Frilled Invaders: Making the Urchins Edible

Prompt: The Snack that Bites Back

Word Count: 1395

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The waters had been warming up thanks to the collective effort from the outsiders. The kelp beds had begun to recover and the rich kelp forest swayed beautifully in the tides. There were still drifting kelp mats, but they were becoming manageable and more countable by the day. Where once it was almost meaningless to pull out the sea urchins by anything but the fishing boatfuls, it was now just as useful to pull them out by the handheld netfuls.

But it was getting increasingly more difficult to pick out the stragglers. Even a handful of a few scattered invaders could send the ecosystem back into disarray in a matter of months, repeating this cycle all over again. Without something actively hunting these urchins down, they could forever be an unchecked menace on Aquellan oceans.

Asbjorne zeroed in on one of the lurking menaces, chewing away at the root of a healthy stalk of kelp without a care for the destruction it contributed to. The aqrion had quickly learned that the tusks and talons he had to scrap away sea ice were well suited to pulling the frilled urchins off the sea floor. He balanced the dislodged critter on his tusk as it pathetically flailed its fins in an attempt to get away. He dropped it in a net where it fell into a waiting pile of its brethren, all equally as stupid-looking as the other. 

With any more in his net, he would risk overspilling, so Asbjorne made his way back to shore. As he pushed his way through the recovering kelp forest, he spied a rather large Dungeness crab picking at a days-dead fish. He felt his mouth salivate and his stomach grumble. With no hesitation, he dove, snatching the crab into his maw, and crunched. The creature probably didn’t even have time to register that it was ever in danger.

He broke the surface of the water as he got closer to shore and spied his pale-skinned partner kneeling over a fire pit. Asbjorne hauled himself, the crab in his mouth, and the net full of urchins onto the beach nearby. Trigger had picked himself up, holding something in his hand as he went to greet Asbjorne.

“Hey, welcome back! Got another one for you to try.” the human said, tossing the spongy gonad at Asbjorne’s mouth. He noticed a moment too late that there was already something in his mouth and the uni had hit the dragon’s nose instead. It bounced off and landed on the sandy beach between them. They both stood in silence, looking at the lost morsel.

Asbjorne set his crab down and dryly joked, “It’s a bit gritty.”

“I have more.” Trigger laughed off the comment as Asbjorne dragged the net of fresh urchins closer to the human’s makeshift cooking area. Trigger tossed another morsel Asbjorne’s way, waiting for the dragon to open his mouth first. It landed cleanly on his tongue and he was immediately hit with an overwhelming bitter flavor. He slid his tongue out of his mouth and allowed the uni to fall into the sand.

“Boiling them is definitely not the solution.” Trigger blew air as he rested a hand on his hip and brought the other to run through his hair. Every other attempt had warranted at least a bite. “Man, not even the seagulls want anything to do with most of these.”

“Maybe we could try smoking them? Does wonders for salmon. Gives it a nice flavor, cooks off some bacteria and parasites, but leaves it with that raw texture.” Asbjorne swallowed back his drool. Char was his favorite fish, but salmon wasn’t that far behind. He felt his stomach growl again and was thankful he caught himself lunch along the way.

“I’d been considering it actually.” Trigger twisted the lollipop between his teeth, making an odd clacking noise as it drummed across uneven molars. “I’d need to remake this pit to trap the smoke and I’m going to be sitting here a while with it.”

“Why?” Asbjorne pulled a claw off of his crab and set it aside. The claws were his favorite part, but they were the easiest to share. He held it out to Trigger who paused, gave Asbjorne a smile that looked far too emotional for the dragon’s comfort, and took the crab claw out of his flipper. 

“It’s been hard finding stray wood that’s dry enough to light a fire. I’ve been using my own magic for most of the heat.” Trigger explained, tossing the crab claw into a pot of still-boiling water. 

“I’d offer my own, but-” Asbjorne swirled his flipper, creating a cold fog that tumbled down and wet the sand. He shoved a talon between the chitin plating and pulled them apart from each other. Asbjorne ate his crab, enjoying eating something actually tasty as Trigger rebuilt his fire pit into a smoke pit. Occasionally he called to service to hold a piece steady there or jam a piece there, but he was mostly left in silence to enjoy his food.

When Trigger looked satisfied with what he had and his crab was sufficiently boiled, he sat nearby the dragon on a rock that was nice and flat. It’d make a lovely sunbathing rock if Asbjorne was smaller and the human seemed to have a similar mindset. Asbjorne watched as the human used some odd metal thing to crack open the shell and get to the crab meat. He looked troubled for a moment as he chewed his food.

“Hey, Asbjorne? Can I ask you something?”

Asbjorne bit back the urge to tell him he already did and nodded.

“A lot of the dragons here- they don’t act on it, but they look hostile towards me. Not just me really, but other humans. And other people that look close enough to humans.” he asked and Asbjorne felt his stomach drop as he knew the question that was soon to follow. “Why is that?”

Asbjorne felt himself chewing slower and more thoroughly than he was before. As his food turned into a mush that just fell down his throat, he knew he couldn’t delay answering anymore. He released a sigh that made Trigger wrinkle his nose.

“There are humans that exist naturally on Aquella. Three major tribes. Two of them are fine, keep to themselves. One of them…” he closed his eyes as he tried to keep his own emotions in check. “One of them not so much. The only time we really encounter those humans they… they hurt us. They hunt us.”

“But you’re sentient.” Trigger’s face showed a mixture of shock, disbelief, anger, and sympathy. “That’s not hunting. That… that’s murder!”

Asbjorne felt a wave of emotion that he’d been trying to hold back hit him all at once. An overwhelming sadness swept over him that he couldn’t control. He found his fore flippers drawing into his chest like he needed to hold himself together. He shut his eyes tight. And when he almost felt as though he was going to fall into the depths, he felt a hand resting on his nose.

He opened his eyes and saw Trigger giving him the saddest look he ever saw a human make. Wordlessly, he felt as though they were sharing their own pains with each other. Empathizing and ultimately healing. Trigger wrapped his arms around the dragon’s neck and Asbjorne gently held the human’s back.

 

“All right, three hours of constant smoking later, and I think we’re finally done with these.” Trigger declared, stirring Asbjorne out of his sleep. The dragon squinted, wondering if this was the same human he met with earlier in the day. He’d gotten so red and he never heard of humans being able to change their color like this.

Asbjorne shifted, rolling back onto his belly and opening his mouth. Trigger pulled the smoked frilled urchin off of its place and quickly flicked it onto his tongue. Asbjorne’s mouth released fog as he used his ice magic to cool the burning meat. Once it was an acceptable temperature, he rolled it around his tongue and to his molars where he ground it up. Trigger waited in anticipation for the dragon’s feedback.

Asbjorne licked his lips and mulled over the lingering flavor. It wasn’t bad. It could use some work, but they were on the right track.

“Needs seasoning.”