"What do you think of the Backyard Music?" Juniper asked.
"I love it!" Jade replied.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361114865_8e5f06a242_b.jpg"It's almost as good as the Island Music!"
"Who knew the forest mountains had such a great radio station?!"
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52359744732_b7d36583e3_b.jpg"If I had the energy, I would stay up all night listening to this music!"
Jade nodded in agreement. She started to grow envious of her older twin brothers. They had a solid relationship and weren't seperated by the day and night, sun and moon. As Jade grew in power, the sun became increasingly intolerable. And Juniper wasn't much of a night merman, preferring the sun and daylight.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52361114815_49007146a8_h.jpgOnce the moon rose over the Horizon, Jade could feel her power grow stronger. She knew it was time to hunt. Despite being a Vampire, she wasn't keen on hunting merfolk or humans, and if she could, she would prefer plasma fruit or frogs. She couldn't deny that fish were good for plasma packs though. Merfolk long since overcame the predators in the sea, but any merman or mermaid would be a tasty meal for a vampire on the hunt. Jade refused to feed on her family.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52395126640_5d99e7ca3b_b.jpgFeeding on merfolk was sometimes a tempting prospect. Merfolk were bigger fish overflowing with the vitality of life. She could understand why others of her kind would hunt them, but no matter how tempting it might be. She wouldn't feed on merfolk. She angled the fishing line and focused more on a better kind of prey; something that she would prefer to feed on instead.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52394185392_8b71cc55cd_b.jpgGranite Falls had a lot of trout, and the trout were easy to make into Plasma Packs. While Juniper spent a lot of time exploring the forest, Jade struggled with her thirst.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52394181567_0b0d0f028e_b.jpgHad she been born a mermaid and not the Spirit of the Land and Moon, she wouldn't have to struggle with this. She would feel guilty drinking anyone's plasma without permission. It was a weakness. Still, her catch for the night was a good one!
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52394986634_be64d683f0_b.jpgAfter sipping on her fresh plasma pack, she felt better. While dancing with her twin, she had temptation from her untamed thirst. She needed to work on that. Watcher forbid that she attacked her twin brother or another family member.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52394686016_e845754bcd_b.jpgWhile wandering around the woods, she found some unusual fireflies. They blinked in all the colors of the rainbow. She took this opportunity to catch them.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52395195903_b7dac2dcc5_b.jpgThe night didn't last long enough, and as the sun rose, she needed to take cover before her thin skin burned. Juniper woke up and headed for a lake near the Cabin. Using his mermadic powers, he drew strength from Dylan and summoned an aquatic lure.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52395195833_c77efc5a52_h.jpgJuniper spent the day fishing with his older brothers. Dylan and Zeph were Children of the Sea, and that made fishing a bit awkward. His older brothers enjoyed fishing, but they didn't like to catch fish.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52395195798_9aa3a78862_b.jpgJuniper tried to watch his brothers and learn more about the Reef Merfolk Culture. Reef Merfolk loved the sea, were strongly attuned to it, and their love of fish and sea life was something he struggled to understand. When Dylan and Zeph cast their lines, they were fishing for something different.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52395126480_07df93c5d8_b.jpgWhen Dylan pulled some old lake grass out of the water, Juniper was more confused. Wasn't the goal of fishing to catch fish? Dylan seemed happy about his catch. His older brother tossed the weeds to the side and continued to fish.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52395195768_a94deb9e40_h.jpgAnd then, Dylan pulled a chest out of the water. Every time he cast his line, it found everything except fish in the water. Dylan was excited about his catches, and Juniper grew more confused.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52394685821_24f1c36184_b.jpgAfter Juniper felt a tug on his fishing line, he pulled a fairly large fish out of the water. He felt proud of his catch, but there was something that also felt wrong. He simply didn't understand. Dylan leaned back and cast his line out to deep water. Zeph patiently let his line drift in the water.
'What am I missing?' Juniper thought.
'Why didn't Dylan or Zeph congradulate me on such a big catch?'https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52394986474_1b349710b2_b.jpgWhen Juniper cast his line, Zeph pulled a chest out of the water. Juniper couldn't believe it.
'How did he hook that? His line was floating at the surface? Is someone helping him?'Juniper started to feel exhausted. His skin was drying out. Even if he found a way to connect to his element, one thing remained true, his human form required energy to maintain and that energy was getting depleted.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52394185122_8c4a57796c_b.jpgSoon, the weather began to turn. A rainstorm blew in just in time. The drops of water restored some of the merman's energy.
Zeph did say that there would be rain this vacation. It must be hard for them. They are spending so much time and energy on land so that I can reconnect with my element. But, I want to be more like them, like a true reef merman.Juniper felt a tug on his line and caught another fish.
I wonder. Is it possible that the fish are helping my brothers hook the treasure in the water? Maybe. Maybe the fish aren't helping me because I keep catching them?https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52395195588_6edf0eea3b_b.jpgJust then, Zeph pulled another chest out of the water. His brothers managed to catch a lot of treasure, but there was more to it. Juniper just couldn't understand it.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52394685701_1d9da7e419_b.jpgAs the sun set, Juniper started to grow tired. His brothers, on the other fin, were on roll and not tired in the least.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52395195548_fac0a80a1c_b.jpg
