Sorry for the leaving you hanging... again!)

Raine shivered at the sight before them, and then flinched when the volcano burst forth a scorching lava that quickly cooled into hard shards of igneous rock. That surely was a dark and dangerous place they were heading towards, and the sight of it filled Raine with cloying dread. Her second trial of the sea was upon her.

She distracted herself on their approach to the fiery mountain with the ancient tale Tyler was describing. A history turned so sinister that it left its dark mark on the sealands for generations, and generations to come. A deep sadness coiled in her chest for Tyler's stolen youth, for the thousands, tens of thoudsands, maybe even hundreads of thousands of stolen lives - all taken by a devastating and avoidable war.

Anxiety tapped Raine on the shoulder as they approached the opening of a tunnel. The horrific sound of the volcano - the cooled rock breaking away and the water boiling - chilled her to the bone. Her hands were shaking, and she only realised how bad when she tried to crasp her pearl necklace for comfort. The new muscles in her tail were already aching, and the fear threatened to lock them up and leave her tail useless.

Watching Tyler disappear through the opening of the tunnel, Raine mentlaly shoved steel into her spine and willed her body to follow. There was only one way to go, and this was it. Keeping her eyes fixed on Tyler, she swam and didn't stop, ignoring the heating her her skin. Jaw clenched and eyes widened in fear, Raine could hear nothing but the thudding of her heart.

Tyler continued to go through the rather short tunnel, flicking his black tail in short strokes that powered him swiftly through the blubbling, steaming water. He popped out on the other side and narrowed his eyes slightly, pain flaring quickly from the change from dark to light. He had experienced a lot of that in the war, so it was now hard on his eyes whenever he went from a dark spot to a light spot with no adjustement time.

The next stretch of land was literally a volcano valley, boiling streams of water bursting up from cracks at unexplainable times, crumbling black rocks falling as the earth shook violently enough to make mountainsides collapse, and dark clouds shooting up from geysers to make the place look entirely uninhabitable. Tyler swam straight through it all, swimming around small holes in the ground that, usually seconds later, erupted with boiling hot water that shot 20, or even 30 feet up in the sea. He flinched each time, sometimes swimming closer than he should have... purely because he didn't really care about the pain it caused. His skin turned a little red as he stayed focused on the exit at the end, which, fortunetely this time, wasn't a tunnel. A wider canyon where a volcano had probably collapsed yawned in the black, cloudy water, directly ahead of them. Tyler's muscles tensed slightly as his eyes flicked slightly, noticing a volcano side bulging and broiling. That was never a good sign, but a steady indication it would erupt soon. Next the smoke died down from that volcano till it was nothing but a trickle. "Go into the canyon." Tyler exclaimed with a voice slightly more panicked than his normal one. He whipped his tail and sped forward, though staying right behind Raine to make sure she made it and her tail didn't get caught up. Tyler did understand what aches and pains could come from using your tail too much when you weren't used to it... after coming back from the war he did his own physical therapy for a year before he could swim properly.

Behind them, a giant boom thundered through the water, shaking the cliffs and sending rocks tumbling. An explosion sent boulders cascading down slopes and flying through the water above them. Searing hot water ripped across Tyler's skin, but only some of it got to Raine since he was right behind her and had blocked her as soon as he heard the bang. He grabbed her and dove into the canyon right as a huge chunk of rock came crashing down right where they were. Tyler let go and swam away a foot or two right after they were mostly safe, hidden behind the wide canyon's walls. Boulders smashed down around them, but none came within 20 feet of hitting them. "Well, we're done with the volcanoes." Tyler commented cheerfully, coughing a couple times from the dusty water. Another thing the smog of the war had ruined... his lungs. His breathing was quite labored since he had to take in more oxygen from the water than normal, and he coughed a lot because the water was filled with rocks and other junk. Red hot welts had already appeared on his bare back where the water had singed his skin. "I'd suggest we finish this leg of the journey quickly." Tyler said quietly, his voice a bit gruff because of the lack of oxygen. Yes, his normal voice was gruff, but his voice was now even more so.

Sorry, I wrote half a reply and then Chrome crashed. Been super busy with finishing lectures for the year and studying for exams next week! Hopefully I don't do something dumb to lose this one XD )

Raine made it out of the tunnel mere seconds after Tyler did, and immediately started crying. Her skin was hot and in some places, had been burned by the boiling water, and the hair on the back of her her neck and arms stood on end. The stress of it all, and what was to come, crashed over the storm surge barrier she had built within her mind. Her eyes burned with the overwhelming light, but she didn't have time to wait for them to adjust before she had to follow Tyler to what could very well be her death.

Raine let herself cry as she swam over and around hot geysers, trying her best to follow her travel companion. But, as she was a few seconds behind him and had to stop to wait out the odd geyser as it blew, the distance between them grew more and more frightening. She had to keep an eye on Tyler so she didn't veer off course, keep a watch of the geysers ahead to judge their timing, keep her pace so she didn't get too slow, and keep her inexperienced mind from crumbling under the pressure of all of the above. At just two more moves to make, she noticed Tyler look up, and could barely hear him as he shouted at her to take cover. She didn't think she could go any faster, but the cold fear of death had her swimming harder, through the muscle cramps and all. She caught up to Tyler, and then suddenly, he had grabbed her and they were diving over the edge of the canyon. Raine squeezed her eyes shut, and kept them shut until he spoke again. She hadn't even noticed that he'd let her go until her eyes opened to find a couple of feet between them.

All she wanted to do was sink to the bottom, lie down, and sleep. Her body hurt, and she could barely think over the fear that clouded her mind. Raine watched Tyler's lips move, and nodded robotically to whatever he said. She had not the energy for anything more.

Tyler's eyes darkened slightly with, not pity but... grief for Raine. She shouldn't ever have to go through this. Heck, meeting him was a bad omen in itself. "Hey, we're gonna be ok, got it? I'll get you through this. I'll keep you safe. Come on." Tyker said quietly, swimming a little closer and holding her so that he could swim and she could rest. "I know where a couple glaciers are... surprisingly not that far away. We can cool off." He said soothingly, swimming strongly to avoid ripping currents. Tyler swiftly shot through the water, holding Raine gently and trying not to touch her burns. The water soon grew colder, a soothing, comforting cold that made his burns feel much better. The water became a deeper blue and a grey glacier appeared, stretching down hundreds of feet into the water.

Tyler carried Raine to a small ledge he had hacked out a long time ago, gentle putting her down. "I promise, I'll get you through this. You will save your queen, I'll go back to lonely living, we will NEVER visit this horrible place again, and everything will be fine!" He nodded as if making a point. "And that's a lot for me to say because I'm a bit of a pessimist, sad to say, but I am. Plus this is like more words I've said in one go in about 20 years, plus I wouldn't be saying ANY of this unless I was sure I could get you through, safely." Tyler looked Raine in the eye with the same determination he had... when saving his animals from a shark or something. Weird, but true.

Raine went limp in Tyler's arms, allowing him to carry her weight, light as she was. She imagined that if she had her legs she'd wrap them around his waist and hold on like a koala. One of her burn patches pressed against the skin of his torso, but she paid no mind to it, the cooling water gently soothing her skin. Raine's mind drifted as Tyler's soft words sank in. Assurance that they would be fine, that she would succeed in her quest settled her.

Tenderness looked good on this huge, rough merman. A funny feeling twisted deep in her chest. A squeezing of sorts, or like something was building. Possibly it was the being cared for that brought on such a sensation. Usually, it was Raine who did the caring. Raine, who constantly reassured her king and queen of the kingdom's loyalties. Raine, who always made accommodations for other people, who kept the peace in the court, who fulfilled orders and traveled across kingdoms with the smallest of messages because a message from her monarchs had to be delivered in person. It was nice to be on the receiving end of tenderness and empathy for a change.

Raine hissed at the cold contact of the ice before sighing and sinking into it. She lay on the ledge, willing her eyes to portray every single ounce of gratitude she had for this merman. A gentle smile played on her lips at his determined yet gentle words. "Your cove isn't so horrible," she pointed out. "In fact, it is quite lovely- your peaceful place of healing and nurturing. And if you accept, I think I would rather like to come visit you when I have time of my own." Raine pat Tyler's arm in a small show of affection. She decided that they would bond over this trip, and he would not be lonely anymore, not on her watch. Like it or not, he had her now.