He held his breath, body frozen as he gazed fearfully up towards the water's surface. The shape of the creature had stilled as well, and he wondered for a moment if it would abandon its hunt and leave him be.
Instead however, its dark shape slid forward and cut through the water with an explosion of bubbles. Against the sun's reflection he could not discern much--only that one, it was large, and two, it was coming towards him. Delta's heart thrummed wildly against his chest, anticipation building in his unsheathed claws as he tensed his muscles and prepared to snap from his hiding place and take off into deeper water. He sent a prayer to Tsillah that he would escape its fangs as he readied himself, eyeing the cracks in the stone in front of him with desperation as his gaze flicked between it and the danger above him.
Except, in his panicked state, it took a moment for him to realize that the apparent danger was swimming away from him. Delta blinked, forcing his head to keep still as he watched the shape paddle away to the corner of his vision. Had it given up its hunt? Had it been the same beast as before? A cautious relief washed over him, and he eased his grip on the soil and fluttered his gills beneath the sand with his soft breath. Slowly he turned his head and watched it paddle further away, not taking his eyes off the shape as he inched forwards closer towards the stones it had previously crouched upon.
He could only really see its paws under the water, and a long, rounded tail which swept out behind it as it began wrestling with a clump of tall riverweed. When it seemed distracted enough, he lunged forwards and crammed himself between the stones, practically folding over himself to turn in the tight space so he could peek out into the open water from his new hiding spot. He waited a while there, recollecting himself in the reassurring darkness. Now that his initial anxiety had passed, he felt the stirrings of a dangerous curiosity. He wanted to know what it was--it didn't seem to be wolf nor beast, but something about it almost felt familiar.
Delta leered out and watched as it flung the riverweed into the air, hesitantly poking out his head and squinting in a vain attempt to watch where it'd land only to flinch backward harshly as it crashed into the water in front of him. It sunk with a flurry of bubbles, and behind its shroud he spotted the shape paddling closer again to reclaim the toy. As it grew closer he made out its shape more clearly; long and muscled with a bright, fiery sort of pelt. A familiar fear squeezed at its lungs as it neared and he retreated, and he wondered if perhaps he should ready his screeching, but then it dove. Now underwater, a face all too similar to his own came into focus, and his eyes widened.
It was absolutely huge and lacking any sort of fins, but it was a cat, like him! A strange flurry of emotions passed through him all at once, watching through wide, disbelieving eyes as he watched it slowly approach. When had been the last time he'd seen another like himself? Could some cats live out of the water like how some wolves could live in it? Why was it in the lake, then?
A million questions shot through his brain and he felt his mouth dry, torn between disbelief and an anxious giddiness that sent his whiskers trembling. Slowly, before he could overthink and convince himself overwise, he pushed his head out of his cranny in the rocks. He moved cautiously, eyes still fixated on the strange, massive cat as he extended a shaking paw out to the riverweed. He scooped it clumsily off the lakebed and batted it towards them in a hesitant gesture of play before once again quickly retreating into the rocks. Could it understand him like other cats or Loch could?
"Hello," Delta tried, his voice a clicking, alien hum in the thick water.
Instead however, its dark shape slid forward and cut through the water with an explosion of bubbles. Against the sun's reflection he could not discern much--only that one, it was large, and two, it was coming towards him. Delta's heart thrummed wildly against his chest, anticipation building in his unsheathed claws as he tensed his muscles and prepared to snap from his hiding place and take off into deeper water. He sent a prayer to Tsillah that he would escape its fangs as he readied himself, eyeing the cracks in the stone in front of him with desperation as his gaze flicked between it and the danger above him.
Except, in his panicked state, it took a moment for him to realize that the apparent danger was swimming away from him. Delta blinked, forcing his head to keep still as he watched the shape paddle away to the corner of his vision. Had it given up its hunt? Had it been the same beast as before? A cautious relief washed over him, and he eased his grip on the soil and fluttered his gills beneath the sand with his soft breath. Slowly he turned his head and watched it paddle further away, not taking his eyes off the shape as he inched forwards closer towards the stones it had previously crouched upon.
He could only really see its paws under the water, and a long, rounded tail which swept out behind it as it began wrestling with a clump of tall riverweed. When it seemed distracted enough, he lunged forwards and crammed himself between the stones, practically folding over himself to turn in the tight space so he could peek out into the open water from his new hiding spot. He waited a while there, recollecting himself in the reassurring darkness. Now that his initial anxiety had passed, he felt the stirrings of a dangerous curiosity. He wanted to know what it was--it didn't seem to be wolf nor beast, but something about it almost felt familiar.
Delta leered out and watched as it flung the riverweed into the air, hesitantly poking out his head and squinting in a vain attempt to watch where it'd land only to flinch backward harshly as it crashed into the water in front of him. It sunk with a flurry of bubbles, and behind its shroud he spotted the shape paddling closer again to reclaim the toy. As it grew closer he made out its shape more clearly; long and muscled with a bright, fiery sort of pelt. A familiar fear squeezed at its lungs as it neared and he retreated, and he wondered if perhaps he should ready his screeching, but then it dove. Now underwater, a face all too similar to his own came into focus, and his eyes widened.
It was absolutely huge and lacking any sort of fins, but it was a cat, like him! A strange flurry of emotions passed through him all at once, watching through wide, disbelieving eyes as he watched it slowly approach. When had been the last time he'd seen another like himself? Could some cats live out of the water like how some wolves could live in it? Why was it in the lake, then?
A million questions shot through his brain and he felt his mouth dry, torn between disbelief and an anxious giddiness that sent his whiskers trembling. Slowly, before he could overthink and convince himself overwise, he pushed his head out of his cranny in the rocks. He moved cautiously, eyes still fixated on the strange, massive cat as he extended a shaking paw out to the riverweed. He scooped it clumsily off the lakebed and batted it towards them in a hesitant gesture of play before once again quickly retreating into the rocks. Could it understand him like other cats or Loch could?
"Hello," Delta tried, his voice a clicking, alien hum in the thick water.