Chapter Text
The Island Missa lived near had been empty for as long as anyone could remember.
It was the main reason he and his kin lived so close to begin with; most landmasses of this size ran a high risk of running into potential humans, the beaches often swarming with them, and they'd all seen or heard enough horror stories to keep their distance. Their island was a fairly sizable one, sprawling greenland and forests a distance past the beach, sunning rocks spread out among the shallows, and a few cliffs for waves to crash against, as well as a surrounding reef that would hopefully keep curious humans far away. It was a perfect place to rest after a long hunt, or to chase after birds or crabs if one was especially bored.
It was a quiet, solitary place, perfect to continue their lives as ordinary seals, some, including Missa, having never even felt the need to shift to a human form. Their skins were safe, food was plentiful for everyone, and they didn't have reason to fear.
Up until a human was spotted on their island, that was.
It was a terrifying development just as much as it was a confusing one, as there had been no ships that came to dock, no way the humans could've gotten onto the island without someone in their herd noticing the human's arrival. The humans seemed to mostly keep inland even after the herd had caught sight of them, but the fact they were there at all was enough to make them all fear the worse.
Had the human somehow found out that their pack was making a home there? Was it just a coincidence? Either way was reason enough to find somewhere else to live for Vegetta, one of the oldest among them.
"We all know what happens when humans find us!" Vegetta shouted, his bellow loud enough to be heard over the waves crashing against the cliffs they'd all crowded around. "They took Spreen and Rubius, and they'll take any of us of we're discovered-"
"The waters aren't safe." Another- Mariana- barked, sharp teeth flashing in warning. "Not with new pups. And where would we even go? There's nowhere else! That's why we're here in the first place."
"I'll go first, scout ahead." Vegetta said, and the rest of them fell silent. Even Foolish, who had Leo tucked up against his side and had been gently wrestling with her to keep her occupied. "I don't want anything to happen to us or our pups either Mariana, but we need to go."
"Papa-" Roier tried, his bark nearly a whine with his clear distress while everyone else remained silent. They knew what Vegetta was risking, offering to go out on his own, life and limb and child and skin. Missa could feel his stomach drop as he looked at Roier, already knowing what he was going to say. "Let me come with you Papa, or Mariana or Willy. You shouldn't go by yourself."
"Roier, you need to stay here with Foolish and Leo." Vegetta insisted, snapping his jaw to emphasize his point. "Keep them safe for me. And Mariana? Make sure nothing happens while I'm gone. Don't let them get close to us."
"Alright, Vegetta." Mariana chuffed gently, leaning forward to briefly press his snout against Vegetta's. "We'll be alright, man. Take care of yourself."
None of them knew how long the journey was going to be, so they all hunted fish for him to eat before he left. They pressed as close to him for potentially the final time before they saw him off, keeping vigil on the cliffs until he was well and truly out of sight. Roier and Foolish kept to the shore the longest, taking turns to fetch Leo fish to eat in the meantime, and Missa decided to leave them be.
But even despite the warnings and tales he'd grown up hearing all his life, even despite what he'd seen with his own two eyes, he found himself circling around the shore far closer than he should be, drawn in by some unnamed feeling.
Stories of those unlucky few who'd gotten their coats stolen were well known and often told, as if repetition would drill the danger into their heads. Their community was just close-knit enough to pass down stories like that to anyone they came across, telling the tale of a brother lost, a sister stolen, a mother and child who'd gotten really lucky, lucky enough that they both could return to the sea. A rare gift of chance that was the best outcome any one of them could hope for, really.
They were an unlucky folk at the best of times, it seemed. Fuck, Missa's brother Spreen had been snapped up by his own human, one that was as big and fearsome as Spreen had been from the few glimpses Missa had managed to sneak from his place far from shore. He didn't really know what happened after that, only that Spreen would sometimes be followed by a child that was clearly not his own- too old to be naturally born from a human union- and then one day he stopped showing up entirely, never to be seen again.
Missa had been young then, but he could still remember the feeling of dread, then heavy acceptance as Spreen never returned to the shore.
It was a horrifying fate for any selkie to consider, let alone be subject to, no matter how nice the human appeared to be. All folktales passed between them marked humans out to be liars and deceivers, people who could weave words into something convincing and sweet enough that the selkie wouldn't know it was a trap until their pelt was already taken. And then once the deed was done, they'd forever be trapped in a life away from the ocean, forced to obey their husband-master's every whim as their bride.
Which was part of Missa's justification for even being where he was now, only a week after Vegetta had left- i.e. perched behind a rock a little ways from the shore, and keeping a single human in his sights while doing his best to stay hidden.
By far the stupidest thing he'd ever done, had ever continued to do, but he found he couldn't quite help himself.
He didn't even know the human's name, but he found it didn't even really matter. It'd been a chance meeting, if it could even really be called that; Missa had been digging his nose along the foot of some cliffs, looking for something quick to eat, when something large hit the water, loud enough that Missa was left frozen in place. And there the human had been, surrounded by a swirl of opaque bubbles, blonde hair catching the sunlight filtering through the water's surface, his eyes scrunched cutely closed. He kicked back up to air almost immediately, leaving Missa stun-locked for an entirely different reason against the bottom of the ocean floor, eyes feeling as though they were about to pop right out of their sockets as he stared up at the half of the human still stuck in the water.
As soon as the panic filtered in past the surprise he immediately snuck away as fast as he could, hiding himself against the cliffs where he hoped the slick gray stone would hide him, but even with the fear of discovery suddenly eating at him, he couldn't help but look back.
It didn't even seem like the human had noticed him at all, and was already... swimming(?) back towards the shore, his head of light hair bobbing through the waves and catching the light.
There was a snarl of conflicting emotions sitting in Missa's chest, fear and intrigue and something that made his stomach flutter with a sensation he couldn't name all at war inside of him. He almost felt sick with it, the urge to move, to run and hide becoming stronger and stronger, but still not enough to outweigh his desire to look. He'd nearly forgotten what humans looked like, if he were being honest. Spreen was probably the last, and even then Missa had been too distressed seeing his brother trapped on land to really study his strange form like he suddenly found himself wanting to. He and his kind didn't really belong on land, but as soon as the human started climbing out of the water it was clear just how much it suited humans.
His arms and legs were thin, his pelt pale all over, and he had some kind of clothing wrapped around his waist as he clambered up onto the shore, flinging the long hair on his head out of his face. He was too far away now to make out any concrete details, but Missa almost felt as though that scrunched expression on the human's face was burned into his memory. He watched as the human picked up a bundle of something and started marching towards the forest, where the rocks of the cliff cut off Missa's line of sight. He felt himself sag a bit, not even realizing how tense he'd been holding himself, though he didn't move for another few minutes, just to make sure the human wasn't coming back.
There were other humans that Missa caught brief glimpses of during the following week, though at a distance as he was doing his best to keep himself away from the shores, just in case, but he still found himself wandering a little too close to that first one he'd caught sight of. Within a week the human had built some kind of structure on the beach of the little alcove Missa had first encountered him in, and during the night Missa dared to get a little closer, emboldened by the safety of the dark, he could see the human moving about inside, the window flickering with warm light.
Other houses were popping up across the island as well, which was a sure sign that whatever reason the humans had come here, they meant to stay, and Missa's pack was hovering in a sea of indecision about what should be done.
A few other selkies had already left, though the majority of their herd was still waiting for Vegetta to return with news, and Missa…
"You're fucking stupid, Missa." Roier had spat playfully when Missa had expressed hesitance, though he didn't dare explain why. He could hardly explain it to himself, if he were honest. Roier's barks were harsh with derision that was a little too serious to be completely playful. "It's safer just to leave, no? As soon as Vegetta gets back we can all go."
Missa's eyes drifted over to Foolish, who had Leo tucked close to his side, the two of them sunbathing in silence.
"...If he gets back." Roier added, this time with a low huff, quiet enough that only Missa heard him.
There weren't as many predators to worry about in the warm waters surrounding the island, but outside of the safety of the reefs surrounding them was a different story entirely. And it wasn't the only reason some of their pack was hesitating- because they'd made this island their home, had sheltered themselves in its safety for years now, and even though their most feared predators had found them, it still felt wrong to just leave it all behind.
And for Missa specifically, well-
He just couldn't leave that one human alone.
He still kept his distance, hiding a good ways away on a sunning rock that was tall enough for Missa to perch and observe, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. The human was strangely fascinating, green wrappings hiding most of his pale pelt as he wandered the beach, the cool ocean breeze whipping his blonde hair wildly enough that even Missa could see it. He would swim sometimes, or plant things in the earth surrounding his house. The closest Missa got since that first day was when the man built a little dock leaning into the water, almost pointedly towards Missa's chosen hiding spot. Still far enough away, but gods, that whole day had given him such a fright.
It was strange to watch him move around, almost graceful so long as he was out of the water, never keeping still as he climbed up to the roof, up some fruit-bearing trees nearby, up onto the cliffs to jump again. Missa eyed his thin arms and compared them to his own flippers, his tail to the human's thin legs, snout to flat face. He'd never truly thought to want to live on land before- or rather, he'd never considered it as a possibility. He spent his life as a seal, just as most of them did now, having learned their lesson through generations of trial and error. But he also was capable of having arms and hands like a human's, of legs that could walk and run over sand, that could climb trees and cliffs.
Limbs that could build places to keep himself- and maybe even his family- safe.
The wind whipped around him, the waves crashing up against the rock he was still hidden on, the sun beating down against his pelt as he watched the human lean back before tossing a line out into the water, settling himself on the edge of his newly-built dock, and, stupidly, Missa suddenly wish for that too. For the ability to walk and climb and create like his human did.
Removing one's skin was nearly second nature, even if they hadn't done it in years. Even just the thought of it was enough to get it started, the pelt sliding off of Missa's head and back like water. It was instinct that brought his hands- thin, wiggly, and delicate-looking hands- back to grasp at his pelt, clinging to it with everything he had. Peeking over the rock, he could just make out the human before dark fur blew into his eyes, making it hard to see as the salty spray plastered it against his now-flat face.
His whole body felt lighter, weaker, less solid, and as another wave crashed against him, throwing him against the rough rock and leaving a sore stinging sensation across his whole body, he suddenly realized just how stupid he was.
Maneuvering his arms felt strange, as though someone had tied sticks to the end of his flippers, and they jerked once where they were pinned between his back and the stone, still clinging to the soft fur of his seal skin. His legs felt the strangest, their range of motion completely different than what his back flippers had been only moments before, and he winced as he bent them wrong, trying to figure out how to wiggle himself out of the sudden tangle of limbs he found himself in.
His eyes were more sensitive, blinded by the sun and the sea spray and the fur in his eyes, and he yelped when he suddenly overbalanced, landing hard on his side as his right leg twisted painfully underneath him. He wriggled with pain, awash with panic and regret for even thinking about trying to mimic something he wasn't. The water was cold, his eyes burned, the rest of his body was scraped up and throbbing with agony, and there was an involuntary noise crawling up his throat, something hoarse and foreign to his ears.
Another wave hit him, tossing him up against the rock again, but this time the force of his body being thrown against the solid shelf had him tumbling forward as soon as the water receded, and suddenly he was fully submerged.
The water was even colder now, what little body heat he'd had swiftly stolen by the ocean current as another wave threw him against the rock again, knocking the breath right from his lungs.
His small, weak, human lungs.
He could feel himself choking, could feel his nose and throat burning with the salt of the water, could feel it filling him, making everything become a frantic buzz of confusion as he tried to swim up to the surface, weighed down by his pelt and his legs, which weren't moving right at all.
How stupid was it, he thought, for a selkie to drown, weighed down by the very thing that could save them?
He supposed it wasn't all that different to getting captured by a human, if he really thought about it.
And then he couldn't think any more.
Phil wasn't sure what to make of this island.
Realistically, he hadn't even been there for that long, and it seemed fine enough- sprawling forests, sandy beaches, even cliffs overlooking a cove that was deep enough to dive into, which he was greatly enjoying. The group he'd arrived with seemed just as confused as he'd been, but he'd also made a home out of far worse circumstances. Honestly this place might've been considered a paradise compared to most other places.
Except that Phil couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him.
Or rather, something that wasn't the very cute seal that liked to perch on the rock a good couple meters away, which seemed to find him interesting enough to stick around. No, there was something else on the island that seemed to be haunting him in some way, making his skin itch with the uncomfortable sensation of being observed. Unfortunately, Phil wasn't book-minded enough to even guess as to what creature might be watching- most he could really hope for was that it wasn't one who was planning to fuck him up or something.
There were a few other people that had joined him when he'd first arrived, waking up in the middle of the forest, and the majority of them were eager to leave. During those first couple of days they’d stuck together before Phil had wandered off for some time by himself, but they’d all described lives with spouses and friends and family and even children waiting for them wherever they’d been taken from. Phil had done his best to help where he could, but it seemed as though whatever asshole had chosen this island had done so with the intent of making it very difficult to leave.
Phil had watched their attempts at rafts shred against the rocky reefs that seemed to surround this island on all sides, had even offered a helping hand in the construction of a few of them, but it was difficult to get the both the supplies of the trip as well as the people on board without the craft sinking too far into the water to make it beyond that barrie. Cellbit seemed to be leading the charge, and he was plenty smart enough to figure out how to get them out eventually, and Phil was okay with just hanging out in the meantime.
Farming, fishing, building and repairs, doing his best to ignore the eyes on him constantly. It wasn't a bad way to live, and not that much different to what he'd been doing before. He'd always been good at being alone, keeping himself busy when he needed to, and providing a little food to his 'neighbors' seemed a good enough way to pass the time, if he were being honest.
He spent about a week like that, just going through the motions of each task and day, but his routine was suddenly disrupted when a splash made him jolt to attention during his little fishing trip. It was an irregular sound compared to the steady beating of the waves against the shore, and Phil almost thought it was just that little seal again, maybe off to go do whatever seals do. But he caught the flash of a hand flailing above the surface for a second before it disappeared under the crest of another wave.
"Oh shit." He muttered to himself, setting his fishing rod aside and standing quickly. He waited for another second, just to see if the person resurfaced again, before he shook his head and jumped in. This close to the shore there was a good amount of silt kicked up in the water, but the shape of the person stood out starkly compared to the dark waters surrounding them. Phil grabbed whatever he could get a hold of and did his best to swim up, but even beyond the normal heft of a body weighing him down, it almost seemed as though they were tangled in something.
Fuck-
He fumbled his hands down, his lungs starting to strain for air, and could feel some kind of rough fur around the person's arms but the second Phil made contact with it, the thing seemed to dissolve under his hands. Fucking weird but- when he tried to swim upwards again, he was able to make progress finally, kicking his legs to push him and his stranger up towards the surface. He gasped when he finally reached air, straining to pull the stranger up enough for their face to be out of the water.
Thankfully the person was still conscious enough to sputter weakly, their breath a wheezing gasp as another wave crested over them both. Phil tucked them against his chest as he swam back towards his little dock, forcing his breaths as even as he could as he gripped the side. The person was coughing, and flailing weakly against Phil as he hoisted them up onto the deck before climbing up himself.
He took a second to catch his breath before he reached for the stranger, patting their back roughly as they continued to cough up salt water, their breaths sounding painful enough that even Phil winced.
"Jesus fuck mate." He huffed, shifting onto his knees to lean over the stranger. God, he wasn't sure what to do now- if they hadn't been breathing it was mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions, but he wasn't sure what to do after that. There wasn't any good way to get water out of lungs right? He supposed he'd just have to hope the stranger coughed it all out, but- "Where the hell did you even come from?"
The stranger didn't respond, their black mop of hair plastered against their face enough to obscure their features, and Phil suddenly realized this guy was entirely naked. Which was definitely weird, because even he and the other residents had woken up with clothes and other little odds and ends they'd had on them before they'd woke up here. Phil looked out to the water, trying to see if there was anything out of place floating on the water, but all he could see was his fishing rod which had apparently been tugged into the water at some point. Whatever, he could always make a new one.
He turned to the stranger again, who had finally eased up on their coughing in favor of wheezing and labored breaths, and he reached to brush aside the mop of dark hair that was plastered to their face to get a better look at them. They seemed to be covered in a bunch of little scraps, but nothing Phil would deem as serious or currently life threatening. They were at least breathing, which was something- if he'd been at his old place he would've just tossed a potion down at the guy and called it a day, but this island was lacking on those specific resources, it seemed.
"Hey." He said, lightly shaking the stranger's shoulder. "You alright mate? Anything hurt? I mean, besides your lungs and shit."
Stranger's eyes blinked open, red and irritated and a dark, almost black brown, and it took a moment before they finally fixed on Phil. Hmmm. He couldn't say that was an encouraging sign. Another wave crashed against his dock, sending a smattering of sea spray over them again, and Stranger shivered, his eyes glassy and lost, and Phil decided he could do the rest of his check up inside the house in front of the fire. The last thing he needed was this guy getting hypothermia, or worse, something contagious. Phil did not have the necessary food reserved for that, or even any medicine at all, especially not for two people.
"Alright, let's get you inside first, yeah? Before you fucking catch your death out here-" Phil reached for him, hesitating for a moment as Stranger flinched back slightly, but continuing on anyways. His skin was chilled under Phil's hand as he braced his arm under Stranger's shoulders and slowly hefted him up, only to drop back down to the deck when Stranger's legs gave out from under him in an instant. Fuck, he must be more hurt than Phil'd thought- but even then, that was just more reason to get him to safer place than Phil's shitty little dock. "Alright, just try to stay still, Imma-"
He scooped Stranger up into his arms, grunting a little with the effort. It was clear the other man wasn't huge, but he wasn't exactly skinny either, and Phil could already feel his back protesting the weight he was suddenly bearing. Thankfully Stranger seemed either too confused to struggle much, or maybe too hurt, which would be less good, but he'd deal with that once he got this guy inside.
He shouldered the door to his house open, minding Stranger's head as he did, and practically dropped the man on his bed, groaning as he straightened out his back with a loud pop before he reached to take a look at Stranger's legs. He was still weirdly still as Phil did, though he supposed he should at least be grateful this guy wasn't kicking him in the head. Rotating the foot and bending the knee didn't seem to invoke much of a reaction, and nothing seemed swollen at first glance, though it was harder to tell on another person than himself.
He hummed, straightening again as Stranger watched him with wide brown eyes, still shaking with cold.
"Here, mate." Phil said as gently as he could manage, working the blankets out from under the other to spread over top of him before turning to toss a few more logs into the fire he had set up in the center of his home. He supposed he could whip up a quick soup or something, just to warm him up a little more...
"You hungry, mate?" He asked, turning back to the man, who jolted the second Phil spoke. He stared at Phil blankly before slowly shaking his head. "Thirsty?"
He got a scrunched look at that, and Phil would've almost called it confused if Stranger hadn't been responding to him pretty well so far.
"Thirsty?" He tried again, and he shook his head again, his confused expression never changing. "Alright, but you can understand me right?"
A nod, and Phil blew out a little sigh of relief, before switching tracks
"Alright, well do you have a name? Something I can call you?" He hazard, though he wasn't sure how successful that line of questioning would be either. To his mild surprise though, Stranger nodded. "Alright, cool. Uh. If you can't speak you could write it down for me or something-"
Another funny look, which Phil was starting to think meant 'i have no idea what that is', which was worrying for an entirely separate reason.
"Okay, nevermind. I guess that one isn't that important or anything. I mean, mine is Phil, so do with that what you will I guess." He said with a shrug, stoking the fire a little bit to keep his hands busy. Supposed he should've known his little spot on the beach would eventually be invaded. Not that he really minded the company for now, but he much preferred his solitude, especially considering how loud some of the other people on the island were, and how quiet things had been for Phil before. Not a soul for miles... it'd been really nice. "Right, uh, are you hurt anywhere? Like, any bones broken or anything?"
Stranger shook his head, his dark hair having dried enough that it was curling slightly around his cheeks and neck, and this time he opened his mouth as if to respond. Though instead of anything intelligible, it was more of a loud moan, the tone of it attempting to be deep and guttural, but then he bowed over himself with coughs, looking a little taken aback by what had just come out of his mouth.
"Oh, what the fuck." Phil muttered, abandoning his post by the fire to pat at Stranger's back. It wasn't a great sign, after everything; there were creatures of all kinds that could cast curses to steal a person's speech. Fuck, it was likely the reason Phil and the others were here to begin with- but he didn't have the first clue as to how to get around shit like that. The most magic he knew how to wield was potions and basic enchantments, the kind of thing that most laypeople would know. Stranger looked up at him, rubbing clumsily at his throat. "Okay, try not to do that shit again. I don't know how magic like that works. I could probably go ask Cellbit if he knows but-"
That meant leaving this guy here by himself, which... Well, Phil supposed he didn't really have anything worth stealing in the first place, and considering the guy's shaky legs, it was likely he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. And he needed to let Cellbit know to keep an eye out for any more people like his Stranger, because if they were just being dropped face-first into the sea then it was likely there were already more who hadn't been nearly as lucky as this guy had. And Cellbit would probably want to ask a fuck ton of questions besides, and it would honestly surprise Phil if he didn't know anything about curses.
Even if he wasn't 100% confident leaving this guy alone for any amount of time, Cellbit would probably be of better use here than Phil.
"You gonna be alright if I head out for a bit?" He asked, even as Stranger's eyes were wandering again, taking in everything with wide eyes before they snapped to him the second he started talking. "Okay, let me rephrase. If I leave you here, will you promise not to leave the house or touch anything until I get back? I promise it won't take more than an hour."
Stranger paused for a second before nodding, which didn't fill Phil with any amount of confidence, but it would have to do for now.
"Right. I'm heading out then, please don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." He said with a sigh as he heaved himself upright, stretching his hands over his head as he did so, and then laughing at Stranger's blatant staring. He immediately flushed and ducked his head, but Phil waved him off, a little flattered despite himself. If it'd been a different situation- well, it'd been a while, and Stranger certainly wasn't bad-looking by any means. "Be back in a bit, mate!"
Then he walked off, making sure the door was firmly shut behind him. Looking out towards the distant horizon he could make out darkening clouds making their way toward their little island, and he grimaced to himself. Better make this trip a quick one then.
That was a sure sign of trouble if he'd ever seen one.