Silver Waves

Thirteen

When the group arrived back at the underwater cave entrance, Nami ducked inside to fetch her hungry Tribemates. Raina came tearing out of the tunnel first, snatching the flounder from Ren's grasp and opening her mouth wide, pointed teeth poised for a bite, before Nami grabbed it away.

Raina made a needy sound in her throat, and Nami shook her head, pointing to the surface. As soon as she popped out of the water, Raina opened her mouth to complain, but Nami held up a hand, waiting while the rest of her friends surfaced before speaking.

"What are we waiting for?" Raina whined as she flicked her tail irritably, bobbing in the sparkling water.

Her juvenile reaction reminded Nami that, no matter how grown she seemed when speaking of death and pirates, she was only fifteen. The knowledge softened the bite of Nami's response as she gently splashed Raina with her tail. "We don't want to eat too near the cave, Raina. We could attract sharks."

Raina pursed her pale-ringed mouth, considering, and finally sighed, grumbling, "I guess..."

Nami stifled a laugh, amused by her friend's perpetual hunger. She suggested a secluded bay on the other side of the island from their cave as a dining spot, and with the agreements of the rest of her hungry Tribemates, set off towards the location, speeding through the sunlit water with her arms full of fish.

When the girls arrived, the tide was low, revealing a sandy stretch of beach edging a shallow, rock-ringed pool where they could sit comfortably to enjoy their meal. The water came to waist-level on most of the girls, excepting the shorter Lena and Ren, where it rose to their chests. Tiny fish swam through the shallow pool, hiding behind rocks and kelp until they deemed the group unthreatening. Raina immediately tugged her chosen flounder out of Nami's hands, and tore into it with no hesitation.

Fil, slightly squeamish at the sight of the young girl gulping down the raw fish, wondered aloud how they would cook their catches. Raina, still chewing, shook her head.

"This tastes better than any cooked fish I've ever had," she said, after swallowing her mouthful.

Nami raised an eyebrow, unsure. Either Raina was just extremely hungry, or... Maybe their tastes had changed along with their bodies? She took a tentative bite from the flesh of one of the Yellowtails after descaling a small section, and her eyes closed with pleasure. Raina was right; the uncooked fish was better than even Veni's food, and he was the best cook in the Tribe.

She remembered the feast he had prepared for his wedding day: small game and meat from larger prey roasting over huge fires, seabird's eggs boiling in pots, lobster and seafood freshly prepared and stuffed with herbs. Although she knew the food had been delicious, the cooked fare seemed unappealing, now.

Fil recoiled, her face screwed up in distaste, as little flecks of chewed flounder sprayed from Raina's mouth. Kaia took her betrothed's hand, giggling. "I'm not sure we can cook anything anymore, love," she said gently, playfully tugging on one of Fil's pectoral fins. Fil's stomach growled, but she still looked revolted at the idea of consuming raw fish, and shook her head as Raina offered her a hunk of flounder meat.

Fil backed away, waving her hands as though to waft away the offending morsel. Suddenly, she gasped, pointing at the lump of fish in Raina's tan-spotted, outstretched hand. Nami leaned in to look at the fish, and grunted in surprise as she watched the meat begin to brown, and then blacken, smoke rising from the quickly charring flesh.

Raina looked just as surprised, and dropped the hunk into the water, where it sank slowly and was quickly torn apart and devoured by the small fish, which were flitting around the girls, hoping for scraps. She pondered for a moment, and then tore another hunk off of her fish, and, holding it in her open palm, and watched it brown nearly to the same shade as her skin, tossing it to Fil just before it blackened.

Fil juggled the food for a moment, tossing the morsel from hand to hand, hissing at the heat, before popping it into her mouth and chewing with relish, giving Raina a bewildered smile.

"Wow..." Raina whispered as she placed both hands in the water beside her. She laughed in surprise and amazement when the water around her began to bubble and froth, and the heated waves soon reached the other Tribesfolk. Kaia hissed as the hot water reached the tips of her fins, and glowered at Raina, who pulled her hands out of the water. The heat immediately began to dissipate.

"What are you trying to do, boil us?" Kaia splashed her friend, small droplets arcing through the air and pelting Raina, hitting her harder than they should have.

"Ow, what the-" Raina reached for a drop that had stuck in her long, straight hair. She held it between her warm, pale fingers, and the hardened droplet melted and fell back into the sea.

Kaia looked at her hands in amazement, studying her fingertips. She dipped one hand into the water and instantly, a small disk of ice formed around her wrist. She laughed incredulously and raised her hand, the frozen bracelet glinting in the sunlight.

Fil swam to her betrothed, touching the ice lightly with a fingertip, smiling as the chill met her skin.

Kaia laughed again and swept water toward Raina once more, showering her with icy drops. Raina grinned and retaliated with steaming splashes. Nami quickly joined the play-battle, raising her arms and willing the water before her to rise. Her wave crashed into Raina and Kaia, knocking them back into the pool. They came up sputtering and laughing, surprised at all of their new abilities, and the trio continued to splash each other and their other tribemates until Sen nudged Nami, gesturing to the storm clouds gathering on the horizon.

The Tribe finished the rest of their meal quickly, guessing that the storm would reach the island in a little under an hour.

Nami and Dalma gathered the bones and refuse from their meal, swimming with great haste to the drop-off and tossing the litter into the deep before heading back to the cave. The waves were already beginning to become harsher as the sea darkened in time with the sky.