Nature’s gift

Dahlia's eyes tracked a weird creature: some kind of giant turtle crossed with a manta ray. Its upper body was coated in hexagonal plates and its giant sharp jaw looked like it was ready to bite off anyone's head who dared get too close. However despite its association with such a bulky animal, the beast instead glided through the water like a stealthy predator. It was massive with a wingspan of at least five metres, and yet its hexagonal plates seemed to refract light in just the perfect ways so it hardly ever looked like more than a gliding shadow. Not even the gently floating vines within the water seemed to be disturbed by its passing. It was gorgeous and a joy to watch and-