Samudra's Journal

by vren55

Entry 123: The Kelpie Home?

The kelpies didn’t actually take me into the abyss today. They actually took me with one of their nomadic hunting parties.

It turns out that the kelpies are just as wary about taking me into the Abyss as I am going into it. I am unsure as to why. They have all the advantages if I go into the Abyss… perhaps they suspect I want to learn more about their society and culture, and then use it against them?

I am going off topic. Suffice it to say, the kelpies hunt in nomadic groups mainly to feed the fry safely. I have to say this is a pretty good strategy and one that I cannot easily counter even if I knew about it. The ocean is huge, so having one or two adult kelpies with fry together allows them to protect the fry from any problematic threats and stay mobile. If they are attacked, the adults can intercept the attackers and allow the fry to run.

However, the fry apparently need no help in hunting. They are small, quick, and have very… very sharp teeth.

It’s also surprising for me to know, but I found out that kelpie fry don’t eat that much fish. We never… bothered to feed the fry during transport. After all, we were going to cull them. From what I observed that day, we could feasibly feed the kelpie fry, at least, according to how much we think their are.

There’s also the matter that I’m beginning to understand how the kelpies are training such good soldiers. They’re learning hunting tactics from the moment they are fry.

What I mean is… the only reason the adults are there are to protect the larger group of kelpie fry. The kelpie fry themselves are only given a rudimentary lesson on what foods there are in that area, and the dangers of them, before being released to hunt. The adults to provide some basic instruction and leadership, but it’s the fry themselves that discuss with each other and plan strategy. It’s not very complicated strategy. They are all fairly young after all, but the swarm tactics they use have basis in underwater movement and attack formations.

The tactics they use are also viciously effective. On small targets, herds of herring, they would surround them and just start munching on them. If it was a single large target…. Say a small porpoise or a large fish, they will charge the fish, charging them and seizing them in their jaws.

Still, this does explain why the kelpies have been learning and gradually improving on their tactical prowess, despite their heavy losses. They essentially have a junior officer school starting practically from birth.