Chapter 5

The human polished the whole thing off and then licked the remnants off it's fingers.  

I don't know why I let him live, something about him fascinated me. He wouldn't have survived if I hadn't helped him.

Compared to other humans I had seen this one was particularly scrawny, his orange hair blew across his freckled face. He let out a groan and tied it up.

What in the world had this thing been doing on a pirate ship? 

Maybe life might get a bit more interesting with a human in it.

I quickly swam back to find some seaweed.

~

After a few minutes I stood up but my knees were as weak as a fawns, so I quickly found myself in the sand again.

I kicked the sand aimlessly. I went to kick the ground again but my toe hit something. I hissed a string of curses through my teeth and cradled my foot. A sharp rock stuck out from the sand. I angrily pulled it out of the ground and flung it as hard a s I could into the endless sea.

A wave lapped at my feet. The water was cool despite the sun's deadly heat.

Something brushed against my leg as the wave pulled back.

A shriek of surprise broke from my lips and I jumped back. I let out a sigh of relief, it was just seaweed. 

I recognized the plant. I had once read a whole book on water-based plants. Well I had managed to get myself kicked out of my school for the third time in one term, so I had nothing to do. I hadn't been the perfect student my mother had wanted me to be, I had always found school pointless. I wanted to learn proper things like fishing and carpentry; Not things like literature or math.

Anyway I remember a specific species of seaweed that could turn salt sea water into fresh water. The name of which escape me. It stored the fresh water in small pockets along it's stem.

I ran my thumb over the bumpy stem, after a gentle press of one bubbles and water began dripping out. I raised it to my lips and painstakingly-slowly I began to drink.

~

A small-ish boat paddled up ahead. The humans inside wore the same uniform as the other crew members. It poked through the remaining rubble of the recent shipreck. 

From where I swam they could see me, though I doubt they could see to the murky water. 

I rubbed my tail down the edge of the ship. The scales on my back were coarse enough to make a scratching sound.

A shout sounded from above, their cry echoed through water.

Holding in my laugh I dangerously came closer to the surface.

"Shut your mouth" a harsh voice barked. "We're looking for survivors not screaming like little girls."

Surprisingly it was a males voice that spoke even though the shriek sounded more female. "But sir something…. Collided with the ship".

"It's probably just debris"

I laughed sending bubbles upward. Just debris? So I gently shoved the boat again.

There was a loud thud as one of the soldiers fell over.

"Debis?" Exclaimed the high-pitch-scream man

This time they didn't respond.

I laughed again and left the poor sailors alone.