Seas Of Passion

“Not really, I was a shark and shifted to a human, in your case you are becoming a shark, so the process will be different. For me it was overwhelming at first, I wandered around snapping at things and getting into various fights because my shark instincts stayed in control of me for a while. I shifted in another country though; your kind calls it the south of America I believe. I had to be called back to my clan and put in a hidden cave as a human for a week so that I could fully get used to being on two legs and being able to speak, among other things. I suppose one thing you may have to deal with is the fearlessness and dominant nature of a shark once it begins manifesting in you.”

Shanice felt a flutter in her stomach as excited nervousness set in, both at seeing the ocean and at her being able to shift becoming a reality. As they reached the surf, they stripped and hid their clothes in a sand dune, Shanice wearing her wetsuit and carrying Alan’s clothes for him as he sat in the shallows and began shifting. By the time she had hidden the clothes and returned, he was halfway to becoming a shark and looked like a merman, as his upper body was human though his legs had become the tail of a great white shark. Soon the dorsal fin rose out of his spine and his head became stout as his mouth filled with row upon row of deadly teeth, and the transformation was complete. He spoke to Shanice in her mind as he swam in slow circles, waiting for her to climb onto him.

“The cave is deep, too deep for you to hold your breath, so I will share my oxygen with you. Once you climb onto me, put your hands on my gills and concentrate.”

Shanice did so and felt the slightly less rough flesh around his gills become pliant and warm, and then got lightheaded as they dove and she found herself still able to breathe. She felt a tingling sensation in her hands, like a very mild shock and found that she did not need to use her mouth or nose as Alan was somehow directly oxygenating her blood. Alan spoke to her mentally, explaining what he was doing as they took a few test dives.

“Shanice, you’re sharing the air my gills extracts from the water, it’s going to feel strange at first, but you will get used to it quickly I think. The caves are aren’t very deep, but it’s dark for a while once you get inside, so try to stay calm, I will be able to sense my way around just fine, so stay low and hold on. You can still think to me, but try not to unless it’s important once we reach the cave, as I need to concentrate.”

As Alan swam down into the ocean, Shanice began to feel just how vast it was, as opposed to the times she swam in the shallows. The deeper they went, the darker it became, and soon she began to hyperventilate, feeling as if unknown creatures were eyeing her. Alan noticed her trepidation and calmed her as they swam on.

“Shanice, calm down, there isn’t anything anywhere near us that could pose a threat; you are breathing faster and straining my gills. You can still sense energy signatures, do it, and see how far anything is from us.”

Shanice did so, focusing and closing her eyes as she saw sonar like series of images in her mind’s eye. There were many small schools of fish and a few that were solitary, but nothing within range of her and Alan that was any threat. She felt herself calming down and Alan sped up, letting her know that they were nearing the cave. She held him tightly and leant down as they swam toward what seemed to be a bare rock face, and then darted under it and into a small tunnel. Inside the tunnel, it was pitch black and Shanice felt herself growing both claustrophobic for the first time as the sensation of movement slowed down again.

“Shanice, we will be out of this area and into the actual cave soon, but you have to calm down for me, I’m getting your emotions and it’s making it hard for me to navigate, I’m right here so you don’t need to worry.”

Shanice forced her nervousness down and felt Alan speed up once more and soon she felt herself above water again as Alan found his way into the main cave area. She looked around, expecting a cramped cave, but seeing one as large as a football field, with luminous stones embedded in the walls that cast a soft light around every inch of the place. There were multiple small pools, some filled and some empty every hundred yards and she saw several that were indeed filled with bills. Behind her, Alan had finished shifting back to a human and climbed out of the water naked and then sat near one of the glowing stones in the wall as Shanice looked around the cave in astonishment.

“I wasn’t expecting this Alan, this place is amazing! Are they all like this?”

“More or less. Each one has some features that are slightly different of course, some have shafts for sunlight to enter instead of these rocks and others have long tunnels that lead to the next cave, but this one is on its own.”

Alan stood up, walked over to one of the filled pools, and then climbed into it, sighing as he did.

“Shanice, you should get into this pool with me, the water is warmed by the earths internal heat. There is also a warm air geyser at the far end to dry off.”

Shanice was astounded and quickly walked up to the pool and climbed in, feeling the heat of the water dispelling the chill that had settled into her.  She moved closer to Alan and hugged him close, soon feeling his warmth as well, and dozing off while caressing him as he stroked her back.

Back on land, Lara was still inside the taxi, following Alan’s signal, though it had abruptly stopped along the highway and led her to a parking lot. She stood outside of the taxi until she picked the trail up again and had the driver take her to the beach, where she got out of the taxi and walked down to the shore, feeling the trail lead into the water and then vanish.