A cove of bright blue water. Along the shoreline, the tides have carved the rocks into inlets and pools where the tide catches. There are many caverns and rock formations to explore here. The tide can rise quickly, flooding many of the areas without warning. An excellent place for gathering shells or hunting crustaceans.
The smaller feline replied to his request, asking what his favorite color was. “Uh,” Loch began to think. He wasn’t sure he had a favorite color. If he did, he hadn’t given it much thought. “Whatever you find I’m sure will be fine.” He’d reply. He wasn’t too picky as long as the shell was intact.
His gaze now fell back towards the feline, realizing too late that he was having trouble getting around in the muck. Delta was significantly smaller than he was, so the mud swallowed more of his body as he walked. Guilt began to bite at the larger wolf. He should have paid more attention to the situation before practically demanding the feline to give him a shell.
Loch sighed and began padding back towards the Delta to see if there was anything he could do to help, paws sinking into the mud as he approached. Delta seemed to be digging around in the sand, presumably looking for a shell. Within moments, the feline had managed to dig up a large, intact clam shell. Loch smiled. “Nice one.” He’d reply. “Thanks, catfish.”
With a shell now found, Loch would gaze back in the direction they needed to travel. The land began to slope upwards, leading out of the mud and onto rocky terrain. “Do you think you can make it a little further? It looks like the land becomes dryer just up there; it will be easier to travel in than this mud.”
Loch assumed Delta would prefer the dryer, rocky land over the mud. It would be easier for them to walk without the risk of sinking and getting stuck. Unlike Delta, Loch was used to the dry air. The feeling of being out of the water was a bit uncomfortable when he first chose to leave the sea, but it didn't bother him now that he had made a home on land.
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.
Character Diceroll 1: Success Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Constitution.
524 was added for Level 2.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
4 was deducted for C. Vagrant Penalty.
With a bit of struggle, Delta had managed to pull himself out of the mud and onto the rocks. Loch stayed beside him, ensuring the feline didn’t sink too deeply until they reached the rocky terrain. When they finally reached the hard ground, Loch paused momentarily to catch his breath.
Despite having longer legs, navigating through the sinking sand still took him considerable effort. He sat down beside Delta, relieved to have solid rock beneath him now. He had underestimated just how challenging the wet sand would be. It was getting darker now, which generally wouldn’t bother Loch. It was nearly always pitch black in the abyss, and he had a luminescent lure that could light their path. Still, he wondered how Delta would manage as night fell.
He began to feel guilty for dragging the fekine this far. However, Delta seemed determined. Perhaps he had his own reasons for wanting to venture onto land, and traveling to experience new places could be beneficial…right? It might do him good!
“Sorry, I did not expect to sink. I wish my legs were as long as yours,” Delta said. Loch nodded in response. “It’s alright,” he’d reassure the feline. Perhaps the journey had been harder for Delta than anticipated, but still, he had prevailed, which was a testament to the feline's strength. “If you need a break, you can ride on my back,” Loch offered, looking Delta over. He seemed small enough that it shouldn’t be too much trouble to carry him a little way now that the extra weight wouldn't pull him further into the muck. “There’s no sense in turning around now; you’ve made it this far.”
Now that Delta had caught his breath and torn his attention from the mud, he noticed just how vibrant the sky had become. The sun was dipping beneath the trees now, staining the horizon a brilliant fuchsia which faded to violet and navy as his gaze moved further upwards. The faint beginnings of stars were coming into view, and he let out an awed breath at just how colorful the sunset was out in the open air. Carefully he picked his way forwards to try and find a better vantage point, settling himself on a large, flat stone and standing on the tips of his paws to try and catch more of the reds and oranges fading behind the treeline.
"Idsh beautiful," he said clumsily around the shell. He smiled slightly at Loch's reassurance--a small, stilted smile, but a genuine one. He had never been in the habit of smiling much; now that he thought about it, there wasn't much to smile at back home on the shelves. It felt strange to have his muzzle curl and whiskers push upwards, but he decided then that it was not strange in a bad way.
The little cat blinked in surprise then at Loch's offer, straightening himself and tilting his head. A flash of eagerness crossed his expression, but his gaze then softened into something sad and distant. The last time he'd ridden on someone's back was...had it been...? No, that had been his sister who'd done it. He'd seen his sister ride on their mother's back when they were very, very small; she'd swam in lazy circles and gentle loops as she clung to her fins. She moved slow and deliberate to avoid churning the water and attracting predators, and his sister had smiled, but stayed quiet.
They always had to be quiet.
Delta blinked, and realized with a start that he'd never answered Loch's question. He looked away, setting the shell back down and clearing his silence with an embarrassed cough. As the melancholy cleared, a slight excitement found its way into his voice again.
"You would let me, really?" he asked, blinking wide, unsure eyes at the wolf. It sounded nice, yes, maybe even fun. What would the world look like at his height? What would it feel like to cross the earth and stone so effortlessly? He looked nervously at Loch's intricate fins and frowned with worry. "I want to, but I do not want to crush your fins. I am, ah, heavier than it seems," he said, giving a self-conscious gesture to his fins. Still, despite the aching of his stumpy legs and the burn of his lungs, he'd made it this far already. On land. Loch was right. Even if he couldn't ride on his back, he would continue to follow him. Another small smile found its way onto his muzzle.
