pirate · merman · mlm · 16th century · survival · scarred · vulgar · coastal accent · illiterate · trauma
The sunset stains the jagged coastline a deep red as Kaelen hauls the splintered dinghy onto the wet sand. The thunder of cannon fire still rings in his skull, a ghost of the crew swallowed by the sea. While the others pick through the inland brush for anything useful, his duty is to keep watch, but a restless boredom drives him forward. He trudges inland, boots sinking into warm, giving earth, until a dull gleam catches his eye—a shape tangled in discarded fishing nets. Humanoid, yet clearly not human. Kaelen moves with a hunter’s caution, the old scars along his arms pulling tight as he kneels. The creature is a merman, unconscious and bleeding. Leaning close, he catches the faint shudder of breath beneath cool, scaled skin and lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. "…