(I Died and got Reincarnated) My New Life as a Saltwater Crocodile Begins

CH•01 - "Still Adjusting"

So... a week has passed since I became... this. During that time, the only thing I ate were a few fishes that were just swimming by. When I had my first kill, honestly... I was surprised at how fast I actually moved that time. It's like my body just knew what it was going to do and moved the way it was supposed to. Not sure if that counts as instinct or it was just in my nature since I'm now a crocodile and all.

I don't really know why all the fish I ate tasted salty. Am I perhaps close to seawater? I can't really chew with this kind of stiff mouth, but I guess crocodiles have a larger throat hole than I thought, since I swallow just fine, even when the food I ate wasn't really chewed to pieces.

I've gotten used to sensing the ripples in the water. These extra eyelids that cover my eyes when I dive underwater is very convenient. Not to mention, I can see in the dark! This, in itself, is already amazing! My vision in darkness is even better compared to when I was human.

Now then, on to the main problem. Although it's nice and all that I can somehow just make do with eating only passing by fish... but, can this really be called "living"? At first I thought that this was all just a dream, but I was utterly wrong. When I found out I became a crocodile, I thought I actually turned into a monster and panicked. My tail started thrashing and hit a small tree. That tree fell on top of me, and damn did it hurt like hell. That surely convinced me that I wasn't dreaming, but it still hurt.

I was painfully convinced that this isn't a dream. I looked at my reflection in the murky water again, and moved my body around so I could get a feel of what I might be... Hm. That's that, I guess. I soon realized I was a crocodile. But, of course. This is a river after all. And, I have a tail to boot. Plus, although I'm not sure why I just noticed this now, my vision is upwards!

Back to the present, I have been reincarnated with a new life. In most cases, or at least those that I know of, that's when their adventure begins. But, as for me... the only reason why I haven't left from my general idea is because... well... I'm stuck in a dead end!

I am currently at the end of the river. No wonder the water level is so shallow here. I tried going upstream, but what I found at the end of it was just a rocky waterfall! Although, it's true that I could go around it by finding another path on land and climbing the slope up top, but... it's not like I have a time limit to anything, so I decided to just stay in place in the meantime with the plan of someday scaling that waterfall in the near future. Until then, I'll just stay put here in my humble abode for now.

Three days have passed. I don't know what it was, but it was furry and it looked like a fox. It went near the water and drank heartily, not knowing I was under the water. It was meaty enough to make me full. Because of it, I can go without food for a few days.

This is something I wondered for a while too. I only eat one fish a day, and in somedays, I don't eat at all, yet how come I still don't starve until now? I know I haven't been eating the regular 3-day meal I once did as a human, but that's only if I was a human. I mean, if I was a human, then surely my belly would keep on rumbling non-stop by now. But, I guess it's different for crocodiles. This amount of meal time every day is more than enough for me, and I don't have to gobble up all the fishes in the area.

Haaa~... if only I was like this in my previous life. This way, I get to preserve even more food than usual. My family were all a bunch of gluttons anyways. Especially my dad. But, eating just fish all the time isn't really all that good to me. So, having a new taste like that fox before was a really nice change of pace. Consuming that amount of meat means I can last for more days without food. I guess the metabolism for crocs really are slow.

The fox I ate before tasted... salty. Is it because of the water? Come to think of it, this water I drink is also quite salty. Am I perhaps close to sea? Or, is there an underwater tunnel here that leads straight to sea? What's more strange is the fact that I'm not bothered by drinking salty water. I've never tasted raw fish before in my human life, but were they all as salty as the ones I ate?

While I was lost in my thoughts, something hit my head. It's a broken plank drifting on the water. Wait, a plank? Where'd this come from? It was drifting on the water... so then, it came from upstream? Oh look, more planks. And... a ripped cloth. These look freshly ripped and it doesn't look like it's been wet for that long. Something's up.

Worried and curious, I immediately head my way to the waterfall.