Two young guards are roaming the castle, chatting with each other ,

"Have you heard yet?" one merman guard says.

"No, what am I missing?" the other asked.

"You don't know!? Rumors are going around that a mysterious mer is around the area.", he looks around, lowering his voice in a whisper,

"They say it might even be a..siren ." The other guard scoffs at him, shaking his head,

"Impossible! Sirens have long since been gone. Even if there were a siren out there, it wouldn't last long without a mate." The one guard who told the 'rumor' puffs up his chest, punching the skeptical merman in the arm. The two guards continue their conversation as they swim down the hall, not noticing two shadowy figures eavesdropping on them.

The two strangers leave, swimming back to their master in a semi - deep cave cut out of a cliffside. The two enter the cave, potions ,and ingredients littering the shelves, books and notes scattered about carelessly. In the light now, the two shadowy figures become more defined. The first shadow is a hagfish mermaid with long, tangled hair of dirty white that almost glows against her sickly pale, almost white, skin. Even though the hagfish's face is mostly covered, you can see glowing white eyes that have one dot of black in them and a very bony body with a humped back with long, sharp yellow claws that have red flakes of blood on them. The other figure is a viperfish merman that is a striking contrast to his mermaid companion. His short, shaggy black hair that makes his crooked smile full of bone - white jagged needle teeth more obvious but does not take away from his fit, ashy skinned upper body that is marred with dark scars.

They both look at each other nervously, one stepping up to a middle-aged looking Fang Tooth merman with short, cropped coppery hair and small, round black eyes who was looking at a shelf of bottles, notes, and books of all kinds. The Fang Tooth merman is lean, but still has muscles that are toned by his pale skin and a round face that seems to match his toothy frown. He has small claws but seemed to be filed down to roundness. The Fang Tooth merman turns around with a sigh, crossing his arms,

"What is it now? Can't you two bother me later? I'm doing something very important ." The hagfish mermaid, whimpers, cowering back a bit while the other merman tried to look brave,

"Sir, we have great news to tell you. There were rumors about a siren." Their boss raises a brow, putting the finger on his chin in thought,

"A siren. That opens me up to a whole world of possibilities!" He says giddily, a viscous grin on his face. The Viperfish merman gulps, looking more nervous now,

"But sir, the other merpeople have already found out about the siren and are looking for it." The Fang Tooth merman gets angry, throwing a bottle at them but missing,

"They what!?". They both shiver in fear, cowering in the corner when their boss stalks towards them.

"You two better go find that siren before those stupid, snotty merpeople do, or it is your tails!." He growls out. The two other mers nod their heads vigorously, quickly swimming out of the cave. The Fang Tooth merman sighs, turning back to the shelf and grabbing a book, the cover has a picture of a Siren on it, opening it to a specific chapter,

"This is an exciting development. That siren, I must have it!" He slams the book closed, looking over the things on the shelf with purpose.