It was amazing how heavy it could feel, even somewhere with reduced gravity. He was surrounded by all directions by a seemingly infinite darkness. There were bubbles in various places in the great ocean, and even in this dark, abyssal trench, pockets of air floated around. There weren't many sea creatures around at all. There was only darkness.

But it wasn't total darkness. As he swam, he left a ray of blueish light behind. He was bioluminescent, and created his own light. His scales produced a chemical of some kind. Though he lived in the ocean for as long as he could remember, there was nobody to talk to. But it never got lonely, since he didn't know what it was like to be with anybody else.

He was one of the merfolk. The upper half of his body was very human, but had a scaled tail that resembled a dolphin's only slightly. His tail split in two at the tip, and two flowing, curtain-like fins extended from there. He had dark, indigo hair that flowed as he swam and silver eyes that saw through the darkness of the deep ocean.

There were fin-like, ribbon-shaped appendages that came out of his wrist, ankles, and behind each ear. They were light blue in color and seemed to have an important purpose. His hair was only up to the middle of his back, but seemed much much, much longer.

He hummed lightly as he swam, the water resistance pushing against him. He smiled. Though he had no reason to smile, he had no real reason not to. However, the merfolk stopped abruptly. Something.. was off. The porcelain-skinned male stopped and floated vertically for a bit.

It was a horrible place to be. He hated being this deep. It was no place for a Rokea. They belonged higher up in the sun light. Hunting, surviving, and swimming. Not deep under the sea... He despised it , yet here he was. Hunting for what he believed could save his species. To save his clan he would do what it took. To do this he would go down to the depths of the sea and back. The lack of creatures made hunting all the easier, no smells to block the scent.

The merfolk needed light to see so they had evolved bioluminescence to see in the dark. He might as well have lit a neon sign. The Rokea did not need it. Evolution had granted them an amazing sense of smell. Like most sharks they could smell their prey miles away. Except nature had made them the perfect predator. With their nose , sight, and strength they could take on anything. This one certainly had. He had a few scars on his grey body. He looked like a shark and a human combined. From the humans he got his arms and legs. From the sharks he got the rest. Coarse skin and sharp teeth combined with the intelligence of a human. He was deadly.

He watched the Merman swim. There was an ethereal beauty to the creature. His skin was so white it almost shined. The hunter could her him humming. Odd thing was they usually moved in pairs. This one was alone. The shark moved slightly. It startled the merman. He took his chance and struck. He swam up quickly and snatched the merman in his arms. There was no getting out. He swam up. Pressure did not effect them

He swam till he saw the outline of a yacht. His yacht. Yes the shark with a boat. He needed it since they had trouble going long distance swimming. He got to the surface and carried the struggling merman to the deck. He needed him to transform. He threw him to the deck and transformed using the ritual. It was a trick to make it go faster. The shark transformed into a human male about 24 years old and very muscular. He had black hair and blue eyes with skin tanned from the sun. He threw a towel onto the merman and one for himself covering themselves. He quickly pinned the merman to the deck by his chest. "Come on! Transform!" He growled still hiding him down.

The merman realized his foolish mistake too soon. He was suddenly struck by behind, clamped between iron arms. He let out a shriek and flailed around insanely. His instincts were telling him to escape. In one swift movement, he managed to twist his neck around just enough to see his attacker. H had never seen this type of creature before, and it scared him. Being scared only caused the merman to scream even louder, the high-pitched sound reverberating through the water.

Though they were unbelievably deep in the ocean, the merman was shocked to realize the rokea managed to swim to the surface so quickly. Dark, black water soon became translucent blue water. His scales began to dull, and stop glowing as rays of sunlight touched them. Even though he was taken by force, he couldn't help but admire the beauty of the bright blue. He ceased his creaming and flailing to observe peacefully for a few moments. It was very.. calming.

But soon, he was tossed onto the deck of a ship like he was the catch of the day. He would scream, but force of hitting the hard deck stunned him. The male was out of the water, breathing laboured. Now that he was out, it was easy to tall he looked about nineteen, or twenty at most. In reality, he was much, much older.

Though he hadn't been here before, he knew how to transform. His instincts told him what to do. The merman struggled to breathe as the rokea smothered him, taking away all the water touching his skin. He knew that his aquatic lungs would shrivel up and kill him if they did not change. Slowly, his hair began to sink back into his head until it was only long enough for him to have bangs. His eyes changed to a more neutral grey. Most of all, his tail split in two and became two porcelain, toned legs. He breathed deeply, exhausted. Transforming took a lot of energy. He whimpered, afraid of the towering male.

He had done it. He had caught and managed to turn the merman. It had not been an easy task. First he had to find one. Find one of the merfolk was hard enough. Then throw in the fact it had to be a single one. That was rare beyond compare. It usually meant that it was an outcast or something was up. This one seemed to be an oddity. His kind usually had some knowledge of how to transform into humans. A good chunk of then were born outside the sea. So they knew how to do this already. Except this one. Odd.

The man had a tattoo of a shark with different markings around it. The symbol of the Rokea. He glared down at the merman. So this was the thing that would save his species. He looked the guy over. He was clearly terrified. Heck if the tables were turn he would be scared. He looked young. Very young in fact. Well that was just the look. The Rokea was older than he looked. At least the thing had stopped screaming. Meant it could talk right?

The Rokea stayed over him pinning him down. There was no way he was letting him get away. He glared down at the man. "Do you have a name? Or should I just call you fish boy? " He asked laughing in his head. "Mine's Rus. " He stayed. The Rokea were not great with names. Shorter the better. He looked down at the guy. "Do you know why I took you?" He also asked curiously.

The merman stared blankly at his captor. He kept a steady, blank stare, as if he could see right through the rokea. As if he could see right through his muscles, past his bones and veins, and could see into his heart, deeper and darker than the great ocean. He was thinking about many things. Why was it so... so... warm? And he felt like he would shrivel up at any moment. Up against the hard deck of this strange, dry area, he felt lost. He didn't like the tingling feeling of the salty breeze against his skin.

He thought he could escape, but one look at the man identified as 'Rus', he realized that running wouldn't be a good choice. The rokea had caught him once- he could easily, easily catch him again. Not only that, but the merman was in no condition to run with these legs. Though he couldn't recall ever using his legs, it was possible he had before. He couldn't remember when he was younger. As the centuries wore on, he had buried his unnecessary memories and kept only the ones vital to survival. Strangely, no thought of attacking the other ever came to him. Slowly, he spoke. Though his words were confused and awkward, they somehow were laced with smoothness- as if he had dipped his voicebox in sugared frosting.

"Name?" He didn't need a name, didn't have one. No. He had... at one point. But for some reason, he could only lick the memory and not devour it. Suddenly, he recalled something he had loved. It was round, and carried him high into the air. There was the sour tang of a pomme- an apple, on his tastebuds as he thought about it. Though he wouldn't realize what an apple was. He did however, know what he would like to be called. Grey eyes sparkled as their owner smiled warmly. "F- Fuh... Ferris? Uh-hum. You can... call me Ferris."

For someone that was just captured and had nothing but a towel to cover him up, he didn't really seem to mind. Though the rokea's question made his furrow his brows in confusion. "You... can't take me. I belong to the ocean." He responded calmly, and as if it was a fact.

There was something almost noble about this merman. He had a dignity to him that was so rare these days. Something was off though about him, perhaps it was that stare. Rokea culture looked down upon staring at someone for too long, this guy took the cake. It seemed he could see into Rus' soul. That was not a pretty sight due to what he had to do to survive. A light,salty breeze hit his bare skin making him smile a bit. Swimming in his shark form was amazing but the feeling of the air on his skin was better. The heat of the sun beating down on him was a feeling he lived for.

His guest seemed to think otherwise. He seemed awkward on the dry areas. Like he had never walked before which Rus found incredibly sad. The best part of being what he was had to be the duality of his forms. Water and land in one. The top predator of the sea and the top one of the land combined. Rokea were amazing creatures, so they liked to think. He had to admit there was something happy with this thing. Joyful even. He looked at the merman below him as he smiled up at Rus. Oh now that was unfair. A smile like that? Rus was no expert but he figured that the merman should be a bit more worried...

Ferris. It fit him oddly well. There was a playfulness to it yet also a strong name. No Rokea would ever be named that but that was beside the point. Rus looked at him. "Nice to meet you Ferris. " He said his voice hiding a slight accent. It sounded Southern and sweet like molasses. He looked confused. Belong to the sea? "Everything belongs to the sea, Ferris. You and me. People. We all belong to Mother Ocean and someday we will return. " He said describing the Rokea belief of the oceans. That they all came from it.

He rolled off of Ferris letting him move a bit. Rus lay with his well muscled chest to the sky. "The thing is Ferris I need you so for now you belong to me." He said letting the sun hit his chest. He looked over at Ferris. Why was he so different? "Where is the rest of your group? You lot move in packs. So where are they?" He asked confused.

Ferris visibly spread out his limbs as the rokea released him. The merman took deep breaths closing his eyes a bit. He was having a hard time adjusting to the temperature and the lack of water. He loved the feeling of being hugged by the ocean. It held and rocked him so calmly.

"You're right... I'm right..." He responded laxly. He yawned, lungs filling with warm sunshine and marine air. It was so strange, and tingled so much, it was painful. Ferries coughed, shiny hair shaking and quivering a bit. He was hurting a bit. It was like trying to start up a motorboat that has long kissed its glory days goodbye. There was clanking scrap metal, and oil sputtering everywhere, in all directions. In a similar way, the alveoli in his lungs struggled to flow and breathe. He gasped for air, not used to the air in his lungs, so light and cloudy.

Grey eyes sparkled in confusion. "Group? What group?" There was no group for him to call his own. It was true he hadn't even interacted with other merfolk! Even if he had, he didn't have any clear memory. He sighed out in confusion. Biting his lip and beginning to break a small sweat, the male thought carefully. He didn't want to anger Rus. He was a little bit scary, though his voice was sweet.

Rus could tell he missed the sea. This was no place for a merman. Especially not one like Ferris. He clearly was having trouble breathing the air. Another odd thing about Ferris. It seemed every time he talked there was something off. Never having walked never having to transform. This guy was one odd duck to say the least.

Rus looked over at him. He wanted to help the poor guy. Maybe make this easier for him. He had been kidnaped from the sea. Rus sat up and looked at Ferris even more confused now. "Uhh you know? The one that you merfolk travel in? Usually in groups of 4 or more. Come on if a Rokea is explaining it to you there is a problem. " He joked before it settled in. Ferris had no idea what he was talking about. "You don't know do you? What bad memory?" He asked sort of confused.

He decided to change up. He motioned for Ferris to stand up. Rus took his arm almost gently and helped him to his feet. He walked them both to a closet filled with different sized clothes. Rus grabbed a pair of jeans and a tight black tee shirt. "Wear whatever you want. We will talk when you are changed. " Hw said going into the bathroom. He put the clothes on and came out. "Alright answers. What do you remember?"

Ferris swished air around in his mouth as he looked carefully at the closet. He could smell the polymers in the cloth. It was strange, but it tickled is nose and made it tickle. He looked curiously as Rus left to clothe himself. Clothes, in his opinion, were a strange concept? Why wear fake skin when the ocean gave you your own beautiful skin to walk around in? It made little sense to the merman. Shrugging, Ferris decided to do what the rokea asked. It made him stop and wonder to why he cared whether or not his prisoner was clothed. The grip on his towel slipped, and the male fingered the different fabrics. There were so many. Pouting slightly, grey eyes shone as they found a soft, lavender shirt and woolly boxers along with shorts. Curiously he slid them on. It felt a little heavy, but he didn't seem to mind it all that much.

As Rus came back, Ferris' eyes darted towards him. Slowly, he sat down near a circular ship window. He placed a silky hand on the Plexiglas. He could see the surface of the ocean, tossing and turning with calming waves. He wanted nothing more than to jump in there, his scales ripping the cloth to shreds and freeing him. He sighed. Though he wasn't in a barred cage, he was still trapped. There was nothing he could do but comply to whatever Rus told him to do. If he was wounded too much, the ocean might not recognize him anymore. Then he wondered if the rokea would ever let him go.

"You know?" He responded thoughtfully. This rokea wanted everything, he would try his best to meet the demands given. "Seahorses are really cute, aren't they? I mean, I used to talk to one once. He was really nice, even though he couldn't talk back. You know, you can see someone's eyes laughing? It was like that." Though Rus probably didn't understand, Ferris was giving him all he had. The seahorse that looked to be made of gold, that he followed up, up, up into the burning sunlight. How he was guided to a kingdom...

Seahorses?! Was he insane?! That was like if Rus suddenly broke into a 30 minute lecture on the values of eating fish. No if he went into a soliloquy about how he yearned to dance around naked and call himself the shark god. However there was some sort of logic to this. Ferris seemed bright enough but what? He meant something by that. Rus had read once that amnesiac usually had a trigger. The symptoms usually were involved with head damage. The memories were still there but blocked if you will.

"Seahorses? I've never thought about Seahorse. Honestly they never really appealed to me. They are just dumb fish who have strange mating rituals." BY this he meant that the males carried the fertilized eggs. He was full of strange sea facts. LIke the fact that male anglerfish became attached to female ones after they mated so the male would never leave. Or how about how certain shark pups were born alive in the womb and would eat their siblings before coming out. He was full of useless facts. Unless there was a quiz which was possible.

"Uhh why did you bring up a seashorse? Did you see one? Perhaps something about a kingdom?" He said trying to lead Ferris' memories. He needed that kingdom. Now. Well his species did.

Ferris gasped and widened his eyes. Did Rus seriously just say that seahorses were dumb? That wasn't nice, at all. The merman's lips sunk in a frown and his eyes narrowed. Seahorses were super cool! With their little fins and fun patterns, and their mating rituals weren't that strange. Ferris was silent for a little while, trying to understand where the rokea was coming from. Was it, that maybe he had never seen how cute seahorses were? Or maybe he had never spoken to one. They were such great listeners, too. Whenever Ferries needed to talk to someone, he would seek out a seahorse. He didn't talk to any deep-sea creatures, like the dubious squid or the gulper eels that haunted the dark waters. No, he was more inclined to speak to cute little seahorses. At least they would never attack him.

"That's sad. I'm sure if you gave them a chance, you'd love them, too." Wait did rokea eat seahorses? He didn't think so. His eyes widened. Why did he bring up a seahorse again? "Because seahorses are, like super fishy and squishy, y'know?" He blurted happily. Ferris then paused to contemplate why he brought up seahorses. He knew Rus needed a serious answer, so he would struggle to provide one. "A... Kingdom..." He thought aloud.

Then he suddenly perked up, like he remembered. "Oh, great speckled calamari bits! You're right!" He clapped his hands together. "The seahorses... they led to me to a castle... and then..." Ferris' eyes brightened again. "Oh, that's it." He said with a grin.

Now they were getting somewhere. Memories were coming back right? He needed to keep this going. There was an bright eyed innocence in this guy. Like a child but there was something endearing about it. Fish and squishy? Really? Okay that would have brought a smile to his face and it did. Ever so slightly. He quickly suppressed it. He had to be tough. He knew Ferris had seen the smile. Well there went mr. Tough shark. He looked at Ferris.

"Yah.... Come on...." He cajoled him slowly. He needed this kingdom. Badly. His species depended on it. "It led you there. What can you remember. Come on Ferris I need this information. My species is dependent on this info. Where was the kingdom?" He asked desperately.

Ferris could tell this man was excited about him almost remembering. He knew that, for some reason, what he knew was important. What did Rus need with what he had? Was there anything to understand? The merman blinked his grey eyes. There must have been something up if Rus thought he knew something important. IN his own eyes, he did not. All he knew was what he needed. Anything else would be obsolete.

"Your... spe...cies?" Ferris asked uneasily. Well, if it was that important, maybe he should try to help. Now that he was out of the water, he was thinking a bit more. All there was need to know was how to float and how to open those yummy oysters. "Well... uhm..." He struggled to provide a valid answer. In all honesty, he had no idea. "It was a very... kingly... uhm... kingdom... with um... kingdom-ish stuff?" He then knew what to say. "Oh! It was in the world!"

Rus looked at Ferris.Species. He did not know what a species was? Well that was really a human phrase. SO it was excusable. He walked over to the nearest chair and sat down. "Species? Yah. Homo Galeos is mine. It means I am rokea. I have no idea what yours is. My kind need help. But that is not important." He muttered sadly. He could not say what w as going on. Not yet.

"Don't hurt yourself with the memory. I don't want to tire you out cause I still need you." He said sadly. He did not want to tell Ferris about the extermination of the Rokea. He could not figure out how to tell him what was going on.

Ferris nodded in an imitation of understanding. "M-hm." He murmured as grey eyes flashed and flickered with confusion. Rokea... the word had no emotions tied to it. As much as he would like to, the merman had no idea what his captor was speaking of in the slightest. From the way Runs was acting, Ferris determined the other believed that he was important. "What do you need help w- Ahh!"

Suddenly, the world around them shook and clank and felt like it would fall apart. Loud mechanical noises could be heard and an unholy wailing as well. What he didn't realize was that the oat had reached shore.

"Well we really need to get to the Kingdom. Like now. It is very important that we do. It is a matter of..... What the ?!" He said falling forward onto Ferris. This was awkward. He pushed himself off of Ferris. How the hell had the boat managed to get un moored. He had put the anchor down. THere was no way it could of gotten to the shore. Oh hell no.

"How the hell? I anchored the boat. There was no way it could have gotten free. No way. Unless someone cut the anchor cable. But... Stay here." He said looking worried. He grabbed a knife and looked at the windows.

Ferris squeaked in surprise as Runs fell on him. Well, that was clumsy of the rokea. Giggling slightly, the merman felt his head smash against the floor and he became increasingly dizzy. There were millions of microscopic black notes dotting his vision. He hit his head pretty hard. He simply nodded in affirmation, still dazed.

He didn't notice he menacing fins just outside the window, nor the feeling of something- or someone- ramming into the hull of the boat!

Rus however could hear the fins. Damn it. They found him. He had been trying to escape them. Merfolk? Or something else.... More Rokea. What he was doing was not sanctioned. Well this was bad... He tried to think of a way to fight them off. He figured he still had the element of surprise. He looked at Ferris. Well he was out. Great....

Rus hid behind a door and waited for whatever it was to try and get in. He could take them.

Ferris watch tentatively as his captor hid behind a door. The sound of fins in the distance sent him into a state of panic, muscles roped around the tender aquatic appendages. When it came to fight or flight, most would pick flight. While Ferris wouldn't run from a fish, a shark was a different thing entirely. Additionally, he proved to be much weaker than any rokea could be. Of course he would be scared if Rus tensed up. What in the world could possibly frighten a rokea...? Something as strong as Rus, or potentially stronger?

Suddenly, there was a loud pounding on the door. "Rus!" Ferris hissed, not realizing what was happening but registering whatever it was was a bad thing. "What's going on?" The merman crawled over to where Rus was. Since the rokea needed him, he would protect him. Right?

Rus was thinking. What could it be? Could it be another Rokea group? It could be. He had to keep Ferris safe if only for his little plot to work. If they captured Ferris then Rus was as good as dead. This was treason. He watched as Ferris crawled over to him. Smart move. Rus leaned down and pulled Ferris up. "I think we have unwanted guests. Hang on. " He said pulling the merman close to him. If they had to bolt he would need Ferris close.

There was no way he was opening that door. Not a chance. "Who the hell is it? Also why shouldn't I kill you for boarding my boat?!" He yelled at the door Ferris still being held against him.