He's not a Merman

Chapter 9 Scavenging

Chapter 9 

"What are you doing with those sticks?" Myrr asks me, watching me rub two sticks together.

"I'm not so sure myself." I blatantly admit after about fifteen minutes of trying to create a spark.

Myrr and I are no longer in the cave that he took me to. I managed to convince him to take me to the surface so I could find something decent to eat and find something dry so I could make a campfire and warm myself up. I am shivering more than before since I didn't know that the only exit to the cave that he brought me into is underwater!

"Why isn't it working!?" I yell when I still see no signs of anything burning.

I'm doing it exactly like the hunters in the town told me to. Am I doing something wrong? I already prepared dried leaves and kindling to assist in creating a fire. I only need a spark from the sticks, but nothing I do is working!

Are the sticks wet or am I just near the ocean and it is preventing me from creating a spark?

I am starting to lose my strength in my arms and was thinking about giving up when Myrr suddenly takes the sticks from my hands and aggressively rubs them together. It took me by surprise since he was just at the shore earlier with his lower body bathing in the waves.

What is he doing out of the water?
"Am I doing this right?" Myrr speaking up made me bring my attention back to him. The sticks that I was struggling with to make fire are starting to smoke at one of the tips.

"That's it!" Without warning, I grab the one that is showing signs of burning, blowing at it while hurrying to burry it with dried leaves gradually. I was first afraid that I failed because I didn't see any signs of the fire. My doubt soon subsides when I see smoke slipping through the cracks in the leaves.

"Finally." I began to rest easy when I saw the fire starting to grow. I have never missed the warmth of a fire this much. My clothes are still wet and I badly need a change of new clothes or I'm really going to be sick. I'm still wearing my nightgown for goodness sake.

"This is fire?" Myrr asks dubiously, inching his face close to the flame like a curious cat.

"I wouldn't advise getting close if I were you." Despite my warning, Myrr makes a swipe at the fire like he wants to capture it. However, when he brings his hand to his face, he displays a bewildered expression when he finds that he didn't capture anything. He makes another pass at the fire numerous times, but still ends up with nothing. He looks so silly that I couldn't help but laugh. I know I shouldn't. For a creature living underwater, fire must look like magic to them.

Deciding that swiping wouldn't work, Myrr reaches out and lingers his hand too long in the fire. I did warn him before so it did not surprise me when he burned his hand. "OW!" He withdraws his hand quickly and begins to lick the burned tips of his fingers.

"See? I told you not to get too close. It bites." I joke.

Myrr continues to stare at the fire for a bit before looking up and meeting my gaze. "How do you tame it?"

"Huh? Tame what?"

Myrr points at the fire, making me even more lost. "The fire. How do you tame this beast?" I thought he was joking with his question, but he looks rather serious. "How can I make it not bite me?"

I just made a mental note not to joke around with Myrr so much.

"That's not exactly how fire works. You can't tame it."

I should have explained it in more detail because it seems like Myrr is taking my words and interpreting them into different meanings. "I see. So it is a beast that cannot be tamed by anyone other than the one who summoned it." He concluded on his own.

I opened my mouth to explain to him that he was wrong, but I ended up sneezing instead.

"Are you still ill? Is the fire not doing its healing magic on you?" After asking that question, he turns to the fire and glares at it. "Do your magic on your master!" He commands it.

That last question was my fault. To convince him to let me go on land, I told him that having fire could help stop my sickness. Perhaps I should always be specific about things when talking to Myrr regarding subjects related to the surface.

"Yeah, that's not exactly how it works. I need some new clothes." I point at my sagging dress that is still dripping wet for diving back into the water. I look at Myrr. "Do you perhaps know where I can get new clothes? Something similar to the ones I am wearing?" I ask hopefully. It's a long shot to ask a resident of the sea about human necessities, but what else could I do?

Myrr rubs his chin. "If you mean things that belong to humans, you could try heading there." He points to his left. "Just over those boulders, I saw some washed up crates from the previous storm. I'm not certain if they have the clothes that you are looking for since I haven't had the time to scavenge the wreck, but they're mostly human belongings."

"That will do." I get up and almost wince at the weary feeling that my nightgown is weighing on me. "I'll head over there right now."

"Do you need me to accompany you?"

"No!" I answer quickly. If there's a chance that I may be able to find usable clothes there, I would have to strip in order to change. I get this feeling that he would question me if I asked him to look away when I changed my clothes. "You stay here with the fire and feed it with these!" I grab the dried firewood I collected and hand it to him.

Myrr seemed reluctant at first but soon he seemed dedicated. "Alright. I will make sure that the fire is well fed until you return."

Something tells me that I should pay attention to what he just said, but my body seems to have taken control, so I began to walk in the direction where Myrr pointed earlier. Thank God that it was sunny today because it is providing me with a little warmth.

I managed to find the crates that Myrr told me about. They were obviously part of the wreckage of a ship that drifted to shore. My eyes began to scan the wreckage until I saw a familiar fabric among the wreckage. Clothes were thrown all over the ground; all of them were men's clothes. They are all dried, probably from being in the sun for days. I started looking through all the piles of clothes and managed to find some decent ones for me. There are some pants that most likely belong to a child and a loose sailor's shirt. These are probably the only ones that fit me.

I started to take off my nightgown, but then paused when I heard some footsteps. Myrr told me before that he gains legs when his tentacles are dry. My first thought is that it could just be Myrr. However, isn't it strange that the noise is coming from the opposite direction of our camp?

"Those don't belong to you, lady."

I turn around and hastily put my nightgown back on.

Who I saw is definitely not Myrr. The man has long auburn hair that he ties to one side. He looked ragged, which tells me that he is probably a survivor of whatever ship got wrecked by the storm. He is wounded and his body is covered in what looked like scars from cuts. Even his face has one—a long line that draws across his lips.

I would have felt pity for him if it weren't for the fact that I recognize his face.

Captain Zen, the notorious pirate who is wanted on every continent.

~*~*~*END OF CHAPTER*~*~*~

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