A Crocodile's Journey

The Lesson

Kitwana could not leave Lake Matope to hang out with Hodari or Dalilah. He spent most of the time sulking or practicing his 'swimming' when he was in a better mood. The chick couldn't wait to go back to sparring, though.

As crocodiles took decades to reach a proper adult size, Kitwana's much quicker growth pace caught everyone off guard. Three and a half weeks ago, he was a gray fuzzball with legs and a naked head. Now, his gray baby down had been replaced by milky white plumage. The pinkish hue of his head, beak, and legs was changing into shiny black. Height-wise, he was now a few inches shorter than Ono. The little stubs he once had for wings were much longer and had grown white feathers with black tips.

Kitwana grew not only in size but in maturity as well. Makuu noticed that his charge wasn't as clingy to him as before. In fact, Kitwana now preferred to catch his meals himself, something for which the crocodile was grateful. Having to feed a chick by hand every few minutes was exhausting.

And yet, rather than being happy about it, Makuu felt... upset that his charge growing up so fast. He chalked it up to the knowledge that soon he'd have to worry about the one promise he knew he wouldn't be able to keep rather than acknowledging he'd miss the little grey fuzzball.

How is he going to tell him the truth? He can't learn how to fly if he believes himself to be a crocodile. Heck, he couldn't understand how Kitwana didn't figure out he was not a crocodile by looking at his reflection.

What worried him the most was how Kitwana would react to the truth. It's not that he cared, but... Akina and Hodari had grown attached to the chick.

It wasn't that he didn't like Kitwana. He didn't show it much, but... it was nice having the little chick around. He 'spiced things up' a little, in a way. Granted, he never voiced it out loud. The last thing he wanted was for everyone to think he was 'going soft.'

Unaware of what was happening in his father's head, Kitwana noticed many changes in his body. 'His front legs,' in particular, proved to be a big nuisance. For some reason, they were too long and lacked any claws. He'd tried many times to make a Death Roll, but he could never do it like the others did. His maw lacked teeth, and his white coloration made it hard to camouflage. Heck, he didn't even walk properly. Somehow, he always walked on his ridiculously long 'hind legs.' 

Is he a different type of crocodile?

"Darn it!" Kitwana cried out in frustration when his third attempt at catching a fish went awry. "What am I doing wrong?!"

His stomach was rumbling, but he didn't want to go ask Makuu for food. Croclings are supposed to be independent from the moment they hatch. The realization that he's been bothering his father endlessly made him feel guilty, so he resolved to get his own food from then on. But it was proving harder than he originally thought.

Kitwana took another deep breath and lay down on the water's surface. He remained completely still, waiting for a fish to get closer—one small enough for him to grab without getting dragged to the deeper waters. He didn't like how it turned out the last time. With time, a little fish came close to his beak. But when Kitwana stretched out his neck to catch it, he released the breath he'd been holding and sank. In a panic, Kitwana flailed around, trying to return to the surface, startling his 'meal.'

Kitwana kicked the water with one leg, crying out in frustration. Makuu, Akina, and the others made it look so much easier! Defeated, he went back to shore, exhausted and hungry.

"You look like you wrestled with a fish." Makuu chuckled when he saw his charge soaked to the bone.

"I don't get it! I always sink, and the fish gets away!" Kitwana growled.