Crimson Tide, Deep Blue Sea

Chapter 2 - About Turtles

A/N: Magda is not my own OC, but was very kindly borrowed from The_Al_Chemist

Night was falling over the small and lonely island lying forgotten in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Soon the searing heat of the day would make way for the darkness of another humid night; but until then, the evening sky did its best to celebrate the end of the day with the most spectacular display. Centered around the burning red disc of the sun which was slowly vanishing beneath the deep blue waves, an explosion of oranges, pinks, and yellows were setting the horizon aflame.

While most of the few inhabitants of the small island were finishing off their day's work and settling down for the night, it was only now that the long strip of white sand running around the island was coming to life.

All over the beach, tiny little holes seemed to appear out of nowhere; the sand caved in on itself, pushed aside by small noses and feet, eager for the first look of a brand new world.

The tiny baby turtle crawled out of her tunnel with some effort. The sea breeze on her  leathery skin and the miraculous display of colour on the quickly darkening horizon seemed to pose no great interest to her.

It took her a moment to orientate herself, like all the others of her kind which had already found their way to the surface. After a moment of consideration, she turned to the shoreline and began her way towards the waterfront.

It was hard work, crawling over the uneven ground after hatching from the comfortable confinement of her egg only minutes ago. The little turtle gave it her all, even more so when a sharp shriek cut through the peaceful sound of the rolling waves.

A shadow passed over her tiny head, almost not discernible in the quickly growing darkness. The sea gulls had been patiently waiting for the turtles to hatch for the better part of the day; they were starving and dinner had finally shown its face.

The large bird circled above the beach once, twice before preparing to swoop down on the little turtle that was desperately trying to reach the refuge of the waves in time.

But before it could take its dive, a tall figure came running towards it, waving muscular arms above his ginger head and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Shoo! Get away from them! Get yourself some fish, you bloody bastard!"

The turtle wasn't sure whether to be glad she didn't end up in a sea gull's beak only minutes after getting her flippers into the sand, or whether to be worried by the newcomer's intimidating height.

Just to make sure, she mobilised her last speed reserves, overtaking several of her brothers and sisters and made a beeline for the water. She paddled her flippers in delight when the waves washed over her and lifted her off the sand, carrying her out into the ocean and the first big adventure of her lifetime.

The man who had saved the turtle from an untimely death stared at the spot where her trails in the sand ended. A wistful expression crossed his deeply freckled face, and for a brief moment he seemed to be lost in thought.

Beneath the many freckles the skin of his exposed muscular underarms were tanned, but not too darkly; an assortment of scars of all shapes and sizes crisscrossed his skin at irregular intervals, telling a story of someone who was no stranger to hard work.

As he watched more and more of the hatchlings - his hatchlings - find their way into the arms of the ocean, a smile spread on his tired face.

He had been out here and taking care of the nests for days on end now, shading them and protecting them from predators. He had barely been sleeping in case he might miss the moment his charges would hatch.