Sea and Sky

Chapter Eight

When Nadia came to, she sat up, leaning forward and rubbing her head slightly before the reality of what just happened hit her like a blow to the stomach. Harry was gone. She got up, ignoring the white spots swirling around her vision and swam as quickly as she could to where she knew Louis nest to be. She takes the underwater tunnel to the bottom of the waterfall, afraid if she leapt off she would pass out again. She gets to he shore and begins to scream, drawing out more then just the intended harpy. Nature spirits, satyrs, centaurs and a curious young cyclops peer through the trees at the wailing mermaid
"Louis!" She shrieks "Louis for fucks sake wake up! This is an emergency, 91 fucking 1!"

Louis steps out of the woods, a worried expression on his face as he stumbles sleepily toward her, one arm up rubbing his face on his forearm.
"Hurry your feathery butt!" She shrieks, tears rolling down her face. Louis listens, lifting off and and landing on the bank

"What's wrong?" He asks and she grabs him by both shoulders

"Harrys gone" she says and Louis blinks, not quite understanding "Louis, Harry was taken, the humans got him" she says and Louis eyes go wide

"No...." He mutters and almost falls over, Nadia having to steady him.

"Yes, they lured him in by using you as bait...they had sounds, it sounded like you were hurt" she informs him and Louis begins to shake, he bites his lip as he fights back his tears.

"Take me to where he was taken" he says and she nods. He follows her bright hair and tail under the water as he flies above, fear making it almost impossible to do so. He spirals towards the ground, landing in a tree, just as Nadia breaks the surface, staying back from the shore slightly. Louis notices a shiny something on the ground and drops, picking it up. When he realizes what it is he nearly sobs in despair. A scale, a beautiful iridescent green dry, scale.

"Nadia, how long ago did this happen?" He asks once he realizes how dry this scale is. He dips it in the water running his fingers along the familiar surface.

"I'm not sure" she confides and when Louis looks at her dumbfounded she continues "one of them kicked me, his foot was so hard,  I'm not sure how long I was out" she says shaking her head

"Maybe midnight?" She suggests feeling helpless

"Midnight?!" Louis squawks "it's almost sunrise!" He shouts in terror

"Okay, Louis, I'm going to gather some sea creatures and merpeople, we're going to look in the water, you gather whoever you can find and search the forest okay? Meet me back here at noon" she says and dives back under the water.

The Louis is soaring through the air as fast as his wings would take him. He lands in the clearing near his nest and runs into the cave he knows Niall lives in. He's surprised to see both Niall and Liam there, passed out in weird positions.

"Christ" Louis says walking over and waking Niall with a kick before going to Liam's back so none of his hoofs were facing him before shoving Liam hard, and sure enough all his hoofs began to kick as if he was running as he woke.

"wass going on" Niall asks, groaning

"Yeah what gives" Liam says shielding his eyes from the faint light coming from outside. They were clearly hungover and Louis could not even believe them, even though they knew nothing of the current situation

"Harry is gone" he screams at them and that gets their attention, making Niall get to his hooves, walking over as Liam rocks himself into an upright position from his side, planting his front legs before pushing himself fully to his feet, having to duck his head to avoid hitting it on the cave roof.

"What do you mean Harrys gone?" He asked

"Humans took him, Nadia, that's one of his friends, watched it they used me as bait made it seem like I was hurt to lure him in and look him, knocked Nadia out" he says, his tears threatening to spill

"When?" Niall asks his lip quivering, as he was friends with Harry for a long time this must have been hard for him.

"Midnight as far as we can figure" he says "Nadia is out searching with as much help as she can gather, we need to do the same" he continues and Niall nods, gesturing Liam forwards

"Come on let's get going" he says

"Please, gather as many available bodies as you can I-I can't stand losing Harry or my child...." Louis whispers and Niall stops, making Liam bang into him.

"Child?" He asks and Louis nods "when did this happen?" He asks a

"I found out, probably a week ago" he says and Liam looks at him sympathetically before walking over to him and kneeling down

"We will find them Louis, don't worry I can gather the centaurs, Niall has the satyrs and what nature spirits he can't gather, they can, you have whoever you can get and who they can get and Nadia has underwater covered, there's going to be no unturned stone, I promise" he says and Louis nods as Liam and Niall the head out, following them, taking off and heading to where he heard the dryads. He lands,

"Hey!" He screams "I know your here, come out!" 

The 3 dryads from before emerge, followed by 7 or 8 more nature spirits from nearby bushes, trees and water sources.

"Now, We have a missing merman, he was taken by humans, were organizing a search party" he informs them and some of them nod concerned, understanding and running off to look. But the original three, plus a couple more stare at him, their arms crossed

"Why would we help?" He asks and Louis rolls his eyes

"Harry is missing, and don't you think I didn't hear you the other day" he threatens and their eyes widen, making a few more scurry off leaving just one standing before him, the Neriad that came from the stream.

"I've been friends with Harry for a while" she says, her arms crossed "and I know how much he means to you, I'm sorry for all those others, they're just rude" Louis smiles softly at her

"H-Harry and my baby...." He says finally breaking down "t-they're gone" she comes over and hugs him tightly

"It's gonna be okay, I'll gather as much help as I can, don't worry we will find them" she says and then she's gone. Louis wipes his tears and shoots back towards the mountains. He wakes every harpy that lives there, and most of them are willing to help him incredibly, even though it's a missing merman, who harpies are supposed to despise. Louis expects its due to his tears and disheveled state, more then their concern for Harry.

Louis finally lands in front of his mother door, which was hastily reattached from his last time here. He pushed the door open and walks in, heading into one room after another, shaking all but his baby siblings awake.
He shakes his mother awake and then heads back to the main living area to wait for them all. Soon they all filter into the room and sit around him sleepily

"Harry and my child are missing, Harry was taken by humans sometime last night and we have have the grotto looking for him, now your going to help, because I have most of the harpies living here helping and none of them know me at all and I'll be dammed if my family don't help" he says and they all nod stunned.

"I-I need to feet a sitter" Jay says, leaving the house. All his siblings stay seated until she gets back, an older female harpy following behind. Then they all leave heading out to continue the search.

Louis searches for hour and hours, flying over the trees and water, calling Harrys name with increasing desperation as the hours wear on. Then a young harpy flies up to him, out of breath with a look of relief on her face.

"I-I saw a merman being taken through an exit to the grotto" she says

"That was hours ago, I couldn't find you" she says and Louis' eyes widen

"Take me there" he says and she nods, breathless and they take off. When they get there, Louis lands and peers though the ivy.

"Shit" he swears turning back to the young harpy "okay, I'm going after him, I need you to do something for me, find my mother, Jay and Nadia, she's a mermaid with red hair and a red tail, tell them what you told me, and tell them where I'm going, tell my mother not to come after me" he instructs and she nods, fearfully as Louis slips through the ivy, leaving the safety of the grotto behind.