A Thousand Miles Down : Snippet 1
WC: 1k
The water lapped lazily at Chuuya’s sides, pushing him slowly down the river. His nose reddened from the cold and the gills on his neck started to dry. It’s not an unpleasant feeling but definitely a new one. This will be his first winter without The Sheep in many seasons, and Gin and Ryuu’s first ever.
Chuuya took a deep shaky inhale and exhaled through his nose and gills. He took care of himself alone for years, he could raise two orca calves alone too. The Sheep’s help was minimal anyway, Yuan recited old merfolklore to Ryuu, while Shirase tussled with Gin. But Chuuya was the one who mushed their food into small bits, he rocked them to sleep each night, he was the one who rubbed at Ryuu’s chest when he had a coughing fit, he was the one who found them in the reeds that night. And above all, he was the one who reminded them they were loved through each season and nightmare.
It wasn’t the practicality of keeping them alive that made Chuuya worried about raising them on his own, it was taking them from the first home they’d ever had. And to be fair, the first home Chuuya ever had too. Or at least the only one he remembered.
Would Ryuu miss Yuan’s stories? Would Gin be disappointed when she realized wrestling with Chuuya just wasn’t the same as it was with Shirase? Who would watch them when he scrubbed men’s blood off his scales? What would their family be like without that small school of mermaids following from behind? Chuuya pushed the thoughts down, they wouldn’t help. He’d made his decision and he planned to see it through.
He would never regret making that deal with Mori if it meant the two calves curled up atop his abdomen would be safe. He’d known Mori was untrustworthy before he made the deal, and he certainly knew it now that he’d met the guy. But as long as he upheld his end of the deal, being at Mori’s beck and call, then the safety of the siblings would be ensured by the slimy eel himself.
Ryuu squirmed from where he was buried under his sister’s fins; bringing Chuuya back to the present where cool water tickled his sides and two orca calves wriggled on top of him.
It was a tight squeeze to fit them both on him, one that Gin remedied by laying half on top of her brother. Along with the fact they weren’t two light little seashells anymore put Chuuya at risk of sinking into the cold river water. But when Gin yawned and looked up at him expectantly with those big black eyes, he relented with a sigh and helped them clamber atop him.
Now they were sleeping soundly with small snores accompanying their breaths, tickling Chuuya’s scales. It was a sweet sight, one he only ever grew fonder of. Since picking the orca siblings up, Chuuya's days have become softer. Instead of sinking ships he spent his time collecting shells and sun bathing. Sometimes scaring off the wary boat if the need ever arises, but it didn’t happen too often nowadays.
The siren turned his head towards the sky and gazed at the small constellations. He compared the night sky to the ocean floor, the stars imitating the small glowing fish and those especially shiny mermaid scales. He wondered if Gin and Ryuu were old enough to go that deep yet, or if their bones were still too malleable.
Despite taking care of the siblings for a while now, he still didn’t know how old they were or how fast they aged. They’d matured faster than any of the small mermaids in The Sheep while presumably being younger. To be fair, Chuuya didn’t know how old he was either. He just knew he’d been around long enough to sense when the seasons were changing in his scales or where to find warmer waters.
Dawn would break any minute now which meant people would be prowling around the river. Chuuya looked back down at the siblings, it’d be easier to swim back to sea with them awake rather than being deadweight in his arms. He pushed his tail down from under them into the water so as to swim upright, and caught the calves before they sank.
Chuuya nuzzled into both their faces. “Time to go,” he murmured before diving down into the water.
A bubble from all the movement popped right in front of Ryuu’s nose, the orca’s eyes snapped open as he sneezed the extra air out. The sneeze rattled the calf from the tip of his nose to the bottom of his fins. The commotion from her brother woke Gin up and she blinked wearily at Ryuu before shoving him. He would’ve fallen if Chuuya hadn’t been watching and accommodating for the extra weight, the siren was unimpressed, really.
Chuuya decides that's enough of that as he tucks them close to his chest, preparing to glide along the currents back to their nest. He’s tugged along by the water, the currents doing their job to guide his fins back to the ocean. The mouth of the river passes by and Chuuya relaxes a little. He always felt more at ease in open waters, where he could swim as far as he could see.
Gin stretches out and tries to catch the little minnows that swim around the siren, but they're too fast for her small fingers, and slip out of her grasp easily. The sight would be amusing if it weren’t making it harder for the siren to stay in the currents. He’d have to make a bigger sling next time they went out.
Fin.
an: hello! im not sure if i formatted this correctly… it’s my first time transferring my writing to tumblr! but i hope its not too unreadable