(A/N: Hope you guys enjoy this story and I definitely hope you like where I'm going to go with this. This is the first time I've done something like this, so I hope it turns out okay.
The image is what my OC looks like, I'm sorry if it's kind of crudely done, I tried my best. Although it's not my best work, I do think of it as a good way to show off my shading skills, which isn't something I get to do very often.)
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On one dark, cloudy night, a green pick-up truck pulled up near the top of a cliff that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. In the truck bed were half a dozen steel drums held down by straps. A flash of lightning briefly flashed over the drums and revealed that they were once used by some kind of manufacturing company.
The driver of the truck got out and donned protective gloves as he started to unhook the metal barrels. He set each of them onto the ground, not really caring if some of them fell over or got damaged.
The passenger continued to sit in the truck and didn't get out. He felt very guilty and uneasy about all of this. He knew that there were a million things that could go wrong.
Soft rain started to fall from the overcast sky and hit the ground and the truck. The passenger was startled by a lightning bolt that flashed not too far from them and by a thud hitting his side of the truck.
"Get your ass out here, you deadbeat!" the driver shouted. "The sooner you get out here, the sooner we can leave!"
He got out of the truck and started to help him move the metal drums towards the edge of the cliff. Unlike the driver, he did not wear protective gloves, as he had no idea what the barrels had once contained.
Once they were done, the mousy passenger finally worked up the courage to ask, "Are you sure this is okay? I mean, just leaving these here? Aren't you worried at all?"
"What are you? A tree hugger?" he retorted sarcastically. "The boss said to get rid of these and that's what we're doing."
"What's in these things anyway?" he asked.
"Nothing," he said, tapping his fist on one of them, showing him that it was empty.
"Do you know what was in them, then?" he was almost too scared to ask.
"That's none of your concern," he said, almost menacingly.
He glanced at the drums and nervously asked, "Well, now we're going to leave now, right?"
"Yes," he said, "but first…" He kicked each drum off the cliff and they landed on the rocks below. Some just barely touched the choppy waters.
He looked down to see his work. He was aiming for the water, but he knew the tide would be coming in soon and they would be long gone.
"C'mon, let's get outta here before the rain really starts to come down," the driver said. The other man nodded. They got back into the truck and started to drive away.
A flash of lightning lit up the dark sky and the sound of thunder rang out for miles. With the thunder and lightning came the rain that came down from the sky like pebbles.
The driver had said that these barrels were empty, but even he couldn't have predicted what would happen next. And Mother Nature would unleash her wrath.
One of the barrels had lost its lid when it landed on the rocks, leaving it exposed to the incoming harsh weather. True to the driver's word, it was empty, however, on the mouth was a smear of a green fluid. It was dry, so what harm could it do realistically? A lot more than anyone could ever dream of.
Raindrops began to fall into the open barrel and onto the green smear, lubricating it, bringing it back to its former glory. The question now is what happens next?
Beneath the surface of the water, an eel was lying in wait for his next meal. He knew a storm was coming, but he was so desperate for food that he didn't care.
He had been waiting for a while and there was nothing that could fill his stomach. He was about ready to give up and leave until he was able to pick up on the scent of a nearby fish. A small one, from what he could tell, but he didn't care as long as it was something.
With nothing to lose, he went in for the kill. He snuck up on his prey with swift, graceful slithering movements like that of a snake. He opened his razor sharp tooth-filled maw and moved in to strike.
At the same time, raindrops fell onto the green smear and rehydrated the dry stain. Returning it to its chemical form. Afterwards, either gravity or fate caused a single green drop to fall from the mouth of the barrel; right where the eel was.
He took the small fish into his lethal maw, just as the drop hit the water. He let go of the fish when the fluid entered his body through his open mouth and caused an overwhelming pain throughout his long body.
His eyes, mouth, and gils glowed a vibrant green as he could feel his entire body changing. He tried to move, but he was suspended in the water and couldn't move.
His entire skeletal frame was shifting, changing, growing. His spine suddenly became more rigid and erect and additional bones were growing out of his existing bones.
Suddenly, four stubs began to grow out of his ever-changing body. The stubs quickly became limbs as bones and muscles grew beneath the skin.
Five tiny stubs started to grow out of his newly formed arms and legs and became his fingers and toes. A membrane-like webbing was in between them when he spread and flexed them for the first time.
Along with the growing and changing bones, his organs were undergoing a transformation of their own. Most expanding, some shrinking, but all of them overall transforming; they became more like that of a bipedal mammal than that of a snake-like fish of the ray family.
With these larger and heavier organs and additional bones and muscles, his whole body felt dense and heavy. Although the pain was beginning to subside slightly and wasn't nearly as bad as earlier, he was wondering when this would be over.
"Soon," a voice in his head told him and he believed it.
Just as he thought it was all over, his senses suddenly went numb as his head expanded. His skull enlarged and his brain grew to sizes that should be absolutely impossible for an eel, or even a human for that matter.
While this spontaneous transformation was occurring, the weather was getting rougher and harsher by the second. The waters were becoming fierce like a feral herd of wild animals and the winds were blowing at speeds that should be impossible for that geographic location.
The choppy waters combined with the brutal winds made for a storm that Hell itself would envy. It pulled him into the ocean before spitting him out on top of the cliff where the barrel that contained the chemical fell from in a tidal wave.
The rain came down onto his slick body like hail as he twitched and trembled. He held his breath and gripped the grass with his new hand as he waited for it all to stop.
Once it started to lighten up a little, he took in a breath in relief, but there was something wrong, it didn't feel like he was inhaling water. No, this was cold and dry and almost painful on his lungs, not the smooth, cool wetness he was used to breathing in.
He shivered at the cool wind and air and the rough rain once again painfully falling onto his bare body. This was so much worse than being chased by a predator during a severe thunderstorm.
He spotted a treeline just beyond a road just a few yards away and he felt like he had to go to it for some unexplained reason. He started to writhe his body in an attempt to slither towards the trees in order to get some cover from the weather. No matter how hard he tried, however, he couldn't, he never moved an inch on the ground.
He then noticed how his hand was holding onto the grass as if his life depended on it. When he saw that something in him told him to use his new legs to stand like he's seen humans do when they step into the water.
He started to move his legs slightly and started off by curling his toes and bending his knees. It was an odd feeling moving them for the first time, yet natural as well.
When he made the attempt to stand, however, he never lifted off the ground. He then looked at his hand again and soon everything clicked.
He started to move his arms just as he moved his legs to practice getting used to them, he got the same feeling he had with his legs when he moved them. Once he finally figured out how to use them, it was time to put them to work.
He used his arms to lift himself off the ground and support his body as he stood up. His legs trembled as he struggled to lift his body and support it on the newly acquired limbs.
Unfortunately, just as he thought he had succeeded in accomplishing his goal, he fell to the wet ground again before he could attempt a single step. This would be harder than originally thought, but he wasn't about to give up because of one failure.
He continued to try numerous times, trying out a few different techniques and strategies as he made attempts at his first steps. He was able to take one step before falling to the ground again, which at least showed that he was able to walk, but it would likely take time before he could fully master it.
After an indeterminate amount of time, after numerous rounds of trial and error, he was finally standing erect and a wave of confidence came over him as he was finally able to take steady yet slightly wobbly steps towards the trees. As soon as he started to walk, the harsh rain had finally ceased.
In order to get to the trees he had to cross the road. The aged, wet, element-weathered asphalt against his bare feet reminded him of the coral rock he used to hide in.
He made it to the other side of the road and walked through the bushes to hide in the forest. He scraped his legs in several places, although barely felt them and none of them caused bleeding.
He started to trek through the forest and continued to move forward, never looking back at the ocean he came from. He wasn't sure where he was going, he just knew that this was the start of a new life.
As he walked through the forest, he was suddenly regretting his decision to stay on land. His feet and everything from the calves down were caked with multiple layers of mud.
A breeze began to blow and caused him to shiver due to the coldness coming over his body. It didn't help that his body was still wet, which just made him colder.
He looked around to find something to keep warm with. He was completely fruitless, however, as he could find nothing for that task.
A dim light shined onto the plant life through a light from beyond the clouds. It meant that it was daytime and the sun was shining somewhere in the sky behind the eternal gray.
It was still quite dark, despite the light, and he wasn't even sure if the light was sunlight at all. It could have been moonlight from a full moon for all he knew.
Then, he could smell something in the distance. He could smell smoke and food he was unfamiliar with. It was quite a ways away from him, but all he had to do was follow the scent. A simple feat with an enhanced sense of smell like his.
He followed the scent for some distance before he finally found the source. It was from food being cooked in a pan over a small campfire, although he couldn't see what was cooking. A woman was tending to it with a fork.
The site he discovered was in an open area with leaves of various colors decorating the ground. There were two tents located some distance away from the woman, along with several items spread throughout the area.
He heard a sound that he could only parallel to small bubbles popping at a dramatic pace. It had a very meaty scent and he could feel himself salivating inside of his closed mouth. Saliva dripped past his lips and fell onto his chest and on the ground.
His stomach growled and he remembered that he never got the chance to eat the fish he caught before his transformation. Not to mention that the transformation itself took a lot out of him, and the events that followed shortly afterwards.
He started to come out of the shadows of the forest and set foot into the leafy open area of the campsite. The woman didn't seem to notice his presence and didn't hear the sound of leaves crunching as he made his way closer to her.
A couple, a man and another woman, came out of one of the tents. Both were smiling and laughing and their hair and clothing were disheveled.
The woman unconsciously looked in the direction of their friend and the approaching humanoid. She screamed bloody murder and ran back into the tent.
They looked at her in confusion before they saw what scared her. Both screamed at the top of their lungs and ran away, the other woman came out of the tent and ran off with them whilst screaming.
He could hear the sound of what he could only parallel to roaring thunder in the distance. The sound soon faded away, after he heard mud being thrown violently, as if splattering after being kicked or rained on in a violent storm.
He tilted his head to the side at their sheer panic and wondered what could have frightened them. Surely they couldn't have been scared away by him, right? Was he really that terrifying?
He waited around for them to return to their campsite. Never moving from the spot where he stood. He stood stiff like a statue and patiently awaited for the temporary residents of this site.
When they never returned, he decided to look at the food the woman was cooking. In the pan was a cluster of three white circles with three smaller yellow circles. The white part of it was bordered by a light golden brown and the yellow circles were topped with a white haze.
He started to pick at it with a claw and a small portion of it tore off. He picked it up with the tip and bit into it with his front teeth. It was very crispy and it almost tasted like meat, but it wasn't like any meat he had ever eaten. It was also very hot, almost burning his mouth, but he just swallowed it.
It wasn't long before the entire thing was gone, not even a tiny piece was spared. He was glad to finally have something in his stomach, although he was far from satisfying his hunger.
He started to look around the area for something else to consume. He found a blue box with a white top next to a tree near one of the tents.
He picked it up and shook it, it was a little heavy, but not too much, he could hear what he thought were rocks inside. Curious, he tried to open it in any way he could, scratching it with his claws and biting it with his sharp teeth, but his efforts were fruitless.
Frustrated, he threw the box onto the ground and the top came off, water came rushing out of it. He picked it up and discovered cans, bottles, and other packages inside. He knew what these were because you couldn't swim ten feet without seeing one of these.
He picked up one of the bottles, it was very cold and smooth and slippery, it was very difficult for him to hold. He held it up to his face and could see a liquid inside. He started shaking it up and down, but it never opened. All that did happen was the formation of a foam on top of the liquid.
He then smashed it on the ground, causing it to shatter, only the part of it he was holding was intact. He brought it up to himself, there was still a small amount of liquid in it.
He took it to his mouth and poured the liquid inside, only to quickly spit it out due its terrible taste. He couldn't understand how humans could drink that so easily nor how their bodies could tolerate it.
He then picked up one of the cans and stuck his claws into the thin metal. He tore the top of the can clean off, causing a dark colored liquid to flow out of it. The liquid was interesting, it was very fizzy and reminded him of underwater bubbles caused by pressure and speed.
He stuck his hand into the strange fluid and brought his dripping hand to his mouth. He opened his maw and stuck his entire hand into his mouth.
He started to suck on the liquid both on and in the skin. It was very sweet, almost overwhelming him, he only kept extracting the sweet drink because he quite enjoyed the feeling of the tiny bubbles going down his throat.
Once his skin was sucked dry, he was about to stick his hand into the can again, only to discover that most of the sweet liquid was gone. He tossed it away and began to look around again.
He decided to look inside the tents the people left behind. Perhaps he can finally find something to keep warm with.
He first looked into the tent the couple came out of, only to be overwhelmed by a terrible smell when he poked his head inside. He then looked into the other one, he smelled nothing and stepped inside.
It was very small inside and there wasn't much in the interior, just a bag, a blanket, and an item that looked like a giant worm. He picked up the bag and emptied out the contents on the floor, it was packed with clothing, a tube that looked half-empty, two brushes, one large one and one small one, a small knife, a plastic water bottle, and a flashlight.
Nothing in the bag interested him and he moved the 'giant worm' to take the blanket. The blanket itself was a light blue with thick green lines, thin darker blue lines, and thin lighter green lines. It was a little torn up and there were a couple faint brown stains on it, but it would be just fine for the task of keeping him warm and protected.
He wrapped the blanket around himself and stepped out of the tent. Just as he did, he could hear a siren blaring out in the distance and he could hear it coming closer towards the campsite.
Something in him told him that these sounds indicated hostility. He immediately rushed into the treeline behind the tents and crouched down in order to keep himself hidden. A slight warmth and a twinge of pain could be felt in his legs when he did, but only for a moment.
Soon, a black and white vehicle with red and blue lights flashing on top pulled up. The three people who were previously there came out of the vehicle along with a man in a dark uniform with a hat and numerous patches and pins.
"Okay, so where's this 'monster' you were so scared of?" the man asked sarcastically.
One of the women pointed at the still-burning fire pit, "Over there, officer! Oh, his claws and teeth were sharper than knives! He was going to eat me!"
The officer - as they referred to him as - went over the fire pit and looked around the area. "All I'm seeing are leaves."
The male looked around the area and the disarray of broken glass and shredded metal. "What about this? How do you explain this?"
"It just looks like a drunken mess if you ask me," he said. "How old are you anyway?" None of the three wanted to give him an answer to that. He stood up and went back to his vehicle, "C'mon, I'll give you a lift back to the station so you can get your car."
They tried to protest, but he kept ignoring their pleas to investigate this any further. As far as he was concerned, this was just a prank by a bunch of irresponsible kids.
The four of them soon left and he arose from his hiding place. He peered his head out from the treeline to see if they were gone and saw that were.
He was intelligent enough to understand much of what they were talking about. He couldn't understand why those people thought he was going to attack them. He would only attack if threatened or if hungry enough. True, he was quite starved when he approached them, but he would never attack them. He wasn't a great white shark.
Sad and confused, he left the area and continued through the forest. He didn't want to be around people who judged him on his appearance.
He clenched the blanket tighter around himself as his heart rate increased due to an overwhelming sadness. As if sensing his emotions, the clouds got darker as they began to cry with teardrops of rain.
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(A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed reading the first chapter. I know the concept might seem a little confusing, but I still hope you'll enjoy reading future chapters nevertheless.
I had to do a lot of research on eels for this and I actually discovered quite a bit that I didn't know about them. I may not be a fan of doing research on anything really, but I actually really enjoyed what I was able to uncover. I suppose that's the irony in that.
For those of you who are wondering about his actions, take into consideration that he's young for an eel and he's still processing everything he's gone through. However, it's because of the things he's gone through that gives him a conscience, which eels don't have because they're predators and some are known to attack humans, although it is rare.)