The sound grew closer and closer, and all I could do was wait for it, as it grated on my nerves. Right when I first appeared in this world and was trying to take a nap, something in all of its might seemed to have noticed me. What was my luck at this point?
At that moment, I wanted to think of a way to escape this "thing" which I knew for sure was a living being, and judging from the noise and the quakes, it was something big and might be frightful to face. Both were way harder and dangerous than I was used to; my body yet, and everything I did was just simple things like climbing, walking, and digging. I wasn't even moving normally as well and each step and movement felt a bit sluggish.
The sound was getting closer and closer, and I was getting worried as the seconds passed. It was so grating on my nerves, but I kept a steady position as one move, and I would be someone else's possible food.
Rocks loosen a bit as whatever it was was now close, as I had the foreboding sense that it was near the entrance to the hole I dug. I did what I could to make it hidden, which was just a flat boulder that was wide enough to be put on the entrance.
As if it heard me, the thing was now doing something, something that sounded like a long, horrible noise. I was confused at first, as what it was doing was odd and weird, so why would it do that?
Then I realized something. A moment ago, I was walking, which in turn would mean I left a few tracks behind. Tracks that a being would then use to try and find what made them.
So in a sense, I was screwed if the thing found me, as I was now a sitting duck, which is something that I am currently doing.
I need to think of a way to escape this predicament I am in. I am restricted in what I can do, so I was screwed. I can't dig since that would've given me away. Fighting is a no-go since I did not want to be found and forced to fight it.
...I might have to confront this thing either way. So I have to get ready. If the entrance to my cave is found, then I will pounce at them with my claws or pincers poised to pinch them tightly as best as I can.
If I have to or am lucky enough, then I would scuttle out of this place as fast as I can, even though I was still getting used to my new body.
Both would get me hurt, but I would rather that happen to me than to face something worse. So I am already at my edge with this thing, trying to find myself in the sand.
Speaking of it, something passed by the cover I had just covered a short moment ago. That surprised me a bit, but with how fast it was, I think my chances of escaping are null.
Then the worst thing happened as the sound of a boulder being thrown away made me jump into action as I quickly, as best as I could, lunge at the thing that grabbed the boulder and threw it away. But I was not expecting what it was that did that as I came face to face with something very familiar to me.
Long, covered in skin like scales, its mouth riddled with spiky teeth, was agape as I pinched its long snout.
I know for sure what this thing was, as it is a sea animal that was known to be based on a well-known movie monster. It was a eel, more accurately a moray eel.
But that was where the similarities ended, as instead of the usual coloring that a Moray Eel has, it was bluish black, its frontal fins like more claw-like than fins, the back was the same, as from head to back fin were rows of spikes, lastly its head. It may not look like it, but its head was actually covered in a hard shell-like structure that has the same coloring as its scales, so no one would notice it. But I did as my fingers grabbed hold of it.
It felt like I was trying to bend a steel bar with how tough it was. I wasn't even trying as well, but I knew for sure that I would be able to bend it.
So all I could do was to get hold of it, which only made the creature mad. Or what I assumed to be it being mad, as its red eyes didn't express much emotion.
But its action, on the other hand, told a lot of things as it pulled me out of my hole, as it backed off. It wasn't fast, but with how much strength it had to have pulled me out of it, says otherwise.
So in the spur of the moment, as I was pulled out, I released my grip on the eel and was tossed a couple of feet away from it. By feet, I mean just a few, 2 feet in length, due to the momentum of being underwater and the force being different here than there.
So all of that was worthless in the end, as the eel simply shook its head, turned towards my direction, and swam towards me at full speed.
Of course, a fish would've been fast in a water environment, while a crab like me, who only has pereiopods, which I oddly remember as sort of scientific name for crab feet. Oh, and I am not a species of crab who have flippers at the end of their back legs, so no, I am the type of crab that couldn't swim. So, in other words, that can only mean one thing.
I wind back my right pincher, similar to winding up for a punch, and once the Eel was close, I struck it right at its forehead. The impact was something I was not expecting, as it was a bit stronger than I had expected.
But I did expect it to smack me as well as its tail strike me right on top of my head/body. That hurt a bit, but with how sturdy my shell might have been, the reason why. So, finding this out, I quickly reeled in my left arm, poising my left pincher while I was at it. Once again, I struck the eel this time right at its middle section.
I could hear it let out a muffled screech, which was muffled underwater.
Then it did something that would make me a bit nervous as it opened its mouth, which I might add was filled with sharp teeth. So seeing that I did what I could only do as I crossed my arms and braced for the inevitable clash.
It came as the force was greater than it was a moment ago, and as it turns out, it was strong enough to pick me up. That was when I realized crossing my arms was the worst idea I had, as once they were like this, I wouldn't be able to move at all or even attack them.
So I tried my best to get myself free, but its grip on me was strong, so I did the next best thing.
I reeled back all of my legs and started to sort of kick the Eel a lot of times just to try and get it to release me. It worked a bit, as I could see it flinch a few times as its grip on my arms was lessening a bit, but it wasn't enough.
So in the spur of the moment, I did something that even I was not expecting. I let out a roar.
"RRAOOOOOOORACCK"
It sounds like something a beast trying to roar would sound like. Rough and messy, but it was enough to distort the eel's hearing, which surprised me a bit. But it was a welcoming surprise as both of my arms are now free.
With that, I struck the eel with both of my pinchers right at its head, distorting it.
My pinchers were now free, so I would be able to defend myself easily, but it wouldn't be enough to kill this thing. Each strike that I had done to it did only a few scratches and a few minor wounds. Not only that, but it looked like it was smiling, which only made it more horrifying to me.
So I readied myself for what would happen, which I was not expecting at all, as with its tail, it smacked me and sent me flying out of the water and into a shoreline, where I blanked out.