Come morning, I had my nose stuck in the little brown book. I woke up with the scent of ocean water on the thick pages.

My eyes took their precious time adjusting to the sudden light outside the windows. I'd fallen asleep laying on my belly under the window, as close to the sea breeze rushing in as possible. My new precious book had a tonne of interesting creatures and even a bunch on a culture I had never heard of.

I changed into another bandgu with my swimming bottoms underneath, paired it with comfortable high bikini bottoms and a wrap skirt. Freshly dressed, I scooped up the book again and nibbled on my thumb. Mating rituals, huh?

Morgan would find some of these tidbits funny or interesting if she took that stick out of her ass.

Going by the clock, we approached midday and she should be up by now.

I spun around a few times to alleviate the aches and pins and needles in my legs and feet. She left her door open a crack, classic mistake no. 1.

Like so many years before, I burst into her room like I would any day back home.

“Morgan! This book says mating habits are typically courting rituals in which the female scouts out guys!” I rambled as I stumbled into her domain. “It’s bizarre. The amount of details the males go into to prove they deserve her protection, you’d need a few decades just to learn every little part of the courtship processes.”

I kept walking until I rounded the corner and turned the page. Her bed was a flop away, I landed on the corner, holding the book above my head. “Did you know that... oh. Hi,” I smiled at the two partially dressed people in bed before it hit me. I almost flew with how fast I shot off the bed and smacked against the wall. “Really? It isn't even noon yet!”

“Oh my god,” Morgan groaned from under a shirtless male I knew for a fact to be Qeha. He didn’t look too shy about being caught shirtless in my friend’s bed. “That's what you have a problem with?”

“That and your messy room. You haven't been here a week and it already looks as bad as your room back–oof!” A pillow smacked into my face and I hissed, baring my teeth and snarling like the animal I tried to convince myself I wasn't. Daily. “Fine! I won't show you my awesome discoveries! Go ahead and copulate, but I'm going to go soak your toothbrush in the toilet bowl and then enjoy myself searching for my friend.”

She snorted.

“Use protection,” I warned, ignored when the shameless pair locked lips like I wasn’t leaving.

I shut the door loudly, my new favourite book in my hand loosely. The bandgu felt like a hug from the softest material when I adjusted the sleeve, ties holding it as firmly as the best corset could. I swayed to a beat in my head on my way out of the bungalow. The waterproof bag over my shoulder and the thigh bag clipped in, I had a new mission.

The water along the beach had no sign of my friend, much less anything remotely cool looking from the book. I walked along the sand barefoot and loose limbed. I spied Miles and Josh further down a trail marked with bird signs on my way past. It was nice to know my little comment to encourage Miles to think of his own happiness and mental health first had some kind of impact.

Josh wore one of his best shirts as he trailed after Miles, listening to the rambling about avians and the evolutionary branch these birds had gone down. Only Miles could make him careless about the bird shit on his favourite shirt’s shoulder.

Their super secret bird release must have gone well.

To avoid crashing their not-date, I picked up my pace and turned a sharp left.

Black Lagoon, here I come. I stopped by a vendor to buy some freshly caught oysters and scallops, tucking them into a mesh bag for easy carry. The man behind the cart counter grinned when I asked about the best spot to go diving for these. “Friend will show you,” He winked and tilted his head to the side. “Heard a big fish near the Lagoon. Waiting for someone?”

I left a tip, ignoring his splutter. “Thank you very much. Have a blessed day.”

I did not run to the lagoon, but it was a close thing.

I'd gone swimming five times a day the past two and still nothing. Atlas had been popping up here and there but I begged off any invites to lunch or dinner. He felt wrong, if that made any more sense than my obsession with my Lagoon buddy did.

Two Elders watched me as I skipped down the steps and walked closer to me. It still surprised me that a lot of people avoided this Lagoon during the evening and early morning. The only people here were myself and the two eagle-eyed Elders. I smiled at them, but backed up when I caught sight of their piercing expressions.

I couldn't put my finger on it, but their approach had all my sharp edges out and hackles raised. They stopped a metre away. "Good morning," I greeted, fists clenching at my sides.

Elder Sam'hyv, with his black curls pulled back into a semblance of tidiness, sniffed haughtily. “You have been in our Lagoon many times. What is your purpose?” He snapped and I snarled at the tone, the rumble tickling my throat. Condescending prick, thinking he could claim the waters I craved!

“My purpose is to appreciate the amazing lagoons here. Like any other tourist,” I shot back, on guard. I eyed the other Elder and met his wary gaze. Elder Joryun, a little more level-headed and decidedly cautious as he watched me, stepped forward. “I don't think I have done anything that could warrant suspicion.”

“We have been watching you,” Elder Jor'yun stated and okay, Mr paranoid and/or creepy. “As a person of interest, we have noticed. You dive for extended amounts of time.”

“What I do is none of your business,” I forced through achy gums. My spine went pin straight as I met their gazes head on. “I have no intentions of hurting anyone or anything. I am doing what is in my rights to explore.”

“You have no right!” Elder Sam'hyv ground out and I scowled back. “You know nothing! You are…”

Motion over their greying heads caught my attention as the black waters rippled. They didn’t catch our new spectator with their backs to it, cutting me off from them.

I lit up from the inside in pure, unadulterated joy when my buddy’s brow surfaced.

He clacked and snarled low, teeth of his huge bottom jaw bloody from his most recent meal. I ignored the Elders beyond that, trying to go around them. A tight grip clasped onto my elbow and yanked me back. No pain, just flaring anger that they thought they could touch me like this. The Elder wasn't the strongest male.

“Sa-oh Mother Moon!” Elder Jor'yun gasped as he looked at my buddy. He flopped down to his knees and prostrated himself along the sand in reverence.

Sam'hyv gasped as well and dragged me down onto my knees with him. His rough palm shoved my head into the sand and hisses of discontent filled the air. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it to the side. He grunted when I threw his arm away from me.

I knee walked closer to the water to get further from the asses.

A claw reached out, brushing my cheek when I grasped his big hand. I grinned when he made a low cooing sound in his throat. "Hey, buddy," I greeted him while wiping sand from my cheek.

The Elder scuttled closer to and grabbed my wrist, tugging me back while twisting the joint painfully.

I didn’t need to bite like I ached to do. One of the huge claws swiped out and sliced into muscle. Blood gushed from the Elder’s arm as he screamed in pain, hitting the ground with a spray of red. The other claw (not stained with blood and tissue) stretched and pulled me in. I tucked in against his neck.

Free of fungi, I snuggled against the soaked scales and laughed as he clicked and hissed at the Elders watching us. “He didn’t even bruise me,” I told my buddy and sighed when his jaw rubbed against my shoulder in an effort to soothe. It was as much for himself as me. “I've been looking for you, you know? You just disappeared.”

The heavy tail splashing restlessly in the water curled around me, leaving a huge patch of wet sand in its wake. Muscles underneath scales bunched as my buddy began to move us back into the water. I tucked the fabric over my shoulder into the skirt and tucked the pin in my thigh bag.

As we went deeper, water up to my shoulders, I gave the finger to a bleeding Sam'hyv. The water swallowed us whole.

Breathing came easier, lungs filtering each mouthful of water back out as I kept a tight hold on my buddy. He didn’t waste time today getting us deep into the Lagoon and through the hidden crevice. The currents in these algae lined tunnels swept us up and away. He wriggled and pushed out of the stream and up into the cove.

The cavern’s air pocket got closer with every rapid flick of his tail, so fast that it made my head spin. He didn't slow down this time, propelling us and over the lip of the stone. Gravity dragged us down again, he took the brunt of the cold, rocky floor.

I choked out a laugh, shaking my head. “You are horrible,” I said and lightly slapped his chest. He made a hacking sound, almost laugh-like. “It’s been sooooo long since I saw you and I wanted to show you a new book. My friend brought this journal to me and read it even with the clear warning on the front page. She said you were in it. I drew a picture of you, and that's how she figured it out.”

I rolled off his chest and was caught in his scaly palm before I hit the uneven stone floor. “Oh, thanks,” I grinned and scrambled up to sit with my knees folded under me. The rough rock texture didn't bite at my skin when I dropped the long swathe of fabric down beside me. I took off my thigh bag and set the precious bundle of clams down.

The book’s leather was warm when I pulled it out. The eyes of my buddy shot down to it and widened a fraction. He could smell the weird haze of it too, most likely.  “Yeah, you can smell it too.”

A rumbling sound from his chest answered me. I scooted closer to lean against his shoulder. “Here. It has a weird name up top. That's not your name, though, is it?”

He shook his head and propped himself up. He sat straight as I scrambled up and onto his 'tail' to flop against his chest. My head reached his pecs and he made a soft cooing noise when I held up the book to be in his eyeline. I thumbed through two more pages and found more on his other 'shift'. After reading through each and every page, he was one of the more obscure, deep sea species. A lot of the entries were general mermaid tails and fins.

“It has a little bit written but not as much as others. Mainly about how you're one of the first descendants of the courtship between the northern dragons and the moon rays. Your form like this... did you choose it?” I asked, craning my neck to meet his eye.

He tucked his head to his chest and back up, not breaking eye contact.

“So, you do have another shift?”

He raised two sharp claws and I peered down to the page.

“It also says that size is determined by the time you remain in your hunting shift. You must've been like this for years!” I exclaimed when I realised the implications of his vast frame. This was their shift when danger or hunting took over their hormones. I rubbed at the ache in my chest. “Have you tried the 'subtle shift'? With your claws or something?”

In answer his skin bubbled until his teeth began to recede back into his gums as his jaw melted back. His hair grew thicker around the sides of his head and fluffed up in a riot of small curls. “Oooh! It doesn't hurt, does it?” I asked as his jaw squared off and a little cleft in his chin popped into existence. I’d have to keep him away from Morgan, she’d pant after any man gorgeous enough to catch her eye.

One visceral crack left his jaw at a slightly uneven slant. There were pale lips, pressed tight with the shift taking hold. His flat nose began to take on a more humanoid form with a jutting mound, then the tip rounding up and hooking a fraction at the tip. With a weak groan, he reached up and showed me one of his hands. There were knuckles and thicker digits! Webbed, but still fingers and not tipped with claws. The other hand wasn't as human but I giggled when a crooked finger tickled my side. “N-Nee,” He croaked in his shocking tenor. It wavered and deepened when he repeated the syllable. His voice came out rough.

“My name!” I squeaked and reached as far as I could so that I could brush my hand along his humanoid chin. He pressed into my palm and rubbed his cheek against my skin. It was a little scratchy, like stubble along with the scales that rasped against my squishier skin.

“M no’ her… Her…t,” He slowly moved his lips, the motions awkward. I squealed again, happy to hear his voice.

“Can you tell me your name?” I asked, closing the book and waiting patiently. I tucked the book to the side so I could focus on him and his lovely face.

His dark brows furrowed and jaw worked. It showed more than his alternative form had.