In Time

The surface of the water barely stirred as she swished her powerful tail. The other crocs not bothering her, or moving out of her way. recognizing her as one of them. Strong, powerful. A creature that had seemed to lived for longer then any of them could remember. Some days it was longer then even she could remember anymore. Memories and thoughts all mingled together. Some days older memories were easier to grasp then newer ones. Sometimes they were gone from her entirely... maybe they were new memories? She couldn't be sure anymore. Time... time was difficult now. She couldn't seem to remember if it was going in order or not. Her memories... she couldn't tell old ones from new ones anymore. She was old... so old. She had always had time to spare. Her slitted eyes shifting to look at the light green glow of the numbers counting down the reminder of the life she had less... This place hadn't been very promising for other toskals. But this place had been calm. Serene with only the other company being other crocs... had it been days? No... she had had more time on her arm when she had arrived... ten years at least. And now? Hmm, it seemed she only had a day left... She wondered idly if she should get out. Find somewhere with more toskals where she could take more time for herself... This place was beautiful. She wasn't sure she'd remember to find it again afterwards. Or if she could. She wasn't good with direction. She had been looking for her homeland for a while now, and hadn't seemed to be able to find it. She was sure it was somewhere... but where... she couldn't remember. This place though... full of fish, crocs... the water clean, the sun bright upon her hide when she laid out in the sun. Flowers, and other dwelling creatures. It was... beautiful... She could let her time run out here. The other crocs would eat her. 'Was she even a croc?' 

She had been something else before. Or was still one? None of t he crocs had time... but her other meals did... the toskals... thats what she was. Yes. She took their time... ate them. She remembered something. Vaguely. Toskals giving other toskals to her. To give her time... to feed her. Fear, respect. Reverence. She had been praised, a kind of goddess. She had had so much time... it would have never run out. They had given her time over and over again. None had dared to take it... no, no that was wrong... some had tried. Some had dared to attack her, to try and take her time. A hand brushing against an old scar on her belly, not from a croc, but a toskal. Someone who had tried to steal from her. Had they won? She couldn't remember... she was still alive, so it was likely it didn't win. And if it did, not enough to take all her time... 

She had been so busy thinking, delving into her memory it took her a moment realize something... The water was rippling with movement. Something was at the waters edge. Shifting in the water, she slowly, gently pushed herself up and forward, letting her eyes peek from the water to look... oh.. a toskal. That was unexpected. They came through here so far and few between. Her gaze moving to the arm... Oh. They must be strong. The toskal holding three years and more on their arm. That was good... She could take it... but then... Looking back at her arm, she saw the six hours that were now left... time really did pass quickly when stuck in your own trunk. She could also let it go on its way... Just let it run out... 

Her gaze looked back towards the toskal, who had just filled a skin of water and was now rubbing his arms clean. Toskals rarely passed by... it could have been a sign... perhaps she was meant to live... perhaps she was simply thinking too hard... perhaps it was just luck. Whatever it was... she supposed she shouldn't throw away the opportunity that had now landed directly before her. Sinking back down into the water, she moved slowly closer towards the toskal, careful to not disturb the water as much as possible, so as to not panic the creature. Closer, closer she got. She was already before him before he noticed something beneath the water, moving to back away. 

But it was already too late. Bursting from the water and running on powerful back legs as she clamped her large jaws around the toskals shoulder, hearing him scream as she grabbed his hand and turned it, his clock starting to count down, down down, as her own began to go up, slowly at first, and then quickly. The toskal thrashing and shocking her, a knife sticking into her side, but still she didn't pull away. Instead sinking her teeth in deeper, watching as the time he had left whittled down to a year. She started to drag him towards the water. Six months. Under the water, and the toskal thrashed as he struggled for air. Three.... two.... As the clock went down to zero, the thrashing stopped at at once, the body going limp in her jaw. 

She then gripped harder, thrashing the body before going into a death roll, spinning and spinning and spinning as she heard flesh tear and bone crack under her power and strength. The other crocs sensing the action and hte blood in the water and coming to take a piece. She didn't mind. They were all going to be well fed for a while. Letting go, she then tore open his stomach and feasted upon what was inside. The best choices of the meat, rumbling lowly in her satisfaction. Noting her peripheral vision a floating arm, she swam from the body and caught it, moving away now to have her snack in peace, leaving the rest of the body to the others. 

Yes... this was a beautiful place. A good place, and she was glad to have more time to enjoy it.