A Crocodile's Journey

Chapter 7

"Ah, darn!" he cried out in frustration after his third attempt to catch a fish went awry. He was hungry, but he didn't dare go ask Makuu for food; he had overheard some of the crocs mentioning croclings tended to be independent from the moment they hatched, which made Kitwana feel a little guilty. He resolved to learn to feed himself to stop bothering Makuu so often, but it proved harder than he originally thought.

"What am I doing wrong?" Kitwana asked no one in particular, he just wanted to tell somebody how he felt, no matter if it was the wind.

Deciding to try again, he took a deep breath to fill his stomach with air-he found it helped keep him afloat-and lay down unto the surface of the water, only half-spreading his wings, and relaxing his legs. He remained unmoving, waiting for a fish to get closer, one small enough for him to actually catch without being dragged to the deeper part of the lake like last time.

Eventually, one tiny fish did approach his beak, looking for something to eat itself. But as Kitwana stretched out his neck to catch it, he released his breath and sank into the water again. Startled, he startled plashing in the water desperately to get back to the surface, startling his meal in the process.

Angry, he splashed the water-this time on purpose-with one leg. Makuu, Akina and the others made it look so much easier! Exhausted and hungry, Kitwana made his way back to the shore, panting. He was so tired he didn't notice his father approaching.

"Are you okay? You look like you wrestled with a fish." Makuu commented, chuckling a bit when he saw the state his charge was in.

"I can't catch a stupid fish!" Kitwana growled in frustration. "I always sink!"

"Come on, kiddo, a fish is not worth throwing a tantrum."

"I don't get it! Why can't I catch fish like you and the others!"

Everytime the ibis pointed out he couldn't the same things as him or the float, Makuu mentally cursed Akina for her brilliant idea. He bottled the feeling up for the hundreth time.

"How do you manage to stay afloat, Makuu?" Kitwana finally asked after a few more seconds of silence.

"It's..." He didn't know what to say, it was pointless to tell him why he could float. "It's easier if you hold air."

"I already did that, but as soon as I exhale it out I sink. But you never sink when you do so." Kitwana looked at his reflection in the water, saw a bit of his father's reflection too, and again noted the coloration difference... among other things. "Makuu, why am I so different?"

"Different?" Makuu repeated. He panicked momentarily, thinking he had finally caught on. Thankfully, crocodiles were pretty good at masking their emotions.

"I'm white! And I have long hind legs, and my forelegs are..." Kitwana glanced at his clawless, feathery 'paws'. "Geez, I think I resemble Ono more sometimes!"

Okay, he better think of something before he started to connect the dots! Glancing at the other edge of lake Matope, he noted a few flamingos and egrets among the reeds. One of the egrets was staring at the water intently, and his pupils were following something in it; a few seconds later, he quickly struck the surface near his legs with his beak, and when he lifted his head again there was a fish squirming in it.

That gave him an idea. "Well, if you can't catch fish that way, you could try using a different method..."

"Like what?" Kitwana asked, sounding impatient.

"Instead of going completely into the water, you could stand still where the water reaches your knees, and wait for them to come. When it's close enough, catch it in your... mouth."