What caught their eye

Walk in the woods: chapter 4

esk shown:
esk-masterlist.deviantart.com/…

this was a quick one, sorry, but I needed to finish this one for the walk in the woods event which ends today! :>

text that goes with the pic:

Amélie felt relaxed and reposed. The day seemed to be ending as she observed the sky, the colors turned dim as the sun was setting. With her small feet, the esk swam a few more rounds and dove to the ground before surfacing again. As her environment appeared to turn colder, Amélie was humble again and fixed her gaze on the canopy above her. As she was slowly turning towards the riverbed to crawl out, the leaves began to rustle again. The wind turned harsher and ushered her out of the pond with growing discomfort as the forest became hectic again. The previous tranquility was lost and the safety she had felt was gone with it. Uncertain of her position inside this place, she carefully heaved her body over the stones before dropping back. A sudden sound had startled her, made her slip the wet underground and forced her back into the water. Cautiously and frightened she tried to hide as only the top of her head was peaking out from under water. Stressed, the defenseless esk turned her head anxiously to detect the source of thumping branches. She did not dare to move a lot, yet was restless in her position, fidgety with her feet keeping her afloat. Awaiting another motion, she listened to her surroundings intently. Another clash appeared and a black silhouette bolted from one tree to another. Amélie backed off. She retreated further into the pond and stared at the figure, trying to trace its physiques. Fearful of its intentions, Amélie wanted to disappear and squeezed her eyes, whimpering in her mind. She swam more backwards while keeping an eye on the unknown being. Her eyes wide and alarmed, she did not dare to move an inch. Suddenly, the thing made a turn, jumped to another branch and seemed to settle. It turned around and revealed its owl-like face, creeping Amélie further out. The dark aura the hideous being was emitting blocked the sun rays. The dreading silence reemerged and the mellow ambiance ceded to the unknown creature sitting on the branch. It seemed not entirely concentrated, repeatedly averted its gaze from the swimming esk until focusing its attention again. Fixed eyes met Amélie’s gaze, who was still not moving. She kept her stare up and minutes passed until the creature swished its tail briefly. The silence was deafening again. No bird melody enlightened the forest, the sun was illuminating the dark being from behind and the water turned strangely cold. Home was far away and Amélie began to regret her decision. Still uncertain of her new form and abilities, angst was predominantly present as she was unable to assess her squatting opponent. Eerily the thing was sitting with perked ears, appearing to wait for a move. Amélie had reduced her movements to a bare minimum and started to struggle to stay afloat, not daring to swim forward. The being crouched forward and extended its neck, seeming to listen. She perceived its efforts and large dark eyes which seemed to pry into her. Nothing was comforting, but as more minutes passed and the temperature decreased, Amélie could no longer hide. Mustering her strength and convincing herself of her invincibility, she slowly approached the riverbed again. Distrustful as the thing was still staring at her, she kept her guard up, and gently lifted her body over the pebbles and stones. Drenched and soaked, she observed the thing more closely. As it turned out, it was no owl but appeared to be something like her. Something unknown but not too far off from her own form. Still scared, the silence seemed to deliver a name. Ikkit, she heard and nodded, not sure where it came from. Remaining unsettled, she sat down on the closest stone as both seemed to wait for each other to speak.

word count: 637