“How?” I asked.
Muzo smiled up at me. “Because I’m still alive.”
The strength of Muzo’s resolve struck me like lightning. I was rooted to the spot, captivated endlessly by him.
“And if I’m alive, anything’s possible,” Muzo added. “Right?”
A shiver of emotion ran through me. This small, goofy omega was wiser than anybody gave him credit for.
“Right,” I said slowly. Turning back to the tank, I asked, “Where have you seen this before?”
Muzo suddenly chuckled. “Oh, yeah, I forgot half my story. So, when I was a kid, I went on an awesome cruise with my mom. My dad was never in the picture, so it was just the two of us. Anyway, it was our first vacation ever. She’d saved up for a year at her cashier job. I was freaking stoked!”
I smiled along with his enthusiasm.
“So we bought our tickets and showed up to board. That’s when we saw the ‘no shifters’ sign.” Muzo’s grin lost its luster. “My mom checked the tickets, and sure enough, it was in the fine print, too. She’d been so excited to take me on a vacation that she didn’t check thoroughly.”
A cold feeling settled in my stomach like silt.
“But it was fine,” Muzo went on. “She told me to stay in my human form, and everything would be okay. I could totally do that, so aboard we went!”
Sensing the story was about to take a turn for the worst, I subconsciously moved closer to him.
“We had an awesome time,” Muzo said. “It was so much fun running around on a big ship, seeing the ocean, and eating as much shrimp as I wanted.”
I made a mental note to provide shrimp for him at the next opportunity.
“Anyways, it was a family cruise, so there were a bunch of other kids my age on board. We ran around chasing each other while our parents chilled.” Muzo paused thoughtfully. “And probably had a little too much to drink, now that I think about it, ‘cause nobody was chaperoning us.”
The unsettled feeling flared up again. I put my hand on Muzo’s shoulder as a reminder that it was in the past, and that he was safe. Whether the reminder was for his sake or mine, I didn’t know.
Muzo continued. “At one point, I got tired, so I took a break to look at the ocean. I leaned against the railing. My palms were all sweaty from chasing and being chased. But the other kids were still full of energy. They roughhoused as one big pack of unsupervised children... and they knocked me overboard.”
I held my breath. It was in the past, and Muzo was here with me now, but that didn’t stop the chill in my blood.
Muzo was quiet for a moment as he stared into the tank. “I shifted out of instinct. The second I hit the water, I was in jackal form, doggy paddling for my life. I heard later that on the ship, nobody knew what to do. They all stared at me in disbelief ‘cause they thought I was human, just like them. I wasn’t even supposed to be there.”
I kept waiting for the crack of emotion in Muzo’s voice, but it never came. He didn’t seem hurt when he had every right to be. How could so much positivity fit in one tiny omega?
“What happened next?” I asked.
Muzo tilted his head. “After a while, my legs got tired. I stopped struggling. I didn’t know when—or if—help was coming, so I figured I’d save my energy. For a minute, I sank below the surface and closed my eyes...” He pressed a hand to the glass. “And I saw this place.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“What?” I breathed.
“I dunno if it was a hallucination or vision or what, but it looked exactly like this room,” Muzo murmured. “There was this big glass tank full of water and the snail and those silvery fish and these little shrimp. It was mostly empty, like yours is.” Muzo angled his head towards me. “At the time, I really felt like I wasthere. Here, I mean. It was so peaceful and safe, I forgot I’d fallen overboard. I calmed down and shifted back. When I went up again for air, I was in human form, and the ship’s crew sent down an emergency ladder for me.”
Overwhelmed, I pulled Muzo into an embrace. He was so much smaller than me that I had to lean down to bury my face in his hair. It smelled amazing. Sohim.I filled my lungs with his scent, content knowing he was here with me right now, safe and secure.
“I’m sorry that happened to you,” I murmured.
Muzo laughed softly. “I appreciate that. But honestly, I’m glad it happened.”
I frowned. “How can you be glad that humans pushed you overboard? You could’ve died.”
“But I didn’t. Besides, it was an accident. No harm, no foul.” His smile reached his eyes. “If that never happened, I never would’ve seen that vision.” He paused, a blush staining his cheeks. “I think it led me to you, Cobalt.”
