(I Died and got Reincarnated) My New Life as a Saltwater Crocodile Begins

CH•09 - "On the Move"

It's been a few days already, and we still haven't closed the distance. This morning, I thought I felt a new kind of prey was entering the water so I went after it for an early breakfast, but it was actually just the girl washing her hands. And, because of that, she's distanced herself further away from me again... Urk. Guess I'll leave her alone for now... Tiny's with her, after all.

I went to the wrecked ship where I fought and killed those wolves before. Well, it wasn't really much of a fight, it was just a successful ambush that lasted a few seconds. Though, the gruel ripping and tearing of their twitching bodies lasted several minutes, and they were very munchy. Delish. Anyway, I approach the body of the man lying dead next to the ship. There's got to be some clues here that can tell me where in the world I am. I can't even tell what continent or what country I'm in just by looking at the features of this man's dry skin. I mean, the world is pretty mixed right now, so this man could be from anywhere.

There is a cliff just past up ahead that I haven't explored yet. I could start looking over there. I head towards the cliff. I made sure not to stick too close since I might get hit by falling rocks. And, just past the cliff lies what could be our glimmer of hope. Another boat.

It had sirens on it. A sea patrol boat, perhaps? What sheer luck for me to just randomly stumble upon what we've been looking for. Finally, the girl can be saved! It's probably a search party for the girl. Thank goodness. Now, all we have to do is lead them to her, or lead her to them. But, just when I felt relieved, I heard screaming again. It was an extremely agonizing pain that came from a woman. I went to take a closer look and saw two men carrying an injured woman back to the boat. I hide behind the boat.

"What happened?"

"She got stung."

"By what?"

"A dead jellyfish. Get the medical kit ready."

A dead jellyfish? Wait, how could it still sting if it's already dead? And, the woman didn't look wet, so she couldn't have walked in the water, so how did she get stung?

"Uh, chief. We may have another matter at our hands."

A pack of wolves approach them. Though, they look more like wild dogs than wolves. There are more of them than last time.

"One problem after another. Have we reached out Osprey yet?"

"They're not responding."

"... If we can't reach them, then we're left to fend for ourselves."

Sounds serious. Guess they're in some deep trouble. I can't have them become someone else's lunch before I show them the girl. Those pups are not going to ruin it for me.

I come out of hiding and jump at a nearby dog who was within range. The dogs and the crew were surprised at my sudden appearance out of nowhere. Immediately, I snap my large jaws at the dog and pulled it to the water. While in the water, I ripped one of its front legs off. Its left flank got bit, it's bleeding heavily, and it's underwater. If I leave it alone, it'll just die of excessive blood loss or simply by drowning since it's missing one leg.

I return to shore and attempted to jump at another dog, but it seemed like they became wary of the water since they're distancing themselves. These dogs are smart. I hate smart. Makes it even trickier to solve. Tricky exam questions must burn. Wait, this is no time for that!

I move in front of the boat. You're not getting past me. I won't let anything happen to these people until I bring the girl to them. And, here they come. Some running to my sides, and the rest just charging straight at me. What, you think I'm helpless when I'm out of water? Think again!

With my powerful leg muscles, I jump up high in the air and lunge towards one of the dogs. I aimed my jaws at its neck, and started rolling myself sidewards, back and forth, while ripping its flesh apart. Two dogs pincer me from both sides, but I fling the dog that's in my mouth to one of them and whip my tail to the other. All this happened within a span of a few seconds. But then, gunshots were suddenly fired, and few of the dogs started running away. Hey, hey, hey!! You're shooting at me too!

Immediately, I retreat back to the water. I felt the vibrations on my scales when I got shot. I hope it's nothing serious. The rest of the pack retreat back to the forest. At least they're gone now. I just realized that my dark green color makes me completely visible even if I hide myself underwater. The only reason why they didn't notice me earlier was because I was hiding behind the boat, under its shade.

Meanwhile, the men started to heavily focus on treating the injured woman. I should probably bring the girl over to them while they're still here. They might leave once they're finished with their emergency treatment. I need to hurry, then.

==========================

"Sir, she's stable, for now. But, it'd better if we go back and give her a proper treatment in a hospital."

"... Huh? Oh, right."

"Sir?"

"It's nothing. Start the engine. We'll continue the search later."

Following his orders, they prepare to head out. Meanwhile, the chief stares at the direction where the crocodile swam, and begins to wonder.