Lament of the Castorocauda
The water was getting uncomfortably warm. Haili stood at the lake's edge, her fur wet and slick, gazing out at the faraway mountains as they were swallowed one at a time by the pyroclastic cloud. Her friends and family had all gone, though there was nowhere to go. There was nothing left. Almost. Just the lake, a few fish, some plants and insects, and Haili.
She turned and slipped silently into the water, propelling herself forward with her flat tail. Her people had always ruled the lake, and now she ruled alone. A fish appeared in front of her. She grabbed at it, and then it lay dead on her claws. It had not even startled. They were getting sluggish.
Haili took the fish back to the burrow she still thought of as her mother's. With so many burrows lying empty, she had no need to dig her own. If things were different, she might have had a bellyful of young now. She would be putting her powerful arms to use, pulling back the damp lakeside earth and tunnelling through to where her litter would be warm and dry and safe as they drank her milk.
But this was not the way of things. She was the last of her kind, facing extinction, along with every other creature that lived in the world. Haili knew little of them. They must once have come to the lake to drink, but now they were dead or dying, whatever they may be. She could not imagine any creature larger than herself. To the fish and to the insects, she was a holy terror.
She decided she wanted to dig. She had nothing to dig for, but it was in her nature, and it would be something to do. She half slid, half waddled down her mother's tunnel, dropped into the water and glided across its surface until she found an untouched patch of mud. Then she dug, and she dug, and she dug. When she had finished digging, she slept.
Haili began to be woken by a feeling that something was wrong at her lake. Something besides the usual. She was brought almost to full consciousness by the sound of splashing, too vigorous for any fish. Then she was brought starkly into wakefulness by a loud cry unlike anything she had ever heard.
There was a flying animal over the lake. Haili stood in the mouth of her tunnel, staring at it. Here was a creature larger than herself. With the spread of its wings, it was more than twice as wide as she was long. She watched it. It kept circling, then swooping, then going back up again. When it did this for the third time, it came up with a fish in its mouth.
Anger and alarm drove Haili into the water, towards this enormous creature. The fish were all she had, and they were scarce as it was. She did not glide as usual, but scrabbled with her legs and flapped her tail as rapidly as the creature was flapping its wings. When she was directly underneath it, she swam in small circles until it swooped down. It was not even content with one fish. It might have eaten half the population before Haili even found it.
She rolled over onto her back and, when the creature swooped, she slashed at it with her clawed front feet. They made no impression on the creature's scaly skin. It screeched, surely with anger rather than pain, flew into the air and then swooped again. Haili kicked at it with her webbed back feet. It had claws of its own, which cut into her tender flesh and drew blood.
Haili had never had a reason to fight before, not even when the food supply had started to diminish. Those who did not starve had simply left. She had never seen her own blood.
The creature had a fearsome mouth, long and hard with a pointed end. It lunged again and punctured her side as she rolled over to protect her soft underbelly. It could have been worse. When the creature lunged again, it opened that impossible mouth and grabbed Haili's back leg. Tiny, sharp teeth bit into her. She tried to dive, but the creature held on. She kicked and flailed with all her might until she tore her leg from the cruel beak of the creature, flesh and muscle rending and tearing in twin jagged lines.
Haili swam down and down and down, until she could almost walk on the lake bed. She kicked feebly through the water, weary and in pain, leaving bright crimson trails behind her.
Any burrow would do. She resurfaced and slipped into the closest one, then curled up and licked her wounds. She smelled potential mates, though only mothers dug burrows. Perhaps this one had raised a litter of males only. They would have been her own age, perhaps, and one of them might have been the father of her young. Where were they now?
Millions of years had gone by before Haili was born, and millions more would go by after she died. One day, other creatures would call this unimaginable length of time by one name, 'mesozoic', and it would mean far, far less to them than the short reign of their own species.
Haili lay waiting for her pain to subside, and for a chance to feed again, as her blood soaked into the earth.
© A.R. Collins, 2019
She turned and slipped silently into the water, propelling herself forward with her flat tail. Her people had always ruled the lake, and now she ruled alone. A fish appeared in front of her. She grabbed at it, and then it lay dead on her claws. It had not even startled. They were getting sluggish.
Haili took the fish back to the burrow she still thought of as her mother's. With so many burrows lying empty, she had no need to dig her own. If things were different, she might have had a bellyful of young now. She would be putting her powerful arms to use, pulling back the damp lakeside earth and tunnelling through to where her litter would be warm and dry and safe as they drank her milk.
But this was not the way of things. She was the last of her kind, facing extinction, along with every other creature that lived in the world. Haili knew little of them. They must once have come to the lake to drink, but now they were dead or dying, whatever they may be. She could not imagine any creature larger than herself. To the fish and to the insects, she was a holy terror.
She decided she wanted to dig. She had nothing to dig for, but it was in her nature, and it would be something to do. She half slid, half waddled down her mother's tunnel, dropped into the water and glided across its surface until she found an untouched patch of mud. Then she dug, and she dug, and she dug. When she had finished digging, she slept.
Haili began to be woken by a feeling that something was wrong at her lake. Something besides the usual. She was brought almost to full consciousness by the sound of splashing, too vigorous for any fish. Then she was brought starkly into wakefulness by a loud cry unlike anything she had ever heard.
There was a flying animal over the lake. Haili stood in the mouth of her tunnel, staring at it. Here was a creature larger than herself. With the spread of its wings, it was more than twice as wide as she was long. She watched it. It kept circling, then swooping, then going back up again. When it did this for the third time, it came up with a fish in its mouth.
Anger and alarm drove Haili into the water, towards this enormous creature. The fish were all she had, and they were scarce as it was. She did not glide as usual, but scrabbled with her legs and flapped her tail as rapidly as the creature was flapping its wings. When she was directly underneath it, she swam in small circles until it swooped down. It was not even content with one fish. It might have eaten half the population before Haili even found it.
She rolled over onto her back and, when the creature swooped, she slashed at it with her clawed front feet. They made no impression on the creature's scaly skin. It screeched, surely with anger rather than pain, flew into the air and then swooped again. Haili kicked at it with her webbed back feet. It had claws of its own, which cut into her tender flesh and drew blood.
Haili had never had a reason to fight before, not even when the food supply had started to diminish. Those who did not starve had simply left. She had never seen her own blood.
The creature had a fearsome mouth, long and hard with a pointed end. It lunged again and punctured her side as she rolled over to protect her soft underbelly. It could have been worse. When the creature lunged again, it opened that impossible mouth and grabbed Haili's back leg. Tiny, sharp teeth bit into her. She tried to dive, but the creature held on. She kicked and flailed with all her might until she tore her leg from the cruel beak of the creature, flesh and muscle rending and tearing in twin jagged lines.
Haili swam down and down and down, until she could almost walk on the lake bed. She kicked feebly through the water, weary and in pain, leaving bright crimson trails behind her.
Any burrow would do. She resurfaced and slipped into the closest one, then curled up and licked her wounds. She smelled potential mates, though only mothers dug burrows. Perhaps this one had raised a litter of males only. They would have been her own age, perhaps, and one of them might have been the father of her young. Where were they now?
Millions of years had gone by before Haili was born, and millions more would go by after she died. One day, other creatures would call this unimaginable length of time by one name, 'mesozoic', and it would mean far, far less to them than the short reign of their own species.
Haili lay waiting for her pain to subside, and for a chance to feed again, as her blood soaked into the earth.
© A.R. Collins, 2019
