The last thing Winter Wonder Melon remembered was the thick, cloying mud of the Swamp beneath his hooves. He had been chasing fireflies, running after there light. Now, there was no mud, no tangled roots, no familiar scent of leaves. He blinked, his eyes struggling to adjust to the intense glare. The swamp was gone.Instead, beneath him was sand, warm and fine, pressing against his belly. Around him, the rhythmic crash of waves replaced the familiar croaking of frogs and the buzzing of insects. The light was a stark, white brightness he had never seen before. He tried to stand, his hooves sinking slightly into the sand, a strange, unstable feeling compared to the firm earth of his home. A wave, larger than the others, licked at his legs, sending a shiver through his thin frame. The water was cold and salty, nothing like the warmth of the swamp.
An urgent, deep-seated dread began to bloom in his stomach, a feeling sharper than any thorn prick. He noticed, that the sand he was standing on wasnt a large beach, but a narrow strip, a sandbar. And it was shrinking. Every few seconds, another hungry wave would claim a bite of it, pulling it back into the restless sea.
Panic clawed at him. He was trapped.
Then he heard it, a low, mournful wail that vibrated through the sand and the thin air. He turned, his eyes wide, and saw it. Beached, like him, but on an entirely different scale, was a whale shark. Its enormous, dark eyes, were filled with a visible pain and distress. That wail, a desperate plea, emanated from deep within its colossal body.
Winter Wonder Melon didn't know what a whale shark was. He had heard whispers of the great ocean, stories told by the other kin that lived at the swamp too, but he had always dismissed them as fanciful tales. Now, it was real, it was here, and it was in trouble, just like him.
He hesitated, his young mind trying to reconcile the fear and the strange sense of kinship he felt. Was this creature a monster, a predator as huge and frightening as the stories suggested? Or was it, like him, caught in a precarious situation, vulnerable and afraid? He had no way of knowing if it was friend or foe, a savior or a fiend. He looked down at his reflection in the receding wave and he was definitely a young buck, with a fragile little body. It was unlike the creature beside him.
He took a tentative step forward, the sand shifting beneath his hooves. The whale shark, as if sensing his movement, let out another wail, its massive head turning slightly towards him.
He decided to take the risk. He had no other choice. "Hello?" he bleated, his voice small and thin in the vast emptiness.
The whale shark didnt answer in words, but its wails softened, the mournful tone replaced by a sound that was almost.. hopeful? It shifted slightly, its tail fin kicking weakly against the sand, then with an exertion that rippled through its massive body, moved closer to him.
Winter Wonder Melon felt a strange, almost electric sensation. He edged closer, his fear slowly giving way to a cautious curiosity and an understanding that this enormous creature was not a monster. He cautiously touched his nose to its immense flank. The skin was cool and leathery, unlike anything he had ever felt. He knew that in the deep of his heart, they were both trapped on this sandbar, both victims of the cruel, unpredictable sea.
He nuzzled the shark again, this time with more confidence. This creature, this gentle giant, would not hurt him. The sea rose with an alarming speed, a wall of water washing around them, higher than his head. Winter Wonder Melon trembled, but he did not run. He understood what he had to do.
He ran to the side of the whale shark and started pushing with all his might. At first, it didnt do much, but he kept pushing, adding all of his weight to the whale sharks side. The whale shark began to push with its tail, finally finding its freedom from the sandbar. The water rose above them, surrounding them. The whale shark was able to completely roll over into the water and was free from the sand.
The giant creature surfaced in the deeper water, seemingly to check where the small buck was. This time it dipped its head back into the water and Winter Wonder Melon did not hesitate to swim towards it. He used what he remembered about swimming from the swamp and with a mighty leap, moved himself to the whale sharks back. The whale shark moved slowly, allowing the small buck to get a good grip on its fin.
Winter Wonder Melon held on for dear life as the giant creature started moving towards the vast ocean. The waves pounded in his face and he held on for dear life. He was terrified but he knew he had made the right choice. He clung to the sharks large fin as they moved further into the open ocean. He was exhausted, cold, and completely terrified, but he was alive.
As the time goes on, he felt the whale shark slow. It was close to land. A land covered in lush, green vegetation. It began to slowly swim towards it. Winter Wonder Melon was confused. He thought they were to be forever moving on this cold ocean.
Once the whale shark nudged close to the land, Winter Wonder Melon leaped from its back, his legs trembling as he touched the solid ground. He turned to face the whale shark. He said a soft thank you, a small sound in the immensity of the ocean. He was finaly back on solide ground. He watched the shark.. did he made a new friend?