It’s a quiet night in the dark waters of the Reef, and a certain orca mer is doing his nightly patrols. Bruce glides through the water, his powerful tail swishing up and down as his gaze rakes the outskirts of the home he’s curated with his pod.

His mind drifts to the others back in the many dens. Everyone’s content, despite the various backgrounds they’d all come from. A soft sigh leaves his lips, and he continues with his patrol, keeping the border safe from any dangerous outsiders.

Eventually, he comes across one of the farther corners of the territory, where the seabed spreads out further beyond the Reef. His eyes sweep the dunes, expecting nothing to be out of the ordinary.

But he was anything but right about that. What’s Bruce Wayne without something un-ordinary?

In the far distance, he spots blood in the waters, and his senses heighten at the sight. Usually, he’d ignore it, guessing it was a shark having its meal. But this wasn’t the usual amount.

He begins to swim over, eyes narrowing as he gets closer.

And what he finds sends a shiver down his spine, eyes widening at the sight he’s met with. A small mer pup, curled close to an injured parent. The parent was lifeless, fins floating freely in the ocean water, a fatal wound in their side.

The pup looked unaware of the parent’s state, and that just makes Bruce feel worse. Swallowing, he drifts closer, lowering his head to make himself seem smaller as to not spook the pup away. The little thing looked exhausted, and there were some wounds scattered on their tail.

He already knows what he’s planning to do. He can’t just leave the hatchling out here like this, he’d never forgive himself. That, and his fatherly instincts are kicking in full force, urging him to take the pup into his arms and protect them with his life.

A calming chitter escapes his mouth before he can stop himself, catching the attention of the pup.

“Hello, little one,” He manages, lowering himself to their level. He tries to avoid looking at the lifeless parent next to them.