Killing him had been quite satisfying. Afterwards playing keep the corpse away from the humans had given her something to do. She had even tried eating some to see if the human tasted better than the fish… it had tasted far better. Similar but not too different from whale meat. It was certainly not her favourite but it was at least fresh, unlike the cold dead fish. The humans had looked quite upset when she had finally given up what was left of the corpse.
She was glad she had eaten her fill as no other humans came to bring her fish after that. Despite the hunger beginning to gnaw at her, the knowledge that they were scared of her was a comfort. Though they were not scared enough to let her go. Not yet at least. Part of her worried they would simply let her starve to death as punishment.
Her mind returned to her pod as it often did. Had they been left alone by the hunters? Did they miss her? Was her sister alright?
She couldn’t help but remember the disorganized songs that had lured her so close to the humans in the first place. She had not heard them in her new prison but the more she thought about it the more certain she was that they were in a similar situation. If only there was no language barrier then maybe things would have turned out differently.
The idea of escape had been on her mind constantly yet she was no closer to finding a way out. She wasn’t designed for land and the world had changed so much since the foggy and faded memories she had of the last time she was there. But she certainly couldn’t swim out, all the doorways were outside of the water. That had to mean the humans did not intend to ever let her leave.
Mother had known all along what they would do if the humans caught her. She had not known, if she had she would have been more willing to follow her mother’s lead. But she was alive, there was still hope. She had to find a way to return to her pod, she couldn’t just give up. When Mother had died at least she had known. More so she needed to warn her pod about what exactly the humans did to them.
Her desperation to leave just reminded her of her failure to escape. Some days when she lay very still it felt like she could hear the ocean under the whirring of machines. Maybe her grip on reality was just slipping but if she was close to the ocean then it was possible she could return to her pod. However Improbable it was.
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The sound of the cage opening announced to her that someone was entering her prison. It had not taken long for the humans to replace her jailor. She swam to the surface listening to the unfamiliar steps.
Breaking the surface she eyed the human. She was younger than the others with long brown hair and deep brown eyes. She would have considered her pretty if it were not for the circumstances. She wore the same strange rubbery clothing the others had worn and held a metallic bucket. The main difference was the human’s nervous tremor as she approached the edge of the platform.
The human froze upon noticing her. Awkwardly raising a hand. If the human was trying to make herself an easy target she was doing a good job of it. A long chain ran from the doorway to the human's back
The human said something that she recognized as a greeting. She had long ago forgotten human language but there was still an echo in her mind. Elation ran through her as she realized the human was talking to her. The human was trying to communicate, unlike the others. Had the humans finally understood what she wanted or was this human just particularly strange?
The human tentatively approached the ledge with the bucket and set it down. She said something else which she did not understand.
She whistled her own greeting which made the human jump. That made the human slip and promptly knock the bucket over as she fell, her arms cartwheeling to try and regain balance.
On second thought this human was just particularly strange. She couldn’t help but laugh as she watched this unfold.
The humans spun in the air, the cord attached to the harness wrapping around her neck as she splashed into the water.
The rope suddenly pulled taught and the human grabbed at it as she was pulled against the side of the pool, her legs frantically kicking to stay afloat while she struggled to breathe.
She didn’t even have to try to drown this one, she was doing it herself. How ridiculous. She couldn’t help but feel some pity. This human had tried to communicate with her. If she died the next one might not.
She swam over with a kick of her tail. The human’s eyes went wide as she approached and grabbed her. The human let out a squeak as she pulled her close and fiddled with the clasp on her back. She clicked the mechanism open and unhooked it, sending the rope whizzing out of her grasp towards the doorway at a frightening speed.
The human gasped for air as she was freed, clutching onto her arm for support as she kept them afloat. Really it was a wonder humans had survived and thrived as much as they had. With a sigh of annoyance, she hoisted the human out of the water and put her on the edge of the pool.
The human said something, her voice shaky as she backed away from the edge. At that moment the door burst open and several more humans ran into her prison. Several holding nets and sticks. She dove back into the depths, not wanting to wait around to get poked and prodded. She caught a glimpse of the human being escorted out of the cell quickly, a blanket wrapped around her. She hoped she would come back soon, maybe this human would listen to what she had to say.