Cresting Tide (9 page)

Peter would lie barely out of the tide line and watch his lover floating upon the waves until sleep set in. His sea elf never woke him when he dozed on the beach but when he awoke on his own; his lover was always waiting for him. Usually, his lover waited with some sort of seafood for dinner. Clams, mussels, or fish were always offered and every time Peter tried to feed his lover first, he met resistance. His lover would not eat until Peter had had his fill as if Peter were the one carrying their child. It bothered Peter but eventually he had to trust that his lover was eating while he'd slept on the shore.

Evenings were spent cuddling in the surf as close to the shore as his elf could go. Peter would sit on the sandy bottom and cradle his sea elf between his legs while he ran his hands over the smooth scales that covered his lover's ever swelling belly. For hours they would sit until long after the sun set and his elf made him return to the shore.

It was still early evening as Peter held his elf and enjoyed the soft kelp like hair that flowed around his chest. Peter's hands, under his elf's, caressed the swell where their child rested.

"I never want to leave you," Peter whispered into his lover's hair. "You and our child are my home."

Cuke listened to the soothing sounds of his human lover's voice as he did every night when they watched the day end. They had come far in learning to communicate with one another but the noises his human was making were none that he recognized. The tone conveyed more love than words in any language could and Cuke cherished the time they spent together in the twilight.

Cuke ran his hands over his lover's and knew that their babe would come any day now. He tried not to think of his father's words but the closer he came to delivering their young, the more those words haunted him. He knew he could not birth the child on land and prayed to all the gods of the deep that the babe could breathe the life of the sea. As if just thinking about the birth of their babe had brought it into reality, Cuke felt a gripping pain rip through his belly. So bad was the pain that he shot forward, doubling over himself.

Peter felt the first ripple of labor under his palms as he caressed his lover before his elf doubled over and cried out in pain. Their child was coming. Peter had no doubt that this was the beginning of birth, but he had no idea as to what to do. He just supported his lover as best he could.

Cuke felt the pain start in his groin and move across his stomach as he clutched his belly. Warm fluid seemed to gush from between his legs and all he could do was grip the bulge that was their child and groan in pain.

Peter felt the warmth against his legs and knew it was not a random current from the sea. Their child was on the way and when Peter tried to move out from behind his lover, the sea elf's clawed hands dug deeply into his arm. Peter wasn't really sure where he had planned to go but the claws digging into his arms ensured he would go nowhere. He felt helpless and even though his lover squeezed his arm tightly, Peter tried to keep his arms from constricting his lover's flaring gill plates.

Cuke feared his human leaving him even as the pains continued to assault his belly. His father's words once more flashed through his mind and the thought that their child may not survive made him grasp his human even harder.

"You have to push," Peter told his sea elf lover and hoped he was right.

What if the birthing was different than his mother's?
Peter pushed the thought away as he grasped the opposite wrists of his lover. He raised his hands higher as he held the elf's wrists and could feel his lover's gill plates flaring at an alarming rate.

"You have to slow down your breathing." Peter hoped his voice didn't sound as panicked as he felt even though he knew his lover could not understand.

What if his elf passed out? Was there enough oxygen in the water this close to shore? Oh Gods! They were stirring up the sandy bottom! His lover could suffocate!
He had to move them to deeper water.

Cuke let out a cry when his human lover lifted him and for a moment only the life ending air filtered through his gills. He felt himself being turned and dragged into deeper water. Even as the water of life flowed through his gills once more, he could not lessen his grip on his lover or stop the cries of pain that escaped his lips.

Peter's heart ached at causing his elf more pain by moving them to deeper water but he would take no chances with either his lover or their babe. He stood in chest high water and ignored the lapping waves that splashed their salty juice into his mouth as he held his lover. When his sea elf doubled in half even further and broke from Peter's grasp, he was not prepared. Quickly Peter scrambled to grab his lover and when his hands landed on the thin hips of the elf, he was relieved his lover had not gone far.

Cuke could do nothing but bend into the pain that felt as if it were tearing him in two. He was unaware of his lover's hands on his hips as his whole body was submerged beneath the waves and the urge to push came over him. He screamed his pain into the sea as the feeling of being torn in half increased. Over and over the pain coursed through him and all he could do was continue to scream as their child made its way into the world.

Peter could hear his lover's screams coming from beneath the waves and never before in his life had he ever heard anything so terrifying. All he could do was support his lover and whisper encouragement as his elf dealt with the wracking pains of labor. He was not sure what changed when his lover stiffened under his hands but fear that something was wrong gripped him.

Cuke felt the pressure between his legs as he pushed one last time and the pain seemed to evaporate. Instinctively, his hands thrust between his thighs and grasped the babe as it floated free of his body. Their child was encased in a clear egg like membrane, like any sea elf babe, and Cuke knew he needed to break through it if he wanted their babe to breathe. As he looked at the egg sack that encased their child, even in the dimly lit sea, he could see no gill plates that would allow the sea's breath to reach the babe. He could only hope that their child would breathe the same way as his lover. Cuke took their encased babe between his clawed hands and brought it above the surface of the waves before puncturing the sack.

Peter saw his lover lift a circular ball above the waves and knew it was their child. His heart raced as he heard no cry from the babe and he began to panic. The still night was suddenly pierced with a shriek as his lover removed their babe from its bubble and Peter breathed a sigh of relief.  Tears of joy fell unnoticed down Peter's cheeks as he stood next to his elf lover and their child. Only the whitish light of the moon shone down upon them so Peter could not see much more than the pale skin of the small child that was cradled between his lover's webbed hands. Peter watched as the sea elf bathed their child with sprinkles of sea water and he could not resist reaching his hand out to touch the babe's smooth head. The skin he felt beneath his palm was as smooth as he remembered his siblings to be when they were born.

"Beautiful and so small," Peter whispered.

Cuke could easily see the babe in his hands under the light of the moon. It was very human in appearance and felt even softer than his lover. As the babe cried, its small arms flailed about and its tiny fists balled in what appeared to be anger or frustration.

"It is okay little one," Cuke told their babe.

Cuke studied their child again and confirmed that their babe had no means for which to breathe beneath the waves. He tried not to feel disappointment. His eyes roamed the rest of the small being's body and he discovered that the babe was indeed deformed as his father had warned it might be. There was no extension of flesh above its opening but Cuke refused to think that their child may never mate.

"It's a girl," Peter whispered again. "We have a daughter," he said in an awe filled voice.

Cuke heard the wonder in his lover's voice even if he could not understand the words. He could only assume that his lover did not realize their babe was deformed or maybe this was the normal appearance for a human child. That thought gave him hope. He tried to hand the babe to his lover but his human pushed the child back toward him. Before Cuke could think that his lover did not want their babe, his man spoke.

"She must feed," Peter said as he helped to move their daughter to his lover's breast. "She is hungry."

Cuke tilted his head to the side and cradled the babe in his arms as it began to suckle from his teat. Their child fed greedily and Cuke examined the babe more closely. Smooth pale skin like his lover's covered the small infant. Cuke could see none of his own protective scales on the babe. Its head was covered in fine light hairs and its ears held the tiniest hint of points but they were small like his lover's were. Cuke's gaze drifted over the small face that looked up at him. The babe had his round eyes and even under just the light of the moon, he could tell they were the same color as his own. He looked for other signs that their child was like him and noticed thin webbing between fingers and toes. Cuke was once more disappointed that their babe had no gill plates along its side. It would never be able to survive in his watery world. He would never be able to show their child the wonders of the sea or take it home to show his family. The babe looked more human than elf and Cuke was not sure if this made him happy or sad.

Peter watched his lover and child as they swayed in the surf. He was amazed at the life they had created and could not believe that it had been only three months since he had stowed away on the merchant ship. When the babe finally fell asleep, he accepted their daughter from his elf lover.
So small
, Peter thought as he smiled and pulled his elf into an embrace.

Cuke allowed his human to hold him and their babe for only a short while before he pulled away. "You must take our child ashore," he told his lover and nudged him toward the beach.

Peter listened to his lover and even though he could barely see the elf's face in the pale moonlight, he knew what his lover was trying to tell him. As much as he wanted to remain in the sea with his elf, he knew he could not. Peter looked down again at their sleeping daughter and knew she could not remain in the sea either. He felt no gill slits like his lover's as he held her and Peter felt a pang of pain for his lover. How hard it must be for his elf to know their child would not survive in his world.

"I know." Peter smiled sadly. "I understand."

Cuke watched his human and their child make their way to the safety of the shore. A sudden wave of exhaustion rippled through him and with a final glace at his family, he settled beneath the waves to rest.

~~~~**~~~~

Chapter Ten

Peter slept next to his small fire with his daughter on his chest. His sleep was light and not very restful. Deep in his mind, he feared he would drop her or even worse, roll in his sleep and crush the frail life he held. Like many a new parent, he did not realize how durable the babe was. Before Peter drifted off to sleep, he tore pieces of his tattered pants off to make swaddling for his daughter. He had feared that even though the night was warm, his daughter might catch a chill. Panic always filled him when his daughter startled him from sleep. The slightest wiggle of his daughter brought him from his sleep and he would lie listening to her quick breaths as his heart began to settle.

Once more Peter was startled awake by his daughter trying to suckle his chest. The child did not cry as she awoke and Peter tried to remember if this was normal. He stood and measured the time by the position of the stars. Several hours had passed since he came ashore with his daughter. The moon had set and dawn would soon be upon them. His daughter was obviously hungry again so he carried her into the surf to find his lover.

Cuke awoke to a rhythmic noise pulsing through the water. He recognized the noise as the same sound his lover made upon the surface when they had played with the dolphins. He smiled at his human calling him like a dolphin and felt rested as he swam closer to shore. Amazingly all the pain, from bringing their child into the world the day before, was gone. His teats were tender as the sea glided around his swollen breasts but he assumed this was normal since they were full of what his babe needed to feed. Cuke broke the surface to find his family wading in the surf. His human looked tired but happy as he held their babe.

"She is hungry again, love," Peter called to his elf.

Cuke smiled at his human lover as he took their child into his arms and it latched onto his teat. The feeling of feeding their babe sent a flood of warmth through him. It was as if he could feel every small draught of life the babe pulled from him.

"That's it little one. Take your fill," Cuke told their child. "Grow big and strong."

"Her name is Magali," Peter replied to his lover's clicks as he ran his hand over the soft wet fuzz atop his daughter's head. "It means 'daughter of the sea' in my language. That is what she is; our daughter of the sea."

Cuke listened to the soothing tone of his lover's voice as he cradled their child in his arms as it fed. Again, he wished he knew what his human lover was saying to him but he could only assume it was something loving by the tone and look upon his lover's face.

"Have you eaten?" Peter asked and made the gesture that matched his question.

Cuke tilted his head at the mention of food. He was hungry and knew his lover must be as well.

"Wait here," Peter smiled.

Cuke was used to his human indicating food then making gestures that he should wait so when his lover returned to shore, he was not surprised. Cuke spent his time waiting for his lover to return by gazing down at their child. He knew he should name their child but his gut clenched at the thought. If the child was land bound, he should let his human decide on the name. Their babe may not even be able to understand him and if it could only understand the human tongue, then it should have a human name. Cuke would just call the child Xnidia, 'my beloved.'