On How to Feed in the Ocean [Solo]

[Shvariis]

On How to Feed in the Ocean Date:Fall 511, Day 09 The warmth of the autumnal air invigorated Shvariis. He had been growing restless ever since arriving in Ahnatep two days prior. His time had been spent trying to communicate to the local, multi-limbed men, barely able to understand them. Luckily, he’d chanced upon a Dhani viper, and loathe as he was to accept help from the lesser creature, Shvariis had used the viper to communicate to the traders that he needed housing. After a lot of bartering, and some intimidation on his part, Shvariis had managed to get a small sandstone house near the docks. He’d been so busy that he’d neglected to feed, and now the hunger was taking its toll. The mixture of the warm air that so stirred his blood, and the smell of fresh meat that permeated the air from the docks, had made him realize how hungry he really was. Shvariis sat up, swinging his legs off of the short bed. This shape was still strange to him, but he was practicing, trying to get better. However, on this particular occasion, this shape was not suited to what he wanted to do. Shvariis stood, but immediately fell forward as his legs fused together, the bones popping and snapping. He hurried and fumbled to remove the rough linen kilt that he wore, and managed to throw it away as his human arms laid against his sides, sinking into him. His entire body lengthened, hair sinking into his head, and a slight shiver went up him, from tail to head, as the ripple of scales grew over the pink flesh. Shvariis stretched his muscles, clenching them and rolling into coils, reveling in his favorite shape. Eventually, he slithered out of the door, scented the air, and moved down towards the salty water. He contemplated buying some fish from the merchants, but with almost no knowledge of Common, he felt sure that he would be on the bad end of a worse deal. Instead, he swayed through the sand and desert grass until he came to the water. The wide blue ocean still intimidated him, but he felt confident that his body could handle it on such a clear, calm day. He slowly nosed into the water, shifting his massive body side to side, pushing himself further out, and keeping his nose above the surface. Shvariis swam out, keeping his movements slow and constant, watching for ripples in the water. The first time he saw the surface move, he thrust his head forward, biting at the spot, but all he got was a mouthful of saltwater. So he tried again, swimming slowly, always keeping the land in sight, but watching the water carefully. This time, when he struck, his mouth was filled with the soft scales of fish, his fangs clamping down on it. Shvariis curled his body around the fish, repositioning it, and swallowed it whole. Not satisfied with a single fish, he set out to find more.

[Shvariis]

Not content with the one small fish, Shvariis pushed his was slowly through the water. He ignored the small ripples that he saw, as there was no point in feeding on the school of fish. The lack of large prey irritated him, coming from the jungle around Zinrah that were full of tskannas that made for such fulfilling prey. Here there was only fish. Well, for as much as he knew. He’d heard talk of better prey in the desert from the Viper he’d spoken with, but Shvariis knew better than to go hunting out in the desert when he was still getting used to the climate in Ekytol. Weaving his way through the small waves that occasionally washed past, Shvariis searched the waters. On land, his job would be easier; he could scent the air and immediately know what and where things were. Here, everything scented of salt. Here, he had to rely on his eyes, watching the water for unnatural ripples, and he had to rely on his entire body, feeling the water moving around him. Every ripple took on new meaning as his scales felt the disturbances. He ignored those that indicated smaller prey. He wanted something bigger. Something he could really sink his teeth into. While swimming closer into shore, Shvariis spotted something small surface at the mouth of a river that emptied into the sea. Curious, he slowly approached the small shape, diagonally moving towards it, so as to move behind it. As he got closer, he could see where the small waves moved around it, showing a larger shape submerged just beneath the surface of the water. He’d heard about such creatures, crocodiles, but had never seen one. If his judgment was correct, the beast was close to seventeen feet from snout to tail. The nose and head that stuck out of the water were the color of the river sludge, and looked like a chunk of wood, drifting in the water. And if what he’d heard was correct, this was just the prey that he was looking for. Shvariis continued to circle behind the crocodile, moving slowly in the water, going just fast enough to stay afloat, so as not to alert the animal. Closer and closer he got, until he was within distance. With a quick push of his entire body, Shvariis thrust his entire body forward, and he struck.

[Shvariis]

Shvariis dropped the majority of his weight on the back of the beast, and he held his breath as he plunged his head under the water to sink his large fangs into the throat of the crocodile, knowing that the tough hide its back would prove a harder place to hold onto. Even as it struggled, thrashing its head back and forth, Shvariis was looping his body around that of the animal, a deathly embrace. His lungs burning for breath, he forced it to roll over with his entire body, surfacing and sucking in air through his nose. Powerful a hunter as he was, Shvariis had chosen as strong a prey. Its short legs were tipped with sharp claws that tore at the scaly flesh of his coils, but this just fueled him, making the loops of pure muscle tighten harder. With its short neck, the crocodile couldn’t turn its head to manage to get Shvariis in its grasp, something the snake was thankful for, as he could see the sharp rows of teeth and the power of its jaws. It rolled and bucked under him, scratching and clawing, thrashing his powerful tail, the water around them frothing and throwing a cloud of dirt and mud up under the water, obscuring his vision when he was submerged. The taste of blood filled his mouth, mixing with the salt and dirt. It made him want to retch, but he held on anyways. Even though he Shvariis was a constrictor, he found it easier to kill his prey when it had lost most of its blood. He tightened his muscles, pressing so hard that it started to pain him. He felt bone snap, the beast letting out cries of anguish as the pain lanced through it. The crocodile’s energy started to ebb away, its frustrated attempt to break free becoming ever feebler and wasted, until finally it gave one last spasm, then lay still. Shvariis gave one last squeeze; just to be sure it was indeed dead, and then slowly loosened his muscles, working his jaw to loosen his fangs from the crocodile’s throat. He stretched himself, and then worked at moving the crocodile towards the shore, which was not as difficult as he’d thought it would be, because the struggle had moved them near to where he wanted to pull ashore. Once he had managed to pull the beast onto the sand, he slithered from the murky waters, hissing as the sand got into his wounds. He rested for a small while, then popped his jaw, dislocating it, and worked at the crocodile, swallowing it whole, headfirst.

[Shvariis]

Once he had managed to swallow the entirety of the crocodile, a fatigue fell upon Shvariis, and he only then noticed the sun falling towards the horizon; he’d been hunting all day. The effort had been worth it in the end though, as he was now completely full. He did, however, need to return to his small home soon, and before nightfall, when the air would become cool and the energy would ebb from him. Slithering slowly down towards the beach, he looked around, spotting the docks of Ahnatep. Thankfully he wasn’t too far off. He left a long trench in the sand with his massive body, swaying back and forth, moving closer to the city that was now his home. He saw few others out as far as he was, but as he got closer to the city, there were more people, mostly fisherman. They were all hauling their nets and lines in for the night, so Shvariis had to move further up the beach onto the dunes so as not to get tangled. When he reached the actual docks, he puzzled at where he was supposed to go. The city was still unfamiliar to him, and it took a few minutes for him to work out the way he needed to go to get back to the sandstone building. However, once he was on the way, things started to look more familiar, until he didn’t have to think about where he was going anymore. Shvariis nosed his way into the house, thankful that he’d reached it. The air was cooling, and the sun was almost fully encapsulated by the horizon. He coiled himself in the middle of his floor, and dozed to sleep.

[Colombina]

The XP Wand Is Waved! Through the course of researching your thread, I have learned A.) Land snakes can swim and B.) Saltwater Crocodiles are, frankly, terrifying. Well done for your first thread graded by me. You managed to tell a story and include details about the hunt, the kill and your race without boring me. It is also obvious that you've been reading your lore, much appreciated. I was entertained, which certainly counts for something. Ask and you shall receive. Shvariis's Loot 3 XP Hunting 2 XP Unarmed Combat 3 XP Swimming Lore of Saltwater Crocodiles Lore of Ahnatep Waterways Colombina is pleased.