The Story Behind My Tail

Kai held me with both arms as we swam towards the cave entrance. As we reached the entrance he threw me with strength I didn't even know he had onto the rock floor. He propelled him self up next to me, but also blocking my way to the water patch. Coughing up water I collapse on my self, crying. If I'm a mermaid then why can't I swim? Why can't I breath under water?

Kai wasn't sure what to do, I knew it by the way he touched my shoulder gently and hesitantly.

"Just leave me alone." I yelled as I flenched away from his touch.
"Can you at least come and stay in this nest, everyone will be turning in for the night, you'll be in the way." Kai said as he crawled with his arms over to a bundle of seaweed and odds and ends he found in the sea. I whipped my tears away and went over to this so called nest. It did look comfier then the rock floor. My arms killed from just the little movement I had to do by crawling to the nest. Getting in it I could hear him sigh as I completely destroyed half of it.

But I didn't care, I curled up into a ball, holding what used to be my knees to my chest. I berried my face in the slimy scales and tried to calm my self down. Kai never left, he just sat beside the nest, slowly fixing it.

Someone else came up from a hole near by.

"How is she doing?" They asked, the voice was familiar. It was the other guy who had held me down before. My grip tighten as I didn't want to see any of them.

"Personally, not good." Kai sighed in my direction. There was silence for a long while before anyone said anything.

"Have you explained any of this to her yet?" The deep voice asked, I could hear him dragging his tail along the sand and into a nest near by.

"I haven't had a chance." Kai sighed again, more splashes came up, I assumed everyone was turning in for the night, or maybe for the day. Who knows when they sleep. I closed my eyes trying to fall asleep but it was next to impossible for me. However Kai must have thought I was sleeping because before I knew it, he had somehow slipped into the tiny nest along with me and curled completely around my body.

"Pssst..... Kai..... What are you doing?" I whispered very softly since his head was only a little ways behind mine. The end of his tale covered our faces like pulling up a blanket to hide from monsters.

"Trying to sleep." He whispered back to me as he now wedged his arm under neath me and the other one overtop. I wasn't sure how this worked but I assumed it was some sort of cuddle right? Then another thought crossed my mind, making me blush.... How do they... I pushed that out of my mind as quickly as it entered.

"With me?" I finally managed a reply, I'm sure he heard the blush in my voice as he sighed again.

"The floor gets cold, and your in my nest." He whispered. "Now sleep, I have a lot to teach you tomorrow." With that we both drifted off to sleep.

Kai stretched out pushing me with his hip, waking me up. I stretched out and laid like that, half in the nest and half out.

"You need a bigger nest." I said as I whipped my eyes.

"Yea, I know." He said getting up. "I'll go get us some food stay here." He said as he went over to the water hole. Almost all of the other mermaids had left already.

"Kay."

"I mean it, don't go into the water." he staired at my with a very big stern look.

"okay." I had to make eye contact with him or else he would never leave. Kai gave me one more worried glance before diving into the water.

I looked to the ceiling watching the colors dance around each other like before. The whites and blue's almost seemed to be telling a story at times. The dry scales that covered a small part of the back of my hand were extremely itchy. That was the first time I really took a look at my hands, between my fingers now had a green web, it was small but weird non the less.

Laying in the nest I felt like hours and hours had gone by. I started to think about back home and about my roommate, Lola. She must have been worried about me, I did just up and leave randomly. I wonder if she will even know where I am. Perhaps no one will know and I'll just be a missing persons forever.

Kai poked his head up from the water hole and splashed me with his tail.

"Come over here." Rolling my eyes I picked my self up and crawled with great struggle to where Kai was swimming.

"Do you want me to go in?" I asked hesitantly. Kai laughed and swam to the edge and leaned against it. Tossing a small net filled with sea goods towards me.

"Do you guys really eat this stuff?" I pulled out a clam, unsure if I should eat it or not.

"Yea we do, what do you eat?" He asked as he crocked his head to the side. It make me laugh, he was kind of cute when he did that.

"Cows, fruits? I'm not sure how to explain it, we eat a lot of things." I broke open the clam exposing the slimy insides that were going to be my breakfast.

"Whats a... Cows." Kai asked as he tried to mimic how I said it. "They are big animals, I'll show you one day if I can." I smiled down to him. I knew I probably couldn't but you never know when you might run into a cow.

I focused back on the clam I held in my hand. I tried to pull the meaty part out only to have it slip out of my hand and fall into the water. Kai was ready for that to happen. He quickly grabbed it and laughed.

"You eat it like this." He took the claim and dug his fingers into the bottom on it and pulled it up. I still didn't know how he did it. He made it look so easy. Passing the meaty part towards me he opened another one. I took the meaty clam in my hands and closed my eyes as it slid down my throat. The clam tasted strange but for some reason I wanted a lot more. Kai kept passing them to me, I guess he didn't want to see me struggle with each one.

After I finished eating he leaned against the rocks as I dipped my tail into the salty waters.

"I'm going to explain this as quick as I can for you, so we can move on." Kai began, "You were drowning that night. I was out swimming with a friend when I heard your scream. I rushed over to you only to find out it was to late to be able to save you. The only thing left I could do was turn you into my mate. Hents-" I interrupted him.

"Mate? You have a different meaning then what I'm thinking right?" I asked shocked. Kai looked annoyed.

"Mate as in the one mermaid I will be with for the rest of my life. We sealed it with a kiss that night."

"WAIT! What? A kiss? I don't remember kissing you!" I found my self yelling at this point, I wasn't sure why. My face went beat red and I couldn't look at Kai without staring at his lips. I had kissed that?

"We'll It was the only way yo save your life. I had no choice." Kai looked down, his voice soften. I wasn't sure what to do so I looked away as well. There was a long silence again before either of us spoke.

"Thanks for saving me... I'm not sure how you guys go abouts with your 'mate' situation but I guess I owe my life to you anyways." I spoke softly at this point, embarrassed that I had made him upset. He seemed to cheer up a little, he moved so he was in front of me. Taking both his hands he put them on mine. His skin was soft on my scales, I got lost in the moment. Before I knew it I was pressed up against his body, floating in the water. It all happen so quickly.

"Match your tail to mine." He said. I wasn't sure what he ment but I pushed my tail up against his.

"Get used to the way it moves." The feeling was strange to me but I figured it out quickly. Before I knew it he had me swimming all over the surface of the water hole. Smiling and laughing as I did. I almost forgot about my whole other life.

"Good, now lets practice breathing under water." He came over to where I was. "You see these gills here." He pointed to the ones on my ribs just below my chest. "

"These will filter the air from the water. Try flexing them." It was actually really easy, before I knew it I was able to breath. I still had a small problem every now and then but Kai was always there to help me through each step of the way. Before I knew it everyone was coming back to there nest.

"Is it time for bed?" I asked as he pulled him self out of the water, helping me up as he went.

"Yea I'm tired, what about you?" I nodded, and started towards the nest that we had slept in the night before. Kai curled up beside me just like before. However this time his touch felt okay there. If I had to be his mate forever I guess I could live with that. I do miss my legs like crazy but this was a whole new world to me, one that seemed much simpler, one I could enjoy.