W20 - Changing Breeds.pdf

lives a life of sleeping, swimming, and hunting as an apexpredator, subtle planning is not a vital skill set to develop.Some organized raiding parties that sank humanships. Others preyed on the coastlines, darting inlandto destroy human targets before retreating back to thesanctuary of Sea. These efforts were short-sighted, disorganized,and, ultimately, doomed to fail. Centuries spenteschewing land left the Rokea unable to understand theways of Unsea or the complexities of human civilization,and they had no way to identify, let alone target, those194CHANGING BREEDSwho were responsible for the Small Wounds, or theirapparent war on Sea.Over time, the number and size of the Small Woundscontinued to increase. In 1955, the oldest and most powerfulof Rokea called a gathering of their entire speciesto reach a decision on the Small Wounds and how theyshould attempt to deal with this increasingly dangerousproblem. The weresharks met in a shallow area of theocean a few hundred miles southwest of San Diego. Rokeafrom all of the oceans gathered in the grotto known asTurna’a, where they listened to their huge and ancientelders debate the issue.Then, disaster struck. During the middle oftheir gathering, the US set off an underwaternuclear test at Turna’a. The SmallWound killed almost all of the Rokeapresent, destroying more than threequarters of their population and fillingthe rest with rage and fear. Fireand radiation destroyed all of the eldestweresharks, and almost all of the wise andmystical Darkwater auspice. With theirleaders dead, the weresharks’ plans to dealwith the Small Wounds collapsed, and theRokea did what they do best — reacted withblind instinct.Survivors among the Rokea lashed outat those they believed responsible.Many Dimwaterslooked for traitors amongtheir own kind, takingout their Rage on thenearest targets, andsowing the seeds ofsuspicion throughoutthe Breed. At the sametime, many of the Brightwatersstruck back against humanity,and began a rampage against shipsand swimmers that struck fear amongbeachgoers, fishermen, and boaters —but did nothing to harm the people responsiblefor the nuclear tests. Their attacks did provokea reaction, although it was not the intended one.Terrified by the increase in shark attacksalong every coastline, humans developeda heightened paranoia aboutthe creatures. Several famoushorror films of the 1970s and80s depicted sharks as deliberateand ravenous killers who preferredhuman prey, And any empathy humanity may have hadfor the cold-blooded killers was virtually extinguished.