Music flowed through the air while people laughed and danced. The gentle sway of the ocean could be heard in the wind as it swirls around the dancing figures. Scents of fresh fruits, rum, the salty sea and roasted meats were carried around the village, enticing all beings to come and investigate.

One of those people stood out, a young man that nobody knew by name but most Islanders have seen so far. They knew he only came out at night to join the celebrations of their village. Nobody knew where he came from and nobody knew where he left off to.

One of the fathers glanced at the town's center and saw his daughter in the hands of the unknown boy. Yet he didn't feel inclined to step in; he knew that Orion was harmless.

Even more so, he had heard from several other fathers that the boy was always very polite, never pushed any of the women further then what was allowed. He only asked them for a dance and a bit of their time; nothing more, nothing less.

Which was more than what could be said from most of the islanders, guiding women to dark corners, groping one another under the cover of darkness. It was frowned upon but the woman hardly had any say in it, unless one of her relatives protested.

He chuckled as he saw his daughter's dazed look. The poor girl was painfully shy and had always kept to the sidelines of the parties. Always ignored, never the center of attention. A delicate flower just waiting to blossom. That was until Orion invited her to a dance.

Now his girl is glowing, absorbing the well need attention and laughing as she spun around in a circle. Judging from the jealous look of one of the boys, Orion was proving to loosen some feelings. And as the boy stepped up and ask after the young maidens hand, the stranger easily stepped away.

Nobody knew but everyone guessed that it was Orion's purpose. Every time he picked someone to dance, it seems that the ladies grew more confidence, basking in the attention and showing others what they were missing.

He stirred jealousy and prodded the men unconsciously to take action before their women were snatched away by the charming young man. However, Orion never laid with any of his dance partners, nor has he touched them inappropriately or tried to steal a kiss.

That's why nobody intervened when Orion danced off into the night, his contagious laughter swirling around them. When Orion crossed glances with the young maiden's father, they shared a knowing look before the father lowered his head with respect and thanks.

Orion could only smile brightly before swirling around a dancing couple, this time snatching a young lad against his hips. Everyone could see the youngster blush furiously, could hear his stutters until he sagged and relaxed in Orion's firm yet gentle hold.

It was a few hours later that Orion stopped dancing and instead chose to take a walk along the beach. His skin was glistening with sweat, the moon light glinting of the tanned surface before he slipped into the darkness.

Orion glanced over his shoulder, making sure none of the blushing women or young lads followed him. He might be very proper but he had some very improper offers throughout the night. It was time to disappear before one of the youngsters started feeling him up.

He chuckled slightly, backing up as a couple of fireflies swirled around him, nearly bumping in his face. "Excuse you guys." He laughed, coughing and waving his hand in front of his face to chase the little bugs away.

They gleamed in the darkness and lit his path, dipping lower over the sand and showing where the ocean caressed the land. Even the ocean and earth were intertwined in an endless dance of pull and push, give and take.

Orion smiled softly, his long red hair tangled in the wind before it sank back to touch the arch in his lower back. His long slender fingers made quick work of his button shirt before he folded it, pausing at a familiar rock to put it down.

He welcomed the coolness of the night air, noticing the increasing heat that announced the arrival of the morning. The refreshing spray of the sea painted him with shiny drops before Orion sighed and dropped his hands to his remaining clothes.

His pants and shoes quickly followed and when he was completely nude, he quickly went to work to wrap his clothing up. It had taken him a while to perfect it but he managed to make a waterproof skin to store his clothes in.

When he was ready, he took one last look at the village and the island behind him. The sun was already starting to appear, caressing the sand with the first rays of light. Orion paused for a moment, closing his eyes and soaking in the warmth.

But when he heard a small noise in the distance, he quickly dashed in the water. When the young maiden and her newly acquired boyfriend strolled past, the sea had already washed away Orion's footprints.

As soon as Orion was in the water, he allowed the change to take over his body. His legs fused together painlessly, scales rushing over his lower body until he swiftly glided through the water with elegant ease.

Orion took a deep breath, coughing slightly as his lungs quickly adapted to the cool rush of water instead of the warm gush of air. He could feel the gills imbedded in his throat flush at the first rush of water and allowed them to flare out for an instant, making them momentarily visible on the outside.

Normally they would be covered and hidden underneath his skin as he had learned to use both his lungs and gills in a rather effective combination. It resulted in a more effective breathing, since he didn't need to be in constant motion to be able to breath.

His dark scales were clearly visible in the bright ocean, the red markings fluttering over his skin, forming patterns as a sign to leave him alone. Even if Orion himself was friendly, he still was a Siren. One of the top predators of the vast seas.

The only thing that stood above him in the food chain were the Merpeople. And there was no way that Orion would risk falling into their claws. He himself was a Siren, the less harmful yet equally powerful cousin of the Merpeople.

Well, more or less. Sirens rarely ripped their prey apart, nor devoured them alive like the Merpeople. Yet his kind had a worse reputation under humans, simply because Sirens had tried to lure humans away from Mer-infested waters, only for the humans to become so entranced with their songs that they forgot to do anything else but stand and listen.

He steered for deeper waters, easily spotting the occasional fisher boat and made sure to be deep enough so they wouldn't spot him. Orion couldn't help himself but tease some of the fisher men, tugging on their hooks and watching it shoot up towards the sky before he clearly heard the eager shouts turning into disappointed grunts.

Silly humans.

As compensation he spooked some of the fish towards the hooks and watched several of them being unable to resist the bait. Sirens might be little pranksters but they were harmless after all. With one last glance to the ships above, he took off again

Orion knew he had to hide the clothes first; the bag might be waterproof for a while, but he couldn't keep dragging the bag with him. The journey should take any human hours but took him a few minutes until he made it to his little underwater cave and stored his clothes there, happy with the pocket of air.

It was rather annoying to look for dry clothes whenever he wanted to roam the land. He didn't want to keep stealing outfits or having to trade baubles for cloths.

Finally able to freely swim, he darted through the water, speeding up until he could feel the burn in his tail and the flexing of his dorsal fin. His fluke swished through the cool water, making it swirl behind him before he slowed down.

These waters were extremely familiar since he was born here... but ships never ventured to the Siren Cove. The trench was enshrouded with legend and myth; most sailors feared this place for more reasons than just a possible Siren sighting.

So why was there one heading over right now? His curiosity was prickled and Orion decided to investigate this ship.

From the bottom, it seemed to be a regular ship, though a few sharks were lingering down below. He recognized two of them as they remained, while the four smaller sharks instantly fled the scene at his arrival.

They knew they could be on the menu if they remained. But Orion wasn't interested with trying to wrestle with the remaining two Great Whites and get chomped in half again. He fought one of these sharks once, when it thought Orion could be a tasty snack.

Blood had filled the churning water, turning it a murky red. Afterwards, Orion had needed to regenerate for a few weeks while the shark had learned its lesson, losing part of its dorsal fin and gained several marks on its face.

Ever since, Orion and the Great White were frenemies that respected one another. As the massive shark turned, its smaller and greyer twin spotted Orion and instantly backed up.

"Why are you two here huh? Stalking this ship are we?" Orion murmured, pumping his tail a few times so he was safely hidden under the hull before pausing, easily floating in the sea.

The smaller shark seemed uncomfortable with the Siren's presence and backed up, slowly disappearing into the shadows of the deep sea. The bigger male remained though, slowly circling the boat, occasionally letting his dorsal cleave through the surface.

Orion didn't understand and quickly became bored when nothing happened. Perhaps the ship merely lost its bearings or were hopeful to catch some fish. With a sigh, Orion turned around and flicked his tail, eager to rest up and prepare for another night of singing and dancing.

Except, as soon as he swam a few miles, he heard a distant splash and could feel the eagerness of the Great white. Tilting his head, Orion glanced over his shoulder and gasped before rushing over.

A man had been thrown off the ship, two balls with chains clamped around his feet. The weight was quickly drawing him down to the crushing force of the deep sea, his arms clapped in irons and preventing him to try and get loose.

Yet that didn't stop the man from thrashing, bubbles of air circling his bulk frame before Orion had to speed up. There was no time to take a closer look at the man, to pause and take in his features.

The Great White had set eyes on the man and made him its prey.