Sea Folk

The world was spinning, the rushing roar of air drowning out any other noise.
Including my scream.
What else was I supposed to do? Tumbling through the air doesn't give you many options when you don't have wings.
I knew I shouldn't have gone up to the deck tonight. Cabin boys aren't paid to investigate strange noises. At least, I wasn't. Nope, all I needed to do was go back to sleep until it was time to help Cook prepare breakfast.
But no, I just had to see what was happening.
Turns out, it was the start of a mutiny, 'cause some of the newest crewmen were actually pirates.
And they didn't like a cabin boy stumbling in on them getting ready to attack the Captain.
So, I'd managed to sound the alarm and wake the rest of the crew.
But they didn't get above deck in time to save me from getting thrown over the side.
If we'd been an old-fashioned vessel, I'd have splashed into water and could've been fished out.
But no, I had to live in the age of cloud skippers, because nobody with any sense dared sail the forbidden seas anymore. It was much safer to travel in airships. At least, so long as you didn't fall off.
So here I was, plummeting to my death. I wasn't even screaming anymore. No point, when I'd been falling long enough for the terror to fade to a glum knot in my stomach.
Folks fell off airships all the time. During storms, when fighting off the rocs or pirates, or just because of poor luck. It was the risk of being on an airship. Sure, sometimes you're lucky enough to be harnessed to the ship, if you happen to fall while doing repairs. And some noble ships give their passengers and crew personal parachutes. But the Dandelion Fluff wasn't well off enough for everybody to get a 'chute, and even if I'd had one, it probably would've still been by my hammock.
I wasn't sure how long it would take to reach to ground. Didn't really want to think about the landing, actually. Though it probably wouldn't be on land, since we'd been on a course across one of the forbidden seas to deliver supplies to the islands of Harv'olos.
So, I'd probably land on water. Not gonna be nice, not that any landing would've been nice at this speed.
At least between the air ripping at my face and the darkness of night, I'd never see the water comin—

"—you thinking!" said a voice. It was kinda echoey, unlike any I'd ever heard. I was surprised to be hearing anything, though I couldn't figure out just why that was. My everything hurt, but especially my head. Did I really need to be conscious? 
"He was going to die!" said a new voice. Younger, maybe, but still echoey. "If he'd hit the surface at that speed without my charm, it would have killed him."
"Then should have let him!" said the first voice, who I decided I didn't like. Were they really upset the younger person had saved someone's life?
"He's just a kid. Groundlings already have short enough lives, why should I have let his be cut short?" the second voice asked, fully of the defiance of someone who knew exactly what rules they'd just broken. I should know that tone, as I'd once breathed it every minute of the day.
Maybe if I could convince my eyes to open, I'd get to see if the owner of the second voice was wearing the I-don't-care-what-the-rules-were face.
"What will your father say?" asked the first voice wearily.
"I claim responsibility for him," the second voice said, "I'll teach him our ways, make sure he doesn't accidentally wander into Trenceona territory, or any other foolishness."
"He's a groundling, not a hippocampi," said the first voice sternly, "your father won't be happy you saved him, and even less happy with how you did it."
Okay, eyes, we really need to see exactly what a groundling is, and why our echoey voices are fighting over its continued existence.
An odd moan escaped as I finally got too heavy eyelids to open. The world was tinted with an odd blueish light, and was strangely wavering, like a mirage brought in close. My eyes itched, almost like I'd opened them underwater.
Wait. Not almost like. Exactly like!
I turned my head toward the voices, and found the movement felt like it would've underwater. Odd. I couldn't actually be underwater, because I was breathing. And the last I'd checked, I couldn't breath water.
My eyes finally focused enough to make out the owners of the voices, and fear filled my gut. There were two of the Sea Folk mere feet from me! Deathly pale skin like a drowned man covered their humanlike upper body. Serpentine tails covered in ridged scales took the place of legs, strangely beautiful despite the horrific power within them.
I scrambled to run away, get away before these monsters could kill me. Sea Folk were supposed to stay in the forbidden seas! Why were they here? How could two of them have gotten on the Dandelion Fluff?
My legs weren't working right, I couldn't seem to get them moving.
Wait. I wasn't on the Dandelion Fluff. I'd... when thrown overboard.
One of the Sea Folk moved closer, somehow floating through the air. Or was it swimming?
No, I'm breathing, and I can't breathe water. My aching head twinged a little at my reasoning, but I'd worse things to focus on than something off about my breathing.
"You're awake!" the Sea Folk said with the younger voice I'd heard earlier. This was the owner of the second voice? The one who'd rescued a groundling? She had bright blue hair that swayed and melted into the blueish light of this place, along with neon yellow eyes. Behind her, an older Sea Folk gave a long-suffering sigh as he rubbed one webbed hand against his face.
"Wonderful, now you'll have a chance to bond with groundling, and nothing I say will convince you to leave him here," the older Sea Folk said, and I recognized him as the first voice. He had startlingly green hair, kept neatly braided. His eyes were equally green, in such a rich hue I'd never seen in a person.
"Wait," I said as his words caught in my brain, "I'm not a groundling, whatever that is." Since my legs still weren't working and they hadn't tried to eat me yet, my fear had decided to fade back into a glum knot.
The older Sea Folk looked at me and shook his head with a sigh. "Goundlings are those two-legged creatures that dwell above the surface and once tried to pillage the great seas. Lately, they've moved on to ships that sail through the clouds. You were a groundling, before Her Highness decided to disobey multiple laws in her attempt to save your life."
The younger Sea Folk gave the older one a stern look. "Norfis, I was well within my rights to grant sanctuary to one in need."
Norfis laughed. "One usually must claim sanctuary before it can be extended."
I quickly raised my hand. "Um, I claim sanctuary?" Guest rights couldn't be much different, right? Surely the Sea Folk don't eat people who've claimed sanctuary?
"Granted." the younger Sea Folk looked smug. She extended a webbed hand to me. "I, Princess Cassiopeia De'Curan of the Reefaros claim responsibility for..." she tilted her head at me.
"Zachary Michaels," I said after I realized she wanted my name. Wait, was it Sea Folk you weren't supposed to tell your name to, or something else? Well, too late now.
"...for Zachary Michaels, formally of the groundlings." Princess Cassiopeia finished solemnly, wiggling her webbed fingers in what I assumed was a hint that I should take it.
I stretched out my hand, but froze when I actually saw it. It was webbed. My head jerked down to look at myself, and my achy brain finally figured out why my legs weren't working.
I didn't have legs anymore.
Instead, a horrible serpentine tail coiled beneath me, ridged scales a deep midnight blue-black.
I'd been turned into a Sea Folk!
It was too much. So I fainted.