I lay on its carcass.
Soaking in the sun.
Soaking in the silence.
Soaking in my new power.
The flesh beneath me still twitched now and then, like the nerves hadn't realized the heart was gone. Steam curled off the creature's massive back, mixing with the morning mist. A graveyard on the sea.
I closed my eyes.
Not to sleep.
Just to feel.
The aftermath of a worthy kill.
The quiet of a conquered god.
The heat of raw power humming in my veins.
I wanted to savor it.
Slowly.
Feel it move in my flesh.
Too late.
Something moved.
A shadow on the horizon.
A whisper.
A promise.
Another kill.
It cut through the water like a knife.
Not a beast. Not a bird.
A thing.
With sails. And oars. Dozens of them. Long limbs punching through the waves, faster than anything I'd ever seen float.
Its body gleamed in the sun. Polished wood, metal braces, long rails. It moved with purpose. With design.
A new kind of predator?
No.
A new kind of prey.
I grinned.
And dove into the water.
I swam like the Razorfin, arms slicing through the sea, legs pounding. The ocean parted around me, my new power surging with every stroke. I kicked harder, rose to the surface, then dipped below. Over and over.
Closer.
Closer.
Then… voices.
High. Low. Screaming. Screeching.
Like prey.
But with language. Words I didn't know.
But I understood the emotions behind them.
Fear. Panic. Confusion.
I could smell it on the wind.
I could already taste it.
They saw me.
Creatures like me. Hairless, soft-skinned, upright.
But completely different.
They wore cloth. Carried blades. Their hands shook as they pointed. Some screamed. Some ran. Some dropped buckets or tools or weapons.
They tossed spears.
One clipped my shoulder. Another skipped off my back.
I didn't slow.
They were slow.
They were weak.
They were prey.
I hit the ship's side like a shadow.
Grabbed the wood.
Climbed.
They leaned over, trying to swat me down. One jabbed at my hand with a pole.
I caught it.
Snapped it.
Pulled him overboard.
He screamed all the way down. Pathetic.
I reached the top.
And began the slaughter…
No hesitation.
No thought.
Just motion.
Flesh tore.
Bones cracked.
Blood painted the deck like storm rain.
I gutted the closest one with my claws. Tossed his organs aside like trash. I ducked a blade, snapped a woman's neck with my knee, spun into a wide-armed sweep and threw two men overboard.
Something stabbed my leg.
I turned and crushed someone's skull against the mast. Another against a barrel. Third with my knee.
They screamed like birds.
Children.
Old ones.
None were spared.
Everything that moved, breathed, cried.
Dead.
Rule One: Kill or be killed.
There is no pause. No compromise. Only kill.
I moved through the ship like fire through dry grass.
They tried to hide.
I found them.
They whispered prayers.
I tore them apart.
They offered gifts.
I stepped on their throats.
I listened.
For breath, for heartbeats, for fear.
And I chased every last sound until silence returned.
Until the ship bled.
Blood poured through the cracks in the deck, mixing with seawater below.
It soaked my skin, painted the sails, dripped off the railings.
It was beautiful.
I stood in the center, panting.
Then screamed.
Not in joy.
In frustration.
They were so weak.
Soft bones. Flimsy tools. Thin skins.
Not one worthy of the hunt.
And yet…
They looked like me.
Same shape.
Same eyes.
Same hands.
But none of them had what I had. They were scared of the sea. Scared of me. Scared of death.
Pathetic.
But smart.
They built this.
This ship. This vessel of beauty and precision and movement.
Curved planks. Bound with black ropes. Metal teeth along the sides. Glass lenses. Compartments. Art.
I had never seen such craft. Such wonder.
And I killed the ones who could've taught me.
I stalked the halls below deck, muttering to myself. Kicking bodies. Slamming doors.
Why hadn't I waited?
Why hadn't I listened?
Rule Two: Understand your enemy.
I had failed.
I hadn't understood.
I thought they were threats.
But they were worms.
Worms with knowledge I didn't have.
Worms with tools.
I clenched my fists until blood ran down my wrists.
Next time, I would learn first.
Then kill.
The ship creaked.
Rocked.
Moaned like a beast licking its wounds.
I wandered deeper into the belly. Each room told stories I didn't know how to read. Charts with lines and runes. Devices of metal and glass. Books. So many books. Tools for shaping, carving, cutting.
A world built by minds, not teeth.
It fascinated me.
Made me furious.
What had they seen? What did they know?
Too late now.
I opened a door.
Found shelves stacked with jars. Meat, fruit, things soaked in liquid.
A room of preservation.
Then barrels.
Big, fat barrels.
I pried one open with a shattered spear tip.
Inside: salt. Another: dried fish. Another: seeds. Another: water, sealed in skins.
So much food.
Variety I had never imagined.
They weren't just prey.
They were gatherers. Builders. Planners.
I muttered curses to myself. Half feral, half ashamed.
I could've learned.
I could've…
One barrel moved.
I stopped.
Every sense snapped taut.
Something was inside.
Alive.
I stalked forward.
Soft breath.
Scratching.
A whisper.
I leaned in.
Lifted the lid.
And saw two faces.
Small.
Young.
Tear-streaked.
Eyes wide as moons.
Too shocked to scream.
Too tired to run.
They looked up at me like I was a monster.
Because I was.
I grinned.
Slow.
Not kind.
Not cruel.
Just… honest.
I'd found the last survivors.
The only ones who hadn't screamed.
Yet.