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If one were to look upon the surface of Munov, one would see little more than an endless sea separating small tropical islands dotting the equator. But if one were to gaze beneath the waves they would find life in an endless dance. Reefs of rainbow coral and sponges, fish that swirled through the water with ease, kelp forests a kilometer wide.
To Hanqi’ll, there were few places better than the shallows. Despite the higher presence of predators, the serene harmony was irresistible. Fish swam by her without a care, pirouetting around her tentacles as crabs stalked across the sand and rocks with dexterous ease.
The only thing that she was certain surpassed it was the surface. Sometimes she would poke an eye above the water to look around, gazing in wonder at the sky-stars that shined above at night, akin to gemstones in volcanic sand. Being out at night was dangerous of course, predators of all sorts used the darkness as a cover for their hunts, but the views were worth every moment.
Her kind– guneikhthus– were medium-sized marine omnivores that inhabited shallows. Compared to other omnivores they weren't the most proficient hunters, so they preferred farming as a consistent source of food, with meat being a meal saved for holidays and special occasions.
She was approaching the farming fields now. Phosphuton stalks grew in long rows, the glowing fruits inviting her closer. They were not tame plants by any means, being toxic to most other creatures, but they were nutritious and perfectly safe for her kind to eat. Her species was so intertwined with the plant that they had developed glowing spots on certain parts of their bodies with a similar color and shape to phosphuton fruits, dissuading predators from attacking them.
It hadn’t helped her sister, but karkinokhora did tend to be more aggressive than other predators.
Or maybe just more desperate.
They came from the deeper waters, after all. Food there was likely much more scarce than it was in the shallows and the few research missions that had ventured into the depths and returned reported that karkinokhora were primarily scavengers, only occasionally hunting live prey. When they ascended to the shallows during mating season their meal preferences switched, with active hunting becoming favored over scavenging. This meant that they faced more competition for food than usual, driving some to hunt more risky prey.
If she had never encountered one, Hanqui’ll might have felt some form of sympathy for the creatures.
But she had, and so felt none.
In the distance, a juvenile karkinokhora stalked across the sand. Sharp protrusions, glowing plants, and spires of coral covered its stone-like shell like a crown, their color inviting despite how clear the danger they posed was. The karkinokhora snapped an enormous pincer at a passing fish, catching it before it could even react to its oncoming fate, and promptly ate it while eyeing Hanqui’ll hungrily.
She swam away before it tried anything. karkinokhora preferred the deep water, wandering to the shallows only at night and during mating season, after which juvenile karkinokhora would inhabit the shallows until they matured enough to travel deeper. It was likely rather slow– most were– but having one on the hunt for her was something she would rather avoid.
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But no matter where Hanqui’ll swam in her nightmares, the karkinokhora that killed her sister prowled. Its black-pearl eyes peered from every shadow. Its arms, as long as kelp grew tall and tipped with scissorlike claws, extended from every crevice. When it was finished toying with her, it would stand high above the seafloor on towering legs, its midnight blue shell covered in sharp barbs of multicolored coral. Sometimes her sister's blood painted its claws. Sometimes she could see a tentacle hanging limply from its maw, swim fins slack.
Hanqui’ll shivered despite the warm water, and pushed such thoughts away.
She forced her attention to the reef bed, watching the plants wave idly in the soft current. Small fish hid as her shadow passed them by, burying themselves between rocks. Every now and then one would peak their small heads out just enough to watch her pass.
She considered herself lucky there were no upcoming holidays soon.
Meat might make her sick.
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Hanqui’ll’s village was a humble place. It was situated on a rocky outcropping on a cliffside below the shallows and looked out to a field of phosphuton, a large kelp forest just beyond it. The village consisted of a large hollowed-out cave, houses carved into the walls and columns with no regard for verticality.
Colorful glowing stones and plants were placed in easily accessible places, casting enough light to make it easy to traverse. When night fell, they were either covered or moved to avoid drawing the attention of predators that wouldn’t be turned away by the presence of phosphuton.
The cave had plenty of entrances from all over the shallows, some of which held their own villages separate from Hanqui’ll’s. Entrances that were too big to keep safe from large predators would often be partially covered by boulders, with only enough room for one or two guneikhthus to pass through when carrying something. Any predator that could get through, either by squeezing through the gap or by destroying the barrier would be slowed down enough to allow for at least a partial evacuation.
Sometimes that was all that could be done in time. Getting a few out was better than none.
Occasionally, Hanqui’ll would wonder if there were other villages, out in the ocean. Other guneikhthus that lived in other caves. Far away, where karkinokhora were scarce even during mating season, and homes wouldn’t have to be darkened at night to keep selakhoapetra from noticing. A place where one didn’t have to check those around them to ensure they weren’t a selakhoapetra in disguise every time they returned from the outside.
A place so far away she could never see it with her eyes.
The open ocean was vast. So unbelievably big it would be hard to imagine that it was empty. And the sky was a second ocean, islands of light amidst currents of color. Maybe each sky-star was a far away village in the sky, with its own people. Perhaps instead of covering the lights at night, they covered them during the day, hence why Hanqui'll couldn't see them then.
Maybe. . .
. . .
Hanqui'll fell asleep that night, dreaming of glowing villages in the sky.
Munov was not a friendly world. To survive you had to either be the best or be willing to make sacrifices. Sometimes not everyone made it out. Sometimes there wasn’t enough food. Sometimes predators didn’t care about danger. Sometimes sisters died.
A dance, a balance. Fish swirl. Crabs stalk. Currents flow. Coral comes in rainbow colors. Predators hunt, and prey flees.
The sky-stars shine.
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