A Boy & a Village

Cade huddled against her mother. The ship rocked violently from the waves outside, almost throwing them to their sides but her mom held steady. Thunder rumbled overhead. Lightning flashed through the small portholes with no signs of stopping. Both reflected the anger that was burning inside of her. When one of the pirates passed their cell she glared at him. He flashed her his dirty, and a couple missing, teeth and said, "You're going to make someone a nice little slave some day soon, little fishy."

"Shut up!" Cade snapped. "Or I'll feed you to the sharks! I'll never be anyone's slave!"

The pirate laughed. "I like 'em spunky. Too bad you're just a child. If you were a little older I'd keep you for myself."

Growling, Cade lunged forward but her mom's arm tightened around her shoulders, stopping her from attacking. Not that she could attack. Their chains clanked from the movement. She had forgotten about the chains.

"Cascade, hush. Behave yourself."

"Yeah. Be a good little fishy and do as mommy tells you!" The pirate laughed. He kicked the bars of their cell before walking off.

Cade stuck her tongue at his back. Her little brother whimpered in his sleep. He rolled over, the blanket falling off him. Cade pulled it back around him and patted his shoulder. He fell back into a peaceful sleep. She shifted on the hard wood floor of their cell. "I hate this. Why are they doing this to us? We've done nothing wrong."

"I know, my love." Her mom hugged her. "Unfortunately this is the way of the human world. But do not blame all humans for the actions of a few. Not all humans are bad. You will see."

Cade snorted. "Sure they are."

"One day you will learn that there are more humans nicer than those who are not. Remember our friends back on Cobalt Island. For now hold your tongue, my child. We will be fine," Serenity said. "Your father won't let them get away with this."

Cade rolled her eyes. "You don't even know where he is. He cares nothing for us."

"Do not say that, Cascade." Her mom ran a hand over her hair, trying to smooth her unruly curls Cade got from her dad. "He loves us very much."

Cade hugged her knees to her chest. Her collar bit into her skin but she did nothing to stop it. There was no point. It wouldn't move no matter what she did. She had been wearing the collar for almost a week now. She was almost starting to forget it was there. Almost.

Or she thought it had been a week. She had lost count of the days at some point. Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that they hadn't had a decent meal since they had been caught. They only got scraps from the pirates when they felt like giving them to the fishmen they were carrying. Someday soon they were suppose to arrive an island to be sold, as often her kind were.

Though she had thought they might had been safe on their small island, Cobalt. The small island that held very few humans that did like them. But that was dashed when this pirate group arrived on their island. The pirates killed anyone who fought against them. Many were hurt. Many died.

The vision of the massacre was fresh in her mind still. The blood hammered her nose so hard that she could still smell it. And the bruise her mother got when a pirate snuck up behind her was still on the woman's forehead. Cade thought the black and blue bruise would mar her mother's beauty, but it didn't. Her mom still looked as beautiful as ever. It actually matched well with her mother's light purple skin. The same skin tone her brother had.

Cade sighed. None of this would have happened if only her father had kept his promise. But nope. The one time they needed him the most he wasn't there. Clenching her fists, she hoped she never saw him again. At this rate that was going to come true.

A clank brought her from her thoughts.

"Come on, fish." Another pirate opened the door of their cell. "Captain wants you on deck. You have to walk around. Don't want you getting too weak before we can sell you." He saw her brother sleeping. Grumbling he walked into the cell and kicked him. "Get up!"

A wail rang out from her brother's mouth.

"Stop it! Don't kick him!" Cade lunged at the pirate. She grabbed onto his leg and sunk her sharp teeth into his flesh. Iron wafted in her nose and spilled into her mouth.

"Ouch! You rotten brat!" He grabbed her hair and tried to jerk her off him. When she didn't budge he slammed his fist onto her head.

"Cascade! Stop it!" Serenity cried.

"You brat!" The swung his foot again, nailing Cade in her stomach.

Air rushed from her lungs. Cade's teeth released from the man's leg just before something hit her cheek. The world around her spun before she collided with the floor. Her cheek stung. Then came the familiar shiiing of a sword being pulled from its sheath.

"Please. Do not harm her." Her mother rushed in between them. "I promise she will not attack you like that again."

The pirate scoffed. "She had better not. If she does it again, I will kill her. I don't care how much you fish might be worth on the market." He sheathed his sword and pointed to the door. "Get out."

"Come." Cade's mother picked up her brother then grabbed Cade's wrist. They left the cell, walked up the stairs, and stepped out onto the deck.

Several pirates were on the deck, some snarled at them while others just smiled with hidden intent. Cade looked up at the sky. The dark clouds were rolling away from the ship, leaving a thin layer of grey clouds behind. She took a deep breath of the salty and fish smelling air. Her fingers twitched with the longing to dive into the water and swim away from here. But that didn't look to happen for a long time. With a snarl she wondered if her master would let her go swimming at all. Probably not. Water was her element after all.

"Mommy." Kale rubbed his tired, wet eyes. "Can we go swimming?"

"I'm sorry, my sweet." Serenity kissed his cheek. "We cannot."

Kale pouted with a whimper.

Cade clenched her fists. Her brother was so young. Only three years old. A few years younger than she was. He should be swimming around in the ocean. Playing in the ocean. Having fun. Not being shipped off to some noble nut or spoiled Celestial Dragon with nothing better to do than make someone's life miserable just because they were different.

"Calm yourself, Cascade." Serenity placed her hand on her shoulder.

Only then did Cade realize the amount of hatred and murder she had inside of her. She wanted to rip out the throats of all these pirates then fed them to sharks. First she would have to get this collar off her neck. She wouldn't be able to do anything if her head was blown off. Stupid explosives collars. Whoever invented them should be shot.

The only way to get it off was to have the key. And the captain had the keys. She hadn't seen him in days. She shook her head. They were only allowed a limited amount of time on deck. She wasn't going to waste it. Breaking away from her mom, she jerked her chain from the pirate holding it and ran across the deck before flipping hand over feet. Bending her knees she shot herself up to the upper deck, ran across the railing, and then jumped to the figurehead. She stood there, looking out at the horizon. No ships or islands appeared in sight.

"Hey, you brat! Get back down here!" a pirate called. "You're not suppose to run off like that!"

She ignored him.

"Leave her alone," another one said. He chuckled. "This is the last bit of freedom little fish girl is ever going to get."

The pirates laughed.

Cade clenched her fists. Rage flared in her chest. Gritting her teeth, she mumbled, "Stupid humans. I hate all of you. You are a horrible race."

She sighed, wishing she were older, stronger with better control over the water. If she had half the strength the elder of her people had then she would be able to get them out of this. But no. She was still just a child. She wasn't strong enough to get herself and her family out of this.

Her dad could. He was strong.

She shook her head. She wasn't going to think about him. She didn't need him.

"Time to go back, fish!" someone hollered.

Cade turned to find her mom and brother weren't on the deck anymore. She jumped back to it and looked around. "Where're my mom and brother?"

"Captain wanted to see your mom," a pirate said. Everyone chuckled.

A chill ran up and down her spine. A strange gleam was in their eyes. Something wasn't right. She could feel it. Suddenly there was a loud bang. Wood snapped before thunder boomed above. Pieces of wood and water rained down on the deck. The pirates scrambled to get out of the way. Cade looked up. She gasped. Her mom had jumped from a hole in the captain's quarters. Her mom's flawless pale purple skin was bleeding. A bruise was swelling on her cheek. And her clothes…her clothes had been torn and ripped. Her mother's breasts were partially exposed. A shattered, yet determined, look was in her eyes. Her arms were tight around her brother as they fell to the deck. "Mama?"

Her mother landed on her feet then and fell to her knees. Her arms tightened even more to keep the young boy safe.

"Mama, what happened?" Cade grabbed her mom's shoulders.

"Hold still, my love." Serenity brought up a ring of keys.

"Mama, you…" A click and the collar fell from her neck. A rumble of thunder hid the clank of the collar and chain on the deck. Before she could utter another word her mother grabbed her up and ran for the railing. Next her body was hurling through the air. Following her was the shell shaped locket her mother wore everywhere. She grabbed it and pressed it to her chest.

The world slowed to a painful crawl. She watched as her mom tried to throw her brother over the side as well. But the pirates grabbed her mom's arm and her brother before he could be freed.

"Cascade!" her mother screamed. "You must survive! Find your father! He will help you!"

"Mama!" Cade reached out in vain for her mother. A gun blasted. Blood splattered through the air from her mother's chest. Her mom's eyes filled with pain then lifelessness. Cade screamed before plunging into the dark water. Her blood turned to ice. Her limbs numbed. Her instincts screamed at her to get away but her body wouldn't listen. She sunk farther into the ocean until everything around her went black.

…

Cade groaned as the hot sun beat down on her dry skin. Rolling onto her side the sand rubbed against her, irritating her skin and gills more. Her head pounded as she started to wake up more. A drop of wet, warm water dropped onto her cheek. She sniffed the air, expecting to smell rain but smelled only the ocean, trees, and some flowers. She exhaled.

Another drop of water hit her cheek. A grumble of a hungry stomach hit her ears. Her eyebrow knitted in confusion. She wasn't hungry. Another grumble forced her to open her eyes. She squinted them shut for a moment so her eyes could adjust to the sun then opened them again. Staring down at her were black eyes. Drool poured from his open mouth. She started, rolled away, and then scrambled to her feet. A young boy stood before her. "What the heck?! Where did you come from?!"

"Meat," the boy said, more drool poured down his chin. He took a step towards her.

"What? Meat?" Cade blinked. What was this boy talking about? She looked around before noticing he was talking about her. "What?! I'm not food, you idiot human!"

"You're fish! I'm hungry!" The boy dove for her.

Cade scrambled from his reach just before his open hands could grab her. "I said I'm not your food!"

"I'm hungry!" He charged at her again.

"You idiot!" Cade pulled back her fist. She threw it at him, nailing him on the cheek. The boy went flying back. He hit then rolled on the beach, knocking up sand, before coming to a stop.

The boy sat up. He touched his swelling cheek. "Ouch. Meat's not suppose to fight back."

"I'm not meat! What's wrong with you?!" Cade demanded.

"I'm hungry!" he said.

"That's not what I meant! Were you dropped on your head as a baby or something?!"

"Who cares? I'm hungry and I want meat."

"Will you stop with the meat thing?!" Cade rubbed a hand down her face. This boy had to be the stupidest she had ever met. "Whatever. I have nothing to do with you." She waded out into the water. "I'm out of here."

"Wait!" he called out. She didn't. She dove under the surface.

Cade kicked her feet, propelling herself away from the boy and the island. She swam for about a minute before stopping. She glanced around. Seaweed flowed in the current. A single fish swam alone, paying no attention to her. She blinked with the realization she had no idea where she was.

Her heart jumped. One hand went to her dagger on her belt while her other hand went to the locket her mother gave her. It was in her pouch. She must have put it in there at some point after falling into the sea. She thought she might have lost them, or that someone had stolen them while she slept. But they were still there. She exhaled with relief.

A thought flooded her mind of why the pirates hadn't taken her dagger away from her in the first place. They never gave her an answer but she got the feeling they were taunting her with her. Saying she could keep it because nothing she could do would save her family. They were right. There was nothing she could do.

Tears swelled in her eyes. Her mother's blood spurting through the air flashed through her mind. Her heart ached. Her lungs seized up. She grabbed her head. Tears stung her eyes, mixing with the salt water around her.

The painful reality came back. Her mother was dead. There was no way her mom could have survived. She watched the lifelessness leaving her mom's eyes.

And her brother. Her sweet baby brother could already be a slave now or even dead. She was completely alone.

Cade sunk to the sandy floor. Wrapping her arms around her legs, she cried and cried into her knees.

She had no idea how long she had been crying. But when she was finally cried out she swam up to the surface. The boy was nowhere to be seen. And the beach was coated in the setting sunrays.

She crawled out of the water. Cool air brushed her wet skin, causing her to shiver. She ignored it and headed inland. With that boy here there had to be some village or town or city. Maybe she could figure out where she was and if she could swipe a log pose.

She didn't know where she was going to go but she wasn't going to stay here. Maybe she could find her way to Fishman Island. Or at least to some other fishmen who might help her. Maybe with their help she could find out what happened to her brother. Maybe she could save her brother.

She walked up a hill. Reaching the top she looked down to a small town below her. It didn't look like a bad place, with the exceptions of all the humans living there. Still she worked her way down to the village.

She stayed at the edge of the town, hidden by a tree until the sun had fallen completely below the horizon, casting night shadows over the village. With crickets sing around her she made her way into the village, keeping to the shadows so no one would see her. Coming to a building she crawled upon a barrel near a window and peeked inside. A family of four was inside. The mother was at the stove, cooking. The father reading a newspaper while the kids played with wooden blocks on the floor. They didn't look like the type who would sail the ocean. She jumped back to the ground.

Looking at the small town she wondered if anyone here were sailors or even navy men. The thought made her head for the harbor. Maybe a ship would be there, unguarded. She could steal a log pose from it easily.

Her lips turned into a frown when she got to it. It was small. The only ships moored there were actually boats, small boats that were only used for fishing locally. And that meant no one would have a log pose since they wouldn't venture far from the island.

Voices made her jump. She dashed down the small set of stairs that led to the dock. Pressing her back against the small wall she listened to the voices, heart pounding and hoping they didn't come her way.

"Man, what a hard day," a man said.

"Yeah," a second man said.

"I could use a drink."

"So could I. Let's go to the Party Bar."

"Sounds good to me."

Party Bar, Cade thought. If anyone knew of a ship or possibly the whereabouts of a log pose it would be in there. She ran back to the houses. Plucking a sheet off a clothesline she wrapped it around her, making sure to hide her fishman qualities. Once she made sure she was covered enough she made her way into the town.

A few townspeople were on the dirt roads talking. None of them paid her any mind. Still her pulse hammered. Anyone of them could notice she was a fishman with one little slip up. Then it would be over. They would turn against her. She tried not to think about it and focus on the Party Bar. She passed a few buildings before finally finding a building with the name over the door. With a deep slow breath she forced herself to go inside.

Her nose was hammered with unwashed bodies and booze. She forced back a gag and looked around. Many were inside but not all the tables and chairs were taken. Her pulse jumped when she saw the boy from the beach sitting at the bar. She pulled the sheet more over her face. It was over if he noticed who she was. Turning away from him she moved to the far corner of the room. She pulled herself into a chair and listened to the conversations around her. When she got the chance she would break into a conversation. It came when both men paused to drink their beer. "Excuse me. Do either of you know where I can get a log pose around here?"

"Huh?" The men looked at her. Their cheeks and noses were rosy from drinking. She hoped that meant they were drunk enough not to notice her child size body. "Who are you? You look like a kid."

Cade swallowed. So much for being so drunk they couldn't tell she was a kid. "Can you just tell me where I can get a log pose or not?!"

"Don't get so snappy, kid," the second man said. "There are no log poses around here."

Cade's heart sunk.

"The only ones who have those here are pirates and navy soldiers," the first one said. "Or the Celestial Dragons, royalty, and nobles. But there's no way you can get any away from them. They're too guarded."

Cade shivered. She didn't want to go around them three types of people anyway. Fishmen slaves were some of their favorites to own. But if she didn't have a choice she might just have to risk it. One man leaned closer to her. She jumped.

"Hey. You are just a kid. And you look a bit funny." He blinked a few times as if to clear his vision. "You kind of look like-"

Cade jumped from off her chair and ran for the door. She cut behind the bar and ran back up the hill and to the beach before diving into the water. If she were followed being in the water would be her best chance. As long as she was in the water she could handle any human that came after her even if she was still just a child. She stayed under the water for about hour or so before swimming back up to the surface. Carefully poking her head out of the water she saw no one was around.

With no one around Cade allowed herself to relax. She floated on her back and stared up at the night sky. The stars shimmered above with their happy glow. Something she didn't want to see. Happiness didn't exist anymore. Her mother was dead. She had no idea if her brother was dead too or if he was still going to be sold into slavery or already was. She had no idea where she was. And some crazy human child was trying to eat her.

She closed her eyes, tears leaked down her cheeks before mixing in with the ocean water. A vision of her dad came to her from long ago. She was sitting on his lap on a night like this one. The stars were shining brightly after a storm had vanished.

"My sweet little Starfish," he said. She looked up at him. His body was so big compared to hers. His black hair even darker in the night. "You're growing up so fast and strong. I'm proud of you, my child."

"I strong like you, Papa!" Cade pumped her fists into the air.

"Yes, you are." He nodded and patted her head. "And you are also strong like your mother. Unlike other fishmen you were born with a gift of controlling water like no other."

"Mama does too."

"That's right. Your mother is gifted in water control too."

"I'm like both of you."

He chuckled and ruffled her hair. "That you are, Starfish."

"Look!" Cade pointed to the sky. A shooting star shot across it.

"You like looking at the stars, don't you?"

"Yes!" Cade nodded.

"I do as well. They have a strange ability to make you feel like you're never alone. And you never will be. I will always be there for you. No matter what happens I promise that I will always protect you. When ever you feel alone just look up at the stars and remember I am always with you."

"Idiot," Cade whispered to herself when the memory faded. "You said you'd always be there for me. You're such a liar." She covered her eyes with her arm. "You're not here for me at all. Mama is gone now because you weren't here to protect us. I hate you."

…

Author's Note: Never done a fishman OC before. So let me know if I'm making Cade too weak or too strong. I'll be working on individual arcs at a time and may take a break between them. Lastly, if anyone has suggests on how to fit Cade into future arcs I'm open to hear them. I'm not sure how to handle Cade in some.