50 Million Years from Now

Act 5

It was low tide on the beach. The Rock-backs wouldn't come until midday to sun themselves. Now was the perfect time to search for food. Many of the clams that were exposed to the harsh light of the sun kept their shells enclosed to keep their bodies moist. Most of the large fish exited the cove to go into deeper waters, leaving the small fish safe in the shallow water. Or, almost completely safe.

"I got one! Finally! I actually got one!!" Zenith yelled with great enthusiasm, the small red-silver fish wiggling at the end of his spear. "Did you see that? Did you see that Roc?" He looked over to the spot where his friend usually stood only to now see it empty. "Oh... oh... right, he's back at the cave," Zenith sighed before taking the fish off his spear and placing it into one of the baskets.

As many more Black beaks continued spear fishing, some of the younger individuals collected the clams firmly attached to boulders. Others attempted to grab some of the small animals which were now trapped in the tidal pools. Vall looked over at the very end of the cove. The dark grey rocks covered in a blanket of green kelp gave him an ominous vibe. Perhaps it was the fact that the Rock-backs would sun themselves in that particular area, or maybe it was that the green kelp resembled long tendrils of an ancient being hiding within the cliffs. No matter the reason, he shook the feeling and returned his attention to the water.

He noticed a small group of the red-silver fish, their unblinking eyes always looking out for danger. He raised his spear slowly, waiting, and then plunged it into the water. The fish scattered in all directions. As the water began to turn red, Vall pulled his spear back in the air revealing his catch.

"You really are good," Moramma commented as Vall turned to her, seeing the young Black beak reach into the tidal pools.

"Thanks. So, what have you caught?"

"Not that many things. A few snappers and five points. They seem to be common around these small ponds."

"You know, I've actually noticed that if you look carefully you can actually see a lot of strange-looking creatures."

"Like what?"

"Well, if you move some of the things around, you can see what I mean," Vall said as he walked over to Moramma and lifted a small rock. As he did so, a grey shrimp swam out, its tiny legs pushing it along. Vall quickly grabbed it by the tail and pulled it out of the water. "See?" Vall said holding the animal in the air.

"Interesting," Moramma replied.

But the Black beaks were not the only species to take advantage of this banquet. Looking down from its cliff-top perch, a Coastal vulture, descendant of the bearded vulture, spotted its prey. The clams that were exposed to the air would be a perfect meal for it. It spread its wings and glided down to a vacant rock. It grabbed one of the clams in its talons and then placed it in the water. The clam sensing life-giving moisture around its body opened up. Big mistake! The Coastal vulture dug its beak into the opening and began to rip out the soft body of the clam from its shell. With that done, it flew back to the bed of clams and did it again.

Another creature that was here to take advantage of the aquatic species' vulnerability was a new lineage of centipedes. The first one was a grey coastal centipede, its legs quickly transporting its body over the sand and rocks like an all-terrain vehicle. As it quickly scampered, it would suddenly stop on a rock and stand completely still. When it felt the danger had passed, it would start running once more.

Quickly it seized a crab that had wandered outside the water. It lunged forward, wrapping its body around it, its sharp clawed feet keeping an iron grip on the startled crustacean. Before the crab could respond, the Coastal centipede's specialized legs sank into its prey's shell, the venom quickly paralyzing the shellfish. And then, just like a leopard of modern times, it began dragging its victim back to its lair. Sneaking into one of the many crevasses in the cliff's side, it began to crack open the shell of the crab and ate its insides. As it continued feasting, the discarded parts of its prey fell into the dark recess of its cave, added to the pile of skeletons, all victims of this ferocious predator.