W-where am I? I... I remember I was drowning... and, there was panicking everywhere... wait... Angel! What happened to Angel?! What happened to everyone?! Tiny! Is he safe?! He didn't get crushed, did he? Since he was all wet with my drool, he couldn't even fly straight, I hope nothing bad happened to him. No, more importantly, where am I now? The last thing I remember was me getting caught up in that water blast and I lost consciousness after that. I think I sank in the sea somewhere. I can breathe air, so that means I'm not underwater. But, I can't see anything. That's weird, I should be able to see in the dark.
Did I stumble upon an underwater cave with an air pocket? But, that doesn't explain why I can't see anything. Or, maybe... am I... dead? Ow. Nope, I just felt a sudden rush of pain just now so I'm definitely still alive. Ow, ow. Oh man, my whole body hurts. At this point, death would've been less painful than surviving with this much pain when you wake up. No, I should count myself lucky I'm still alive.
My body is wet and slimy. It's like I'm covered with something really slippery. I try to stand in all fours and shake my body to drop whatever's on me. Finally, I can see again. And, it seems that I was just covered in a bunch of kelp. No wonder I couldn't see anything. My eyes were covered. I think my nose isn't working right since I can't make out any distinctive scent around here. This is just like the first time when I woke up thinking I was a dark-green monster. Everything was too unfamiliar.
I try to move my body and walk around, but the pain only made me drag my belly in the muddy ground instead. Now that I can see, I found out I was actually under a really warped and bent tree, extending like a bridge to a body of water. This looks like another river. Did I get washed away far from the pier? And, just like my first day as crocodile, all the plants and trees around me look and smell different. The full moon is high up in the sky, partly covered by clouds, and the stars are twinkling brightly in the dark night. I don't think I'm in Australia anymore. Not with these constellations, that is. Though, that's not really for me to say since I'm no expert in astrology. Or, was it astronomy? I don't know anymore.
Well, anyway, I'm alive, that's all that counts. First things first, I need to find out where I am and look for a way to get back to Angel and Tiny. I crawl to the waters and swim downstream. An unfamiliar ripple constantly splashed up ahead. Turns out it was just a dragnet with a float attached on it that keeps sinking and surfacing every now and then. Did I end up in a nearby fishing site full of humans? When I got closer, I saw huts that look like they're made out of dirt and weed. So, this isn't a fishing site but an actual human settlement? But, strangely, the architecture and building structures they have don't look anything Australian.
A barefoot woman wearing a tunic and holding a water jug with carvings on it walked towards the riverside to gather water. Meanwhile, I'm just drifting along the currents and she's completely unaware of my presence. I take a chance and approach her. Once again, I find it strange that her attire doesn't match anything Australian in the like. Though, the carvings on her jug and her clothes remind me of someplace, but... no, it can't be.
Getting closer to the woman, the clouds reveal the full moon's brightness, and the woman sees my approaching silhouette. She drops her jug in a panic, spilling all the water, and hurriedly runs away from me. Not long and not far after she ran from me, she stumbled and fell face first on the ground, soiling her white tunic. At first, I thought she tripped on a rock, but then I heard hissing. It came from the direction of the woman. The first thing that came to my mind was a snake, and I would normally steer clear of such things, but after recalling everything that I've been through, from fighting a mob of wild beach dogs to battling a ferocious shark and surviving an earthquake at sea, I started getting full of myself and figured I could also handle one measly snake, so I went to help the woman.
The second I stepped foot onto land, I heard the hissing sound again and rustling in the grass. Arriving at the scene, there was indeed a snake, and not just any snake, it's a cobra! I'm assuming its female since its hood isn't that large, but anyways, the cobra continues hissing and waving its body around while raising its head higher and higher. Is it trying to look intimidating? Eheh, sorry but you're not even half my size, I've got this fight in the bag. I ignore the snake's threats and just crawl right towards the woman. Wait, I'm an idiot, I didn't think ahead of how exactly I'm going to help. A snake bit her! I may still have my limbs, but they're practically useless in situations like these!
The cobra slithers right under me and bites the back of my leg.
"Grrraaaa~ah!!"
I let out a loud growling sound in surprise. Or, was that a roar? Birds in the area started flying and many topless men in skirts rushed out of their houses, some were holding spears. I think this is enough helping for one night. I shake the snake off my leg and hurry to the waters. The snake also crawled back into the grass before the men arrived and helped the woman up. A few of them inspected the waters, but I was already long gone by then.
So, with what I've gathered so far, I somehow ended up in a what-looks-to-be a really long river next to a human village where all men are half-naked and use spears as weapons, and a water jug with old carvings that appear to be new. If I knew of another place with similar traits like this, Egypt wouldn't have been my first guess had I known about it. So, once again... with feeling... 'How did I end up in Egypt?!!'
As I scream in my head at the absurdity of the thought, I felt my body growing numb and I just had to find a place to rest since it felt like I could fall asleep any time now. I scuttled back to the first place I found myself in when I woke up under that weirdly bent tree and I dropped in place on the spot, losing consciousness and drifting to sleep. I slept cold that night.
==========================
[A.N.]: Aaaaand, the story continues!! But, of course. Otherwise, mobs would start rallying at my doorstep for a continuation if I just ended it there O.O
If I'm being honest, I thought about ending the story with croc boi living as Angel's guardian animal, watching over her from the nearest body of water he can reside in, with Tiny informing him about Angel's daily activities, and being as close to his hot ex-crush as possible ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )
But then, our teacher started discussing about Egyptian mythology and a mention of a certain "god" sparked some level of inspiration~
Anyways, enjoy the continuation! (Or, not! x.x)
Now, I feel like this chapter title should've been the overall book title :T
YOU ARE READING
(I Died and got Reincarnated) My New Life as a Saltwater Crocodile Begins
AdventureMain character dies from a disease. He then gets reincarnated as a meat-eating crocodile next to a river. As an apex predator, our carnivorous reptile begins his new animal life with a scream. Cover art by @Isa_Galani77
