Discrection is the better part of valor -- Common proverb
Rock Town's skies were murky with a gloomy rain. As Jak strode he took care not to slip on the smooth driftwood boards that the floating bridge was made of. While he walked he frowned at the surrounding water. It was dark, but he could vaguely see drifting forms of weeds and wood under the surface. It was much deeper than it looked, he knew, having wandered out further than was prudent several times at the shores back home.
"What're ya lookin' at, Jak—see anything?" A voice by his ear asked.
Jak shook his head a little, glancing at the otssel. Then he turned towards the next floating plank, giving Daxter a grin as though to say, 'Just looking around.'
"Yeah, lovely view and all that, but doncha think you should be paying a little more attenti—" Jak tripped, pitching them both forward. Daxter screeched, and was cut off by a mouthful of seawater. As soon as he surfaced he gagged, looking revolted. "Ugh! I told you to watch where you're going! Look at this, Jak, do you know what seawater does to this fur!? This is gonna take weeks to…"
Jak squinted sheepishly, rubbing water from his eyes. With an expression that said, 'I didn't do it on purpose!' he swam forward, presenting a shoulder that Daxter clambered ungracefully onto.
"Sure ya didn't." Daxter rolled his eyes. "Whatever! Let's get outta here, it's freezing!" Jak nodded in complete agreement, eyeing the bridge they'd fallen from. The platform to stand on was nailed to an arrangement of logs that would keep the wood floating high while whoever wanted to got on. Unfortunately, this meant that the wood was high enough to be hard to climb. Oh well—Jak was strong, he'd manage.
Daxter suddenly turned to look behind them. "Uh, J-Jak…" He said. Jak paused, looking up inquisitively, before turning in the water to see what was bothering Daxter.
A scaley orange back with a bright fin along it was heading right towards them. Jak clenched his teeth and swiveled back to the bridge, telling himself this was nothing to worry about, and that he just needed to climb up to safety a little more quickly than usual. Much more quickly than usual. With all possible speed. He just needed to convince his hands to stop the slight shaking they had started—from the cold, not the fear shrilling through his bones—and then reach up and climb. Heart pounding, Jak flung himself at the platform's edge. His fingertips just missed it, and he tried again. He missed, and the knowledge of the death approaching was making his blood sing and his heart thunder.."H-hurry, J-Jak!" Daxter said, voice considerably higher than usual. The human didn't need to be told twice, and he desperately tried a third time. A stray wave lifted him and tilted the platform just the right way for a moment, and Jak was able to get his hands over the edge. "Hurry! Come on, come on, come on!" Daxter practically danced in place, starting to panic. Jak knew that the lurker shark was getting closer and closer, and this gave him a panicked spurt of speed. With a mighty heave he dragged himself and his friend up half-way out of the water. Daxter scrambled off, yelling incoherently for Jak to hurry and follow. Jak kicked at the water furiously, which was enough of a boost to let him crawl the rest of the way on.
A good thing, too: not a second after Jak's feet were clear the shark barreled through the water he'd been in, making a wave that rocked the platform. Jak got to his knees quickly, watching with perfectly round eyes as the fin sticking up from the water darted around the platform, angrily circling the lost prey.
"… HA! Take THAT, you overgrown carp!" Daxter crowed giddily. Jak grinned, sharing his friend's relief.
The fin shuddered angrily, slowing its circles. Then it swam away. Daxter leapt to the wood to shimmy with victory. Jak punched the air with a smile that was starting to regain its usual defiance. While they did that the lurker-shark turned, paused to aim, and then charged deliberately towards the platform.
Daxter wasn't the only one that shrieked an octave above his range. Jak bolted in the other direction and, Daxter on his shoulder, managed a flying leap to the bridge-segment that followed. Huge jaws splintered and crunched the wood they'd just been on, and by the time the wood-chips had stopped flying the two boys were nowhere to be seen.