"Battered Soul - What are you waiting for?"

[Midnightkitkat]

Name: Moriarty
(a name of Irish origin/can be translated to mean 'navigator' or 'sea worthy')
Sexuality: Demisexual
Gender: Male
Age: 22-23(???)
Voice: XxX
Theme Songs: Blown Away, Drive

+ Traits: Alert, Benevolent, Cooperative, Discreet, Empathetic
± Traits: Many-sided, Circumspect, Dry, Reserved, Skeptical
- Traits: Irritable, Anxious, Asocial, Brittle

Favorite Food: Crab (Spider crab)
Favorite Color: Stormy Gray

Likes: Crab, Storms, Peace and quiet,
Reminiscing his mother, Cloud gazing, A warm rock for naps,
Taking care of his tail and fins, Being healthy
Dislikes: Rage, Uselessness, Injury, Eels, Cold waters, Crowds,
Feeling unprotected/unsafe, Loud noises other than thunder

Mental Issues: PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder
Fears: Agoraphobia, Atelophobia

• Moving around unnoticed was inadvertently a gained trait.
• Some control over water currents.
Needs practice since he was denied access to them in the prime learning years.
• Can cook a mean Irish fish chowder with the proper ingredients.
• Moves around land better than most of his kind because of his past.
Tends to avoid it if he can as it could damage his tail/fins.

"Storms are deadly, they're a chaotic mess of wind and rain as its thrown about in a half hazard disaster. Lightning striking where it pleases without a care of what lies below with its rumbling and thunderous laughter. They rip families and homes apart, steal you away as you struggle.. free you from a cursed life. Lead what you can only describe as angel to your battered, broken soul..
Storms may be deadly, but they seem to be the only thing to calm my racing nerves these days."

[Midnightkitkat]

I suppose my story starts out as anyone's would, with my mother. Although they're nothing but foggy memories now I know that every moment with her had to be a fond one. Why else would they fade so easily? Nothing I love stays for long in this thief of a world. Fear seems to ironically makes things easier to remember in my experiences.. however many days we swam together had to be great, wonderful even, but when those people came for us it was ended in a snap.

The net that held use was rough and painful against my sensitive tail, the fibers digging into the softness of youth and rubbing areas raw as I flailed. The tangled mess no better on my mother as she did all she could to get free, to get me free.. I was a small pup then, small enough to fit through the opening she tore in her struggle. I'm sure she was thankful for this as they hauled her away. Free from the net I swam after the boat desperate to follow her.. but as small as I was I was much too young to keep up against the storms powerful waves. Much to young to survive alone in a vast unknown ocean. I don't know what became of her. At times I wished we could meet again but then the dread returns. A deep and foreboding feeling that swallows me up like the chilling abyss of my nightmares. Above all else I pray she never suffered.

Days were long after our separation. Hunger, fatigue, and fear gnawed at my every nerve. Until eventually I felt as if I could swim no farther. My arms and tail ached terribly in my feeble attempts at movement, each limb feeling heavier than they should be. Even the terror of a shark wouldn't be able to awaken a twitch of a fin this time. I'm not too sure how long I simply allowed the ocean currents to take me. Waking up in that storm was but a blink of time in my current state. I wish it hadn't. I never noticed when those hands reached for me nor the travel to his cottage, but I'd give anything to have had the chance to flee.

[Midnightkitkat]

[Midnightkitkat]

[Midnightkitkat]

[Midnightkitkat]

The weather was chilled. Not the kind that finds its way deep into your bones, but quite subtler. Looking up at the darkening sky Moriarty could easily tell it meant a good rain was approaching and based on the wind that tossed his hair gently it wouldn't be much longer. After making his rounds to securely tie off his ration baskets near the shore line he swam down and through the shallow waterway that led to the islands center. The tide pool was always his preferred resting place when the waves threatened to drift him away. Even the alcove that surrounded the pool helped in keeping even the most pelting rain from rousing him. To Moriarty this was any other day, and he planned to keep it that way for as long as the sea allowed.

He hadn't been asleep for long when a sudden burst of white-hot light crossed his vision. The earth-shaking rumble that immediately followed guaranteed he wasn't chasing sleep anytime soon. Over the now whipping rain and wind Moriarty couldn't tell his island from the shoreline but was relived to not find his homemade tide pool disturbed. As a farther off lighting strike lit up the sky he was surprised to see a silhouette amongst the wild weather. At first, he was struck with a moment of fear before rational thought took over and he realized they had been falling quickly towards the ocean’s surface. Moving on instinct he wasn't really thinking of who, or why they were out here so far from shore. He just knew they weren't like him and that the waves gave no mercy to invading land folk that dare face a sea storm. Although a bit peeved afterwards due to some new scratches along his well-maintained tail Moriarty dashed into the swirling waves. Diving below the immediate rush of currents he gently flicked his fins as the mer's eyes dashed around the dark waters searching for movement from the before seen kalon. Another crack of lighting and Moriarty was moving. They seemed to have been rendered unconscious, but a buoyant vest of sorts had kept most of the water from threatening their airway. They were a lot heavier then they looked, and he was sure the wings weren't helping, but he couldn't really waist much time dilly-dallying over his thoughts with a stranger’s life on the line.

The trip back to the pool was more struggling then anything but now in a bit more sheltered place he could tell for sure. Wings were surely not supposed to bend like that. Wincing he could understand why the kalon was out cold now, it had to have been that fall that caused it. Water isn't exactly soft if your dropped high enough onto it, a few idiot cliff divers taught him that one back in his home hunting days. Looking around his pool Moriarty sacrificed the longest bits of seaweed he could find, and gently wrapped the wing separate from the body. Backing up a bit with a small nod to himself the mer waited for his visitor to wake. The next few days were going to be a pain for sure.

The kalon eventually woke up after most of the overcast had cleared, but not without a silenced scream of pain. Apparently, he had wrapped the wounded wings wrong, and seaweed wasn’t exactly the best bandage solution. How was he supposed to know?! "It's not like I'm patching up every bird and angel that shows up!" The kalon looked confused as they laid still as possible while Moriarty worked on re-wrapping the wings with proper gauze, courtesy of the strangers supplies, and the earlier pained and rushed instruction to retrive them. "Angel? I'm not- I don't... what?" Their voice was a bit muffled as they held a bit of driftwood in their maw. "You’re an angel, aren't you? They have wings and are pure good, or something I'm not all that well versed in that stuff. I didn't know they could be hurt though."

"You've got it wrong-AH! I'm not an angel. Just an ordinary everyday kal." The pained grin the stranger gave did little to hide how much the process actually hurt. "Are you almost done? It feels like they’re on fire! Not that I'm not thankful! I just don't know how long this driftwood’s going to last." With a final tug to test the strength of the wrap Moriarty set back "That’s it. I did the best I could, but you should probably get it treated when you get back." Testing their movement ability with small arm movements the stranger looked up sheepishly "Get back? I really don't mean to intrude sir, but I can't make it home like this." Oh yeah... "Fine, but just until your healed. Keep off the wings and try not to disturb me unless you need help. I'll go get you something to eat." Going to leave Moriarty was hoping to escape to go over his new situation. "You can stay here under the alcove since it’s the best shelter here. I wasn't really expecting to have any guests.” As the calmed waves embraced him the mer immediately felt a calming rush flow over him. The kalon didn’t seem to have any weapons on him and the only supplies was that “emergency vest”. It was definitely useful but why would he need to carry all that aid stuff with him? “Good job Moriarty. Not only have you invited a stranger to your only home and safe haven, but now said kalon is going to stay here for no telling how long. Perfect planning!” With a low huff of irritation, he retrieved a few herring and a softshell crab for his troubles.

“I promise I won’t tell anyone you’re out here!” Avan had been pestering Moriarty for a good few weeks now. Every time the kalon would try to speak to the mer they would leave for hours, only coming back to deliver food or to change the wraps when needed. Now that he had their attention the young hero blurted out the first worry he believed the kalon was avoiding him for. “Excuse me?” Moriarty was a bit shocked at the sudden exclaim, even pausing his clean up of the removed wrappings. “You’ve been avoiding me, and I thought at first it was just because I kind of forced myself into your life, but it’s like you don’t even want to be seen. I’ve never met any Merkals until you, but I’ve seen the old news reports before. I understand why you want to live all the way out here, so I just want to assure you of your safety. I wouldn’t be much of a hero if I didn’t.” Well that was a change from the past few days. “Even if you did speak I doubt many would take you seriously.”
“WHY?!”
“Well your kind of… childish? You don’t really radiate seriousness so I’m not too worried in people believing you. It’s just. Past fears dragging me down as usual. I’m both am, and not willingly hiding.” Curious, Avan looked on worriedly, “Do you wanna talk about it? I may not ‘radiate seriousness’ but I pride myself on being a good listener. If I learned anything from my brothers, it’s that sometimes you just gotta voice your worries before you can see how to overcome them. Not that you have to! I don’t want to force you into anything uncomfortable!” That didn’t actually sound too bad, well that’s a lie but telling himself that speaking up would help gave him a twitch of a smile. “The only reason I find important enough to find courage to leave this place would be to find my mother. We were… separated when I was young, but I’ve never let myself think of her dying out there.” Finding the clean wrappings Moriarty noticed they were the last in the vest and worried. “Your mom? I could help you when my wings heal! Overcoming deep rooted stuff takes time but who says your mom can’t visit you?”
“You would do that for a stranger? Really?” quirked eyebrow and all the mer looked the least bit convinced. “Yep! Downtide gives his word as a hero and kalon!” Motioning for Avan to lay down he set to work on examining and wrapping the last bandages on the mostly healed limbs, “If your really up for it then go ahead. I don’t have much hope, but I appreciate it. As for talking about things… I suppose my story starts out as anyone's would, with my mother.”

[Midnightkitkat]

🐚 All art by me
🐚 Leuko belongs to Sixbane

I want to thank Six for such an amazing opportunity, and still can't believe this baby boy is part of my floof fam. ;u;

I also wanna ramble on a bit here because I just loved working on this so much, sorry! If you can't tell I was heavily inspired by the mythical selkie. They are a creature able to change from seal to human form by shedding their skin. In some stories if the skin is taken while they're human they can't return to the water without it or they would die. Although a Scottish tale I felt drawn to more of a Irish character when creating Moriarty here. (He's basically there for house labor instead of future marital material because that was going way to far in my book. He's not an actual selkie.) I also wanna apologize to you personally for what I put this kid through. I don't know why I feel the need to put characters through hardship. He's gonna have to have a lot of time to heal before he feels ready to leave his little island and I left it open to the possibility to keep family connections if you would like. I don't want him to be a hermit forever but I don't see him being the one to go searching hence the deal he and Avanyu makes in the end. I felt awkward writing actual interactions between them because I was worried about making your kids ooc so I kept to developing Moriarty. I hope that was okay ;u;/.

Thank you for making it to the end and I hope your days are well♡♡