The crocodile's eye is looking at her, and my fears reemerged.
Don't get closer!
I didn't know who I directed that scream at. Whether it was at the woman to stop her from getting closer to him, or at the kid to stop him from getting closer to her. Either way, it didn't matter. They couldn't hear me. The woman can't hear our thoughts, nor can the kid hear me from his sleep.
I fly towards them as fast I can, my squeaks echoing loudly around the whole cave. The woman notices my squeaks, but she doesn't dare look away from the crocodile's gaze. Meanwhile, the crocodile's eye changed the target of its gaze to me who is flying down at them. Good, I got its attention. Now what?
Unable to think fast enough, I fly straight towards the crocodile's eye without any plan at all. And just when I was only inches away from its eye, The crocodile suddenly stood up without warning. There was no preparation, it just stood up all of a sudden. Because of that, I ended up crashing under it instead, right at its front leg. Oof!
"Gah! Wha-?! Whaz happening?! Whats going on?!"
I can hear the kid's thoughts. He's awake.
"Huh? Bat? W-What are you doing at my feet? Oh no, did I accidentally squish you when I slept here? Sorry, I didn't see you. I was just really sleepy and-..."
The kid stopped midway after noticing the woman before him. His thoughts are running through my mind like a wave. This always happens whenever something confuses him.
"There was... another one?"
He's hesitant. He's worried about his next actions. He's not sure of what to do. Honestly... how come he didn't have that hesitation when he was eating the man before? Bah. Anyway... first, we need to think of something to get out of this situation.
Then, the kid suddenly paused. He's apparently come up with a plan. What is he thinking? .... Oh no-...
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Alright, let's do this. Make it look natural, be confident, and look upward. I will now... strike a pose!
See? I'm not a bad crocodile! You can relax now.
However, despite my display, the woman before me remained still and there was nothing but silence. .....Hm. Tough crowd. Why no reaction? I thought I nailed it that time. Hey bat, how'd I do?
Shifting my gaze at the bat beside me, I see him putting one wing over his head. Hm? Watchu doin there? Did you get fleas or something?
"This is a facepalm! This is my reaction to your... display! Don't you realize what you just did?! You made yourself look bigger! You became more threatening in her eyes! Just look at her! She's more frightened than ever!"
Hm... now that I get a closer look, her face does look like she's seen a ghost. Wait, I just got a great idea.
"Huh? No- wait!"
Rraawr!!
And just like that, in the next instance, I rush towards the woman without a moment's hesitation. I open my mouth, a warning that I'm ready to bite her the instant she gets caught. The woman backs away frantically, moving as if she doesn't even feel any pain from her injuries. But, with this cave being just a wide open space, she corners herself at the back of the cave wall. With nowhere for her to go, I make my move..... Or so I thought...
...... Man, plan failed. I wanted to frighten her to the point where she faints with my sudden predatory rush. And while she's unconscious, we can bandage her wounds or something. I didn't think she'd be able to muster up the strength to get away from me. Now I'm the one who's strange for suddenly stopping mid-assault.
I am currently inches away from the woman, mouth open, and holding still. From the bat's perspective, this must be a very nerve-racking situation to look at. This woman before me must be extremely confused by all this, so I gently back away and close my mouth in shame. The woman looks even more confused. Don't worry lady, I'd be just as dumbfounded as you if I were in your shoes. The bat flies over me and sticks to the wall.
"What was that all about?! What even made you think your idea was going to work?"
But... people faint all the time in movies.
"...... And you believed it? Seriously?"
Ok, ok, I know it doesn't work all the time, but still, I took my chances. Imagine if it did work. We'd be patching up her injuries by now.
(sighs) "Why don't you just... go stay there in the corner. Some distance from you will help calm her down, at least. While you didn't get her to pass out, you did succeed in frightening her."
Right... okay...
"......... And me..."
Hm?
"... I-It's nothing. Forget it."
...... Okay.
...... And so, the night passed. I have no idea how the woman managed to stay awake this long despite her current condition. She's staying vigilant of me even though we're at a significant distance from each other. I also find it odd how I haven't drifted off to sleep myself. It's cold enough that I'm feeling drowsy, but I think it's the awkward situation we're in that's really keeping me up from falling to sleep. We're in for a long night ahead of us.
Later that night, the bat flies up over to me and sticks to the wall, facing down in a crawling stance. The jagged walls help give him bearings to hold on to so he doesn't fall off. Ever since that
What's up, bat?
"The ceiling."
Nice. But seriously, what's up?
"...... Been meaning to ask you... Have you... eaten people before?"
... Huh? That's a weird question. It's like you already forgot about me chowing down on that man this morning. Of course I have.
"No, I mean... have you eaten other people before when you were still human?"
.... What? Of course not. ...Oh wait. Are you asking me this 'cause of that man I ate a while ago? If so, I think there's some misunderstanding here.
"But then why were you enjoying yourself while you were eating him...? I could hear your thoughts, you know. It... gave me doubts."
Oh... uhh... well, you see... I don't think there's any deeper meaning behind it, really. It's... not that I particularly find humans more tasty than other foods. Ever since becoming a crocodile, I tend to be on cloud nine every time I eat large food. That man just hit the spot, that's all. And besides... didn't you hear me have the same thoughts while I was eating that bear back in the ice caves? In fact, I enjoyed that more compared to the man.
"Huh? Oh... that... I... I was tired that time. I didn't really pay attention. I dozed off on the bird's ruffles back then."
What? You got to feel his fluffy feathers in person?! Grrr! If only I was reborn into a small creature like you... then I could drown myself in his fluffs too!
"Heh... hehe... hahahaha! Hah~... I feel like I was worried over nothing... hmh... say, do you know what you do when you're asleep?"
... Huh? Uhh... no? I'm asleep, how would I know?
"...... Hm, then let me tell you all about it..."
And so, the night passes as our journey down the mountain continues. It was quite the night to remember, and I hoped it lasted longer. But alas... all good things come to an end.
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- Credits to my friend for drawing the crocodoodle sketches!