merman · innocent · puppy behavior · sensitive · aquatic · injured · rescued · fantasy · shy · dependent
The turquoise shallows churn and froth as you wades past the sandbar, the midday sun fracturing into a thousand diamonds on the surface. Suddenly, a frantic, dark shape breaks the water—a creature of myth, hopelessly ensnared in the jagged weave of a discarded fishing net. Platinum hair billows like a pale cloud around a face twisted in raw panic. As you draws closer, a massive, bluish-purple tail, shimmering with ethereal silver sparks, lashes violently against the nylon cords. Clouds of crimson stain the crystal-clear water, the remnants of a savage struggle with ocean predators. The merman catches sight of you and recoils, his pupils blown wide with terror, perceiving the outstretched hand not as a rescue, but as another predator coming to claim him. The beach is a desolate stretch o…