Sunbeams streamed from above the surface of the water, sending dazzling color into this liquid paradise. The ocean's surface was calm, placid, gentle waves that glided along the surface. Above, the salty sea breeze pushed and pulled with might, billowing out the white sails of ships like the wings of gulls. It was a perfect day to cross the seas.
It was also a perfect day to swim.
Briefly, a fin of a predator cut through the surface of the ocean, followed by the distinct slap of a tail. A flock of gulls bobbing on the waves just a few feet away were startled into flight, their webbed feet treading the waters as wings beat the sky, in an attempt to make it to the safety of the clouds.
But for one, he was not so lucky.
The fin disappeared under the water, though ripples remained of where the predator was just moments before. And then, the fin appeared again, only it was speeding. Powerful swings of the tail propelled the monster forward, sending the birds into a panic. One finally got his running start on the water, and he was so close...
The monster spun out of the water, revealing a human face and torso, a face with the grin of a devil, rows upon rows of teeth designed for ripping apart flesh, framed with locks of white, choppy hair. The gray trident, tines glinting in the sun, followed the length of her body, and thrusted, straight into the escaping gull.
The gull didn't have time to shriek before its body was punctured, blood pouring as the tine pierced straight through its ribcage. The red liquid flowed into the water, as both predator and prey slammed back into the waves. The rest of the flock escaped safely into the sky.
Sekhet, the mermaid with the body of a shark and the trident from a former life, swam into the depths of the ocean, away from the surface that humans lurked. She blinked as her eyes became normal again, rolling back from her skull, black orbs that gazed hungrily at her prey.
One seagull wasn't the greatest prey ever, but it was a start, at least.
Her jaw clicked as she unhinged it, and let her teeth sink into the carcass. With a jerk of her head, flesh and feathers were pulled apart from the bird, and she swallowed the meat in one gulp.
It was how she had to get by. Feeding on what she could, until the day that she could return home, and hunt and play with her species.
For now, she was alone. And she was going to have to survive.