I grew up with a small family, just me and my two siblings, our parents died in a storm while out fishing. Sadly this was a common occurrence in our village. We were called the Kulls, and our people lived on the beaches. You can probably already guess what we did for a living, fish.
We sold our fresh seafood to many neighboring villages and kingdoms, our fish were considered a delicacy as my people were the only ones able to dive down deep enough to catch exotic fish and crabs. You see, in my village everyone born here is given a rather odd but useful gift, how this came to be I don’t know but the elders say it’s a gift from our goddess, the mother of the ocean.
My people had the unique ability to breathe on land and in the water, our eyes also adjusted so we could see far below the deep. We all shared strange physical appearances as well, almost everyone born in the village had moonlight pale skin, deep purple eyes and blonde hair with blue highlights, some of us were also born with webbed hands and feet although this was rare. Some foreigners even called us the elves of the sea which most of the villagers laughed about. My life wasn’t too terrible, I had two wonderful older siblings who made sure to take care of me when our parents died. Of course I was expected to help my brother, Aenon, everyday with his fishermen duties.
All the men in the village were required to fish everyday while the women prepped most of the fish for sale, and we kept what was left over to eat.
It was on one of those work days where my life changed for the worse, my brother and I were sailing our little boat around an uncharted area of our island, we were slowly making our way to a deep alcove, one where the water was particularly dark.
My brother wanted to explore and see what kind of fish he could find and I had no choice but to follow his lead. We reached the edge of the alcove and Aenon began to anchor the boat. Once the boat was anchored Aenon dived into the dark, choppy water and called after me, signaling for me to follow.
I got up and sighed as I dived into the water. We descended below the depths, going deeper and deeper until it was almost impossible to see, even for my enhanced eyesight. Aenon hoisted a large net and cage from his sling around his shoulder, he began to swim and drag the cage through the sand on the ocean floor, causing small fish and crabs to scurry away from my brother's fishing cage.
I silently watched as he finished with a satisfied smile, he pointed upwards and we swam back towards the boat. I climbed aboard first as Aenon threw the cage and net onto the boat, he quickly climbed in afterwards. “Can you believe this Adrian!? Look at all these fish!” It was indeed filled to the brim with fish but something else caught my eye.
A small white orb, about the size of a child’s fist, was glowing from the bottom of the cage. I quickly dug through the fish until I grasped the orb in my hand, holding it close to my eyes for better inspection. It had strange carvings in circular shapes that intertwined, the weirdest part was the constant glow that it emitted.
“What is that Adrian?” Aenon asked me.
“I’m not sure.” I replied in a quiet voice.
Suddenly the orb began to grow hot and the glow intensified. I dropped it with a yelp as it began to float around on its own, in a strange, bizarre manner that I’d never seen before.
I stared wide eyed as it shot towards me with lightning speed, I screamed as it forced its way into my mouth, going down my throat. I tried to Gag and felt the urge to puke but I couldn’t. The orb continued traveling down my body until I felt it stop at the pit of my stomach.
“What the fuck..” I said choking and gasping for air.
Aenon ran over to me and placed a hand on my back.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
I nodded sheepishly.
“yeah I think so.”
As I was sitting on the deck of the boat recovering from whatever that was, the waves around us began to grow in intensity, making the small boat rock back and forth rather violently, followed by strange lights floating to the surface.
Aenon noticed and immediately began hoisting the anchor and tending to the sails in a panic. “Fuck.. we need to leave.” He muttered to himself.
“What’s going on?” I asked him.
He simply shook his head and focused on preparing the boat to leave.
A webbed green hand with long claw-like fingers suddenly grabbed the side of the boat, followed by the most terrifying creature I had ever seen climbing onboard.
It was about eight foot tall, with scales covering its slimy skin, giant black orbs for eyes, a huge jaw filled to the brim with inch long razors for teeth and a large limb hanging above its head like an angler fish. It let out an ear piercing shriek as my brother jabbed it’s side with his fishing spear, it turned around and swiped at his chest, leaving deep cuts along Aenons chest, he stumbled and collapsed on the side of the boat.
The creature spun its head around and spoke to me in an eerie voice that sounded like its mouth was full of water. “Give. Us. Orb.” It garbled and shrieked making me flinch.
I quickly grabbed my fishing spear and jammed it into the creature's large orb-like eye. It screamed and stumbled backwards as it fell into the water.
More of its kind were beginning to surface and swim towards the boat. I knew I had to get us out of here, just as my body was overwhelmed with a strange surge of fatigue I managed to untie the sails and get the boat moving forwards in the direction where the wind was blowing the most, the little sail boat propelled forward as the creatures chased after us.
We sailed for what felt like hours, I was falling in and out of consciousness the entire time but adrenaline kept me awake for the most part. The salty seawater occasionally splashed in my face. After a long while I looked back and realized I’d lost the creatures. I turned the boat around and set sail for home.
It was nightfall by the time I finally pulled my brother's little sail boat onto shore, I collapsed on the beach as I saw my sister along with several worried villagers running towards me.
I pointed towards the boat and whispered to my sister in a hoarse, exhausted voice.
“Sarah.. Aenon.. he’s hurt.”
I watched as the other villagers rushed onto the boat, two of the stronger male elders hoisted my brother over their shoulders, they walked up the beach as Sarah helped me to my feet. I leaned on her shoulder, on the verge of passing out.
She led me to our little seaside hut connected to a dock and we made our way inside. She helped me into our large, circular bed that took up most of the room and began to put on a pot of boiling water. When she was finished she draped a warm, wet cloth on my forehead.
“Go to sleep Adrian.” She whispered before covering me with a heavy blanket.
`~~~~~~~~~`
I blinked several times before extreme exhaustion and fatigue overtook me and I faded into unconsciousness.
I awoke to light streaming onto the bed through the large doorway covered only by a thin door made of beads. I slowly opened my eyes and saw that Sarah and Aenon were sleeping beside me as usual although this morning Aenons chest was tightly wrapped with bandages.
He groaned and rolled onto his side. I let out a sigh of relief as it looked like he was okay and would recover completely. I quietly got out of bed and felt a weird weight on my chest and a sensation of vertigo as everything around me looked slightly bigger. I shook my head and brushed my long blonde hair out of my eyes, I noticed it seemed quite a bit longer than usual, while normally I kept it at a medium shoulder length I noticed the ends were touching the middle of my back.
“Weird,” I whispered.
startling myself from how high pitched my voice was, I tried clearing my throat to no avail, again shrugging off the feeling that something was wrong.
I made my way into an adjacent room and began to fill a large stone basin with water. I started washing my hands and face and was just about to brush my teeth when I saw my reflection in the water.
Staring back at me in my reflection was a young teen girl, her hair was the same color as mine but it looked much softer, One of her eyes was the usual deep purple that I’d become familiar with while the other was a bright aqua blue, I opened my mouth and the girl did the same, her teeth were small and pointed, much like a sharks but miniature, in the place of freckles I had small spots of gray scales dotting my face in random patterns.
I looked down and noticed I had large, perky breasts bouncing on my chest, followed by a slim waist and large hips, my thighs were plump and thick, my hands and feet dainty and small.
I let out a shrill scream and collapsed on the floor, gasping in shock. Sarah came rushing into the room after being woken from my screaming, she spotted me and her mouth fell open in shock as she gasped.
“A..Adrian?” She whispered.
I nodded, too afraid to speak up.
“How? What the fuck.. This is so bizarre..”
I shook my head and closed my eyes, I felt salty tears begin to run down my cheeks as I started to sob. Sarah rushed over and wrapped me in a tight hug, I noticed she was now quite a bit bigger than me and I shuddered at how weird it felt being this small again. The last time I had to look up at Sarah was when I was a child.
I continued sobbing for a good 30 minutes while Sarah held me and rubbed my back, as I was calming down I started to blush as I realized I was shirtless. This normally wouldn’t be a problem but I now had the body of a teenage girl and I felt very uncomfortable with my sister pressing this close to my bare chest. I pushed her off of me and covered my chest, looking to the side sheepishly.
Aenon came stumbling into the room, rubbing his eyes.
“What’s with all the damn racket?” He said before looking down at me with a bewildered expression.
He looked over at Sarah as I blushed even more than before.
“What’s going on? Why is there a naked girl in our washroom?” Aenon asked with a raised eyebrow. Sarah cleared her throat before speaking up,
“Your brother.. Um.. has gone through some changes?” She said hesitantly.
Aenon furrowed his brow and stared at me before his eyes almost bulged out of his head. “Adrian?” He asked in a bewildered manner.
“Yes..” I whispered in a soft voice.
“How did this happen? You look like a freak!!” He exclaimed. I looked up at him with an extremely hurt expression, I felt a sharp pain in my heart at his words.
“You think I didn’t already realize that!” I yelled as fresh, salty tears streamed down my face once more. Sarah gave him a harsh look as I pushed past him, crying and running into the main room. I grabbed one of my black now way oversized tunic shirts and pulled it over my head. I was looking for a pair of shorts as Aenon followed me into the room.
“Where do you think you’re going? you can’t let anyone see you like that.” He said, anger rising in his voice.
“I don’t care.” I hissed at him, finally finding my shorts. I was about to put them on when he snatched them out of my hands. I looked up at him glaring and bawling my hands into little fists.
“Calm down. It’s fine I’m leaving anyways, I have work to do. Stay here and help your sister.” He said coldly before throwing me my shorts. He grabbed his pack and slung it around his shoulder then walked out the door.
I ended up crawling back into bed and pulling the covers all the way over me. Sarah just stood there awkwardly not really sure what to say.
She sat at the edge of the bed and whispered softly to me, “He didn’t mean it honey.. I’m sure he’s just worried for you.. we both love you very much, you know that right? Just rest for today okay? I’ll wake you up when dinner is ready..”
I nodded, refusing to look at her, I buried my head into the soft pillow and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping the next time I woke up this would all just be a horrible nightmare.
I spent most of the day napping and hiding my new body with several layers of blankets. Sarah ended up waking me from a nap with lunch, which I definitely wasn’t happy about.
I grumpily accepted a bowl of steaming, hot soup and immediately gagged at the taste of vegetables.
“Sarah,” I groaned. “I can’t eat this” I whined, sitting up in bed.
Sarah walked over to me with a puzzled expression.
“What do you mean? That’s your favorite isn’t it?” She asked.
I shook my head and looked down at the floor.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me..” I said quietly. Sarah looked me up and down with a sympathetic look in her eyes before she quickly got up.
“I have an idea!” She said excitedly.
She disappeared outside for a few moments before returning with a handful of raw fish. My mouth started salivating at the sight of them and I grabbed one from her hand with almost no hesitation when she reached out to give me the fish.
I tore into the scaly flesh like an animal, my new teeth tearing through the meat with ease. I devoured the entire fish in minutes and let out a deep satisfied sigh. I shot up from the bed, suddenly realizing what I’d just done as Sarah stared at me with a mix of awe and disgust.
I resisted the urge to puke as I ran to the washroom to clean my hands and face, I had blood all over me, especially around my lips, my cheeks were covered in red stains.
I fought the urge to cry as I scrubbed the blood off my skin. I exited the washroom with a gloomy expression, Sarah seemed to notice and tried to comfort me.
“You know it’s kinda cute, I never thought I’d have a fish for a sister.” She said while laughing.
I glared at her and flipped her off as I sat back down on the edge of the bed. Sarah sat down next to me and pulled me close to her, I squirmed a bit but didn’t resist. I laid my head on her shoulder, she wrapped me in a warm embrace and I closed my eyes, finding it very easy to relax like this.
“So.. when we go out in public.. you know you can’t really go by Adrian anymore. Would you be okay with us calling you Adrianna?” Sarah asked me in a soft voice.
I opened my eyes and glared up at her.
“I’m not really comfortable with that..” I said quietly.
She nodded and looked down at me, “that’s fine, I understand.”
The sun was just beginning to set as Aenon walked through the entrance of our little beachside shack. He sat down at the small wooden round table near the door and set down his pack filled to the brim with fish, my mouth began to water and my nostrils flared at the smell of fresh fish, I shook my head, shaking myself out of the weird trance I was in. Aenon looked over at me and I glared at him, showing my razor sharp fangs in the process. He just smiled f and dug through his bag until he found what he was looking for.
He walked over to me and handed me a small set of clothing.
It was a thin black shirt that looked to be made out of waterproof material, followed by a pair of stretchy shorts made from the same material and for some reason a large hooded cowl with a face covering.
“What are these for?” I asked hesitantly.
“So you can go in public and hide those freaky scales on your face and body.” He said with a hint of disgust in his voice.
I looked up at him on the verge of tears. I shook my head trying not to cry.
“I don’t understand why you’re being so mean about this.. it’s not like I wanted this to happen.” I said softly
His expression softened for a moment before he glared at me and scowled.
“Do you not understand how people will react to seeing you like this Adrian? You’re a freak! I’m trying to protect you! we don’t know how everyone will react..” He sat down next to me and sighed before continuing.
“Of course you’re safe with your family.. you know your sister and I will always love and protect you.. but the same can’t be said for the rest of the village.”
I nodded, understanding somewhat where he was coming from as he wrapped me in a tight hug, thick, salty tears streaming down my face as I sniffled into his shoulder.
I let my brother hold me for a few moments as Sarah watched from the other side of the room with a sad expression on her face. Eventually Aenon let go of me and stood up, grabbing his bag and filling a small crate with the fish he’d caught that day.
“Cmon Adrian get dressed, the midnight bazaar opens in a few hours.. we need new supplies and I need you to sell fish at the stall.” He said.
I nodded and sighed, taking the clothes he’d given me to the washroom and quickly getting dressed. I stood by the doorway with Aenon as we were about to leave. I was already deeply dreading tonight.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I sat on the little wooden bench behind the stall near the edge of the marketplace, the entire beach was brightly lit with torches dug into the sand, scattered throughout the village and seaside.
My eyes glazed over out of pure boredom as I stared at the annoying nobleman droning on about how he had to have the very best fish for his niece and that he refused to pay the ‘ridiculous’ price I’d given him.
I sighed as I looked over at said niece standing behind her obnoxious uncle, she seemed to be very embarrassed from the nobleman’s antics as she shuffled around, picking a single spot on my chest to continuously stare at. She was rather tall for a human girl or at least it seemed that way, I still wasn’t used to my new adjustment in height.
She had pale skin, bright green eyes, a petite frame and mousy brown hair that fell down past her shoulders. She seemed to notice me staring at her and I blushed before quickly looking away, turning my attention back towards her uncle.
I sighed and looked up at him, “I’ll give you the entire crate at a discount if you stop bothering me.” I said glaring at him.
His cheeks puffed up and turned red.
“The nerve of you sea elves! If we were in the capital and you spoke to me in such a way you’d be punished to the greatest extent!” He declared angrily.
I rolled my eyes, “do you want the fish or not?” I asked him.
“Uncle please.. don’t cause a scene.” His niece quietly said tugging on his expensive silk robe.
“Ah very well, how can I deny my precious niece?” He replied with a softer tone before tossing a coin-purse into my hands.
I pushed the crate towards the man and sighed in relief as two of his personal guards hoisted the crate from the table and began to carry it back towards the entrance of the village near the small, narrow dirt and gravel path that led up the steep cliffs to the main road.
The nobleman seemed satisfied and he and his niece quickly wandered off towards the tavern. I sighed and started cleaning up the little stall, my mouth was hurting like crazy and I clenched my teeth in frustration causing me to let out a pained little squeak.
I touched my hand to my lips and looked down realizing my mouth was dripping blood, I poked one of my teeth and realized it had extended several inches and was razor sharp. I’d nearly cut my lip open with my own teeth! In a panic I Instinctually flexed my jaw muscles and my teeth retracted, going into my gums until they were normally sized again.
I choked back a sob as I turned around and saw Aenon standing there with a disgusted expression on his face.
“Freak.” He whispered under his breath as he turned around and started walking back towards our little beach hut. I slumped back against the wall of the little stall and let out a deep sigh, the thick sandy ground felt very uncomfortable and I started silently crying. I sat there for maybe half an hour before I was finally ready to go back home and sleep.
I wiped my face and got up, following the little torches that lined the beach as I made my way towards home. As I was about to walk through the beaded door I noticed something strange below the water off the coast, slowly approaching the beach. It was these weird twinkling white lights, appearing and disappearing below the surface.
I shrugged it off thinking it was probably some weird fish or something and walked through the door into my home. Aenon was already passed out on the bed as I walked inside but Sarah was sitting there waiting for me.
“Here I hope these fit.” She said, handing me a bra and a pair of panties.
“Go get ready for bed, we have a big day tomorrow.”
I looked up at her with a defeated expression and slowly walked to the bathroom, not looking at myself in the mirror as I quickly changed clothes and slipped into the undergarments. I exited the bathroom and slid in bed with my two siblings, a deep blush forming on my face as I buried my head in the pillow.
I awoke with a start, I quickly Sat up in bed. My siblings were still asleep. I peeked out the little window by the door and my jaw dropped from what I was seeing. "
Shit.." I whispered.
Climbing out of bed and quickly putting on the clothes Aenon had given me, I decided to wake him and my sister up as well.
I shook Aenon in a panic until he opened his eyes.
"Adrian.. What..what are you doing?" He said slightly confused. "
You have to get up quick!" I replied in a panic.
Aenon groaned slightly then got out of bed. "What's wrong, why are you so scared?" He said with an eyebrow raised.
I pointed towards the window where he proceeded to look. "Shit.. Wake Sarah up! I need to warn the village!" Aenon said.
grabbing one of his fishing Spears and a dagger from the corner of the room, He quickly sprinted out the door.
I watched from the window as he ran along the beach, lighting the emergency torches. Remembering the urgency of the situation I tore myself away from the window and shook Sarah awake. After a quick explanation as to what was going on she packed a bag and grabbed my hand, quietly leading me out the door with her.
The villagers were starting to wake up and coming out of their little houses to see what all the commotion was. I saw Aenon at the other side of the beach, near the chief's residence. He had a group of men standing In front of him, I could faintly hear Aenon giving them a small speech, all the men grabbed their Spears and torches, following Aenon down the seaside towards the shore.
That's when the screaming started and the villagers saw what we were facing. Those strange creatures from the deep were flowing onto the beach, there were hundreds of them, outnumbering the village warriors by a considerable amount.
Then the fighting started, the warriors clashed with the creatures but they were clearly no match for them. A truly sickening scene came to display in front of us. One of the creatures' scaly mouths opened wide in a seemingly impossible way, the creature wrapped it's entire mouth around one of the warriors heads and with a sickening crunch he tore it clean off the man's body.
The sand below his feet was covered in blood and his headless body fell to the ground. I resisted the urge to puke as the scent of iron filled my nostrils, the breeze from the shore blowing the sickening smell of blood towards the villagers. A small child was screaming and cowering behind his mother.
I witnessed my brother thrust his spear into the chest of one of the creatures from the deep, I began to panic as a creature crept behind Aenon, it grabbed him from behind and lifted him several feet into the air. Time seemed to slow as I watched in a state of shock, the creature plunged it's clawed hand deep into Aenons gut, he let out a choked gasp and a trickle of blood spilled from his mouth. As furious as I was at my brother I didn't want him to die.
I felt my canines extending and before I knew what was happening I was charging towards the creature, letting out an ear splitting scream in the process. When I reached the creature I lunged towards it, wrapping my arms around it and sinking my razor sharp teeth into its neck. I still don't know what came over me but a small voice in the back of my head told me to rip it's throat out. And that's exactly what I did.
It let out a muffled scream as blood poured from the fleshy hole in its neck, the rest filling its mouth. It collapsed to the ground, dropping Aenon in the process. I ripped my shirt off, not caring about exposing myself and tightly wrapped it around the wound in Aenons gut. He seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness as I pulled his body up the beach. I reached my sister and she helped me lift him up.
The village was in a state of utter chaos, screams from every direction, the creatures were tossing the torches that lined the beach into windows and setting buildings ablaze. Sarah snapped her fingers in front of my face, getting my attention.
"Cmon!" She said in a panicked whisper. "We need to leave!"
I nodded and we dragged Aenon the best we could, slowly making our way to the little trail along the side of the coast that was used in case of emergencies.
One of the creatures stopped us in our tracks and raised one of the Spears it had stolen from a deceased warrior. I bared my fangs at it and felt them extend, it looked at me for a few moments then lowered its spear, it turned around and went back towards the burning village.
After several hours of walking we finally made it to a cave, stocked with supplies for situations exactly like the one. Sarah started working on a fire near the back of the cave and I dragged Aenon over to a small cot on the ground. He seemed to be conscious although barely.
I felt tears streaming down my face as I looked at his pale body, my shirt wrapped around him was soaked in blood.
"Aenon.." I whimpered.
He looked up at me and smiled and with a shaky hand he tore off the shirt that was stopping him from bleeding out. "Take care of Sarah." He said in a shaky breath.
Glad it's back!
Tftc
Np 😇