Coin Flip - Lo'ak

13:

My heartbeat was pounding so hard I could feel it echoing all around my body.

My hands that held onto Firik's handle were shaking so hard, yet I maintained a mighty grip.

It was an indescribable feeling of fear. One where you only feel doom all around you. Where you feel scared because you just know that the situation you're in is a recipe for disaster. And that something was definitely going to go wrong.

How could I not feel this way? I was swimming in unknown waters. I had no idea what creatures lived beyond the reef or how to deal with them.

How was I going to try and save Lo'ak when I doubt I'd be able to even save myself?

I couldn't keep my anxiety at bay the entire time after we left the reef boarder. But despite my fear, I knew that I'd want someone out there to care. I would want someone, anyone, to go out of their way to try and find me.

So while I was frightened beyond belief, I needed to be brave.

My eyes scanned every detail in the waters; both to try and spot Lo'ak and to keep an eye out for danger.

I couldn't however help but notice the beauty of the ocean.

The irony; something so frightening being so beautiful.

I've studied every coral there was to see within our boarders, I knew the waters like the back of my palm. This beauty was completely foreign. So much to explore.

My mind couldn't wrap around how many differences the wild ocean had compared to the Metkayina boundaries.

There were new colours of reef and sea-plants that I didn't even know were possible.

And the depth at which the sea dropped was unbelievable. It showed me just how grand the ocean was and how little I've seen of the sea.

The beauty of the water was keeping me sane when I was in fact living my worst nightmare.

I tried to strain my eyes in looking farther than they could see, seeing every possible threat before it came close.

I squinted to keep the sun rays out of way of my view, the sun pierced the water in so many ways but it made things difficult to see further out.

Squinting, I could see a dark speck. Thinking it was just corals, I proceeded with no caution.

Swimming closer to the coral, I was planning to have to swim around its large mass but as I neared, I realised that it was anything but coral.

My heart thumped louder. And Firik could sense the impending danger as well. We were both a large ball of anxiety.

Before us was a sea creature we've only ever heard in stories. No one that I knew survived fighting one of them, that animal being none other than an akula.

As it swam through the coral, I realised that it was chasing something, or better yet, someone.

As soon as I put the pieces together, I realised that the thing it was chasing was Lo'ak. Of course, with his luck I don't know why I bothered even questioning how he got in this situation.

I tried thinking of a way to help Lo'ak that wouldn't also put me in danger.

Luckily, I had my spear always attached to Firik's saddle, ready for hunting on my rock, but in a situation like this, it also really came in handy.

I figured out that if I got the akula's attention, let it chase after me through corals, and find a way for it to get close enough to open its mouth to attack me, I could use that as an opportunity to jam the spear deep in its throat and let it choke itself to death.