this?"

Felix sighed. He knew making a fuss wouldn't delay the inevitable. He also knew that he was being childish, but he didn't care. "I don't know, how many times do we have to do this?"

Felix got up, straining his neck to look into Sandra's eyes. "Do you think I enjoy this? Do you think I like jumping between homes, having to deal with everything that happens to me? Do you think I like the idea of having an owner?"

"Felix, you know how I feel about this. These are the cards you've been dealt, you should try and make the best of what's been given to you."

"Why do you want me to get adopted so bad? Can't you just let me be?"

"Felix, you know what happens when a pet spends too much time here without being adopted. You've been in the shop for six years, I don't want you to-"

"Well, maybe I do deserve to go to the pound. Maybe they'll finally put me down, then I won't be such a nuisance anymore!"

Warm tears pricked Felix's eyes, his throat was sore and his lungs were burning. He refused to look at Sandra's eyes, afraid to see the guilt? Pity? Disappointment?

He didn't say a word as he was washed, dried and brushed. He was soon set into a cage with a matted floor.

I've done it countless times, I can do it again. I just hope it'll be quick this time.

The cage was brought out of the back room and deposited on the front counter, along with some paperwork. His paperwork.

Sandra's voice spoke from above. "Is this everything? Or do you need anything else?"

The other human was silent for a moment, before bending down to be at eye level with Felix. "Do you need anything else?"

Oh, great. so you're one of those.

Felix scrambled towards the back of the cage when those giant blue eyes fell on him, shaking his head. The human shrugged, once again moving out of Felix's line of view.

"No thank you, I'll just take him and this toy."

"Perfect! Now you just need to sign the adoption papers, Mr..."

"Luke. Call me Luke."

Luke. Felix didn't bother memorising it. It's not like he'll need it anyway.

Felix heard the sound of paper being shuffled around. This was his least favourite part of the adoption process: The deafening silence, the suspance, the fact that those documents meant that this human owned Felix, without asking any opinion from his part.

Felix's thoughts were interrupted as the cage was lifted up, and he was brought to the soft ground with a quiet 'oof'. Sandra gave her best smile as she bid farewell to felix, but he didn't bother to turn around to look at her. I'll be back in a week, so why even bother.

The cage was set onto the front seat of the human's car and secured with a seatbelt. The human sat in the driver's seat, and immediately turned to face Felix with a smile.

"So, what's your name, little guy?"

You already know it.

"Not a talker, eh? Me neither."

Then stop talking.

"My name is Luke."

I'm not stupid, I heard you the first time.

The human gave Felix a weird look, turning the car on and messing with the radio knob. "Do you like music?"

Please don't choose anything pop.

The radio eventually settled onto some smooth jazz, and the car started moving. Felix tried to tune out the noise, wanting to get as much sleep as he could.

I just hope he doesn't have kids.

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Phew! That was the longest chapter I've written as of now.

I really enjoyed writing this story, and I have a lot of ideas for its future. I know the pet trope is a bit of a risque subject in the G/t community, but then I remembered that morality is relative and fiction is fiction.

Ryker swam around the reef, looking for shells that would make a good gift for Lucky. Despite not being able to sustain anything more than sparse patches of kelp and the occasional mollusk, this once alive coral reef still held many colorful shells that once belonged to clams and oysters. Lucky had always enjoyed collecting various trinkets he found on the sea floor, so Ryker thought these would make a great addition to his brother's collection.

As he was getting ready to leave however, Ryker swore he heard a faint voice. Was it my immagination? I thought this place was completely deserted...

Curious at the unexpected noise, Ryker sniffed the water around him. The faintest smell reached him, though he could barely discern what it could be. A fish perhaps? Why would anything be living here? There's no food, unless it could somehow eat seagrass?

Hesitantly, he decided to call out to whatever had made that noise. "Hello? Is anybody here..?"

Ryker waited for a response, but only got silence in return. Why aren't they coming out? Was it really my immagination? But I swear I can smell... something.

A bit saddened, Ryker decided to just leave the creature to itself, opting to return home and maybe ask for help to his family. With a sigh, he started swimming away.

Once he arrived at home, a series of caves that he and his siblings decided to inhabit, He went straight to Lucky's room, where him and Dylan were talking with eachother.

"So then this sturgeon appeared out of nowhere, it was almost twice my size! It started chasing me, but I managed to outrun it by swimming trough some rocks. And then-"

"Sounds like quite a story"

"Ryker! You're back! Did you bring the-"

"Yes, I found some shells in the dead reef."

"You're the best!"

Ryker showed Lucky and Dylan the various shells he had found and lucky immediately swam up to inspect them. Despite being barely the size of Ryker's fingernail, the shells were almost as big as Lucky's head. Ryker's mind returned to that strange voice he heard that morning.

"When I was out looking for these, I heard something... weird."

Both Dylan and Lucky turned to face him.

"It sounded like a voice, I think. I called out to them but they didn't answer. It could've been my immagination, but I swear I smelled something alive"

"In the dead reef? Are you sure? I haven't seen a living fish there in forever, let alone a mer"

Lucky chuckled and looked at his brother with a smirk, "Ryker, are your shark senses going haywire?"

"You know it doesn't work like that-"

Dylan smiled, barely able to contain his laughter, "Listen man, if you're sure you heard something there, you should go back there tomorrow and see if it's still there"

Lucky's eyes lit up, "Can I come with you? I wanna make sure you're not completely crazy"

Ryker rolled his eyes, "Fine you can come with me tomorrow"

Lucky jumped up and swam towards Ryker's face, hugging his nose.

"You two should get ready, dinner will be in an hour."

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This chapter was supposed to be chapters 1-2 from Ryker's perspective, but it became so long I had to split it into 2.

Nathan swam around the coral reef, glancing around him and analyzing the naturally formed structures of corals and rocks. Dozens of intricate concave formations surrounded by kelp and anemones covered the pearly white sand.

He slowed down to catch his breath, making sure there weren't any threats around him before dropping down on a bed of seaweed, his deep crimson tail contrasting with the bright greenery under him.

It's been about a week since he encountered that... thing. Him and his family were peacefully traversing the ocean until a mer- a giant mer, bigger than anything he's ever seen in his entire life- appeared out of nowhere and darted right at them. There were sceams and blood, so much blood- and-

Not now, I can't think of this now, I have to look for somewhere to live now that they... now that I'm alone.

Nathan closed his eyes and took in a heavy breath, trying to calm himself down and focusing on his current situation. Nice thoughts, nice thoughts. He took in the plesant warmth of the water around him, the smell of fresh kelp, the warm rays of the sun above-

There was no sunlight.

Curiously, he opened his eyes (oh, how he wishes he didn't), and looked up.

Above him, was a mer. A very, very large mer. His smooth gray tail lazily moving its large body forward. From this angle Nathan couldn't see its face, but he could tell it was looking for something.

Looking for him.

Nathan's heart started beating faster inside his chest, his body frozen in fear while his mind screamed at him. It's gonna find you it's gonna grab you rip you open crush you tear off your head and eat you-

As the mer turned around and he got a glance at the creature's razor sharp teeth, Nathan's body finally gained the ability to move again. He quickly darted under the nearest rock, trying his best to hide from the creature that was coming right towards him-

Nathan held his breath, not daring to move a muscle as the giant mer passed overhead. His eyes stayed glued on the creature, his heart pumping from fear of being seen, being snatched out and torn to shreds. He suppressed a cry as it stopped right above his hiding spot, sniffing the water.

Nathan closed his eyes and suppressed a cry, hugging his tail close and looking down at the floor, unable to face the creature that will end him.

He was too lost in his thoughts to hear what the giant mer said, but the shadow over him disappeared, and he was left in complete silence. Nathan waited for something to lift the rock under him, for large digits to dig him out of his hiding spot, he waited for something, anything-

But it never came. After some time of making sure the mer was truly gone, he left his hiding spot and looked around. Everything around him was exactly like it was before, as if the giant mer never even existed. Nathan let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, letting his heart steady a bit.

As the adrenaline left his body, Nathan realised how truly exhausted and hungry he was. He'd been swimming for so long, his body was begging for him to eat and rest. He thought about looking for some food, but instead opted for staying safe in his little nest.

Like hell I'm going out there again.

He started gathering whatever soft items he could find, bringing them to his hiding spot to create a makeshift bed. As he clutched his stomach and tried to ignore the pangs of hunger in his middle, he closed his eyes. Hopefully he'd find some food tomorrow, without running into that giant mer again.

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The drabble has escaped containment, it has began making more of itself and I am unable to stop it

Nathan: Oh boy I sure do hope I don't see that scary big mer again!

Ryker:

As the gentle rays of the sun illuminated his little nest, Nathan awoke to the sound of... talking?

Nathan rubbed his eyes, trying to make out what the mysterious voices were saying. He swam up to the entrance of his little cave, just enough to look outside and see-

The giant mer.

Nathan's eyes widened in terror and he immediately shot back under the cover of his cave.

It's back, it's back and it's not alone. Of course it's back why did I stay here instead of escaping? Now I'm gonna die here like-

Nathan tried to get his breathing under control. If he managed to hide from the creature last time, he can wait it out once more and then get the hell out of there.

Since the mer's voice seemed to come from far away, Nathan decided to cautiously look at it to get more information. But as he peered outside expecting to see a group of giant mers, he was confused at what he saw.

The giant mer wasn't talking to anybody. There weren't any other large creatures swimming with it (thankfully). So what was it doing? Was it just talking to itself?

"Weird..."

Before Nathan could realise he had said that aloud, the larger mer's head snapped towards him. Nathan's heart started beating faster than before as he quickly dove for cover.

If- If the giant had heard him, oh god... I just called it weird- I just insulted it behind its back! It's gonna come here and tear away my cover and- and-

Nathan started hyperventilating, waiting for giant hands to rip him away from his hiding spot and tear into his body, crush him betweeen those teeth and-

The larger mer turned away, and started talking again.

Oh.

So it didn't see me. Good. Why did it turn towards me then? Did the giant think they imagined it? Is this just a sick joke? Is it gonna turn around and laugh at me for letting my guard down and-

The larger mer stopped talking. Instead, it put something on the ground and swam away.

Nathan tried to catch his breath for a moment. Was that fish? The giant seemed to have put fish on the ground. His stomach grumbled. This is a trap. This clearly, oh so obviously a trap. The mer put that fish down to make him come out and-

Nathan started fuming. He was way too smart to fall for that. He wasn't just a mindless fish, he wasn't prey. He was so smart in fact, that he could beat the giant at its own game. He'd grab the food and leave this place, making sure to never come back.

Halfway trough his flawless plan, he started to realise just how not-so-smart he was acting. He was swimming right into the mer's trap, and his mind was screaming at him to go back to the safety of his cave.

It's a trap, it's gonna come here while you're eating and it won't even bother to distinguish you from the rest of the fish-

But I'm so hungry.

Nathan's judgement was starting to get overrun by his need for food. He hadn't eaten in who knows how long. He still hasn't seen any live fish in this forsaken reef (maybe because there's a giant mer cleaning out this entire territory you idiot-) and the fish that was oh-so-generously left here looked so delicious-

The mer wouldn't mind if he ate some of it. Would it even notice? He's more than sure the giant could just tear open his hiding spot if it knew there was a tasty little mer inside (don't think about that right now-), so why would the larger mer go tough the hustle of making a trap to lure him out of hiding? It probably doesn't even know he exists (then why could it smell you) so it put that fish down to eat it later (then why did it hear you) he's sure everything's gonna be fine (he's going to die here-)

As he finally reached the food, a dozen of fish neatly lying on a bed of seagrass, Nathan fully expected for something to jump out and kill him. But nothing happened.

Hesitantly, he reached for the fish (could it be poisoned? Why would it poison the fish to catch me if it could just eat the fish? Does it just prefer to eat creatures that can plead for mercy as they're torn to shreds-)

Nathan's stomach let out a growl. It was either certain death by starvation or death by dubiously poisoned fish. As he took a bite, he let out a sigh of relief.

This is the best thing I've tasted in a long, long time.

Granted, he's spent the last days.. weeks? Looking around for a place to call home so he didn't really have time to find food apart from the easily available redfish or flounder (those always tasted awful-)

Nathan was lost in his thoughts when he was caught by surprise by an unfamiliar voice.

"What are you doing here?"

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Oooooohhh Nathan has been founddd! But by who you may wonderrr??

Anyway I'll eventually explain what exactly happened to Nathan's parents, I'm just joking about something from the original restoration series from the original author (which y'all should check out btw)

'Cold, cold, cold. I must find shelter before it starts raining.'

Toby ventured trough the undergrowth of the forest, the dry leaves crunching under his feet. The frigid winter weather came sooner than he had expected, leaving him struggling to find shelter before he froze to death.

'Cold, cold, cold. Why couldn't winter wait another week?'

He shivered, the piercing winds being barely held back by his thin, ragged clothing. His tail wrapped around his leg to preserve as much body heat as possible, holding on so tightly that it almost cut off his circulation. He shoved aside the blades of grass that reached up to his chest, being an outside borrower certainly didn't make surviving the winter any easier.

He looked around, searching for anything sturdy enough to shield him from the elements. A tree stump, a hole in the ground, a-

A cave.

He stopped dead in his tracks, looking at the small entrance in the stone cliff in front of him. The cave seemed dark, but it was deep enough to protect him from the rain.

'God I hope there's nothing already in here. dealing with hypothermia is already enough.'

His numb feet slowly strode towards the entrance, a shiver running down his spine. If he was gonna stay here for a while, he had to find fresh water and a source of food. He could hear the faint sound of running water, so there should be a water source nearb-

His entire body goes still. He could've sworn he saw movement in his peripheral vision. He slowly turns his head towards the source, and his breathing goes silent.

A wall of scales, a tail as large as the biggest tree he's ever seen curled around itself.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid! Of course this cave wasn't empty! Why would anything pass up on a free place to sleep?'

The tail twitched, and the all the color drained from his face.

'I gotta get out of here, and quickly. I'm not gonna be snake food tonight. Better to risk dying in the cold than be eaten by some giant animal'

As he hurried himself towards the cave's entrance, he could hear the creature move.

'Shit Shit SHIT'-

The entrance was too far away, he knew he wouldn't make it in time. Instead, he opted for hiding behind a rock until the creature would go back to sleep or go away. Hopefully.

He couldn't see much from his hiding spot, so he tried to focus on the sounds as much as he could.

As expected, the creature didn't just fall back to sleep, instead deciding to around the cave, clearly looking for something. 'Great, just my luck.'

What he did NOT expect, was for a human-like voice to scare the shit out of him.

"Where are you?"

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And there we go! My first fic, or at least, the first part of it. Will our teeny tiny friend be ok? Only time will tell!

This is the first literary piece I've ever written, so any feedback is more than welcome.