A small amount of pride came over the little cat as Loch praised the shell he'd found. Delta wasn't used to compliments, responding with a bashful trill as he twitched his whiskers and settled the shell comfortably between his jaws. He followed the wolf's gaze then, and his own brightened at the sight of dry land rising above the mud; it looked to be mostly gravel and stones, like the seafloor of the shelves he'd grown up on. It wasn't too far, it was unlikely (he hoped) that in that distance the mud would swallow him whole. Before he could spiral and worry about that possibility, he gave Loch a quick nod, nostrils flaring as he caught his breath and tensed his paws again. One ripped from the mud with another wet schluck, and soon he was wading forward again with a newfound determination.
It took longer than he was proud of to get himself out, embarrassment burning his ears as his determined stride quickly fell back into clumsy stumbling as he fought with each step against the thick mud. It was a massive relief to feel hard ground beneath his paws again as he dragged himself free, a sigh escaping him as he took a moment to set the shell down and catch his breath again.
"Sorry," he said again, shaking out his muddy paws and giving his wide fins a tentative stretch. The rocks beneath him still felt warm from the fading sunlight, and the gravel felt different than it would have if he were underwater. Still, it was familiar enough to soothe his frazzled nerves. A nervous sort of smile found its way onto his muzzle, and he huffed a tiny laugh. "I did not expect to sink. I wish my legs were long like yours."
It thankfully didn't take as long for him to catch his breath a second time. Delta gave the fur of his chest a few quick licks before forcing himself to stand again, feeling the strange, dry air course into his lungs as he gave his pelt a quick lookover. He was still rather muddy chest-down, but they wouldn't get anywhere near Dusknora before nightfall if he started grooming himself. It'll be okay, he reasoned. If anything, the water would feel even better to return to after this. He took the shell between his jaws again and looked towards Loch, eyes glittering with a nervous excitement as he lifted his fins and prepared himself to keep following.
DICE ROLL: Constitution
SUCCESS: Delta holds his fins and tail above the rocky terrain, keeping them from getting scraped or cut.
FAILURE: Gravity is not Delta's friend.
It took longer than he was proud of to get himself out, embarrassment burning his ears as his determined stride quickly fell back into clumsy stumbling as he fought with each step against the thick mud. It was a massive relief to feel hard ground beneath his paws again as he dragged himself free, a sigh escaping him as he took a moment to set the shell down and catch his breath again.
"Sorry," he said again, shaking out his muddy paws and giving his wide fins a tentative stretch. The rocks beneath him still felt warm from the fading sunlight, and the gravel felt different than it would have if he were underwater. Still, it was familiar enough to soothe his frazzled nerves. A nervous sort of smile found its way onto his muzzle, and he huffed a tiny laugh. "I did not expect to sink. I wish my legs were long like yours."
It thankfully didn't take as long for him to catch his breath a second time. Delta gave the fur of his chest a few quick licks before forcing himself to stand again, feeling the strange, dry air course into his lungs as he gave his pelt a quick lookover. He was still rather muddy chest-down, but they wouldn't get anywhere near Dusknora before nightfall if he started grooming himself. It'll be okay, he reasoned. If anything, the water would feel even better to return to after this. He took the shell between his jaws again and looked towards Loch, eyes glittering with a nervous excitement as he lifted his fins and prepared himself to keep following.
DICE ROLL: Constitution
SUCCESS: Delta holds his fins and tail above the rocky terrain, keeping them from getting scraped or cut.
FAILURE: Gravity is not Delta's friend.