Venture: Chapter 1

"What do males do when they leave home?" Trellia, who had been swimming quietly next to Skit, spasmed in surprise. Next to them Synth beeped softly. With a sense of foreboding, she ventured her own question in response, "What do you mean?" Though Trellia had raised Skit, they were both aware she was not his mother and someday he would venture out on his own. They hadn’t discussed it much, but he was the age most young males began to leave their families. Trellia sighed and Synth swam closer to her as it sensed her agitation. She ignored it, continuing on at a slower pace as she told him everything she knew. "And is this something I must do?" 

Trellia glanced sideways at Skit, Synth swimming off to her other side oblivious to the intricacies of the situation. He was somewhere between a brother and a son to her now, but she couldn’t deny him the chance at his own life. She sighed and turned to swim close against him, a hug of reassurance and comfort. "Yes." She said simply, sadly. He pressed against her, hugging her back. “But not today?” He asked. She nodded, momentarily relieved. “When you’re ready.” 

A few weeks later found them hunting around the docks of a human city. Skit’s hunger was quickly forgotten when he noticed a strange, colorful, almost bald weasel-like lizard chittering at them from the docks. A group of humans stood nearby conversing, ignoring the wildlife around them. The strange little creature bravely thrust her long head down to boop her pointy snout with Skit’s rounded one. Skit made an excited call before diving down. He leaped high, grinning at the small creature as he fell back to the water. The resulting splash not only soaked Tessa the Reepul, who began to squall indignantly, but also the group of humans nearby. Trellia gasped and prepared to yell at Skit to swim and not look back. But instead of anger, a richly dressed human was laughing as he stepped to the edge of the dock to examine the two Aquiron. Skit was back at the surface, chattering and slapping the water with a fin. The Reepul hissed and scurried up the human’s body to wrap wetly over his shoulders. “Well, what do we have here?” the man asked as he glanced between Trellia and Skit. “Welcome to Tahmil!” He smiled gently down at them, though he was quickly recalled to his interrupted discussion. He smiled at them once more before turning away. Some of the other humans were watching them now, but as if none of them had ever seen their kind before. Nervous, Trellia ushered Skit back below the surface and herded him back out to deeper water, surfacing for air only when needed. 

“Trellia, what’s wrong? I thought we were having fun. And see, nobody tried to hurt us!” Skit was happily swimming in circles around her, and any attempt to get his attention failed. As she waited for him to calm down, she looked about for Synth, who had been left behind in her mad dash to put distance between them and the humans. But even as she looked for it, it came beeping softly from the murky shadows of the deep water to rejoin them. Sighing in relief she turned back to Skit. “I’m glad your first encounter with humans went well, Skit but you should be more careful! You could have been hurt.” Skit had the decency to look properly scolded, but she could tell his curiosity had firm hold of him. “I promise I’ll be careful! I know to avoid their nets at least. I’d like to explore around here more, can we?” Trellia shook her head, looking back toward the bay, “I’d rather not. Come, let’s hunt.” He joined her willingly enough, but when she tried to lead him further away from the bay and the city they’d found, Skit refused. “You go on ahead, I’ll catch up. Maybe.” He added the last quietly enough she almost missed it. She glanced back, gazing at him for a long time before she nodded and turned. It would be years before he’d catch up with her again.