Minseok' s new life under the water was both strange and wonderful. He settled in at the merling king's castle and spent his time learning the ways of the ocean. Yixing had taken a liking to him instantly, weaving strings of iridescent shells through his hair, showing him how to make a resting place on the sand out of sea grasses and driftwood. The other merlings who lived in the sanctity of the king were more reluctant and suspicious. "It's hard for them..." Yixing whispered one day as they lay languid on the ocean floor, a sandbar comfortable under their tails, Yixing weaving Minseok's dark hair into a tangle of thin braids. "There used to be more of us but some of our brothers wandered....."

He could see why Yixing had taken him under his wing. The other merlings were quiet and sad looking and the two called Kyungsoo and Jongin were never separated. Jongin was long and lean and scaled in rich rose gold and bronze. His fins were as black as his hair and he never strayed far from the castle. His constant companion, Kyungsoo, was a vision in gunmetal grey. His tail glimmered with opalescence and his dark eyes were constantly searching for something he could never seem to find. They were both kind enough to him but they lived in their own little world.

The one they called Sehun, long and dark and stunning, was scaled in every shade of green and jade and teal. He never spoke. He never smiled. He just sat on a rock near the entrance to the castle and stared out into the ocean. Minseok wanted to ask him what he was waiting for but he was too afraid of the cold looking merling to approach him.

The daily fascinations never ceased. He discovered that merlings did not in fact eat fish and the thought horrified the others. "Eat our brothers?" Yixing' s gentle heart was shocked. "No we eat the ocean's grass and seaweed." Yixing taught Minseok everything he needed to know. How to forage and graze when he felt hungry which was surprisingly hardly ever. He discovered the unmistakeable pull of the forces of the moon on his life. It drew him to the surface, it guided them on their adventures, it drove him father and braver and deeper into the ocean.

Minseok had never felt so alive.

His former life was fast becoming a faded memory. He could barely remember how to walk, how to drink a glass of water or drive a car, how to breathe the dry burn of air. The tiny slits behind his ears fed his body with all the oxygen he needed as he pushed his strong body faster and faster through the water. He raced dolphins through the darkness and envied them when they leaped ahead of him out of the water. He followed an octopus as deep as he could until the pressure got too much and he got dizzy. Yixing laughed at him while he recovered and swore he wouldn't do that again. 

When the sun disappeared and the moon burned bright with its cold light overhead he floated on the surface and let its energy soak into his body. Yixing's desire for the surface was lessened by his years under the ocean but Minseok needed the silver light of his ruling goddess dancing across his scales. It made him feel wonderful.

Yixing explained to him the rules of their tail. "When the moon is full enough you can leave the water. Once your skin dries your legs will come back. But only if there is enough moonlight to help you transform." Yixing' s face became dark as his expression clouded. "I don't know why anyone would want to go back to land anyway..." he shifted his position and resumed his constant attention on Minseok' s hair. "Anyway, it's not to be done lightly, and as soon as the saltwater hits you your tail will come back."

Yixing' s patience with him was incredible. He stretched his beautiful quartz and lavender tail and scratched it on a smooth rock while he explained to Minseok about their lost brothers. "They wandered too far one day. There was a storm and we lost them. We prayed every night for the magic of the moon to guide our brothers home but they never came back. Yifan was beautiful, scaled in glittering gold, the biggest merling I've ever seen. Zitao was like a prince in royal blue and bronze. He was so sweet and gentle, he was one of our babies, and I really miss him. And our oldest brother.." Yixing collected his thoughts while he continued. "We lost our oldest brother Luhan. He was fair and gentle, beautiful and sweet, and so loving. His tail was stunning. I've never seen a merling scaled in red before. He was the only one." Yixing played with a little crab, smiling to himself as it ran across his hand, before setting it free on the sand. "Sehun waits for him every day. Luhan had taken the others with him to search for Sehun's favourite nautilus shells deep in a ravine. He hasn't forgiven himself and hasn't spoken to anyone but the king since Luhan was lost...."

That night as he curled up in his nest Minseok's mind wandered to the pain of their lost brothers. He understood why the king and Yixing were so happy to have him. The loss of three must have been hard to bear and he felt incredibly sad for their youngest who carried the heaviest burden.

Minseok heeded the words of the king. He knew the rules and he knew that he shouldn't go too far from Yixing's constant watch and guidance. But his adventurous spark wasn't the least bit dulled by his transformation and Minseok wondered if he looked would he be able to find their lost brothers? Surely they couldn't have vanished off the face of the earth. They must be around somewhere.

He floated on the surface in the ink black of night, the saltwater buoying his long lean body, moonlight glittering on the shells woven in his hair. He stared at the moon and felt it staring back at him, drawn to him as much as he was to this ruling celestial being, fascinated by its power over him. He bathed in its glow and spoke aloud as he asked the questions he didn't dare ask Yixing.

"Why. Why did you bring me here? Why did you make me like this?"

His lean muscular body floated gently in its light as it stared in silence back at him. He knew there had to be a reason. He wondered if he could find their lost brothers and bring them home. Was this why he was brought here?

He had to find out.