"Is that how you greet others?"
The young air breather asked in a childish tone.
I felt dumbfounded for a moment, then searched the memory before throwing caution to the wind and mumbled.
"Big brother…"
I blinked up at him long lashes brushing against my cheeks.
I knew I was adorable, so I had faith in myself.
If I had not spent those air breather years living as an onlooker, I would have a different point of view and would have eaten this young air breather instead of contemplating if I should hug his thigh or not.
The boy stood there stunned a while. First, I suppose from hunger, as his gaze fell on the roasting meat. I took the bear tooth; sharpened to cut the flesh with ease.
The entire reason I used the tooth instead of the claw is that it had a jagged edge and the root was slim and long enough for me to have a firm grip. It was also small enough to be hidden on my body and can be used as a projectile weapon when necessary.
I cut off a piece and placed it within a leaf and held it out to him, like an offering.
I prepared myself well to bootlick this thigh as much as possible.
Opening my mouth, I made sure to console him, even though he is much older than my smaller self right now.
"Big brother, you look weak. Please feed, don't worry someone will come and collect you."
"What of you?"
I pursed my lips and said in an aggrieved tone, "My mother tossed me here. I don't know my father. As a bastard I have…"
I allowed my words to trail off before I allowed the tears to fall. The tears became genuine because the body felt hurt when the mother did this, allowing the family who had been hunting for six days-
I felt cold sweat upon remembering that it has been four days already. The family will find me soon and realize I am related to them by blood… then the torture will start.
Back then I had been an onlooker, now since our soul had fused, with me being dominant and the previous slowly assimilating.
If they catch me this time, the pain is something that would drive me nuts. What then?
When I die this time, there is no coming back since my main shark-kin form is gone.
There is no way I can stay here!
The boy appeared by my side, his scent making my mouth water.
"Are you sad?"
Tears fell from the effort of holding myself back. Sad?
Shark-kin has no familial affection for each other… at least in my generation.
My sisters had all left me to walk on land so long ago, why did they not stay with me?
We were all part of the same pod back then, so why? Perhaps this body's emotions are beginning to affect me. Before, I would have never questioned them. That was how we were as a shark-kin.
We would birth our young, guard them until birth and swim away, leaving those who were part of that batch to depend on each other.
The thing is, even within the womb we would devour each other, leaving the strongest to fend for themselves.
My batch though had Co-existed well, all four of us were born but one of the sisters had died.
Leaving only three of us, with them for the first six hundred world tides until they were able to shift into their half forms and later left to walk on land.
How many World tides had I roared for them, but no answer ever came?
They lived. Great, they would add to the shark-kin population. They died, it meant they were too weak to survive and provide nutrition for the ocean waters.
"Big brother, this little one is not sad, mother… Mother wanted to keep me safe, so she did this."
I, myself, do not know. All I remember was when that family had captured the previous owner and proceeded with the various torture methods.
They need to wait for me to get bigger so that I can eat every one of them.
I licked my lips, thinking about how they would taste when I finally devour them.
Peeking up at the young airbreather, I waited for him to look away before testing my face so I can look pitiful when he did look again.
"Big brother...?"
"It is ok," the boy said, reaching out to rub my riot of curls. For a moment I thought, to bite off his hand, but relaxed.
Turning away, I looked at the most roasted meat and cut off a part that was still red with blood.
Slicing off a sizeable chunk of the mostly cooked disgusting flesh; I then sprinkled some juice from a plant to help it cool and tore off a piece.
I tried my best not to wrinkle my face in disgust at the chewy taste but are it nonetheless.
Terms:
Airbreathers: all living things spent on land.