Zach, the strongest of all shark mers. But also the loneliest. Every mer in the ocean flees from him when they see him. He has found himself a good-sized cave to make his den in.

He is patrolling his territory when the most enticing scent reaches his nose. He follows the scent and finds perhaps the most beautiful betta fish mer in all his memory. He hides in a nearby kelp forest, watching them.

He notices how the mer is swimming slowly, as though distressed, and that their hand is on their stomach, which is slightly distended. He peeks closer and stiffens. The betta fish mer is with eggs, but they are not fertilized.