Page 39 of Drown Me Gently

“I can’t believe it. I made it.”

He tried to roll over, to drag himself through the sand, only for two separate appendages to kick out from beneath him. He flinched, heart stuttering. Then looked down.

Holy shit.

Where his tail had been, there were now legs. Actual, human legs. He wiggled his toes experimentally.

Oh my gods. Oh my gods, oh my gods⁠—

This was happening. This was real. He bent one knee, then the other. His skin was smooth. No scales, no fins. But also no hair. His body was hairless, unlike the men he’d glimpsed from beneath the waves. His eyes traveled upward, taking in every unfamiliar detail of his new form. Then he reached the apex of his thighs⁠—

Oh. So that’s what it looks like.

He’d imagined it, of course. Wondered. The anatomy of mammals, of humans. If he was honest with himself, he hadn’t stopped thinking about it since Elias had offered him a viewing. But it had all been speculation. Humans rarely stripped fully when near the sea. He’d never seen one bare like this. Now, the proof was… undeniably attached to him.

“Well. That’s that, then,” he thought with finality, cheeks flushing at his own nudity. He’d need something to wear. He’d seen humans bare-chested, but never without covering their lower halves.

Pushing up on shaky arms, Auren used the nearby cliffside to steady himself and stand. His center of gravity was completely wrong. He swayed, limbs uncertain.

A puff of water burst in the distance. Then came the familiar, arcing rise of an orca’s back. The flash of that makeshift leather dorsal fin told Auren exactly who it was.

“Iska!” he shouted, voice hoarse.

She answered with a chirping whistle. Of course, she’d brought him here. He’d drunk the potion directly above Atlantis—too far from the beach. If not for his friend, he likely would’ve drowned right there, his body left to sink and settle on the palace roof.

He waved both arms overhead, showing her he was alright. Iska clicked again, louder this time, then vanished into the waves with a powerful flick of her tail. Auren stood there for a moment, chest aching. How long had she stayed near the shore, waiting? He’d saved her once. And now she’d saved him. His heart warmed.

A flash of white caught his eye. A washed-up tarp lay tangled in old lead lines where the waves lapped at the shore. He grabbed it, fashioning a makeshift skirt. His right hip was still exposed, but the delicate bits were covered. It would have to do.

Now all he had to do was…what?

I didn’t think I’d get this far.

His heart pounded with the weight of what came next. Elias. He had to find him. He wiped windblown hair from his face, blinking into the breeze.

Go to the port. Ask for directions. Someone has to know a human named Elias⁠—

“Um. Are you lost?”

Auren spun around, startled. A human was approaching and…

Oh my gods. I can’t believe it. He found me.

Elias.

He stood a short distance away, barefoot on the sand, more casually dressed than Auren had ever seen him. His dark hair was messy in the breeze. He wasn’t as tall as he’d appeared while Auren was on the deck of The Windless. He was an inch or two shorter than Auren, though Auren had absolutely no reference for how tall he was, now that he stood on two legs. Elias wasn’t rugged like some of the sailors Auren watched. He was gorgeous, like a painting brought to life.

It might have been a coincidence. Or maybe Elias finding him was a sign from the gods. An omen that this is where Auren was meant to be.

Auren’s heart launched into his throat. Elias stared, frozen in place, recognition blooming in his eyes.

Auren opened his mouth to speak, to finally introduce himself but⁠—

But nothing came out. He frowned. Cleared his throat. Tried again.

Still nothing.

No. No, no, no!