Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Chanirra ❯ Chapter 10

The orange and pink hues of the sunset were fading just beyond the horizon when they reached the river's mouth. Undine had kept her word and they stopped at a rocky beach near the ocean's entrance. She lay down on the sand, trying vainly to take advantage of what was left of the sun while Chanirra had taken the opportunity to change back into his natural state for some much needed hunting. He climbed up the cliff that overstretched the beach in hopes of finding some game. He glanced down at the beach where Undine lay and shook his head. She had wanted to know why he couldn't eat the fish so plentiful in the water and he had gotten slightly annoyed with her. He just could not bring himself to eat a cold-blooded animal. Seeing the blood oozing out from the mortal wound he had inflicted on his prey was part of the excitement in the hunt. He ran a hand over his damp ears and sighed. When he got home, it might take him awhile to get urge to swim in the sacred lake. He already had more than his fill of water.

 

“Hey where did you come from?” a red squirrel inquired and Chanirra glanced up into a tree. A small red squirrel sat on a tree branch, looking inquisitively at him.

 

“I came from the beach down there,” Chanirra replied and the squirrel ran to the edge of the branch to get a better view.

 

“How did you get up here?”

 

“I climbed.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because I'm hungry.”

 

“Why didn't you eat the fish down there?” the squirrel asked and Chanirra sighed.

 

“I don't like fish,” he replied.

 

“You don't eat acorns, do you? I don't have any to spare. I'm collecting as much as I can before winter comes.”

 

“No I don't eat acorns. Tell me, are there any rabbits around here?”

 

“Some but they don't come out much. They get scared easily.”

 

“What about birds? Are there any ducks?”

 

“Not around here. They like going to the pond further up the road. There's a town near here. You can get food there if you're really hungry.”

 

“I've got a friend waiting down at the beach. I think I'll pass on that.”

 

Chanirra's ears twitched when he heard a noise in the brush and watched in anticipation. Whatever it was was sure to be juicy. A skunk waddled out of the grass and Chanirra turned away in disappointment. He was not that desperate. He waved goodbye to the squirrel then walked back to the cliff and began climbing down the same way he had come up. He soon reached the bottom and waded out into the water.

 

“What are you doing?” Undine asked as she sat up.

 

“What does it look like I'm doing? I'm fishing,” Chanirra replied.

 

“Wasn't there any food up there?”

 

“There was a squirrel and a skunk. I didn't want to kill the squirrel because I had engaged it in conversation and I was not hungry enough to go after a skunk.”

 

“Skunk?”

 

“You've never seen one, have you? A skunk is a small animal with black and white fur. When it feels its being threatened, it releases a terrible smelling perfume from its tail. The smell can last for days. Ah, I got one!”

 

He raised his hand and walked out of the water. He sat down on a rock and raised the fish to his mouth. Undine turned away as he bit into the fish's flesh.

 

“How can you eat it like that?” she asked and Chanirra paused.

 

“It's not easy. I only eat fish as a last resort. Hopefully this will keep me going until we reach the desert. Perhaps there I'll be able to snag a bird or something,” he replied.

 

“It's still moving. How can you eat it when it's still alive?”

 

“It's what hunting animals do. We do not wait until the animal has quietly died. If we did, we'd have to fight with the scavengers and they can be quite ruthless.”

 

“Why do you have to be so cruel?”

 

“Nature is cruel. You know that. A little cruelty helps make the world function properly. It's just the way things are. The only problem with fish aside from their taste, is that they're so small. Even a rabbit looks huge compared to this fish. I guess I'll just have to catch another one. The gulls can have the leftovers.”

 

“Why don't we get going? The sooner we leave, the sooner we can reach Set's land.”

 

“I have to eat a little more. I'm expending a lot of energy on this trip and if I don't eat enough, I'll get weak. Remember, you don't want to drag me along.”

 

“Isn't there something else you can eat?” Undine asked and Chanirra glanced at her.

 

“Like what?” he inquired and she shrugged her shoulders.

 

“I don't know. Fruit or nuts maybe? Those aren't too gruesome to eat.”

 

“I'm a carnivore. That basically means meat eater. I cannot survive on fruits and nuts. I need the flesh of another creature.”

 

“Well then could you eat over there where I can't hear you?”

 

“I suppose but I don't understand the reason why.”

 

He stood up and dropped the fish bones on the ground then walked up the beach. He didn't know why she got offended by his eating. He was only doing what was necessary. Chanirra stepped out into the water again and stared into the water. He had to be practically motionless so that the fish would swim around him. Then he had to move quickly to catch his slippery prey. He forced a claw into a fish's side and pulled it out of the water. He then walked back up the beach and shivered. Without the warmth of the sun, he was cold. He sat down on a flat rock and bit into the fish's body, which was still struggling. He supposed he could grow to like fish if it tasted differently. He tore off another piece of fish with his teeth and sighed. What he wouldn't give for a rare piece of beef or pork right about now. Then there was sheep. Chanirra leaned back and sighed. Sheep. That was great tasting meat but wild sheep were rare and the meat sold at a butcher's was never enough to satisfy his appetite. He licked his lips then tossed the remains aside. Raw fish would never compare to the scintillating taste of raw lamb.

 

“I'm done,” Chanirra said as he stood up.

 

“Good. Now let's get going. You're going to have to stick close to me. It can get quite difficult to see underwater at night. Once we go out to sea, perhaps I can get a lantern fish or two to help us out but that won't be for at least another hour. So don't fall behind no matter what,” Undine said then dove into the water.

 

“Hey wait a second. What should I turn into?”

 

“Can you do a dolphin?”

 

“I don't think I've ever seen one before.”

 

“Just change back into a seal then. You'll be out of place but it's better than nothing. How do you know about seals anyway?”

 

“I've seen them before up north. They seem to like cooler waters, right?”

 

“Most of them seem to. Now hurry up and change. I don't want Boruta's forest completely destroyed,” Undine said as she folded her arms.

 

“It won't. You forget that you have a lot more stamina then I do. I need a little rest period now and again. You have no need for rest because you're a spirit. I'm just a mortal,” Chanirra said and she glanced sideways at him.

 

“Yes, I forget that you aren't perfect.”

 

“Also a seal form is difficult to maneuver with on dry land.”

 

“That's why they live in the north. It's easier to slide off the ice than the sand.”

 

“I was just trying to find something functional. I don't think I could have kept up in the sea in an otter form.”

 

“You could be a sea otter if you really wanted to. They're bigger than river otters and their tales are much shorter. You've never seen one, have you?”

 

“No.”

 

“I figured as much by the look on your face. Are you ready now?”

 

“Yes, I'm ready.”

 

“Don't fall behind now.”

 

“I won't.”

 

Chanirra followed her path and thought about the fish she had mentioned. Lantern fish? What could those creatures look like? He knew what lanterns looked like so perhaps the fish were in the shape of a lantern. But then, he wondered, how would they manage to swim? Fish had, in his experience, a basic form that they all adhered to. It was a form that seemed to be designed for maximum movement underneath the water. That was also why seals were designed the way they were. On land they were clumsy and comical but in water...

 

“Pay attention, will you?” Undine asked and Chanirra blinked his eyes.

 

“I'm sorry. I was just trying to imagine what a lantern fish looked like,” he replied and Undine sighed.

 

“You should make an effort to visit the sea more.”

 

“I haven't had a reason to before now.”

 

“You can't just explore because you're curious? Why do you have to have a reason to go anywhere?”

 

“It just makes more sense to do it that way. I can't see the reason to doing something on a whim.”

 

“I'm sure you've done things on a whim, haven't you?”

 

“Well small things I guess but never anything as big as going to the sea just to see what it's like.”

 

“You should go off on a journey sometime just because you're curious about a place. It would be fun.”

 

“My people are a careful sort and we'd never do anything without a reason. I guess that's why other races don't believe we're as artistic as the elves. We don't fill our work with unnecessary color and items. Our work is pratical, not flashy and gaudy,” Chanirra said and Undine glanced back at him.

 

“I like color. The ocean is full of it. It's so amazing. You can have your green leaves and your gray rocks. It's not my fault you live on uninteresting land. I have all sorts of color down here. Pink, orange, yellow, blue, green, purple...” Undine said and Chanirra glared at her.

 

“There's lots of colors on land too. You should spend more time above water.”

 

“I don't have to. I'm a water spirit. I could care less about how dry land looks.”

 

“You should. If I should see how the water looks, then you should see how beautiful the land is. Wild animals can be quite colorful and there's the wild plants.”

 

“Well as I said before, I like how the plants look around Bennu's place but that's because they grow near the water. Do all plants look like that?”

 

“I don't know. I've never been around Bennu's area.”

 

“Why not?” Undine inquired and Chanirra shook his head.

 

“Again, I've had no reason to be,” he replied.

 

“You really should go out more just for the sake of exploring.”

 

“I'll try to do more of that when I get home.”