Page 77 of Citrine

The alien wasn't willing to let me go before.

And now I let him fuck me.

What the hell, Eli? Am I really that desperate for attention?

Will he let me back out again if he feels he now has a claim? Except I'm feeling increasingly thirsty the more I stand by the shore.

"I'm going to regret this," I mumble to myself before lowering myself into the depths.

He's waiting there, just staring at me. I raise my head above the water just to tell him why I was there and for him not to get any ideas.

"I think you broke my back. It's not obvious because of my incredibly fast healing, but there's no way I just did all that without damage. Even if I haven't found it yet. Plus, there's this feeling of thirst I can't just get rid of. That's why I'm here."

"You are hurt?"

"Uh, possibly. Yes. No. I don't know."

He's silent and doesn't hold me, but hovers around. I decide to simply float along the surface so I can still speak.

I take a breath, but then realize how nice it feels. I now see why people do it. It's incredibly peaceful. I feel his tentacle wrap around my ankle to stop me from straying far. His face is above water, too, staring back at me.

I look up at the sky. We really went at it all morning like beasts. It's already moving into afternoon and my stomach is reminding me to feed it. The rumbling alerts Wroahk, who draws closer to me.

"I need to go in there," I say as he approaches, pointing in the direction of the cove.

"No. It is not safe."

"I know it's not, but I need to forage for food, and I can only get it in there."

"Eat here."

"I don't know how best to explain this to you, but I can't eat fish. I'm vegetarian. I can only eat plants."

"How could that be enough?" he asks, taking on the dismissive tone I'm familiar with.

"It is enough," I respond forcefully, but it sounds more like I'm trying to convince myself. He looks at me like he doesn't believe me, but doesn't say anything more.

I climb out of the water, and he follows behind, his gaze sharp.

Making it to the cove, I can now see the true situation of everything. My normal forage path is blocked off by fallen trees and most of the fruit have fallen, now being feasted upon by insects. There won't be much for me to gather, I see.

Still, I'm not discouraged. I keep pressing onward.

Foraging is also soothing, and it doesn't take long to gather enough.

"I've gotten what I need. We can go now," I say to get his attention.

He looks at my armful again, with the same look of disbelief but doesn't say anything.

He follows me back to the rocky shore and slips into the water as I eat. It doesn't taste great, but at least it's edible. I finish up and throw the remnants far into the lake. It doesn't take long for it to disappear. My stomach churns for a bit, but it's okay. I look at my reflection in the lake and find something strange.

"Please, no, no, no. No more surprises."

Yet, there it was. Something moving just behind my head, tossing with my every moment. Something lurking just behind my field of vision. It's there, blending in with my bright yellow hair.

"I already look like a badly produced neon sign! Please lord, don't let that be a tentacle."

I raise a hand and feel the soft glide of flesh in with the hair, complete with suckers.

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