0:01 you break out of the egg and immediately
0:04 realize two things one the water is a
0:05 lot colder than you thought it would be
0:08 and two there are about 300 siblings
0:09 wriggling around you all of them bumping
0:11 into everything and each other it's
0:13 chaos and no one seems to know what
0:15 they're doing your parents are long gone
0:17 nobody's here to teach you anything so
0:19 good luck figuring it out you float for
0:20 a moment trying to make sense of things
0:22 when a sibling comes at you like they're
0:24 about to say hello nope they're checking
0:26 if you're edible that's when you figure
0:27 out the first rule of Life stay
0:30 invisible or your dinner you swim into a
0:32 clump of plants and stay put trying to
0:34 be as unnoticeable as possible welcome
0:36 to the world eventually hunger kicks in
0:38 you need food but you have zero idea
0:40 what you're doing a tiny worm wriggles
0:42 past you lunge at it mouth open like
0:44 you're some sort of apex predator and
0:46 Miss by a solid mile the worm doesn't
0:49 even notice you try again miss another
0:52 try Miss honestly it's embarrassing on
0:54 the fourth attempt you finally manage to
0:56 catch it it's Wiggly slimy and not
0:58 exactly a gourmet meal but it'll do
1:01 victory is yours barely you keep hunting
1:03 but it's very Hit or Miss mostly Miss
1:04 every now and then something small
1:06 enough to eat comes by and you give it
1:08 your best shot sometimes you catch it
1:10 and sometimes you just look ridiculous
1:12 snapping at empty water you're not proud
1:13 of it but at least you're figuring it
1:15 out you spend the rest of your time
1:16 hiding in the shadows wedged between
1:18 plants trying not to get noticed a
1:20 sibling swims by and snaps up a worm
1:22 like it's nothing you consider snapping
1:24 at them just to send a message but they
1:26 decide against it that's the kind of
1:28 energy you don't have right now a few
1:30 weeks in you've grown you're faster
1:32 stronger and smarter you don't just
1:34 float anymore you move with purpose you
1:35 know when to wait when to strike and
1:38 when to stay still you hunt worms larvae
1:40 and anything small enough to fit in your
1:42 mouth you don't miss as often now you're
1:43 getting good at this you leave the
1:45 plants more often the Open Water isn't
1:47 as scary as it used to be the food is
1:49 better out here you spot a small shrimp
1:50 and kick forward catching it on the
1:52 first try you eat quickly and look
1:54 around nothing moves you venture further
1:57 scanning for more food then you see it a
1:59 heron it lands in the water nearby it's
2:01 long legs slicing through the surface as
2:03 it moves closer you freeze pressing
2:05 yourself against the bottom the Heron
2:07 stops its head turning as it scans the
2:09 water you don't move it takes a step
2:11 closer its beak darting into the water
2:13 to snap at something you stay where you
2:15 are it moves again and now it's right
2:17 above you you see its long Shadow
2:19 stretch over the lake bed as it freezes
2:21 staring down the beak plunges into the
2:24 water you kick hard darting to the side
2:26 the Heron follows stabbing at the water
2:28 again and again you zigzag kicking as
2:31 fast as you can it's close its beak
2:33 slicing just behind you you aim for the
2:35 plants and push harder slipping between
2:37 the stems the Heron's beak stabs into
2:39 the plants rustling the water around you
2:41 you press deeper into the cover curling
2:43 yourself tight against a stem the Heron
2:46 Waits it doesn't move neither do you it
2:48 takes another step its long legs
2:49 Rippling the water it stabs at the
2:51 plants again shaking the stems around
2:54 you you hold still your gills barely
2:56 moving after a long moment the Heron
2:58 steps back it stands there waiting
2:59 before finally turning and waiting for
3:01 further down the shallows you don't move
3:03 you wait until it's far away it's Shadow
3:06 long gone when you finally slip out the
3:08 light has dimmed the day is almost over
3:10 you stay close to the plants for the
3:11 rest of the day you don't risk the Open
3:14 Water again not yet a couple of months
3:15 in and you've turned into a proper
3:18 little Predator worms and larvae aren't
3:19 enough anymore you're hunting small fish
3:21 now lunging at anything that gets too
3:23 close you're getting good at it or at
3:25 least you think you are one day while
3:27 stalking a small fish you spot movement
3:29 ahead not a predator it's familiar it's
3:31 that sibling the one who was showing off
3:33 earlier snapping up worms like they had
3:35 some kind of cheat code you both freeze
3:37 you stare at each other for a moment and
3:39 then without warning you both charge you
3:41 lunge forward and snap at them they snap
3:43 back it's a mess neither of you is
3:45 landing any hits but you're both going
3:47 at it like your lives depend on it you
3:49 wiggle toward them snapping wildly they
3:52 wiggle back snapping just as wildly it's
3:54 less of a fight and more like two drunk
3:56 noodles bumping into each other at one
3:58 point they bump your Gill and you Flinch
3:59 so dramatically that it almost feels
4:01 like a win for them almost you try
4:03 snapping at their tail but they Dart Out
4:05 Of Reach they try snapping at your side
4:07 but miss completely for a solid few
4:08 minutes it's just the two of you
4:10 flailing at the water taking breaks to
4:12 stare each other down like you're about
4:14 to say what exactly are we even doing
4:16 finally your sibling decides they've had
4:18 enough they flick their tail and swim
4:19 off all casual like they weren't just
4:21 flailing at you like a lunatic you
4:23 follow them for a few seconds just to
4:24 make sure they know you're still the
4:26 boss obviously before turning back to
4:28 the hunt it wasn't much of a fight but
4:30 you still feel a little Triumph iant
4:32 next time maybe you'll actually win for
4:34 now you focus on catching your next Meal
4:36 which will definitely be smaller and far
4:38 less complicated than your sibling
4:39 you've survived your first year and
4:41 you're no longer the smallest thing in
4:43 the lake that's a win but the real
4:45 accomplishment claiming your own little
4:47 patch of territory it didn't just fall
4:49 into your lap you had to earn it it
4:50 started when you found a perfect spot
4:52 plenty of plants for cover a decent
4:54 supply of worms and larvae and enough
4:56 space to stretch out without bumping
4:58 into anything or anyone but of course it
5:00 wasn't unoccupied one of your siblings
5:02 had gotten there first they floated near
5:04 the plants acting like they owned the
5:06 place you stared at them and they stared
5:07 back then you puffed out your gills just
5:09 enough to look a little bigger and swam
5:11 toward them like you meant business you
5:13 didn't snap or charge just a slow
5:15 deliberate move like you were daring
5:17 them to stick around they hesitated
5:18 flicked their tail and started to back
5:21 off you kept coming steady and calm
5:23 until they turned and bolted no fight no
5:25 flailing just you giving them the don't
5:27 even try it treatment once they were
5:29 gone you settled into your new territory
5:31 it's not much but it's yours your own
5:32 little corner of the lake with food
5:34 cover and enough space to hunt without
5:36 anyone getting in your way you Patrol it
5:38 regularly just in case anyone else gets
5:40 ideas but so far no one's dared to come
5:43 back you hunt you rest you keep an eye
5:45 out for anything that doesn't belong the
5:46 lake hasn't changed it's the same as
5:49 it's always been Shadows food danger but
5:51 in your little patch you're in charge
5:53 for now that's all you need by the time
5:55 you're 2 years old you've officially
5:57 made it to adulthood you're done growing
5:58 but that doesn't matter you've got
6:01 everything you need sharp hunting skills
6:03 sharper instincts and just enough
6:04 experience to know when to fight and
6:06 when to swim away as fast as possible
6:08 spoiler most of the time swimming away
6:10 is the Smart Choice then one day
6:13 something feels off it's mating season
6:14 you don't know how you know this but you
6:16 do everything feels different more
6:18 urgent more competitive it's like the
6:20 entire Lake got a memo and now
6:21 everyone's acting like they have
6:23 something to prove if you're a male you
6:24 start patrolling your territory more
6:26 aggressively you puff out your gills at
6:28 every shadow just in case it's someone
6:29 trying to challenge you most most of the
6:31 time it's nothing occasionally it's a
6:33 worm you don't care you've got to look
6:36 intimidating then finally you spot her a
6:38 female she's calmly swimming through
6:40 your territory like she doesn't even
6:41 notice your effort to look cool you kick
6:43 forward casually cutting her off you
6:45 both pause she looks at you like she's
6:47 sizing you up you flare your gills and
6:49 do a little circle trying to show off
6:51 your best angles she doesn't seem
6:53 impressed you try snapping at the water
6:55 to prove you're a top tier Hunter she
6:56 turns slightly as if debating whether to
6:59 swim away you panic and freeze
7:01 eventually after what feels like hours
7:02 she flicks her tail and swims deeper
7:05 into your territory success probably if
7:07 you're a female you've got it easier you
7:09 don't need to patrol or perform you just
7:10 casually cruise through the lake while
7:12 males trip over themselves to impress
7:14 you one Puffs out his gills so hard he
7:16 looks like he might explode another
7:18 awkwardly circles you bumping into a
7:20 rock halfway through one particularly
7:22 ambitious male snaps at a worm misses
7:24 and plays it off like it was intentional
7:26 you're not impressed eventually you pick
7:28 the least embarrassing option do your
7:29 part and swim off to lay your eggs in a
7:32 safe spot parenting not your problem
7:33 they'll figure it out like you did if
7:35 you're the male you feel triumphant for
7:37 about 5 seconds then she's gone and
7:39 you're left swimming in circles
7:40 wondering if that went as well as you
7:42 thought it did you go back to patrolling
7:44 your territory like nothing happened but
7:46 deep down you feel kind of proud Mating
7:48 Season doesn't last long but it's
7:50 exhausting by the end of it you're back
7:52 to hunting hiding and avoiding Predators
7:54 acting like it was all no big deal but
7:56 still you did it you've officially
7:58 contributed to the next generation of
7:59 awkward Wiggly aelott who will go
8:01 through the same thing someday you can
8:03 only hope they'll be slightly better at
8:05 flirting than you were probably not
8:06 though few years later you're swimming
8:08 through the water doing what you've done
8:10 a thousand times before hunting moving
8:12 scanning the lake for food nothing
8:14 unusual just another day you spot a
8:16 small worm drifting nearby you pause
8:18 watching it wriggle lining up your next
8:20 meal then it happens something slams
8:22 into you from behind hard and fast you
8:24 don't even have time to turn there's a
8:25 crushing pressure and before you can
8:28 react Darkness you're swallowed hole
8:30 just like that it's over the tilapia
8:32 swims off calm and unbothered
8:34 disappearing into the MC somewhere
8:36 nearby another Axel is hunting
8:38 completely unaware the lake keeps moving
