The Last Plesiosaurus

My midday slumber, floating on the ocean surface, was interrupted by an orange streak in the sky that zoomed overhead. It eventually disappeared in the distance. I honestly thought it was just some flock of pesky Pterodactyls that got too close to the Sun.

In my peripheral vision, I noticed a flash far away, but a school of Belemnites caught my attention instead. I dove after my next meal, deeper and farther. They were much faster than usual, but my mother taught me well; I am a tenacious hunter. I was able to flank some of the ten-limbed critters, but the rest of the school swam with urgency that I didn’t know they were capable of. They seemed to fear something greater than me.

That was when I heard it.

An overwhelming sound that shook the water and forced the ocean floor to crumble. I immediately breached the surface for air. The roar continued.

That was when I saw it.

The ocean swelled like the drifting, bloated belly of a land-dwelling corpse, except it was growing larger and larger. The massive wave grew taller than the sky...

That was when I felt it.

The color of the water was unlike anything I had seen before. It was as dark as Squid ink and blood and scorching hot. It inhaled everything in its path. I instinctively dove deep as far as I could. The undercurrent violently pulled me back, then pushed me downwards and out farther and farther from my turf. I couldn’t breathe. I wanted to resurface, but the angry tides would not allow it. Battered, I began to fade. I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming, but I was floating alongside countless animals and plants I had never seen before. They were all in pieces, and the ones still with their heads intact all had horrific facial expressions.

Where did they all drift from?

What did they all see?

As I pondered these questions, I succumbed to the darkness. I gradually sank into the abyss where the Coelacanths dwelled.

In a part of the ocean where sunlight could not reach, I sensed a change in the water. It was foreign, but familiar- Like the shallow shore by the delta where I used to play when I was a pup. Such fond memories of finding river stones to throw fetch with my Mother... Wait...

MAMA!

That was when I woke up.

I broke out of the muddy earth I was caked in and immediately swam up as fast as I could, but the shoreline would become too shallow for me to continue. I would then swim to the other side, and the same thing would happen. I tried my luck to dive back as deep as I could, but I would eventually hit the bottom rather quickly. It seems I am landlocked in some sort of narrow body of water.

...What is this place?

Nothing was how I remembered. The smell, the taste, the sounds, the look of my surroundings... They were all wrong!

Where is everybody? I need to find Mama! I searched every stretch of this cove for any fellow long-necked swimmers, but there were only tiny Eels and Trout here. None were helpful other than becoming decent sustenance for my stomach.

While I continued my quest to find anything that resembled my species, I noticed a ripple in the water’s edge. There was mist that shrouded a figure. The silhouette would cautiously slurp the water, pause, and repeat. It must be a land dweller! It might be a horned fellow or one with big feet and fangs. I have only seen them from the shore in the past and never interacted with them. I wouldn’t want to be jumped on to become its next meal either, so I kept watch from underwater at a safe distance.

After the thirsty sipping stopped, the mystery animal stomped along the shoreline. From the vibration in the water and ground, this beast had a very irregular step, as if it were struggling to move forward. It didn’t seem as big or agile. Nonetheless, I didn’t want to expose myself just yet. Mama always taught me to utilize all of the advantages we have: our long necks, phenomenal vision, slick scales that help us swim without agitating the water, and such remarkable lung capacity.

She always mentioned,” The desperate ones are the most dangerous. Let them run out of energy. Wait until they make their mistake. When they’re too weak, we strike. The ones with stealth and patience will always live longer in this world.”

The clumsy footstep suddenly stopped. I paused as well and slowly raised my head above the mist in the water's surface to survey some more.

“Oy, you going to just stay under and spy? If you’re going to take a chunk out of me, then have at it!”

...I was a bit startled, since I didn’t even make a ripple, and I was dead silent. He seems like he’s directing those growls towards me. No matter. As long as I stay in the deep end, cloaked in the mist and away from shore, I would still hold the tactical advantage.

While this beast with only one elongated tooth foolishly roared towards the water, I sensed other movements in the distance closing in. The multiple footsteps were light, coordinated, and paused at either side behind the loudmouth. Attack was imminent, but it wasn’t clear if this fuzzy land dweller detected what was coming.

A violent clash erupted. There was a struggle for supremacy above ground and shrieks I’ve never heard before. Whatever group that was attacking the loudmouth was winning. I could always tell when the struggle was almost over when the breathing of the defeated became erratic and heavy. Suddenly, one of the smaller land attackers must have been struck by the loudmouth’s last act of defiance. It was thrown into the water, face down. It bled profusely but vigorously tried to stay afloat. It had a lot of tenacity for such a small creature. Curiosity got the best of me, and I moved closer to peer at it from underneath, but when we locked eyes, we both frightened ourselves! It resembled no creature I knew.

It was not one of us.

It was not like any of us!

The little pest crawled back to shore and screamed in its native tongue, alerting its kind. The others grunted and shrieked. They shifted their focus to me and launched their assault by throwing long projectiles in my direction. It was the most obnoxious thing I have ever had to endure. Aside from the unpredictable Pliosaur, I never really had to deal with another aggressor before. If anything, I am the Apex out here. I do the threatening.

I quickly emerged from the water with my neck exposed. I easily picked off the parasites from the shore one by one. There was one that tried to get away, but then this battered, fuzzy... ‘thing’ lunged at the jugular with its one good tooth, and then there was silence.

The blood-soaked, loudmouth, continued to growl, and contort his face, as he turned to me, “So... What the hell are you, a Serpent?”

Is this animal blind and stupid? This fuzzball thinks I’m one of those puny Eel types? That’s really hurtful. Maybe I should drown him as well, for being so repulsive. Hmmm, but first, maybe I should interrogate him about the situation at hand, but I wasn’t convinced whether this primitive land dweller would know anything.

“Well, are you just going to sit there in the puddle and stare at me, or are you here to finish me off, like these monkeys?”

He clearly thinks I eat everything. I would rather eat a rotten starfish than nibble at his crusty fur, or any of the other putrid land creatures I’ve met so far. I decided to submerge back into the water and observe this animal. Mama always said to learn from the behaviors of other species. The battered beast finally took my silence to heart and cautiously continued stumbling along the shoreline. He did not shut up, though...

“These humans. Now they’re everywhere. It was bad enough when it was just the club-yielding apes. These bastards are wiping out everything.”

I listened, as I coasted underwater, alongside him. Those little things that couldn’t even swim, or have any claws, fins, or fangs, are the Apex here? I found it hard to believe. Then again, seeing this furry loudmouth with such injuries all over his body might be something not to scoff through a blowhole.

“There was a time, my kind dominated these lands. Everything feared but respected us. We, in return, only took what we needed back to our caves. With these humans, it’s different: They ravage everything in their path. They have taken everything I cared for. I am the last of my kind...”

I couldn’t take the suspense, nor could I contain my overwhelming feelings any longer. I breached my head out of the water and demanded the lone survivor about what had happened to my kind.

Where is everybody?

Where did my ocean go?

“Ocean? You are at least a day's walk from here for that. You’re in a loch that’s been here all of my life, but today is the first time I’ve seen anything like you in here. How did you survive so long, undetected?”

I… I had no answer. I don’t know why or how I have gotten to this landlocked place! All I recalled was the flash, the earth shaking, being thrown around underwater, and being pushed downward to the abyss. I couldn’t remember anything beyond that.

The land dweller paused and pondered. He looked up towards the sky, the ground, the loch, then at me. His eyes changed from one filled with lethal intentions to a more compassionate gaze, like how Mama used to.

“Kid, I’m still not sure how you have gotten stuck here, but there might be a chance you were here all this time. Maybe you were dormant at the bottom of this lake? Some animals take long naps underground until the rough weather passes. Maybe all those things that you said that happened kept you, eh… Asleep?”

This… This was all too much to take in. Wretched, I sulked and went back into the water to cool off. Was I really taking a nap this whole time, as everyone I knew died? Is it possible that I may be the only one of my kind, like this fuzzy creature?

“Word of advice, son. Don’t get caught by the humans. Stay hidden, out of sight. They will kill you and wear your skin and bones as a trophy. Don’t give them the satisfaction. You hear me?”

He stumbled into the forest where the lake ended. Before he turned a corner, he growled-

“SURVIVE!”

…Then, he disappeared. I never saw him, or a beast that size, in my loch ever again. I did take his last words to heart and went into deep sleep now and then. It’s surreal how it has gotten noisier as I wake up each time from my slumber. I stay underwater during the day to avoid the humans and come out briefly at night. Oh, how I miss just drifting on the surface on a warm sunny day.

But…

I must remain vigilant to continue on.

I owe it to Mama, to loudmouth, and all those who have left me behind.

I intend to continue outliving everything else.

I am indeed the last of my kind.