Page 102 of Citrine

Wait. Are they? After my initial instinctual reaction I realize the water doesn't sting my eyes anymore.

Oh, hell no. Shark eyes?

I open my mouth to ask Wroahk what he sees but realize I am alone in the cave. Wroahk usually tells me when he's leaving, but I must've been too tired to hear him. I don't like being alone.

My thoughts spiral out of control and my anxiety spikes.

Staying in the water is too unsafe for me. I swim out carefully, extending my senses. My tentacles come in handy here, splayed out to their maximum length to sense for predators. I apologize to them for thinking they were practically useless. He explained to me last night how diversified the application for them is.

I make it past the shallow point and I'm heading for the surface. My senses suddenly pick up on something and I turn around to check, but there's nothing as far as my eyes can see.

Determined not to stay there for too long, I push my head out of the water and drag the rest of my body with it, moving to the cove.

As I walk through the grass, the feeling that I'm being watched doesn't fade away. I know he's not Wroahk because my senses can recognize his one-minded stare. This one is different, more unsettling.

I feel like I'm being hunted, and I've had my damn fill of that feeling.

There are a few discarded branches around.

Huh, I wonder if I could spear a fish?

I instantly retch. If it were up to me to provide for us, we wouldn't make it past the first day. I pick weapons up and sit by the tree, holding some sticks of suitable length.

I have truly come a long way. It's taken some adapting, but I have somewhat embraced this lifestyle. Everyone needs a routine so they can stay focused and keep their sanity. Mine just happens to be as unhinged as the planet I'm on.

Yes, I'm about to sharpen a stick like a cave woman.

If I look on the bright side, I can say every day is an adventure.

As I sharpen it, I hear a low growl. Whatever it is, must be nearby. I can't see it yet, but it's hoping to catch me when I'm off guard. Sorry, whatever you are, but I'm not as weak and hopeless as I first was when I arrived on this planet.

Climbing the tree is my fastest way out, but not just yet. I don't want to repeat that terrible experience.

I hold up my stick and keep my body below the grass. It provides a suitable camouflage for me as I slink forward. I already feel the burn of thirst behind my throat, but I can't just jump into the water now.

My sharpened sticks won't work and I'll be exposed. Even worse, I still don't know where Wroahk is.

"Please come back soon, Wroahk," I plead earnestly, moving toward the cove entrance.

The growl follows behind me, getting closer. Whatever it is, it can see or sense me. All I have to do is keep making slow progress with no sudden movement and maybe I can hide properly in a cave without this thing jumping at me.

Of course, all of that is blind hope. I hear a roar behind me and I take off sprinting. I feel slower and heavier on land then before.

Great.

Fortunately, I know the area well and I can dodge and weave through all of it, keeping a suitable distance between me and this monster. From the repeated growls, I can already guess it's a Many Teeth, though I haven't seen them on land since one tried to kill me.

I never thought I'd run into one after what Wroahk did to mark his territory. This one seems to have been stalking me for a while. It's huge, too, huge enough to ignore Wroahk's warning.

I can't deal with this thing with mere sticks. And I also can't stay out of the water anymore.

Dammit.

I run straight for the shore, watching my footing over the rocks. If I create a trail of blood, it's only going to attract more of them.Once I reach the shore, I dive straight into the water, heading for the cave.

There is a large splash behind me, and I know it has entered the water. I swim faster, trying to keep my body streamlined and my head straight as the pursuit intensifies.

I really want to look back, but I can't afford the time.

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