Suspicious Seaweed - 2. Maren's Songs

Peter dove towards the reeds again, zoomed past the bay root, and picked up speed until he was tucked away into the cavern he shared with his aunt, deep within an underground maze. The maze was a complex network of tunnels and chambers, each with its unique features and dangers. More bettas lived in the caverns, as well, but no one knew the specific paths leading to one another's abode. Peter and his aunt had frequently lost their way during their first few moon cycles living there. He peered over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't followed before entering the dwelling.

His aunt was there waiting for him. Hali was an elderly pink and blue marble betta. Several scars marred her tail, but her faded colors were the most significant indicator of age. Peter could only imagine how bright and beautiful her colors used to be in her youth. Aunt Hali wasn't related to him by blood. She was his mother's best friend who had stepped up when no one else would help raise him after the death of his parents.

"Any losses?" She asked.

"Not today," Peter replied as he subconsciously touched the mid-back of his tail where a few violet scales were already missing. The last several bettas who challenged him were less trained, so he'd come out relatively unscathed from those altercations. In the past, the two of them had always kept on the move. But, during their run-in with a small group of predatory loaches, Hali and Peter were barely able to hold them off. The loaches, with their sharp teeth and lightning-fast strikes, were a constant threat to travelers. Hali's movements were too slow, and Peter's were too inexperienced. The two of them grew weary of always being on edge.

Little did they know that settling down with their own kind brought on an entirely different slew of problems. They'd forgotten even female bettas were aggressive in defending their territory. Bettas were built to fight. And, while Peter fought whenever he had absolutely no choice, he never enjoyed it.

"If we don't find you a less aggressive clan to join, I won't be able to rest in peace," Hali huffed. "Staying here holds the risk of you getting Locked."

The thought of ending up Locked with someone like Balar had Peter shuddering in disgust. Being Locked meant that, due to shared aggression, a pair of bettas became locked in a synchronized battle, and a mirrored fight could last up to an hour. Those rumbles were downright exhausting, and the blond had been fortunate to have avoided becoming Locked thus far. Peter's fear usually overpowered any anger or aggression he felt towards Balar, but the rainbow betta wasn't infallible. Deep down, the aggravation he felt towards Balar was simmering.

"What about royal gramma basslets?" Peter prompted, his mind full of images of his new acquaintance's orange eyes and smile.

"They're generally peaceful for saltwater mermen," Hali mused aloud. "Though the same can't be said about their Angelfish royals."

"So, they really are saltwater mermen?" Peter sighed in disappointment. While he'd already suspected the water on the far side of the brackish water was home to their saltwater brethren, he initially had a shred of hope Griffin was a freshwater merman such as himself.

"Yes, we need to find a peaceful clan so that you can be safe," Peter's aunt affirmed.

While older bettas like Aunt Hali were generally respected and less aggressive toward one another than they were in their youth, living in a betta community meant constant tension and alertness. Peter wished his aunt would worry more about her safety than his, but he'd do whatever she deemed necessary. She was all he had left in terms of family.

"Aunt Hali," Peter began. "Today, I heard a basslet singing a song about Maren. It involved a filefish and its friend?"

"Oh, every region has its share of Maren songs. We have several, ourselves."

"Would you sing me one?"

“Maren embraces the sea and merkind. She hears all their pleas, and, in turn, she provides. Temples of devotion speckling the ocean," Hali sang. "United, unspoken, dispelling the omen. A gift meant to eat for all those who were chosen."

"For all those who were chosen," Peter mused aloud. "Who were the chosen?"

"No one and everyone. It's implied that anyone who seeks Maren will find her, if not in the form they initially believe, such as finding food when you're most in need." She replied before asking. "On the subject of eating, did you find something to eat today?"

"Yes," Peter lied. For the majority of the afternoon and night, he'd been chased by Balar. If his aunt knew, she'd be even more worried than usual. "I'm just tired."

"Then, it's off to sleep with you."

"Rest well, Auntie," Peter said as he leaned down to hug her.

"You too," she insisted, hugging him back.

As Peter curled onto his side in his alcove, he couldn't help but wonder what type of food Maren provided her "chosen," along with just who the "chosen" even were. If the group the song spoke about truly was united, then the blond merman felt envious of them. He couldn't envision a day where his betta brethren were united in anything, with all the daily brawling they subjected one another to. As he drifted to sleep, his final thoughts were whether Griffin knew more Maren songs and whether he'd be willing to sing for him again. n songs and whether he'd be willing to sing for him again.