Chapter I:
Learning New Skills

Azora Silvertail

I woke up with a shudder as the pain in my hand reminded me what had occurred yesterday. It proved to me that I was truly free. I looked at the cave I had slept in and sighed out loud as my stomach's growled demanding food. The siren is meant to have nine stomachs simply because there will be a time when I will not be able to hunt for food, and that is to keep me from starving. I swam out into the open and looked around I closed my eyes as I listened to the sea. I let it tell me where to go to find food that would last for while. I began to moved forwards and then suddenly I couldn't move at all. 

I tried to move my tail however the motion was in vane. I looked up silently not being able to do anything but look up. I began to whimper as I saw the figure from the day before dive into the water I knew that the hunters had found me I just didn't understand how. I looked at the surface dweller as it came closer, soon it was directly in front of me. I began to let my tears fall knowing that there was a chance that I would not live past this day. I closed my eyes as he leaned closer and picked me up.

I let out a harsh gasp as my fins dried up quickly in the sun. I was in pain. I cried out. Spending most of my life in the water I had never had a dried out tail. "Hey, Lance got one!" I heard one man shout in an excited voice. I looked up at the man who had found me the one I now knew as Lance.  I tilted my head back as I licked at the salt water that lingered on my lips I sighed in relief as my mouth seemed to moist.

I looked down at my tail and saw that it didn't look the slightest bit healthy, in fact now that I was out of the water it looked worst than before. "Hey she look a little unhealthy to you guys?" Lance shouted to the other men. They crowded around me as they gazed at me. I tried to cough as my throat seemed dry, but instead I coughed up blood. The men back away from me. I groaned out my pain as I tried to make my body smaller to try and get rid of the pain. I let the tears fall again as body started to shake. "Hey somethings wrong with it!" Someone yelled. I groaned again and soon I was picked up and dumped into water. My body stopped shaking and then I snapped my head up I swam around in the water glad to be back in it. "She looks mighty happy to be back in the water eh?"

I turned to them and smiled I knew that they didn't mean any harm to me the way they stopped me from dying showed me that. I never knew that surface dwellers could be so kind. I put my hand on the smooth ice like bowl and waved my hand as I beckoned them closer. One man came closer and pressed his hand against mine. I smiled again and swam to the surface I put my arms on the top and looked down as they looked up. "Okay little siren what's your name?" I furrowed my eyebrows I hadn't spoken in many years and honestly I don't know if I remember how to. I looked at him and oddly I didn't want to disappoint him. I sunk back into the water and pumped my tail I soon began to spell my name in the water keeping each letter in place by freezing it. 

When my name was spelled I circled around it with and excited glee, I wondered if they would actually use my name. I watched happily as the block of ice with my name etched on it and soon it was floating out of the water and landed in front of the surface dweller. He jumped up as it landed softly and showed my name proudly. "Azora?" The man whispered softly. He looked at me and I carefully nodded. "Can you not speak Azora?" I looked at him as my tail curled in embarrassment, I shrugged my shoulders. The man sighed and turned to the others. "Get her out we need to see if she can speak." I widened my eyes as two very long poles came into the water I looked around and swam to the very bottom of the encasement. The men looked at me with a glare while I stared back with a pleading gaze.

One of the men stepped forward and suddenly he slipped the pole fell and brought him down with it. I I looked at him and sprang forward as he hit the bottom I grabbed his arm quickly and watched as she began to breathe I looked up and soon enough he was taking in deep gulps of air. "Why didn't I die? I was breathing underwater." I looked at him then gestured to my hand. "Wait so you mean that if a siren holds onto a human while under water we can breathe and won't die?" I nodded he grinned and soon he was holding me tightly to him. I squirmed, confused I didn't understand the action that he was showing. "What's wrong ?"He looked down and suddenly a red color spilled over his cheeks. I looked at him my eyes wide I let out a breath as I tried to determine what it was. "My name is Amar." The man-Amar- said I squirmed again. "Hey whoa it's OK you're fine, geez you act like you've never been hugged before." I looked down now that I knew what he was doing wasn't harmful I felt sad he was right I had never been hugged before not by my Maka or my Paka.

I let out a mournful note that made Amar's snap up. "You can talk!" I tilted my head and brought  be my eyebrows together. "If you can sing, you can talk!" I looked at him I guided his hand over to the edge so as to not let him sink as he had yet to get out of the water. I raised my hands above my head and then I circled them and soon the water rose and soon it too began to circle. I looked at him and nodded my head to the big blob of water. "What you want me to touch that?" I smiled at him and nodded, he reached out his hand to touch it. But before that could happen a man came out of nowhere and yelled at Amar. "Amar what the hell do you think you're doing don't you know that's how they get you!" I looked over at the snarling man and smiled at him gently showing that my teeth weren't deadly or sharp. The man's expression did not change but instead it turned more stone like. I looked at him with solemn eyes I did not know what the cause of his pain was but I was almost sure it had something to do with an underling I didn't like the spiteful way that he was looking at me. "Oh I see that you siren's have found a way to hide just how deadly you are huh?" I looked at the man I didn't nod or shake my head neither confirming nor denying his accusation. I simply looked at Amar who had become very quiet. I let out a chirp silently trying to see his face and tell whether he believed me to as dangerous as the stories said.

I began to submerge myself into the water the ball of water following like a dutiful pet. I looked up at Amar and closed my eyes as the events of the day began to catch up and before I had another thought I had began to fall asleep listening to the faint wailing calls of my master; the sea.

I woke up to a loud sound that startled me I looked at the surface and suddenly I felt scared but I didn't understand why. I gasped in pain and looked around and then I swam painfully up to the surface of the tank. When my face broke through the water I let out a scream it sounded like a right fright and I cringed. I heard my name being shouted and soon I was dragged out of the glass casement. I looked up and saw Amar with a wound in his shoulder I scoped out the room as I sensed something or someone on the floating vessel. I looked at a corner it was much darker than normal I looked at Amar and suddenly I heard a hiss fill the air I looked back at the corner and then I was flying I landed on the floor in a heap of scale and skin. I felt a shiver crawl up my spine I had no idea what they had done to my people before hand and I felt revolted that I had even helped one of their own. I looked at them my eyes narrowed, but turned my attention to the one who had thrown me half way across the room. I let out a fury filled hiss half filled with fury the other half filled with a strange sense of betrayal. The man who had warned Amar of my deadliness narrowed his eyes at me and turned to Amar who was struggling to hold the creature down. 

"What did I tell you Amar? Huh they're dangerous, deadly, unnatural." "Well of course she is, she was just attacked by and unknown creature."  I looked  onto him with disbelief until I realized what was going on. "You set her up!" Came a voice it was unfamiliar to me. "How dare you even think about releasing  it!" The voice snapped  I felt two hands lift my arms I felt my eyes calm and soon I was looking up at a very rough looking man. "Hello I'm Nico I'll help you just stay calm and don't  attack me. Okay?" I let out a breath then I nodded, I lifted my hands and wrapped around the back of his neck; he tensed before letting his muscles relax and let out a grunt as he tried to lift my tail. I let out a sigh of frustration and thumped the floor with my tail which caused the  creature to snarl and squirm. I let a tear escape my eyes as I felt the creatures pain. "H-he-help u-u-us." I looked at the cre- being and reached my hand out. 

Whispering so the humans couldn't hear asked It a question,"What did they do to you?" "They used human blood and mixed it with our own. Please save us from this hell.' The girl(s) pleaded. "How do you want me to do that?" "Kill. Us." I stared at the girl(s) on the floor pinned underneath Amar. "Please, please, kill us." I looked into her eyes and flinched at the shred of pain that tore through my body all the while letting her hilarious voice sound through me. "Please." I let my arms fall, allowing my tail to fall back to the floor and all at once I hesitantly pushed away from the man who was holding me and then I looked into his eyes and the back to the floor. Nodding my head in that direction he nodded back and put me on the floor. I sat up by my elbows turning on my side so that my stomach faced the floor. I began to crawl towards the girl(s) all the while hearing the humans gasp. At one point I felt someone touch my tail it seemed as though they were afraid that I would attack but couldn't help themselves."Oi! What the bloody hell do you think your doing?" I heard a voice snap I payed it no mind as I had finally come face to face with the girl. "I don't want to kill you." I breathed to the girl, "what's your name?" She stared at me for an uncomfortable amount of time but every time she heard the loud burst of air as they tried to breathe. "What is your name?" I asked again. "Colette." Came one voice "Lorrie." Came another .I looked at the poor girl(s) who looked defeated. "I can change you back to what you used to be, but only if you make a wish." They snapped their head up causing the man on top of them, to fall off.  "You- you can do that? You can make us beautiful again?" I smiled faintly and nodded. 

"Make a wish." I watch happily as they closed their eyes whilst they grabbed my hands. I closed my eyes and began to tap into their minds and then began to 'cut' their minds apart. I then focused on them as and individual. I did Lorrie first, trying to focus on anything that they had labeled as Lorrie I looked at them and then began to push it into a corner, forcing them apart. Fully knowing that forcing them apart mentally will help when I'm trying to split them from one another's body while purging their blood clean. I looked into their heads and huffed a breath it was a lot of work trying to keep myself inside of not one but two person' mind, without shattering it.  "Lorrie are you here?" I looked around I knew that I wouldn't see anybody, when your inside the mind of another you most likely won't see them until you're done helping. "I'm here. " I turned to the voice and grimaced I hated this part of the process. "Lorrie I want you to listen carefully. Because the land dwellers bonded you and Colette so well it will hurt when you two begin to separate as you two were bonded on a molecular level. Do you think you two are going to be able to do that?" "Yes!" I smiled and nodded my head, then I as back in my body looking up and seeing most of the humans standing around me. "Oi! Lass ye 'ave us a right scare." I looked at him with a faint smile his accent reminded me of an old northern siren I once knew she was a Celtic Siren and that's why they killed her.

Turning to the girl(s) I placed my hands on their head and closed my eyes I opened my mouth yet nothing came out, but blue smoke it traveled from my mouth to their heads as soon as it struck their foreheads they let out an inhumane shriek of pain as I split them apart. I opened my moth wider as more smoke escaped the human I saw looked concerned but mostly frightened. Soon, they had begun to calm down. And I felt the last of the smoke resonate through my body as it slowly slithered away. I opened my eyes and let out a small gasp as I looked at the two very beautiful girls I looked at them closely and smiled they were water sprites the last females of their kind they had been believed to be extinct. I was most glad that I had helped keep their civilization alive. I slowly turned to looked at the humans who were gawking at the newly separate water sprites. "Azora. . how-how did you do that?" I looked up at them and then narrowed my eyes as I felt the betrayal that Colette and Lorrie's feelings. "You betrayed us!" One of the girls snapped, "We trusted you. And you betrayed us." The other say sounding more broken than ever. "How is this possible you two couldn't even speak." I looked at them now my eyes were cold I looked over to the sprites and thumped my tail against the floor. They sprang into action and both help pick me up with their magic and soon I was gently placed back into he tank. I looked at the girls and cooed softly. They thankfully understood and dived into water settling down next to me. I looked at them as, feeling slightly upset as I began to assess the situation.

First I had been taken from my family by mermaids, then I escaped; only to be captured by something much worse siren hunters and then I saved two water sprites that had been tortured by these people for Athena knows how long. And then I realized that I'm never gonna make it out of here alive. Never see the ocean or hear the wonderful clicking sound of the dolphins. I had gotten a taste of freedom and just as quickly. . . It was gone.

I looked at the girls who giggled whilst touching their faces. "Thank you Azora, I'm Colette by the way." I smiled and nodded my head noting that Colette had darker eyes than Lorrie. I let out a beautiful note that I hoped they understood which of course they did. Then I closed my eyes and I drifted off to sleep, dreaming of a time when I wasn't captured, wasn't silent, wasn't anything, but free.

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A/N: I wanna clear up the fact that when Azora talks it's through a link just like they use in the ocean cuz I don't know about you but I can't picture someone talking underwater without drowning.