She awoke on the banks of a luminous river. Moonlight seemed to flow through its waters, giving them a pale, milky glow. The river wound downward to a vast sea, still as glass. Where the two met, the water shimmered softly.
She wasn’t sure where she was. She wasn’t even sure who she was. She searched for memories. There were none.
She felt her breasts, then her stomach, and finally her hips. She was fit and had a fine figure. No doubt men found her desirable. Perhaps even attractive. She smiled.
But her clothes told a different story. She was dressed sharply, an officer of high rank. The sword at her side spoke of authority. And her hair… it was cut short. The sort of haircut worn by a woman who had no need of a man’s approval.
Fragments flashed through her mind. Fighting. Scales. Something vast. Her hand drifted to her belt. A great tooth hung there. A trophy. From the jaws of a… Nothing came.
Tucked beside the tooth were two daggers. Bloodied, but still razor sharp. Ivory decorated the handles, worn smooth with age. She drew one of them. It felt right.
She wasn’t one to stand around waiting for things to happen to her. How did she know that? Didn’t matter. She set off. A marsh stretched before her. Moss hung from tall trees draped in leaves. Her boots sank into the mud. Stars twinkled overhead, but something felt wrong. The sky seemed too close. Far above, a ceiling arched over everything.
She settled into a steady pace, though every step sent aches through her body. Probably from her battle with… Whatever it had been. A headache throbbed behind her eyes. She must have struck her head in the fight. Hopefully the answers lay ahead.
The going was slow. She had nothing to navigate by. Then she stopped. An impression nearly three feet across had sunk deep into the mud. A footprint. Oval in shape. Four toes. Another lay ahead. And another. And another. They stretched across the swamp. Made by a creature of unimaginable size. A furrow accompanied them, nearly as wide as the footprints themselves. A tail.
It was reckless, but curiosity gripped her. She had to follow. The creature’s stride was staggering, yet it seemed to be in no hurry. The tracks led to a thicket in the distance.
As she rounded the thicket, it came into view. She stopped. Its body was the size of a warship, supported by pillar-like legs. A tail like a cedar tree swept behind it. Its neck rose above the canopy, reaching the tops of the tallest trees. She whistled in amazement. Muscles rippled beneath its smooth hide. And it was eating leaves.
She couldn’t take her eyes from it. Hippopotamus? She wasn’t sure why, but the name amused her. It felt exactly right and completely wrong at the same time.
It lowered its head until it was level with hers. Despite the creature’s size, its head was scarcely larger than her own. Its eyes glistened softly. Gently. A leafy branch fell to the ground. She bent slowly and deliberately, picked it up, and offered it in open palms. It took the branch carefully between its broad teeth. Not even the tips brushed her skin. It chewed contentedly, never taking its eyes from hers.
“You don’t belong here any more than I do. Do you?” The creature trilled softly. She reached out and let her fingers brush its skin. Cool. Smooth. It lowered its head and nestled against her hand.
“I wish you could talk.” She scratched beneath his jaw. “Then you could tell me which way to go.”
Understanding seemed to gleam in his eyes. He swung his neck away from her and stretched it outward, as though pointing. Then he nodded twice.
“Thank you,” she said softly. Then she added, “Friend.”
He let out a soft bellow. The sound drifted across the swamp like the song of a whale. Then he turned his attention back to the treetops.
She headed in the direction her new friend had indicated. Before long, she reached another river. Wide. Dark.
It was as dark as the river behind her had been luminous.
