Once Loch spotted Delta close behind, he raced in the direction of the river. With his large fins, he was naturally fast, but it seemed the smaller feline had no issue keeping pace. Eventually, Loch hauled himself out of the water and saw the feline doing the same beside him. He shook his fur, sending droplets of salty water flying everywhere, only to look back and find Delta struggling with the transition, coughing up water as he adjusted to breathing air.
"You alright there?" Loch asked, giving the feline a nervous look. "You said you’ve been on land before, right?” He found himself questioning Delta, anxious that maybe the feline had fibbed and wasn't really adapted for life beyond the sea.
Sure enough, the coughing fit passed, and Loch felt himself relax a bit. "Which direction?" he heard Delta ask. Streams of fresh water wound around them, creating a large muddy area where they now stood. The streams led upward, disappearing beyond a line of thick trees just ahead. Loch pointed his snout toward them. “That way,” he said, taking a few steps forward. Mud clung to his ankles, and he felt it building with each step. Even though he had just started the trek back, he was already daydreaming about reaching the lake, where he could clean himself off and rest. There was still a long way to go, however.
As he walked, Loch stepped on something hard in the sand. “Huh,” he muttered, beginning to dig a bit and uncovering a shell buried just beneath the surface. He picked it up to examine it. It was small and cracked—not good for his hoard of treasures. Still, he figured there might be some valuables around that would be worth keeping.
“Hey, catfish!” While Loch knew the feline’s name, he still found himself resorting to the nickname he had come up with. “If you find any nice shells, hand them over this way, okay? I’ll take them as payment for the fish I caught you earlier.” He continued forward, keeping his pace slow and eyeing the ground for anything else of interest. Might as well find them now, since there would be less chance of discovering such shells once they got further up the river.
"You alright there?" Loch asked, giving the feline a nervous look. "You said you’ve been on land before, right?” He found himself questioning Delta, anxious that maybe the feline had fibbed and wasn't really adapted for life beyond the sea.
Sure enough, the coughing fit passed, and Loch felt himself relax a bit. "Which direction?" he heard Delta ask. Streams of fresh water wound around them, creating a large muddy area where they now stood. The streams led upward, disappearing beyond a line of thick trees just ahead. Loch pointed his snout toward them. “That way,” he said, taking a few steps forward. Mud clung to his ankles, and he felt it building with each step. Even though he had just started the trek back, he was already daydreaming about reaching the lake, where he could clean himself off and rest. There was still a long way to go, however.
As he walked, Loch stepped on something hard in the sand. “Huh,” he muttered, beginning to dig a bit and uncovering a shell buried just beneath the surface. He picked it up to examine it. It was small and cracked—not good for his hoard of treasures. Still, he figured there might be some valuables around that would be worth keeping.
“Hey, catfish!” While Loch knew the feline’s name, he still found himself resorting to the nickname he had come up with. “If you find any nice shells, hand them over this way, okay? I’ll take them as payment for the fish I caught you earlier.” He continued forward, keeping his pace slow and eyeing the ground for anything else of interest. Might as well find them now, since there would be less chance of discovering such shells once they got further up the river.