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

CH•07 - "Upsy Daisy"

She's awake. And, she saw me. How will she react? ...... She's... not moving? Oh wait, no... I can see her shaking. So, her reaction is "freeze from fear". Great, now that I know that... what next? Aaaarrghh!! No one told me babysitting was involved in reincarnation! I'm too young to raise a child! Okay, okay... let's calm down first. One thing's for sure though, it's that food and shelter are needed for survival. No, wait... before any of that, I need to do something to calm her down first. She's frozen in fear after all. But, what to do......

Meanwhile, Tiny is still trying to lift her up. And, I don't think the girl even noticed that something is tugging her clothes from her back. Maybe... if I leave them alone and walk away, she'll snap out of her trance-like state? Slowly, gently, I crawl backwards. Tiny saw me adding distance between them and starts chirping loudly. Wait, what? Why are you chirping at me like you're mad? I can't understand what you're trying to say. What? You want me to stay?

Tiny lets go of the girl and flies down the ground. Then, he starts... dancing (?), or maybe he's ranting. Either way, he's raising his wings up, pointing them at the girl, then points at me, then is moving them around like he's lifting something...... oh, wait! You're saying I should carry her! ...... Well, why didn't you just say so?! Granted... we both can't really say anything to each other.

From behind Tiny, the girl started crawling this way. Is she... hiding behind Tiny? Although, I am slightly hurt that she's hiding from me, but at least she's moving now. That aside, how do I go about carrying her if she fears me this much? Maybe I can just knock her unconscious again... hmm... yeah, that might work, and once she wakes up all well and good and finds out that I haven't eaten her, then maybe she'll get a hint that I'm not all that bad. Okay, let's do this. One whip of my tail should be enough.

I approach the girl. The girl shies away and tries to make herself look smaller behind Tiny. Then, Tiny turns around and faces the girl. He then chirps, and chirps, and chirps some more, and starts moving around again as if there are termites under his feathers. Is he trying to communicate with a human? Not possible. She won't be able to comprehend. Even I can't, and I'm an animal too! The girl nods. Are you serious?!!

The girl tries to stand up and I can see her knees shaking. She must still be tired. Uh... you don't have to force yourself to stand. Tiny points at the direction of the river. The girl then walks wobbly in that direction. Dammit, Tiny... I envy you for having wings, not only for flight, but also for body language. This body of mine isn't flexible for that much complex movements.

The girl... takes the long way around by trying to get around me. She leans and hides behind the trees as she walks by them. She must really be scared of me. Tiny then perches right on top of me. Hey, shouldn't you be going with her? And, stop wiping your dirty feet on my head! 

Moments later, I heard a soft thud at the direction of the girl. Worried, I head over there immediately. Upon arriving, we saw her collapsed on the ground face first again. I... guess it took all she had just to get up and walk a few steps before losing all her energy. At least, this makes it easier for me from here on out. Now I can approach her without worry. But, the question remains... How do I go about carrying her over to the river?

Well... maybe I can dig a slope under the girl and crawl under her then lift her up on my back. Yeah, theoretically that sounds like it could work. I'll need to be extra careful that my claws don't scratch her when I dig. Tiny flies down from me and lands beside the girl. What are you trying to do this time?

Tiny starts digging the soil under the girl. Wait, could it be that you know what I planned to do? What is the meaning of this?! Can you read minds or something? Are you telepathic? Then, something shiny hits my eye. It's something small and it's clutched by the girl's hand. I didn't see that in her hand before. Tiny picks it off of her hand and brings it over to my eye level. Tiny... you could pass for a sneaky thief.

It's a pendant. A rusty and dirty pendant. And, there's something carved on it.

"To my Little Angel."