Moonlit Waters: His Mermaid Luna

Chapter 4: Dogs

LYKOS

My eyes popped open at the jarring impact, and pain raced through my body as reality crashed down on me. There was no time for disorientation, as I looked around and saw only water.

Panic set in immediately as I realized I couldn't breathe and I writhed, my hind legs kicking frantically, but a horrible feeling settled in my gut as I realized I was still bound to the seat, stuck in the wreckage.

I turned my head and saw Felix next to me, unmoving, and fear gripped my heart—a primal terror that gave me a surge of desperate strength. I screamed in my head, the surrounding silence adding to the horror as I scratched and clawed with my paws, the straps cutting into my skin, but it was in vain.

My chest burned with the need for air, and I could feel the wreckage sinking, dragging me down with it.

Every time I attempted to gasp for air, the cold, unforgiving water forced its way down my throat, and my body convulsed, instincts taking over as it fought for survival.

My vision became blurry, the edges darkening as the lack of oxygen took its toll, and I thrashed harder, my movements becoming more frantic and desperate. Felix remained motionless beside me, and the sight of his unresponsiveness sent me into a frenzy.

I had to get us out. I had to save us. But my struggles were futile. The straps were too tight, the water too strong, and my strength was fading fast.

The wreckage sank deeper, the light from above growing dimmer as the ocean swallowed us all, and my mind screamed in protest, my thoughts a jumbled mess of fear and desperation.

I could feel myself shutting down, my body succumbing to the inescapable reality of our situation as the cold seeped into my bones, numbing me to the core.

But as my consciousness began to slip away, a shadow moved in the water. I tried to focus on it, but my vision was too blurred and my mind too foggy. The shadow grew closer, and for a moment, a glimmer of hope flickered in my fading mind. But it was too late. The darkness had already engulfed me, with the encroaching void dulling my senses.

The last thing I saw was the shadow reaching towards me and my body went limp, my struggles ceasing as the water claimed me. My thoughts drifted into the darkness, the burning in my chest giving way to a numb, icy silence as my mind and body surrendered to the inevitable.

OCEANA

“What are you doing here? It could be dangerous.” Nerissa and I were startled by a voice behind us, and we turned to see Dorian and a few other guards.

Instead of responding to his question, I pointed to the creatures whose cries were now echoing through the sky and asked him what they were, to which he replied, "Dogs." I frowned, still unsure of their identity, but Nerissa spoke up before I could, revealing that they were human pets.

It was the first time I heard that humans had pets. Father kept us away from anything human, and my eyes widened as I looked back. We watched in horror as the creatures fought the guards, ignoring Dorian's insistence that we go home.

It was clear that these human pets had arrived on the small, strange shipwreck that resembled it, partially submerged in the sand, with dark smoke billowing from it.

The creatures’ cries echoed through the skies, sending a ripple through the water that sent an icy shiver up my spine as the soldiers stabbed them with their spears. "We should go home," Nerissa said, moving to shield my eyes from the horrifying sight of blood on the sand, but I removed her hands.

I was not a child, and the pets were fascinating and the closest thing I had ever seen to a human. The creatures fought valiantly, their paws skidding and raising clouds of sand as they struggled, but they were outnumbered, and the guards had no mercy.

The battle was brutal. Glistening in their armor, the guards moved with well-honed accuracy, spears piercing the fur-covered hides of the creatures as they advanced. The creatures retaliated with ferocity, slashing their claws through the air and occasionally finding a mark on the guards' exposed flesh, but each successful strike resulted in multiple wounds.

It was incredible how they were outnumbered and wounded, but they continued to fight. “We need to go to Oceana.” Nerissa’s voice rang behind me again, but I couldn’t move. The sight in front of me was both horrifying and mesmerizing.

I was still watching wide-eyed when a familiar voice boomed from our right. My heart skipped a beat as Nerissa and I turned to see our father standing there, his expression a mixture of disapproval and concern.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his tone stern, and there was no response. Instead, Nerissa grabbed my hand, and for the first time, I snapped out of my daze. We turned away from the gruesome scene on the beach and hurried back home, my mind racing with what I had just seen.

"What do you suppose they were doing here? Where are their humans?” I asked Nerissa, my voice trembling with a mixture of fear and curiosity, and she shook her head, her face pale. “I don’t know, Oceana. Maybe the humans are close by too,” she said as we swam through the familiar waters, the festive lights and sounds of the festival coming into view.

Normally, the sight would have excited me, but all I could think about was the dogs on the sand. I had always been curious about humans, but my father entertained no human conversation in the house. He hated humans and felt it was better if we didn’t even know how they looked. We didn’t stop to attend the festivities. We had already broken our father's most important rule: never leave the house when there is a breach. We were in serious trouble.

The smells of food and the sounds of music filled the surrounding water, but they could not erase the images that had been seared into my mind. Furthermore, we had to wait for our father's approval before attending the festival, which would come after the scolding we were about to receive.

When we arrived home, our mother rushed up to us, her face filled with concern. "Where have you two been?" she demanded, her voice trembling, and before I could respond, Nerissa spoke up, explaining where we were coming from. My eyes widened in shock at her snitching on us, but she shrugged, saying Father had already seen us.

I looked at our mother with pleading eyes, begging her silently to speak to our father on our behalf. But she cut us off, her tone stern. "I am equally upset as your father. You had no business going to the surface when you were told to return home immediately."

Nerissa and I lowered our heads and mumbled, "We are sorry, Mother. And her eyes softened slightly before she asked us what happened up there. I began to explain about the dogs to her, but we were interrupted by our father's voice, and our hearts raced.

"What were you doing up there?" he asked, his tone heavy with disappointment, and I took a step forward, admitting that it was my fault. "You should have known better," he said, looking at Nerissa, who lowered her head in shame. “Both of you. Humans are dangerous, and I am trying to protect you." He added before dropping a bombshell on us. He explained that the festival had been canceled, and Mother inquired as to why.

There was a pause, and he looked at us before continuing, "The guards are still looking for the humans who were with the dogs. "No festival can take place until the guards locate the humans."

After that, he gave us a look we knew all too well, and we headed to our rooms. But as soon as we were out of sight, I grabbed Nerissa's arm, wondering what else Father was hiding from us. “Do you believe what Father said?” She looked confused. “What do you mean?” I explained that I felt Father wanted to say something else to Mother, but Nerissa cut it short. “Then it’s not for our ears.”

Just then, we heard a voice behind us, and it was Nerissa’s husband. "Oceana," he said before he and Nerissa hugged, and we exchanged pleasantries because we had not seen each other in a while.

After a brief conversation, I left and returned to my room, the events of the day weighing heavily on my mind. Lying on my bed, I replayed the battle in my head, a flurry of questions swirling around me. Realizing I was going to drive myself insane, I pushed the thoughts out of my head and tried to focus on my upcoming wedding. I tried to distract myself by imagining the decorations, the ceremony, and Dorian's face. But it wasn’t working. The more I tried to ignore the thoughts, the more curious I became, and images of the strange half-sunken ship flashed through my mind.

Before I knew it, I was on my feet, driven by an insatiable need to understand what I had seen. I promised myself I would be careful and inspect it from the water, staying hidden and out of sight.

I exited the house through the back entrance but then realized I needed to make sure no one was looking for me. I couldn’t afford to be caught sneaking around, so I turned back and headed to my parents.

"I am going to the seamstress to check on my dress," I said, trying to be casual. I was not going to pass up a rare opportunity to see humans, even if it was from a distance. My mother smiled, and nodded.

I set out, and once my house was out of sight, I took a quick detour to the tunnels that led to the surface. I could not take the usual route and risk being discovered by the soldiers. The tunnels were a longer route, winding and dark, but I had no choice.

AUTHOR’S POV

Argon coughed up water, snapping his eyes open. Disoriented and unable to remember where he was, he blinked against the blinding light. Then everything crashed back in on him: the explosion, the fall, the startling impact when the wreckage of the plane struck the water, and the fear that overcame him as he pulled himself free and dove after Felix and Lykos.

His heart raced as he frantically looked around, taking in his unfamiliar surroundings. “Felix! Lykos!” His voice broke, drowned out by the roaring ocean. He was stuck between two rocks, unable to move.

His blood was seeping from a gash on his forehead into the surrounding water, turning it red, but he was too stunned to process the pain before his equally dazed wolf began to heal him.

He staggered and hobbled onto the rocks, his eyes sweeping the beach. Then he saw them, on the sand, lying motionless: Felix and Lykos. A wave of panic overcame him, and he plunged back into the water, swimming desperately to land.

His voice was drowned out by the crashing waves as he called out to them, his chest constricted with fear. He reached Felix first, falling to his knees beside him. “Felix, son!” he called out, his voice cracking. But a feeling of horror overcame him as soon as he touched him. There was no sense of life.

“No!” Argon screamed, his voice raw, as he began pumping Felix's stomach and desperately calling his name, despite knowing it was too late. Even his wolf confirmed the worst.

"No, please no," he begged, cradling Felix's still wolf form in his arms and rocking back and forth, unable to accept the reality in front of him. The pain was excruciating—a raw wound that ripped through his heart. "Felix, come back," he said softly, his voice breaking. “Please, come back.”

OCEANA

I could see light filtering through the water above me, a promise that the surface was just a stroke away. I pushed myself harder, wanting to get there before darkness fell. The memory of the soldiers' confrontation with the strange dogs lingered, but I was far enough away to feel a little safer.

The prospect of watching the sun disappear over the horizon pushed me forward, but as I approached the surface, I slowed, knowing I needed to be cautious.

I gently lifted my head above the water, feeling the cool evening breeze on my face. The sky was a stunning array of oranges and pinks as the sun began its descent. For a moment, I was captivated by the beauty of it all.

But then, a raw and guttural scream broke the silence, and my heart seized in my chest as I snapped my head toward the source of the sound, and there, on the shore, was a human. The very human the guards were looking for.

Panic gripped me as I took in the scene. He was kneeling on the sand, cradling his dog, its lifeless body draped across his lap, and my mind raced, my breath ragged, as I desperately searched for the guards.