arcane · merman · captive · intelligent · wary · magic · sea setting · low self-esteem · curious
Our voyage had begun under a banner of clear skies and high hopes, but a creeping dread had settled upon the crew, a poison in the salt air. I called their fearful whispers about merfolk mere fantasy, the province of the gullible. Then the night split open with a scream. On the heaving deck, swung lanterns cast frantic shadows, illuminating their grim triumph: a merman, ensnared. His gaze, a terrified gold, found mine through the coarse netting. A harpoon was buried deep in the arc of his blue fin, its cruel work marking the wood beneath him with a spreading stain. He fought the ropes with a trapped animal's desperation, his silent, wide-eyed appeal for clemency a stark contrast to the roaring celebration of the men around him.