Den Mother Ep. 12: RIVER RED

"Hold up!" Aurora scanned the area around the oncoming beast. "I see smaller... fish?" Not fish! "Swimmers? Human's?"

"Mermaids?" Garameth suggested as human's surfaced around the creature then attacked it from the sides with spears.

"Feisty mermaids. Just how do swimmers swim that fast and carry long spears?"

"Talented ones!"

"I think they might be on our side here." Aurora winced just as one of the swimmers surfaced fully and crawled up on top the beasts hardened back. With being stabbed on its underside the creature too reared higher out of the water with gaping jaws.

"JAWS! Ten inch teeth!" Aurora bulged her eyes.

"Mosasaur!" Garameth called it. Sure, enough it was a marine reptile from the Cretaceous period that somehow had either survived or ended up here in some portal just like the rest of Aurora's troops. "A woman!" On it's back spearing it from above was a beautiful specimen of warrior woman with long wet silvery hair, her skin a milky blue.

"Mean bitch! Look at her go with that spear. Is that a mermaid? I don't see a fishy lower booty. They real?"

"Mermaid's are A'Bomi! She... is not a mermaid. I am uncertain what she is, nor her fellow swimmers."

"They look male."

"Hunters perhaps! I would guess they are not here to rescue us, but to bring home dinner."

"Spears are barely piercing it's skin." In an alligator style roll the Mosasaur took the woman back under, in doing so two males were drawn out of the water atop its belly then back under. Blood was ruining the river in red. In a maddening roar the beast captured one of the four males with the woman in it's jaws and literally bit him in half, guts and severed torso flung about. "Yikes! Not his lucky day."

"Aurora we should go. The others have reached the other shore. The current narrows its gap with our bridge."

"Go on! I'm going to help her."

"It is not our battle Aurora."

"No, but as long as we're trapped in this place we can always make friends. Never know when we might need help in return." Aurora Dawson was equally a warrior. Her time in the Military she was one of the finest until... her dive was precision. On the rocks Garameth snarled and complained about how reckless she was. Tempted to transform and join her he chose to obey. Hurrying after his pack as water crept topside the rocks, slipping and sliding the Ghost managed to make the shoreline. On dryer high ground the others watched Aurora treading water to reach the hunters. Pausing as the upper torso of the slain male coasted by her, she saw gills along his neck. The hunters were losing the battle, the creatures hide sturdier in places than others.

"They don't stand a chance." Aurora dove under and realized just how deep the water was in this spot. Not seeing the bottom until her vision adapted to the murkiness of the depths, she predicted 60 feet deep. It was then she understood Skip's powers better. He had brought bedrock up from a depth that clearly meant a lot of rock, which left cavities where she was swimming. Seeing the Mosasaur devour a second male, and the female struggling to carve at its spinning belly Aurora opted on utilizing her adapted Gaiamancer ability and summoned bedrock up from below. The other hunter's sensing disturbances from below tried to drag the female away but she was one stubborn bitch.

"Here goes!" Aurora even in the silt rising up in clouds saw perfectly, as she reshaped the bedrock into a giant hand, one that encircled the Mosasaur in a vice like grip. Captured with its belly up, exposed its thinner underside just as the female avoided the rocks. Lower body thrashing the hunters took full advantage in avoiding its tail. The female launching up out of the water straddled the beast and plunged her spear time after time into one certain spot, blood gushing up and out of a deepening wound, until the beast moved no more. The female bathing in blood was no longer bluish grey but hardcore crimson. A heart removed from its chest cavity on her spear's tip was raised to the sky like a tribute to some unseen deity. Once the worship was over the woman warrior lowered the heart and took a savage bite out of it. While chewing she eyed Aurora then hurled the remainder of the heart out toward Aurora.

Grossed but catching it just to show the woman respect, Aurora swallowed dryly then took a bite of her own. Certainly did not taste like chicken. Wiping her chin on her wrist Aurora noted the males just floating, half their faces underwater. Like tossing a football Aurora sent the heart flying for the males to eat up. "All yours! Starting my new diet as of right now. Shit! What am I doing? I touched the heart and it didn't go all gooey, but I did just feed her boys after I touched it. Dammit! I'm getting too careless. I hope I don't hurt them."

The female tapping her spear on the water drew her compatriots attention, a nod sent them swimming away with the heart in toe. Hiking her right leg over her seat upon the beast the female dismounted the Mosasaur and returned to the river, diving below. Unsure where she went Aurora simply waded there resisting the current. "I guess we're done here." Prepared to swim back for the other shore Aurora was caught off guard. The female slid right up on her skin on skin, literally breast on breast, nipples fighting one another. Face to face the woman looks into Aurora's eyes with curiosity. "Ummmm? Hi!"

In the blink of an eye the woman kissed Aurora on the lips. "Please don't die. Please don't die... please don't... stop kissing me." There was a strange amount of passion in their intent. Aurora wanted to hug her but grew terrified she might harm her. Yet, the kiss was not becoming sloppy. Lips separating the female used Aurora's body to rebound away and shot off toward the waterfall in the distance. Touching her lips Aurora trembled, "Good kisser! Nice to meet you my name's Aurora... what's yours?" As if Ariel could hear her. Sighing she headed back to her friends. She presumed they would come back to the bedrock spit for dinner later. If not them, Aurora in claiming the beast for their own sustenance.

Reaching the shore and rising up on the beach Aurora heard the majority of her pack mocking her with, "Ooooooooooooo!" howls to tease her about kissing a girl. Shaking her head she looked over at Odessi and Amoreus on instinct.

"That looked fun." Odessi giggled telepathically and puckered up, "Can I have one?" Skip next to Amoreus connected reactions and puckered his lips toward Odessi. A doubled-up fist from Amoreus eased him away. Not a fan of being punched. Odessi loved the fact she sensed jealousy in Amoreus.

"Unexpected that's for sure. I hope my skin didn't... doesn't ruin her day. I don't know if they're magic based or just evolved in some fashion."

Garameth and the General joined Aurora in calling her insane. "What if that had gone badly? They might have attacked you too." Garameth shook his head looking up at her.

"I think I'd let her attack me." Aurora Dawson chuckled. "She's as hot as I am. Just... with gills." Laughing she danced in step like Cyndi Lauper in her youth and belting out, "Gills! Gills just want to have fun. Oh Gills... just want to have fun." The General eyed Aurora curiously making her fidget, "What? Did she leave blood lipstick on me?" With a cautious gauntlet Calahaus guided her head to tilt to one side. "Uhhh? Hicky?" Rearing up on his hind legs Garameth examined what Calahaus was alluding to without words. Her fingers reaching up to touch her neck she bulged her eyes.

"Crap! Or should I say Carp? Guess I got invited to Gillie's bar and grill."

"Do they... hurt?" Odessi communicates her worry.

"Never noticed them until the General pointed them out. So, no they don't. I'm breathing out my nose though." Regardless the gills inhaled with her nostrils. "Guess I adapted to Ariel there."

"Marianas!" Odessi mumbled receiving a vision of the future.

"You... know her by name?" Skip looked puzzled after hearing Aurora repeat the word.

"Just a vision Odessi had." She told him, "Better tear down that dike Skip. Let's get this river back on course."

"On it!" Little man set out crumbling the bridge back into the depths it had been ripped from.

"What else do you see about her Odessi?" Aurora spoke only between them, blocking transmissions of telepathy with her pack.

"I see you both flopping like fish together. You... like it. I am uncertain what it means. It's like you both are wrestling but not hitting one another. She... likes it too. Please explain."

"Uhhh? Seabee's and Flying Fish?" Aurora snickered mocking the Birds and the Bees. Odessi simply flared her eyes.

"Oh!"

"Yep!"

"Can I try it?"

Aurora winks at the girl, "When we get you some new legs. Fish out of water Beautiful!"

"You're so mean."

"Why yes I am."

With the General back on his horse he calls out to his troops, ordering them to head up river toward the Falls. Aurora motioning her pack to follow paused to look out at the crippled and lifeless Mosasaur still in it's stony grip.

"I hope that heart wasn't her mating call. Marianas, huh? Catchy name! Catch of the day maybe."

Marianas... trench warfare!

Wench warfare?

Deep thoughts!