The Little Water Elf

2- Where the Sky meets the Sea

「 We have no immortal souls;
we have no future life; we are
just like the green seaweed, which,
once cut down, can never revive
again! Men, on the other hand,
have a soul which lives forever,
lives after the body has become
dust; it rises through the clear air,
up to the shining stars! 」

The boy hadn't woken up by the time Rayla reached the shore. The waves violently tugged at her body, and she fought every instinct inside her that urged the mergirl to return into the safety of the ocean's warm embrace. It was surprisingly hard to swim above water, especially while carrying a human boy — who's body was weighed down and not nearly as easy to float as her own.

She was beginning to understand why the land elves so rarely visited her people.

The sun had begun rising by the time she first touched dry land — and the soft, warm sands under her skin felt like heaven. It was as if someone had replaced the rocks they'd commonly sunbathed on in the Xadian seas with warm pillows. Rayla found herself wishing she were able to just lay there all day.

But she had more important matters to attend to.

The boy was barely breathing, and Rayla was panicking.

"Oh, stars above, please don't die," she whispered.

Every inch she moved onto the sand was a slow, exhausting process, with her own weight suddenly a million times more notable compared to in the water. Her tail dragged through the water, leaving a trail of churned up sand behind her, which the ocean promptly shifted and returned to its previous state.

Her small bag cut into her side, dragging down on her body painfully, and so she moved it back to the waterline in order to gain more mobility.

With the silence surrounding them, and the threat and darkness of danger finally gone, it was only then when she managed to really look at him.

His hair was a dark brunet, and his skin pale and clear. The boys eyes were a green that resembled the forest that rested past the beach, and-

Oh lord Poseidon, his eyes were opening.

Or, in a more accurate description, they had fluttered open for a split second before resting closed again. He was delirious, tired, and recovering from a near-death experience.

Still, he was beautiful.

Despite her better judgment, she found herself singing. It was an old lullaby, one that several merfolk knew like the back of their hands. It was a simple melody, in a language that wasn't commonly used on either side of the border.

"Ho, mo nigh'n dubh
He, mo nigh'n dubh
Mo nighean dubh
'S tu mo chuachag.

Caidil a luaidh
Fo chobhair nan stuadh
Air bodha na suain
'S do bhruadar 's a' cheòban..."

Her song was cut off suddenly when she heard the distinct shouts of humans.

The boy groaned, an arm flying up to rub his eyes.

Rayla began her quick crawl back into the safety of the water, as soon as there was enough room she rushed into a quick sprint away from the beach. The water was too clear here, she'd be seen.

There was a conveniently placed rock set amongst the shallow waves, and so she pulled herself onto the back of it, her heart rate moving faster than the quickest dolphin as she tried to make her body as small as possible, gathering up nearby clumps of seaweed and foam to lace through her hair in an attempt to blend in to her surroundings.