Free From Reins

The sea glowed a bright blue. The water was completely still, the current was missing today. Bronco slid through the short strands of green grass, his curved tail ocassionally scraping against the blunt rocks. It was one of those days, where boredom striked like lightning, never failing to rid of the exuberant mood Bronco was familiar with. Once out of his soft bed, Bronco stared ahead and spotted a vague hanging figure in the distance. Bronco was yet to have his breakfast, so assuming it was a copepod, his dorsal fins flapped expeditiously towards his prey. Upon closing in on his target, the copepod looked strangely thinner than usual, with no antennas. 

Bronco slowed down, his atramentous eyes squinting ever so slightly. As he closed in, Bronco realised it wasn't anything close to a copepod. Wondering how this mysterious creature appeared in the first place, Bronco almost got knocked over by a school of freshwater fish. Bouncing a little closer, Bronco tapped the stick thin figure with his tail. There was no response. In confusion, Bronco spoke up. 

"I've never seen anything like you. Care to enlighten me?" he asked, baffled.

When nothing happened, Bronco moved closer.

"I'm Bronco, I live just by the grassbeds over there. Are you lost?"

All of a sudden, the figure tilted to its left in a swift motion, startling Bronco.

"Actions are indeed louder than words. I'm currently running low on calories. Would you like to join me on a food hunt?" 

Off they went like best buddies. Bronco came up with a name for his new friend ; Stoco. Tails linked, they proceeded on their hunt. The ocean was getting quieter these days, but that only meant more peace and quiet for Bronco. His friends and family had been away on a trip for the longest time, not that it worried Bronco. Swooping down, Bronco spotted a few crustaceans and wasted no time in gobbling up a bunch. It was getting harder to get a good catch nowadays. 

Bronco had a blast with his new friend. They discovered sea shells, played hide and seek in the corals, and Bronco even enlightened Stoco with a funny story about how he was once trapped in some sort of transparent bubble which was surprisingly hard to pop. 

"My family has never been gone this long. Speaking of which, it has never been so quiet here."

Stoco was a great listener.

"Sometimes I regret not going with them."

"But I'm sure they'll be back soon, right Stoc?"

A few days passed, and this particular morning wasn't as bright as the others. The ocean lost its blue, murkiness took its place. The comforting sense of serenity was gone. Bronco didn't feel too good. He felt nauseousness take over. 

"Stoc, I think something's wrong." 

Stoco didn't acknowledge him. Silence. 

Bronco coughed, feeling stinging liquid filled with toxicity rising up his throat. He wrenched his body forward, forcing his eyes open. Everything hurt, so badly. And all Bronco could think of, was that they were never coming back.