Nikolai was a merman. A rare species, found in freshwater, and not even proven real in most places. He felt trapped where he lived, having to be careful of who was near while hunting for food— then he was captured.

“What beautiful colours... And this is a.. male? What a wonderful catch.”

Nikolai wakes, finding himself in a cylindrical tube filled with water, bright fluorescent lights hurting his eyes. On the other side of the glass, there’s a man standing in front of him with a clipboard.