Page 35 of Selkie AU: Beyond the Storm

“Something like that. I get it because I catch fish, and then trade them for money, so that I have the money to trade for other things.”

That made sense. Now I could understand why humans were always in their boats catching so many of our fish.

“Can I come with you?”

Rowan nodded. “If you want to. It’s not very exciting, though.”

I huffed. I was going to learn more human things, of course it was exciting.

We woke up early. Far earlier than I wanted to, but Rowan let me sleep a bit longer as he got bags together for us so we’d have food to eat during the day. Then he made me put some clothes on. He told me I only had to wear them until we were out of sight of other humans, and I agreed even if I wasn’t thrilled about it.

Before we could go to the boat, we had to stop at a place that smelled a lot like fish, and Rowan got some buckets from them. He told me they contained fishing lines, and that the people there had put tiny bits of food on the hooks so he didn’t have to spend time doing it.

It was really cool to see how humans would work together for things, just like selkies did, except humans only did it when they were traded money.

Then we were finally on the boat, and Rowan had to take it somewhere so he could put stuff called fuel inside it. After he traded more money for the fuel, we were finally ready to head out to sea. As soon as the lights from the human colony and the other boats had faded, I stripped off my clothing and Rowan folded it up and put it in a bag so it wouldn’t get wet.

“Don’t you feel cold like that?” he asked.

I shook my head. I wasn’t cold yet, and if I did start to feel cold, I could just pull my seal coat on. I was always warmest in seal form.

It had only been a few days, but I was surprised how much I had missed the water. I wanted to get in right away, but Rowan told me to wait until we got to where he wanted to set up, because the boat was going really fast and he didn’t want to lose me.

It was a bit strange, the feeling inside me. Where I’d always felt a pull to return to the colony, there was another pull, except it was urging me back in the direction we’d come from, back to land. My place was with Rowan now, so it was strange that the goddess wanted me back on land when Rowan was right here. Sometimes I wished she would just actually talk to me so I wouldn’t have to guess what she meant. As long as I had Rowan, though, my perfect mate, then it didn’t matter.

Rowan selected a place, thankfully outside of Aarlinuk territory, where he dropped an anchor on his fishing line and started to leave a trail as the boat went. We were moving slower now, so I pulled on my coat and jumped off the side of the boat.

The water greeted me like an old friend, and my seal purred in happiness to return to the sea. I watched Rowan’s line from beneath the surface, careful not to catch myself on any of the hooks. He’d told me today we were setting the line, and tomorrow we’d come back and pull in the fish. It was all very interesting.

I had learned so much, being with him. I hoped that one day soon I’d be able to see Raq again, so I could tell him everything and he could tell the others. Maybe I could even bring Rowan back to the colony with me, so he could meet my grandmother. I knew she’d love him, even if she was probably sad and worried about where I was.

I tried calling out to see if any selkie folk were close enough to hear me, but I got no response. Maybe tomorrow.

Instead, I started looking for anything fun I could take and make things out of. Maybe if I was lucky, I’d find another cool bottle like the one I’d had to break when I was caught in the net. I wanted to make something for Rowan, and that glass would have been perfect for it. There was some human trash, but unfortunately nothing useable.

When the lines were all set, I joined Rowan back on the boat.

“Have a nice swim?” he asked, and I pounced on him. “Woah there, little hurricane, careful. If you knock me into the water, I won’t be happy with you.”

I pouted, wishing for a moment that Rowan was able to swim with me. Wishing that I could show him my world beneath the surface.

“You’re getting me wet,” he sighed, but made no move to separate us.

“You get me wet all the time.” I grinned.

His cheeks, already red from the cold, darkened further. “Mmm, but you like that.”

“You don’t like it when I get you wet back? That doesn’t seem fair.”

“Cheeky selkie.”

I giggled, then pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. Something about having him out here on the water, paired with the thrill from my swim, was heating my body already. “You can get me wet right now. Then it’ll be fair.”

Rowan raised a thick eyebrow at me. “Not a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Because. We’re out in the open.”