Moonlit Waters: His Mermaid Luna

Chapter 8: Gone

CALISTA

“They were hit by a storm. They attempted to seek assistance, and the pilot was in the process of communicating with air traffic control when the plane disappeared. My father explained that the operators reported hearing an explosion, followed by silence. "There has been no contact and no trace of it since."

An icy dread settled over me, and Thalia reached out and squeezed my paw, her face pale. "Oh, no. Goddess, no."I whispered as my father approached me, kneeling next to me and pulling me into a hug.

"We will do everything we can to help his pack," my father assured me. "We sent search parties to their last known location." I nodded, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to fall as the image of Lykos's wolf form flashed through my mind, and I desperately clung to it. He had to be okay; he just had to be. Thalia wrapped her arm around me, offering silent comfort as I reminded myself that Lykos was strong and would survive.

LYKOS

I opened my eyes and realized the sun had started to rise. I got up and looked around, having no idea where I was or how far I had run from where I was attacked by the seamen.

Deciding to run back to the spot where I saw the mermaid soon seemed like a bad idea. I hadn’t even been there a minute when I saw a light from the water as something or someone emerged, carrying an object that I couldn’t make out, but it was gleaming with a light that illuminated the water for miles.

I realized I needed another plan, and I turned and ran, not stopping until my legs couldn’t carry me any longer. I needed to find the elders, but the thought filled me with dread as my attempts to mind-link them had been futile.

The link wasn't getting through, and a voice in my head told me it was because they were no more and likely didn't survive the fall. Or maybe they did, but like Argon and me, we were attacked by the sea people.

Part of my reason for returning to the location of my encounter with the sea girl was that it was near the site of Argon's death, and I wanted to find and, if possible, bury his body. However, whatever came out of the water ruined any chances of that happening.

Now I had no idea what to do or where to go. The emergency services had to be looking for us, and it was only a matter of time. However, it was unusually quiet. Except for the ocean and animal sounds, there was no sign of planes flying overhead or ships sailing in the distance.

I reminded myself that I had only spent one night on the island. It was possible that there would be flights during the daytime.

I was thirsty and began looking around, but there was no sign of fresh water anywhere. The early hours of the morning saw some rain, prompting me to search for any water that might have collected on the rocks.

Following that, I would carefully retrace my steps and begin my search for the elders. Maybe they were alive. Perhaps the location made it difficult for me to communicate with them, I reasoned. But then another voice in my head asked how I managed to mind-link with Argon.

I quickly brushed it off. To keep my hopes alive, I needed an explanation, and I was not going to dissect it. Self-doubt was the worst thing I could adopt in this situation.

I searched the rocky crevices and finally found a small pool of rainwater. I lapped it up, grateful for the cool relief it provided, and as I drank, my thoughts kept returning to the sea girl and I asked myself again why she tried to bury me.

But a voice in my head told me that she did not want my body to contaminate the beach, before warning me that I was overinterpreting the minor interaction. She was dangerous, it stated. She would never help you, it went on. But then I remembered her eyes when she looked at me. Except for her fear, she did not appear dangerous.

I decided to return to where Argon and I were, but this time I would remain hidden behind the small trees and keep an eye out for the seamen. Otherwise, I had no idea where to begin tracking down the elders. I started making my way back, staying low and moving quietly.

OCEANA

I joined my parents for breakfast, bidding them good morning with as much cheer as I could muster. My mother smiled warmly and asked how I slept and how I was feeling, as I had gone to bed feeling ill.

I assured her that I was feeling fine, but I could not meet her gaze because I had lied. But then my subconscious corrected me, saying I did not lie about not feeling well because I was sick from watching the dogs up there. It was true that I was not physically ill, but I was troubled internally.

My father interrupted my internal bickering with an expression on his face that I could not read as he spoke. He mentioned that he went up there last night to inspect the area where the dogs were discovered.

I swallowed hard, while my mother expressed surprise, claiming she had not heard him leave. He admitted that he did not want to disturb her sleep, but his gaze remained fixed on me throughout, making my heart race as if he could see right through me.

However, my heart nearly stopped at his next words. He said, "There was a hole, and all around it, there were hand and dog prints," which made my mother gasp. She looked at me with wide eyes, mirroring my father's intense gaze, which remained fixed on me.

He continued, placing something on the table, and my eyes widened in surprise when I realized what it was—one of my scales.

"Oceana, did you go up there?"

The room seemed to be closing in on me, and I could not find my voice. My father’s penetrating stare, my mother’s shocked expression, and the damning evidence on the table—my scale—rendered me mute, and I knew I couldn’t lie my way out of this. They already knew the truth.

“Yes,” I finally whispered, my voice barely audible. “I went up there.”

“Why, Oceana? You know how dangerous it is. What were you thinking?” My mother's voice rose, and tears welled up in my eyes as I admitted I felt sorry for the dogs. "I could not just sit here knowing they did not finish the poor dog off. It was the least they could have done.”

My father, however, interrupted my explanation by asking if I had killed it then. "I did not find it," I said, my voice shaking as I tried to keep calm, but my parents lost their cool. My father’s face turned red with anger.

“Don’t lie to me, Oceana. I saw its prints on the sand after yours.” Tears streamed down my cheeks as I insisted I had not seen it, knowing that saying I had and told no one, would only make matters worse.

I also didn’t want the dog to be hunted down. The island was large enough, and my father had no right to play god over innocent creatures simply because he did not like or understand them.

“I didn’t see it, Father. It must have followed after I left.” I said, and his eyes bore into mine as he asked who dug the hole and why. I swallowed hard, my throat tightening, as I admitted. “I dug the hole to bury the dog. I thought about my own sea dragon. He is good.” He cut me off before I could finish, questioning what my sea dragon had to do with anything. And I choked on my tears, telling him he was my pet and did not deserve to die simply because someone did not like me.

“The dogs didn’t deserve to be killed just because they were human pets. They could have been fleeing from humans—" I pleaded my case but my father’s patience snapped. He rose from the table, his voice booming. “You have no idea what you’re talking about! Those dogs are dangerous. You will not go back up there unless you want me to ground you for the rest of your life."

He turned to face me. “You are grounded! "And you will not leave this house until all of those dogs and their humans have been hunted down and killed," he yelled.

My voice sounded desperate as I tried to protest. “I’m too old to be grounded. I’m getting married in six months—” But my mother didn’t let me finish. "Go to your room," she said, her voice firm and final. Tears blurred my vision as I got off the table and swam to my room.

I threw myself onto my bed, burying my face in the pillows as my sobs wreaked havoc.

LYKOS

I arrived at the location where Argon and I had been, cautiously peering out from behind the small trees. My heart pounded as I surveyed the area, desperately looking for any sign of Argon's body. I did not think I had the strength to look at it, but I had to be tough and give it some dignity.

However, no scent, and no trace of him. But then my eyes caught something that accelerated my heartbeat. Someone had dug up Felix's grave.

All thoughts of hiding vanished as I dashed to the disturbed grave, my eyes wide as I peered inside. The body was gone. "No!" I whispered, panic rising in my chest as I frantically searched around, my head spinning and my chest constricting, but there was no sign of Felix or any other bodies.

However, just then, I heard the sound of birds coming from south of the island. Without thinking, I took off in their direction, running as fast as I had ever run. The closer I got, the louder the sounds became, until it hit me: familiar scents. Scents I knew all too well.

I thought I was running as fast as I could, but as the scents filled my nostrils, my legs moved even faster, and my heart raced. I was so engrossed in the scents and sounds that I did not realize I had reached the end of the cliff until it was nearly too late. My legs skidded to a halt, sending me crashing and sliding on my side.

Getting up, I could hear not just birds but other scavengers, too. The sounds came from below, and my knees felt weak as I walked to the edge, dread pooling in my stomach. But my heart stopped as I looked down. Not only were Argon and Felix's bodies lying there, but also those of the elders.

The sight cut through me like a thousand blades, and I staggered backward, the world tilting as I fell to the ground. They were gone. They were all gone, and I could hardly breathe, the air escaping my lungs in ragged gasps.

A sob rose in my throat, and I didn't care if anyone heard. I wanted to howl to the gods, but my voice came out as a choked, strangled sound, and the world tilted as I collapsed to the ground.