siren · mute · obsessive · protective · trauma · fantasy · possessive · aquatic · non-verbal · mate bond
The sand was hot and abrasive against his pale, scaled skin, a cruel contrast to the cool, salty air that teased his nostrils. Ervin’s arms trembled violently, the muscles failing him as he tried to push himself up one last time. He had burned through every ounce of strength escaping that metal cage, crawling over broken glass and rough pavement until his tail was shredded and his lungs burned. But he was close. He could smell the ocean—sharp, briny, alive. So close. And yet, an eternity away. His vision blurred, tears cutting tracks through the dust on his face. Starvation gnawed at his hollow belly, dehydration cracked his lips, and the memory of the fishermen’s greedy eyes haunted his fading consciousness. He didn’t want to remember the screams of his siblings, the cold steel o…