**So I wrote this a few years ago, it was just a fun little idea I had for a short story but this chapter was all I got out of it. The longer I sit on this idea the more it morphs into a full story, but I'm not even tempted to write it yet, I may sit on it longer.

**Let me know what you all think about it though! I'd be really interested :)

"Feronia! Come on, this isn't funny anymore!" Feronia watched through inhuman eyes as her sister searched the shoreline, looking for her younger sister. The two girls had wandered off from their family unit not too long ago, Feronia dodging away from her sister as soon as she possibly could.

The beach was a rare visit for the Crossan family, their father always against going for some reason.

Their mother though always looked forward to the visits and often acted like a child at Christmas. Feronia had never really understood until their visit before this, it was the first time she had ever transformed and as soon as their parents had announced a trip to the beach Feronia had shown as much enthusiasm as her mother.

Both parents put it down to childish enthusiasm, Feronia knew though...now she knew why her mother always longed for the ocean and why she always vanished for a period of time once they were settled.

"Daddy! I can't find Fero anywhere!" Rowan Crossan sighed, the squeaking he could hear from the water wasn't his wife.

If his daughter had vanished and there was now suddenly a sea otter not too far off, he knew. Oh he wasn't happy, he had assumed that all five of his children would be just like him...that they would be human.

But it seemed his youngest daughter bucked yet another trend and he sighed as he waved his eldest daughter towards him.

He and his wife had never really spoken of her ability; he'd accepted it and allowed her to visit the ocean once or twice a year with the family. Though she was adamant she didn't miss the sea he could tell that she longed to be near it, even if she never said anything.

"It's okay; she's probably gone off with your mother." Rowan replied as Emilia came within earshot.

When he looked back into the water he saw another otter there and smiled.

For some time Rowan kept an eye on both otters and the rest of his family, living in a land locked area meant that they didn't stay long near the ocean. But it seemed that more trips would need to be planned if Feronia had inherited her mother's ability, and both would need to swallow their fear if Feronia was going to be given all the support that she possibly could.

When Cordelia had run off and married Rowan many years ago he had not been welcomed into Cordelia's community and Cordelia had been shunned.

At the time Rowan had assumed it had been because of some cult like religion, but Cordelia had shown him her ability the first chance she'd gotten. He had wished though that it had been before she was pregnant and they were married.

Back then he hadn't been so sure what to make of Cordelia; at first he'd treated her poorly. But they were to have a child together and were married, and on top of all of that Cordelia had been shunned. She had no one else to turn to if their marriage hadn't worked.

So Rowan had worked at putting aside his horror and over time had come to accept Cordelia for who and what she was.

Undoubtedly Cordie would want to return to her parents and siblings and introduce the newest addition to the community.

"Daddy, where does mom go?" Rowan groaned, he wished then that Cordelia was sitting there instead of him.

"She just goes for walks, she grew up just down the road from here and sometimes she goes to visit the graveyard her grandparents are buried in." It wasn't a complete lie, Cordie did often visit and sit at her grandparents graves but she also went swimming and it was the latter activity that often chewed up her time.

"Why can't we go with her?" At sixteen years old, Rowan could see the curiosity in Emilia's eyes. They never really spoke of Cordelia's family for the reasons that had pushed Cordelia away from her community, but eventually the truth would come out...that he was sure of.

"There are some things your mother has to do by herself. Maybe one day she'll take you with her, but let her be the one to initiate it. Okay?" Rowan watched as Emilia nodded; he could see the slight frown on her face but was saved from having to cheer her up by his three sons.

"Dad! There's a man up in the car park that says he knows mom. Korlan or something like that." Rowan groaned again at what his oldest child said, timing was just brilliant today.

"Come on, we might as well go see what he wants." Rowan said to his four children and ushered them up to the parking lot.

The last time Rowan had seen his brother in law it was through swollen eyes, and his view had probably been much the same as they'd fought it out at the wedding reception.

"Korlan." Rowan stated simply stated as he stood between the man and his children.

Korlan surprised him by extending a hand out towards him in a friendly gesture.

"Good to see you Rowan, is she here with you?" Rowan took the offered hand, confusion clearly written across his face.

"Yeah, she's out with our youngest daughter." Rowan answered slowly, he could feel his four children press closer towards their uncle, more than likely wanting answers to questions that were currently forming.

Korlan only nodded, and then jerked his head at the truck that was obviously his.

For a moment Rowan wondered who he was summoning out of the truck and watched in surprise as four children and a woman climbed out, obviously his family.

"Kids, this is your mother's brother. Korlan, these are mine and Cordelia's kids. Tobin is our oldest, then Emilia, Taite and Bailey are next and our youngest is Feronia. She's out with Cordie right now." Rowan introduced each of his children in turn, all were curious about the man and his family but none asked questions.

"Emilia, you look just like your mother at that age." Korlan replied as he put an arm around his wife when she came to a stop next to him.

"And this is my brood. Hon, this is my brother in law Rowan. Rowan, this is Annabelle. That there is Kale, Keith, Nole and wee Madeline." Rowan nodded as each child gave him a small smile; they seemed about the same age as his own children.

"So, what brings you down here? Of all days?" Deciding it was best to get to the point Rowan shooed his kids back down to the beach and watched as Korlan did the same.

"Dad's sick and he's been asking for Cordelia, we've known for a while that you all visit here around about now. So we've just been keeping an eye out for your vehicle, Jan saw ya'll drive past a while ago so I packed up the family and brought 'em down. I figured someone from our community would need to make the first move, seeing as we treated you both poorly." Korlan had felt like a prick for ruining his little sisters wedding day, his wife had even stopped talking to him for a full week after the incident.

And she'd made it very clear that he was to look after himself as she was not going to wait on him hand and foot for the injuries he deserved.

"Yeah, I've just found out our youngest can change and I'm sure Cordelia has too. They were out in the bay swimming, but I imagine they're back on the beach now. I was going to talk it over with my wife and see if it were possible to introduce Feronia to the community, obviously it'd cause some confusion for the rest of my kids. But I want Fero to have as much support as she can, she's only six." That seemed to catch both Annabelle and Korlan by complete surprise; the expressions on their faces were priceless.

"Six? Madeline is eight and she hasn't shown any sign yet, usually ten to twelve are when the children begin showing signs...but six. That's young." Annabelle was impressed.

"Korlan! What are you doing here?" The trio were pulled from their thoughts by Cordelia as she ran to her brother, truly happy for once.

"Dad's been asking for you, so has mom for that matter. And we wanted you to come home for a visit," Rowan left the siblings to catch up with one another and talk about the near future while he went to his youngest daughter, who was stood at the water's edge shivering.

"You're cold pumpkin," Rowan removed his water-proof jacket and scooped his daughter up into it before sitting down a little up the beach with her in his lap.

"Did you enjoy your swim with momma?" He asked quietly and chuckled when Fero's wide eyes turned to him.

"Did you see me swimming daddy?" For once Feronia feared her father's reaction.

"Of course I saw you, why do you think we come to the beach every year? It's so momma can take a swim and now so you can too." Feronia's only response was to burrow into the warmth that her father's body and jacket provided.

The yawn alerted Rowan to his daughters fatigue and he remembered Cordelia once saying that it was a tough task to transform.

"I nearly died daddy, I slipped and fell in the water and nearly drowned. But they came to me and they helped me," Rowan didn't need to ask who 'they' were and was for once glad that Cordelia's family seemed to keep an eye on he and his family no matter what.