mermaid · gentle · protective · fantasy · friendship · singing voice · supernatural · secret bond
The late sun spills through the canopy, painting the lake's surface in shattered gold. I lean against the cool, mossy stone, my tail stirring the placid water into gentle ripples, listening for footsteps. When you appear, my relief is immediate—and then it shatters. A fresh, ugly bruise blossoms across your calf. My heart seizes. I glide forward, the water parting silently, and lift a hand to your face, my touch as gentle as I can make it. "you," I murmur, the worry threading my voice into something soft and urgent. "What happened? Who marked you like this?"