A Fishy Tale, The Sequel - Fanfiction for H2O Just Add Water

Chapter 98

Chapter 98

The woman made a gesture with her right hand. It was a circular motion that ended with her palm facing up and her four fingers closed. The creature scuttled up a few steps in her direction, but it remained alert, as if it was some kind of watchdog, a sentry.

The mermaids tread water while they awaited the woman anxiously. She was dressed in a stunning blue gown, which contrasted beautifully against her dark skin.

"Who are you?" the woman questioned. Though her voice was gentle, one look at her face told them she meant business. The mermaids looked at each other.

"I'm Emma," she responded, "and this is Bella, Anna, Jessie, Rikki, and Cleo. We were just exploring these caves and somehow..." Emma trailed off.

"You're...mermaids?" the woman said, as more of a question than a statement.

"Isn't it obvious?" Rikki replied, sarcastically.

"Rikki!" Emma whispered harshly, warningly.

"I haven't seen..." the woman started, her voice hardly above a murmur. She seemed to have disappeared into her mind momentarily. They all look at each other again.

"You truly don't know who I am or care?" the woman asked.

"Ah, no," Rikki said. "We were just exploring these caves and...well, magic happened. I didn't really appreciate being attacked by a monster though."

The creature seemed to take offence; its three eyes narrowed, its spherical pincers clenched together, and its scales turned a bright red against the blue. The vortex had obviously been created by the indenture in its globular mitts.

"Vatu," the woman said in a caring tone, descending a few steps towards the creature. She stroked its head gently and it relaxed visibly. "I am sorry about that," the woman addressed them. "She protects this cave from intruders, and protects me."

"What is she, is you don't mind me asking," Bella asked.

"Vatu is what I call a Dakuwaqa. I named her kind after the one of our Fijian gods, a shark god. Do you know the legend?" she asked. The mermaids all shook their heads.

"Dakuwaqa was a fierce sea-monster. He was the guardian of the reef entrance of the islands, and was fearless, headstrong and jealous. He would change into a shark and travel around the islands fighting and harassing all the other reef guardians and creatures. The long story short is that he fought the octopus god, and was defeated. He was made to promise to stop being angry all the time and to promise to stop harassing all the reef creatures. Dakuwaqa started to protect the reefs and the creatures that live there, also protecting the humans that respect the underwater world," the woman continued. "Although Vatu doesn't resemble Dakuwaqa in form, I thought it was a good name for her species. The reason being that she attacked me at first, and now she protects me. You like the name, don't you?" the woman addressed Vatu. The creature seemed to smile, if that was even possible. "Vatu told me the actual name of her species, but I'm afraid it doesn't translate beyond the mind."

"This is fascinating and all, but could we know your name?" Rikki asked. The woman looked up.

"Oh! I apologise. I am Talei," she introduced herself. "Welcome to my abode. I am sorry about before, but I have to be careful."

"May we ask why?" Jessie asked.

"I suppose since you are mermaids, I can tell you," Talei said. "Firstly, may I know your names?"

They all introduced themselves, and Talei invited them to come forward and sit on the stairs with her. They did so. The whole interaction felt awkward, but the woman hadn't told them to leave yet. The mermaids were all intrigued as to why this woman lived alone, only with a Dakuwaqa as company.