The four mermaids poke their heads out of the water after hearing the splashing from my hoof above. Each of them a different shade of blue with scales covering their arms and lower body, all the way to the base of the tail fin. Humans still think they look like them. As if these creatures, who existed before humans were ever born, would base their appearance on them. How arrogant. 

They’ve adjusted to the freezing temperature well. The top of their heads are covered with a fin that extends like a lure. Not to draw fish in but to shoot magic from. Their large eyes lock onto me. 

“This is our lake, water spirit!” They hiss, “Leave now! We will not share!” 

“I only seek a single scale from one of you. It is in aid of someone.”

“A human? You wish to give them immortality?” 

“No. A lycan. To give him sanity.” 

The one with light blue scales swims closer to the water’s edge and reaches up to pat my snout. I want to bite that hand off but I need the scale without causing a fight. 

“Swim with us then. But cause harm and we will rip your apart. You might be strong, but we outnumber you.” I enter the water and dive below the surface with them. Fish swim away or hide in the sand. A large hole sits to the left, likely leading into a larger cave system deeper below. 

“Not like your kind to help others.” One begins to circle me, attempting to be threatening. “Even we are peaceful when we need to be. What compels you to show compassion? The lycan your lover?” 

“No. But, he needs to be under control before he destroys the settlement he’s in.” 

“And if he is a terrible, terrible man?” Another flicks my mane, a tang of bitterness in her words, “Would you help still if he has committed atrocities against us?” 

“We think we know which lycan you speak of. Four days ago, we saw him being hounded by a sick wolf. He jumped into the water of our lake. When the wolf followed him, desperate for food, the man grabbed Yvon and she was bit!” They all hiss in anger, the scales on their bodies shimmer. 

“Had to put her down the next morning. Merfolk like us cannot ‘adapt’ to the lycan bite like humans can. We ended her suffering. You want a scale? Then do us a boon.” 

“I have three days to travel back and give him the scale before his strength increases and he flees. Will this boon take long?” I kick my front leg. Not to intimidate them. Its just something I do when I’m growing impatient. It seems they caught on as well.

“Impatient. Trying to appear as dull as a stone. Humorous..” They look at each other before their eyes fixate back on me, “..Make us laugh, beast. Make us laugh and we will give you a scale.” 

“Very well.” I observe them, thinking of something good to say. I’m not familiar with jokes and my humor is non-existent. Its not in my nature to make others feel joy. But, there is something that can work. 

……………………………………………………………….

Three days pass. I return just past noon to give the scale to the Crone.

“Here.” The Crone is busy counting how many severed fingers she has when the mermaid scale is dropped on the desk. “Hmm.. very good. Did you kill one?” 

“No. They asked me to make them laugh.” 

“And what did you say?” 

“I want to be a Unicorn.” The Crone erupts in high-pitched laughs bordering on screams. Her throat makes a squeaking noise as she wheezes in her chair to catch her breath. Once she’s composed, the Crone stares at me with a mean smirk, “Your eyes are yellow, Kelpie.” 

“Yes?”

“Unicorns are said to have blue eyes.”

The scale is crushed into a powder and put into a cup of green liquid, “Feed this to the boy. He still lies below, heart expanding along with his bones. Hasn’t stopped screaming since last night when the second stage began.” 

I take the cup and head towards the cell block. The screams are barely audible from the ground floor but with my hearing, they’re clear to me. As I pass the market, I’m stopped by the woman who lost her child a few days ago. She’s lost weight. 

“You bitch.. do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” She grabs my arm before I can step away. 

“Let go. I have to give this to Fion.” I switch the cup to my free hand to keep it from spilling. The woman has tears rolling down her face, “My baby is buried now.. in the fucking soil where we grow our food! How can I eat when he’s.. he was only a four months..!” 

My kind don’t reproduce. We’re simply brought to life by the river or lake we eventually protect. I’ve seen mothers throw themselves at me in order to save their reckless children, no matter how old they are. It surprised me. 

What expression should I make right now? How do humans do this? 

“How are you doing that?” I stare into her eyes, “Loving someone that much.. what causes it?” I want to know. Ever since I discovered how hard it was to change, I’ve only wanted it more. To be a unicorn, to be something different.. I want to see if I can do it. 

“I-I don’t… Let go of me!” She tries to pull away but her hand is stick to my clothes. “Hold still.” 

I loosen the cloth so she can step away before heading towards the cells. 

Once I’m in front of Fion’s cell, I turn to look up at the camera in the upper right corner of the hall. Old world tech. The fort still has electricity to power everything because its located near a lightning tower twenty miles away. When lightning is absorbed into the rods, it shoots out power once its full. So, once every couple of months, the sky will light up for a second. Its bright enough to make everything white. 

The first time I saw it happen, I thought I’d die. Being a water spirit. But the electricity it releases back out into the world is harmless as far as I’ve seen. 

The door shuts behind me as I look down at Fion, now being held down by as many sandbags as they could carry down here. Its just enough to keep his limbs pinned but come tomorrow, these might as well be eight pounds instead of three hundred.

Once he drinks the contents of the cup, I put it outside the bars and sit by the door. Nothing left to do but wait. 

“Talking might help with the pain. Please, speak.” I’m curious about his mental state. 

His voice cracks, nearly unintelligible as the front of his skull starts to extend, slowly forming a canine snout. 

“..I… want.. Caetlyn..” 

“A lover?” 

“Met.. last year..” Tears roll down his cheeks, “..hasn’t visited me since.. I want her to.. I don’t want her to..!” He’s conflicted. And again with these tears.. It comes so easy for creatures like them. 

“It would be difficult for her to witness.” I hum and stare up at the lights above us, “I am from the isles of Orkney, it existed many centuries ago when the sun lit the sky blue and flowers sprouted everywhere you could see.” 

I do feel sadness. For my home, my river. Now its frozen over, unable to return. 

“..It sounds beautiful..” He turns his head to get a better look at me, “..Was it warm?” 

“Yes. And I was foolish not to cherish it.” Its not in my nature to... bask in sunlight. To simply enjoy warmth.

“Even.. with all this fur.. its still damned cold..!” A loud crack. His jaw is pushed forward as blood spits out onto his chest. New teeth have been added. His hands and feet haven’t transformed yet. 

Tell me about the warmth please.. 

He threw his voice when we first met. Its a skill non-humans use when they can no longer talk verbally. 

“Imagine a giant ball of light forever hovering in the sky. It makes plants grow, the birds sing, water feels just right. You could fall asleep outside if you wanted to without ever feeling like your fingers will fall off.” 

What are birds..? Little meaty flying heads? Gordons? 

“No. They’re tiny or large creatures that can fly and use song to communicate.” I slowly inches closer to him when he starts lifting the bags on his left arm. 

I put my hand on his shoulder, “Try to hold still. You’re doing well.” 

As we talk, water starts to pool around the lycan’s body. The bags soak it up, causing their weight to increase. 

“I’m relieved the mermaid scale is working. You still have your human mind.” 

But I’m still going to die. 

“Yes. I knew of a lycan who kept his human mind by devouring a mermaid. He still went on to kill his wife and children because of his increased aggression. When he realized what he had done, he asked me to kill him.” 

He begged me for help when he first got infected. Since he had never done anything to disrespect my river, we tried looking around. One day, he had eaten a mermaid and I was surprised to see that he had regained himself in that wolf form.

I would never hurt Caetlyn! 

I assume the form of a man to test his aggression, “I will make her love me.” I switch back upon hearing his snarls, his chest heaving up to try and lift the arms that will not budge. 

“Do you trust yourself? To change and be different?” 

I’ll control it.. I swear! I’ll remain in control! 

The lycan I watched over ate a full mermaid. Fion has only taken a single scale.. we’ll see what happens.