Mystic Calling

Harper was hungry. The sun was setting quickly, the warm hues of the sunset succumbing to the night. He sat at the edge of the lake and surveyed the shadows of fish that swam within. He was confident that he could catch something before the darkness set in completely, and slipped beneath the frigid water. His thick fur kept the cold at bay as he swam further into the lake. 

He squinted at a large shape that darted through the water. The way it swam was unusual and he felt compelled to give chase. His long dark ash gray hair was flowing behind him as he continued his pursuit, obscuring his true form through the darkening water. Lunging forward, he opened his jaws to take a bite out of his prey but instead found his teeth clacking against some hard, shell-like object. A yelp bubbled out, but certainly not from him. In his surprise he let go, and the dark form of his quarry disappeared into the darkness. 

He went to bed hungry that night, but he hardly was bothered by the hunger pangs. He kept revisiting the strange sensation of that object against his teeth, his tongue running against his fangs to make sure he didn’t not chip a tooth from the encounter. What was that? He did not know.

---

The next morning he dove into the water for his breakfast, swiftly catching some trout that he eagerly tore into. 

“This wasn’t what I saw last night,” he thought, tearing through the raw flesh of his catch. “That certainly was not a fish I have ever seen before.” 

Maybe he’d ask someone else if they had ever encountered something so strange. Though he was a Sealomimi, he lacked the social skills to befriend his fellows. With his Wild disposition he was constantly traveling by himself, following the schools of steelheads through the oceans and freshwater. Despite his self imposed solitude, he knew that he could rely on the knowledge of other Sealomimis who have lived longer and were experienced than him. Perhaps he could ask Aura, the shopkeeper, whose occupation would allow her to hear all manner of rumors and stories.

He dove into the water again, closing his eyes and allowing his senses to guide him back to the part of the lake where he encountered the strange creature. A small glint in the sandy lakebed caught his eye, and he swam down to investigate.
“A pearl?”

He surfaced from the water and held the round object up into the light. It was large; far larger than any natural freshwater or saltwater pearl he had ever seen. There was a beautiful almost translucent sheen to it. This was something precious and valuable, he thought. He tucked the pearl firmly into his neck mane, and returned ashore. 

Upon the lakeside there was a girl with pink hair and rabbit ears–was it rabbit ears?–looking frantically in a foldable compact mirror. 

“Seriously?” she muttered, touching her ear. “What am I going to do? It’s going to look completely uneven.”

“Is something wrong?” he asked, approaching her. 

She jumped back, startled by the sudden appearance of the Sealomimi man. “Huh? Aren’t you–?”

“Hm?”

She looked suspiciously at him, taking in his appearance. He had tan skin, dark waist length speckled hair, two round pearls on his head, and a large green pearl resting on his fluffy tail. His eyes were narrowed, but his expression did not seem to be aggressive. 

“Another like me…? No it can’t be. Well, he doesn’t seem to recognize me…” she said with relief under her breath.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. I’m Margaret.” She stuck out her hand for a handshake.

He looked down quietly at her hand, and moved up closer to shake it. He was careful to grasp her slender hand softly, as to not scratch her with the claws that tipped his fur-padded fingers. “Harper.”

“So Harper, what brings you to this neck of the woods?”

“Following the steelheads,” he said, nodding his head towards the lake. “The rainbow trout, I mean. Same fish, different water.”

“Uh huh.”

It was his turn to take in her appearance. She had pale skin, long light pink hair tied up in a ponytail, and a pair of rabbit ears(?) with pink antlers. Curiously enough, upon the base of one of her ears rested a large pearl earring.

“Hm.” He reached into his mane on his chest and pulled out the pearl he had found in the lakebed. “Is this yours, by chance?”

“Oh! Yes, it is!”

He offered the pearl over to her in the palm of his hand. However, instead of taking it, she removed the other pearl on her ear and placed it into his hand. She gently curled his fingers over them.
“You can have them.”

“Something so valuable?”

“It's…” She sighed. “It’s a long story. But long story short, I’ll just get new ones. You can keep them as a memento of our meeting.”

He stood there stunned, her hands clasped over his fist containing the pearls. “I’m sorry I have nothing to offer in exchange.”

“You’ll fetch a great price on them at the market. Get yourself some glasses, I get the feeling you need them.”

“Because I didn’t recognize you?”

“You heard that huh?”

“These large ears aren’t just for show.”

She laughed, beaming. “Are they now! Well mine are, truth be told. I’ve been told I’m a terrible listener. Is that big pearl of yours on your tail also not for show?”

He instinctively touched the round green orb that sat nestled in his tail. “This? We don’t… quite do anything with it. Decorative.”

“The pearls on your head too?”

“On my head…? Oh, my horns. Also decorative.”

Fascinating conversation.

“Well, thanks for the concern from before and the chat, Harper. May we cross paths again someday.”

“Rather than crossing paths, if I were to walk the same path with you?”

“Hm?”

“May I join you? For a little while?”

“Why?”

“The rainbow trout migratory patterns are predictable. Someone like you is not.”

She smirked. “So you say.”

“Is that a no?”

“It’s fine. I’m here on a journey to learn more about people up on the surface, it wouldn’t do any harm to journey along with you and learn. Welcome aboard, Harper.”

---

CODA

Aura smiled as her latest customer walked in. “My, if it isn’t Harper! Welcome! You look a little different.”

Harper nodded. His usual unkempt long hair was brushed and tied up in a ponytail. He looked uncertain as he always did when speaking. “Thank you Aura. I’m looking to trade for some supplies.” 

“Mmhm. What supplies do you need?”

Harper silently handed her a list. 

“My, this is a rather comprehensive list.”

He nodded again. “This is… for a friend.”

“I see.” She began to walk around and assemble the requested supplies. “It’s rare to see you in this area this time of year, Harper.”

“The smolts haven’t migrated yet, I know.”

She glanced at him, waiting for him to elaborate some more. 

The anticipated answer never came.

“Is this all you need today?”

He glanced at all the items and nodded.

“What will be your payment today?”

He reached into his mane and pulled out a large pearl. “Will this be enough?”

Aura’s eyes widened. She took the pearl and held it up to inspect it. “Harper, where did you get this?”

“My friend gave it to me.”

The pearl was especially large, smooth, and lustrous. She knew this was no ordinary pearl; such pearls came from dangerous beings, and fetched a high price in any market. “This is something quite rare. I don’t think I have nearly enough here to make this a fair trade.”

“That’s ok, I just need the supplies. You can have it.”

“I simply cannot! My pride as a merchant is on the line. I may not have the liquid assets to offer you a fair price for this at the moment, but I have my connections. If there is anything you need, I’ll make sure you have it.”

“My friend said… I need glasses. So if I could have a pair of glasses?”

Aura paused for a moment. “A pair of glasses?”

“Yes.”

“I might not be able to give you a pair of glasses, but I know someone who may be able to.” She scrawled a note and handed it to him. “Bring this to Klamoth. The owner of the glasses shop will help you.”

“Klamoth?” 

“It’s… It’s on the way to Lumi Falls. If your friend is the kind of person I think they are, they’ll know the way.”

“You know Margaret?”

“No, but I trust that they’ll guide you safely. Safe travels, Harper.”

“Thank you Aura.” He looked somewhat conflicted as he gave her his goodbye, and left the shop.

She watched his retreating figure and shook her head. “Oh, Harper. I hope you’ll stay safe.”