The Deep

Chapter 3

*Her*

I run in the dark. It isn't much different from swimming in water. But it is hard. Moving with legs is so hard. They're soft and fragile. I haven't been able to stop running since I left that male human. I stayed looking at him for a while before he got into his beast and left. I followed the other beast into their pod. Or something close. Humans don't live in their natural environment like me. It's not...unnatural. Just unusual.

Living in the darkest part of the water, I find comfort in the foreboding silence. The distant echoes of life pass you by every so often. On land, it seems that humans don't find it as comforting. There are too many inconsistencies. The land makes no sense at times. And no matter how loud the animals are, the humans don't seem to notice their distress. 

All in all, there's just too much interference in their environment. Hard and stony ground to soft and muddy planes. It's a confusing mixture of territory. It is so unlike mine. Territories are marked by different ecological landmarks. It is the rules of my world. It is what guides our travels and hunting grounds. How are humans able to separate one territory from another with all this noise?

My legs buckle under me. My human body is weak. I've never felt like this before. I feel so tired. I lay down on dry, hard ground. I feel heavy. I roll over, looking up to the dark sea above. It almost looks familiar. It looks like home water. I stare at the sight as my eyes droop slowly and meet the darkness.

******

Warm. I feel too warm, too dry. I open my eyes to the brightness. It hurts my eyes, but I strain them to focus on my surroundings. Bursts of colors invade my senses; colors I've never seen before. I don't think I've ever been able to see this clearly before. This entire world doesn't even feel real to me yet. There's so much to see and experience. It is nothing like my mother had described. I push myself up, looking around. My hands shake as I cautiously touch the odd greenery that sprouts from the ground all around me.

There's nothing like this in the ocean. I rub the round-looking seaweed between my fingertips in awe. It tickles the skin most satisfyingly. It is firm and rough. Strong.

It is then that I realize how loud it is. The constant noise is hard to navigate through. I have no sense of where I am going or what I have left behind. I am in the territory of humans. Any predator could ambush me now and I would have no choice but to be at their mercy. So, I must keep going.

I run deeper into the sea of endless greens and browns. My weak legs, surprisingly, carry me swiftly across the terrain. And then, I began to gain momentum and disappeared through the thicket. My body is strong, this I know. I am a huntress. I am as strong as my new friends from this land. Friends that will help me hide until I can find my ally.