A mixture of colors, though mostly dark brown, oily yet sleek-furred, beautiful, otter-like creatures are approaching as a group. Some are just spheres with tiny paws and tails. Others appear to be otters as I recognize or know them, only with slightly more anthropomorphic qualities, or at least what I imagine they look like from my mysterious memories. Several others are, well they look humanoid, like, as if they were just furry humans with otter tails dragging behind, and slightly snouted facial structures. They seemed to be following their noses, sniffing the air from downwind, and are now staring at me.
My heart skips a beat, they’re each a gorgeous sight to behold, wrenching me free from the fear of a life of eternal solitude. Lil’s amazing company could become all the better if they had friends, hobbies, stories to tell. The otterfolk don’t seem hostile. They’re looking in my direction with intelligence and desire. They’re likely looking at the sashimi platter in my hands, and I let myself hope beyond hope that I can become friends with them.
I try calling out “Hello? Can you understand me?” Which Lil messages me in our party chat that of course they can’t, causing me to sigh sadly. I cautiously set down the sashimi platter, and then I begin summoning another one from my inventory, one for each of the otter creatures and otterfolk that I see, setting them each down in a circle. I slowly make my way to the farthest spot in the circle and summon another platter for myself, taking a seat.
I can tell that some boxes are forming, but how I perceive them feels different, it’s like as the weeks pass, I acclimate more and more to life as it’s supposed to be here, I can almost read the boxes, though Lil still has to communicate for us, for now at the very least.
“They’re asking if they can eat with us Reggie, since you put out all the food, I’m guessing yeah. Yeah?” Lil inquires.
“Yes, have some.” I gesture to the food
“Yes, have some.” Lil shares with the otterfolk on my behalf, well, on our behalf.
As they begin eating, I ask Lil to see if they have names,since neither of us did. They let Lil know that they are collectively the Shellcrackers, but don’t have individual names.
“Would they mind if we came up with names so we could refer to them individually? I’d feel disrespectful just saying ‘that one’ or ‘you there’.” Lil chuckles at my question, but Lil still conveys my curiosity and desires to them. They appear interested, and ask Lil why I won’t communicate with them directly. Lil lets them know that I have a problem that keeps me from talking normally, but that I can speak in a party.
The hope that we could become a formal party rises within me, “Do you think they’d be willing to party with us Lil? Or can there be like a mixed-party liaison or something, someone who is in multiple parties?”
Lil’s answer fills my hope-chalice beyond brimming, “I think they were about to ask if they could join us, Reggie.”
I barely restrain my excitement as I ask, “How so?”
Lil headbutts my shin playfully while answering, “It’s just a hunch, but they seem really friendly, especially after the food. They’re also curious about our inventory magic, it’s completely unfamiliar to them.”
I poke Lil’s forehead, keeping their headbutting at bay with my index finger as I remind them, “Well, um, I still don’t really know how to engage in party things, could you extend them an offer?”
“Sure thing pal, and done!” Just like that, my world expands, more information pops into my mind’s eye, bars relating to each of the otterfolk and names I had been thinking of for them populate boxes in my mental display.
I look towards the two largest in our new party, Agwai Shellcracker, an apparent leader, Laomati Shellcracker, their partner or sibling or spouse, similarly in a position of leadership, the two most in-charge seeming humanoid otterfolk figures. Laomati in particular sets my heart aflutter. Laomati’s figure is all soft curves, roundness and smoothness accentuated by short sleek fur, her smile is kind, while her eyes are gentle yet radiant. She has the look of a being whose hugs create a sense of safety and utter contentment. I blush while imagining being hugged by her, even though we’re basically strangers. I can say that I almost want nothing more than Lil and myself to enjoy a massive group hug with these tender, kind beings.
In my confusion over my emotions driven by Laomati’s appearance, I remember that I don’t know if I have any family. Her demeanor is doting, as she sets about making sure each of the smaller otterfolk gets a cheek nuzzled, and is told to thank Lil and myself. In short, Laomati looks motherly. I guess being on my own for this short period of life, not knowing where I’m from has left me wanting someone to look to, for guidance, for care. I wonder who I come from, if I would find them to be so beautiful and poised, with care virtually exuding from every pore. I suppose my confusing emotions might have been a twinge of jealousy at the otters for having such a caring and lovely individual to look after them.
Agwai and Laomati are both almost twice my height, not counting the length of their tail to nose tip. Somehow I feel much safer, and more confident about my place in the world, with these two charismatic, caring individuals of such presence. Lil informs me that their various skills and numbers available in analysis are actually generally lower than ours, and yet, that contented feeling of safety remains. I feel like a lost child who’d been wandering scared and alone, now reunited with their parents, a situation that isn’t too far fetched, nor all that much unlike the current one.
The others are Atamai, a very proud, stubborn, and resistant spherical individual, who seems driven to prove themselves superior to me. Their determination burns brightly even though they’re a sphere smaller than Lil. Every time I answer a question or Lil answers a question about me, Atamai claims to be as good as or better at whatever was done, or that they could have done it better.
Luni is an utter sweetheart with an abundance of questions, her and Lil are bouncing up and down talking at one another at a rapid pace, firing off questions and responses quicker than I can keep up as I get to know the rest of the otters. Olioli is similarly rambunctious, curious to explore every new thing, which at this point, includes my head, and my general shape. Olioli leaps at me, gnawing testingly on every part of me, starting with my head, the whole thing is silly and endearing, and I swear there’s cutesy “poi poi” sound effects as they bound around me.
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Yet more of the figures are Mataalii, along with Manaia and Manamea, twins, Penina who carries a small clamshell with her at all times. Mataalli appears exactly as I would imagine otters to appear. The twins Manaia and Manamea are spheres with little tails and feet, their fur pattern appears like swirls of chocolate that dwindle to a creamy underbelly, while Mataallii’s fur appears nearly dark as midnight across the entirety of their body.
Penina is a pearlescent white-furred otter, though she doesn’t seem to be albino, as her eyes are a deep violet, the color of which nearly bleeds into the surroundings with how vibrant they are. One who utterly captivates me is an athletically toned mid-stage individual, Teuila, whose hair is a brilliant copper. Teuila’s hair in the right light is a more fiery red than my own shock of reddish hair, and a sight to behold. The hairstyle is adorable, something akin to a mohawk. Even though she seems to be in the middle stage, between sphere, and almost human, she’s the most humanoid looking of the otters in that stage of, well, evolution I guess, based on Lil’s terminology usage when Lil transforms. Likewise, similarly to Penina, Teuila’s eyes are so vibrant, though verdant rather than violet, that green seems to flow from her stare into everything around her.
Two that apparently refuse to join the party, older grey humanoid otterfolk known as Iakopo, and Taito bow with gratitude. They seemingly bid farewell to all the other otterfolk. Curious, I ask the party what that’s about.
Laomati answers, “The elders insist that the Shellcracker home will prosper again one day, but that we should journey with you, the generous ones, until that day comes.”
“Prosper again one day? Your home no longer prospers? How so?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.
Laomati continues responding to me, “Our food source, the spawning pools of fish have changed, an unprecedented thing. Creatures from vast depths beyond the continental shelf have arrived, enormous serpents whose mere bite deletes entire spawning pools from existence.”
My eyes go wide and I feel my consciousness yanked from my body, as if drawn far out to the edges of my vision along the horizon to witness the massive scaled loops that break the surface of the ocean. I know I must be gulping, and my pupils must be constricted to pinpoint droplets in my eyes. Though I can somehow tell my body is reacting with adrenaline and fear, I can’t control my senses as it feels like I drift along the surface of the ocean, skirting the waves, closer and closer to the serpents whose enormity I can barely imagine. Their bites tear into the laws of the realm and remove not just creatures from existence, but the very systems in place that bring them back, or repopulate them.
I can only see apparently endless serpentine bodies as my consciousness skirts the waves, and I can stare down into the endless inky depths. Before long I realize those endless inky depths are the open maw of a monstrous serpent. I try to break off this out of body experience. I try to shriek in fear, to flail, to turn back, but in an instant, my consciousness is devoured, and I fear, me, with it.
It feels like an eternity passes, an eternity in which I cannot perceive, think, react, or exist. Yet now my thoughts are coalescing again, begging to return my consciousness to my body, and Lil, and the otterfolk. My wish is finally granted as I come to my senses, flailing away from the rest of the party, on my back in the sand.
Agwai and Laomati nod solemnly. “At first we suspected the Rocksmasher clan of simply finding a change in the spawning times, and beating us to the fish every day, greedily keeping them all to themselves. We are ashamed that we accused them, more ashamed now as none of them are left. Gone, to the last.”
“None of them are left? Don’t tell me that they still tried fishing and then they were, they were...?” I gulp, stammering, unable to finish my question.
“Yes, it is likely as you suspect. Or something of that sort at least.” Agwai interrupts, sensing my voice cracking and my inability to finish my query.
I can only blubber, “No, oh no, oh no that’s awful!”
Agwai’s gaze is both distant, yet resolute as they stare off towards the horizon, “Yes, and we will forever live with the shame of losing our close allies while we treated them coldly in their last days.”
I gulp back a sob as I sympathize, “I’m so sorry to hear that. I can’t imagine the sort of monstrous nature of a creature that can just do such a thing.”
“I suspect you can imagine, and that you just did.” Agwai jokes, at least I think Agwai is trying to bring levity to my recent out of body experience. I laugh halfheartedly, and realize I must be sweating profusely, and my heart might even visibly be pounding in my chest. I summon my soap stone to my hand, and invoke its magic to clean myself of all sweat and grime. Agwai seems mostly unfazed by the magic, yet slightly interested.
Laomati steps closer to me tentatively, her arms open, I don’t notice at first that I’m being hugged until I realize my arms are wrapped around her hips and my face buried in her torso. My welling tears begin to spill and dampen her fur slightly. Well, they actually roll down her fur, completely repelled.
Once I realize I’ve been embraced, I just ramble in confusion and sadness. “It’s so awful, it’s so awful, were you close? Did you coexist for a long time?”
“Yes, and, ages my sweet, but that shame is ours to bear, not yours.” Coos Laomati, while stroking my head. At least I think she coos, something about the font of the communication just conveys the sound I expect to hear. I realize my breathing is somewhat ragged sobs and I take a step back, rubbing my cheeks with my forearm abashedly.
I’m so sad and curious for and about them, I rattle off questions, “What are your plans, how long have you been hungry? How are you getting by? What are you going to do?”
“One question at a time. We had planned to travel inland, seeking swampfish and swampfrogs, we’d been hungry for several days before we realized our folly, the true events that had transpired. In truth, we hadn’t been getting by, which is why we’d been heading north as you arrived. We are going to continue now, refreshed by your generosity.” Laomati states with poise and a demeanor that’s comforting, reassuring, and somehow dominant, in such a matter of fact manner that I can’t help but believe that whatever course of action she says is chosen, is what will happen.
I purse my lips and furrow my brow before gnawing on my lips, avoiding Lao’s gaze as I abashedly ask, “Um, can Lil and I, maybe, see your home on the shore to rest for a spell? Then we could maybe travel together?”
Agwai and Laomati look at one another, as if somehow their shared glance could judge the right course of action, before they nod to one another. “These names, and your generosity, and our joining your party, yes, that would be fine. Though we must warn you to harden your heart. What you will see we have already lived through, and we move onward as we must.”
Lao’s hand cups my cheek as she orders my hardness of heart. Confused I ramble, “Oh, there’s, there’s more to see that is somehow harder? Wait, I think I get it, but yeah, yes I mean, I think um, if it’s alright, let’s head back to your home quickly?”
“Yes, loves, let us return, we need not hunt today.” Calls Laomati to the rest of the Shellcrackers, whom each, in turn, swiftly stop what they’re doing. I didn’t even realize I had been being playfully bit in turn by Olioli and Lil until they stop and Lil hops atop my head.