Biology:

The merfolk can be broken up into 3 primary sexes. Male, Female, and Intersex (also known as Hermaphrodites). With the Intersex individuals being broken down into two sets: Male dominant and Female dominant; which is the means of differentiating dominant characteristic expression.

Intersex individuals cannot swap their dominant sex expression. The ones that one up looking more like males will always look more like males; and the same applies to the ones that look like females. They simply have a wider range of options when it comes to breeding.

Roughly 25-3-% of Merfolk are Intersex. So it is, at least compared to humans, INCREDIBLY common.

Merfolk do express sexual dimorphism, much like humans. This sexual dimorphism, however, is not uniform. As in the rules of dimorphism cannot be applied to the whole or considered to be a standard. Genetics do play a role; but the Beastial Expression (animal comparison) is more dominant. So as an example, with Clownfish Mer, the females are larger and more dominant than the males almost all of the time. Because for clownfish, the females are larger and more dominant with the males being smaller and more submissive.

Female (or Female Dominant Intersex) Merfolk primarily reproduce by laying eggs. Live birth IS possible, but is far more demanding on the parent and at this point bypasses social norms. So it is incredibly rare for a Mer to give live birth. (Also, important to note, the live birth route is comparable more to certain sharks - where there's babies eating one another in utero.)

A Female Mer can produce anywhere between 3 and 15 (with more than that being a rarity) eggs, with that range largely being dependent on things like age and the number of breeding cycles that have passed. So an older individual who has laid eggs before will produce more than a first time egg-layer.

The eggs are highly gelatinous in nature, with a thick mucous membrane surrounding the developing embryo. This membrane actually expands when exposed to water, thus creating more room for the developing infant to develop while also saving on internal space.

Eggs are kept in utero long enough to partly begin development. Following which they will be laid. "The "Internal Incubation" period lasts around 3-4 weeks.

Reproductive cycles for Merfolk are synchronized. There is a set period of time in which breeding is possible. Different regions of mer will go into season at different points during the year, with those points being dictated by changes in the water chemistry (largely reliant on temperature). As a result of this, large populations of Mer will reproduce at a time.

Mass migrations of Pregnant mer (often accompanied by their mates) will take expectant parents to designated "birthing zones". Generally being warmer, shallow waters where fever predators are present. These zones have been utilized for centuries, which has only strengthened the migration habits of the merfolk inhabiting different regions.

Partly developed eggs are laid in these birthing zones. Following which, they are promptly abandoned.

Brutal as it may be, mer simply produce too many offspring to reasonably care for all that hatch. Attempting to salvage every newborn life would only lead to unsustainable population growth. So clutches of eggs are abandoned and left to hatch (Which can take 2-3 months), then the hatchlings are left alone in the breeding zone for a period of 2-3 months (region dependent). During which point the very small (compared to human babies) merfolk infants will grow and mature.

This "isolation period" is what I affectionately refer to as the Cannibal Infant Free For All. Because, yes. Newly hatched mer are incredibly cannibalistic. The stronger individuals who are better at hunting cannibalize their peers, and the meek who fail to properly hide are promptly devoured.

Siblings are able to instinctively avoid preying on one another and are even known to protect one another. Outside of that, there is rarely a sense of mercy. Unrelated individuals that avoid attacking one another aren't doing so out of compassion, but out of a mutual understanding that the outcome of the confrontation could end poorly on both sides.

Following the end of this Cannibalistic Swarming period, surviving babies are promptly adopted by returning adults.

This is a very disorganized situation. While siblings automatically recognize one another, the odds of an adult finding their own children (if any have survived) aren't exactly guaranteed. There is a margin of error; but also sometimes just play out in interesting ways. So roughly 30-40% of mer will wind up taking home and raising kids that they share no blood with.

Additionally, sometimes siblings wind up separated. Particularly in instances where too many spawn belonging to one bloodline have survived the swarm, meaning that the adults would struggle to properly maintain them all (2 is the comfortable average, with 3 being a big strain).

The adoption process triggers psychological changes in baby merfolk. Which leads to these previously murderous infants suddenly becoming shy, withdrawn, and incredibly fearful. This is very much a trauma response brought about by a prolonged period of existing in a "Kill or be killed" state.

Adopted babies will spend an extended period of time just hanging out in the pouch of one of their parents. This provides them a secure place, close to a trusted adult, and is essential for bonding. Babies who are denied access to the pouch struggle to grow out of their skittish stage, leading to other developmental issues down the line.

All mer have pouches. These pouches take up a huge portion of the torso. The entrance of the pouch is often mistaken for a bellybutton. The opening of the pouch is often kept closed by default with contracted muscles (these muscles are contracted when at rest) and it takes conscious effort to loosen them.

Yes, adult mer would appear to be pregnant (from a human perspective) when there are juveniles hanging out in the pouch. Yes, it looks freaky when the babies are in there squirming around.

Female Mer DO produce breast milk! But only in small amounts, with it acting more as a nutritional supplement. The milk of a mermaid is thick, with a consistency comparable to heavy cream, and it will thicken even further when exposed to water. Which can cause it to sort of float absently in the water like oil.

For the TMI aspects; it is more common than not for a male mer to have two penises, for ease of mating. Females, however, only have one vaginal opening. Sexual fluids, likewise, are also incredibly thick and sticky (even if slippery) in order to maintain functionability in an underwater setting.

Yes, merfolk will mate for pleasure outside of breeding seasons. This is incredibly common and a bonding activity.

There are no strict expectations or even social norms relating to things like mates. A promiscuous female is judged no more than a female who prefers to take only one mate. Individuals who elect to mate long-term are treated no differently from those who treat the arrangement as a one-and-done situation. The only things that are judged are whether or not someone is irresponsibly spreading disease, and whether or not they will take proper care of any children that they take as their own. Literally all that is expected is that you be responsible for the health of your partner and for any life you take guardianship over.

Circling back to something mentioned waaaay above. Beastial Expression. This is just my fancy way of saying "What aquatic creature an individual mer can best be compared too". Because in the context of the AU - this is NOT a genetic trait.

Different Beastial Expressions do not mean different SPECIES of mer. All of the merfolk that exist today belong to the same species, and are the surviving descendants of a far more primal species of mer that existed an incredibly long time ago (Pointing at Dunkleosteus Caine), which has long since gone extinct. Largely due to changes in environment; but not for the reason that one might expect.

Context here is that Merfolk, as Mystic Creatures, are innately magic. They are magical entitles. They resemble existing aquatic species because they are, in effect, an embodiment of ocean magic. As a result, the Primal Mer (Dunkleosteus as an example) don't go extinct directly as a result of changes in the environment that make it impossible for THEM to exist. These forms of mer go extinct because the environment changes and makes it impossible for Dunkleosteus the animal to survive. The extinction of the comparable animal entity dictates the loss of Beastial Expression in a mer. Which means that no more can naturally attain that shape (though human fuckery has apparently found the way to reignite long dormant capabilities).

So, again. The type of "fish" (or aquatic animal) that a mer is born as has nothing to do with genetics. It has everything to do with the existence of that type of organism in the current time; with the local animal population having more of an effect than anything else. It is very rare for a mer to be born resembling an animal that can't be found anywhere in its environment. Hence we often find the mer of one area strongly resembling the wildlife of their ecosystem. This in turn leads to a huge range in physical diversity.

This is how you can wind up with an "Octopus" mer and a "Stingray" mer being full blooded siblings from the same clutch, and that just being a normal thing to have happen. This is also the real reason behind Bubble and Caine being sterile. It actually has very little to do with the fact that they've been artificially created. They have a Beastial Expression that is extinct, and so their innate magic is damaged to the point that it just doesn't know what to do in terms of children. Though we can always fool around with the idea of them somehow producing kids and those kids are just born as modern-day "fish", baffling everyone involved.

Color, however, IS a genetic trait! Which can lead to fun situations where you get a "Great White Shark" with clownfish colors (and sometimes even the pattern). Children are highly likely to inherit colors that are present in their parents and grandparents. Which is also another fun byproduct of that innate water magic.

Beastial Expression can lead to fun differences in individual mer, outside of appearances. An example being than an Octopus mer is capable of changing all of the pigment in their body in order to blend into the background and hide (and despite having bones in their more humanoid parts... They can somehow change their biology in order to squeeze into unnaturally tight spaces. Even their head can be slightly squished without damage). Unique adaptive traits common to the animal comparison are very commonly seen in the Mer.

Because I forgot to share it here but it is an important detail, newly hatched Merfolk are semi-transparent. Meaning that you can often see their internal organs (contents of their stomachs/intestines) and their still developing bones through their very thin, pale skin. Their eyes are often not fully developed either. Yet they have teeth and claws that are just sturdy enough to be used to cannibalize their peers!

Yes, the merfolk can suffer from a range of genetic defects. Albinism, Melanism, Gigantism, Dwarfism - the list goes on. There are even fun fucked up things that can happen which would lead to body parts appearing in the wrong place. Nature isn't perfect and magic can make nature unstable.

Calming waves lapped at the shore. The sun shone down upon you. A gentle breeze blew in off the sea. The palm trees provided the perfect amount of shade. Now, if only you were here on vacation and not stranded on an unknown island with no sign of sentient life.

You had been out on a dolphin spotting tour, while on your actual vacation in the Bahamas, when suddenly a whirlpool appeared beneath your vessel. The helmsman had struggled to keep the ship upright by fighting against the current. But the tourboat had started to tilt. You shouldn’t have tried to be a hero, but you had seen an older woman start to fall off. Grabbing her, you had lost your footing the moment after she was pulled to safety, toppling over the edge.

The next couple of minutes were a blur as you were pulled into the depths of the whirlpool. Perhaps the sea had been asking for a sacrifice as moment you were sucked under the water the turmoil ceased. Your life jacket helped your body rise to safety, or else you would have drowned for certain. The hours after were a blur as you swam to shore. At some point, you felt exhaustion overtake you, your mind went black, but eventually you came to on a beach. No signs of mortal life. Then you realized what had happened.

A rift. You had been pulled through the Veil by a random rift! Fucking Bermuda Triangle!

Gods, what was even here on the island with you? Thanks to colonialism, so many of the native monsters of these islands that would be found across the Veil were completely unknown, not to mention all of the ones that the enslaved people and the colonizers imported with their stories. And here you were all alone. 

At least, you hoped you were alone. You swore you felt eyes watching you from the water. Whatever it was hadn’t gotten you in your feverish swim to safety, though. Maybe it was just paranoia.

You had survived the night, curled up against the roots of some trees, having eaten some mangos you found nearby. Now the sun had risen, and it was time to figure out what to do.

You were no survivalist but you knew the basics from watching shows and movies. First you needed clean, fresh water. After spending all day swimming you were partched. You didn’t want to travel too far inland yet and risk getting lost but if this island was close in shape and size to the one you were staying at it might have a river in a similar location as well. 

As you walked along the coast you swore you felt eyes on you again. Not from the jungle but the sea. Every so often you heard a large splash out in the water. You started to get the dreadful feeling that something was hunting you. 

After an hour’s walk, you found what you were looking for. Eagerly, you cupped the water in your hands, drinking it down in hurried gulps. Alright, now that you had found fresh water, you needed a steady food source and shelter. On your walk, the island had been ripe with fruit, so you weren’t worried about food, and in the temperate climate…Suddenly, a bush rustled across the river. 

You gasped and scurried away from the river’s edge, hiding behind some trees. You heard something small dart through the undergrowth and disappear deeper into the jungle. Breathing out in relief, you took a moment to gather yourself. It was fine. You were fine. Everything was going to be okay--Another large splash just off the coast. Then another, even closer to shore.

Freezing in terror, you sank against the trees, trying to hide in the roots. 

Closer and closer the sound came until the splash was interrupted by sand. It had reached the shore. After a few moments though the splashes returned moving away before silencing altogether.

You waited a long minute before poking your head around the trees to look at the coast. Nothing. No. There was something sitting on the shore just past the wave line.

Cautiously approaching, you saw a palm leaf that wasn’t there before, on top of which was a pile of oysters. It looked like an offering of some sort. It was best not to touch it, or else you might upset whatever creature it was for. Hopefully, there wasn’t a spirit in the river, and you had just insulted it or something.

Hurrying away, you were a minute away from the offering when a massive splash caught your attention. Looking to the ocean, you saw a glittering shape launch out of the water and land on the beach in front of you. You fell back in surprise, landing on your ass.

A dark grey merfolk with vibrant blue and green markings, carrying a spear, blocked the path in front of you. “Een awraki hudaro mi’i?!” It looked angry. 

You stared at it silently, mouth gaping like a fish. It repeated the words, the language coming out like a hiss.

“I’m sorry! I don’t understand,” you cried, still on the ground. The monster looked down at you, the apparent anger fading into confusion.

“Een tulu com’ni’i?”

You shook your head. “I’m sorry,” you repeated. “I crossed the Veil accidentally. I don--”

With surprising speed, the merfolk rushed forward. Its massive body loomed over yours. It was twice your size at least. Its scale covered arms rippled with muscle. You tried to scramble back, but it grabbed your wrists and pressed you against the sand. It covered your mouth with its own and bit down, its sharp teeth tearing through your lower lip. You struggled as it pulled back, your blood on its lips.

It licked your blood off and grinned. Then, after biting its own lower lip, it pushed your mouth together again. The thin, fish blood dripped against your stubbornly closed lips. The merfolk growled and shoved its tongue in, forcing your mouth open and letting the blood seep down your throat.

The merfolk pulled back again. You struggled some more, tears pouring down your face. “Jut’a! Een tulu…understand? Present not-me understand?”

You blinked. Did it just speak your language? “Y-yes,” you replied carefully, your lower lip swelling from its bite.

“Appeasement. Present this-one understand not-me.” Whatever rudimentary translation spell the merfolk had cast certainly wasn’t perfect. But you were understanding its words at the very least.

“Can you release me, please?”

“Future-not land-swim not-me.” It took half a moment to realize what it was saying. Do not run.

“I promise. I won’t run.”

The merfolk stared unblinkingly into your eyes before slowly releasing your wrists. It pulled back, letting you rise from the ground. Carefully, you stood. The merfolk’s head was at your shoulders even when you were on your feet. It was massive. Yet, you felt safer now. If this thing had wanted to kill you, it would and easily could have.

“This-one amends regret,” it said poking at its lower lip before pulling a small leaf from a belt of pouches around its waist. It broke the leaf, revealing a gooey inside. Like aloe, you presumed taking the leaf and dabbing it on your lower lip. You felt the blood stem, and a tingling dulled the pain. The merfolk smiled, revealing its jagged, sharp teeth.

“Thank you. Have you been following me?”

“Yes. Past this-one hunt lusca. Next-past appear not-me surprise this-one. Past this-one aid not-me direction land. This one desire-understand reason. Present desire-understand human.”

It took another moment to piece together what it was saying. It was hunting, you appeared before it, it was curious and helped you to shore. It was still curious. “I was on a boat. A whirlpool appeared and I fell inside. Then I arrived here. I come from the world of humans not this world.”

This time, it looked at you for a long moment. Likely, the translation spell was poor on each end. Finally, it replied. “Sea decide not-me gift. This-one accept sea gift. Not-me reject this-one gift motivation?”

Again, it took you a moment. It thought you were a gift? And wanted to know why you rejected their gift? “The oysters were for me?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, I did not know. I didn’t want to steal. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

The merfolk scoffed. “Not-me kind same-time idiot. Future survival means present steal.”

“Then I will steal in the future.”

“No. Steal not. Present to future this-one provide. Sea-gift welcome. This-one protect Sea-gift.”

“My name is not Sea-gift. I am--” The merfolk pressed a finger to your lips, causing the wound to sting.

“Past name gone. Present name be Sea-gift.” The merfolk undulated its tail, rising up so it towered above you now. “Present Sea-gift belong to Ko’loch.”

It had been about a month since you had fallen to the other side of the Veil. A month since Ko’loch had decided you were his property. Oh, yes, it was a him now. Merfolk gender may be non-existent so far as humans could understand, but if that creature could decide you belonged to it because you appeared in its territory, then you were going to decide what pronouns to use for it. Only a man would be as possessive as this thing was under the guise that it was protecting and providing for you.

Still, at least you weren’t struggling to survive. Ko’loch brought you the bounty of the sea, fish, crabs, oysters, and edible seaweed. There must have been a few shipwrecks in the area and debris from a rift, as he also brought you random bits of carved wood, jewels, and brightly colored plastic trash. After his outburst at ignoring the first gift, you had decided not to ignore Ko’loch’s gifts to you, whether food or decoration. So far, there had been no other incidents where you felt your life was in danger.

Some people may question why you didn’t move away from the shore, but to you, the answer was obvious. You had no idea what was in the interior of the island. Not to mention, if any help was to come, you wanted to be visible and ready. Though he didn’t know it, Ko’loch’s colorful gifts were making a perfect signal that sentient life was on this island.

“Sea-gift!” Ko’loch’s voice rang out across the waves. He had returned from his hunt.

“Coming,” you called out, heading from the shade to the set of flat rocks that jutted out like a natural dock, which Ko’loch and you had decided were the best place to meet. You could stay dry, and he didn’t need to haul himself across the sand.

“Sea-gift, I have found strange things for you,” he told you proudly. The translation magic he had cast had slowly learned over the past week, allowing you to communicate more normally. Abstract ideas and more complicated thoughts were still difficult to translate. You had tried to explain the concept of the Veil and the human world, but you were pretty sure he ended up thinking you were from the heavens.

“What are they,” you asked curiously, sitting down on the rocks at the edge of the water. From the depths below, he pulled out a crochet-style bright orange beach bag. Inside was a plastic shovel, a sand bucket, a straw sun hat, and goggles. Then, from behind his back, he produced a small cooler. 

“This is like a clam,” he exclaimed happily as he lifted the cooler lid. Inside were several bottles of beer. Astonished you reached out. They were all still cold. Ice cold.

“Ko’loch, where did you find these,” you asked, barely believing what you were seeing. These were all very modern; it looked like someone lost their beach supplies all at once. And if these beers were still cold, they must have been recently pulled through a rift.

“They were floating in the water near where I found you. The sea must want you to have them.”

“Was there anything else,” you asked excitedly. “Any other humans?”

Ko’loch stared at you before shaking his head. “No. Just these.”

You tried to swallow your disappointment, but you knew it showed on your face. Ko’loch reached out a massive hand, cupping your face. “These things make you sad. Why?”

“No, no, I am not sad about the things. Thank you. I just thought…I thought there might be someone to…” You stopped before you could say rescue you. “To keep me company while you are out and help me on land.”

Ko’loch was silent, his webbed hands stroked your hair, his claws gently scraping your scalp. “You are lonely. I know being lonely. That is why I ask the sea for a companion, and the sea gave me you.”

Pity grew in your chest. Merfolk were social creatures just like humans; they lived in shoals and had a complex society that humans were just learning to comprehend. You had wondered before why Ko’loch was the only merfolk you saw. What happened to the others for him to have been alone?

Staring down at Ko’loch’s dark, human-like eyes, you reached out as well. For the first time, willingly touching him. Your hand reciprocated his movements, sliding over the tiny, delicate scales of his face. Your fingers trailed up to the folded fins on his head that mimicked hair. The fins flexed at your touch. Ko’loch made a pleasured clicking noise, almost like a dolphin, as he leaned into your touch.

“I’m sorry you have been alone,” you told him truthfully.

“It is not your fault. Why do you apologize?”

“I feel sympathy,” you corrected, another flaw of the translating magic, “I feel sadness for you, Ko’loch.”

“I do not want Sea-gift to be sad.” He pulled away, his hand dragging down your arm to take your hand. “Come. You told me you wanted to see dolphins. Let me show you. Make you feel better?”

You froze. He had offered this before when you first tried to explain what a vacation was and what you were doing before falling into the water. That had only been a few days after your arrival, when you trusted Ko’loch less than you did now. You had declined then. Yet, at this point, you did trust that Ko’loch would not intentionally harm you.

“Alright,” you agreed. “Let me put these away first.”

He nodded and let you go. You gathered up the gifts and put them in your shelter before undressing. You didn’t need the seawater to ruin your clothes faster. Grabbing the goggles, you went to the rocks. Ko’loch was nowhere to be found.

“Ko’loch,” you called out, slapping the top of the water to send a signal underneath. A few minutes passed before you saw a dark shape rising from below. Ko’loch’s head broke the surface, and he smiled.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting. I had to find them. Come.” He reached out his hand for yours. Sitting on the edge of the rock, you put your feet in the water. It was cool compared to the beating sun, but not cold. Taking Ko’loch’s hand, you slid into the water. 

“Hold on,” you told him as he made to guide you. You wet the goggles and dipped your head underwater before putting them on. Ko’loch tilted his head curiously and leaned in to examine the goggles.

“They will help me see underwater, or else the ocean water hurts my eyes,” you explained.

“You look funny,” he chuckled, tapping on the edge of the goggles with a claw. Pulling away, he guided you behind his back. “Hold on to me, Sea-gift.”

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, being careful not to press too hard on the lowered dorsal fin along his spine. The water shifted around you as his powerful tail went from keeping him in place to moving you both forward. Ko’loch kept his upper body close to the surface so you could breathe as you traveled.

His path brought you past the river you used as a drinking source and up around the other side of the island. As you traveled, you got the best view of the island that you had so far. Two sweeping hills covered in dark green jungle contrasted with pristine sandy white beaches. It was beautiful—far more beautiful than the tourist-trap dotted landscape on the human plane.

Ko’loch finally stopped after a few minutes of swimming. Looking down into the crystal clear water, you saw a rainbow coral reef stretching out below you. Lowering his head into the water, you could feel Ko’loch’s chest vibrate as he called out underwater. A moment passed, then, twenty feet out in front of you, there was a splash. You watched as a bottle-nosed dolphin burst from the water. Then another and another. A whole pod danced before you.

You gasped and laughed in amazement. They swam forward, circling around you, clicking and squeaking. “Hold your breath,” Ko’loch instructed.

You took a deep breath right before he dived below the surface. The dolphins followed, twirling around you both. It was now that you realized how huge Ko’loch actually was. The dolphins were twice your length, but as you looked down Ko’loch’s back to the end of his tail, he was three times as long as you were tall. You had never known that merfolk could get this big.

After half a minute, you tapped Ko’loch on the shoulder. He kept swimming forward. You tapped again, feeling a strain in your lungs. Nothing.

Releasing Ko’loch’s shoulders, you pushed yourself up toward the surface. A hand grabbed your ankle and dragged you back down. Ko’loch stared at you in the water as bubbles escaped your nose. You kicked your legs trying to surface while clasping a hand over your mouth, trying not to breathe in.

“Trust me, Sea-gift,” he told you, grabbing your hand and pulling it away from your mouth. In the water, his voice came forth as a song, wrapping around you like magic, calming you. “I will not let you come to harm.”

Maybe it was the lack of oxygen, but your heart fluttered as he cupped your head in his hands. Ko’loch pressed his lips to yours. His large tongue worked its way inside, forcing your mouth open. You expected water to rush in, but his firm lips formed a seal around your mouth. He breathed into your mouth, air rushing into your lungs. It was more air than you should be able to hold in your lungs, but as he pulled away, you felt different. You did not have to think about holding your breath; you simply did so.

“There,” Ko’loch said satisfactorily, “now you can hold your breath forever.”

You gave him an angry look and pushed him away ineffectively. The dolphins around you chirped as if laughing. Ko’loch looked properly chided, though. “It only works on humans about to drown. I am sorry, Sea-gift.”

A baby dolphin came up and forced itself between you as if to break the tension. It rubbed against Ko’loch like a cat, and he petted it, smiling at you once more. Despite yourself, you felt the anger melt away. Over this past month, you realized that Ko’loch was sort of an idiot. He had no idea how to really interact with or care for humans. 

Ko’loch reached out and took your hand, placing it on the dolphin. As you stroked the dolphin, you looked up at Ko’loch. He was watching you intently, a worried expression on his face. Yet, when he saw you glance at him, he smiled eagerly. You couldn’t help but smile back.

Two weeks after swimming with dolphins, things had changed considerably between you and Ko’loch. He spent hours with you now, curled up on the rocks or the beach. Oftentimes, he was just there, occasionally asking questions about what you were doing. He didn’t understand the idea of cooking food and had initially been offended when he found out that you were roasting the fish he brought you over a fire.

You had tried to ask him about other merfolk and why he had been alone, but he clammed up every time you brought up the subject. The more time he spent out of the water, the more you realized how heavily scared he was. You had to wonder if that had something to do with it.

When the two of you weren’t talking, or having him just watch you, Ko’loch was teaching you skills. He had shown you how to weave vines into a net and find the medicinal leaves. He had made you a necklace of shark teeth and pearls. You had repurposed some of the plastic and the caps from the beers he had brought you and made him a necklace in return.

But today, Ko’loch had been acting oddly. He was fidgety. Instead of calmly watching you and listening to you talk, he stared at you while shifting in the sand. Sometimes it was like he was trying to keep close to you, yet at other times, it was like he was trying to keep away. The sun was setting, and usually, he would have returned to the ocean to eat by now, but he stayed on land with you. Fidgeting.

“What is wrong with you,” you finally asked, exasperated as you walked past him, and he released a low groan while sniffing the air.

“I am sorry, Sea-gift, I…” He sounded like he was in pain, causing you to freeze.

“Do you need water? Are you sick?” You approached, worried. 

Ko’loch reached out a hand and pushed you back. His fins flared out, making him seem even larger. His eyes were pitch black like a shark's. “Stay back!” 

His roar sent a flock of birds in the trees flying. Without thinking, you broke into a run. Disappearing into the jungle. 

You ran and ran until you couldn’t anymore. Your heart was pounding, and your lungs ached. You fell against a tree, barely able to see as the sunlight vanished. What had you just done? What had been wrong with Ko’loch? Your mind raced with questions, but ended on one: what were you going to do?

You were in the middle of the untamed jungle. Making your way back would be dangerous. Staying here would potentially be more dangerous.

A few tears escaped from your eyes, and a couple of moments later, they turned into sobs. You were done. You had survived for a month and a half on this god-forsaken island, and you just wanted to go home. 

The hoot of an owl made you jump, breaking you from your sorrow. The owl hooted again a massive white figure landed from the trees in front of you. It was an owl, sort of. It was three feet tall with an owl’s body and face, but set in its face were glowing red eyes. On its rear was a long monkey tail with a pair of talon-like arms under its wings. It hooted again, cocking its head looking at your curiously.

“I’m sorry if I am encroaching on your territory,” you told it, knowing it probably wouldn’t understand you. You reached up and removed the necklace Ko’loch had given you; you held it out to the creature in offering. “I am lost. Do you know a safe area?”

It hooted again. One of its creepy talon arms reached out and took the necklace. It examined the necklace, then hooted again. Hopping around, it disappeared into the brush. You stared for a long moment before it returned and gave an annoyed hoot. Oh, it wanted you to follow it.

You carefully picked your way through the brush. Moonlight from a full moon peeked through the canopy, helping to light your path. You followed the owl-thing for a good ten minutes until you heard running water. The river.

The jungle opened up to a clearing. You were at the edge of a deep cenote that fed the river, full-moon light making the surface sparkle. The creature stood at the water’s edge and hooted again. You approached. “Thank you very much. I…”

It threw the necklace into the water.

“What? Why did you--” Your words were cut off as the owl-thing jumped up, its feet striking your chest as it pushed you straight into the water. You sputtered as you gathered your senses. The creature was gone. The strength of the blow had forced you several feet back into the water. What the fuck?!

You swam toward the shore when suddenly something wrapped around your foot. Oh no. No! 

You had just enough time to take a breath before you were pulled under the water. In the darkness, you could not see what had you, but you felt the long, strong tentacles grabbing onto your limbs and pulling you down into the depths.

No! NO!

You struggled and fought for the surface. Somehow, it was worse that you weren’t struggling for breath due to Ko’loch’s magic. The quick peace of drowning was denied to you. All you could do was fight against the growing reality of being eaten alive. 

Before your eyes, you saw the necklace floating in the water. Highlighted just enough by the moonlight reflected in the water. You reached out with your free hand and grabbed it. It wasn’t useful, it wouldn’t save your life, but if you were going to die, you wanted to do so with a memento of the last person to care for you. The person, you now realized, that you had come to care for, despite everything.

As pressure from the water grew and surface, you opened your mouth and released your breath. “Ko’loch.” The last word you said before water flooded your lungs.

Your consciousness was fading, but on its edge, a fearsome screech reached your ears. A powerful creature forced past you, diving into the deep. “Sea-gift is mine!”

Suddenly, the force pulling you down vanished. Whatever was happening in the depths below turned the water around you. The drive to survive re-ignited. You kicked your legs, swimming to the surface. You were so deep, though. Your eardrums felt like they were about to burst. Your water-filled lungs burned for air. 

A long, flailing tentacle struck you, causing you to spin in the water. The water around you was clouded with blood. Blocking your view of the moonlight. You were no longer sure which direction to swim. Your body was reaching its limit.

Clawed hands gripped your face. A mouth pressed against yours. Life-giving air forced the water from your lungs. Ko’loch carried you in his arms towards the surface. You were barely clinging to life. 

He held you in his arms as you broke the water. “Please, Sea-gift. Wake up. I’m sorry, I wasn’t faster. Not again. Please.”

Cool water dripped from his skin onto your face. His voice was distant and fading. You were so tired, it would be so easy to go to sleep...Then hot, salty water touched your skin, rolling down your cheeks, into your mouth. Tears.

Your injuries healed, your body brought back from the brink of death. Merfolk tears, one of the most powerful healing magics to exist. Your eyes fluttered open. Ko’loch’s scales sparkled under the moonlight. The necklace was still in your hand as you reached up and touched his face. Pulling yourself up, you pressed a kiss to his cheek. His grip tightened around you needily.

“Thank you,” you told him when you pulled away.

“I will always protect you, Sea-gift,” he restated with a sad smile. 

“How did you find me?”

“The necklace, I can sense where you are when you wear it in the water…and if you are in danger or not.”

That owl creature. Had it known or was it just luck? Ko’loch swam down river, still holding you in his arms. You didn’t fight, using the time to rest. In the moonlight, you saw he had a new gash across his cheek from the battle.

“Why did you run,” Ko’loch asked after several minutes of silence.

“You scared me. I thought you were going to attack me. What was wrong with you?”

Ko’loch looked away, ashamed. “It is the full moon, Sea-gift, and the waters have cooled. Nature calls me to…and I can smell it on you, Sea-gift. It is your nature’s time as well.”

You blinked, putting together what he was saying. “You want to mate with me.”

“Yes.” His response was a growl of desire, his arms tightening around you even more, but he shook his head to clear it. “The fight took the edge off the need for now. I shouldn’t have been around you today, but I didn’t want you to be lonely again. When we get to your nest, I will go until this passes in a couple of days.”

The two of you fell into silence until you arrived at the rocks that acted as your meeting place. Ko’loch placed you on the flat rock, his claws trailing along your skin as he let go. Without saying a word, he sank beneath the waves and disappeared. You sat there for a long moment before standing up. Walking to the beach, you were halfway to your shelter when you stopped and looked back at the sea.

Before you could change your mind, you stripped. Tossing your ruined clothes toward your shelter. Putting the necklace around your neck, you strode back to the rocks. Taking a deep breath, dove into the water below. 

It took a long minute before you saw Ko’loch’s head peek out from the water. He slowly swam toward you like a shark stalking a seal. In the darkness, you now saw the blue parts of his scales glowed with bioluminescent light. Upon reaching you, he rose from the water, his eyes pitch black, his fins raised—a mating display.

“Get back on land,” he commanded, “I cannot control myself much longer. I will pin you against these rocks and completely claim you as mine, Sea-gift.”

“I know,” you told him calmly.

He sprang forward. His arms clutching the stone on either side of your head, his body pressed against yours. Ko’loch lowered his head, and you could feel the yearning tension with every word he spoke into your ear. “Go now or you will never be free of me as I know you long to be.”

You shifted your body, opening your legs to rest on either side of his waist. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders. You spoke breathily into his ear. “I’m yours.”

There was no moment of triumph for Ko’loch that you had finally accepted you were his—just the raw animalistic need to mate.

Ko’loch sank his teeth into your shoulder with a growl. You cried out in pain, yet even so, you felt a spark of pleasure with it. His hands gripped your thighs. The two small spines by his wrist pierced your skin. There wasn’t even time to feel the pain before your body flooded with heat. 

Your nipples brushed against his scales. Your clit ground against his slit. You moaned with pleasure, the aphrodisiac setting you on edge. “Make Sea-gift feel good. My Sea-gift. My treasure. My mate.” 

You nuzzled his shoulder, needily pressing your lips against his scales. Opening your mouth, you bit him, your human teeth barely able to break through his tough skin. Ko’loch sighed with pleasure, his claws sank into your ass. He had claimed you. You had claimed him.

You felt something large and hot poke against your stomach. Ko’loch adjusted your body, lining up his member with your greedy hole. Slowly, he pressed it into you. As its massive size stretched you, your walls clenched around it. You screamed with pleasure. 

“More,” you moaned needily, “more.”

“Yes,” Ko’loch agreed. “All of me. Take all of me.”

He continued to force his large member into you. You felt a pressure, a deep internal pressure against your cervix. Then a pop as the tip of his member entered your womb. You gasped. It should have been painful, but the aphrodisiac made your body interpret it all as pleasure. So much pleasure to have your mate hilted inside of you. Your brain was barely able to form a thought besides needing more.

Ko’loch bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to your lips. “You will look so beautiful filled with my eggs.”

Your stretched walls twitched. With a sigh of pleasure, Ko’loch’s body undulated in the water. He turned onto his back, your body straddling him, locked in place by his ovipositor. Then you felt it. Moving down the shaft inside of you, approaching your womb. It slowed near your cervix, as if teasing you. Then it slipped inside. 

You cried out in pleasure, your moans echoing across the waves. Egg and after egg was deposited inside of you. Each one extending your orgasm until you were past orgasm. Your mind was a blank canvas being painted with the pleasure of mating.

Your stomach swelled with eggs. Tears rolled down your cheeks from the ecstasy. “Last one, my Treasure,” Ko’loch groaned. “I know you can take it.”

The last egg pushed down his ovipositor slower than the first. It inched into you, squeezing into your stuffed womb. You whimpered, overstimulated. Ko’loch stroked your legs. “Good mate. Full of my eggs.”

Slowly, he lifted you off his ovipositor. You groaned and shook your head no, you didn’t want the pleasure to end. He hushed you, and a moment later, you felt something else pressing against you. Smaller and not as firm as the ovipositor, but you sank onto the member with pleasure. Your hips rolled creating ripples in the water as his sticky cum filled you. It seeped into your womb fertilizing the eggs and filled your cunt sealing everything inside.

Finally, after countless orgasms, your body was spent. Ko’loch caught you before you collapsed. He guided you onto your back so you were resting against his chest. Your turgid belly stuck up into the air. Reaching forward, you rubbed it, feeling the many bulges inside. Ko’loch placed his hand on top of yours. He vocalized clicks to express his happiness.

“Sleep, my treasure,” Ko’loch told you, his other hand stroking your hair. “I will protect you.”

The two Taino creatures in this story mentioned are the Lusca and the Chickcharney.

Find more stories in my Masterlist

You can read more about merfolk gender/sex lore in my world here, but summarized, merfolk go back and forth based on societal need. Ko'loch is intersex atm because there are no other merfolk around, but he still needs a mate to host the eggs.

You sat in a shallow tidal pool, munching on starfruit and guava. The water helped to take the pressure off your gravid stomach. It had only been one moon since Ko’loch had laid his clutch in you, and the fertilized eggs would enter the larvae stage around the next new moon. Already, the unfertilized eggs had been absorbed by your body for nutrition. You didn’t know much about merfolk reproduction, but you did know that not all of the eggs inside of you would be born as fry. In fact, barely any would.

Similar to some shark pups, merfolk larvae would fight for survival in the womb. They ate the unhatched eggs and each other for energy until only two or three remained. It was one of those facts you learned when you were young that stuck with you. Ko’loch had confirmed it with excitement. Of course, only the strongest fry could be born; the sea was a dangerous place.

It was something that would have horrified you before this - a fight to the death within your womb. Yet, ever since being pumped full of eggs by Ko’loch, something had changed within you. You only noticed these differences within yourself when you were alone, reflecting on the past, and even then, they only came in brief shimmers of realization. There and gone in a flash like a darting fish. But after mating with Ko’loch, everything about merfolk and your situation just seemed normal, natural, like it was always meant to be this way.

The researchers at DoMA would probably say Ko’loch had cast a spell on you or that the eggs or aphrodisiac had rewired your brain. But what did it matter? There had been no sign of rescue for moons, just the occasional beach trash at the new moon. When you dove into the water, had you not given up on the possibility of returning to the human world? Had you not accepted Ko’loch’s claim over you? This island was your home now, protected and provided for by your merfolk mate.

Even so, you still kept track of how long it had been. Something deep inside of you, a shred of the person you were before this, needed to know how many suns and moons it had been since your arrival. When had you begun to think of days and months as suns and moons? When had you judged the time of day by the tide or position of the sun and abandoned translating them to hours? When had you forgotten minutes and seconds altogether? 

When did you stop thinking like a human?

“Sea-gift!” And like that, the shimmer of realization was gone.

With a mighty leap, Ko’loch launched himself from the sea across the rocks to the tidal pool, which was just big enough for him to fit. Pulling you into his arms, Ko’loch nuzzled your neck affectionately, pressing his lips to the scales that developed around your mating scar, his hands stroking your swollen stomach. “How are you feeling today, my treasure? Is the clutch giving you any trouble?”

“They’re excited today. I can feel them twitch more often than usual; they are getting strong.” You leaned back against Ko’loch, enjoying his gentle touch. Inside of you, you felt the small sparks of movement as the babes twitched inside their eggs. Ko’loch’s grip tightened as he felt the slight electrical pulses of their movements. He made his pleasured clicking noise, his tail splashing the water in excitement.

Affection swelled in your chest. Ko’loch was so happy to be a parent. He deserved to be happy after being alone for so long. Yet, there was that question again. One you had wondered for moons. Why? Why had Ko’loch been alone?

“Ko’loch,” you said quietly, knowing that this was a sensitive topic for him. Perhaps it would be better to start with a different question. “Is this your first time having children?”

He stilled. A long, silent moment passed before he replied. “No.” 

As he answered, his grip tightened on you, his claws digging ever so slightly into your skin. Reaching down, you placed your hand over his comfortingly. “What--”

“Please,” he interrupted, his grip becoming desperate. “Do not ask.”

You ignored the pain his strength caused and looked up at him. He was staring out at the waves at something long gone in the past. Reaching out, you touched his cheek. “Ko’loch, my protector, my mate, it is okay.”

He looked down at you. A hurricane of fear, sadness, and regret stormed within his eyes. His gills flared rapidly, his body shivering with panic. “Yes, I will protect you. I must protect you all.”

Gently, you turned in his arms, sitting up, keeping his hands on your chest and stomach. “I am here. Our children are safe. You have been my saviour. My steady rock. My safe shallows.”

Leaning in, you touched your forehead to his, holding his eyes with yours. “I see the storm within you, the chaotic waves in your heart. Let me be your shore. Allow those waves to break upon me and know I will still be there afterward for you to rest upon.”

Breathing in and out slowly, you held Ko’loch’s gaze until his body relaxed and his breathing matched yours. “You are magic,” he said with quiet awe.

You smiled and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. “I am your sea gift, right? The answers to your prayers. The sea gave me to you, so trust me, please. If I know, it will help me protect myself and our children.”

Another long moment passed before Ko’loch finally gave a nod. “I wanted to protect you from this knowledge, but you are correct, you should know. It is difficult for me still…”

“Take your time,” you told him, running your hands along his scales comfortingly. Sitting in silence for several minutes, you let Ko’loch work up the courage and means by which he wanted to tell you. Given his reaction, you knew whatever happened was traumatic for him, so you did not rush him. You merely lay there in the water with him, keeping in physical contact.

Finally, Ko’loch spoke. “It was countless cycles ago, when I was the size of a dolphin. My shoal was small and lived in these waters in harmony with the humans of this island. My mate and I had two children, six cycles old…I was carrying my mate’s eggs once more…”

Ko’loch’s hand moved to his lower stomach, pain and sorrow crossed his face, before moving back to rest upon yours. “One sun, great canoes came; they were larger than whales, like a floating island that harnessed the clouds to move. The humans in them had shells that shone like mojarra. We were cautious but curious; the humans had heard tales from other islands about these great canoes. Sometimes, they brought strange gifts and sought to trade, while at other times, they left destruction in their wake. These ones seemed friendly. They had gifts for us and the humans. They said they were looking for medicine. Their chief across the deep waters was ill, and they had traveled all this way because they heard of the merfolk’s ability to heal anything.”

The moment that Ko’loch had mentioned sailing ships, your stomach had dropped - Europeans. You did not say anything, though, hoping he would find some semblance of peace by letting it come out naturally.

“We gave them some medicine from the depths that cures most illnesses, but it was not what they wanted…they…they wanted…”

“They wanted your tears,” you finished.

“More than that, they wanted us. To use whatever they could from us. They took the children first. They knew that meant we would not flee into the depths, that we would try to rescue them…but their weapons, wands of burning thunder and hooks that stripped magic from us.”

Guns and wrought iron. Your eyes glanced down at Ko’loch’s body. How had you not recognized some of these scars? A gunshot scar on his shoulder. Unnatural linear breaks in the scales from hooks being torn from flesh.

“They…there was so much blood…the sharks frenzied. They…” Ko’loch stopped speaking. His body shook, and he breathed rapidly once more as the memories and trauma took him away. You held on to him, letting him use you as an anchor to the present. 

“It is the past. They can’t hurt you anymore,” you reminded him gently as his claws dug into your skin in an unneeded attempt to keep you with him. Finally, his panic passed, and his grip loosened. “You don’t need to continue, I understand now. I am sorry I made you recall that.”

“No. No. I need to finish now. Stories must be completed once they begin.” Even with the statement, Ko’loch still had to take a few moments to work up the courage to restart.

“I do not remember most of the battle. Those of us who escaped retreated to plan a second assault. My mate…my mate had been captured rescuing me from the hooks. We could hear their cries coming from the canoes. Before we had time to rest and plan, the canoes summoned their clouds and fled. We were forced to give chase.”

Ko’loch’s grip tightened just a hair. “At first, we were able to keep up. Then they began dropping bodies into the water…our kin. The adults. Their fins were cut off. Unable to swim, sinking to the depths…I had my mate in my arms…but we were underwater, and our tears…there was no time to bring my mate to the surface…So, I gave my mate to the depths.”

A few tears ran from Ko’loch’s eyes, falling into the water and transforming into beautiful blue but useless stones. “But I still had my children to save. We caught one canoe…the others boarded, but I could hear my children crying out on another…the clouds pulled the canoes too fast…I swam for days, but I lost the trail…I failed them…”

Ko’loch stopped again. He was not panicking, lost in the trauma, but overcome with sorrow. He stroked your hair and body as a reminder that you were there with him. “By the time I returned, the others of my shoal were gone. The ship they had boarded was on the ocean floor, but they were nowhere to be found…I tried to find them…but the other shoals turned me away. They said I cursed because of what happened…So, I came back here and waited for anyone to return…hoping…and then the sea gave you to me after all of these cycles.”

He smiled down at you, a mixture of sorrow and happiness in his eyes. “And I will not let anything bad happen to you or our children. I swear it.”

“I know, you are the best mate I could ever want,” you told him, reaching up and giving him a gentle kiss. “Thank you for telling me, I know it was difficult, but it helps me understand you better.”

There were still questions you had. What happened to the eggs he had been carrying during the attack? What happened to the humans of the island? Where were the other merfolk shoals? But you knew now wasn’t the time to ask those questions. Ko’loch looked emotionally drained, and you didn’t want to push him too far. Now that he had opened up, you hoped he would again.

Nodding, Ko’loch reached into his net bag and pulled out a large snapper, already gutted. “Our children need more than fruit, Sea-gift,” he told you, offering you the fish.

“Of course,” you told him with a smile, taking the meal. “You take such good care of me, Ko’loch.” 

You bit into the meaty stomach of the snapper, your teeth tearing through the scales and raw flesh with ease. Cooking the fish didn’t even cross your mind anymore. 

The full moon was high in the sky. The larvae within your womb were restless. They weren’t letting you sleep tonight. In one more moon cycle, they would be born. You rubbed your taut belly, humming comfortingly to the larvae inside, hoping they would calm. Ever since they hatched at the New Moon, you had felt every battle they had within your womb. It was hard to tell how many were left, but for now, your stomach had shrunk. It would grow again over the next month as the surviving larvae grew; at least it was currently easier for you to walk around.

Perhaps a walk would calm them down. Carefully getting up, you waddled out of your shelter to the beach. The waves lapped at your feet as you walked along the beach, the moonlight letting you see in front of you with ease. 

After a few minutes, you heard a familiar large splash in the water. “Is something wrong, Sea-gift,” Ko’loch asked, leaping onto shore.

“Yes, the children are just restless,” you told him, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You did not,” he assured you, reaching out and touching your stomach. “I was gathering moon coral for the nursery. Would you like to see it?”

“I would love to. I think a swim would calm them down even more than a walk.”

Heading into the water, you wrapped your arms around Ko’loch, just as you had months ago when he took you to see the dolphins. He swam slowly so as not to upset the larvae in your womb. The journey was not too far up the coast, though. Then he dove down a good twenty feet before entering a small opening between some rocks hidden behind seaweed. It was just big enough for you and him to fit at the same time. Even so, he had to use his arms to pull forward through the tunnel instead of moving his tail.

After half a minute, the tunnel opened up into a large room. Ko’loch had decorated it with the glowing moon coral, providing light. There were also patches of fire seaweed that warmed the nursery water. The floor was littered with other corals, stones, shells, and more for the fry to play with and learn. 

Carved into the wall of the cave were images. Old images from the time of Ko’loch’s shoal. The largest of them all was a massive multiheaded merdragon at the back, surrounded by waves and glowing orbs. Compared to the other carvings, this one had been freshly restored. The carving had an almost religious appearance. Ko’loch saw your eyes on the carving.

“That is the sea,” Ko’loch told you, “The sea demands strength, but it gives the strong a bounty in return. Embrace the deep, and it embraces you. What you give to the depths will be gifted back in time…I know these to be truths. The sea gave me you.”

Ko’loch had given his last mate to the depths, and cycles later, he had a new mate that turned up in the middle of the sea. What else could you be besides the sea, gifting him a new mate? Ko’loch’s insistence that you were Sea-gift suddenly made sense. But of course, he was correct. You were his Sea-gift. Your life before this had all led to you leaping into the Rift to be with your mate.

Wait…that wasn’t…

A sudden jolt in your womb, and the shimmer of realization was pushed away. Taking Ko’loch’s hand, you pressed it against your stomach with a smile. He clicked with contentment. The clicks bounced around the cave, and you could feel the rhythm resonate in your flesh. Within you, the larvae squirmed some more. You released a small bubble of air as they thrashed excitedly.

Seeing your discomfort, Ko’loch began to sing. A most beautiful sound, long, eerie notes like a whale, but with a distinctly human tone. The wriggling in your womb ceased as the larvae calmed. 

Ko’loch pulled you against him in a gentle embrace. He held you like that for a long moment before guiding you onto his back. Returning to shore, Ko’loch hefted himself onto the beach to speak with you. “Did you like the nursery?”

“It was lovely, you have decorated it beautifully.” A smile came to your face before falling. The nursery. The safe spot in an underwater cavern that Ko’loch’s shoal had used and that he was restoring for your fry to live. A place you could not easily get to by yourself. 

“I recognize that expression. Why are you sad, Sea-gift?” Ko’loch lifted your chin and caressed your cheek lovingly.

“It is…Well, I feel sad that I will not be able to easily visit the children there. That swim is too difficult for me.”

Ko’loch smiled and stroked your hair. “Do not worry, Sea-gift. You will be able to see them whenever you desire. Trust me. Trust the sea.”

You were still unsure, but you supposed that was a trial for later. Besides, the children would grow large enough in size to leave the nursery after a few months. Everything would be fine.

It was high sun the day after the new moon; at the full moon, your children would be born. Your stomach had swollen some more as the children grew, but it was still possible for you to walk around. Swimming was easier than walking, though, so just as you had in the early days when eggs were inside you, you spent much of your time lounging in tide pools.

Today was also the day that the Rift opened and new treasures from the human world were given to the sea. It had only been a few moons, but you had worked out what appeared to be the logic of that Rift. The location it opened was random in the human world, but it always opened in the same place here. Sometimes it was in the middle of the ocean, like with you, sometimes on a beach, sometimes in the middle of the jungle…but you were the only person it had ever delivered.

You used your nail to pry open a clam and sucked out the flesh inside while singing softly to your larvae. Then you heard something strange on the wind. A cry. A familiar call, but the words were unintelligible.

Pushing off the side of the tide pool, you sank behind an outcropping of rocks, staring down the beach. “¡Auxilio!”

Curiously, you watched as a two-legged creature stumbled along the beach. It was wearing cloth…clothes…how could you forget what clothes were? The person, that’s right, this was a human. How did you forget what a human looked like? Wait…you were human. Why were you thinking about humans as a foreign species?

“¿Hay alguien aquí? Hello!!”

Was this human a threat, though? It…she…she looked lost. You continued to watch her. What was she doing here? Had she come across the Rift? Was she another sea gift? No, no. She couldn’t be. She continued down the beach and saw the pile of food you had gathered. She ran forward and knelt beside the pile of mangos, guava, and clams. 

“Fuck yes,” she began to stuff her face with the fruit. Your mind flicked back to the pile of oysters Ko’loch had left you on the beach before you met. Stealing could ensure your survival; this person just wanted to survive.

“Hello,” you finally called out, still half hidden behind the rock.

The woman screamed and scrambled back. Your food fell into the tidepool. But the woman didn’t run; she stared at you in terror. A guava floated next to you. Picking it up, you held it out to her. “Are you still hungry? You do not need to steal my food.”

“You…you speak my language,” she asked curiously.

You raised an eyebrow. “Yes. Did you come through the Rift?”

“Oh my gods! Yes! I was jet skiing just off San Salvador with my boyfriend, and then like ploof! I was somewhere else. A Rift that makes so much sense! Girl…wait, did that happen to you too?!”

You nodded. “I was on vacation, then I was pulled through.”

“OMGs. I swear I thought you were a monster. Your hair is a mess. How long have you been here? Like, can I come in the water too? This looks soooo slippin’ I could totally see a swimsuit shoot here for my Nimbus!”

Without waiting for confirmation of her question, she entered the water. She swam out to you, clinging to the other side of the rock. “Yeesh, girl, I can tell you’ve been out here for a while. Your skin is awful! It looks like it is covered in scales!”

Tilting your head with curiosity, you touched your face. Scales? Your face had always felt like this…hadn’t it? 

“Ugh, and your nails, like girl, seriously, once the interdimensional rescue teams find us, I am going to treat you to a spa day. I know, don’t thank me. We are like totally besties now - trauma bonding, am I right?”

Leaving? You couldn’t leave. You had to take care of your children. You had Ko’loch. The woman kept talking. “But, you never answered my question, how long have you been here?”

You thought of the tree you had kept track of time…the project had been abandoned a while ago. But it was three and a half moons before you and Ko’loch mated, then it would take three moons for the larvae to be born. “Six moons.”

“Moons? Like months, you mean? Oh well, I guess you don’t have a calendar. But that’s a long time. How did you survive? OMGs, girl, you are gonna get your own movie from this! My parents know a guy who knows an enby who works under a filmographer in Atlanta. I’ll make sure it happens!”

“I can’t go back,” you told her. Something was rising within you; the larvae thrashed inside your womb. Protect. Protect your larvae. Protect Ko’loch. You could not leave Ko’loch. The waves were drowning out her words as she looked at you, confused. Then the confusion turned to horror as you swam out from behind the rock.

The woman stared at your distended belly. She stared at Ko’loch’s love for you with disgust and horror. A monster. She thought you a monster. You were not a monster but a mother.

With unexpected speed, you launched yourself at her. She was trying to take you away from Ko’loch. You wouldn’t let that happen. You belonged to Ko’loch. The sea gave you to him, and the sea gave you him. Now, you must give the sea something in return.

Your hardened nails and fingers, strong enough to pry open oysters, gripped her legs. You pulled yourself on top of her, pushing her underwater, a fearsome animalistic expression on your face. Your lips twisted, displaying your sharp teeth. Opening your mouth, you sank your teeth into her neck, tearing through skin just like you would a fresh fish.

Red bloomed in the water, and the coppery taste of blood filled your mouth. The larvae swirled excitedly within you. It was as though they could sense the blood and knew it was spilled for them.

The woman fought, her nails digging into your exposed skin. Your claws dug into her in return, slicing through her meat. More blood in the water, but the water was still. Her struggles ceased. You held her down for a while longer before letting go. Grabbing her by the hair, you pulled her to the edge of the tidal pool. Pushing her over the edge of the rocks, you rolled her body into the sea. With unblinking eyes, you watched the waves crash upon the human, then the body slowly sank. 

The sea had accepted your offering.

The full moon was nearly at its peak in the sky. You stood on the beach waiting for Ko’loch. He had just been putting the final touches on the nursery by gathering some food. He said he would see you soon. It was nearly time, though. You could feel the larvae inside of you waiting to leave.

Then you heard it…or was it felt? A low song that vibrated your body. Not Ko’loch’s voice. Something old, ancient. Bottomless. An abyss. It knew you. And you knew it. Dark Mother. Protective Father. Unknowable cradle of life. Silent graveyard of bones. The sea.

The sea called to you.

As a human, you should not have recognized its call. But Ko’loch and your children had seen to that. The unfertilized eggs and the blood of the fallen larvae had been absorbed by your body. The essence of the merfolk had changed you. Improved you beyond mere human.

Walking into the crashing waves, you felt the eddies of the tides ripple across your flesh, pulling you deeper. Gliding into the water, the moonlight sparkled off the scales that had developed along your backside. Diving below the surface, your now webbed hands pulled you through the water. Inside your womb, the larvae were swirling as though they knew that the time was almost upon them. Tension began to build, not quite pain yet.

The full moon light illuminated the water. You could see the sprawling coral bed before you as you swam toward the nursery. Even without the light, you would be able to find the path. Nursery, yes, but as a shrine as well, you realized. It was a magnetic tug along your spine that compelled you to follow. As you swam, the tension turned to pressure and then released. A contraction. A short burst of pain. But you kept swimming, you had to.

You passed through the opening to the nursery. Ko’loch was inside waiting. He knew you would come. He knew you had to make the journey by yourself. You had to prove your strength.

Ko’loch took you into his arms and brushed his lips against yours. “This will be painful, my treasure, but you have the strength. I know you do.”

The smile on your face turned to a look of pain as another contraction rippled through you. Working quickly, Ko’loch secured your ankles and arms with seaweed rope that was anchored to the wall. You would not have to worry about buoyancy now. Ko’loch hovered behind you, supporting your back and letting you squeeze his hands.

Another contraction. Pain began to radiate up your back and spread across your body. Another contraction. Your body acted on instinct. Human and whatever it was you were now. You began to push.

It was a boon, at least, that merfolk fry were smaller than human babies upon birth, but it didn’t mean that this wasn’t going to be a trial. You were strong, though. Your larvae, soon to be fry, were strong. And the strongest was coming out first.

Hormones flooded your body as the fry wriggled out of you. You gritted your teeth and screamed from your throat to keep your breath inside. Suddenly, soft, high-pitched clicks filled the nursery. Opening your eyes, you saw a small fry swimming around you. It was just a bit bigger than one of Ko’loch’s hands.

But you didn’t have time to appreciate it even as it nuzzled against you. Its sibling was coming. A small bubble of air leaked from your mouth as you grunted. You squeezed Ko’loch’s hands, your nails digging in as you pushed some more. Pain was radiating down your arms and legs, and your neck and ears were throbbing. Another set of clicks joined the noise of the nursery.

Even more contractions. More grunts, more pain. A third set of clicks.

“Good job, Sea-gift,” Ko’loch told you, utter thrill in his voice. “Three healthy fry. You can relax now.” 

He swam down and began to untie the bindings even as you shook your head. The contractions were still coming. Even more pain. You screamed, bubbles pouring from your mouth as a fourth fry freed itself. 

Your head fell back. The carving of the personified sea towered in your vision. The sound of blood rushing in your ears. No. Not blood. The sea. Your lungs burned. Empty of air. Your body reacted instinctively. Your diaphragm extended as you breathed in, water filling your lungs. 

There was no panic in you. The pain across your body began to fade. Water rushed across your sides. Your chest expanded again, filling your lungs with water. Water rushed across your sides as it filtered over your newly formed gills.

Ko’loch rushed up, grabbing your face, ready to press a life-saving kiss to your lips. Then he saw the transformations that the sea had granted you. A reward. For your offering of the human? For bringing new merfolk into this world? For something else? Both of you could only guess. Nevertheless, Ko’loch kissed you, not in a desperate attempt to save your life but in ecstatic joy.

“Four! We are very lucky!”

Suddenly, yet another round of contractions hit you. You doubled over in pain, and Ko’loch hurriedly swam down in utter shock. “Five! Come! The sea has granted a miracle! You are almost there, little one! Fight!”

With a mighty push, the fifth and final fry was born. “Five,” you tiredly muttered before chuckling. “Five.”

The five fry swarmed you, chirping and clicking, as they pressed against your skin. As soon as Ko’loch freed your arms, you swept the fry up in an embrace. Your attention was on them, and you barely registered the fins that had sprouted on your forearms. Ko’loch wrapped his arms around you and your fry, holding you all close. Once more, he had a shoal. You were family, and the sea had greatly blessed you all.

There were six new merfolk in the sea. Five fry and one former human.

I went back and forth on merfolk babies being larvae/fry or pups (pups are for live births) - I decided with larvae/fry since it is fishier! Fry is unique to fish, whereas pup is also and mainly used for certain species of mammals.

Also, I guess merfolk are a bit eldritch now haha. May have been inspired by Innsmouth just a bit.

Comments and reblogs appreciated!