quote:

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My name is Derek Fairfield. I am human. I repeated my mantra as I lapped up water and regarded the leopard-like creature drinking in the pond's reflection. Dark shapes moved beneath the pond's surface. The crocs would try a lunge as soon as they got close. I tilted my ears back and listened. I could handle all the predators but the crocs and their larger cousins, the drakes. I'd taken to calling them drakes because they looked like dragons in old vids. It was still early in the day for them to visit the waterhole. I often wondered if they might be cold-blooded. I'd either killed or scavenged about everything else in the last eight moons and so far all the reptilian/amphibian life was warm-blooded. I should know, I craved warm blood to drink.

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Dark shapes moved beneath the pond's surface. The crocs would try a lunge as soon as they got close.

I tilted my ears back and listened. I could handle all the predators but crocs and the bigger lizard-beasts [I'd taken to calling drakes.]- He has? He just called them crocs a few words ago. Maybe call them drakes and THEN explain that they are really just crocs.

They looked a bit like dragons in old vids and the name suited them. It was still early in the day for them to visit the waterhole. I often wondered if they might be cold-blooded. I'd either killed or scavenged about everything else in the last eight moons and so far all the reptilian/amphibian life was warm-blooded. I should know, I craved warm blood to drink.

I repeated my mantra as I lapped up water and regarded the leopard-like creature drinking in the pond's reflection.

I like this as is. Short sentences before, short after. The pacing is fine to me.

Dark shapes moved beneath the pond's surface. The crocs would try a lunge as soon as they got close. I tilted my ears back and listened.

Would he really, actively think to tilt his ears back and listen when he's actively staring into the pond and trying to gauge when the crocs might leap at him? Almost seems a little out of place. However, I also think such wonderful changes in physiology should come more automatically and as more of a marvel while exploring and learning a new body.

I could handle all the predators but the crocs and their larger cousins, the drakes.

Point to make here - if he couldn't handle them he would be eaten and wouldn't be telling us this story...unless he ran away...(just a nit, really.)

I'd taken to calling them drakes because they looked like dragons in old vids. It was still early in the day for them to visit the waterhole. I often wondered if they might be cold-blooded. I'd either killed or scavenged about everything else in the last eight moons and so far all the reptilian/amphibian life was warm-blooded. I should know, I craved warm blood to drink.