The reminder of the river soothed his worries somewhat. Once he'd walked to the border, he could simply swim his way back from there. Or even continue upstream; although Delta envied the beauty of Loch's flowing fins, he could only imagine how strange it would feel to have them pulled and battered by an opposing current. If the river ever grew too strong, it was easy for the little cat to simply flatten himself to the ground and allow the water to rush above him instead. He gave a small nod to the wolf's explanation, and a small part of him preened at the idea of being an adventurer.
"Yes. Alright," he meowed, watching as Loch gracefully shot upwards through the water. He hesitated for a short moment before taking another breath and following, flapping his flat fins against the water as it grew warmer and lighter with the rays of sunset. Anxiety churned at his belly the higher he swam; without the seafloor against his belly, open water surrounded him from every side and offered countless new opportunities for predators to attack. he kept his whiskers splayed and dark eyes roving, making sure for perhaps the dozenth time that nothing was coming for him before he too poked his head above the water.
It was bright. Delta swallowed a hiss and squinted against the reddish light, blinking rapidly until the membrane covering his eyes receded and his pupils adjusted to the sky. And pretty, he thought with mild surprise, watching purple clouds overhead slink across the vibrant sky where speckles of starlight began to shine through. He opened his mouth and let out a gurgling compliment to the scenery, but with his lungs still full of water, it was unintelligible above the surface. He nearly missed Loch beginning to paddle away, jolting from his awed stupor and nodding vigorously at his call as he tore his gaze away from the clouds above.
Swimming on the surface felt different. If he kept himself buoyed, Delta felt the uncomfortable warm prickle of the fur along his spine and fin-tops drying. He settled for an awkward half-above half-below approach, swimming after Loch with only his eyes and ears above the water like a particularly nervous looking caiman. He gritted his teeth as the ocean floor sloped upwards to meet his paws, his sensation of weightlessness beginning to fade as he slunk clumsily from the water and felt the full weight of his fins and tail press down against his stumpy legs. He made a strange noise, half hiss and half gurgle, before water streamed and sputtered from his nostrils and gills. Unless he wanted to suffocate, it was necessary to force all the water from his lungs before a breath of air was taken.
He coughed and sputtered wetly, though the fit certainly looked much worse than it felt. The first breath he took was sharp and short, punctuated by another bout of wheezing and hacking until his body remembered how to process the strange, dry air.
"Sorry," he grunted, slinking further onto the sand and not bothering to shake the wetness from his pelt. He focused on breathing in and out, slowly remembering the rhythm and feeling his body adjust as his heart slowed again. "It's, ah--I have to remember how," he gave a few more focused breaths before clearing his throat, sagging in relief as he felt his lungs take control of themselves again. He looked towards Loch again, slowly stretching out his legs and feeling the strange sensation of having to push upwards against gravity. "Which direction?"
"Yes. Alright," he meowed, watching as Loch gracefully shot upwards through the water. He hesitated for a short moment before taking another breath and following, flapping his flat fins against the water as it grew warmer and lighter with the rays of sunset. Anxiety churned at his belly the higher he swam; without the seafloor against his belly, open water surrounded him from every side and offered countless new opportunities for predators to attack. he kept his whiskers splayed and dark eyes roving, making sure for perhaps the dozenth time that nothing was coming for him before he too poked his head above the water.
It was bright. Delta swallowed a hiss and squinted against the reddish light, blinking rapidly until the membrane covering his eyes receded and his pupils adjusted to the sky. And pretty, he thought with mild surprise, watching purple clouds overhead slink across the vibrant sky where speckles of starlight began to shine through. He opened his mouth and let out a gurgling compliment to the scenery, but with his lungs still full of water, it was unintelligible above the surface. He nearly missed Loch beginning to paddle away, jolting from his awed stupor and nodding vigorously at his call as he tore his gaze away from the clouds above.
Swimming on the surface felt different. If he kept himself buoyed, Delta felt the uncomfortable warm prickle of the fur along his spine and fin-tops drying. He settled for an awkward half-above half-below approach, swimming after Loch with only his eyes and ears above the water like a particularly nervous looking caiman. He gritted his teeth as the ocean floor sloped upwards to meet his paws, his sensation of weightlessness beginning to fade as he slunk clumsily from the water and felt the full weight of his fins and tail press down against his stumpy legs. He made a strange noise, half hiss and half gurgle, before water streamed and sputtered from his nostrils and gills. Unless he wanted to suffocate, it was necessary to force all the water from his lungs before a breath of air was taken.
He coughed and sputtered wetly, though the fit certainly looked much worse than it felt. The first breath he took was sharp and short, punctuated by another bout of wheezing and hacking until his body remembered how to process the strange, dry air.
"Sorry," he grunted, slinking further onto the sand and not bothering to shake the wetness from his pelt. He focused on breathing in and out, slowly remembering the rhythm and feeling his body adjust as his heart slowed again. "It's, ah--I have to remember how," he gave a few more focused breaths before clearing his throat, sagging in relief as he felt his lungs take control of themselves again. He looked towards Loch again, slowly stretching out his legs and feeling the strange sensation of having to push upwards against gravity. "Which direction?"