Chapter Text
Something was wrong.
He could sense it. It was in the sudden shifting of the water. The subtle vibrations of something near him. Something out of place. The few fish in the area swam on, undisturbed, but he did not.
He froze, spear clenched tightly in his left hand, waiting. Listening. Feeling.
He looked slowly around him, into the murky blue depths of the ocean, wide eyes scanning past the several fish that moved about. They created there own, unique vibrations in the water, but nothing like what he had felt. He turned cautiously, not wanting to attract unwanted attention.
He gazed briefly upwards, but saw nothing amidst the rays of the sun breaking through the waters surface.
Heart pounding as dread began to creep its way into him, he looked down, into the black and seemingly bottomless sea. Nothing but the dark waters, until...
Movement. Movement so subtle, little may have noticed. But he did. A flash of lightness against the black. A flash of danger.
He responded immediately, flexed his muscles, turning to his right, towards home, twisting himself so that he was on his side. He could feel the shifting of the water below him as the hungry beast shot upwards towards its prey. At the same moment, the hunter, Aix, flicked his tail to propel himself forward. He was fast, but not fast enough.
Pain, intense and sharp, blinded him as teeth sunk into the base of his tail fin. Red fogged the water as he thrashed and flailed, widening the deep gashes the teeth created.
He knew he had to escape the shark's grasp. Within seconds of his capture, Aix was pivoting his body towards his attacker. Fear gave way to the basic instincts of survival and determination. The pain dulled just enough for him to focus his energy on his left arm and to cease his aimless struggling. As the shark bit ever harder on its now placid prey, the hunter drew his arm back, aimed the sharpened bone at its eye.
His hand darted forward and the spear was released. It cut through the water with speed and precision.
Moments after being seized, Aix was released. His weapon imbedded itself in the beady black eye of the shark. Red once again flowed through the blue waters of the sea, trailing in rapidly dissipating swirls behind the retreating beast.
The pain returned to Aix, greater than ever. His vision blurred, dizziness overcoming him. His injury continued to bleed, tainting the water until he was enveloped in a cloud of blood. He called out to his fellow hunters, hoping they were close enough to hear his cries.
Black dots filled his sight, until he found himself unconscious and sinking to the depths of the sea.