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Chapter 5: Mantis Forest

(Ariel)

Ariel swam through the warm seawater, her red hair flowing freely behind her, her tail beating through the still sea causing currents to ripple through the water behind her. The sea was her home and she loved being in the water, but she also enjoyed being up on the surface—floating on the water with the sun beating down on her, the cool ocean air flowing over her wet skin and shimmering tail. How could any merfolk resist wanting to be where the ocean met the sky? Of course, it helped that Ariel had a truly valid reason to enjoy the surface.

Elsa is so wonderful! Who knew my prince would turn out to be such a pleasant, wonderful, and beautiful young woman. Ariel grinned as she thought of her new blonde friend. I hope I can find something deserving of Elsa. She certainly deserves something more than just the plain mackerel and tuna fish swimming around here.

The sun's golden glow beat down on the water, warming the surface and causing the sea to sparkle all around the young mermaid. Fish darted out of Ariel's way as she made her way through the water. A pod of dolphins swam overhead, their silvery bodies glimmering against the sunlight. Ariel had noticed that she had swum a long distance from Elsa's boat. It had to have been almost an hour since departing the blonde, Ariel figured. In that time she had foraged the shallow seabed for clamshells large enough for her breasts, but all of the nice ones were too small. The ones that were large enough had been cracked or broken already.

As Ariel continued her search for a clamshell, she noticed the rumblings of hunger beginning to settle in her stomach. The sea was getting deeper the farther she traveled, the light becoming less and less. Up ahead, a thick forest of kelp rose from the bottom of the seabed. She stopped and thought about turning back and just telling Elsa that she couldn't find anything suitable for her bust. Why Elsa was so embarrassed at seeing her bare-breasted anyways was beyond the mermaid.

But she gets so embarrassed seeing my breasts, Ariel told herself. It makes no sense. They're just breasts. We use them to feed our babies. Don't the humans use theirs for similar functions? Maybe their breasts are strictly for show? Maybe they can't use them for feeding? Ariel pondered the thought a few moments.

Hovering idly over the vastly expansive forest, Ariel stared down into the thick kelp. It was dark beyond the deep green kelp leaves, pitch black. Though the ocean floor had surely been limned in sunlight at one time, the kelp needed the sunlight to thrive. The higher the forest rose, the more sunlight each kelp tree would absorb; and with each tree battling for nourishment via the sunlight the more the ocean floor had become shrouded in darkness. Ariel was aware that traveling the forest alone could be potentially dangerous. She straightened her spine, furrowed her brow, and took in a deep breath. Determined to find a new bra, Ariel made her way into the green, underwater forest.

As she descended; the sunlight diminished as the kelp forest grew thicker, turning the bright sea into a dark abyss. Her dark-sea vision enabled her to see everything below her clearly. With the water darkening, fewer fish darted away from Ariel. She certainly had the upper hand if she were to opt for fish for lunch.

All around her were thick, kelp leaves swaying gently in the soft, sea currents flowing through the forest. She was careful not to move too fast she didn't want to disturb any of the creatures unknown to her that may be living in the forest. The last thing she wanted on her quest to find a bra was trouble.

As Ariel reached the floor of the underwater forest, her tail settled against the seabed knocking up loose dirt and dust along with mollusks and shrimp. She plucked a shrimp from the water and shoved it in her mouth. Shrimp had always been her favorite and it was always so plentiful and easy to find. She grinned as a shiver went down her spine, her growing hunger being slightly sated. Eating one little shrimp won't spoil my appetite. She plucked another shrimp from the dirt cloud and shoved it in her mouth. A wicked grin crossed her lips as she ate another shrimp.

The dirt cloud settled as did the floating snacks. Looking ahead of her, she noticed several large rocks between the gangly stalks of kelp all with algae growing on them. There were also several clams and mussels and empty shells sitting on the seabed, but still there were none that would fit Ariel's breasts. She hovered over the seabed, with her hands on the seafloor pulling herself along while her tailfin slithered through the water like a snake, up and down.

As Ariel inched her way through the thick forest, she came across a conch shell that was roughly three times the size of her own hand. She picked it up and marveled at it. It was smooth on the surface with several sharp, pointed spires near its apex. It was masked in a green hue due to her dark-sea vision, but considering most conch shells were beautiful when in direct sunlight, she had no reason to believe that this conch was any different. I wonder if Elsa would like this? It seems pretty enough to match her beauty. Ariel turned it over and fingered the opening, finding that it was empty inside. She can hold it up to her ear and listen to the sea tell her its secrets, Ariel thought as she put the conch near her ear.

At first the conch was silent, but then it whispered, "Beware of the Queen." Ariel furrowed her brow. She pulled the conch away from her ear and stared at it. "Who's the Queen? I'm not a Queen." Ariel put the conch next to her ear again, but unfortunately it was silent this time. She shrugged off the conch shell's message and holding it in her hand, she then continued her search for a clamshell for her bosom.

Ariel made her way through the green underwater foliage—the slick, smooth kelp leaves tickling her belly and her tail as she swam. Knowing she would need something to tie the clamshells together with when making her bra, Ariel moved over to a thin, barely-grown stalk of kelp—a stipe—and broke it off near its base. She stripped the long, narrow stipe of its tiny leaves and then wrapped it around her hand so it wouldn't dangle behind her, possibly getting caught on something. She continued her trek, swimming through the kelp forest admiring the forest as a whole.

A plethora of thick, lush seaweed covered the seabed. Algae covered almost everything at the bottom of the sea. Sea urchins of all colors, Ariel imagined as everything was green to her in the dark, lived anywhere they could and fish swam alongside Ariel, unafraid of what they couldn't see. Starfish rested on the algae-covered rocks at the seabed casually awaiting their next meals as several octopi had settled themselves in the dirt, hoping the mermaid wasn't craving cephalopod for dinner. Ariel passed over the sea creatures, though, despite her hunger beginning to return to her.

As she moved through the dark forest, she could see what looked to be a clearing up ahead. Ariel batted her tail through the water and rushed forward, excited at finding a clearing amid the thick kelp trees. As she swam faster and faster between the tall, thick kelp trees coming closer to the edge of the forest, she came to an abrupt stop upon seeing the cause of the clearing.

Tall, thick kelp trees had been smashed to the seafloor in what looked to be a trail of some kind as if something had rampaged through the forest. The trail went on for as long as Ariel could see in either direction and the width from one side of the forest to the other was a few fathoms long, at least. Ariel slowly swam out of the thick brush, jaw hanging agape, as she marveled at the trampled kelp trees.

She hovered just above the seabed examining the seafloor. The kelp trees hadn't just been bent or severely stunted upon growth, they had been broken at their bases and even uprooted. Looking back at the forest she had just come out of and examining the sheer density of each healthy kelp trunk, Ariel could only imagine a creature the size of a whale having the strength to do this much damage to a forest.

I don't think whales come into forests, though—or at least not this far into forests. Often times you run into a forest to escape a whale.

Never had Ariel seen anything like this before. Then again, never had she been in a forest by herself, either. When she was younger, she had always been warned by her sisters to never venture into the forest outside of Atlantica for fear of devious, ravenous sea witches that often prayed on young merfolk such as herself. Of course, she had always suspected those warnings as being myths and fables conjured up to scare young merfolk as children. Never did she believe in them until she learned that her own aunt had in fact been a sea witch.

Ariel's pulse quickened as she could feel it rising in her throat. She shifted quickly from side-to-side keeping an eye out for any and all danger. Whatever caused this destruction is sure to return, Ariel told herself. Figuring she'd be safer in the forest rather than following the clearing, at least until she found a clamshell of a comfortable size, Ariel beat her tail and swam back into the thick brush. She beat her tail hard, wanting to swim as quickly as possible away from the flattened kelp trees.

Once she was a good distance away from the clearing, she slowed her speed and floated with the gentle currents. The large, thick kelp leaves rustled serenely in the water and brought a bit of calmness to Ariel and her fluttering heart.

She continued floating with the current until her attention was seized by the sound of a loud pop! She recognized the sound almost immediately. The only thing in the water to make such a loud popping noise like that was the very thing she loved to eat most—shrimp. Unfortunately, this wasn't any normal shrimp. Based on the loud popping noise, Ariel knew right away that this was the fiercely dangerous mantis shrimp.

Seizing her full attention and her curiosity, Ariel vacated the gentle current drifting through the forest and darted between troves of seaweed, following the sound. She found the stomatopod laying in a barren part of the forest with a large shell in its grasp. She perked up at seeing the shell. It was possible that it would fit her breasts, but without examining it closely, she wasn't entirely sure. Ariel decided right then that she had to have the shell. It was her only way of knowing whether or not it was big enough to fit her bust.

Not wanting to startle the mantis shrimp, she nestled herself in the green seaweeds all around her and did her best to blend in with the forest. Her green tail was great for camouflage in the forest, but her peach, fair skin wasn't. Ariel studied the large shrimp quietly, meticulously.

It was facing the opposite direction as Ariel so she wasn't concerned with the stomatopod seeing her. If she had to guess, it was probably as long as her forearms, if not longer. It was most definitely wider than her forearms, though, which meant that she wasn't dealing with a young mantis. On top of that, being surrounded by the darkness didn't bother mantis shrimp either. Like Ariel, mantis shrimp could see in the dark. If she went at it unprepared, she would certainly lose the fight and the shell—and possibly her life.

Ariel had heard stories of other merfolk trying to take on adult-sized mantis shrimp with deadly results. She had always been told to never get in a tail-to-claw fight with mantis shrimp should she ever come across one, because their best tactics when dealing with merfolk were to pierce the merfolk's skin or scaly tails with their claws, which were used for spearing, stunning, and dismembering prey or as an act of defense, causing the merfolk to bleed profusely. Then, the shrimp would burrow under the seabed and wait for something larger such as a shark to sense the blood and finish off the injured merfolk. Ariel's best chance at surviving this encounter was to use distance. It was her only way to win the battle.

Growing up as the youngest of six older sisters, Ariel had often times been the center of her sisters' bullying. Aquata, the unofficial sporty sister, had eventually taken pity on Ariel and had taught her how to physically defend herself. As time went on, Ariel and Aquata had grown closer—though not in the same way that Attina and Andrina had grown closer—and the red headed princess learned a few tricks when it came to self-defense, and not just from her sisters, but from predators as well. Being an avid explorer, despite her father's disapproval, Ariel had learned all that Aquata had taught her had really helped when it came to keeping herself safe.

The mantis shrimp cracked its claws at the shell again, attempting to smash it open. If the shrimp was successful, Ariel would be without a suitable shell to wear should it prove to be large enough for her breasts. She had the choice of leaving the shrimp alone and potentially finding another shell large enough for her bust deeper in the forest, but whatever had caused the clearing in the other part of the forest still frightened the young mermaid. She wanted out of the forest as quickly as possible and if that meant taking on a single mantis shrimp to get her shell, then so be it.

For as much as Ariel loved to eat shrimp, she had never dared to take on a mantis shrimp before. Today would be her day, though. Not only could she possibly get her bra, but Elsa was hungry and delivering a mantis shrimp to her would surely show Elsa just how much Ariel admired her. When other merfolk would take their dates out to eat on romantic evenings, mantis shrimp was considered a prime delicacy and an excellent way of showing affection because mantis shrimp are so deadly to acquire, thus making them rare and pricey.

Ariel pondered this for a moment.

Am I seriously thinking of giving Elsa a mantis shrimp? Other merfolk do it as a way of showing their affection. Am I showing my affection for Elsa by doing this? Ariel's heart fluttered in her chest, causing a warm tingling feeling to disperse through her chest and into her tail. She giggled as the tingling sent a shiver down her spine. I'm just being friendly. It's a friendly gesture. Elsa will understand.

Nonetheless, the thought brought a grin to Ariel's face.

Laying low in the kelp, Ariel thought about how she should approach this situation. Going in with melee attacks was obviously not ideal or smart. Feeling the bound stipe tighten around her clenched fist as she thought up a plan, suddenly brought an idea to her mind. With the seaweed wrapped in one hand and the conch shell in the other, Ariel realized she could use what she had learned from Aquata growing up to make a makeshift flail.

Aquata had taught Ariel how to wrangle seahorses using the stipe of seaweed and turning it into a lasso. It just may actually work, she thought. Besides, it's just one mantis. She unwound the stipe from around her hand and tied one end around the conch. She tied the stipe in a double knot and swung the weapon above her head, the conch not coming loose. It wasn't a lasso, but hopefully she could use it in a similar fashion. I've already saved a beautiful young woman; I might as well do something else great today.

Unfortunately, the currents caused by the swinging of her newly-crafted weapon alerted the mantis shrimp of Ariel's presence. The shrimp let loose of the clamshell, quickly turning toward Ariel, readying itself to put up a defense. Thinking fast, Ariel swam out of the foliage and swiped her hand through the dirt of the seabed, causing a brown, cloudy mess of dirt and debris to blind the stomatopod. She swung her conch flail through the water and brought it down hard where the shrimp had been. When the dirt and dust settled, the shrimp was gone as was the clamshell.

Ariel's eyes widened with panic.

Where'd it go?

"Where did it go?" she screamed, reiterating her thoughts.

She dropped to the seabed and began digging through the dirt aware of how dangerous this could be should she come in direct contact with the shrimp's claws. Dirt and dust plumed in the water behind her as she dug. Suddenly, the seabed gave way as Ariel had unearthed a whole nest of mantis shrimp. She shrieked and quickly beat her tail, lifting herself out of range of all of the shrimp claws bursting through the water at her.

The shrimp began propelling themselves into the sea and swimming after the young mermaid. Ariel shrieked again. She swung the conch flail and hit one of the mantis shrimp, knocking it against an algae-covered rock, its hard exoskeleton cracking. More and more shrimp swam at Ariel. She did her best to put up a fight, but with her flail she was only able to strike one shrimp at a time. Thinking on her fin, Ariel used her best asset: her tail.

Ariel flipped onto her back and began beating her tail with ferocity. It was a maneuver that Aquata had taught her in order to keep opponents at bay. The currents she caused knocked the shrimp back, dispersing them. She swung her weapon above her head and aimed at an oncoming mantis. The conch crashed into the shrimp, a loud crack ringing through the water as the shrimp's exoskeleton cracked upon impact. It sunk to the seabed and Ariel's small victory was short-lived as more shrimp made their way toward her.

She began taking one shrimp out at a time. Soon the many shrimp that she had unearthed became only a few. Her tail was growing tired and despite the currents that it was creating, she was forced to stop beating it. Her heart beating in her chest and her chest and cheeks flushed, she swung her weapon again and hit another shrimp. Ariel surveyed the nest roughly two fathoms below her and noticed the clamshell she had wanted, unprotected and just sitting in the dirt. With only a few shrimp left alive, Ariel decided to try and out swim them.

She grabbed the conch hanging at the end of her flail and beat her tail against the water. With several shrimp coming at her, she darted forward, narrowly missing the shrimps' claws. They turned toward the mermaid and made their way back to the nest. Fortunately, for Ariel, she proved to be quicker than the deadly shrimp. She grabbed the shell, holding it between her left arm and her left breast and then grabbed one of the carcasses of the mantis shrimp.

For Elsa, she thought.

With her hands now full, she quickly made her way out of the destroyed nest and back into the kelp forest. The shrimp followed Ariel as quickly as they could. She darted around several troves of thick seaweed and then settled to the floor of the forest, finding a hiding spot under a large, fuzzy, algae-encrusted boulder. She remained silent and still for several minutes unsure of whether the other mantis shrimps had followed her or not. As she poked her head out from under the rock, she noticed the water was clear and calm. All danger seemed to be gone, so she came out and rested upon the fuzzy boulder.

Ariel pulled the clamshell from between her arm and chest and stared at it. It was green in the dark, and while it had a few cracks from the mantis shrimp beating at it, it appeared perfectly suitable to wear. Ariel dug her fingernails into the clamshell and pried it open. Inside was the soft tissue that made the clam what it was. Ariel dug into it with her nails and viciously ripped out the soft, slimy center. She stared at it, contemplating eating it. I don't want to ruin my appetite, especially since I have this delectable mantis shrimp for Elsa and I. Ariel shoved the clam meat in her mouth, savoring the slimy, soft texture along her tongue. No sense in wasting what can be eaten, she thought. Plus, that little fight really burned away the other two shrimp I had eaten earlier so it all equals out.

She pulled the clam apart, tearing it from its hinge. Holding both pieces of the shell in her hands, she held it up to her breasts. They fit perfectly, more so than the old clamshell bra she had from when she was a teenager. Ariel took the stipe that was knotted around the conch shell and chewed it free. She sat it down on the boulder and then proceeded to tie the two halves of the clamshells together until she had a bra. She tied the stipe behind her back and positioned her breasts comfortably inside the shells.

Staring down at her breasts, she sighed. She enjoyed being bare-breasted, but for whatever reason it seemed to fluster Elsa. They're just breasts, Ariel thought, again. Then again, remembering her time as a human, everyone always covered up. It was a human thing that Ariel had never understood, and an odd human thing at that, she thought. She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed the conch shell and the dead mantis shrimp. For Elsa, she thought once again.

As Ariel lifted herself from the rock she noticed a wooden sign similar in design to that of a human's that had been attached to one of the kelp trees. She swam over to it and carved into the wooden sign were words written in Merl—the native language of all merfolk. The sign read, 'Mantis Forest. Beware of the nest of mantis shrimp and the Mantis Queen. Enter at your own risk.'

Ariel stared at the sign with a blank face. "Yeah, thanks," she said bluntly, her voice showing her annoyance. "It would have been great to see you earlier when I thought there was only one shrimp!" She held up the shrimp she currently had with her. Ariel grinned. "I still got the prize, though."

Feeling victorious, Ariel beat her tail, ascending to the surface with the conch shell in one hand and the shrimp carcass in the other. It was going to be a long swim back to Elsa, but dinner would certainly prove to be worth it.