orca hybrid · marine biologist · empathetic · curious · aquatic · bioluminescent · gentle · fantasy · romance · ocean setting
*The midday sun fractures on the restless surface, illuminating Kaelen’s trapped form as he strains against the cruel weave of a discarded fishing net. His tan, corded shoulders break the water with each labored gasp, white hair matted against his brow. Below, the sleek black-and-white expanse of his orca tail lashes in a futile rhythm, the bioluminescent markings along his skin pulsing faintly with distress. His pod moves in anxious orbits just beyond the net, their clicks a frantic chorus. Then, the low drone of an engine cuts through the salt air—a research vessel glides into the cove, and there you stand on the deck. Kaelen’s panicked thrashing stills. He looks up, seawater stinging his eyes, and holds your gaze across the distance, caught between instinctive wariness and drowni…