Edra reached toward the small apple hanging from the branch.
"Got it."
She plucked the fruit free and held it up with a small smile.
"Well, time to eat."
The apple felt strange in her hand. Its skin was slightly warm despite the rain, and faint gold veins ran beneath the black surface.
Still edible.
Probably.
She raised it toward her mouth—
The water exploded.
A massive shape erupted from the swamp, jaws wide enough to swallow her arm whole.
But one of Edra's outer eyes caught the motion just in time.
Her body twisted sideways.
Not fast enough to avoid it completely.
But fast enough to survive.
The creature's jaws snapped shut inches from her shoulder with a wet, bone-crunching clap that echoed through the swamp.
Edra stumbled backward, splashing into the mud.
"Whoa! Feisty creature, aren't you?"
The beast hissed, a low vibrating sound that seemed to rumble through the water itself.
Its body slid partially onto the bank, revealing thick armored scales the color of rain-soaked stone. Its body was short, wide, and brutally muscular, every movement heavy. A massive tail lashed once behind it before the creature slowly sank back into the black water.
"Well," Edra said, brushing rainwater from her face,
"I'm sure that was a pleasant greeting."
She gave a small wave.
"I'm Edra. Pleasure's all mine. No hard feelings about you trying to eat me."
The water went still again.
The creature vanished beneath the surface.
Not a ripple remained.
Edra stared at the swamp for a moment.
"Well… I think that's my cue to leave."
She turned carefully, stepping away from the water.
"I'm sure you and I would've been great friends."
Edra began jogging through the wet marsh, mud squelching beneath her feet.
"It's nice to see there's life on this planet," she muttered.
"And now I finally get to have my apple."
Her foot caught on a submerged root.
She pitched forward.
The apple flew from her hand and landed in the mud with a soft splash.
Edra groaned.
"Oh come on—"
The water behind her erupted again.
This time the creature was faster.
It lunged from the swamp like a living spear.
Before Edra could react—
Its jaws clamped down around her arm.
Pain exploded through her body.
"Ah—!"
Rows of jagged teeth punched through her flesh as the reptilian jaws tightened. The creature's massive body twisted, trying to drag her back toward the dark water.
Warm blood spilled from the wound.
But the color was wrong.
Not red.
Thick dark amber blood, the color of deep resin, flowed from the bite and mixed with the rainwater and swamp mud.
Edra blinked at it in confusion.
"…Huh."
She winced as the pressure increased.
"You know what?"
She grabbed the creature's snout with her free hand, trying to force its jaws apart.
"I used to like reptiles."
The beast hissed violently, pulling harder.
"But my opinion is starting to change!"
Edra kicked at the mud, trying to keep her footing as the creature dragged her closer to the water.
The smell of the swamp mixed with the scent of the creature itself.
Wet scales.
Mud.
And something else.
Something that made her stomach twist with sudden hunger.
Normally the mud-covered reptile would have looked disgusting.
But right now…
It looked strangely appetizing.
Edra paused for half a second.
"…That's new."
The creature jerked again, trying to pull her into the swamp.
Edra felt the strength in its jaws.
Felt the water pulling at her legs.
And came to a very quick conclusion.
Yeah.
I'm not winning this.
The creature reared its head back, preparing to thrash and tear her apart.
Edra raised her free hand as if preparing to strike back—
Then she twisted violently, yanked her arm free from its teeth—
—and ran.
Edra ran.
Mud splashed beneath her feet as she forced her way through the swamp, branches snapping and wet leaves slapping against her shoulders.
"Mark my words!" she shouted over her shoulder while escaping.
"This will not be the last time you see me!"
The swamp slowly began to thin out as the ground rose slightly.
Ahead, the water widened into a slow-moving river.
Edra stopped at the edge of it, breathing heavily.
"Well… I've got nowhere else to go."
She looked both directions along the riverbank.
"Might as well follow the river and see where it takes me."
She started walking.
Rain continued to fall steadily through the dark canopy above.
"Alright," she muttered to herself. "First order of business."
She lifted her injured arm slightly and winced.
"Clean the wound."
Dark amber blood had soaked into the sleeve of her gown, the thick resin-colored liquid slowly dripping toward the mud below.
"And maybe clean… all of me."
She glanced down at herself.
Mud.
Swamp water.
Blood.
"Then I need shelter."
She took a few more steps before stopping again.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something."
Edra froze.
"…My apple."
She turned around quickly, scanning the swamp behind her.
"Where's my apple?"
Edra looked around frantically, as if the fruit might somehow appear in a pocket she didn't even have.
Nothing.
She sighed.
"Damn that reptile."
She pointed accusingly back toward the swamp.
"That's it. The next reptile I see is finished."
After walking along the river for some time, the forest began to open up.
The sound of moving water grew louder.
Eventually the river widened into a small lake.
Edra's eyes lit up slightly.
"Ah, finally."
She approached the water cautiously.
"A lake."
She crouched near the edge.
"Come on… please be water."
She leaned closer.
"And hopefully clean."
Her deep amber blood seeped through her clothing as she knelt by the lake, thick drops falling into the mud beside her.
Edra dipped her fingers into the water and tried to scoop some up—
A sharp sting shot through her hand.
"Ow!"
She jerked her hand out of the lake.
A tiny fish dangled from her finger for a split second before dropping back into the water with a splash.
Edra stared at her finger.
Then at the lake.
Then back at her finger.
"…Why does everything on this planet hate me?"