Part 14

The Criberler

"What the hell did we hit!?" Kaimana said, after the boat came to a halt. The plates were still trying to push the craft along, but to no avail.

He just managed not to into the deck by just catching onto the door frame of the boats cabin. Shinda wasn"t so luckily, as she was picking herself off of the deck. She hit the side of her head when she slammed into the floor, and a nasty bumped was starting to swelled up.

Kaimana wasn"t one who cursed often, but this seemed to be the appropriate time for one. Shinda got back to her feet; her left hand was over her head as she went over to check on Gentoe.

"I'm ok." He said, then gaped after seeing the biologist was injured herself.

"Don't mind me, it's just a bruised." She knew it wasn't just a simple bruised, but nothing she could do about it right now.

Gentoe then peer back out to the island. He could see them; his parents were standing there on the beach. He also saw his siblings heading into the jungle just before entering the cove. They were all there; they all have survived the storm too. He was so close to them, so desperately to be by there side again receiving their love, warmth, and happiness once more. All that stood in the way was this boat stopping. Wasn"t much of a problem really. He could just jump over the side and swim to shore.

"I see something." Kaimana said as a warning, as he peered over the side to see what the boat had crashed into. There was a large black blot under the vessel. Both platoons seemed to be surrounded by the darkness.

He remember that shape of it, he knew what it was. His fearful expression had Shinda frighten now too. It wasn't even sunset yet, but this was around the time the animal came closer to shallower waters to feed. Shinda, worried for the safety of the Darjeet pup had turned around, and saw that Gentoe was trying to jump over.

"Mom, Dad, I'm here!" He yelled, hoping that they would hear him before he jumped over the side. Shinda leaped over and hurriedly plucked him away from the railing. Gentoe started protesting, and then stopped when Kaimana screamed as the darkness moved.

"CRIBERLER!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, as the ocean erupted around the Sea Guardian.

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Moko and Mieka stood, there, puzzling out why the boat suddenly stopped.

"It could have broken down." Mieka said. She would like to believe that was the case, but she knew it wasn't that, nor did Moko.

"It's deep enough here for that boat to get through right to the beach. Even if they broke down, they wouldn't have just stopped like that. They would have moved to a halt, not like they crashed into a reef." Moko said. It was then that he saw Gentoe back on the railing, looking like he was about to jump over. Mieka cried out for him not too, and was relieved when Shinda grab him and pulled her pup back in.

Just when she did, an explosion of water spewed upward rocketing high over the boat, drenching its deck. Then three tentacles followed the geysers, and they rear high, hovering right over the desk. They were black as the night, and look thick enough to wrap around that boat and crush it in haft. Moko recognize the arms, after he was wrapped in them once before.

"Mieka, it's one of those things we met yesterday." He was unsure if it was the exact same one, but even if it was a different animal, it was still formidable.

Even so, no matter how scared he was, he will attack it if that what it would take to save his son. All their pups were special to them, but Gentoe was far from even being a year old yet. More than that though, a son he and his mate created naturally, a first of their species, would be worth his own life for if it meant he could grow up alongside his family. Death was well worth the cost for that chance.

"I'm going to tried to help them, but I can't do it alone." He said, staring back to Mieka.

"If you thought I wasn't going to come with you, well you're a bigger fish brain then I first thought." She snorted. Moko actually managed to laugh, despites never being as frighten before ever in his entire life.

"I want you to find a way up to the boat, and grab Gentoe. If whoever onboard wished to join you, let them come."

Mieka actually became wide eye by the suggestion.

"I know we can't trust them, but we still need to respect them for all that they did for us before. If we don't, we would be no better than they are."

Mieka reluctantly nodded, and then realized something.

"You're going to attack it aren't you?" She asked horribly.

"I'm just going to distract it. If I can gain its attention long enough, I might give ya'll a chance to break for the island." Braving up, he turn back to the boat. The tentacles started attacking the desk. Time was short.

"Let's go save Gentoe." With that, they sprinted to the ocean. Mieka was first, diving right in. Moko almost leaped as well, but stop short when he heard his named cried, but from behind. He turned around, and saw Link standing there just a few feet away. He seemed determined and ready for a fight too. Link was always like that, and in more than one case gotten himself in trouble for it. Time was very short, and he didn't have time to deal with him. He needed to get him to turn back quickly.

"Link, this isn't the time. Kisely and Mink needs you, stay with them till we get back."

"Dad, I can help. You know that i can use magic too, and I also can help you fight that thing. I know by the look on your face, it this had to be the thing that injured your leg. I want to help you get payback!" Link winched inside by the thought of revenge again. The Porpoises teachings were supposed to apply to everything and everyone. Yet, seeing that bandaged on his father's leg made him think on the implication. Sure it wasn't a great thing to kill another living creature, especially if one can help it, nor have no need to. However one should have the right to defend itself when threaten. If that resulted in injury, or even death to the aggressor, well that's just the price to pay for the attacker.

"And what if it managed to grab and killed you, I will never forgive myself if that happens. I want you to grow up first before you have to put yourself in danger, and I would asked you in the future to help protect our pack, our family when you're old enough for the responsibility."

Link blinked from those last words. That he would trust him to help later on.

"But Link, please listen to me." Link returned his focus back to his father. "I have been around for nearly 12 years. You're not even a year old yet! Your inexperience and still a kid. You should enjoy being young and having fun for as long as you possibility can, because once you grow up, all that's goes away. Carelessness, becomes watching everything you did. Fun, becomes chores and work. Youth, becomes responsibility." Moko never thought he would ever have to talk to one of his sons like this, EVER. Real life as an adult was a pain. Sure it was still enjoyable and fun, but you haft to work for those pleasures. Children shouldn't have to be put into adult life till they are old enough to handle it.

Link, seemed to finally understand what his father was saying. Despite all his anger, and his eagerness to help his father out, deep down all he really wanted was their love, and his brother so they could play with each other again. Perhaps he shouldn't grow up just yet, after all. He will eventfully, but not yet, not now. Still, he didn't mind to give caution to Moko.

"Just be careful Dad, I want you to come back." He said with a slight sob.

"I promise. I will be back with Gentoe before you know it." He smiled. Link managed to produce one too, as he watched his father jump into the sea. Moko will try to make it back if he can, but he didn't know if he could ever keep such a promise true heartily.

"Just do what you must, and pay for it later." He thought to himself. Now where on earth did he hear that before?

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Kiamana stood there, terrified as he watched the tentacles arms swing above them wildly. He never had been this close to such a massive predator before. In one part of him, he admired its brute strength, it power to crush their little boat like a twig. This thing was created in nature to be as it is, and it was doing what it was design to be. But in the other parts of his mind, he wanted very much to scream his lungs, and gills out in fear of his life.

The first arm then had came down, and crashed through the hull. There was a metal decking below the wooden one, so the damaged was minuscule, yet he had to jump back when the planking splinted apart, with wooden shrapnel flying everywhere. Shinda shielded Gentoe from the wood shrapnel as some of the pieces came past them. When the Criberler arm retracted back up, she got up and hurriedly ran back to the cabin where the Water Dragon stood, and drop the Darjeet pup inside.

"Stay there!" She ordered him. Gentoe for once didn't argue. She then reached inside the cabin to pick up a harpoon gun from the rack, and went back outside to load an unroped spear into it.

"I don't think we can do much harm to it with what we got." Kaimana said, unholstering his ion pistol.

"We got to at least try to get it to let go of the boat so we can get to the island." Shinda replied, finally having the gun loaded, but Kaimana was the first to aim. He line up his shot to a hovering tentacle that looked like it was about to come down on them, and then fired a shot. The thump deafens their hearing, as a bar of blue ions flew straight and true at the arm. It hit the club shape end, and flesh ripped apart in spray of smoldering bits.

What was left of the arm had cooked from the extreme heat, cauterizing the wound. That tentacle thrashed about in sheer agony, as the Criberler brought the arm back down into the ocean below, but three more came up to replaced it. Kiamana ready for another shot, but one arm came swinging at the side. Shinda just manage to duck under it, but Kiamana was caught by it as he slammed into the cabin. The ion pistol flew out of his hands, right over board and into the ocean.

"No, it can't get wet!" He yelled getting back to his feet. Who cares if that gun once belonged to his father and was a family heirloom, and was given to him after he finished collage? Apparently getting the energy weapon wet was far worse than just loosening it. Shinda thought so at least, from her own opinions about the thing. She never handled a gun before and no intentions in the near future, although she wished she had one now.

With the harpoon in her hands, this would have to suffice.

She pointed, and shot that arm as it pulled away. That arm became useless too as it flew back, the bar sticking out at the side as blood ran down the arm. Then another arm came out of the ocean to replace the second damaged arm. However as each arm came up, less was holding the boat in place. Kiamana, who stilled seemed to be standing knew that too. Squinting at the pain, he too grab a harpoon gun from the cabin, and started to load it.

"I still can't get the boat to move." He said. Trying to do two things at once was hard enough, especially when scared for your life. He been sending orders to his E-Chip, but symbols kept return to his peripheral vision saying the boat systems was malfunctioning, and the order denied.

As the arms kept thrashing about overhead, Shinda also grab another bar and reloaded. Just then a third arm came down at them, and they both fired.

Both spears struck the arm and it too felled back in pain. Three down, nine to go. Too bad they only have one more spear a piece between them two.

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"Where you go off to?" Mieka demanded over with Long Talk as Moko came up behind her.

"Sorry, it was Link. Don't worry he didn't follow us. I got him to stay back on the island."

"Good, you actually did something right for once," She replied smirking. "but don't let that go through your head though." She added.

"I know." He replied depressingly, as they swim just a tad furthered to where the monster was at. The animal had four of its arms wrap around the two platoons, holding it in place. It was also when they could finally see what the monster look like in detail. Its entire body was black, adding to its monstrous appeal for fear of venturing out to the night. Around the middle of the body, it has three ring sets of tentacles, with four arms at four corners. Yellow spot coloration marked the rings of each set around the body, the only other coloring the thing has.

Three of the arms hovered limply in the water. One looked completely destroyed at the end, and the other two were bleeding out, bars of metals sticking out from the sides. The creature has no side fins, and its massive tail gave it propulsion like a shark. It swam like one too. Even its face was shaped like it, with some differences. Its mouth was rounded, with wide sharp teeth forming a circular maul. It was always open, and its gills were in consent work.

Its nose is coned and ended at a sharp point. The last thing was that it has for large blue eyes, protruding slightly outward. Moko gaped from

that part. Its left top eye was closed, its wound that caused blindness to that particular eye still tender and unhealed. It was like it received that wound just yesterday, by something that poked it out, with a spike of ice.

"Mieka, I think that's the same one that attacked us last night."

Mieka blink in horror from hearing this.

"Did it follow us all the way here?" She asked.

"It might of, and I think it wanted us so badly that it would dare attack again if that’s what it takes to bring us out." He stated. So far it didn't see them two hovering there in the ocean, but that would change at any minute.

"Mieka get above to the boat and look for a way up, I'll distract it."

"Right, but be careful, please." She replied.

"I will be, now get going before it sees you too." She did, and Moko was left by himself. Summoning up courage, he swam to the left, building up a stronger Long Talk spell. Once it reached the power level he desires, he shot it out to the beast. It didn't thrashed about this time, as was the

intended purpose. Just enough power to make it become uneased enough, and for it wanting to know who caused it.

"You wanted me, well here's your chance!" Was the message he sent. The Criberler brought some of it's upraised tentacles back down to the ocean, and thrust them at Moko.

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One of the tentacles came down on top of them. Both Shinda and Kaimana stepped back to avoid it. After it crashed on the deck, they stab it with the harpoons like bayonets, thrusting back and forth as many times as they could. The arm lifted back up, injured, but another came down, and slammed into the par of them. Kaimana just barely managed to hold onto his harpoon, but Shinda's was tossed overboard, and she was sprawl on her back.

"Shinda, get up!" Kaimana tried to say, although he was having trouble himself just to get to his feet now. Shinda didn't hear him though. She had fallen back onto her head, exactly at the same spot. Her vision was burly, her hearing muted. She defiantly might have had a concussion now, but that thought was the least of her worries. That arm seemed to know she was there, and it lifted back up, posed to strike right on top of her. The only thing she could do right then and there was to bring her arm's up in a feeble defense, but she knew it wouldn't be enough.

The arm came back down, and Kaimana screamed. Suddenly a water tendril arm came over the side of the boat, the end frozen into a spike as it stabbed right into its side. The tentacle stopped short of slamming into Shinda, as it rose back up in pain, the ice spike lodged into it. Shinda vision recovered enough then, to see Mieka climbing onboard from the boat ladder. In response to the pain, the monster swings another arm at them.

Mieka intercept it mid air, the water tendril flowing leftward, and turning sharply to get it right on the inside.

That arm also dropped back. A fifth arm then came at them, and she attacked that mid air as well. Producing another tendril, she watched to see if the thing would attack again, but it finally seemed to stop. Breathing a sigh of relief, she focuses her anger on what she came here for.

"Where is he, where is my son!" She demanded.

"Mom!" Came the response, and Gentoe came bolting right out of the cabin door into her mother's awaiting embraced. Shinda would have smiled, if he had the strength to. Kaimana limped over, and helped her back to her feet.

"Thanks." She said, and then they all turn to face each other.

"Your job here is over; we can now take care of ourselves. Leave us!" She barked angrily.

"Mom it's ok, they aren't here to take us back." Gentoe tried to say, but that response just made her grip him tighter.

"Please listen Mieka, we have no intentions too. We were just trying to see if you guys were ok. We even save his life from some fishermen. We just want to make sure all of you were reunited." Shinda said as best she could, despite the splitting headache.

"Yea right, as soon you get the chance, you're going to get the tranquilizer darts and put us all to sleep so you can take us all back. I'm not buying it." Mieka continued to bark. It was lucky for them then she hasn't decided to use that water tendril on them.

"Mieka, please trust us, we aren't taking you back, I promise!"

"Not to sound like were in danger and all, but can we talk about this later after the Criberler had stopped attacking us?" Kiamana said. As if on cue, another tentacle came down, but this time it wrapped around Kaimana's chest, and hauled him off his feet backwards. Shinda was far too weak to stopped it. Kiamana tried to get free, as it pulled him right to the other side of the deck, and attempted to pull him overboard. He just managed to get his arm to lock around the pole holding up the railing just before going over.

"Kaimana!" Shinda cried in terror as she rushed over to him, gripping his arm. She tried as hard as she could to pull him back, but this was a tug of war she didn't have the strength to win. Kaimina arm was being pulled, and it was a matter of time before he would lose his grip.

"Help, please!" She cried to Mieka. She stood there though, thinking about it.

One part of her wanted to help. But another thought that they would still tried to cage them again even if she did.

"What are you doing Mieka!" Kaimana just barely managed to say. Just saying those words cause his grip to loosen a bit.

"I beg of you Mieka, please!" She actually sounded desperate now. She would be though.

"Mom, help them!" Now Gentoe was pleading for her to do something, to use that single water tendril to stab at it till the arm let go of the Water Dragon.

"I. . .don’t know if I should." She said bluntly. She couldn't make up her mind.

"I know we can trust them, so if you won't, I will!" Gentoe snapped back, and broke free from her mother's grasped. She screamed when he did, terrify that the monster was going to get him too now along with the biologist. Gentoe sprinted over with three legs, with his right forearm reaching into his fanny pack, as he pulled out the knife. He switched it open and with a leap and a powerful thrust, he stabbed straight into the tentacle. Its arm finally let go, taking the embedded knife with it. Kiamana hanged there over the side. All his strength was gone, and he couldn't pull himself up, nor could Shinda. Just before he lost his grip, Mieka water tendril got rid of the ice shared as she went over, and flow it over to Kaimama. It twirled around his midsection, then firmed up enough so she could pulled it back up, along with Kaimana. He was heavy, but they managed to get him back on the deck. Painting, he got back to his feet.

"What changed you mind?" He asked tiredly.

"Gentoe trusted you. If he could do that, then I guess we should too. After all, you guys did raise up from pups." She started, and then her face turned away as it was going to be hard to say the rest.

"I'm sorry that I hesitated. I promise I won't ever again."

"Thank you Mieka, thank you so much." Shinda said honestly panting herself. Seemed Moko was right. You might never trust someone, but not having at least some respect for them might make the even more untrustworthy in times to come. Perhaps they could still have a partnership between them in the future. It was then that they notice that there were no more arms up in the air.

They all went back into the ocean below them. Shinda legs now felt like gel, and her head was still painful. Still she seemed contempt, as she turn to Kaimana. He was looking off in the distance, but not because of the coming sunset, he was using his E-Chip.

"Shinda, it's starting to let go of the ship."

"Can you get it to move?" Shinda asked. Kaimana again sent the order in, and blinked when it was received.

"It's working; I got green on all boards. I'm getting us to the island. The Criberler can't follow us into shallow water." He said as the boat lurched forward.

"Is that what that thing is called?" Mieka asked wearying. She still seem horrified, but not because of learning its name. Moko was still down there.

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The Criberler disengaged two of its tentacles that was holding the ship, so that it could attack him. Moko summoned two of his water tendrils ice spikes and intercepted them head on. Both stabbed right into the tips and the monster reel them back.

"How you like taking on something your own size!" Moko Long Talk at it. In truth he was just like a tiny mouse facing a much bigger, hungry cat, but a mouse that could defend itself. One of the Criberler's out stretched arms above the water then suddenly came back down, and reached out for him. Moko attack that too, and the monster also had to reel that arm back, small trails of blood flowing from where the wounds were received.

The beast brought more down, and he attacked them just as well. He could do this all day. He needed to, to allow Mieka enough time to save their son, and their friends. He needed to keep this beast occupy just long enough for them to escape. So as the beast reached out in vein attempts to grab him, he counter act with a thrust and stab of his ice spikes. Again and again it reached out, and he counter it move. Again and again, the Criberler had brought all of his arm's back down into the sea, even letting go of the ship.

It was just going for him now. More arms came at him, coming in pars now. Moko quicken his summoning, producing new tendrils just as fast is the arms came. Again and again, he attacked, and then reformed the spell so he could attack again. Just about all the tentacles were wounded now, yet the monster brought them back for more attempts, and he stabbed them yet again.

Again, and again, and again and again and again and again and. . .

Then like that, the water tendril he tried to summon had failed to appeared. Moko seemed confused by the sudden strangeness having them no longer. It had taken him a second to realize what just had happen, just as another tentacle, unwounded started coming towards him.

"No, not yet, not now!" He said desperately. Moko tried to reach for the energies inside of himself, and only found an empty shell. He had just spent all of his magic up. He was in such a haste to produce the spells, that he haven't kept track on how much magic he had left. He now had a full blown case of magical sickness.

It felt like a powerful flu had just ridden his entire body. He felt deeply tired, his body shivering like he taken a deep chill. His head, his mind was burly and was hard to even think, and his insides felt like they were wrecked. Of course he still have some magic left, just a few drops of it remanding. If he tried to pull that out in one final attempt for a water tendril spell, he was sure he would die. That sliver of magic was all that's keeping him alive now. Moko mood went along side to how he felt. It was fitting too.

He just lost his most powerful weapon, and the monster could now overtake him with ease. As that tentacle shot straight for him, it reached around him then closed in. Moko only had a split second to react. He may be out of magic, but he still has his body. Moko managed to twirl out just in time before he could be caught in the grip. Then twisting back, he latched on to the tentacle with all four of his claws, sinking in deeply, as hard as he could grip it.

Then snarling, he bitten down hard on the arm, trashing left and right as fast as he could, turning the arm into ribbons of torn flesh. The tentacle bled, and the monster brought it back hurriedly. There was now a cloud of blood emitting from around the outside area of the thing. Every last one of its tentacles had been injured, yet it still kept on. As soon as Moko let go he tried to swim away, and another arm reached for him, and got him by his tail. Startle, he tried to twist back, bending over so he could claw at the arm. Then another one came, and wrap around him

tightly.

It has got him; the monster finally achieved trapping its prey. Moko didn't kept on fighting at this point. He knew too he just had lost the

battle, and was too tired to attempt escape anyways. The thing was too big, too powerful for him to take on just by himself, but in fact he did

defeat it in a way. The boat wasn't there on the surface anymore. It has moved away when the monster let go of it. They got away thanks to him. They escaped, and survive.

"Mieka, take care of them for me would you. I'm sorry that I put the entire burden on you, but what's such a fish brain as myself was supposed to do?" He thought, laughing in his head at the end. If he could, he would of Long Talk it to her for one last time, if he had any magic left to produce the effect.

"Guess I haft to break that promise after all Link. I'm not coming back. Your now going to have to be a grown up after all." Again he thought, as he was slowly pulled forward towards the Criberler. It seemed time had slowed for him, or was it that the monster was taking his sweet time with his success finally? Whatever the reason, he also wished it would just hurry and get it done. Closer and closer, it pulled him towards it rounded mouth, its teeth baring openly. He could see straight down its gullet, awaiting its dinner it so well desired. Moko lasts thoughts was it hope it will kill him quickly, and as painlessly as possible.

He then closed his eyes, accepting his fate.