In her eyes... I saw myself

Basic Trust Training tier 1 for Vainoharha! Believe it or not, her handler Kyynsointu hasn't always been the evil-doer you know nowadays. Everyone start from somewhere and this is where she started...

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Salty wind hit Kyynsointu's face when she climbed on deck, looking at the endless horizon opening in front of her. It was whispering secrets to her ears, waves of the sea joining the choir like telling a story of the ancient ones. Whatever was behing that scenery, it was waiting her and her crew.
Kyynsointu, a mere shark mermaid, felt herself especially lucky when she was accepted to the crew of a pirate ship. It was first one to come into her path after she left the sea, with her new magical pair of legs. Her desire was to stay near water, but see the world around her; going around in fast and powerful ship was the best option. Kyynsointu watched how sail dropped, puffing up by the power of wind as soon it was tied down. The ship moved, and it started to slice through water with ease. They were on their journey.

Kyynsointu was newest member of the crew, so the pirates gave her medioecre tasks, such as cleaning. She wasn't allowed to join raids when they encountered other ships on open sea. Others suggested that the mermaid would leave the deck and stay down, avoiding gunfire with all her might. She was sure that one day she could attack like others, but not today. But the most exciting part of her job was to take care from their cargo. It was mostly valuables, such as paintings, gold, gemstones and silk, but there was something extra-ordinary; a kukuri.
It was supposed to be delivered to man across the ocean, far away from its home country. Capturing it took months, they told, and it looked beautiful and fierce animal when Kyynsointu walked near the place it was being held. It was huge like a horse, glimmering like pearls of the sea and it had same kind of glowing green spots than some fish had underwater. It was beautiful animal; but wild one. When Kyynsointu carried it food during first day, she was assuming she could remove muzzle from the animal so it could feast. But instead of eating it lunged itself towards her, attacking the mermaid and wounding her, screeching like the death itself. Kyynsointu escaped the cabin and other pirates were forced to restrain the kukuri during that day. After that she only would remove the muzzle if the food bucket was near enough the animal and jumped away when the creature snarled. But no matter how carefully and neatly she did it, the kukuri refused to eat.

At first it seemed like it was being difficult for sake of being difficult. After all, the kukuri was forced away from its country, into a strange ship, shackled all day long in small cabin. But then Kyynsointu noticed it was getting weaker. It didn't snarl at her with the same power that it used to. It just kinda looked at her badly when she brought the food bucket. It was left untouched.
Kyynsointu started to spent more time with the kukuri. She still admired it for its power, and seeing it in such a weakened stage made her heart sink. Day after day she carried food to it, hoping it would eat. And even if she could hear the growling stomach of the animal, it just turned its nose and refused to look at her or the bucket. Other pirates said that it doesn't matter if the animal don't eat; it's not their fault. It will be just damaged cargo then. But the trip was long and they weren't even halfway yet, they had many harbours to visit. Kyynsointu was afraid that the kukuri wouldn't make it.

She spent nights with the kukuri. Other pirates said she was crazy and too soft, but they still allowed it since she was its caretaker. During long quiet nights the mermaid watched the animal, breathing heavily under the muzzle and looking right back at her with glowing green eyes. Behind those eyes Kyynsointu was able to see fierce soul, trying to figure way out from this situation. The animal was lost; so was she. And first time in kukuri's eyes, Kyynsointu saw herself.

After weeks in the trip, the pirates were highly surprised to see that the animal was finally eating. It gobbled the bucket empty in seconds, not stopping to breathe even for a moment. Kyynsointu stood in safe distance, watching proudly the kukuri who was getting stronger and stronger each day. It ate four times a day, not very nutritious food but it was energy nevertheless. And not single time it attacked the mermaid ever again. Pirates saw the bond between two creatures and they were amazed, and fearful. How powerful pirate could be a mermaid who just tamed the beast?

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