Chapter 1: Catching Some Tail
After the three explorers tumbled over the waterfall, they checked to make sure nothing was broken, then they continued downriver until they reached the coast. For the first couple of days, they foraged in the woods, eating wild game and chukruss and sleeping under the stars. The days were becoming longer and the nights warmer, and as they lay in their makeshift beds of pine boughs, they joked about their misadventure in the town of Longdale.
"That was a bit of an abrupt ending to our little adventure at the Cock and Hen bar," Jessop chuckled.
"It might have been amusing for you," Clover grunted, turning over to peer at him through thin eyelids. "But I assure you, almost being burned alive isn't an experience I'd like to revisit anytime soon."
"I think we'd best steer clear of witches and mages for a while," Tara nodded.
"At least ones who offer to give us special powers," Clover said.
"You don't miss your extra powers?" Jessop teased.
"It was fun seeing what it was like to be in a man's shoes for a little while," Clover smiled. "But having a penis is overrated. I'm just as happy having my girly parts back, without all the extra mess."
"Except you make almost as much of a mess when you come as I do," Jessop snickered, adjusting his thickening tool remembering their threesome encounter at the brothel.
"At least I don’t have to worry anymore about getting innocent farmgirls pregnant and having the whole town coming after me with pitchforks."
"Yeah," Tara chuckled. "I say we get as far away from that crazy place as possible."
"So where to now?" Jessop said. "You seem to know these parts better than anyone."
"We've strayed pretty far from where we first met up," Tara said. "With the days becoming warmer, why don't we head back north to see if we can find Clover's magic waterfall?"
Clover turned over on her bed of pine needles, propping her head on her elbow.
"I assume you're referring to the one that transported me here from my hometown, and not that last one that erased the mage's magic spell?"
"Yes," Tara nodded. "Aren't you still interested in returning to this strange place called Tennessee?"
"I suppose so. Although it'll never be half as exciting as staying with you two, where we seem to get into a new batch of trouble every place we go."
"Not by design, I assure you," Tara laughed. "You're the one always wanting to make friends with every new stranger we meet along the way."
"It's just that everything's so new and wonderful in this strange land of Abbynthia. The witches, elves, and dragons remind me of my fairy tales from back home."
"You and your fairy tales," Tara huffed, standing up and slinging her quiver of arrows over her back. "Come on, let's head down to the shore and see if we can scare up some seafood for a change."
* * *
The trio followed the rocky coastline north for a few miles and when it dipped down to a sandy cove, they followed a trail through the brush until it emerged onto the sheltered lagoon. Protected by tall cliffs on either side, it looked the perfect spot to set up camp and take a refreshing dip in the surf. But as they dipped their toes in the rolling waves, they heard a faint noise coming from behind a cluster of boulders near the side of the beach.
"Do you hear that?" Clover said, pausing to look at her friends.
Tara and Jessop stopped at the edge of the surf, turning their heads in the direction of the sound.
"Yes," Jessop nodded. "It sounds like a woman's voice."
"Like she's in pain," Tara said, pinching her eyebrows together.
"Let's see if she needs our help," Clover said, walking in the direction of the rocks.
"There you go again," Tara said, following close behind. "Always meddling in other people's business..."
"We can't just leave her there if she's in distress," Clover said, picking her way over the tumbled boulders.
But as they peered over the top of one of the rocks, they noticed a pretty girl with her head tilted back, moaning while she moved her hand between her legs under the foaming water.
"It doesn't look like she's in any trouble to me," Tara said. "Let's give her some privacy while she enjoys her moment alone. I don't think she needs any company at this particular moment."
As Tara tugged on Clover's arm, she resisted for a moment, gawking at the girl's naked figure. She had long, curly blonde hair, full lips, and an hourglass figure with perfectly tanned skin.
"It doesn't hurt to watch for a few moments," Clover grinned. "She's absolutely stunning."
"You're incorrigible," Tara said, easing up on her grip.
"And relentless," Jessop nodded, glancing at the pretty siren. "You'd think after getting almost lynched for your previous transgression, you'd want to steer clear of lonely blondes."
"Oh, come on," Clover said, grinning at her friend. "Tell me you wouldn't like a piece of that pretty ass too?"
"Time to go, you perverts," Tara said, grabbing Clover's and Jessop's arms, trying to pull them away. "Let's give this girl some peace..."
"Wait!" Clover whispered, her eyes suddenly bulging as the water began to recede from the girl's body. "Is that a–?"
"It's a mermaid!" Jessop nodded, his mouth dropping open. "I've heard stories about these creatures, but I've never seen one up close."
"It doesn't seem to have a..." Clover said, watching the girl's finned tail flapping excitedly in the surf as she grew progressively more aroused. "And yet she's touching herself like she's–"
"Every living creature has sex in one form or another," Tara nodded. "How do you think they reproduce?"
"I have no idea" Clover said, staring at the beautiful girl while she twisted and groaned in pleasure. "But I'd sure as hell love to learn how. She's way sexier than in any of the stories I've read..."
"Leave the poor girl alone," Tara said, tugging on Clover's and Jessop's arms more firmly to pull them away. "She's obviously chosen this secluded location for a reason. Put your dicks back in your pants and let her enjoy her moment of solitude..."
As Tara pulled on her friends' arms, the sudden movement attracted the attention of the mermaid lying on the beach, and she suddenly turned her face in their direction.
"What the...?" she grunted, quickly sliding her body into the surf and starting to swim away.
"Wait!" Clover said, jumping up and waving her arms over her head. "We don't mean you any harm! We're here alone just looking for food. Can we talk with you for a moment?"
The mermaid paused for a moment, peering up at the pretty redhead. There was something unusual about her that she found intriguing, and not yet noticing her two other friends still hiding behind the rocks, she swam slowly up to the side of the boulder, peering over the edge with wide eyes.
Clover picked her way down over the rocks and stopped about ten feet away to indicate she wasn’t any threat.
"Who are you?" she said, peering at the girl's half-submerged face.
"My name's Lorelei," the mermaid said, raising up slowly. "But my friend's call me Lori."
"You speak English?" Clover said, hardly believing her luck stumbling upon the captivating sea creature.
"I was separated from my tribe when I was young," the girl nodded. "And raised by a gentle widow who cared for me until I was old enough to return to my home."
"Where's that?" Clover said, peering along the coastline for any sign of civilization.
"A few miles offshore on a remote island called Crescent Key. It's an atoll really, ringed by a large coral reef..."
"Do other mermaids live there?" Clover said, squinting her eyes trying to find any sign of land out to sea.
"There's a group of a hundred or so of us there," the girl nodded. "Mermaids and mermen. We don't come to the mainland very often. Usually only to collect fruit and other necessary provisions. The soil on our island isn't very conducive to growing crops–"
Suddenly the girl glanced upward, noticing Tara and Jessop making their way down in their direction.
"I should be going now..." the girl said, pushing away from the rock.
"Wait, these are my friends," Clover said, holding up her hand to keep the girl from swimming away. "We would never harm you in any way. We just noticed you were alone, and wondered if you needed any help..."
"No," the girl said, darting her eyes between Clover and her approaching friends. "I was just–"
"This is Tara and Jessop," Clover said, introducing her friends as they approached the floating mermaid. "And this is Lorelei, I mean Lori..."
"Hello," Tara said, smiling at the girl warmly. "We didn't mean to disturb you. My friend Clover can sometimes be a little presumptuous–"
"Are you an elf?" the mermaid said, noticing Tara's pointed ears. "I've never seen one of those before."
"And I've never seen a mermaid before," Tara chuckled.
"Me neither," Jessop said, staring at the sexy sea creature with wide eyes.
"You all look so different," the mermaid said, beginning to relax her body while floating upside down as she scanned the faces and figures of the unlikely trio. "How did you manage to come together?"
"Quite by accident," Tara chuckled. "Much like we found you. We were all running away from something, and we seemed to form a common bond. How about you? Are you here alone? Where are you from?"
"I live on an offshore island with my small band of fellow mermaids and mermen–"
"Mermen?" Tara said. "Are they as beautiful as you? Because if so, I'd love to meet some of your friends..."
"We don't stray from the island very often," Lori chuckled. "But if I don't return soon, they'll probably send a search party out looking for me."
"Would you like to stay a little longer?" Clover said, eager to learn more about the girl's life as a mermaid. "We were going to catch some fish and prepare a fire. That is, if you eat fish–"
"Yes, of course," Lori smiled. "All we have on our little island is some coconuts and breadfruit. We're creatures of the sea after all. But I have to admit that I haven't had a cooked fish for a while..."
"It's decided then," Clover said, resting her arm against the rock. "Would you like to help us catch something big enough for all of us to eat? Maybe you can steer a snapper or a grouper into the shallow water and we can spear it with our arrows."
"That's a novel way to catch fish," Lori chuckled. "I thought you humans like to use hooks with bait?"
"We're a bit short of that right now," Tara said. "We lost most of our supplies when we fell over a waterfall a few days ago..."
"How did that happen?" Lori said, peering up at her new friends with a lopsided smile.
"I guess we're not quite as good a swimmer as you are," Tara laughed. "We'll tell you all about it around the fire."
"As long as you're not planning to cook up anything larger than a grouper..."
"We wouldn't dream of it," Clover murmured, peering down at Lori's curved backside as she flipped over to round up some dinner. "Although I can think of a few other ways I’d like to eat you up…"
