Snippet #1871083

The waves lapped against the dock, inviting the workers to come in and enjoy the ocean's promise to escape the harsh sun in its coolness. Kivan wanted to jump in the water, but first everyone had to be ready. When all of his family signaled their preparedness all of them, human and creature, dove into the water. He swam down until the sun was blocked by the leafy fronds of the seaweed. Barely any light filtered through, but it was enough. He made his way to the type of plant he was looking for, the Nodelga kelp, and began to saw at the base of the thick stump with his serrarated knife. The stalk, soon freed of its obligation to its roots, began to slowly float upwards to the surface. Its path was obstructed by other plants, as if they wanted their companion to stay below the surface with them. Kivan swam up and dragged his long, heavy prize on to the docks. His younger sister, Almia, and her creature, Vibe, began to take the plant to the part of the dock where it would be de-leafed and processed.

While Nodelga kelp didn't have good berries, its stalk was thick and juicy and its leaves made a good substitute for wrap bread. Kivan's mouth watered at the thought of tilapia marinated in the savory fluids of Nodelga kelp. To his thoughts he added the crunchy bits of the stem. Now that was a good meal!

Clearing his head of thoughts of food (which only served to make him hungry) Kivan dove back into the water, this time with a sack instead of a knife. He began to pick water berries from the shorter pod plant. They were known as the pod plant because of their distinctive seed pods the berries became when left without being picked. The fruits were firm and round. Some had matured early and already held their hard, semi-circle seeds. Kivan put those ones in the pocket of his swimming shorts so they could be saved for seed. He had to go up a couple times for air. He didn't want to waste his power and endure the pain of sprouting gills, not now. When his sack was finally filled he heaved it out of the water to the storage unit and dumped them in. After that he took a short break to catch his breath.

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The water was refreshing and invigorating, reminding Retha of discovering something new. It was always fun to swim, whether for work or play. Her fur rippled from the disturbances in the water. It almost tickled. But it was a good kind of feeling, not the bad one that made you feel out of breath. In one of her taloned feet she carried a metal thing made of wire. This was a crab cage. With her other foot she grabbed unsuspecting crustaceans and put them in the crab cage. She only went for the larger ones so the little crabs could grow into something worth eating.

After dropping off the crab cage (full of the tasty little creatures, she was definitely not returning empty clawed) Retha took some rope and looked for breaks in the netting that kept sharks and larger fish out of the farm. Each rip would be repaired with careful knots. Retha prided herself on the dexterity of her fore feet (with good reason), so she was often the one who fixed the netting.

When she went up to put the rest of the rope away she heard Vibe call out, "Retha, can you get two more Nodelga?" Nodding her head Retha took a deep breath and dove back in the water. As she swam deeper into the forest of Nodelga kelp the yellow-green patterns on her skin began to glow. With this light she could clearly see each broad leaf and veined stem of the marine giants. She selected a fleshy stem and started to claw at it with a talon. It was soon separated from its roots and Retha aided it in its journey to the surface. Vibe, a dolphin-skinned dog-like creature, took the stalk in his strong jaws and began hauling it to the processing center, soon joined by Almia. Retha retrieved another plant from the ocean and went to help haul and process it.

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Kivan leapt back into the water, this time to get some Lagaba. The properties of the plant went through his mind: the leaves could be used as a seasoning or a salad and the berries could be brewed in a tea that would reduce pain. Chewing on the berries made your whole body numb. It was a curious sensation, or rather not a sensation at all. Lagaba was harder to grow than some other plants, say Nodelga kelp, but it fetched a better market price. Kivan picked some leaves off of each plant and then took some berries. He was careful not to take too much. Lagaba was too valuble to risk it dying. When he was finished gathering the produce he went back to the surface. With picking done, now was the time to process the crop. In some cases, like the Lagaba, the plant was laid out on the docks to dry in the sun. Other plants were put in wooden containers to keep them moist and flexible, like Nodelga kelp.

When the work was finally over (not that Kivan didn't enjoy it, he simply was tired) his father announced that they next day they would be going to a market island. This excited every kid in the family, including the creatures. Who would get selected to go? Everyone wanted to go to the market, where untold wonders could be found. After the family calmed down some Kivan's father announced that Kivan, Retha, Almia, Vibe, Suta (Kivan's older sister), Nacomma (the creature of Kivan's older sister), and the father himself would go. The ones who weren't going were disapointed (except for Kivan's mother, this meant she could rest the next day) but tried not to show it. Those who were going were exuberant. Most hid it so the ones left out wouldn't feel too bad. Almia and Vibe didn't. This would be their first time at a market island and they were younger and didn't know well enough to hide it. They ran along the docks, feet pounding against the weathered wood, whooping their excitement. Kivan smiled at the display of happiness. He too was glad that he was picked, and he hurried to help load the boats so they could set off first thing the next day.