Danger and Dread

In the moment of their standoff, Aresenn hadn't realized that he had stepped out into the shallow tide. He knew he would never outswim the large beast, but in his display of dominance, he might have pushed the boundary of advantage a little too far. Just as the Crocodile ... and its apparent offspring began to slowly creep closer to the shoreline, he heard a familiar voice that was just about as surprising to hear as it was to encounter such a creature on the small, tropical island. Sephiran shouted for him to get out of the shallows, and as Aresenn glanced from the other boy, to the Croc, he didn't need much further convincing.

Just as the Praetor boy began to scramble backward, the monster propelled itself forward with a surprising amount of speed. Sprinting away from the water's edge, the Crocodile pursued him several of its own body lengths- leaving its hatchlings behind. He felt the shallow gust of air as it snapped its jaws with bone-crushing force mere inches behind his flank. However, the larger predator was quick to succumb to its lack of momentum, and as it came to a stop, Aresenn turned to face it. Tensing his muscles in preparation to dodge another charge if he needed to. It seemed still for the moment, hissing in frustration at a failed attack. Using the moment of borrowed stillness, he called out to Seph. “Any ideas?”