[Gatcha] Dam it - Seasonal Spring 2025

Gatcha - Dam It (Seasonal Spring 2025)
871 words

Gatcha was excited for springtime - it meant that the world was about to come back to life on Isla Kela.  The winter had been moderate enough and Gatcha didn’t struggle much to find food or stay warm, although he did at times get bored.  Gatcha expectantly watched the snow slowly erode as the weeks passed, turning into a muddy slush along the paths he frequented.  Now, only the areas where the snow was deepest remained in small, sweaty patches around Gatcha’s territory.  He wasn’t particularly fond of how wet everything had been, as spring does tend to bring a lot of rain and with all of the melting snow, it seemed there wasn’t a dry day in sight.  

Gatcha had been hearing occasional loud crashing sounds echo across the open field that parted the forest that Gatcha called home.  He had finally rounded up the bravery to go and check it out, it did sound close to Gatcha’s territory and he had to be sure it wasn’t an outraged Acro or Alberto - the last kind of monster he would need stomping around his coastal paradise.

Gatcha trotted across the trampled forest floor to the open field where he had been hearing the noises, he headed towards where he’d heard the ruckus.  It didn’t take him very long until he came to a lake.  He hadn’t been here in ages as he rarely wandered far outside of his territory he held with Granite.  The lake appeared swollen, the edge of the water had begun creeping up into the surrounding forest, swallowing the bottoms of a few trees and submerging spring plants that were trying to emerge.  Small flies buzzed around Gatcha’s face and each step he took he felt himself sink a bit into the soggy soil beneath him.  Occasional stones and branches jutted from the water, slowly collecting debris and frogs while the day began to warm up.

Looking at the water, Gatcha caught glimpses of the dark brown creatures cruising half-submerged in the water.  One of them had climbed up onto the bank with a lumbering gait, looking around lazily at the trees that lay ahead of it.  Gatcha took a step forward, eyes fixed on the furry brown creature.  He wondered if it was some kind of hairy, fat Atopodentatus or maybe just a huge rat.  He’d spent the majority of his life living by the coast - the only freshwater being the stream that bubbled and slinked through the wood by where he rested at night.  Gatcha made a small huffing noise to get the attention of the creatures who immediately slapped the surface of the water with their tails and dove down into the lake.  Gatcha waited a moment, the forest was dead silent and the ripples in the water spread outward silently across the lake.  A small head popped up from the water toward the center of the lake before popping back down.  A few moments later the creature emerged on the shore in front of Gatcha.

“You from around here?” The brown creature stood still, its black eyes unmoving and somewhat empty.  Gatcha tilted his head,
“I live a ways that way,” He flicked his head, indicating the direction behind him, “by the shore.  I’ve never seen a creature like you before, though.”
“We’re beavers!”  the creature enthusiastically exclaimed, “We’re herbivores just like you.  We like to build and we made this pond here!”  Gatcha looked around at the lake in front of him, it was now bustling again with the beavers slowly cruising through the water. 
“How do you make a pond??”  Gatcha was impressed, but he couldn’t imagine how someone would make a pond.
“Here, I’ll show you.”  The beaver slid back into the water and cut through the surface, slowly swimming to the left of Gatcha.  Gatcha followed, slipping and sinking into the muddy bank slightly with every step.  Ahead of him, he now suddenly noticed a chaotic pile of sticks and wood.  As they came closer the beaver started speaking again,
“We make dams to block the flowing water of streams and rivers and, voila, a lake is born!”  The beaver looked at Gatcha excitedly as it reached the dam and rested his webbed hands on a log.

“Oh wow.”  Gatcha leaned toward the dam, sniffing it.  It smelled strongly of beavers and had a musky freshwater scent to it, “I didn’t realize there were creatures who did this.  But I like what you’ve done with the place - I remember when this lake was just a small puddle barely more than a widening of the stream.  It’s good to know that this is here now if my stream ever dries up.”  Gatcha looked around more, listening to the birds chirping and taking in the serene nature around him.  He was excited to meet new creatures, especially friendly ones.
“If you guys ever need anything, head downstream.  My territory will be there and it’s the least I can do in return for you guys creating these lovely lakes and ponds.”  Gatcha smiled at the beaver.
“Oh that’s so very kind of you!”  The beaver smiled up at him, “And the same goes for you - you know where to find us!”