Anthro world, Stone age; part 1

It is the continent that would be known as pangea... The world is new and ripe for story....
A sunny day in a swamp, a grey scaled, black eyes gator could be seen swimming the swamp and twirling under the water. Not bathing, but simply just going for a swim.
The water is cool, slow, and soothing against the hot day the swamp faces. Fish swim through the water as the alligator swings through the water.
Although, something else moves through the water, it wasn't a fish though, it was actually chasing the fish.
"Hmmm...?" The alligator noticed a furry creature chasing fish and many of them swim off in different directions. The alligator deduces that it's probably hungry and watches it.
This thing was small, but it was shockingly fast. able to turn faster than most of the fish, it was part of how it caught three of them before swimming onto the rocks near the coast.
"..." The alligator then swims closer and grips the rocks... Poorly. Slipping back into the water and tries to climb or hang to it, but repeatedly falls back in... The alligator huffs in discontent and swims closer to the rocky shore on the coast. Intent to getting closer to her.
As much as the alligator tries to get closer... he accomplishes it, but it wasn't stealthy in the slightest. The little critter heard the rocks tumble, and then looked his way. She held a fish in her math, then picks up a pointy rock as she looks at him... very defensive...
A rock? What would she do? Pelt him with it? ....No... He mustn't think like that.
"You... How do you catch those fish like that? You swam with the same grace THEY did? How...???" The alligator asked perplexed.
The otter tilts her head, and lowers the rock, "You speak?.. Speak like us?.." She moves to the edge of bounder she is on, getting closer to him, curiously, "Who... W-what are you?"
"I. I am an alligator." The alligator responds calmly, yet lazily. "You yourself? What are you?"
"Otter." She says simply, then she backs up a bit and starts to eat the little fish in her mouth. "Family has been moving down this way."
"Interesting. More into the swamp. Plenty of fish for the family. Spawnings happen fairly often up here..." The alligator replies. "...Though..."
"Though what?" The otter looks to him again.
"...Though its pretty warm up here. Perfect for my scales..."
She chuckles, "We're from much colder areas. The heat is new, but we don't mind."
He chuckles as well. "Well. You have a name?" He prompts polietely, and straightforwardly.
the otter takes another bite of food, "It's Cherry."
"Cherry. Sweet as a berry~" He smiles, continuing. "I'm Marr."
"Marr?" She tilts her head, "Why are you called Marr?"
"Peple say if i keep fighting the way i do, ill be marred for life." He chuckles, not taking this seriously.
The otter giggles, "Wise peple, My name was given when I found another source of food. You were right when you spoke of my name. there is some berry up north that are very sweet, and so they named me after it."
"Usually I enjoy fighting to protect my people, but I prefer a good old fashined wrestle..." The alligator continues when she finishes.
Cherry shrugs, "Could probably handle a lot of it on your own. Me and my family often fight together, hunt things bigger then us as a group."
"Hrmmm... What were you going to do with that rock...?"
"Hit you, if you were dangerous." Cherry says, "My people learned that rocks can help you hit stuff harder, it has helped us open clams to eat what is inside."
"An interesting thing... My kind have developed a way to break a creature into submission... By using our death roll." Marr says.
"Huh... neat..." Cherry says, and then stands up, "You live by here?"
"In the swamp a bit more down the stream. I could show you, friend"
Cherry nods
Marr turns and enters the water, swimming at a slow pace for relaxing, traveling downstream for a little bit. Not very far at all.
Cherry hops Into the water and swims after him.
Marr eventually arrives at his small den in a curvature shape at a bend in the swamp end. It wasn't small either, plenty of fish, but they obviously swam away from him as he entered the vicinity.
Cherry followed for a while, then climbed onto some rocks near by
Marr then tries to get comfortable as he exits the water halfway. "Here is my usual home. I have this most to myself..."
Cherry looks around noticing there's no others like Marr around the place, "Where are the others? Your family?"
"....We look after ourselves when we become adults..." The alligator looks somber at the question, as he responds.
Cherry tilts her head, "So... when you get older would you look after your kids and mate?"
"Yes. But the kids leave when they are old enough. It's sad to me..." He says.
"I see..." Cherry says calmer, "I'll let my family know not to come by here. Not to harm you."
"On the contrary. I prefer the company. I do not... Think as my parents do." He states, smiling a little more.
Cherry tilts her head..
Marr looks at her. "...What?"
"I'm not telling them so you are left alone," Cherry says, "I tell them in hopes they don't hunt you too."
"hunt me? Why would they...?" Marr questions unbelievingly.
Cherry looks away, "let's just say most otters are... very, fighty..."
"Huh. Well. I understand. I suppose we shall meet again at some point." Marr states knowingly.
Cherry nods, a faint smile, "Hopefully as friends again..." and she scampers off.
*Days pass since that meeting, Marr has been able to swim about, eat, and rest with peace... much more lonely than the day with Cherry...
However, one day, as he swims up river, he does notice a familiar creature swim in the upper parts of the river.
Marr has not been happy the past few days. He loved that otter for her company.... Eating, sleeping, etc...
Then he sees someone. The otter again? Or was it another one of her family..?
It seems to be catching and hunting fish, a lot of them... although, how is it in three places at once?
"Huh..? What is.... A sort of trick?" The gator then shakes his head and shuts his eyes, before reopening them.
There's still 3 of them, three otters up ahead... 4 otters, no five, two just swam up to join the three
Marr swam closer, but tried to stay out of eyesight... "....."
Trying to get closer, one of the otters may have spotted him, but then they moved on. They were starting to all climb to the shore.
He only moved when he saw them get up shore more... Then he peered from the edge of the river. At least looking for cherry. Maybe they were 'all' her....?
....No, that's foolhardy. Cherry mentioned she had family.
It was hard to tell the difference between these little things, but the scent of her rung clear among them, and she was closest to him out of all these otters.
Marr thought of getting closer, but decided against it, once reminded of the fact the others would hunt him... So instead, he gently rose, merely his snout above water, and breathed out roughly, enough to get her attention.
Sleep was fine, but spent my whole morning moving furniture. Now I'm off to work)
Cherry she turned and looked to him, she was surprised but delighted.
He sank into the river and then waits for Cherry... "Come on..." His voice muffled underwater.
Cherry dives under water to see him, but the quickly swims back up. She then scurries out of the water.
He slowly surfaces to see her more clearly, without risking getting herself caught...
Too later, they were looking his direction when he surfaced...
Cherry looks back to him, and then scurries over to him. "Guys, this is the one I spoke of before. This is Marr..."
"..." Marr surfaces. "...Hello? I am a friend of hers."
They look to him, then looks back to Cherry puzzled.
"You didn't want us to mess with this thing?... our family has dealt with worse."
"I just didn't want him to be hurt, he's my friend."
Another otter looks to her annoyed, "Until he isn't, what with all the clans... And fish are being taken by us, just what else do you think he will hunt?..."
Marr then looks to the others. "Well. What else do you eat? Something about berries?"
Cherry's ears perk up as she looks to him again. "You eat those too?"
"What? Nono! I just meant as a suggestion. Maybe you could eat the berries, or I could try it too?" Marr corrects the situation quickly.
"They are a bit more inland, but..." Cherry looks back to the others, "Couldn't we try it?"
"Wouldn't it be easier to kill him?" an otter says, but sees Cherry stand her ground... "Fine... and goes walking more to the woods."
Cherry smiles to him, then lookd back to Marr nervously..
Marr just seems to chuckle lightly. "Funny, I had not intended to be a problem, but now I have to help fix it." The gator seems to smile, the edge of his maw curling ever 'slightly' upward.
"We'll be back in a bit, I'm sure you'll like cherries, they are real sweet..." she goes scampering off to the woods.
The other three otters stay put, watching Marr intensely..
Marr tries to talk to the others and de-escalate this. "Your girl is very sweet and very kind. You must be proud of her."
"She's naive, but she is young." One otter says, "she will learn-"
Suddenly, squeaking is heard from the brush near by. The foraging otters scurrying their way with berries in their mouths, but they also were running very fast with fear in their eyes. Bursting out of the bushes, follows a big wildebeest. All otters dive for the water.
Marr sees the fear in their eyes and readies himself... and sees the wildebeast!
His eyes widening, he goes for the leg, at least trying to trip it up first!
Marr gets a leg in his jaws, tripping the wildebeest, but it still thrashes and flails wildly.
He twists his body and tries to keep the leg in his mouth!
SNAP CRACK Goes the leg and the alligator proceeds to drag it closer to the river! "BEGNE...!" Marr says through his maw clamped down!
The thing still struggles and cries out in panic as it is pulled more and more into the water.
He gets fully underwater and drags that wildebeast, tooth and jaw into the river, attempting to drown it!
It struggles in the watter for maybe a minute, then it becomes still in his teeth.
Marr lets it go and resurfaces. "That one always tries brute strength... but the only thing stronger than me is an elephant..."
Cherry is the first to swim over to him, "Are you okay? That was so big..."
"I'm fine. Are YOU ok?" Marr asks back.
Cherry nods, "We were able to avoid it's hooves. but you... you brought it to the ground, and dragged it unto the river. I didn't realize your strength."
"I guess it was not noticeable?" Marr tries to guess. "But I take it you like it?"
Cherry nods slowly, "that was incredible, usually we can only fight those in the water. But you could force it down and drag it into the river."
The other otters start to gather around them.
Marr smiles. "Well, You are my friend aren't you? You're safe now." Marr says enthusiastically, but calm.
"You could be... actually be good for us.." an otter says, "That could feed many of us. Our whole family.."
"Yes, as much I as want to help him, he could also help us. Could he not be a part of our family?..."
Marr listens to all of this, stunned they would change their minds so quickly, but remains silent... Letting them think.
The biggest of the otters look to he and Cherry, "No, he is not an otter, not one of us..."
Cherry's ears lower.
"...But we will let him live.. for now."