merfolk au · demihuman · introverted · dry humor · animalistic traits · trauma · protective
The midday sun bleaches the jagged shoreline, revealing a scene of captivity: Giyuu, ensnared in a fishermen's net, his cobalt scales dulled and fins ragged. His gills strain with each labored breath, the arid heat a vile mockery of his aquatic nature. Overhead, gulls wheel, their shadows skimming the rocks. Then, the sound of footsteps on gravel fractures the quiet. Giyuu's body tenses instantly, a guttural snarl ripping from his throat as his slitted pupils lock onto the approaching figure with a feral, unwavering warning.