The sun was bright and glaring down at Shiro when he woke up. His eyes were dropping and tired but his mind was slight with excitement. He instantly recalled the night before, meeting the land man and his stomach flipped happily. He swam back to the cove to look for signs of movement on the shore, then swam closer to the dock, where they had spoken and exchanged gifts.

On his dorsal fin, around his body, where his waist would have been if he was human He wore a purse of sorts. It was fashioned from kelp and a shark egg shell. They were fashionable in mer-culture and a way for merfolk to carry their wares safely and securely. Shiro had weighed up the pros and cons of attaching the shell that Keith had given him to the outside of the bag, before deciding that it was too precious to leave for hard currents to bash and snatch so he had tucked it inside. He took it out now and smiled fondly at it. In the sunlight he could appreciate the soft pink colour and he noted the subtle brown hues. It was small and delicate and so beautiful.

He tucked it away again carefully and swam as close to shore as he could without beaching himself, still looking out for Keith. He saw no signs of movement from within the shack aside from a raven that squawked as it fluttered away from the window. Shiro puffed out air in a sigh and slipped back into the deeper end of the cove. He could feel warm currents rushing around him and cold ones by his tail fin. Then he felt the bitter cold.

It was like a wave washing over him, like ice had suddenly bitten his very insides. Shiro shuddered and looked out into the ocean. Zarkon was calling for a tournament. Shiro shivered at the thought and subconsciously put a hand over his shoulder. It took him several hours to swim out to sea to find the official invitation.

It read the time and date but nothing else. Useless to anyone who did not recohnise the signiture of the dark magic behind the invitation itself. A week today. Shiro sighed heavily and headed back to his cove, to his Keith. The sun was already beginning to set by the time Shiro slipped up out of the water bu the dock.