The young Charoda swam to and fro around the perimeter of the meadow, keeping her eyes peeled for the tell-tale moving shells of abalone. In a matter of chimes she had finished her small meal, her hunger somewhat satiated. Swooping in for a closer inspection of the surrounding coral, Iolara was both pleased and disgruntled to find they had been picked clean of seaweed and algae growth. While this was certainly good for the coral, fast-growing seaweed would quickly suffocate the tiny animals, it was less than ideal for finding abalone. In the ocean as on land, the key to finding any animal was to find its source of food.
Or follow what eats them! came the brilliant flash of inspiration into Io’s mind. But what sort of animals preyed upon abalone? Iolara settled down onto the sandy bed to ponder this thought. Filter feeders would certainly prey on the eggs and larvae, but she needed grown snails, not their eggs. Io scratched her chin. Hadn’t she seen an octopus in one of her earlier ventures? She was almost certain of it. Unfortunately for Iolara, octopi were rather reclusive animals, but they were at least larger and easier to find than the little snails. And with Syna rising steadily higher, any octopi in this reef would be returning from their hunts to nestle into the crevasses between coral outcrops. With any luck, the little witch would be able to get some information out of them!
Kicking off the seabed with both feet, Iolara made her way to the outer edge of the reef. The coral outcrops grew smaller and more sparse as the underwater mini-metropolis gave way to the vast, unforgiving desert of the open sea. She floated there for a tick, then two, scanning the sandy bed for the characteristic undulation of many arms. After five ticks, something caught her eye at last. An octopus, and a large one at that, was gracefully flowing across the sandy floor back to the shelter of the reef. Thank Caiyha! Iolara’s thoughts exclaimed as she dove down to meet the many-armed creature.
Sensing her presence, the octopus slowed, then gently rose from the sea floor. Iolara peered into its bulbous eyes, allowing her Gnosis mark to make the emotional connection between them. Nura was unlike any other language, spoken as it was with more emotion and pictures rather than actual words. From the octopus flowed a sense of recognition, and the familiar triskelion symbol of the Creator of Life. Iolara’s mouth split wide open in a toothy smile, her tentacles floating free and waving with joy. She doubted she would ever tire of this ability for true communion with her fellow denizens of the deep!
For her part, Iolara pictured the same symbol, and imparted it with the true joy she felt, as well as respect. Octopi were long-lived animals, and a specimen this large was surely decades older than her. The greeting established, Iolara turned to business. She needed to find abalone. With her mind and eyes fixed firmly on the octopus, she formed the image of the snails she sought, as well as an impression of hunger. Where do you hunt, Mister Octopus? thought the young girl. Recognition flashed back, but before a picture or location could be formed, there came another emotion: fear. Fear and danger! Without further warning, the connection was broken just as a large, sinuous form flashed from the edge of her vision.
Blood and ink filled the water before her as the tiger shark took its prey. Iolara gasped and floated in shock. Grief wracked her mind, paralyzed her in place, suspended between the undulating surface above and the smooth sands below. She couldn’t take her eyes off the red and black cloud where just moments ago had floated one of the most majestic creatures of the reef. Beneath the waves, tears didn’t form easily, but Iolara managed a few wrenching sobs as she realized this had been her doing. The ocean was a brutal domain, one where everything was either predator or prey, and often both. I’m so sorry, she thought. Even after eight years of bearing Caiyha’s mark, Iolara struggled to come to peace with the inherent violence that came with life below the waves. But even still, her hunt had to continue.
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