Oystercatcher Tide Pools bounty of the sea

The stranger came upon them so suddenly that Astraios did not know what to do. He was most concerned with the siren of course, noticing how she grappled with a crab. He skittered closer to her in the manner of the crustacean that now attached itself to her delicate ear, but shrank back when she turned her shark-like head towards him. The boy tried to make himself small but simultaneously moved as if to aid her — reaching for the crab with his teeth to save her from the pain of it, with wide and worried eyes.

But then the crab dropped.

The sound of the creature hitting the sand made Astraios jerk himself back again, and when Meteora shoved a paw atop its shell to hold it firmly in place, he felt a bolt of sympathy pain roll through his own back. The boy remained silent and resumed his search, his ears on a constant pivot.