Beached

19~Ache~

        She tailed the boat, her limbs aching from trying to keep up with it. But finally, it stopped.

        She waits under the surface and stares up at it. Fear and uncertainty beats at the inside of her ribcage with a feral passion.

        She swishes her fin and slowly pushes herself up. She knows they have her. She's on the boat, she can sense it. She just doesn't understand what they're doing with her. 

        She desperately wants to go up and look, but fears they'll see her. Like that other one did.

        Something big plunges into the water near the boat, bubbles exploding around it. 

      She waits and watches. It's a net tied in a bundle at the top, someone small curled in a ball inside.

       She spreads her fingers, pushes the water back, and thrusts her tail.

       She loops her fingers into the netting as best as she can with webbing in between them.

        The girl in the net looks at her wide eyed. A mixture of relief and happiness permeates the water around her. But there's something else: a feeling of warning.

        They both look up. It's a trap.

        Quickly, she paddles up to the knot in the net, hastily tugging at the rope. 

        She hears faint voices a few feet above. Looking up, she sees the watery silhouettes of heads leaning over the edge of the boat. She goes back to her task, pulling at the mass of tangled rope.

        But the girl kept pointing down, trying to catch her savior's attention. She looks down. Another net is pulled up from beneath, pressing her against the other as they're both pulled up.